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BrewDog-owned urban cidermakers, Hawkes, is making a stand against apple wastage.  With over 2.5 million apples going to waste every day in the UK, this urban cidery is calling for the nation to take charge of wasted apples’ destiny, by introducing an apple mail-in box. As a pint-loving nation, Hawkes knows we don’t want to see any cider to go to waste.  The brand-new apple mail-in box now encourages Cardiff to join in on saving perfectly good apples, simply by…

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is introducing a new and innovative approach to how patients access urgent care, the main message being: you will need to phone first if you think you need to attend the Emergency Unit and do not have a life-threatening emergency. Traditionally, patients have been able to access the emergency department by walking into their local Emergency Unit (EU) or A&E. The ‘phone first’ system replaces this for non- emergencies with patients being encouraged to…

Organisers of the Dragon’s Back Race® have announced plans to add an extra day to the 2021 edition of the race, which takes ultra-runners on an arduous route through Wales. Already regarded as the world’s toughest mountain race, the next edition of the event will be extended from five to six days, increasing the distance covered from 315km to 380km, and height climbed from 15,500m to 17,400m. As usual, the race will start at Conwy Castle, but in 2021, competitors…

Carers Trust Wales in partnership with all universities and Reaching Wider partnerships in Wales have released Going Higher: A carer’s guide to universities in Wales, a valuable, useful publication for carers of all ages considering higher education. A study undertaken by Carers Trust and the University of Nottingham in 2013 found that carers were 4 times more likely to drop out of university than students without caring responsibilities. More recently, this summer, a Carers Trust Wales survey on young and…

Counselling and wellbeing centre Breathe is offering free counselling sessions to people who are furloughed or who have been made redundant as a result of Covid-19. Sessions will take place online or over the phone from 18th August. This free counselling service is available thanks to funding from the Voluntary Services Emergency Fund through the WCVA. Breathe is part of the mental health and social change charity Platfform.  Free counselling is available in the areas the charity works which are Bridgend, Cardiff,…

UNSUNG HEROES of the pandemic – such as NHS workers, delivery drivers and supermarket workers – are at the top of Britain’s new pecking order and the most respected in society, a study shows. Research into attitudes during the coronavirus crisis shows a remarkable change in the social pecking order of how people who do different jobs are now regarded. Almost all those in key worker roles – such as food shop staff, bin men, delivery drivers, postmen and carers…

Cardiff based International Mountain Leader Alan Ward was in Lockdown as many people were this year. He wrote several features for The Cardiff Times Online during this period. Having heard about his trek to Everest Base Camp last November, we asked him to recount his experiences of this trek with a group from South Wales. Everest Base Camp, for many, is the ultimate trekking destination and I’ve led this trek several times during my many visits to Nepal. A group…

The New Theatre’s annual Pantomime is a seasonal highlight for over 50,000 people each year and has been a regular traditional offering during the theatre’s 114 year history. Following discussions with our producing partner, Qdos Pantomimes, it was concluded that due to the ongoing restrictions and the expected timescale for their relaxation it is impossible for us to deliver a viable pantomime season this year. We are now in a position to confirm that Aladdin will be rescheduled to the…

Over the past 6 months, we’ve all had a lot of extra time on our hands and have been using that time to clear out all the nooks and crannies in our homes that have been untouched for years. These clear outs have filled our hearts with nostalgia, as we go through old photo albums, clothes we no longer fit in and childhood toys. Although toys might not seem likely contenders for items to invest in, if you are able…

The Lord’s Taverners in Wales have paid tribute to former chairman Ray Dyer, who has died at the age of 77. The Cardiff businessman was a driving force behind the capital’s extremely successful Christmas lunches for a couple of decades, and was chair of the Taverners in Wales from 2000 to 2009. Alan Crossley, who was secretary of the region during Ray’s time as chair, said: “Ray was very much a free-thinking entrepreneur, and the lunches were transformed from speaker-based events…