The St. David’s Hotel and Spa is the first hotel in Wales’s capital city to have been awarded a prestigious Green Tourism Gold award – the highest national sustainability standard measured by the not for profit organisation Green Tourism. The St. David’s Hotel and Spa in Cardiff Bay was awarded the gold standard following a rigorous assessment process which evaluated water and energy efficiency, waste management, communication, transport and purchasing. The Hotel established a green committee made up of staff…

 As a follower of European politics, it seems both the effects and consequences of austerity on the personal lives of the ordinary person cannot be underestimated. Inevitably, it is those who are most vulnerable within our societies who are affected by change the most. What events in Greece also show is the collective power of individual voices to challenge this. In the UK, though the extent of austerity is not as severe as in some other Euro countries, services here…

Lloyds Bank branches across Wales will tomorrow begin a weekend of celebrations to commemorate St David’s Day.  From Friday 27th February to Monday 2nd March, colleagues in 104 branches across Wales will be putting on a full programme of activities to welcome in St David’s day, whilst raising money for BBC Children in Need. Over the weekend, branches will be fitted with the traditional St David’s day decorations of daffodils and flags, whilst colleagues will also add red to their…

Wales’ largest sight loss charity is making a plea for volunteers in Wales.  The charity is looking for volunteers to support local blind and partially sighted people to be digitally connected and enjoy the benefits of being online.  This includes devices such as tablets, e-readers and smart phones.  Helping people to get online can open up a whole new world and increase independence. Sharon Jones, RNIB Cymru’s Volunteering Development Advisor, said: “We’re going to make everyday digital skills available to…

A year ago today (Thursday 19 February) Alzheimer’s Society launched its award-winning Dementia Friends initiative in Wales. On its first anniversary, the charity is calling on people across the country to join the 8,000 Dementia Friends who have already joined the movement to breakdown the stigma of a condition that affects 45,000 people in Wales. Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends initiative aims to make everyday life better for people with dementia and is this country’s biggest ever project to change the…

Katherine Maddock-Lyon has won the Lawn Tennis Association’s (LTA) Aegon Coach of the Month award for her great work managing the performance programme at David Lloyd Cardiff. Through her dedication the programme has developed many players who have gone on to represent South Wales and Wales. Katherine, who gives up a lot of her own time to take young players on tour and to events, has also initiated and run the Mini Red World Circuit and Girls’ camps to provide…

Paul Jenkins – coach of the Invictus Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby team and South Wales Pirates – has been rewarded for his career as a Wheelchair Rugby Coach.   A former Welsh Guards Instructor, Jenkins had a motorbike crash after he left the military, leaving him tetraplegic.  In 1990 he took up wheelchair rugby and quickly became hooked, forging a successful sports career where he competed in the 1996 Paralympic Games. On his retirement from the sport he took up…

Brains, The Official Ale Sponsor of the WRU, celebrated the start of the 6 Nations in full chorus!  To tie into the launch of the new rugby-themed Seasonal Ale, ‘Bread of Heaven’, the Cardiff-based brewer invited the local Côr Meibion Taf choir to surprise drinkers in the popular City Centre Pub ‘The Yard’. The 20 plus strong choir, dressed as rugby fans to blend into the crowds, one by one started singing the popular Welsh rugby anthem ‘Bread of Heaven’! …

Almost half of online adults aged 18+ in Wales (46 per cent) say they always, or almost always do nothing when they see someone in the street who is homeless, compared to 54 per cent across the UK. More than a quarter of people in Wales say the main cause of homelessness is alcohol or drug addiction (30 per cent), followed by debt (20 per cent), according to new research commissioned by The Salvation Army and carried out by Ipsos…