Author: Rhys Gregory

Here’s our guide to the top Halloween and Autumn half term events taking place this week in Cardiff. Monday 29th October Circus Workshop – STAR Hub Join No Fit State for circus workshop, children age 5+ 12pm – 2pm. https://www.better.org.uk/leisure-centre/cardiff/star Creepy Crawlies (Oct 29 – 30) The return of our ever-popular Hallowe’en animal sessions. This hour-long session will enable visitors to get close to variety of creepy creatures, from maggots, and frogs to lizards and snakes. Booking Essential.  Please visit www.cardiffcastle.com to book tickets 02920 878 100 Spider Encounter(Oct 29 – 30) What makes people so scared of spiders? Join us for…

The Welsh Government is urging the UK Government to take action now to back up its recent recognition that austerity must end and increase public spending to meet the growing demands for public services. In a letter to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford set out Wales’ priorities ahead of the Autumn Budget today (Monday 29 October 2018). [aoa id=”1″] The Finance Secretary is urging the UK government to make a series of commitments to Wales, including: delivering on its promise that Wales will not lose a penny of funding from the decision to leave the…

Working mother Corinna Roberts says that completing an apprenticeship has boosted her confidence and skills and brought value and fresh ideas to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in Newport where she works. [aoa id=”1″] Corinna, 26, who lives in Tonypandy, has achieved a Foundation Apprenticeship and an Apprenticeship in Business Administration and secured a permanent Civil Service job while juggling parental responsibilities and learning to manage her mental health. Supported by training provider ALS Training, she plans to continue her learning journey by progressing to either a Higher Apprenticeship (Level 4), a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or an…

Residents are being asked to be considerate if they are planning on having a Bonfire Night display at home. Denbighshire County Council is urging the public to consider neighbours who may be frightened or distressed by the noise and commotion. Cllr Tony Thomas, lead member with responsibility for Public Protection, said: “There are a number of organised displays, in Denbighshire and across the region, scheduled for Bonfire Night and we would recommend people attend those rather than have their own fireworks party in their back garden, for both safety and social reasons. “If people want to hold their own event,…

Residents and businesses in Porth are encouraged to have their say on the Council’s draft Town Centre regeneration strategy – which would transform the area by introducing a modern Transport Hub and Station Quarter. [aoa id=”1″] A six-week public consultation into the draft strategy begins on Monday, October 29, after Cabinet agreed to consult on the plans. The Council is asking individuals, groups, businesses and organisations in Porth for their views on the draft strategy, and there are a number of ways the community can participate. The draft strategy includes transformational plans for Porth, to vastly improve connectivity in the…

Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Chair in Ancient History, Archaeology and Religion at Cardiff University, has learnt Welsh to help improve his students’ learning experiences. Lloyd, 51, grew up near Bridgend in a non Welsh speaking family, but has had a strong interest in the language for around 25 years, since working within the costume department for the Welsh language soap opera, Pobol y Cwm, produced by the BBC and broadcast each weekday on S4C. Lloyd explains, “I knew very little Welsh before I started working on Pobol y Cwm. I gained a good understanding of the language and was able to…

Major companies have the opportunity to help deliver the proposed tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay. [aoa id=”1″] A taskforce set up by Swansea Bay City Region has spent the past three months re-evaluating the project and looking at alternative options for delivery. It has concluded the development of a tidal lagoon needs to be led by the private sector and without the reliance on government or local government subsidy. And now an official invitation, known as a Prior Invitation Notice, is being published to give companies and investors the chance to be part of this ground-breaking project. [/aoa] It follows…

Tourism businesses in North Wales are invited to participate in a one-day conference in central Manchester to debate important topical issues relating to tourism development, ‘over-tourism’, economic growth and sustainability. [aoa id=”1″] The conference is being organised by the Tourism Consultants Network (TCN, a section of the Tourism Society and Europe’s leading professional association of tourism consultants) and will take place on Thursday 22 November 2018 at Manchester’s iconic Central Library.   The full title of the conference is: “The Challenge of Destination Management: Balancing Growth and Sustainability” and confirmed speakers include representatives from Marketing Manchester, Manchester Airport, VisitEngland, the Tourism…

As climate-change appears to be causing more and more natural disasters, a Welsh flood-prevention company is gearing up for major expansion. [aoa id=”1″] MMEngineering of Port Talbot, which makes flood and blast defences to protect structures and buildings from the elements, has moved to new premises and is pursuing contracts worldwide, following a six-figure investment. The funding package, from Tata Steel subsidiary UK Steel Enterprise and Development Bank of Wales, is underpinning an ambitious business plan which forsees turnover rising to above £5 million and 14 staff being taken on in the next three years. MMEngineering will be installing a…

Earlier this year, Hendrewennol, renowned for their fruit and pumpkin picking events announced that they wouldn’t be holding their annual October half term activities this year. They also announced that their last day of pumpkin picking would be October 14th 2018. In recent years, the popularity of Hendrewennol has been phenomenal, driven in part by social media with many families sharing their experiences predominately on Facebook. I for one found out about this fantastic place after a friend shared their pumpkin picking adventures in a Facebook post. It goes almost without saying, that there has been many expressions of disappointment as people continue…