Author: Rhys Gregory

Hay Festival has announced the return of The Platform, an open call for creatives aged 21–28 to showcase their work at the flagship event in Wales, 21–31 May 2026. Launched in 2024, The Platform is an initiative to promote, support and develop young creative talent, funded by D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust and The Garrick Charitable Trust. Open to a range of art forms – performance (theatre, dance, street), poetry, digital art, film, audio, visual art and literature – it aims to offer new routes into the arts. Successful artists will have the chance to share their work with Festival audiences…

Swansea Bay City Deal’s Digital Infrastructure Programme has announced the successful completion of the Dark Fibre East project, marking a major step forward in improving digital connectivity for public services across the region. The project has delivered a new secure fibre network linking 36 public sector sites through 46 connections. This will help key organisations work more closely together  and help improve public services for the benefit of local communities. The Dark Fibre East network allows public organisations to share information securely and at high speed. It supports modern digital services, cloud systems, and new ways of working. The network…

Two new sculptures inspired by Welsh mythology have been installed at Cwmcarn Forest, giving visitors a new way to connect with the legendary story of Brân. The striking artworks, titled Brân’s Foot and the Cauldron of Rebirth, have been placed around the lakeside and were created by South Wales based artist collective NoNaffArt CIC. Since being installed, the sculptures have already been attracting attention from visitors exploring the popular forest destination. Inspired by the ancient tale of Brân from the Mabinogion, the installations aim to bring the story to life while encouraging people to explore the surrounding landscape. The project…

A memorial plinth will make its home in Kyiv to honour of Gareth Jones, the Welsh journalist from Barry who risked his life to expose the Holodomor famine which killed millions in Soviet Ukraine in the 1930s. Following a request for funding from the Senedd Cross Party Group Friends of Ukraine, the Welsh Government has agreed to offer a donation of £16,000 to support the commissioning of the plinth in Welsh, English and Ukrainian to mark a street in Kyiv that has already been named in Jones’s honour. Born in Barry in 1905, Gareth Jones became a freelance journalist whose…

Welsh households looking to cut their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint will benefit from more than £5 million in new funding for the Green Homes Wales scheme in 2026-27.  Green Homes Wales is a Welsh Government initiative, managed by the Development Bank of Wales, designed to support eligible homeowners in making energy-efficiency and low carbon heat improvements to their homes. Since its launch in October 2024, the Welsh Government has invested almost £12 million into the scheme The scheme offers interest-free loans ranging from £1,000 to £25,000, with repayment terms of up to 10 years, as well as fully funded expert advice — giving households…

Transport for Wales (TfW) will trial a new post match crowd management approach for the upcoming Six Nations fixture aimed at improving the match day experience for fans and prepare for major works at Cardiff Central. Wales take on Italy in the final home game of this year’s Six Nations campaign on Saturday 14 March with fans heading home on Valleys and Vale services now directed to Cardiff Queen Street station instead of Cardiff Central. The rear of Cardiff Central station will soon be redeveloped as part of the station enhancements project and Cardiff Crossrail programme, meaning the space previously…

A Swansea brewery founded by two women is celebrating International Women’s Day by highlighting the role women have played in brewing throughout history and the growing influence they continue to have in the industry today. Swansea based Drop Bear Beer Co., founded by Joelle and Sarah Drummond, has grown from humble beginnings in a Mumbles kitchen to become the city’s largest brewery producing award winning alcohol free craft beer distributed across the UK and internationally. The story of brewing in Britain began largely with women. In medieval times, alewives brewed beer from their homes, supplying their local communities. However, as…

North Wales Housing is celebrating the 100th birthday of Frances, a resident of its Llys y Coed extra care scheme in Llanfairfechan. Frances celebrated the milestone with nearly 100 guests at a birthday event held at Llys y Coed, where she has lived for almost six years. She described the day as ‘wonderful’. Born in Finchley in 1926, Frances’ early life was shaped by the Second World War, which brought her schooling to an early end. She later gained qualifications through night school and went on to work in a range of roles, including 15 years managing surgical appliances at…

A partly-converted former West Wales chapel could make an ideal holiday bolthole once converted. Capel Blaencaron, near the west Wales town of Tregaron, provides what could be an ideal opportunity for the entrepreneur builder to set their seal on the intriguing property. James Hollingsworth, of Paul Fosh Auctions who are selling the historic building, said: “This could be an ideal opportunity for someone with vision to acquire what is currently a derelict former chapel with an adjoining house and a recent side extension which together offers significant redevelopment potential. “We have been informed that there are no graves on the…

A historic Cardiff mansion that has featured in several major television productions is opening one of its most rarely seen spaces to the public this March. Insole Court, a Grade II listed Victorian mansion in the Cardiff suburb of Llandaff, will offer visitors the chance to explore its tower during National Lottery Open Week. The special access is available to National Lottery players and tourists as part of the nationwide celebration taking place from 7 to 15 March 2026. Often described as one of Cardiff’s hidden gems, the mansion has served as a filming location for several well known productions.…