Author: Rhys Gregory

A firm favourite in the foodie calendar, the Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival is back for 2025 with a whole host of tasty treats to tempt festival goers across the Spring Bank Holiday Weekend (Sun 25 – Mon 26 May). As always, there is guaranteed to be something to suit all diets, ages and interests – moreish meats, vegan varieties, curries, cheeses, chutneys; scrumptious ciders, great gins, sweet treats and so much more. Alongside the regular favourites that festival goers love to see, we’re being promised plenty of new and exciting additions for 2025, including Cwtch and Crumb with their…

Do you have a child with sight loss? You can give them the best possible start in life with Guide Dogs My Time To Play, a programme of fun and supportive group sessions coming to Cardiff and Gowerton. The sessions are completely free and designed to help your child develop the practical skills and confidence to explore their world – all through the power of play. They offer a chance to meet other parents and pick up skills from expert staff that will help you support your child’s early development with confidence. Led by qualified habilitation specialists, Guide Dogs My…

A STUNNING collection of holiday homes are attracting visitors from across the world to a picturesque corner of North Wales. Situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) The Annexe and Ty Deryn Y Mor in Llanfaethlu, Anglesey, are part of the five-star FJ Holiday Retreats portfolio. The family run business – which also has properties in Rhuddlan and Chester – has been supporting local economies and independent firms and producers for almost a decade, welcoming more than 1200 guests during that time. Owners Sarah and Andrew Foley Jones – the latter is a solicitor and author of smash-hit…

The Easter Bunny will be handing out prizes from Morgan Quarter businesses this school holiday. Morgan Quarter’s free ‘Easter extravaganza’ on Saturday, April 19, will see the Easter Bunny taking photos with families, and offering a lucky dip of more than 100 prizes from participating businesses. From 11am onwards, passersby will be able to take part in the lucky dip outside Fresh Baguette Bar (32 Royal Arcade), with the Easter Bunny roaming around the Morgan Arcade and Royal Arcade. Prizes include free Jelly Cat toys from Welcome Things, £20 vouchers for fossil shop Dino Fossils, £25 vouchers for menswear retailer…

March’s NatWest Regional Growth Tracker showed improved business growth in more regions of the UK at the end of Q1 – but the majority are still being affected by wider economic uncertainty. The Tracker – which surveyed businesses operating in the manufacturing and services sectors across 12 regions of the country from March 12 to 27 – showed London and the South West led business growth last month, with improvements seen in the South East and Yorkshire and Humber. As witnessed in January and February, most regions in March experienced a dip in business activity as inflationary pressures remained elevated,…

The Newport ABP Marathon Festival takes place this weekend, on 13 April It promises an exciting lineup of events across the weekend that will bring runners together from all over the UK and beyond, right into the heart of Newport City. As a sponsor of the festival, Newport Live will welcome runners at mile 3 of the course as it winds through the Newport International Sports Village, with Mind in Gwent Choir providing musical motivation to all runners.Supporters are also encouraged to come and cheer the runners on. The Newport Live team will also have a presence in the city…

Tegan Smith was arrested after being seen riding an electric bike through a children’s play area in Caerau, Cardiff. Officers were on plain-clothed patrol in Trelai Park in response to community concerns about anti-social behaviour and drugs. They became suspicious when they witnessed the rider of the bike involved in a drug deal. Smith, 20, was arrested and was found in possession of £4,000 worth of Class A drugs in a range of packaging, four mobile phones, and cash. One of the phones contained messages going back to January where he had been offering to supply controlled drugs. Following his…

Singleton Park is looking a shade more like Jurassic Park after four dinosaurs joined the attraction. The creatures are the latest feature of the iconic family park and they have been installed just in time for the Easter holidays. It’s thanks to a generous donation from Day’s Motor Group, Wales’ largest family-run dealer group, which means the park will now be home to these colossal creatures, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, and Stegosaurus. Swansea Council brought in popular local mural artist Hasan Kamil to apply some Jurassic colour to make the creatures more realistic looking for all the family to…

From April 2025, Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) is introducing a new ratings system for care services across Wales. This important development aims to improve transparency in the care sector and help people make more informed choices about care services. What are the ratings? Care services will be rated across four key themes: Well-being Care and Support Leadership and Management Environment (for accommodation-based services only) Each theme will receive one of four ratings: Excellent Good Requires improvement Requires significant improvement Which services will be rated? From 1 April 2025 all care homes and domiciliary support services inspected in Wales will receive…

Caerphilly County Borough Council has unveiled ambitious plans to “nurture future success” and guide local economic growth to 2035. The new Economic and Regeneration Strategy, which was endorsed by full Council on 8thApril, aims to build on the previous strategy which provided the “Foundation for Success”. Among the key themes in the strategy are increasing employment, delivering more action to improve our town centres and closer working with the business community. Cllr. Jamie Pritchard, the Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Prosperity, Regeneration and Climate Change, said “This new strategy represents a significant step forward in our commitment to…