Author: Rhys Gregory

All seven historic shopping arcades and other independent stores in the city have united for the inaugural City of Arcades Day on Saturday 16th November.    The day created by FOR Cardiff aims to boost trade for the independent city centre businesses in the lead up to Christmas. Businesses are putting on special offers and activities throughout the day, alongside organised performances and events into the evening. Shoppers can enjoy live music across the arcades curated by PYST, a fashion show in High Street Arcade and a Christmas Market in Dominions Arcade amongst other activities in stores. The arcades, which include…

Wines from seven vineyards across Wales have been recognised at the Welsh Vineyard Association’s annual Welsh Wine Awards. 35 wines were tasted at the event, which was held at Llanerch Vineyard in the Vale of Glamorgan. The wines were split into five classes: white, rosé, red, sparkling white and sparkling rosé, which were then judged blind by a judging panel of renowned industry experts: Michael Harrison, Simon Awdry and Yannick Joseph. Each wine was given a score out of 20, with those scoring 14-15.9 awarded bronze, 16-17.9 awarded silver and 18-20 awarded gold. Overall, 29 out of the 35 wines…

A DOWNTON Abbey-style historic hall has been officially named at a national awards as the top venue in Wales to get married, for the second year running. Soughton Hall in Northop, Flintshire, was also a regional winner again at The Welsh National Wedding Awards, claiming the title for the best venue in North Wales as well as clinching the top spot as the best venue in the whole of the country. [aoa id=”1″] The Grade II* listed luxury wedding and events venue is owned by Elle R Leisure, a Manchester-based family firm which is well-known for its successful Dukes 92…

A Living Wage worker in Wales now benefits from an average annual pay boost of nearly £2,000. New data out today from IHS Market for KPMG found that jobs paid below the living wage are falling at a faster rate than anywhere else in the UK except the West Midlands, although the cost of living in Wales and the UK rose faster than London.   First Minister Mark Drakeford will announce the new Living Wage for Wales of £9.30 per hour (up from £9, an increase of 30p per hour) today at the Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay. A worker paid…

Police in the Vale of Glamorgan are reminding people of the need to remain vigilant when dealing with unsolicited telephone calls. The reminder follows an incident when a member of the public has answered a call from someone purporting to be from BT saying they need to protect their computer from being hacked. This was followed by a call from someone alleging they came from the National Crime Agency alleging their bank account had been involved in a money laundering scam and that they should transfer funds to a secure account. As a result the victim in this incident transferred…

The annual quest to find the best senior and junior Welsh chefs has been launched by the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW). The 2020 National and Junior Chef of Wales competitions provide the perfect stage for talented chefs to showcase their skills in front of a panel of top judges. With the November 30 deadline fast approaching, chefs need to hurry up and submit their entry forms, which may be downloaded at: http://www.welshculinaryassociation.com/index.php/competitions/ From the entries, which must include the chef’s own creative menu, a panel of judges will select regional finalists who will be given three hours to serve…

Cineworld, the UK’s leading cinema chain, has revealed that Cineworld Newport Spytty Park, located at Newport Retail Park, has undergone a major transformation to enhance the cinema and open three new exclusive premium formats, delivering the most immersive cinema in Wales.  The state-of-the-art refurbishment was officially completed on Wednesday 6th November with the unveiling of all 13 screens including 10 cutting-edge standard screens and the addition of premium formats 4DX, ScreenX and Superscreen.  [aoa id=”1″] Mo Williams, General Manager of Cineworld Newport Spytty Park said; “We are absolutely delighted to be the first in the area to open 4DX, ScreenX and Superscreen in the one cinema. I can’t wait to welcome movie fans from Newport and beyond to visit the most…

Swansea University has secured £2.5m of EU funding to create a new research hub aimed at growing the global market for age-related products and services. The project will run from the University’s Centre for Innovative Ageing and is in partnership with the University of Wales Trinity St David and University of South Wales. It aims to support the creative industries sector in Wales as part of research aimed at extending and improving the working lives of older people. On average, people are living a lot longer than ever before and for the first time in the UK people aged over…

Swansea-based job coach Saskia Volders has been shortlisted for the Women’s Business Club Businesswoman of the Year award. Each year the award is given to a woman who has done something significant in the business world – for example, growing her business or advancing her career in a noteworthy way. The Women’s Business Club said: “She needs to be truly exceptional and stand out head and shoulders above the rest.” The winner will be announced December 4 at the Women’s Business Conference in the Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham. Saskia Volders is a job coach with a 100% track record of…

There are a lot of different ways to travel these days. Whether you are driving, walking, taking public transport or even flying, the choices are nearly endless. This is particularly the case when you’re going on holiday and a bunch of travel agents are trying to force different modes of travel on you. I’ve experienced this myself and sometimes it can all get a bit too much. Sometimes it’s nice to get away from everything and plan your own holidays, and that’s why RVs can be such a great option. You can go almost anywhere you want as long as…