Author: Rhys Gregory

60 of the country’s most innovative farmers made the cut when they became 2023 finalists for the British Farming Awards in August. Showcasing their exemplary practice, these UK farmers are battling it out across the 18 categories up for grabs at this year’s British Farming Awards, which highlight the exciting and pioneering work being carried out across UK agriculture. Sponsored by Morrisons, alongside farming’s core sectors including dairy, beef, sheep and arable there is also a celebration of new entrants coming into the industry, a wealth of diversification businesses, families across multiple generations and social media influencers. The awards also…

Homeless people, refugees and cancer patients across Wales are set to benefit from over £12,000 in funding thanks to dedicated housing association teams who walked over 2,000 miles. Eight housing associations helped raise a total of £12,380 between July and September by taking part in the Hiking for Housing sponsored walk challenge. The challenge, coordinated by Community Housing Cymru – the body that represents 34 not-for-profit Welsh housing associations – saw teams walk a combined total of 2,300 miles across Wales, with each association supporting a different charitable cause. Housing associations which took on the challenge included Valleys to Coast,…

Newport Tennis Centre is thrilled to announce the grand opening of its freshly resurfaced indoor tennis courts. To commemorate this exciting milestone, the centre will host an open day on the 28th of October, 10am – 1pm. The refurbishment project funded by Newport City Council and Sport Wales, which commenced in September, had a primary goal of enhancing the overall playing experience at the facility. This initiative holds significant importance for both local residents and visitors from other regions, as Newport Tennis Centre is one of only six Community Indoor Tennis Centres in Wales. To mark this momentous occasion, Newport…

Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice has launched a fresh drive to recruit more nurses to provide vital care and support for children with life-shortening conditions and their families in Wales.  A recent report highlighted that 1 in every 172 children born in Wales will have a life-shortening condition and the demand for the services provided by the iconic Welsh charity has never been higher.  Now, in Hospice Care Week, the charity is looking to recruit additional registered paediatric nurses to meet this need, based at the hospice itself in Sully, just outside Cardiff.  Sian Middleton, Director of Nursing and Clinical Services at Tŷ Hafan, said: “Our message to dedicated…

A Bangor-based funeral directors has received micro loan backing from the Development Bank of Wales, allowing it to provide a new service for families. Angladdau Enfys Funerals, based on Bangor High Street, was set up by friends Manon Williams and Louise White in 2020. As well as providing a space for customers to arrange funerals, they also offer an on-site chapel of rest and a multifunctional space for small services and gatherings. Since setting up, Angladdau Enfys Funerals have provided funeral services for families throughout the north west Wales and as far as London, and they provide the wide range…

Graduate from University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s (UWTSD) Swansea College of Art has had her academic work and determination recognised at the Senedd. Summer Davies, who graduated from BA Graphic Design in July, won the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award at the National Black History Wales Youth Awards 2023, which were held in the Senedd last week. The category won by Summer was for a student who had achieved outstanding results within their educational programme, or overcome significant obstacles to achieve the highest grades possible in examinations, assessments or tests. The event was hosted by Race Council Cymru and sponsored…

The new Richard Taylor Memorial Skatepark was officially opened on Saturday morning by the Vale of Glamorgan Council and supporters of the Richard Taylor Memorial Fund. Over £300,000 was raised to invest in the new concrete freeform skatepark with funding from the Vale of Glamorgan Council, Sport Wales, the Richard Taylor Memorial Fund, the Waterloo Foundation, South Wales Police Youth Trust, and the National Lottery Community Fund. Over the past five months Bendcrete Ltd have been working hard to build the new facility, using a spray-concrete method, which lends itself to the unique shapes and contours of skatepark ramps. Users…

September 29 marked the formal opening of the Ty Pen y Bont community project, an initiative offering plentiful opportunities for all those involved.  The launch included Senedd members Huw Irranca-Davies and Sarah Murphy, as well as Deputy Leader, Councillor Jane Gebbie, who officially opened the garden. The community garden is a joint project between Ty Pen y Bont Community Hub and Baobab Bach, an organisation that links with other local organisations and volunteers to create community pantries.  Their aim is to promote mental wellbeing, whilst supporting the environment and eradicating food poverty. Alison Westwood, Director at Baobab Bach, said: “The…

An Estyn inspection in November last year, praised Cwmfelin Primary School for many of its practices, most notably, offering authentic learning experiences to its pupils. The school has been particularly praised for its ‘Big Bocs Bwyd’ project – an initiative which provides affordable food to the local community.  The Estyn report highlights how the scheme is especially effective at allowing pupils to learn within an authentic context.  Inspectors were so impressed by how the teachers use the project to support learning within a ‘real life’ situation, that the school has been asked to prepare a case study on the ‘Big…

Eight community projects across Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen and Caerphilly have been successful in acquiring funding to help reduce inequality and bring communities together. The Community Cohesion Grants, funded by Welsh Government, are designed to support initiatives that promote understanding and respect between different groups of people and create opportunities for people from all backgrounds to unite. One of the projects to receive £2000 is Willowtown Community Primary School which plans to create an allotment to offer further education and training opportunities. The money will be spent on helping support the schools Willows Wonderful Big Bocs Bwyd initiative along with hosting cooking…