Author: Rhys Gregory

Swansea’s award-winning indoor market is set for an improvements package that will see almost £440,000 spent on the venue. The work will bring public toilets to the city centre market, along with a multi-purpose communal area, free public Wi-Fi, new interactive LED signs and improved entrances. Work is due to start this summer and will be carried out with a close focus on Government social distancing guidelines. The market, managed by Swansea Council, is the permanent home to more than 100 businesses, hosts casual traders and events and was named Britain’s best large indoor market this year in the Great…

Dramatic new images show how a 3,500-capacity arena is taking shape between Swansea’s city centre and marina. The drone photos from main contractor Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd – made public for the first time today – reveal how new parts of the Swansea skyline are emerging. They show steel skeletons of the city’s new indoor arena and allied buildings going up. Work on the huge steel frames of the £135m Swansea Central Phase One site began to rise around three weeks ago. Now, a growing part of the arena framework is taking shape on the former Oystermouth Road car park…

Chopstix Noodle Bar will be bringing back much loved dishes including Salt ‘N’ Pepper Chicken, Chicken Katsu Curry and Green Thai Tofu Curry. Customers who have missed the stores, which closed in March in response to measures put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be able to order their favourite dishes from these five stores via Deliveroo from lunch time. The Cardiff restaurant, is one of five that is set to reopen today. The stores to open will be: Manchester, Station Approach, Manchester Piccadilly. Aberdeen, Trinity Shopping Centre, Union Street. Dundee, 12 St Andrew’s Street. Cardiff, Queen Street.…

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has launched a new online library offering people with sight loss instant access to thousands of free books in formats they can read. The new platform already has more than 26,000 titles making it the UK’s largest online library of Talking Books – the world’s first audiobooks, which were originally created by the charity for soldiers who were blinded in the First World War. Funded by voluntary donations, RNIB’s Library service sends out up to 10,000 books per day and lent more than 1.5 million titles last year on CD, USB and…

A Mid Wales tourism business has received some welcome news this week despite having been in lockdown and unable to welcome guests to the area since March. The Old Vicarage, a four-star Bed and Breakfast business in Llangurig, near Llanidloes, has been awarded a Recognition of Excellence by HotelsCombined, owned by Kayak and Booking.com, for its consistently high guest reviews. The award ranks The Old Vicarage among the best hotels and B&Bs in the UK. HotelsCombined surveys data using a strict set of criteria, such as the quality and consistency of reviews, popularity of the property and the overall resulting…

A Bridgend charity whose “incredible” volunteers are providing invaluable support to vulnerable, elderly and isolated people are getting their journeys fuelled thanks to Oil 4 Wales.  Special Families Maesteg has received a £100 a week petrol credit from the proud Welsh oil distributor, to enable it to continue carrying out vital deliveries and services in the community during the coronavirus pandemic. The Bridgend-based charity has been supporting at-risk individuals through its Maesteg Fairfield Centre Coronavirus help group, which was established after lockdown measures were introduced in March. As part of its service, the group’s 30 volunteers have been constantly behind…

A semi-professional Welsh footballer will be driving around in style after winning a Toyota GT86 sports car worth £28,000, thanks to dream car competition, BOTB. Thomas Walters, from Bridgend, plays as a forward for Welsh League Cymru South side Goytre AFC, and was left stunned this week after BOTB presenter Christian Williams rang to surprise him with the news. “I just couldn’t believe it,” said the 23-year-old, who has been on the injury list since last year after tearing the cartilage in his knee. “I was actually looking at buying a GT86 and now I’ve won one.” Thomas is currently…

Board members at Swansea Building Society have paid tribute to Phillip Watkins, the son of its founder, who played an important role in the development and success of the Society. He has died at the age of 89. Phillip is survived by his wife and their four children. Swansea Building Society was founded by John Oliver Watkins in Swansea in 1923. Originally named the Dillwyn Permanent Building Society, the business operated solely in the geographical area of Swansea and mainly dealt with opening savings accounts and providing customers with mortgages for their homes. It changed its name to Swansea Building…

All gated parks in Newport had been closed to ensure the safety of the public and staff and remained closed over the bank holiday weekend. From Monday this week, park gates will be open between 8am and 4pm. Social distancing guidance must continue to be followed when using the facilities and the following areas will remain closed: Play areas Outdoor gym equipment or facilities (e.g. mini golf) Multi use games facilities and tennis courts Public toilets and changing rooms Sports pitches (of any size or type) must only be used for general exercise, not for games/matches In a statement on…

The initials ’NHS’ have appeared in seven metre tall letters on the lawns outside City Hall as part of a tribute by Cardiff Council’s parks team to the work being done by the National Health Service. Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Cllr Peter Bradbury, said: “Staff working in the NHS are doing a fantastic job and we wanted to use our parks to show our thanks and appreciation for everything they’re doing to look after us all, during this difficult situation.” “There may only be three letters in this tribute but people should be in no doubt that the…