Author: Rhys Gregory

Health staff are set to visit gyms to offer help with a common condition many are too embarrassed to talk about. Incontinence, of the bladder or bowel, can affect anyone of any age. But stress incontinence, pressure on the bladder from movement or activity which causes a leak, is often a problem for women during exercise. And with a perceived stigma discouraging discussion of the issue, lead nurse Louise Barraclough said many people will simply put up with the problem and wear a pad. “There has been investment in lots of absorbent pad products which are advertised on TV and…

A search has been launched for a trio of volunteer crime busters. The call has come from the North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT) which is celebrating its 25thanniversary this year. The charity is looking to recruit the volunteers, one to work in each of the three policing divisions, Flintshire and Wrexham, Conwy and Denbighshire and Gwynedd and Anglesey. PACT recently revealed that it has handed out more than £2 million in grants and funded over 2,500 community projects since it was founded in 1998. To celebrate reaching the milestone it set up a £25,000 anniversary fund and is…

Twenty five of the world’s finest young singers will be heading to North Wales to compete for a prestigious international prize. Entrants from five continents will be battling for the title of Pendine International Voice of the Future at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. It will be the first full festival since before the Covid-19 pandemic and it all gets underway on Tuesday, July 4, when thousands of international competitors will once again be flocking to the Dee Valley town where “Wales meets the world”. The Pendine International Voice of the Future competition is celebrating its 10th anniversary and is…

An award-winning paddleboard company in South Wales, has secured financial support from HSBC UK to meet increasing demands. Based in Llantwit Major, Quroc Inflatable Paddle Boards plans to use the funding to expand in an ever-changing market and keep up with competition this summer. According to a recent Watersports Participation Survey by The British Canoe Union, a record 1.6 million people now own a paddle board in the UK, and, with the demand for paddle boards showing no sign of slowing, Quroc wanted to secure production slots and stay ahead of the competition. The HSBC UK funding has enabled Quroc…

A trailblazing bakery industry pioneer has been honoured with an MBE. Alan Jones, 79, transformed a back street bakery with five staff into the multi-award winning Jones Village Bakery that now employs 800 people and has a turnover of more than £80 million. Now retired, two of his three sons are now at the helm, Robin as managing director and Christien as project director, as the Wrexham-based family firm goes from strength to strength. According to Mr Jones, it was particularly special  be recognised in the King Charles’s first birthday honours list. He has fond memories of when the King,…

A £250,000 project that aims to open up volunteering opportunities across Conwy has been launched by a mum who is no stranger to doing something for nothing herself. Jasmine Pilling is the Programme Manager for Amdani! Conwy – Amdani means Go – which aims to recruit 300 volunteers over the next two years and link them to opportunities in libraries, galleries, events, theatres, museums and festivals. Amdani! Conwy were chosen as one of four bids successful bids to share one million pounds from the Spirit of 2012, the Trust set up in the wake of the London Olympics and Paralympics…

A determined mum who lost two family members to cancer within eight months is taking on a double marathon challenge in their memory to raise money for a top Welsh charity. Emma McCracken, will complete both the New York and Berlin marathons – just six weeks apart – is running in memory of her mother and father-in-law, Phillip and Adele McCracken, from Gwersyllt, in Wrexham, who recently lost their cancer battles within eight months of each other. The 42-year-old from Nesscliffe, in Shropshire, who balances a tough training regime with providing care for her 13-year-old son who has Down’s Syndrome,…

AN ORGANIC beauty range swept the board at a Europe-wide skincare awards ceremony. Rhug Estate, based near Corwen in North Wales, won seven medals including two golds and three silver at the Free From Skincare Awards. The Estate’s Wild Beauty range, which uses natural ingredients foraged on site, defended the Best Brand title for the second year in succession and was a finalist in all nine categories entered. Rhug also won gold for its Deep Cleansing Balm with Wild Berries (Face Care) and Nourishing Eye Cream with Elderflower (Eyecare). The collection was founded by Lord and Lady Newborough, who were…

 In a major boost for Welsh life sciences, Pioneer Group, one of the UK’s largest developers and operators of lab space, has secured planning permission to deliver 54,500 square feet of purpose-built lab space at the company’s Cardiff Edge Science Park development. The space is being delivered as part of a new two-storey building that has been designed for maximum flexibility – meaning it will be available to let in its entirety or split across several units. As a result, the new state-of-the-art facility will be able to cater for companies across the life sciences spectrum – from start-ups and scale-ups to…

The owner of Cardiff indoor play centre Supajump has been given a 10-month suspended prison sentence, 200 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £10,000 in costs for a string of health and safety offences, and for failing to report to the correct authorities injuries to children who played on faulty equipment. Supajump, based at Trident Park on Ocean Way, offers a range of attractions for children including a climbing wall; trampolines; inflatables; basketball and dodgeball arenas; a foam pit and a large airbag. But Between August 2017 and August 2019 six separate incidents occurred on the premises which…