Author: Rhys Gregory

The Design Commission for Wales partnered with Land Studio for an event looking at the future of rural and urban communities in North Wales. The event, which was held at Ty Pawb in Wrexham, explored the potential for a place-led, people-focused approach to help shape the region’s future and to capture wider benefits. There were a number of speakers including Simon and Kate Richards, both directors of Land Studio, a landscape architecture engineering design and ecology studio, Vicky Payne, a strategic planning and urban design consultant, David Rudlin, Urban Design Director at BDP, Clare Wilks, director at LDA Design and…

A Welsh asbestos consultancy is to take on 7 staff following a £50,000 investment by Tata Steel subsidiary UKSE. Enquin Environmental of Cardiff will use the Fast Track Loan for a new website and marketing to enhance its reputation across the UK as one of the leading businesses in this crucial environmental field. The firm has been operating for 22 years and has a purpose-built laboratory and UKAS accreditation. ”This support from UKSE is very helpful and timely and will enable us to invest in recruitment of staff, marketing and equipment. We enjoy an excellent reputation across the UK and…

National Express, the UK’s leading scheduled operator, is boosting its network with additional services on key intercity and airport routes. From 4 December, the coach operator is adding more than 2,000 additional seats per week on its popular services between South Wales and London. Tickets from Newport and Cardiff to London start from under £9 and are available to book at www.nationalexpress.com. As demand for affordable intercity travel remains strong, National Express is stepping up by increasing capacity on its network in response to Megabus recently announcing it is withdrawing services from South Wales to London. Ed Rickard, Network Director…

Actor and singer Luke Evans will join the soon to be announced Hay-on-Wye Citizen of the Year to switch on the town’s Christmas lights on Friday 29 November as part of his upcoming Hay Festival Winter Weekend appearance. The free switch-on event, co-hosted by Hay Town Council and Hay Chamber of Commerce, will take place 5–7pm in Memorial Square, accompanied by carol singing, food, mulled wine and entertainment to give a rousing start to the Festival weekend, which runs to Sunday 1 December. Luke Evans is an actor and singer who began his career on the stage, performing in London’s…

The agreement to bring 72 new homes to a coastal Pembrokeshire town has been finalised. Persimmon Homes West Wales and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, in its role as the local planning authority, have signed the S106 agreement that would bring more high-quality housing to Saundersfoot. Support had already been given for the development at a meeting in July of the Authority’s Development Management Committee on the basis that the accord was reached. Persimmon are planning to begin groundworks next spring, with sales launching soon after ahead of the summer season. The zero-carbon ready scheme includes a mix of quality new…

When it’s dark and cold it’s easy to want to stay inside and wrap up warm. However, the winter months are a great time to be clocking up your miles. With the shorter days it means you’ll likely be exercising in the dark, so it’s important you know how to stay safe. Run 4 Wales Race Director, Steve Brace, is a double Olympian having represented Great Britain in the men’s marathon in the 1992 and 1996 summer Olympics. He’s also a former winner of the Paris and Berlin Marathon and ran his marathon PB of 2:10:35 in Houston in 1996.…

Cardiff Airport has celebrated 10 continuous years of low-cost airline, Ryanair, connecting people living in Wales with popular European holiday hotspots and cities. More than 685,000 passengers have enjoyed Ryanair’s direct flights from Cardiff since 30 October 2014. Ryanair currently operates between Wales and: ▪ Algarve (Faro) ▪ Costa Blanca (Alicante) ▪ Costa del Sol (Malaga) ▪ Canary Islands (Tenerife) ▪ Ireland (Dublin) This choice is perfect for anyone wanting a winter holiday in Tenerife or a festive city break in Ireland’s capital, Dublin. Additional Ryanair flights have operated at Cardiff for the Six Nations, Rugby World Cup and Champions…

A 35-year-old Wrexham man has been jailed for persistent shoplifting and banned from entering any shop in the city. Patrick McGrath, Bryn Hafod, Southsea, appeared before Mold Magistrates Court on Thursday, October 31st where he was jailed for 12 weeks for theft. Despite being banned from the store, he went into Farmfoods in Wrexham on Monday, October 28th and put £29 worth of items into a rucksack before walking out without attempting to pay. He was located in the city on Wednesday, October 30th and arrested for the offence, which breached his suspended license period for previous shoplifting offences. His…

A significant amount of engineering work was delivered over a nine-day rail closure as Transport for Wales (TfW) continue to move forward in delivering the next phases of the South Wales Metro. The recent closure of the Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare and Treherbert lines between Pontypridd and Radyr (from September 27 to October 6) allowed TfW to progress with station, infrastructure and maintenance work. Some of the key works included platform preparation for level boarding at Pontypridd and Taff’s Well stations, removal of a footbridge at Treforest to allow a new access for all bridge and essential drainage work ahead of…

As part of last week’s Budget, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves has approved The Vale of Glamorgan Council’s £19.9m bid funding to regenerate the Mole on Barry Waterfront. The project will transform the areas Barry Waterfront with a new watersports centre, a marina, and new park. The Town’s Historic Dock Office will also be transformed into a new commercial space for businesses. Partners on the projects include Associated British Ports, The Ocean Watersports Trust and Cardiff and Vale College. All played a part in getting the bid over the line. Cllr Lis Burnett, Leader of the Council, said: “I welcome the…