Author: Rhys Gregory

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…

Welsh icons Ruth Jones and Steve Speirs team up for a standalone special as part of collection of programmes to shine a light on the Welsh town To coincide with the bicentenary of Cyfarthfa Castle, BBC Cymru Wales has commissioned a collection of programmes and content celebrating the history, the culture, and the people of Merthyr. Across a fortnight in June, the season will spotlight Merthyr’s rich past, exploring how it developed as the first industrial town in the world and the legacy of this important chapter in Wales’ history. The collection will also celebrate the town as it is today,…

The Welsh Government has announced an additional £1.3m to expand affordable credit options, helping thousands more people across Wales access fair financial services. This new funding for credit unions builds on the successful loan expansion scheme established in 2022, bringing the total investment to £2.9m. The scheme has already helped over 4,000 people access affordable credit who might otherwise have been turned away by mainstream lenders. The funding is boosting credit union growth, alongside initiatives like Celtic Credit Union’s new mobile branch service. Originally established in Neath, Celtic Credit Union has expanded its reach in recent years and the mobile…

Hospices will receive additional funding to help them continue to provide vital palliative and end-of-life care. The £5.5m cash injection, which is in addition to the £3m uplift in recurrent funding announced in the 2025-26 budget, will help Wales’ 12 NHS-commissioned hospices, which include the two children’s hospices, meet financial pressures and ensure staff receive a fair salary. Welsh hospices play a vital role in supporting patients, families and carers at the end of their lives, and are committed to ensuring that everyone can continue to receive dignified and personalised hospice support, outside of hospital Wales’ 12 NHS-commissioned hospices will…