Author: Rhys Gregory

A yellow weather warning has been issued for parts of North Wales, with heavy showers and thunderstorms expected to bring a risk of flash flooding and travel disruption. The Met Office warning will be in force from 7pm on Wednesday, 19 August until 10am on Thursday, 20 August. It covers Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, the Isle of Anglesey and Wrexham. Heavy showers are forecast to develop during Wednesday evening before becoming more frequent and widespread overnight. Some areas could receive between 15mm and 20mm of rain within an hour, while totals of 30mm to 50mm could fall over six hours…

The UK tax authority needs to demonstrate why it wishes to acquire greater powers to deal with taxpayers who are fraudulent and dishonest. Responding to a consultation by HMRC on introducing a criminal offence for making reckless untrue statements or declarations in direct tax, ACCA said that it recognised the government’s objective to strengthen the integrity of the tax system. But the leading global accountancy body said that HMRC needed to explain why the existing framework – civil penalties for inaccuracies and failure to notify plus criminal offences for fraud and dishonest conduct – are insufficient to deal with the…

Sam & Shauna from Hang Fire BBQ and Street Food Circus are returning to Caldicot Castle with Mabon – a festival of fire, feasting and folklore to celebrate the autumn equinox. Taking inspiration from traditional Mabon celebrations, when people gathered around fires to celebrate autumn and harvest, the festival is a unique combination of outdoor fire kitchens, chef demonstrations, food talks, artisan markets, music and storytelling, Mabon takes place across the weekend of 25 – 27 September, kicking off with a four-course fire feast on Friday night, cooked by Hang Fire BBQ’s Sam & Shauna. Chefs appearing throughout the weekend…

Primary school pupils in Bridgend have spent a year discovering where their food comes from through an innovative pilot linking classroom learning with a working organic farm. Bridgend Sustainable Food Partnership brought together Slade Farm Organicsand Afon-y-Felin Primary School for the one-year project, designed to connect children with the land, local food producers and the changing seasons through practical, experiential learning. Over the course of the school year, pupils visited Slade Farm Organics at different stages in its farming calendar, including during lambing season, while also developing their own growing project back at school. The children helped plan which crops to…

Food Cardiff has strengthened its Strategy Board with eight new members, bringing a broad range of professional expertise and lived experience to the partnership as it begins work on a new food action plan for the city. The appointments come as Food Cardiff looks beyond Cardiff’s achievement of the prestigious Gold Sustainable Food Places Award in 2024 and begins developing an ambitious new plan to guide the city’s Good Food Movement through to 2030. The new Strategy Board members are: Anthony Ruston, Head of Retail & Catering, Cardiff and Vale College Sabrina Khan, Founder, Maasi’s Restaurant Jono Hughes, Vegetable Farmer,…

Two projects aimed at making Swansea University’s collections more accessible and entertaining for staff, students and the community have secured a £350,000 boost. The University’s Richard Burton Archives and Egypt Centre are among 31 projects across Wales that have received a share of £5.2 million from the Welsh Government. The award-winning Egypt Centre has received £199,945 to complete the physical, digital, and security transformation of the House of Death gallery. Previous investment from Welsh Government, the Wolfson Trust, and the Garfield Weston Foundation, has meant extensive renovation has already been carried out. This includes the installation of a spectacular vaulted…

Simon Burns has been appointed Technical Director of ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University and will succeed Helen Taylor following her retirement at the end of August 2026. Simon brings more than 27 years of technical experience across a wide range of food categories. Since joining ZERO2FIVE in 2022, Simon has managed the Centre’s pilot plant facilities and provided numerous Welsh food and drink businesses with technical and operational support. His specialist areas include food quality and safety systems, with a particular focus on hygienic factory and equipment design. Alongside his role at ZERO2FIVE, Simon is an active…

A major new international festival celebrating Wales’s rich musical heritage today unveils its first headline artist, with world-renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli set to perform his first ever headline concert in Wales at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Saturday 8 May 2027. This unmissable performance takes place during the inaugural Land of Song Festival, a celebration of Wales’s world-famous singing tradition. Alongside Bocelli’s stadium spectacular on Saturday 8 May, thousands of singers from Wales, the rest of the UK and around the world will unite the following day, Sunday 9 May, for the return of Côr World Choir — one of the…

With less than a month remaining until entries close, businesses across the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend are being encouraged to submit their applications for the 2026 Vale and Bridgend Business Awards. Now in their fifth year, the awards have expanded to include Bridgend for the first time, making this the biggest celebration yet of business excellence across both counties. The awards recognise businesses of all sizes and sectors, celebrating innovation, resilience, growth and the positive impact organisations make to the local economy. Entry is free, and businesses can enter up to two of the 16 award categories. Liz Brookes,…

LEGIONS of young people have discovered the benefits of table tennis thanks to a thriving partnership between Coleg Cambria, Table Tennis Wales, Active Wrexham and schools across North Wales. Building on a collaboration that has engaged more than 1,500 people through coaching, competitions and community events since 2023, the latest programme of activities at the college’s Yale campus in Wrexham introduced even more children to the sport while developing the next generation of coaches, volunteers and sports leaders. Aaron Beech, North Wales Regional Development Officer for Table Tennis Wales, said the partnership continues to build momentum. “Over the last few…