Author: Rhys Gregory

Iceland Foods has officially opened a brand-new The Food Warehouse store in Merthyr Tydfil, which saw 75 customers eagerly waiting in line for the doors to open. The highly anticipated new store, situated on Dowlais Top Retail Park, Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, CF48 2TA, opened to the public on Tuesday 19th May, creating an additional 20 jobs in the local community. To celebrate the grand opening, the new Merthyr Tydfil store has given away £1,500 worth of vouchers to the first 150 customers in the queue. Raffle tickets were also given to each person in the queue before 7:45am, with seven lucky customers winning a Tower Air Fryer, as well as one shopper taking home a Daewoo Double Drawer Air Fryer. Five other customers also won the chance to take part in a 90 second supermarket sweep-style trolley dash, filling their trolleys for free. Trudy Edwards, Store Manager at The Food Warehouse, Dowlais Top Retail Park, Merthyr…

A new digital platform aimed at strengthening Swansea’s creative and cultural sector has officially launched, connecting creatives, organisations and businesses across the region. Developed through consultations, roundtable discussions and sector gatherings, Creative Swansea has created the new online hub in response to calls from the sector for a shared space to connect, collaborate and access opportunities. The new platform, creativeswansea.com, offers free membership for people working across the creative and cultural industries, allowing users to build profiles, showcase portfolios and projects, and discover events, commissions, jobs and networking opportunities. The initiative has been funded through the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity…

A new supported internship programme designed to help young people with additional learning needs move into employment is set to launch this autumn through a partnership between Coleg Cambria, DFN Project SEARCH and Ysbyty Wrexham Maelor. Starting in September, the one-year programme will be based at the hospital and aims to give students valuable hands-on experience in a real NHS working environment, helping them develop the skills, confidence and independence needed for future employment. The programme will initially offer places for six interns, with applications open to those holding an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) or an Individual Development Plan…

JDS Machinery Rali Ceredigion will return from 4–6 September 2026 as part of the FIA European Rally Championship and British Rally Championship. Now firmly established as a highlight of the UK motorsport calendar, the event continues to showcase the region’s landscapes, communities and businesses on an international stage — attracting tens of thousands of visitors and delivering significant economic benefits. Building on the success of previous years, the 2026 event will feature an expanded programme, including a rali show and ceremonial start on Aberystwyth promenade on Thursday evening, followed by competitive stages across Ceredigion and Powys throughout the weekend. This…

Businesses across Mid Wales are being invited to access new funding and expert support to help them adopt innovative LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) technologies to boost productivity, as part of the Growing Mid Wales LoRaWAN project. Eligible businesses located in Ceredigion and Powys can apply for grants of up to £4,999 to support the purchase and installation of LoRaWAN enabled devices, sensors and gateways. The funding is designed to help businesses integrate smart, low-power digital technologies into their day-to-day operations, improving efficiency, reducing costs and supporting better-informed decision-making. A key feature of the project is that no prior technical knowledge…

Work is continuing at pace on a new specialist care accommodation development in Gelli that will support adults and older people with learning disabilities. Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council has provided an update on the major project at the former Bronllwyn Residential Care Home site on Colwyn Road, where significant progress has been made over recent months. The development, being delivered by Langstone Construction Group, forms part of the council’s ongoing investment in modernising care accommodation across Rhondda Cynon Taf. Once completed later this year, the purpose-built facility will provide 14 en-suite bedrooms with respite provision across three levels,…

Caerphilly County Borough Council has officially opened a new pupil support centre and multi-use games area (MUGA) at Islwyn High School, marking a major investment in education and community wellbeing. The new facilities were formally opened by the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council at a ceremony attended by the Chair of Governors, school leaders, pupils, partners and stakeholders who played a key role in bringing the project to fruition. The purpose-built pupil support centre has been developed to meet the changing needs of learners, particularly in response to challenges emerging since the COVID-19 pandemic. It will provide a…

More than 3,300 people visited Bargoed town centre earlier this month as the popular Bargoed May Fair returned with a packed programme of entertainment, activities and local traders. Organised with support from Caerphilly County Borough Council and Bargoed Town Council, the event took place on Saturday, May 9, attracting families and visitors from across the region. Visitors enjoyed a wide range of attractions throughout the day, including food and drink stalls, quirky movie vehicles, children’s rides and free family activities. The town centre was filled with giant inflatables, traditional games, donkey rides, craft workshops and TV and film mascot lookalikes,…

A significant step forward in transforming education for learners in Powys was celebrated this week, as a turf‑cutting ceremony marked the official start of construction on a new school building for Brynllywarch Hall School. The ceremony took place on Monday 11 May at the school’s site in Kerry, near Newtown, bringing together pupils, staff, council representatives and contractors to mark the start of work on a modern, purpose‑built facility designed to meet the complex needs of its learners. Powys County Council is delivering the project with its appointed contractor, SJ Roberts Construction Ltd, following their recent appointment to build the…

Plans for a new state-of-the-art archive centre for North East Wales are continuing to progress, with residents invited to attend a series of public drop-in sessions to find out more about the ambitious project. In April 2024, The National Lottery Heritage Fund approved development phase funding to support plans for a new purpose-built archive centre adjacent to Theatr Clwyd. The proposed new centre will bring together the staff and collections of both Flintshire and Denbighshire archive services, creating a modern, accessible home for the region’s rich historical collections while also supporting a wide-ranging three-year community activity programme. Following a successful…