Author: Rhys Gregory

A tiny six-week-old puppy has been rescued by the RSPCA after he was abandoned at a Swansea park. The male cross breed puppy – thought to be aged around six weeks old – was found at Cwm Level Park and Playing Fields in Brynhyfryd at around 6pm on Thursday 6 July. A member of the public luckily spotted the puppy who had reportedly collapsed behind a tree. He was described as not being able to put any weight on his legs. RSPCA Cymru is now appealing for information to find out what happened and for anyone with first-hand information to…

Leading independent accountancy firm, Bevan Buckland LLP, has seen a record number of promotions across its Swansea and Cowbridge offices – with 21 members of staff stepping into new, senior roles as the firm continues its ambitious growth plans. 19 members of staff from the Swansea office have moved into more senior positions, and three Cowbridge-based employees have also been promoted including Andrew Knott and Jack Parker, both transitioning from Senior Executive to Associate Directors to head up the Cowbridge office. The promotions come at a time of increasing growth and development for the firm, which has also recently taken…

As traditional banks retreat from many parts of Wales, a Community Bank is warning that more and more people will be left without basic financial services. Mark White, CEO of Smart Money Cymru, is concerned that the cost-of-living crisis, coupled with the accelerating programme of bank closures, is leaving whole communities behind in terms of essential banking facilities. “The consequences of this for Wales are serious,” he said. “There have always been communities who have been unable to access fair banking for various reasons, and they have fallen victim to unscrupulous and illegal lenders who prey upon the vulnerable. My worry…

Pembrokeshire based, family company Evan Pritchard Contractors Ltd have recently donated a generous £1000 to Wales’ leading first aid charity, St John Ambulance Cymru, in support of their lifesaving work in communities across Wales. The donation was made to fund a new defibrillator for the area. Volunteers will bring this defibrillator along to events across West Wales ensuring that in an emergency, a potentially lifesaving piece of equipment is nearby.   The Pritchard family have a personal connection with St John Ambulance Cymru’s cause, after a family member was treated using a defibrillator in the past. St John Ambulance Cymru…

WOODLANDS and communities in the Elan Valley and Eryri National Park are the latest to benefit from a Welsh Government environmental grant programme. A grant of £247,194 will help protect the Elan Valley Celtic Rainforest – an incredibly rare habitat that is thought to be more threatened than the tropical rainforest. The project will establish an extensive Elan Valley Celtic Rainforest woodland on sites to the south of Llangurig and the north of Llandovery, protecting the landscape which is home to rare birds, butterflies and insects. And in North West Wales, the ’Developing Parc y Moch’ project run by Parc…

Popular BBC Radio 2 presenter and author, Sara Cox will be judging at the Royal Welsh Show next week alongside her father, Len. Sara, host of BBC Radio 2 drivetime show every weekday, will help to judge the Interbreed Beef Young Handler competition at the show on Wednesday. “I’m so excited to be returning to the show ring alongside my darling dad,” said Sara. “Some of my happiest childhood memories are of loading up his cattle and heading off to the summer shows. “To be asked to help judge at such a huge and prestigious show as the Royal Welsh…

Sixteen one-bedroomed homes are to be built in Ystradgynlais after exciting plans were given the go-ahead, the county council has said. Powys County Council’s Housing Service will now build the environmentally friendly flats at Ael Y Bryn and Pen Y Bryn in Ystradgynlais after the planning application was approved by the council’s Planning, Taxi Licensing & Rights of Way Committee this week (Wednesday, July 19). As part of the development, four existing blocks of flats which do not meet current housing need will be demolished to make way for 16 new one-bedroomed council flats, which are in high demand. The…

A statue celebrating three of Cardiff’s legendary ‘Rugby Codebreakers’ has been unveiled in Cardiff Bay today. It is the first statue in Wales ever to feature non-fictionalised, named black men. Designed by sculptor Steve Winterburn, whose work is renowned for its realistic, action-filled character, the statue in Landsea Square immortalises three of Wales’s greatest sporting heroes, chosen by a public vote: Billy Boston, Clive Sullivan, and Gus Risman. The ‘One Team. One Race: Honouring the Cardiff Bay Rugby Codebreakers’ project behind the statue was established in 2020, and was inspired by calls from the Butetown, and wider Cardiff Bay community,…

A high-tech Swansea business that specialises in immersive technology and virtual reality has been given a funding boost to help take it to the next level. Swansea Council has awarded Uplands-based Imersifi with a business growth grant, which has helped cover the costs of new equipment and software. ​Imersifi was set up by Swansea University graduates Jack Bengeyfield and Joe Charman, who both have masters degrees in virtual reality. ​The business uses virtual reality headsets and software for use in staff training, simulation, entertainment and education. ​Some of the work Imersifi has done includes the development of a virtual reality training…

Portmead and Penllergaer have become the first two primary schools in Swansea to earn gold awards for encouraging pupils, staff and the wider community to speak Welsh more often both inside and outside the classroom. Thanks to a lot of hard work and support from partners including Swansea Council both schools have been presented with the gold Siarter Iaith award. It is a Welsh Government initiative to inspire children and young people to use Welsh in all aspects of their lives. Alison Evans, headteacher at Portmead Primary School said: “In Portmead Welsh is a priority and children use Welsh throughout…