Author: Rhys Gregory

Mathew Pickering has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of seventeen and a half years after the murder of 46-year-old Georgina Dowey in his Cadoxton, Neath address last year. Pickering was sentenced today Monday 5 February at Swansea Crown Court following the guilty verdict last week. Mathew Pickering, 49, of Beaconsfield Street, pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denied murder after Georgina’s body was discovered by police in his downstairs bathroom on Sunday, May 7, 2023. The victim, who was a vulnerable individual, was in a relationship with Pickering, and had moved into his address in March 2023. Detective…

Severe cuts to the apprenticeship programme in Wales will have dire consequences for patient and residential care, the Welsh Government has been warned. Proposed Welsh Government cuts to apprenticeship budget, together with the loss of European funding, could result in nearly a quarter (24%) of the programme in 2024-’25 being slashed, it is claimed by training and healthcare providers and educational institutions across Wales. The National Training Federation for Wales (NTFW) and CollegesWales have already warned about the catastrophic and irreversible impact these cuts would have on the apprenticeships in Wales. They estimate that the number of apprenticeship new starts…

This year’s Welsh International Culinary Championships (WICC), held at the International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales), Newport, was the launchpad to hosting the Worldchefs Congress and Expo at the venue in May, 2026. Organised by the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW), the three-day WICC moved to ICC Wales for the first time, having previously been held in North Wales. CAW president Arwyn Watkins, OBE, declared the event a success and is confident that it will grow in its new venue to become a Welsh hospitality hub for three days every January. He said the WICC 2024 was the start of…

Accessing epilepsy care in Wales has become a postcode lottery due to ongoing inconsistencies in the way neurology services are rolled out. Amid ‘woefully short’ nationwide staffing levels, some rural areas have little to no dedicated provision in place at all. More than six months since a motion was passed in the Senedd to reduce waiting times and improve staffing levels, Epilepsy Action Cymru called another meeting with Senedd members to demand quicker action. Members of the Senedd, clinicians and patients gathered at a meeting arranged by Epilepsy Action Cymru in Cardiff Bay this week (31 January), to discuss the…

Bridgend based multi-award winning Hawkstone Commercials posts record setting 2023. In only its second year of business, Hawkstone Commercials is incredibly proud to announce that 2023 has seen the business deliver over 1,000 units of vans, trucks, and other commercial vehicles to customers across the UK. Oliver Lewis, Co-director of Hawkstone Commercials said, “The commercial leasing industry is going through one of its toughest economic challenges in perhaps the last thirty years. The cost of living crisis, political uncertainty and continued fears of a recession have understandably slowed the demand across the commercial sector. However, due to Hawkstone Commercials extensive…

An Aberystwyth University project which provides free legal advice and signposting to UK military veterans and their families, has teamed up with a local GP practice to offer support. Based in the University’s Department of Law & Criminology, the Veterans Legal Link project is working with Aberystwyth-based Ystwyth Medical Group as part of a Wales-wide initiative to provide veteran-friendly services to patients who formerly served in the UK military. The pilot, which is the first of its kind in the UK, began earlier this month.  The initiative aims to ensure that veterans are aware of the support that is available…

A leading civil engineering contractor has thrown its support behind a military museum’s mission to educate and engage people throughout Wales. Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK is backing the Royal Welch Fusiliers (RWF) Museum, which portrays the story of more than 300 years of service by its members through learning, research, and exhibitions. Based at Caernarfon Castle, the facility welcomes 100,000 visitors per year, with a further 70,000 engaged digitally. Some 3,400 students use both on-site and in-classroom educational services, assisted by partnerships, including 160th (Welsh) Brigade. Programmes and services are developed to align with science, technology, engineering, arts, and…

Adventure giant Zip World has announced plans to launch an exciting new indoor activity centre and accommodation on the former Adventure Parc Snowdonia site in Conwy, North Wales. Zip World Conwy is set to open on the 22nd March in time for the Easter 2024 holidays and will feature over 30 camping pods and a host of exhilarating indoor experiences including the Adrenaline Indoors assault course, Altitude Climber climbing walls, Elevation Indoors high ropes, and Adrenaline Drop tower. Offering the perfect weatherproof day out for families with children of all ages, Zip World Conwy will expand the brand’s portfolio of…

STōK Cold Brew Coffee is all about bold moves, and this year during the Big Game, the brand is shamelessly challenging traditional American football culture. As the official stadium sponsor of Wrexham AFC, owned by Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, STōK Cold Brew Coffee is bringing the hype of football (um, soccer?) to America’s biggest sports stage. What better way to celebrate the Welsh football team’s success and ambition of reaching the Premier League? In a new spot created by Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort in collaboration with Danone Internal Agency, Harvest Creative, STōK reveals it isn’t just the sponsor of…

Aberglasney is delighted to announce its photographer, Nigel McCall, has been recognised in the International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) competition for his stunning image ‘May Morning’ taken in Aberglasney’s Upper Walled Garden. IGPOTY brings together the best garden, plant, flower and botanical photography from across the world with over 20,000 entries from over 50 countries. The competition started in 2008 and continues to be one of the world’s most respected photography competitions and exhibitions. Nigel’s image of Aberglasney during a misty ‘May Morning’ was announced as Highly Commended in the ‘Beautiful Gardens’ category. His breath-taking images have won…