Author: Rhys Gregory

Specialist work to clean, survey and digitally record the historic murals at Newport’s Old Green roundabout will take place later this month. Experts will carry out extensive cleaning, surveying and digital recording of the murals, which depict historic scenes linked to the city. The work will help create an accurate 3D digital preservation package to support future conservation decisions. The project will produce high resolution 3D scans of the artwork, allowing detailed renders to be created for archival use and for engineers, artists and conservation specialists studying the murals. The scans will also provide true to scale measurements of all…

Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen councils have set out an ambitious shared vision for long term economic growth and regeneration across the region. The new plan, titled Thriving Together – Tech Valleys Growth Corridor, was recently scrutinised by the Economic Development and Environmental Management Scrutiny Committee, which welcomed the proposals and the commitment to involve local people in shaping the future of their communities. The Blueprint for Growth outlines a joint strategy to create a more prosperous region for residents, communities and businesses by 2035. The approach focuses on three key themes: infrastructure and investment, business and employment growth, and people…

Powys County Council has welcomed Welsh Government approval of its Outline Business Case for a new health and wellbeing hub in Newtown. The decision marks a major milestone for the project and signals strong backing for modern, integrated facilities designed to support people’s health and wellbeing in Powys. It also moves nearly £30m of Welsh Government investment in North Powys a step closer. Cllr Pete Roberts (Portfolio Holder for a Caring Powys, Powys County Council) welcomed the decision: “This is welcome news for the residents of northern Powys. This means we can move forward with the next stage of the…

Welsh hit zombie horror Sker Ritual is continuing to build on its global success with the release of its latest chapter Tides of Terror, supported by the Welsh Government via Creative Wales. Developed by Penarth-based Wales Interactive, Sker Ritual is a haunting zombie horror shooter inspired by Welsh folklore; a game that hit the ground running (and screaming) when it launched in April 2024. The game immediately stormed the global gaming charts, reaching the top 3 on Steam, top 5 on Xbox and top 10 on PlayStation, cementing its place as one of the world’s bestselling PC and console titles…

Wales’ major landowners are uniting for the first time to tackle the climate and nature emergencies, with the new group set up to drive tree planting and meet targets to protect 30% of land for nature by 2030. Nature Estate Cymru, convened by the Deputy First Minister, brings together organisations responsible for significant areas of Welsh land — including Natural Resources Wales, the three national park authorities, the National Trust, RSPB, Dŵr Cymru, and others — to collaborate on delivering real environmental change at scale. The new group will initially focus on tree planting targets and progress towards protecting 30% of Wales’ land, fresh water and sea…

Playing football across Swansea is set to become more attractive to an increasingly wide range of people thanks to new plans being driven by Swansea Council. An early result of the strategy will see the council work with the Cymru Football Foundation (CFF) to make major improvements to changing facilities at three popular sports field sites. The CFF is the charitable arm of the sport’s national governing body the FAW. The £750,000 investment will see members of community clubs benefit from new facilities. Council cabinet member Andrew Stevens said: “It’s great that we’ve secured this substantial funding from CFF to help…

A brand-new visitor experience combining a scenic heritage railway journey with a guided town walk is set to launch in the Dee Valley this spring, as the Llangollen and Corwen Railway partners with Dee Valley Tours to introduce “Tren a Thref: The Corwen Heritage Adventure.” The new experience will allow visitors to travel by heritage train from Llangollen to Corwen before joining a guided walking tour exploring the rich history, landscapes, and legends of one of North Wales’ most historic market towns. The first tours will take place at the start of the Easter Holidays on Wednesday 1 April and…

Two local secondary schools have competed in an industry-led ‘Dragons’ Den’ style pitch at St David’s Cardiff. The Made in Cardiff competition was hosted by the city shopping destination, challenging Cardiff students to design an innovative community space in front of an expert judging panel. Inspired by the theme ‘Reimaging your Local Retail Space’, students were tasked to think creatively and efficiently about how their ideas could enhance retail destinations and create meaningful spaces that truly serve their local communities. Year 9 and 10 students from Eastern High School, in Rumney, and Ysgol Gyfun Plasmawr, in Fairwater, participated in a…

The Elan Valley Trust in Mid Wales will host the first ever Elan Dark Sky Festival on March 27 and 28 at one of the world’s best stargazing sites. The festival, held at locations across the Elan Valley and Rhayader, celebrates more than 10 years of International Dark Sky status in Cwm Elan and aims to raise awareness of the importance of dark skies for wildlife, conservation and wellbeing. The festival kicks off on Friday evening with a nocturnal creature walk and talk with Sorcha Lewis, a dark sky bike ride with Pippa Boss, a starlit concert with musicians Toby…

An exhibition inside a train that’s packed with interactive fun and fascinating facts is heading to Swansea – and it’s completely free to visit. More than 70,000 people have visited the Railway 200 exhibition train on its 60-stop, year-long tour of Britain, and 9 in 10 visitors would recommend it to a friend. Co-curated with the National Railway Museum and called Inspiration, it uses rare artefacts and amazing stories to explore how railways transformed the world. It includes hands-on engineering challenges and a whistle-stop tour of interesting – and lesser-known – careers on the railways. The next stops on its tour were announced this week, and excitingly it will be at Swansea railway station from Sunday 26 April to Tuesday 28 April, hosted by Transport for Wales and Network Rail. Tickets are free but availability is limited. Local schools will be invited for free, bespoke…