Author: Rhys Gregory

A 51 year old man from Wales who broadcast over 2000 hateful podcasts on his website has today (Monday, May 15) been sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment after been found guilty of stirring up racial hatred. James Allchurch, of Gelli in Pembrokeshire, was found guilty of ten counts under Section 21(1) of the Public Order Act following a trial at Swansea Crown Court in March. The defendant was charged in 2021 by Counter Terrorism Policing North East (CTP NE) after concerns about a website that featured thousands of recordings which contained material that is seen as racist,…

The Smallholding and Countryside Festival, a popular family event, is being held at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells on the weekend of May 20-21. A celebration of rural life and country living with smallholding pursuits at its heart, the festival showcases the diversity of the Welsh countryside. Visitors can expect an array of display ring attractions, competitions, children’s activities, shopping trade stands, live music and delicious food and drink. The Smallholders Centre will be the main port of call for those wanting to learn more about the smallholder’s way of life. It’s an ideal place to stock up on…

Welsh chefs will get a rare chance to enjoy some time out of the kitchen next month when they celebrate the 30th birthday of the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW) with business partners and supporters. Tickets are now available for the black tie gala dinner at the International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales), Newport on June 20. All past winners of the National Chef of Wales competitions are being invited. CAW members can take advantage of an early bird ticket offer of £60 before the end of May, otherwise tickets cost £100 each or £900 for a table of 10.…

To celebrate their anniversary the group have created a comprehensive walks programme full of their favourite south Wales walks over the years, from coastal adventures, to hidden gems in the valleys and the challenging peaks of the Bannau Brycheiniog.   The Cardiff group is the largest in the country with over 600 members, with over a 100 of them walking weekly.  As well as being a great way to boost health and well-being, the group also provides people with an important opportunity to socialise and make friends.  Rob Smith of Cardiff Ramblers who has been part of the group since…

A special one-day conference is being held at Aberystwyth University in May 2023 to mark the centenary of a historic peace petition signed by almost 400,000 Welsh women. Launched on 23 May 1923 at a meeting held at the University, the appeal called on the women of the United States of America to urge their government to join the League of Nations (the forerunner of the United Nations) in the hope of achieving a lasting peace following the horrors of the First World War. Over the next five months, the signatures of 390,296 women were collected in a major door-to-door…

The headline NatWest Wales Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – registered 51.1 in April, down slightly from 52.0 in March, to signal a marginal expansion in output at Welsh private sector firms. Where an increase in activity was noted, companies stated this was due to a further increase in new orders. The rise in business activity was the third in as many months, but was the slowest of the 12 monitored UK areas. Welsh private sector firms recorded a second successive…

With standing ovations at every performance this spring at the Dominion Theatre, Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage finished its record-breaking run at the end of April and now heads out on a 24 week UK & Ireland tour, opening at the New Wimbledon Theatre on Thursday 25th May. Michael O’Reilly (West Side Story, Leicester Curve; Matthew Bourne’s Lord of the Flies, Theatre Royal Plymouth) and Kira Malou (Fame, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre; Penny on Mars, Disney Plus) will reprise their roles as Johnny and Baby on tour. Producer Karl Sydow says I am thrilled about the success…

Professor Angela Hatton has been appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Knowledge Exchange and Innovation at Aberystwyth University. Professor Hatton is currently Chief Scientist and Director of Science and Technology at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton. A former Research Director for the Scottish Association for Marine Services where she worked closely with the University of the Highlands and Islands, Professor Hatton is the Principal Investigator for the Climate Linked Atlantic Sector Science Programme, which delivers the UK’s contribution to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission led Global Ocean Observing System, GOOS. She is also currently Chair of the UK Decade Working…

Local housebuilder, Barratt Developments South Wales, has this week reported that the first available properties at its sought-after Penllergaer development, Pentref Llewelyn, have already been sold — with only a handful of first-release homes remaining. It comes after the recent sell-out of Barratt’s nearby Chapel Fields development in Loughor —  with the new Penllergaer development proving to be just as popular.  And although additional properties are regularly being made available at Pentref Llewelyn, prospective buyers are encouraged to move quickly to ensure they don’t miss out on their dream home. Pentref Llewelyn was named in honour of the ground-breaking astrophotography father-daughter duo, John and Thereza Dillwyn Llewelyn, who hailed…

Additional Electric Vehicle (EV) charge-point locations are being installed across the county for use by residents and visitors to Ceredigion. Ceredigion County Council has partnered with Silverstone Green Energy Limited as its Charge-point Operator and have begun to install EV charge-points in public Pay and Display off-street car parks in the county. A significant growth in demand for public and private Electric Vehicle (EV) charge-points is forecast during the next ten years as the sales of EVs increase. Whilst the Council is doing its bit, a range of other public, private and community-based organisations must all play a part in…