Author: Rhys Gregory

THE team behind a transformative jobs and education programme are encouraging businesses to attend a free careers exhibition for 16 to 24 year olds. The Conwy Careers Fair will be held at Eirias Events Centre in Colwyn Bay on Thursday March 23 from 11am to 4pm. Conwy Employment Hub has already signed-up leading names from across the region and is calling on more to help ease the nationwide recruitment crisis in multiple sectors. The Hub – which oversees Communities for Work Plus – organised the event in partnership with Working Wales, which is delivered by Careers Wales, the DWP (Department…

A homebuilder is contributing almost £5 million into services in and around Cardiff as part of planning agreements for three of its developments. Bellway is constructing hundreds of homes at schemes in the area including Longwood Grange in Lisvane, Coed Derw in Llantwit Fardre, and Rhiwlas at Plasdŵr, in Cardiff. Developers commit to contributing money for amenities as part of their legal agreements when the local authority grants planning permission for a new scheme. And between them, these Bellway schemes are generating developer investment in services ranging from travel to waste management. Billie Oaten, Sales Director for Bellway Wales, said:…

The Corwen Partnership aims to sell 2,500 £200 shares to purchase and refurbish the magnificent building which was already over 70 years old when Glyndwr raised a revolt against the occupying English in 1400. They have launched a share issue this month (Wednesday, March 1) to buy the Grade Two-listed hotel which stands on the A5 London Road opposite the statue of the original Owain Glyndwr whose manor house was five miles east at Glyndyfrdwy and who would have known Corwen well. David Counsell, the Chair of the Partnership, said: “We need to raise £310,000 to buy the hotel with…

A warehouse and distribution firm in North Wales has clinched a new long term deal with a global packaging company. Wrexham-based McCarthy Group has signed a three-year extension to its contract with Wipak UK, which has a manufacturing base in Welshpool where it makes packaging films for preserving and protecting food products. Wipak, which has 11 factories world-wide, is part of a large, family owned conglomerate called Wihuri that’s headquartered in Nastola, two hours north of the Finnish capital, Helsinki. The company opened the Wipak factory in Welshpool in 1996 and recently invested over £5 million in a new state…

Talented chainsaw sculptor Paul Morris has completed the mammoth task of carving a nine feet tall grizzly bear. Weighing in at three quarters of a ton, the giant creature will take pride of place at  the Pendine Park care organisation in Wrexham where Paul, 59, is a long-standing member of the gardening and maintenance team. Over the years he’s carved nearly 150 sculptures – mainly of animals, birds and insects – out of naturally fallen timber. It’s helped him create a charming menagerie, including an owl, a squirrel and a gorilla in Pendine’s 11-acre grounds on Summerhill Road. But the…

A fund supporting Welsh communities with the spiralling cost of living has received a donation from a Mold-based specialist onshore wind and solar energy developer. Wind2 contributed £10,000 towards the ‘Our Communities Together’ appeal, a collaboration between Community Foundation Wales and media company Newsquest. The appeal will lead to the launch of a grant programme, where organisations who need it the most, can apply for funding up to £1,000. Donations could support a range of initiatives including keeping community venues open and warm to support the most vulnerable people as well as providing access to IT services for job hunting…

Smokers are being urged to use this No Smoking Day, March 8th, to stub out stress after research showed quitting can make you happier and be as good as antidepressants on symptoms of anxiety and low mood. A national drive by charity ASH Wales and Public Health Wales aims to dispel the myth that smoking effectively deals with stress and encourages smokers to take up free NHS support. The latest YouGov survey for Wales shows over 50% of smokers, including those with mental health problems, would like to quit. Thousands of smokers across Wales will use No Smoking Day as…

A new BBC Wales programme, voiced by actor, comedian and star of The Tuckers, Steve Spiers, will go behind the scenes as workers race against the clock to deliver Wales’ multi-billion-pound railway refurbishment. In How to Fix a Railway, a BBC Wales crew has followed under-pressure Transport for Wales staff and bosses for three years as they tackle some huge and unexpected challenges to build new trains and electrify 200km of track across Wales and it hasn’t been a smooth journey. Every year 20 million rail trips are taken around Wales and the borders, but the Covid pandemic saw rail…

Researchers at home and away have joined forces for a new international collaboration with the ultimate aim of improving patient care. The Welsh Centre for Emergency Medicine Research, or WCEMR, at Morriston Hospital has marked its fourth anniversary by confirming a new addition to its list of global partnerships – this time in Australia. One of the leading centres of emergency medicine research in the UK and Europe, it has produced more than 100 publications and attracted significant funding for its research. This includes pioneering studies into blood clotting and its effects on patients with serious conditions such as heart…

Menter Môn has installed public Wi-Fi in coastal locations around Anglesey which will benefit fishermen, maritime businesses and businesses associated with the coast. Through funding from the North Wales Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) Menter Môn have installed public Wi-Fi in Traeth Bychan and Porth Amlwch. The installation of the Wi-Fi at these locations further expands the public Wi-Fi network available on Anglesey, which have been installed through projects led by Menter Môn. Elen Foulkes, Menter Môn’s Senior Innovation Officer said: “Installing public Wi-Fi in these rural coastal locations will benefit the fishing and coastal communities, businesses associated with the…