Author: Rhys Gregory

Glasses were raised to toast family-owned soft drinks manufacturer Radnor Hills who had a night to remember at the Powys Business Awards on Friday. The company, which has a workforce of 280 at Heartsease, near Knighton, was named the overall Powys Business of the Year, sponsored by Powys County Council. In addition, Radnor Hills became the first winner of the new Excellence in Sustainability Award, sponsored by Welsh Government, at the annual awards ceremony held at The Hafren, Newtown. Amazingly, all but 30 of the scheduled 230 guests managed to attend the event despite flooded roads across the county. Organised…

Ffilm Cymru Wales supports seven film festivals and community cinemas serving exciting cinematic experiences to audiences across Wales. Through their Film Exhibitor Fund, with funding from the National Lottery, Ffilm Cymru Wales provides £170,000 annually to support independent cinemas and film festivals to entertain and inspire people throughout the nation with a greater choice of films. As part of the organisation’s commitment to innovation, inclusion and sustainability, the fund encourages exhibitors to develop their work in an evolving sector, connecting their local communities through cinema. Nicola Munday, Ffilm Cymru Wales’ Audience Manager, says “I am always impressed by the resilience…

Owain Elidir Williams, the founder of Welsh language website and magazine Klust, has been named the winner of the Rising Star Award (Industry) sponsored by Songkick, at the star-studded Youth Music Awards 2023 in association with Hal Leonard Europe, held at London’s legendary Troxy on Wednesday 18 October.  The annual event represents a more diverse, inclusive and creative music industry, by platforming young people facing the biggest barriers to accessing music.   Owain Elidir Williams is the creator and editor of Klust – a bilingual music website that gives a platform to Welsh artists. In December 2022, he produced Klust’s first…

New, state-of-the-art sports facilities have opened in Cardiff as part of the Llanrumney Sports Campus (LSC) project, with the help of a £3.5m finance package from HSBC UK. The £8m LSC project, a collaboration between Cardiff City House of Sport, Cardiff University, Cardiff City Football Club (CCFC) and Cardiff Council, saw the development of a 16-acre sports centre. The HSBC UK funding went towards the creation of this complex, which will be available to local football, rugby, baseball, and cricket teams to use. A significant part of the development is a 10-acre playing area and community pavilion. This facility, which…

Construction of Bellway’s Heron’s Mead development in Newport is in its final stages. The Bellway scheme is creating 152 properties on part of the former Llanwern steelworks site and, with work nearing completion, there are now only seven homes remaining for sale. Heron’s Mead is the second phase of development completed by Bellway as part of the regeneration of the wider site, following the construction of 182 homes at neighbouring Monks Meadow. Bellway has now started work on a third phase of the project at nearby Alder Grove, with homes there due to be released for sale in January next…

The Football Association of Wales has opened the third application window of the PAWB Fund for 2023. The FAW PAWB Fund supports young people and families across Wales to access football opportunities and equipment. The application is open to 5–18-year-olds living in Wales and can be applied for on behalf of any young player, to support and assist them with accessing football opportunities and/or equipment. The following items are eligible for support through the fund: Grassroots Club Membership Fees Playing/Club Kit Football Boots Shin Pads Goalkeeper Gloves Sport Hijab Impairment Specific Equipment e.g. Sports Goggles Travel Costs e.g. Train, Bus…

As summer comes to an end and the nights become longer, people across the nation are preparing to set reminders to put their clocks back an hour on 29 October to reflect the change in season. Despite this routine occurring twice every year, many people are caught out by the extra hour lost or gained. But for people with dementia, the time change may cause more than just a surprise. The UK’s leading dementia charity, Alzheimer’s Society, has advised that people with dementia can find themselves disorientated by the clocks moving back. As winter mornings become darker, people with dementia…

A drugs boss who had a £250,000 watch has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after a National Crime Agency investigation. Craig McKenzie, 41, conspired to supply heroin, cocaine and cannabis from the Netherlands, Spain and North America. He was a well-known offender in the North West of England. McKenzie, of Hatchmere Close, Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester, used runners to move his drugs to customers who were mainly based in Liverpool and Manchester but were also as far afield as Wales and London. Evidence suggested he sent money from his drugs sales to notorious offenders in Spain and the…

Pupils from a city primary school were given a special insight into local democracy in Cardiff on a visit to County Hall. As part of Local Democracy Week last week, children from Howardian Primary’s Years Three to Six met the city’s First Citizen and one of the council’s Cabinet Members to help broaden their knowledge of how local democracy works. The pupils were invited to County Hall after Howardian teacher, Nia Court, signed up to the Democracy Ambassador Programme, organised by the Council’s Electoral Services team. The programme supports primary and secondary schools in the city to learn more about…

One of Swansea’s most popular cultural venues is in the running for a national award. The Swansea Council-run exhibition and learning facility at the Dylan Thomas Centre is a finalist in the annual Museums Change Lives Awards run by national body the Museums Association. The centre, based in the Maritime Quarter, is co-shortlisted with Your Voice Advocacy (YVA) in the best small museum category for their Our Museum, Our Voice initiative. The honour reflects the collaborative work carried out by the centre and YVA, a user-led organisation for adults with learning disabilities. Swansea Council cabinet member Elliott King said: “The…