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Homeowners blighted by destructive Japanese knotweed may be hoping that the plant has died when it fails to emerge from its winter hibernation as normal around mid to late-March. But in fact the recent cold weather, with more low temperatures forecast, is delaying the start of the plant’s growing season by 2 to 4 weeks, as it will not awaken until the ground temperature reaches around 4°C. The ‘Beast from the East’ brought the coldest February week in five years…

LG Electronics, a global leader in home appliances, is helping children under 16 get back on the pitch and enjoy sports with the nationwide launch of the LG TWINWASH(tm) Football Challenge. Together with the National Schools Partnership (NSP), LG is challenging local schools and football teams to forget the mud and enjoy the game. Parents, teacher and coaches of teams are tasked with submitting a match report and photo of their ‘victory kits’ to NSP – with the team with…

A new analysis of data collected over ten years by a network of experts led by The Wildlife Trusts has revealed that water vole distribution has declined dramatically across the UK. There has been a 30% decline in the places where these river mammals once lived across England and Wales during this time.* While the new analysis reveals a slight expansion of range in certain areas – thanks to some successful conservation efforts by The Wildlife Trust of South and…

With spring in the air and the days getting longer, many will be taking the opportunity to tidy cupboards, scrub skirting boards and take old clothes to the charity shop. The concept of the spring clean is well and truly established in the British psyche but it’s more than just our homes that could probably do with a regular spruce up. According to Relate, 1 in 5 people in the UK are now living in what would be described in…

With Autism Awareness Week starting next week (26 March – 2 April), hundreds of people will soon be walking for autism for a charity which has services in Wales. Over 450 people have signed up to Autism Initiatives’ project to walk 10,000 steps a day for eight days, pledging to raise over £10,000 together for autism. Chief Executive Andrew Grainger, who is also one of the walkers, said, “We’re so grateful people are walking for autism. This is our first…

Pixie, a Miniature Australian Shepherd from Cardiff, South Glamorgan, has taken a top agility prize at Crufts on Thursday March 8th, winning the Kennel Club Novice Cup. Pixie (whose official Kennel Club name is Basileas Pixie Power) and owner, Susie Josty, won in the small category after competing in an exciting agility final at the world’s greatest dog show. The top ten large, eight medium and eight small dogs from the Novice Cup competition (Grades 3, 4 or 5) held…

Savvy travellers in their 60s and beyond will no doubt already know they could get 1/3 off train journeys across Great Britain – but now, they can make even bigger savings with a special Senior Railcard discount. GWR has launched a brand new deal that gives Senior Railcard holders a huge 50% discount on routes across the GWR network, including Cardiff Central station and several other destinations as varied as London, the Cotswolds, Bristol and Windsor. The latest promotion means…

Stroke Association in Wales would like to thank the volunteers and fundraisers who took part in the charity run at Bute Park and joined in the fight to beat strokes. Alan Drury, Regional Fundraiser Wales for the Stroke Association in Wales, said: “We would like to thank the sea of purple fundraisers who took to Bute Park to complete a Resolution Run for the Stroke Association on Sunday 11 March.” “Thanks to their efforts and the generosity of their family,…

Six in ten people across Wales believe their standard of living is worse than that of their parents’ generation according to Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland’s ‘State of the Nation’ report. The report has examined the social and community issues affecting locals in Wales along with a barometer on how people feel life compares now with previous generations. The report found the biggest issues that residents in Wales worry about included mental health (63%), supporting those who are…

According to a recent national survey, around 1 in 5 people in Wales smoke and over two thirds of them want to quit. If you smoke, then quitting is the best thing you can do to improve your health. However, we understand that for many people, it’s not easy. That’s why the NHS in Wales recently launched “Help Me Quit”, bringing together dozens of pharmacists, hospital workers, midwives and dedicated stop smoking experts to make sure a great range of…