Author: Rhys Gregory

Wales’ thriving life sciences industry will be celebrated and promoted at one of the largest business-to-business trade fairs in the world during International Trade Week. Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans, will lead a Welsh delegation at the MEDICA trade fair, which is taking place in Düsseldorf from Monday 11th November to Thursday 14th November 2024. With more than 30 Welsh companies and 50 delegates attending, it will be Wales’ largest presence at the world’s foremost international medical industry trade fair since before the Covid-19 pandemic. Featuring more than 5,300 exhibitors from almost 70 countries, as well…

Morriston will be transported back to the Victorian era for a festive celebration at the end of November. Morriston Victorian Day 2024, a Christmas-themed event, will take place on Saturday November 23 from 10am to 3pm, with most activities free for all to enjoy. The day will be packed with entertainment, including Santa’s grotto, a Christmas trail, a brass band, and circus workshops. Visitors can also enjoy Christmas carols, history talks, and stilt walkers dressed in Victorian costumes. Confirmed venues hosting free activities include the Tabernacle Morriston Centre, St David’s Church, Aenon Baptist Church, Morriston Library, the Sacred Heart Centre,…

An imposing Newtown chapel which has been a place of worship since 1801 will go under the hammer at a property auction later this month. The Grade II Listed Zion Baptist Chapel, prominently located on the corner of New Church Street with New Road, will be sold at Halls auctioneers’ next collective property and land auction in Shrewsbury on Friday, November 29. Carrying a pre-auction guide price of £100,000 to £120,000, the chapel has a classical front in brick and freestone with a shaped gable above a huge Corinthian façade with portico and pillars. The interior is very lavish with…

A section of boardwalk which forms part of the Wales Coastal Path has had to temporarily close at Rest Bay in Porthcawl after being set alight and destroyed by vandals. South Wales Fire and Rescue were called to Rest Bay shortly before dawn on Saturday 2 November to extinguish the blaze, which they later confirmed had been started deliberately. Around 60 metres of boardwalk located close to Ffynnon-Wen Rocks was destroyed in the attack. Debris is being removed and the site is being made safe so that remedial works can take place, and council officers are currently looking at options…

More than 100 Powys homes will be better protected against water damage by the end of this year, thanks to a £1 million Flood Resilience scheme. Powys County Council has used the money from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund to: Buy two large pumps for use in Bridge Street and New Road, in Crickhowell, to help protect 18 homes from flooding caused by high water levels in the River Usk. Build a bund and make drainage modifications, in partnership with Natural Resources Wales, alongside the A470 in Llandinam, to help protect eight homes from flooding caused by the River…

The campaign to make Blaenau Gwent the first ‘Credit Union County’ in Wales has taken an important step forward. A new Credit Union ‘Champion’ – Blaenau Gwent Councillor Jules Gardner – has been appointed, the new role aligning with his council brief to combat low living standards. The ambitious plan is to boost membership substantially, and in the longer term to enlist half the adult population of the County as members of the Community Bank. As traditional financial institutions continue to close branches, locally based Community Banks and Credit Unions are becoming more important, and their memberships are growing. With…

A Swansea-based charity has secured almost £20,000 in new funding, which will allow it to help more people in Wales who suffer with kidney disease. Popham Kidney Support, the Swansea-based kidney charity, has announced that it has secured funding, a total of £19,875, from the National Lottery Community Fund. The funding will be used to help the development and expansion of the charity’s ‘Kidney Café’ initiative throughout Wales, providing vital support to individuals facing kidney disease and their families. The Popham Kidney Support Kidney Cafés are support groups designed for people living with kidney disease to connect face-to-face, offering patients…

On Thursday, November 7th, Dame Nia Griffith MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Wales Office, visited Aberystwyth to see the regeneration projects which have been part funded by the UK Government: the Revitalisation of Aberystwyth Promenade and the historic Old College redevelopment. The visit included a tour along Aberystwyth Prom where there are significant improvements to public spaces, such as upgraded street lighting, as well as better footpaths and new street furniture to refresh and modernise the promenade. These upgrades will create a welcoming and safe environment, making the promenade an inviting space to enjoy year-round. Councillor Bryan…

Carmarthenshire’s ultimate festive event is set to take place in the beautiful surroundings of Aberglasney Gardens. The annual Winter Fair will be held over three days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday – 29 & 30 November and 1 December 2024. For the Winter Fair the Gardens will be transformed into a Christmas paradise. There will be festive live music, a children’s trail and Santa will be in his Aberglasney grotto. Stall holders will include artists and crafters as well as artisan food and drink producers. Jim Stribling, Aberglasney’s Director of Operations, said, “Aberglasney’s Winter Fair is the perfect start to…

ENTREPRENEURS and small businesses have united to bring collaborative energy and an economic boost to communities in west Wales And there is no better example than the bustling market town of Tregaron, where residents have either launched their own companies or taken existing ventures to the next level with the support of Antur Cymru Enterprise. With backing from Ceredigion’s Local Business Support and Smart Busnes projects – provided by Ceredigion County Council via the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund – countless traders have benefited from targeted advice, including Halen a Pupur cafe, Y Talbot Inn, Lewis and Hughes Printers, Gwen’s…