On 1st October 2011,  a charge of 5p was introduced on all single use carrier bags, in an attempt to drastically reduce the number of bags given away in Wales.

During 2009-10 in Wales, shoppers used an estimated 350 million carrier bags from major supermarkets, which equates to 273 bags per household.  Habitually the bags are only used once, which not only being a waste of resources, causes a litter problem with serious environmental consequences especially as far as wildlife is concerned, as many of the bags are made of oil-based plastic, which  can take up to 500-1000 years to decompose.  The cost to Welsh local authorities to clean up plastic bag litter every year was an estimated £1million.  

On 1st October 1806 - The brig Mary ran aground on the Arklow Bank, in the Irish Sea and was wrecked with the loss of seven of the ten people on board. Two of the survivors were rescued by Mary, a ship from Liverpool, whilst the third was rescued by Mary, a ship from Amlwch, Anglesey.

Amlwch is the most northerly town in Wales, with the local economy reliant mainly on tourism.  However, it was one of the busiest ports and the second largest town in Wales after Merthyr Tydfil in the late 18th century, with a population of approximately 10,000.  In 1792  "Beaumaris & Amlwch" received 327 ships with a gross tonnage of 13287 tons. compared with Swansea's 96 ships and 5521 ton gross in the same year.

This was "The Age of Sail", a period which lasted from the 16th to the mid-19th century and was the period in which international trade and naval warfare were dominated by sailing ships.

Some of the earliest records of ship movements from Amlwch are in 1730 when two vessels from Conwy are recorded as carrying Oak and Alder timber from Amlwch. Then in 1748 Lewis Morris, a customs officer recorded that vessels came to Amlwch to load corn, butter and cheese. But it was the rediscovery of Copper at Mynydd Parys in 1762 at what was then the world's biggest copper mine and the need to ship the copper ore around the world, that led to Amlwch's rapid growth.

Ore from the mine was brought to the port by horse and cart and It would take many journeys to build up the 20 - 70 tons required for a full ship's load.  The ships were assisted into the harbour's narrow entrance by unlicensed pilots or "Hobblers" who used small rowing and sailing boats to steer the vessels into port.

By 1816 a 150-foot pier and lighthouse were added and in 1866 the ports of Beaumaris & Amlwch received 298 ships carrying 19335 tons while Cardiff received 89 with a total of 18252 tons at the same time.  The turning point in the history of the port was reached in 1865 when for the first time copper ore from the mountain was exported using the new railway at Llangefni, which was cheaper than transporting it by sea.   

Born on this day 1923 in Swansea

Trevor Ford - former Wales soccer international who was capped 38 times and scored 23 goals for his country.  Ford was a prolific centre-forward, also scoring 61 goals for Aston Villa from 128 appearances and was a footballing celebrity of his time.  In 1950, he was the subject of a then British football transfer record, when he signed for  Sunderland for £30,000 from Aston Villa.  However  in 1956, he revealed that he had been involved in an illegal payments scandal while at Sunderland, which saw him temporarily suspended from the game and excluded from the Welsh squad for the 1958 World Cup.

Ford was also a talented cricketer and acted as a substitute fielder for Glamorgan in their County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at St Helen's when Sir Garfield Sobers hit six sixes from an over bowled by Malcolm Nash.

The 38th Ryder Cup was held on 1st–4th October 2010 at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport.  It was the first time the Ryder Cup had been staged in Wales and was played on the specifically designed Twenty Ten course

The result was an unprecedented fourth consecutive victory at home by Europe.  During his victory speech, Europe Captain Colin Montgomerie said: " The world was watching and Wales delivered.”  

Born on this day 1959 in Newport

Mark Aizlewood  - former Wales soccer international,  TV commentator and former Welsh learner of the year.

After retiring from playing he revealed in his straight talking Welsh-language autobiography, Amddiffyn fy Hun (Defending Myself), how he had got caught up in the drinking and gambling culture endemic in football, which eventually led to him considering suicide.  However, his story  is also of a survivor who has overcome his problems and how after taking his last drink, has started to turn his life around.