IT'S been another busy week in this part of the North Wales coast, with our team bringing you all the latest news and more.

In case you missed them, here are the top five most-read stories on the Rhyl Journal website the week staring March 18:

1. Rhyl man helping lodge retreat become 'jewel in the crown'

A luxury lodge retreat has experienced a surge in interest from prospective holiday homeowners across the country - with a man from Rhyl part of its success.

One year after opening – following a multi-million-pound redevelopment – permanent and rental space at Darwin Escapes' 40-acre Plas Isaf Lodge Retreat is in demand.

Group head of sales Shaun Roberts says Plas Isaf is already one of the jewels in the crown of Darwin Escapes.

Read the full story here 

2. Prestatyn fighter becomes first MMA world champion in North Wales

A fighter from Prestatyn has celebrated becoming North Wales’ first mixed martial arts (MMA) world champion.

Bobby Pallett, 32, saw off Brazilian Tony Silva by technical knockout in less than a minute to win the Full Contact Contender (FCC)’s lightweight (11 stone) world title at Liverpool Olympia on March 9.

Also a personal trainer at Primal MMA Academy in Dyserth, Bobby’s record in bouts now comprises seven wins and two losses.

Read the full story here

3. New hygiene rating for Rhyl shop which had to pay nearly £25K after ‘zero’ score

A shop in Rhyl has received a markedly improved food hygiene rating a year-and-a-half after it was handed a score of zero.

Seagull International Foods, which has a store on Bedford Street, was told that “major improvement (was) necessary” following an unplanned Food Standards Agency inspection on August 17, 2022.

But following a re-inspection on February 7, it was rated four-out-of-five (“good”) by the agency.

Read more here

4. Progress being made on private mental health unit in Rhyl

Work on a new private mental health unit in Rhyl should be completed by the end of October. 

The unit will be situated at 64 Brighton Road, a site which was previously used for benefits offices for Denbighshire County Council.

Nadarajah Pragash, of Headlands Nursing Home, Llangollen, submitted the proposals to the council in early 2020, which were granted planning permission in June of that year.

Read the story here

5. Additional £20million funding package confirmed for Rhyl

A sales and car wash site in Rhyl is set to be sold at auction later this month.

The LL Car Sales forecourt, at 154 Vale Road, will go to online auction with SDL Property Auctions on March 27.

Described as a site with “potential for a variety of different uses”, subject to planning, the site has a guide price of £150,000.

Read the full story here