Author: Alice Gregory

A Christmas concert with a difference is being hosted at Gregynog Hall in Tregynon, near Newtown this year! Quindici Chamber Choir is teaming up with Gregynog’s resident orchestra Sinfonia Cymru to put together a unique programme of festive favourites, combining some of Wales’ finest chamber music performers with choral classics and sing along carols. The cosy and heart-warming hour-long chamber concerts are sure to uplift spirits and the audience will be invited to join in some carol singing, too. The concert starts at 7pm on Tuesday, December 3 in Gregynog’s Music Room. Tickets cost £12 for adults and £5 for…

A rare 411-year-old bible sold for £4,500 at a leading Shropshire fine art auction house last week. The Great She Bible of 1613, a second folio edition of the King James Bible by royal printer Robert Barker, was one of the stars of Halls Fine Art’s successful books, coins and stamps auction in Shrewsbury. The bible was consigned by a North Wales vendor and had been in the same family for several generations. It’s called ‘Great’ because of its size and ‘She’ to distinguish it from some copies of the 1611 edition which have the reading in Ruth 3 verse…

Two local businesses have teamed up to help improve sustainability in Cardiff – whilst delivering artisan breads and pastries at the same time. Bakery and boulangerie Ground, which opened its flagship Pontcanna site three years ago, now has a new addition on the menu – an electric vehicle (EV) provided by fellow city business FleetEV. Mindful of racking up the miles with deliveries across South Wales and beyond, the bakery turned to leading electric specialist FleetEV, based at The Maltings, for an environmentally friendly van, just in time to mark Wales Climate Week (November 11-16). FleetEV Founder and CEO Jarrad…

The Community Kit Room (CKR) initiative run by Aneurin Leisure Trust’s sports development team, has gone from strength to strength since its launch in February 2022 at Abertillery sports centre, with the key objective to ‘make sport accessible for all’. The CKR won the StreetGames South Wales Mental Health & Wellbeing Award in September 2023 and was runner-up in the Community Impact Award at the recent BASIS Sustainable Sports Awards held at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, on Thursday, 26th September. Building on this success, and with support from local organisations and partners, the sports development team has recently…

Hollywood actor Michael Sheen is among a host of celebrities who’ve got behind a charity  football match to help victims of domestic abuse in North Wales. Global star Sheen, who has turned himself into a “not-for-profit actor”, has got the ball rolling with a surprise £250 gift. He made the donation after hearing about the game being organised by the Wrexham Police FC football team in partnership with the North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT). The police team are set to play Supporting Charities FC, a squad of all-stars from the world of sport and entertainment, at 4pm on…

Services offered to children at Nightingale House Hospice are being put in the spotlight by top comedian Paddy McGuinness. The TV and BBC Radio 2 presenter is taking on an Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge– cycling almost 300 miles for Radio 2 to raise money for BBC Children in Need’s 2024 Appeal. Setting off from Wrexham on Monday, November 11th, Paddy will be cycling through Wales and England before finishing in Glasgow on Friday, November 15th. And he won’t be doing this challenge on just any bicycle… he will take on the route on an iconic modified Raleigh Chopper bike! Money…

Acuity Law has advised the shareholders of Do-It Solutions, a global market leader in neurodiverse screening and assessments, on its acquisition by Lexxic, a specialist in workplace neurodiversity assessment, training and accreditation services. This deal between Cardiff-based Do-It Solutions and Lexxic is the latest high-profile deal for the leading commercial law firm. Do-IT was founded by Professor Amanda Kirby and is an internationally recognised tech-for-good company that has created highly effective web-based tools, supported by training and consultancy services, to deliver market-leading solutions across a wide and expanding range of sectors including corporate, justice and education. The acquisition will enable Lexxic,…

Lush is inviting customers to enjoy a bear hug this World Kindness Day (Wednesday 13 November), with a FREE bear-shaped bath bomb with every purchase made in-store or via the Lush app while stocks last. This fizzy little friend is like a hug in a bath – treat yourself to a bear-y soothing soak, or pay it forward and gift to a loved one to spread a little kindness. No minimum price, a purchase of any value will qualify customers to receive a free Violet Bear or Candy Bear.* Both bath bombs are packed with moisturising Illipe Butter sourced from…

A transformative training and development programme providing career opportunities for college learners is building back from the pandemic. The Jobs Growth Wales+ scheme at Coleg Cambria was supporting hundreds of young people aged 16-19 before Covid-19 took hold in the UK. Now, under the leadership of Curriculum Directors David Garratt and Claire Howells, numbers are rising again, and new partnerships are being forged with employers in north east Wales and beyond. “We are now back up to 70 learners at Deeside and in Wrexham,” said David. “The programmes took something of a dip, understandably, during the pandemic, as we are…

A young woman who almost died after an epilepsy attack is championing a campaign to improve accessibility for disabled people at holiday and hospitality venues across Wales. Kamar El-Hozeil, from Porthmadog, has been appointed as an Access Ambassador by social enterprise PIWS (Welsh for purple) to “road test”  venues to make sure they’re up to scratch in meeting the needs of people with disabilities. The 23 year old, who also has Scoliosis or curvature of the spine, has bravely taken on the role even though she is prone to severe seizures due to the seriousness of her epilepsy. In one…