Author: Rhys Gregory

Business leaders have hailed news that the North Wales main line is to be electrified as a “once-in-a-generation boost” for the region. According to the North Wales Business Council, the electrified line would help provide faster, cleaner and more frequent train services. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester. During his speech it was confirmed that the HS2 leg between Birmingham and Manchester was going to be scrapped after the costs spiralled and that the £36 billion saved from cancelling that section, would now all be used on other projects across…

A leading Welsh actor and singer tapped into his experiences working at care home for people with dementia in his latest starring role. Emyr Gibson, the creative practitioner at Pendine Park’s Bryn Seiont Newydd care home in Caernarfon, plays the son of a man living with dementia in a film living with the cruel disease. It was made by Wild Rice Films on behalf of National Museums Liverpool who have linked up with the Welsh Government to launch House of Memories Cymru. The project is an expansion of the Merseyside organisation’s innovative dementia awareness programme which offers training, access to…

A mum and daughter are taking a leap of faith with skydive from 10,000 feet in aid of a dementia charity that’s close to their hearts. Mum-of-three and grandmother-of-10 Paula Simpson, 56, a senior care practitioner at the Pendine Park care organisation in Wrexham and her eldest daughter, Carla Griffiths, 37, will raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society. According to Paul, she was determined to jump into action because her beloved mum, Ann Evans, has dementia. Poignantly, she is now a resident at the Hillbury care home which is part of Pendine Park where Paula works, as does granddaughter Leah,…

The RSPCA is appealing for information after two brightly-coloured parakeets were dumped in a garden. The pair of Indian ringnecks, a male green-coloured bird and a blue female who was in poor health, were cruelly left confined in a small, barren cage outside a property in Glanffornwg, Bridgend, at around 12.30pm on September 14. Fortunately, the householder has some expertise in caring for birds. She placed enrichment toys and perches in the cage and called the RSPCA. The parakeets were taken to vets for treatment. Sadly, one of the birds was found to be suffering from a neurological disorder and…

Welsh tennis aces Mimi Xu and Viktor Frydrych continue to showcase their talent on a global scale. The youth tennis stars championed the Beijing ITF J300 U18’s competition last weekend (08 October), with Mimi (15), and Viktor (17) dominating the court in both the singles and doubles competitions. Mimi Xu challenged players from China, Denmark, and Great Britain before winning 6-2, 6-4, against top seed Laura Samsonova from the Czech Republic to capture the U18’s girl’s title. Teaming up with her GB partner, Mika Stojsavljevic, Mimi also won the U18 girl’s doubles title against Hao Liang and Ruien Zhang of…

A new trend has taken to TikTok where people claim that ‘sun gazing’ can strengthen your eyesight by taking in UVB rays. The trend shares that UVB rays have health benefits and contributes to Vitamin D production and eye health, and all you have to do is stare directly into the sun following either one of two methods: During the first and last 15 minutes of sunlight of the day, when the sun is the furthest away from earth, take out your contact lenses and stare directly at the sun for 5 to 10 seconds, building this duration up over…

Pudsey Bear will be visiting St David’s Cardiff next week offering gamers a chance to compete on live television. The Children in Need challenge at the city shopping centre will invite sim racing drivers to set their best lap time on a virtual Silverstone circuit on EA Sports’ F1 23 game, cheered along by the iconic Pudsey Bear. The Children in Need Sim Rig Tour is visiting locations across the UK hunting for the nation’s fastest sim racers and will be at St David’s Cardiff on Monday, October 16, from 9am until 5pm. The fastest 50 drivers will go into…

rincipality Building Society has announced that it will continue its title sponsor of the Cardiff Half Marathon for another year. The sponsorship deal, which was first signed in 2023, will see the event remain as the Principality Cardiff Half Marathon until 2024. The Cardiff Half Marathon, organised by Run4Wales, is one of the largest and most prestigious road races in the UK and Europe and celebrated its 20th anniversary at the latest event. This year’s event attracted record participants with over 27,500 runners signing up, and thousands more lining the streets to cheer on the runners, including a team of…

Families can experience some fang-tastic fun this Halloween half term at The Silver Mountain Experience, a popular family attraction based just outside Aberystwyth. Visitors to the Victorian mine can enjoy a variety of guided tours and surface attractions, as well as enjoying additional Halloween activities, perfect for all the family. Daring adventurers can brave The Black Chasm tour, where Welsh myths and legends come to life in a thrilling actor-led experience. From the gruesome mining conditions to the terrifying legendary beasts that roamed the lands, The Black Chasm is perfect for those over the age of 10, and for those…

Plans have been approved for two flagship housing developments in Oakdale and Risca. Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Planning Committee approved reserved matters applications for both sites, during a meeting on 11th October. Both sites are being developed by the Council’s Caerphilly Homes team, as part of its ambitious development programme.  On 18th October, Caerphilly’s Cabinet will be asked to endorse proposals for the development of the Oakdale and Risca sites, including the signing of a Delivery Agreement with construction expert Willmott Dixon and the formulation of a social value plan. Oakdale will see a flagship mixed tenure development of 92…