Author: Rhys Gregory

It might be back to school soon but that doesn’t mean that summer fun is over.  Postponed from its original date in July due to unseasonally high winds and driving rain, Tŷ Hafan’s annual Family Fun Day will now take place on Saturday 9th September and promises to be a great day out.  Activities will run between 12 noon and 5pm in the beautiful grounds of Tŷ Hafan’s  hospice on Hayes Road, CF64 5XX with the day kindly sponsored by Cabot.  Admission is just £2 per person with under-twos free of charge making Tŷ Hafan’s Family Fun Day a very affordable day out.  Attractions will include:  Vintage cars and supercars   Live music  Hog…

12-year-old tennis ace from Cardiff, Niall Pickerd-Barua, took home the boys under-14 cup at the Lexus Junior National Championships last week (16 August). The win marks a second year of victory for Niall, following the under-12 Championship title he earned at last year’s tournament — demonstrating his potential as a future star of British tennis. The 2023 Championships, delivered by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), saw 32 players take part in the boy’s under-14’s tournament, with Niall facing five matches to win his first GB title against Eric Lorimer from Devon in the final. Having played tennis since age three…

SIX colleagues from Specsavers in Haverfordwest have completed a five kilometre mud run and obstacle course to raise money for a local hospice charity. The team from the Bridge Street store took on the Tough Mudder challenge to raise some much-needed funds for Paul Sartori Foundation, a charity that provides free, specialised, supportive care and advice to those in the later stages of any life-limiting illness. They completed the 17 obstacle Tough Mudder course in two hours. Chris Rosser, optical assistant at Specsavers Haverfordwest, says: “The amazing team at Paul Sartori were a tremendous help when my mum was diagnosed…

Thousands of runners are expected to pound the streets of the capital on Sunday, September 3, with the revival of the popular Cardiff 10k. The race, which has been added to Run 4 Wales’ portfolio of world-class mass participation events, attracts top athletes, as well as park runners and charity joggers, and takes the field on a route past some of Cardiff’s most popular sights. Highlights include Cardiff Castle, the Principality Stadium, the River Taff, Sophia Gardens, the grand Civic Centre and the wonderful parkland of Llandaff and Pontcanna Fields. To help the race run smoothly, there is a programme…

One of Wales’ premier country estates is preparing to welcome visitors to its first Forest Fairy Trail on August Bank Holiday Weekend. Gregynog Hall’s 750 acres of grounds at Tregynon, near Newtown are filled with undiscovered treasures and the fairy trail is an ideal way to explore the woodland walks around the Grade 1 listed gardens and historic landscape. The trail opens on Friday, August 25 and runs until Monday, August 28 from 10am to 4pm. Trail sheets cost £6 which includes a strawberry milkshake and a fairy cake in the Courtyard Café. Lydia Bassett, Gregynog Hall’s head of business…

Dog owners are being urged to think ahead when it comes to making sure their faithful four-legged friend is loved and looked after if something happens to them.       Dogs Trust runs the free Canine Care Card service which means a dog is automatically cared for by them if their owner passes away, moves into a care home, or receives a life-changing diagnosis which means they can no longer look after their much-loved canine companion.     Angela Wetherall, Rehoming Centre Manager at Dogs Trust Wales says:   “The Canine Care Card gives dog owners peace of mind that their dog will be loved for a…

The first all-new and complete carriage built for Talyllyn Railway in 156 years has arrived in Tywyn, on the Mid Wales coast. Carriage No.24 was built by the neighbouring Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway’s Boston Lodge works, funded by a grant from the Welsh Government’s Coastal Communities Fund and Talyllyn Railway’s legacy income. Although similar to the railway’s existing bogie carriages, No.24 is a new configuration, with accommodation for first and third class passengers, including a wheelchair accessible compartment. Carriage No.24 will undergo testing before entering service. Two more new carriages, now under construction at Boston Lodge, will follow in…

The first phase of The Grove, comprising of 42 homes, is now complete thanks to £5m in funding provided by Principality Commercial. Based in Llanfoist village on the outskirts of Abergavenny, the site has been developed by Candleston, a subsidiary of Melin Homes housing association. When all three phases are complete the development will provide 69 homes for open market sale which are eligible for Help to Buy Wales and 37 homes which will be offered as affordable housing for local communities. Finished to a modern and high quality standard, the housing will range from two to five bedroom properties,…

When Swansea-based Gower Chemicals reviewed its materials handling requirements, all the prospective suppliers reached the same conclusion. Except one. Instead of suggesting replacing like with like, and specifying a fleet of diesel counterbalance trucks, the region’s leading independent dealership SWIE-Lift presented a compelling case for switching to electric. It was a major decision. For more than 30 years this UK leader in the processing and blending of sulphuric acids industrial chemicals had been running diesel-powered trucks. What persuaded Gower to make the switch? It was on the strength of impressively powerful performance and strikingly low long-term running costs that the…

A pioneering scientific study has shown that the effects of multiple concussions in rugby players continue to have an impact on their brain even in retirement. Led by a team of researchers at the Neurovascular Research Laboratory, University of South Wales, the study examined the impact of recurrent concussions sustained over two decades of playing rugby union. The findings, published in ‘Experimental Physiology’, shed light on the persistent symptoms of concussion experienced by retired players and their impaired cognitive abilities, which may increase their vulnerability to dementia later in life. In this groundbreaking study, researchers compared retired rugby players with…