Author: Rhys Gregory

Innovative West Wales distillery, In the Welsh Wind, has taken a bold step to expand the Welsh whisky category with what is thought to be the first blended Welsh malt whisky to be brought to market. Brychan is the first of a trilogy of blended Welsh malt whiskies featuring premium single malt whiskies from Welsh distilleries, including liquid from In the Welsh Wind’s own casks. Blended to achieve a specific flavour profile, this first expression combines liquid from red wine, port and bourbon casks. Ellen Wakelam, In the Welsh Wind’s founder and chief executive, said: “Bringing a blended Welsh whisky…

A series of much-loved Christmas events is returning to the Elan Valley this December, promising a touch of festive magic for families across Mid Wales. Elan Valley Visitor Centre will be transformed into a winter haven for all ages. The celebrations begin on Sunday, November 30 with the annual Christmas Lights Switch-On, a heart-warming community gathering that marks the official start of the festive season. Father Christmas will make a grand entrance at 5pm, before leading the countdown to the light switch on at 5.30pm. Throughout December, Father Christmas will be setting up his Winter Woodland Grotto at the visitor…

One of Wales’ leading independent work-based learning providers has delivered in excess of 20,000 apprenticeship programmes in more than 4,500 businesses over the past 30 years. Welshpool-based Cambrian Training Company (CTC), which covers the whole of Wales from its network of five offices, is celebrating 30 years of delivering quality apprenticeships to businesses. The innovative company, which held 30th anniversary celebrations today (Tuesday), has run a social media campaign, featuring apprentices, employers, staff and stakeholders, daily throughout September. The company began life as a small subsidiary of Mid Wales Tourism (now MWT Cymru), delivering vocational skills to support the development…

Those looking for a spook-tacular fun thus coming Halloween are being encouraged to checkout ‘Trick or Treat Trains’ at Corris Railway in Mid Wales. Thrills, chills and sweet treats await passengers on the journey along the Dulas Valley this Halloween, with trains running from 1.30pm to 6pm on October 31. Booking is available via the www.corris.co.uk/tickets website. Looking ahead, the railway will be running Santa Special Steam Trains taking passengers to meet Santa and his helpers in their grotto on December 13 and 14 from 11am to 3.30pm. The railway, which is run by volunteers, is a member of MWT…

A historic oak tree in Ruthin is set to have a second chance at life after it was brought down by Storm Darragh. The veteran tree, believed to be over 500 years old, was widely admired by locals and visitors of Cae Ddôl and was a staple at the park for generations. Since then, Denbighshire County Council’s tree team working with Streetscene, have finished works to clear the site of brash and damaged timber and are now in the position to begin the final stage of processing the oak tree. The fallen tree trunk will remain in its historic position…

South Wales Police has confirmed that two men have been arrested following an incident in Pyle earlier this month. On Monday, September 22, two bullets were discovered at a property on Maes Glas, Pyle. Following enquiries, two men aged 20 and 39 from the Bryntirion area of Bridgend were arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Both remain in police custody and are being questioned further. For the safety of officers and the local community, firearms officers were deployed during the arrests. A South Wales Police spokesperson said:“We would like to thank the local…

Swansea Council is surging ahead with its work to upgrade roads across the city. Highways teams have completed the resurfacing a main route into North Gower (B4295) between Llanmorlais and Llanrhidian. The resurfacing work will see nearly three kilometres of road resurfaced with the upgrade being completed overnight to avoid major disruption for motorists. The road improvements also follow on from similar work completed in the summer along the same road with 2.4kms of resurfacing being Penclawdd and Llanmorlais and a further 2.6kms completed between Llanrhidian and Oldwalls. Andrew Stevens, Cabinet Member for Environment and Infrastructure, said: “The road through…

Pembrokeshire County Council is pleased to announce that construction work on the new Gwêl yr Hafan social housing development at the former Motorworld site on Charles Street, Milford Haven, is scheduled to commence next week, Monday, October 6th. The development, which will deliver 24 sheltered accommodation flats, is being constructed by WB Griffiths on behalf of the Council. The build is expected to take approximately 20 months, subject to site conditions and project progress. To ensure residents and stakeholders are kept informed and have the opportunity to engage with the development, Pembrokeshire Housing Services will be hosting a Community Engagement…

Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council is helping the town go greener, with classrooms, nurseries and libraries across the borough benefiting from major energy-saving upgrades. The Council has led a programme of improvements including LED lighting, solar power and upgraded controls, creating brighter, more efficient spaces for staff, students and visitors. The work is part of the Wales Funding Programme, funded by Welsh Government and delivered by Salix, enabling public sector organisations to cut costs, reduce emissions and improve everyday environments. Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has been working to improve these spaces through a programme of energy saving upgrades across…

Welsh communities are being better protected from the threat of disused coal tips, with over 3,000 inspections carried out so far, and updated data published today (Friday 3 October). In 2023, the Welsh Government published the location and category of disused coal tips in Wales on a single central database. Since then, the Welsh Government continues to work closely with public partners to deliver an effective inspection and maintenance regime across Wales. With tips across Wales now regularly monitored to keep communities safe, updates to the National Dataset are published twice a year. Disused coal tips are given categories, which…