Author: Rhys Gregory

Specialist business property adviser Christie & Co has announced the sale of The Merrion Hotel, a well-known hotel in Llandudno, North Wales, which has been purchased by Four Saints Hotels. Directly fronting onto the promenade, The Merrion Hotel is housed within a striking five-storey Victorian building and offers 62 ensuite bedrooms, many with sweeping views across Llandudno Bay, as well as a bar and lounge area which regularly hosts entertainment, and a restaurant which is open to the public. The hotel has been owned by the Bream family for over 75 years, and has been sold by brothers Gareth and…

University of South Wales (USW) graduate Mohammed Hassanin has overcome homelessness, addiction, and deep personal challenges to earn a first-class honours degree in Counselling and Therapeutic Practice. When Mohammed Hassanin walks across the stage this week to collect his degree, it won’t just mark the end of his studies – it will represent the culmination of a remarkable journey. A former rough sleeper who struggled with addiction, Mohammed, is now a qualified counsellor with big ambitions to help others to navigate their own emotional challenges. “I’ve just qualified with first-class honours,” he said. “Honestly, it still hasn’t quite sunk in.”…

A Leicestershire man has been sentenced to 32 months in prison following the theft of an historic candelabra valued at tens of thousands of pounds. Tyson Wilsher was jailed for offences including the theft of the candelabra from Cyfarthfa Castle – an incident which shocked a group of schoolchildren who witnessed it – on April 8. Wilsher, 31, was also this week sentenced for receiving stolen goods. A couple of weeks earlier, on March 24, a delivery driver had his silver Ford car stolen after briefly having left it running with the keys still in the ignition. At some point…

TrawsCymru T1 and T1X bus services are set to see a series of enhancements, with Transport for Wales (TfW) announcing new evening journeys and improved Sunday rail connections at Carmarthen. These changes are part of our ongoing commitment to delivering more flexible, reliable, and integrated public transport services across Wales. New evening journeys include: T1 Service From Carmarthen: New departures at 18:00 and 20:00 From Aberystwyth: New departures at 19:35 and 22:35 T1X Service From Aberystwyth: A new Sunday-only express departure at 20:35 The updated T1 timetable now offers better alignment with Sunday rail services at Carmarthen, making it easier…

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Trading Standards team has been on a ‘monster’ hunt this week and has safely locked up or seized over 32 keyrings and 95 boxes of counterfeit Labubu’s (also known as Lafufu’s) from the Pontypridd area. If you’re not already aware there is a new toy trend taking over the internet—Labubus*. Labubus are so-ugly-they’re-cute monster toys and keychains that sell out in seconds. It’s possible to buy them from resellers, but you run the risk of receiving an unsafe, fake, counterfeit Labubu (which are sometimes called a Lafufu). These are expensive products when bought genuinely and were…

A programme of work to switch on every other streetlight in Newport overnight started this week. Currently, all streetlights, other than those in the city centre and at safety critical areas of the highway network, are switched off between the hours of midnight and 6am. This is changing from this week, following a decision made by Newport City Council’s cabinet back in April. “We have always been clear that listening to our residents, and understanding what was most important to them, was at the core of setting our bread-and-butter budget plans,” said Councillor Rhian Howells, cabinet member for infrastructure and…

he latest in a series of murals based on the National Health Service has been completed in Tredegar. The newest artwork has been painted by local artist James Telford and depicts the architect of the National Health Service, Aneurin Bevan, alongside one of his most famous quotes. “I never used to regard myself so much as a politician as a projectile discharged from the Welsh valleys… when I listen to the cacophony of harsh voices trying to intimidate, I close my eyes and listen to the silent voices of the poor.” The artwork can be found on the gable wall…

Merthyr Tydfil council has announced that the skate park is opening ahead of schedule  and just in time for the school holidays. Following a site meeting with contractors this week, the skate park, funded by Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns initiative, in partnership with MTCBC, is now open and available for the public to use.  Users will notice that some areas of the site are still fenced off.  These areas will eventually be covered in grass and we kindly ask the public to stay off these areas for their own safety and to allow the grass to grow.  Some additional work…

Changes to how the Welsh Ambulance Service responds to calls aims to improve care for patients with strokes and other serious conditions such as heart attacks. A new “orange: time sensitive” category will prioritise fast assessment, response, clinical care and transport, ensuring patients quickly reach specialist care. Currently, individuals suffering a stroke or STEMI, a type of heart attack, are grouped with many other cases in the broad “amber” category, which represents 70% of all 999 calls to the ambulance service. Under the new approach, “rapid clinical screening” undertaken by nurses and paramedics in 999 clinical contact centres will help…

Homes and businesses at Mumbles in Swansea will benefit from enhanced protection against coastal flooding, following the completion of a major coastal defence project. The £26m Mumbles Coastal Risk Management Programme (CRMP) scheme, delivered by Swansea Council and Knights Brown Construction, has transformed the seafront with a new seawall, robust coastal protection works and an expanded promenade, improving access for pedestrians and cyclists alike. It will reduce the risk of coastal flooding to 126 properties, including homes and more than 50 businesses along this iconic stretch of the Swansea Bay coastline. Matt Bryer recently opened the lifestyle and eco-conscious Hiatus shop…