Author: Rhys Gregory

Bruce Springsteen & The E=Street Band will be kicking off their World Tour 2024 on 5, May at Principality Stadium in Cardiff. With gates to the stadium opening at 4pm, there will be a full city centre road closure around the stadium from 2pm until midnight on safety grounds. The M4 motorway is expected to be very busy due to this concert – so please plan ahead – and avoid the congestion in Cardiff by using the park & ride at the former Toy’s R Us site car park in the Sports Village – CF11 0JS. For up to date…

The British Business Bank announces the second debt finance deal from the £130m Investment Fund for Wales, with a £100,000 investment from the Debt Finance fund, managed by appointed fund managers FW Capital. The investment into Economy Energy Group, a renewable energy provider based at Swansea Enterprise Park, is the second debt finance deal announced on behalf of the Investment Fund for Wales and comes just a few weeks after its first. The Investment Fund for Wales was launched by the government-backed British Business Bank in November 2023 to boost the supply of early-stage finance to small and medium-sized businesses…

A SEASIDE holiday retreat is going from strength to strength thanks to a unique ‘family feel’ which led to a wave of new customers post-Covid. Darwin Escapes’ New Pines Holiday Home Park, on the outskirts of Dyserth and Rhyl, is unlike any other in the region. Employing 40 staff and with more than 300 caravans and lodges on site – all of them owned, rather than rented – there is a sense of community which has led to the creation of sports clubs, a dining society, social organisations and more. There is even a walking group with up to 180…

A Welsh fintech company has secured its biggest export deal to date, worth a projected £5 million over five years, thanks to support from the Welsh Government. The deal will see Finalrentals, a digital car rental platform based in Cardiff, add ten key locations across Turkey including major cities Istanbul, Ankara and Bursa, with access to a network of over 500 vehicles. Finalrentals negotiated the milestone contract at ITB Berlin, the world’s largest travel trade show, which the company attended with the support of the Welsh Government last month. Presence at trade shows and market visits to target regions have…

A man from Hirwaun has been jailed after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. The collision happened on Thursday, February 29, on Brecon Road in Hirwaun, when a Ford Fiesta driven by Harley Whiteman collided with a pedestrian. As a result of the collision a 13-year-old local boy died. Nineteen-year-old Harley Whiteman, from Cae Felin Parc, Hirwaun, was sentenced to six years and nine months’ detention in a youth offender institute for death by dangerous driving after pleading guilty at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Tuesday, April 30. Harley Whiteman CCTV clip The family of 13-year-old Kaylan Hippsley…

Neath Port Talbot councillors are being asked to approve a planned closure of Pontardawe Swimming Pool at the end of August this year on the grounds of public safety. Encouraging people of all ages to adopt active lifestyles is one of the council’s aims, so Cabinet members will also be asked to approve a feasibility study into providing a replacement pool, currently estimated to cost between £10-12m. Building experts ARUP identified significant structural weaknesses within the 50-year-old pool’s concrete structure in 2022 and advised the building had a maximum two year lifespan even with the substantial propping works that took…

From 2 June passengers from across the South Wales Valleys and Cardiff will benefit from more frequent services later into the night as delivery of the south Wales Metro moves another step closer. New timetables on the Merthyr, Aberdare, Treherbert, Rhymney, City and Coryton lines will provide more regular services improving connectivity between the south Wales valleys and the capital city. These changes include: Increase from 6 to 8 trains per hour between Cardiff and Pontypridd, with all 8 calling at Treforrest Estate Increase from 4 to 6 trains per hour between Caerphilly and Cardiff Increase from 1 to 2…

Healthier white bread could soon appear on the shelves of bakers and grocers across the UK thanks to research at Aberystwyth University. Working with leading organic millers Shipton Mill, the team at Aberystwyth will be studying the milling and blending process for white flour. The work, which could see UK sourced peas, beans and oats added to wheat flour to boost its nutritional value, is funded by Innovate UK’s ‘Better Food For All’ initiative. The project is one of 47 projects to receive a share of £17.4 million from Innovate UK to improve food quality, create functional foods, boost nutrition,…

This year, Popham Kidney Support, the Swansea-based kidney charity, saw two of its dedicated runners take on the iconic London Marathon in support of the organisation. Andrew Golley and Simon Treharne, both members of the charity’s affiliate running club – ‘Paul Popham Running Club’, raised an impressive £3,000 for Popham Kidney Support, contributing funds that will greatly assist in providing essential support to individuals facing kidney disease across Wales. Popham Kidney Support was established in March 2013, originally named ‘The Paul Popham Fund, Renal Support Wales’, following the passing of Paul Popham, father of current CEO Joanne Popham. Under Joanne’s…

While dogs are welcome on the majority of the 50 plus beaches in Pembrokeshire there are some that have summer restrictions – and just two with total bans. Between 1st May and 30th September Tenby North Beach and Whitesands, St Davids has a total dog ban and there are partial bans on nine others. These are: Lydstep; Newgale beach and promenade; Coppet Hall (voluntary); Saundersfoot beach and promenade; Tenby Castle and South Beach; Amroth beach and promenade; Poppit Sands; Broad Haven North and Dale. These restrictions do not apply to Guide Dogs. There will be maps at each of these…