Author: Rhys Gregory

Brand-new electric buses that will support sustainable travel in Gwynedd will begin operating on Monday 12 February, Transport for Wales and Cyngor Gwynedd have announced. The new TrawsCymru T22 will provide an hourly service between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Porthmadog, and every two hours between Porthmadog and Caernarfon. In addition, the TrawsCymru T2 service will continue to operate between Aberystwyth and Bangor, serving key hubs including Caernarfon, Dolgellau, Porthmadog and Machynlleth. The T22’s state-of-the-art electric fleet will offer quieter journeys for passengers, with wireless charging facilities, USB ports at every seat, next stop displays and announcements. The Deputy Minister for Climate…

On a visit to Portfield Special School in Haverfordwest, the Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, met pupils and staff who have taken part in an exchange trip to Sweden and Belgium, which has been made possible thanks to Taith funding. Portfield School is a special school for pupils aged 3-19 years. Pupils have a wide range of complex Additional Learning Needs (ALN), such as autism spectrum condition and social, emotional and behavioural needs. Taith provides opportunities for learners, young people and staff in every type of education and youth setting to travel abroad to learn, as well…

A mum who has benefited from the expansion of the Welsh Government’s Flying Start programme has praised the scheme for the “head start” it has given her youngest child. Stephanie Thomas’ daughter attends Little Sprouts Day Nursery, in Neath, under the initiative and called the quality of provision “amazing”. The Welsh Government has achieved its latest target for phase 2 of the expansion of the programme with an extra 4,500 childcare places offered during 2023-24. The extension of the Flying Start programme is part of a phased expansion of early years provision to all two-year-olds in Wales, with a particular emphasis…

From 16 March – 24 January 2025, the Van Gogh self-portrait, Portrait of the Artist (1887), will be on show at National Museum Cardiff , thanks to a reciprocal loan with the Musée D’Orsay, Paris. This is the first time the Van Gogh self-portrait has ever visited Wales. In exchange, Amgueddfa Cymru’s much-loved La Parisienne by Renoir, also known as ‘The Blue Lady’, will make its journey across the Channel. The loan agreement closes Welsh Government’s dedicated year of Wales in France, which has created ties between the two countries in trade, culture and sport. The Van Gogh painting will…

An Aberystwyth University expert on the Kindertransport scheme presented the findings of her extensive research at the German national parliament in Berlin this week. Andrea Hammel, Professor of German and Director of the Centre for the Movement of People at Aberystwyth University, delivered a lecture at the Bundestag, the national parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Kindertransport scheme saw 10,000 Jewish child refugees rescued during a ten-month period immediately preceding the outbreak of the Second World War. Whilst generally viewed as a feel-good wartime success story and a positive example of the UK’s humanitarian and altruistic attitude towards refugees…

Have you ever used any text messaging marketing technique? How was the experience? Did your business really improve? Can you use it as part of your marketing strategy? Just like any other marketing tool, there are some myths and misconceptions that you go through as a manager in order to evaluate its effectiveness. What have you heard about it? You have probably heard about different myths and misconceptions that surround the SMS marketing tool, and at times, it becomes difficult to differentiate it from the actual truth. However, if fear stops you from adopting this type of marketing, then you…

AN AMBULANCE service stalwart is retiring after five decades of saving lives. Fifty years ago, on 04 February 1974, a 23-year-old Gwyn Griffiths from Caernarfon joined the Caernarfonshire Fire and Ambulance Service. The now 73-year-old has enjoyed a varied career, both in Wales and across the border in England, until his retirement on Sunday, finishing as an Advanced Paramedic Practitioner. Gwyn originally began his career as a ‘Trainee Ambulance Man’ and has seen the organisation grow from a regional ambulance service to the national service it is today.  He said: “I started as a ‘Trainee Ambulance Man’ before graduating to…

Osprey Charging, the UK’s leading and fastest-growing EV rapid-charging network, has increased access to public charging in Cardiff with three high-powered EV chargers installed at the Aubrey Arms in Bonvilston, supporting local residents, businesses and visitors with reliable EV infrastructure. The 60kW rapid charge points are compatible with every EV on the market today and can typically add 100 miles of range in just 35 minutes, depending on the model of the vehicle and its battery. Situated at the Aubrey Arms, the chargers are an ideal place to charge an EV whilst enjoying a drink and grabbing bite to eat.…

A housebuilder has submitted its application to construct 123 new zero-carbon ready homes in Carmarthen. Persimmon Homes West Wales will build these on land it acquired with outline planning permission for 250 properties, adjacent to its site north-west of the old St David’s Hospital off Ffordd Pendre, where it secured full planning permission for another 93 homes three months ago. Together, both estates make up a strategic site for the local authority in the area and a further reserved matters application will be brought forward in the future for the remaining 127 houses. The site’s northern parcel will be the…

BBC Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt will deliver a public lecture at Aberystwyth University next month. Justin Rowlatt has been a correspondent on Newsnight, Channel 4 News and Panorama and nominated for Royal Television Society and BAFTA awards for his work. He came to prominence in Britain when in 2006 he became BBC2’s Newsnight’s ‘Ethical Man’. During the event, Justin Rowlatt will reflect on his journey and engage in discussions with the audience about public perceptions and efforts to address climate change in the UK and around the world. Speaking ahead of his visit, BBC Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt said: ​”I’m…