Author: Rhys Gregory

Llandudno’s flagship entertainment and conference hub – which is the second largest arts venue in Wales after the Millennium Centre – is set for a major upgrade thanks to a £2 million investment from the Welsh Government Transforming Towns Programme. The funding will help support the revitalisation of the 30-year-old venue, which currently employs 179 people and welcomes over 300,000 visitors annually, contributing £38.4 million to the regional economy. Awarded to Conwy County Borough Council through the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme, the new funding will enable essential internal and external refurbishment works. This latest investment builds on over £500,000…

COLEG Cambria proudly hosted this year’s Healthcare Heroes event in partnership with Wrexham University, inspiring hundreds of future professionals to pursue meaningful careers that will shape the future of the sector. The event took place in the state-of-the-art £14 million Nant building at Yale in Wrexham, which features industry-standard simulated hospital wards and virtual reality environments, allowing students to experience real-world medical scenarios in a safe, innovative setting. Throughout the day, the centre buzzed with activity as learners from schools and colleges across the region took part in a packed programme of interactive sessions. Workshops included Clinical Skills, Airway Management,…

Two Denbighshire primary schools have been praised in new inspection reports. The Federated schools of Ysgol Bryn Clwyd and Ysgol Gellifor are located in the rural villages of Llandyrnog and Gellifor between Denbigh and Ruthin. Ysgol Bryn Clywd has 63 pupils aged between 3 and 11 as well as a pre-nursey unit, while Ysgol Gellifor has 45 pupils aged between 3 and 11 on its roll and a Cylch on site for Pre-Nursery pupils. Both schools are working hard to preserve the Welsh language and are teaching a proportion of lessons in Welsh as well as English. The schools are…

Hobby communities across Wales are gaining momentum as a way to encourage quality family time, shared interests, and stronger community ties. These groups, based in both rural and urban regions, offer families an alternative to screen-based activities and provide structured, enjoyable ways to engage with one another. Through a growing network of clubs and events, Welsh families are increasingly finding new ways to connect. Strengthening Bonds Through Club Participation Local hobby clubs across Wales are creating environments where families can come together, develop new skills, and strengthen relationships. These clubs often host regular sessions that cater to a wide range…

Mastering ecommerce SEO is one of the smartest moves you can make in 2025. Optimizing your product pages for search engines is not just about ranking higher—it’s about creating a seamless experience that turns visitors into loyal buyers. The truth is, great SEO goes beyond keywords; it’s about understanding your customers, their intent, and how they navigate your site. Imagine your products showing up exactly when someone searches for them—that’s the power of ecommerce SEO. When done right, it builds visibility, credibility, and sales without relying heavily on paid ads. But how can you get there? This step-by-step guide walks…

Cymru’s most capped international footballer and record goal scorer Jess Fishlock has announced that she will retire from international football following Cymru’s match against Australia at the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday 22 October (KO 2pm). The influential midfielder confirmed on Wednesday that she has decided to call time on her incredible international career that has seen her set multiple records and inspire countless young girls and boys across the country. It was fitting that her last competitive games for Cymru were on the biggest stage at EURO 2025, as there will simply never be another Jess Fishlock. In an…

A talented baker whose incredible “Pirates of the Caribbean” cake scooped gold has set her sights on more success after investing in a new studio. Award-winning cake designer Helen Searle-Jones, from Hope, in Flintshire, wowed judges at last year’s Cake International with her epic sea monster scene, showing a huge Kraken dragging Captain Jack Sparrrow’s Black Pearl pirate ship beneath the waves. Now the mum-of-three, who runs Searle Jones Cake Design, is returning to the world’s biggest cake design competition at the NEC in Birmingham – this time not just to compete but also to take centre stage as a…

A woman who grew up in foster care before becoming a foster parent herself has welcomed the roll out of a new digital platform transforming the way children are introduced to their new foster family. Foster Wales has launched a new way to allow a young person to look through the profile of a foster carer before they meet them. The Big Welcome platform allows children soon to move to a new foster carer the chance to get to know the personality and home life of their new carer, and any family members or pets they might be about to…

At just 23, qualified Aberystwyth-based tattoo artist Claire Hennessy has transformed a difficult period in her life into a business rooted in creativity, empowerment, and mental health awareness, thanks to support from Big Ideas Wales. In March 2025, Claire opened Inky Pinky Tattoo Studio with her business partner Paul Harwood, offering professional tattoo and piercing services in a welcoming and inclusive space. A trained tattoo artist and Fine Art graduate, Claire’s journey into entrepreneurship was guided by her passion for body art and resilience shaped by personal experience. When an apprenticeship proved unsustainable due to the mental and physical toll…

RSPCA Cymru is urging people to consider adopting a rescue cat across Wales, amid an all-time high in  numbers of moggies in the charity’s care. New data unveiled during the RSPCA’s Adoptober rehoming drive reveals that the number of cats being cared for at the charity’s fourteen national centres alone (across England and Wales), as they wait for forever homes, has more than doubled from some 800 in 2020 to around 1,700 this summer*. And thousands more cats are being cared for by independently-run RSPCA branches across England and Wales. RSPCA records also showed cats are now waiting more than a…