Author: Rhys Gregory

Welshman Sean Bowen has made an excellent start to the 2023/24 National Hunt season, which has put him in a great position in his bid to win the Jockeys’ Championship for the first time in his career. Bowen has ridden over 80 winners already for the campaign, and with the season set to continue until the end of April, if he stays fit and operates at the same strike rate, he will go close to reaching 200 winners. Some Big Rides Still to Come This Season There are some major races set to come on the National Hunt calendar in…

People aged 51-54 in Wales will now automatically receive at-home bowel screening tests and early detection can save lives. Almost nine out of ten people survive bowel cancer when it is detected and treated earlier on. Health Minister Eluned Morgan is urging people to use their kit when it arrives in the post. “Even in the early stages of bowel cancer, you may feel well. So screening is vital to detect cancers before symptoms show, and early detection and treatment drastically improve survival rates,” she said. Starting from today (Wednesday 4 October), people aged 51-54 who are registered with a…

This week, the Prince and Princess of Wales visited The Grange Pavilion and the new Fitzalan High School, to mark the start of Black History Month and to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush to the UK. In the first of two engagements in the city, Their Royal Highnesses visited The Grange Pavilion in Grangetown where pupils from Howardian, Grangetown and St Paul’s Primary Schools gathered to greet them. The Prince and Princess of Wales met members from the Windrush Cymru Elders, Black History Cymru 365 and the Ethnic Minority Youth Forum for Wales…

Wales’ leading private hire firm Dragon Taxis has announced that its latest charity campaign will support TŷHafan, the Welsh children’s hospice. From 1 October, 5p from every journey in the Vale of Glamorgan booked via the Dragon Taxis app will be donated to the charity. Tŷ Hafan provides care and support for children with life-shortening conditions and their families at its hospice in Sully and in homes and communities across Wales. Dragon Taxis, a regional brand of the UK’s fastest-growing taxi and private hire technology platform Veezu,is a long-term supporter of the charity, having donated over £5000 in 2021 through…

Welsh Government Education Minister Jeremy Miles has backed a new partnership which will help to strengthen the relationship between education providers and the community. Mr Miles spoke in support of the newly-formed South Wales Civic Engagement Partnership (SWCEP) – which is a partnership between the five universities and five colleges operating within Cardiff Capital Region – during its launch at the University of South Wales (USW) in Treforest. With the common goal of a shared Civic Mission Agenda, the strategic partnership will enhance links between the Higher Education and Further Education sectors, while delivering a more collaborative approach to civic…

The heroes of Wales’ contact centres have been celebrated at this year’s 25th annual awards ceremony hosted by comedienne Katherine Ryan. Individuals and leading Welsh businesses were recognised for this past year’s successes, with award winners including Best Helpline / Adviceline (Arvato), Best Hybrid/Cross Functional (Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water) and Best Environment & Sustainability Strategy (Admiral.) The sell-out event, supported by headline sponsor Jomo People, who specialize in recruiting within the sector, was once again held at Cardiff City Stadium. The awards are a celebration of a crucial sector which contributes £650m annually to the Welsh economy and employs 32,000 people…

The Cwmdare4Cwmdare Bee Friendly Garden project in Aberdare has transformed a once abandoned piece of land into a space for wildlife to thrive, and the community to come together. The project has been made possible with money from the Pen y Cymoedd wind farm community fund and support from the Local Places for Nature Community Packages scheme managed by Keep Wales Tidy, which provided materials, resources, and equipment to kick-start the initiative. As a result, the community has come together to restore the land and create a versatile space that can be used as a place for people to escape, as…

From riding 300k with no sleep, to 35 punctures in a single day – Alix Popham’s ‘Head for Change’ team of 45 cyclists faced their fair share of challenges riding from London to Lyon this month. A former Welsh professional rugby player who has been diagnosed with early onset dementia has cycled from London to Lyon, to raise awareness of head trauma in contact sports. Alix Popham was just 40 when doctors diagnosed him with early onset dementia in 2020 – a consequence of probable CTE obtained during his career as an international rugby player. Leaving from London Welsh Rugby…

The care sector in Wales is in danger of falling foul of upcoming legislation, with many businesses still unaware of the impending changes, says a recycling boss.  New laws come into force on 6 April, with Welsh Government mandating that all facilities are to separate out food waste if they produce more than 5kg per week.  Worryingly for Grant Keenan, managing director of Keenan Recycling, not much has altered in the awareness and actions of care organisations since research carried out by the company earlier in the year showed 41 per cent of respondents advised they didn’t know about the…

A rugby tournament set up in the memory of a young rugby player, to raise funds to support patients and families affected by inherited cardiac conditions, is going from strength to strength. The sixth annual Decky’s Memorial Touch Rugby Tournament, held at Loughor RFC, raised nearly £7,000 for the Inherited Cardiac Condition (ICC) Service in Morriston Hospital. The tournament was set up in memory of former Loughor player Richard Thomas, nicknamed Decky, who was just 29 years old when he died of cardiomyopathy – a disease that affects heart muscle – in June 2017. Richard’s family and friends decided to…