The National Wales Story

The National (Wales) began as a Welsh daily news website owned by Newsquest, one of the UK’s largest regional media publishers. Launched with the goal of providing a Wales-first perspective, it was led by editor Gavin Thompson and supported by a small but committed team, including Michael Sweet (audience and content editor), Gareth Axenderrie (reporter), and Rachel Nurse, a valued journalist whose untimely passing in October 2021 was deeply mourned.

Unlike its Scottish counterpart of the same name, The National (Wales) did not align with any political party or ideology. Instead, it simply described itself as “pro-Wales”—focused on telling stories that mattered to Welsh communities, in their own context, free from London-centric bias. It launched just days after another Welsh news outlet, Herald.Wales, highlighting a growing demand for more homegrown media voices.

Despite early promise and community support—430 subscribers within the first few weeks and plans to grow—the platform’s printed edition, which started in April 2021, was short-lived and ceased by November the same year. By August 2022, facing financial pressures and declining subscriptions, The National announced its full closure, and the site went offline soon after.
But the story didn’t end there.

The domain was acquired in December 2023 by a group of bloggers with the intention of reviving it. However, during that period, the platform struggled to deliver the value, consistency, and quality journalism the Welsh public deserved. The original vision of a trusted, community-rooted national news source was not realised.

That’s where we came in.

In March 2024, we acquired The National (Wales) from its previous holders, with a renewed mission: to rebuild it as a truly independent, Welsh-led, and community-focused news platform. Officially, we release the update to live thenational.wales on X on Sep 12, 2024, but failed.

After careful planning, restructuring, and assembling a passionate editorial team, we officially relaunched on 12 April 2025—fully prepared to provide the value that thenational.wales was always meant to offer.

Today, we’re here to offer authentic, high-quality journalism that speaks directly to the people of Wales. From political developments and community stories to arts, culture, and social change, our coverage aims to reflect the full spectrum of life across the nation. We believe every town, every valley, every voice deserves to be heard.

Our team is committed, homegrown, and passionate about building a media space that truly belongs to the people. You can follow our news updates and engage with us directly through our social media presence on X (formerly Twitter) at @thenationalwale, where we share breaking stories and feature content throughout the week. Although we made efforts to acquire the previous social media accounts, we were ultimately unsuccessful. You can also connect with our editor and operations lead @HarryJ3899, who is active in responding to readers, sharing behind-the-scenes insights, and staying close to the communities we report on.

This is a new chapter for Welsh journalism—independent, direct, and proudly rooted in the land we serve.
This is your Wales.
This is your news.
Independent. Trusted. Unapologetically Welsh.