Author: Rhys Gregory

The organiser of the ‘Message in a Bottle’ campaign to reduce the use of plastics in the ancient Mid Wales market town of Llanidloes is delighted with growing public support and the progress being made. Philip Stallard says two takeaways in the town are now offering customers paper wrapped food instead of polystyrene and the response has been “brilliant”. [aoa id=”1″] “The campaign is still going well and Llanidloes remains almost litter-free due to reduced littering and more people doing their own litter-picks as they go for walks,” he said. “The cobbles beneath the Old Market Hall in Llanidloes have…

A talented cricketer at Rydal Penrhos will be part of the Lancashire youth contingent that are set to embark on the trip of a lifetime next year. [aoa id=”1″]Arran Sen, a Year 8 pupil at the school, has been selected to the county’s U13 performance squad that will travel to Mumbai, India for a special tour in February after impressing throughout the assessment process.[/aoa] Paul Allott, director of cricket at Lancashire, said: “We aim to develop more than just cricketers – we want to see our boys and girls emerging through the pathway as durable, well-rounded, resourceful and broad minded,…

Owners of top quality caravan parks in Mid Wales have been congratulated for exceptional five star grading results. [aoa id=”1″]Tony Bywater, chairman of award-winning caravan and motorhome dealership Salop Leisure and Val Hawkins chief executive of MWT, theindependent organisation representing tourism and hospitality businesses in Mid Wales, both praised the parks for maintaining exceptional standards.[/aoa] The parks’ hard work has been recognised with 34 five-star gradings from Visit Wales, the tourism arm of the Welsh Government, which runs the rule over the parks. Fourteen of the parks are in Powys, 13 in Meirionnydd or South Gwynedd and seven in Ceredigion.…

One of Wales’ fastest growing construction companies has more than doubled the size of its team in the last 12 months. [aoa id=”1″] EvaBuild, which has its head office in Newtown, now employs 35 people compared to 17 a year ago. It is expecting to continue recruiting over the coming months including creating opportunities for young apprentices. [/aoa] The recruitment drive coincides with sustained growth for EvaBuild, which increased turnover by more than 30 per cent in the last year. The business is on track to repeat this level of growth in the current financial year. In 2015, EvaBuild won…

Runners in last year’s Cardiff University/Cardiff Half Marathon spent £2.3m during their visit to the city, according to a new study. [aoa id=”1″] The Cardiff University research, in conjunction with race organisers Run 4 Wales, took into account spending on items such as food and drink, accommodation, travel, retail and the race fee. Just over £205,000 was spent in the rest of Wales taking the total figure to £2.5m. [/aoa] The study, by Dr Andrea Collins at the School of Geography and Planning and Professor Max Munday at Cardiff Business School, looked at not only the economic impact but also…

A district nurse turned social care manager described by her colleagues as an “oracle” of knowledge is in the running for a national award after helping to develop a pioneering training programme. Gill Hughes, from Mold, who has worked in the care sector for more than 40 years, has won a well-earned place in the final of this year’s Wales Care Awards, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary. The awards are organised by care industry champions Care Forum Wales, which toasts 25 years’ of service this year, and acknowledge the hard work and exceptional performances of those in the care…

A PIONEERING Welsh language centre is laying the foundations for a bilingual North Wales. Coleg Cambria Camu has unveiled a series of new courses at a range of levels including foundation, intermediate, proficiency and advanced. [aoa id=”1″] Based at the college’s Yale site in Wrexham, the facility is held up as a beacon of best practice in developing the Welsh language in the workplace. Cambria has led the way in pioneering Welsh programmes and been lauded for a culture of inclusion in Wrexham and its other sites in Deeside, Llysfasi and Northop. [/aoa] Its Camu hub is focused on increasing…

Schroder UK Real Estate Fund (‘SREF’) has signed a deal to introduce Cosy Club to Mermaid Quay, the popular 150,000 sq ft mixed-use destination on the waterfront in Cardiff Bay, as the fund continues its multi-million pound strategic repositioning of the scheme.    [aoa id=”1″] Cosy Clubs offers informal casual dining, drinking and lounging in a family friendly setting. It will be opening its second Cardiff restaurant at Mermaid Quay, taking a 4,435 sq ft restaurant on a 15-year lease. Located alongside a popular mix of F&B brands, it will also have a 500 sq ft outside seating area in…

A Mid Wales visitor attraction is promising terror, thrills and laughter in a series of events leading up to Halloween next month. The Silver Mountain Experience at Ponterwyd, near Aberystwyth will unleash Terror Mountain with four live action horror attractions and scary entertainment between October 19 and 31. [aoa id=”1″]“We’ve got a real treat for ‘victims’ in 2018, as we have created three brand new nightmares for them to face,” said Lucie Walford, attraction manager. “We will bring visitors’ deepest and darkest fears to life in terrifyingly convincing, highly themed experiences. We can’t be called Terror Mountain without backing up…

Aberystwyth University has been named University of the Year for Teaching Quality for the second year running. [aoa id=”1″] It’s the first time a university has been given the prestigious award for a second consecutive year by The Times / Sunday Times Good University Guide, which is published on Sunday 23 September 2018. Aberystwyth University is ranked top in the UK for teaching quality in the 2019 edition of the Good University Guide, up five places on 2018. [/aoa] Publication of the Guide also sees Aberystwyth maintain its place amongst the UK’s top 50 universities. Alastair McCall, Editor of The Times…