Coal was king when Albert Frederick Thomas leased a small shop in Commercial Road, Newport, to set up his dream - an independent family business specialising in electrical goods and furniture. The year was 1932 and this part of Pill bustled with scores
May Day in Newport will see some citizens rising a lot earlier than others. In keeping with long tradition, the Isca Morrismen will start off a new season of dancing with a day-long tour of various Newport and Monmouthshire venues. The day begins with
How many of us really know what that statue outside Starbucks in the city centre is all about? Well, to help us understand the important history of the area, a special team of consultants is looking at how Newport can increase awareness of its place in
GRAND Slam-winning rugby coach Mike Ruddock is making a move into the business world by joining a Newport recruitment firm. Ruddock is taking up the post of commercial development manager at Newport-based Acorn, starting today. The former Wales rugby
CATCHING a ball is a major achievement for seven-year-old Thomas Hughes. The Blaina boy has a mystery condition which means he is unable to talk, has only just learned to walk and has sight problems. But now Thomas can see properly for the first time
NEWPORT Gwent Dragons captain Jason Forster will urge his team to repay the faith shown in them when they face Cardiff Blues in tonight's Celtic League derby at Rodney Parade. Dragons coach Paul Turner has responded to Saturday's disappointing defeat
Local rock act Switchblade Kiss (formerly Little Unknown) will be headlining a benefit gig on April 28 at the Riverside Suite, Newport Centre, in aid of Newport Samaritans. While it may not match the scale of Live 8, for sheer passion and cutting edge
IT'S a case of from one crucial relegation scrap to another for Ebbw Vale when they host Maesteg at Eugene Cross Park tonight (kick off 7.30pm). Vale were Gwent derby victors on Saturday when they crushed Pontypool 52-25 to climb off the bottom of the
JOY Maund's three children already see her as a super mum, and soon she will take on more responsibility by adopting an African boy. Joy was commended in Asda's Wondermum competition after being nominated by stepdaughter Katie. The 44-year-old, from Blackwood
A new £1.25m network of community learning centres in Newport is set to give thousands of Newport residents a RISE. The modern and well-equipped RISE learning centres, which are dotted around the city centre, are intended to attract an additional 8,000
If you'd travelled to Newport by train from England only a few years you would've noticed Llanwern steelworks. The huge industrial complex on the east side of the city dominated the landscape - and the employment prospects for many local families. The
CWMBRAN Town manager Sean Wharton wants his side to start tonight's crunch home clash against Porthmadog in the same way they finished off Monday's clash with Welsh Cup finalists Bangor City. The Crows dominated the final 10 minutes against the Citizens
A GWENT ambulance service operator helped save the life of an elderly woman when she collapsed and stopped breathing. Irene Taylor, 46, from Brynthel, near Abertillery, guided Cheryl Reed, who had no previous first aid experience, through giving her mother
ENGLAND bowler Simon Jones is looking to put a winter of disappointment behind him and hit the ground running with Glamorgan this month in order to re-establish himself as England's king of swing. Glamorgan get their 2006 campaign underway today with
In England, from the April 6 all councils will introduce and enforce the licensing of rented property. This is in essence a driving license for landlords and an MOT for the property, which will last for five years and as with any new piece of legislation
We here at NPLife always like to hear good news stories. So we were delighted when we received this from a pupil at Rougemont School telling us all about its Young Enterprise company... Supernova has launched a new product which it feels will fill a gap
WE don't want to get into Europe via the back door of a play-off, insists Newport Gwent Dragons lock Ian Gough going into tonight's must-win Celtic League battle against biggest rivals Cardiff Blues at Rodney Parade. The Dragons currently lie in fourth
A new multimillion pound campus for Newport's city centre has been given the go-ahead by the University of Wales, Newport, Newport City Council and Newport Unlimited. The £20m campus will be situated on the banks of the River Usk in the city centre, and
A PONTYPOOL man was jailed after refusing to name an armed gang who terrified two elderly brothers in a raid on a remote farmhouse. Anthony Hawkes, 44, loaned the gang his Vauxhall Carlton and was jailed for a total of three years eight months after refusing
GLAMORGAN'S Gwent wicketkeeper Mark Wallace is hoping to perform well with both bat and gloves this season in a bid to force himself into England contention - even if it is at the expense of his great mate Geraint Jones. Wallace, 24, has returned in good
It is one of the world's most recognisable design icons - something a lot of people aspire to own, whether they have an old rambling country cottage or something a bit more modern. And an Aga cooker is surprisingly easy to own. You can, for example, slot
Newport has gone for year's without having a local brewery - but that is all about to change. Richard Jackson said: "There hasn't been a brewery in Newport for 40 years, but by the end of this year we expect to have dozens of Newport's pubs serving up
CASES of domestic violence in Gwent rose to a four-year high, new figures reveal. Police figures show there were 4,770 reported incidents of violence in the home against men and women in 2005-06. That compares to 4,329 cases in 2004-05, 3,885 cases in
A chance trip to a motorcycle show has opened up a whole new world of adventure for one Newport man, as Jo Barnes found out when she met Simon Wiltshire... The adventure bug has bitten and, it seems, there is no looking back for Newport businessman Simon
Bridges are important to any city which has a river running through it - and Newport is no exception. We have some fine examples of bridge building in our city - and we are all waiting with baited breath for the new member of the bridge clan. Newport
A POLICE chief praised a have-a-go hero who confronted a gang breaking into a Newport shop. Inspector Dan Taylor described Christian Kenyon as "brave" after the 30-year-old stopped a raid on a Co-op store, in St John's Crescent, Rogerstone, on Saturday
Newport students are setting up a unique project that will challenge film-makers worldwide to follow football fans to the World Cup in order to make a 90-minute documentary that should prove to be an international success - and help businesses in South
NPLIFE had an exclusive invite to a fashion show with a difference. NPLife was invited along to a unique event which happened at city centre hairdressing salon Burlesque recently - and what an experience it turned out to be! Burlesque created six different
To celebrate the launch of its latest development luxury house-builder Meadgate has some top tips for house hunters visiting a show home. Meadgate's sales director Annette Gregory said her decision to present the new showhome at Falcons Reach, Marshfield
TODAY the Argus reveals the proposed new route for the £350 million M4 relief road. On Monday the Argus exclusively revealed that the proposed road would skirt Newport rather than cut through a swathe of the Gwent Levels. Yesterday, the Assembly confirmed
HEART patient Harr-ison Johnson defied medical opinion since he was born - and regulars at his parents' Newport pub keep delivering generous thank-yous to the experts who are helping him. Seven-year-old Harrison underwent three major heart operations,
NP Life looks back at the Queen's visits to Newport over the years. To celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday later this month, we've been trawling through our files to see what pictures we could find of her in Newport. Her first trip to the then
This month we've decided to have a look back at Newport as well as peering into the future of the city. What better way of spanning the years than to look at the magnificent bridges which span our River Usk. The newest - a cycle and foot bridge - will
FALSE alarms at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport are costing taxpayers more than £60,000 a year. Between April last year and March this year South Wales Fire and Rescue Service was called out to the hospital 57 times after alarms were triggered falsely
A new multimillion pound campus for Newport's city centre has been given the go-ahead by the University of Wales, Newport, Newport City Council and Newport Unlimited. The £20m campus will be situated on the banks of the River Usk in the city centre
