Author: Rhys Gregory

A mum who feared she “wouldn’t still be here” is abseiling 84ft down a cathedral to thank the charity she says saved her life. Sarah Jones-Wallace, 28, from Denbigh, has signed up to scale down St Asaph Cathedral on April 25 in aid of Blossom & Bloom which supported her through severe postnatal depression. The administrator at Lock Stock Self Storage says she was “walking the streets crying” and terrified to leave the house with baby son, Macsen, before finding a lifeline at the charity’s mother and baby hub in Rhyl. Colleagues at Lock Stock have been so impressed by…

A Welsh events specialist has launched a new wellbeing retreat business in rural southern France, created for women seeking space to rest, reset and reconnect at a time in life when priorities begin to shift. Madame Retreats, founded by Jo Braham, draws on more than three decades of experience in marketing, events, hospitality and luxury wedding planning to create carefully curated retreat experiences centred on calm, comfort and thoughtful detail. Originally from Cardiff, Jo studied Marketing at the University of Glamorgan before building a fast-paced career delivering major national events, awards ceremonies and business programmes across the country. She later…

Welsh farmers will benefit from a £6.5 million funding boost after the Ffermio Bro scheme delivered remarkable results in its first year. Working in collaboration with Designated Landscape bodies across Wales’s National Parks and National Landscapes — which cover 25% of Wales —the scheme has already delivered remarkable impact since launching in May 2025. With close to £2m allocated, the vast majority as direct support to farmers, it has supported nature recovery across more than 10,000 hectares of Welsh land. The Welsh Government has confirmed £6.5 million for 2026–28, with £5.5 million going directly to farmers to carry out on-farm projects. The funding will also enable Designated…

More young people in Wales will be eligible for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) from September. The Welsh Government forecasts that at least 1,500 more 16- to 18-year-olds will be able to claim the £40 a week allowance, following changes to eligibility in the next financial year. The EMA helps young people pay for costs such as travel, meals, and study materials. It is designed to remove financial barriers to enable young people to continue their education. Currently over 18,000 students in Wales receive EMA. From September 2026, income thresholds for households with one dependent will rise from £23,400 to £24,570,…

Drivers are facing congestion on parts of the A470 and M4 this morning (Monday, March 9), with delays reported during the busy commuter period. According to Traffic Wales, there is congestion on the A470 southbound between Nantgarw and Coryton, which is likely to cause delays for motorists travelling towards Cardiff. The route is a key commuter corridor into the capital, and traffic is building as drivers head into the city during the morning rush hour. Meanwhile, delays have also been reported on the M4 eastbound between junction 27 at High Cross and junction 23A at Magor. Motorists using both routes…

This week The Times and The Sunday Times reveals its definitive list of the 50 Best Places to Stay from across the UK. The guide will be available on Monday 9th March via the online interactive guide and as a supplement within the newspaper on Sunday 15th March. The Royal George in Tintern, Monmouthshire is named the best place to stay in Wales by The Times and The Sunday Times. The guide says a “revamp of the rooms and an impressive new restaurant are set to put it on the tourist map”. The judges praise its 20 snug rooms and…

Recent statistics from Transport Focus, the Office of Road and Rail and the UK Customer Satisfaction Index all reveal improvements in customer satisfaction and rail performance for Transport for Wales. Transport Focus recently scored TfW at 91% in overall passenger satisfaction in their recent national survey which ranks them fourth among train operators in the UK. Passengers also scored 91% for TfW trains with considerations around crowding, personal safety and cleanliness. Additionally, they achieved a six-percentage point rise in punctuality from 82 per cent to 88 per cent, the biggest quarter-on-quarter improvement of any rail operator. Recent statistics from the Office of…

FIVE friends from South Wales are taking part in a charity cold-water dip in Cardiff on 28 March in memory of loved ones they’ve lost to cancer. The Devoted Dippers met on Boxing Day a few years ago and they have been swimming and cold-water dipping in different locations across the area since then. One of their favourite places to meet for cold-water dipping is the Lisvane and Llanishen Reservoirs in the north of Cardiff. And that’s where they’ll be taking part in a Cancer Research Wales charity fundraiser cold-water dip – ‘Dip or Distance’, later this month. It’s the…

Wales is set for a mostly cloudy start to the week, with brighter spells developing later before more changeable and unsettled weather arrives from midweek, according to the Met Office. Monday will begin on a grey and cloudy note across much of the country, with showery outbreaks of rain moving through during the morning. Conditions are expected to improve slightly through the afternoon, particularly across eastern areas where some hazy sunshine may break through the cloud. Temperatures will remain close to the seasonal average, with highs reaching around 12°C. The cloud is expected to linger into Monday night, although there…

If you’re planning construction or maintenance work that involves working at height, you’ll know that choosing the right access equipment can make or break your project timeline. Scaffold towers have become a go-to solution for tradespeople and contractors across the UK because they’re quicker to put up than traditional scaffolding, easier to move around site, and you don’t always need a specialist scaffolder to assemble them. But here’s the thing: the HSE reports that falls from height are still the biggest killer on UK work sites. That means the hire company you choose really matters. You need equipment that’s been…