Author: Rhys Gregory

Simon O’Rourke, tree carving artist from North Wales, has joined the list of growing ambassadors for Wrecsam2029 – strengthening the city’s ongoing support as it goes for UK City of Culture 2029.  Back in February, Simon’s giant WRECSAM letters were unveiled in Wrexham’s Queens Square, just outside the Old Library. The installation was commissioned to reflect the county’s cultural identity and is part of many breathtaking artwork currently found across the city.  Simon joins the likes of TV broadcaster, Sian Lloyd, Wrexham AFC’s Lili Jones, Visit Wrexham and artist and muralist, Liam Stokes-Massey as official Wrecsam2029 ambassadors. These join the…

David Spear Commercial Vehicles will continue its support of one of Britain’s most popular gravel rallies after confirming a second successive year as the official vehicle supplier to the Nicky Grist Stages (Saturday 11 July). Last year the award-winning, family-run commercial vehicle supplier, which was established in 1987 and is based at the Crown Business Park in Dukestown, near Tredegar, supplied two four-wheel drive Ford Rangers, which were ideal for use as the official Motorsport UK Safety Delegate and Double Zero vehicles. This year the partnership will once again see vehicles supplied to help run the rally, which takes place…

Six schools across Newport are set to benefit from more than £1 million of Welsh Government funding to develop new facilities designed to support local communities. Newport City Council has secured just over £1 million through the Welsh Government’s Community Focused Schools capital grant programme, which helps schools create facilities that strengthen links with their communities and provide services beyond the classroom. The funding will support projects at Llanwern High School, Maesglas Primary School, St Julian’s School, St Patrick’s RC Primary School, St Woolos Primary School and Ysgol Gymraeg Casnewydd. Councillor Deb Davies, deputy leader of Newport City Council and…

Newport’s public electric vehicle charging network has powered more than 1.1 million miles of journeys over the past year, as demand for EVs continues to grow across the city. Latest figures from Newport City Council show the city’s publicly available charging points supported more than 1.1 million miles of travel during the last financial year, a significant increase from the 600,000 miles recorded in the previous 12 months. The growth has been driven by the expansion of Newport’s charging network, which now includes more than 220 public chargers available for residents and visitors. The increase comes as electric vehicles become…

Newbridge Leisure Centre’s swimming pool is temporarily closed to the public until 17th July to allow a programme of essential improvement works to be carried out. The closure follows the recent failure of the pools heating system and provides an opportunity to bring forward a number of planned maintenance and upgrade projects while the facility is out of use. Works will include repairs and upgrades to pool tiling, the upgrade of the heat exchanger, the installation of new boilers and a range of general improvement works designed to enhance the long-term reliability and efficiency of the facility. The works support…

Drivers in Merthyr Tydfil are being reminded of the rules surrounding electric vehicle (EV) charging bays, with council officials warning that motorists could face fines of up to £70 if they fail to comply. Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council has issued guidance clarifying who can use EV charging spaces and under what circumstances, following concerns that some motorists may be unaware of the regulations. The council has confirmed that drivers of non-electric vehicles are not permitted to park in bays marked with signage stating “EV Parking Only”. Motorists who ignore the restrictions risk receiving a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN), with…

The new Welsh Government Minister with responsibility for energy has said Wales is open for business when it comes to offshore wind and its potential to be a catalyst for economic growth and prosperity. Adam Price, Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, also said the new Welsh Government is keen to build an open and collaborative relationship with the offshore wind sector and other key partners such as UK Government and The Crown Estate. This will help ensure Wales delivers on its refreshed economic mission to reduce Wales’ productivity gap with the UK by half within 10 years. Speaking…

The Welsh Government has today announced an extra £145m will be invested in NHS Wales this financial year. The funding, part of the Welsh Government’s Supplementary Budget for 2026-27, includes £100m of revenue funding to support the Welsh Government’s aims of reducing NHS waiting times. £25m of capital funding will be invested in new surgical and diagnostic hubs, dedicated to delivering high volume treatment to ensure patients can be seen quicker. The Welsh Government plans to develop up to ten surgical and diagnostic hubs over the next four years. £20m of capital funding will also be spent on essential maintenance…

Transport for Wales has teamed up with Campaign for Better Transport to celebrate one of the biggest upgrades in rail infrastructure within the UK. The Treherbert railway line has recently undergone a major transformation as part of the South Wales Metro project, evolving from a historic valley line into a modern, electrified railway served by brand-new trains. Until early 2023, signalling on the line was controlled using a Victorian-era ‘Token Exchange System’. This required drivers to leave their cab to collect a physical token before entering single-track sections, returning it at the other end. While effective, the system was no longer…

AI is quickly becoming central to logistics and the running of warehouses, predicting breakdowns long before they occur, and routing trucks before the traffic hits. But this all depends on having good data. Automated sorting and smart forecasting are very much downstream from the tracking of assets. Physical assets need to be tracked reliably, starting by capturing asset data at the point of movement. There and then, and systems need to reconfigure in real-time. How AI is changing supply chain operations AI as an LLM, as it stands, is undoubtedly suffering from its own hype. But what isn’t underperforming is…