Author: Rhys Gregory

The Welsh football icon and former Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid forward made the statement on social media today, Monday 9 January. In a statement released this afternoon, Gareth Bale said: “To my Welsh family, “My decision to retire from international football has been, by far the hardest of my career. “How do I describe what being a part of this country and team means to me? How do I articulate the impact it has had on my life? How do I put in to words the way I felt, every single time I put on that Welsh shirt? My…

Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid and its partners welcomed the announcement from the Welsh Government before Christmas that all businesses in Wales will benefit from new rates support to help with the effects of rising costs. Businesses will benefit from the £319m package of non-domestic rates support which was revealed in the Welsh Government’s Draft Budget for 2023-24 by Finance Minister Rebecca Evans MS. The overall package of support for businesses is worth more than £460m over the next two financial years. The non-domestic rates multiplier has been frozen at the rate of 0.535, ensuring that there…

Local property expert and owner of X-Press Legal Services South Wales, Steph Hector, predicts 2023 will see a shake up of the property market across the region. Steph predicts that a hardening market will keep the conveyancing sector busy as property owners react to the economic downturn. Property prices are expected to fall but Steph believes this won’t be as severe as some pundits have predicted: “It’s going to be a very interesting 12 months for our sector,” commented Steph.   “A fall in house prices is inevitable after the highs of the past few years however, I don’t think we…

The regional tourism trade organisation for Mid Wales has pledged to support member businesses with a range of initiatives during the cost of living crisis. Val Hawkins, chief executive of MWT Cymru, which represents nearly 600 tourism and hospitality businesses across Powys, Ceredigion and Southern Snowdonia, praised the resilience of members who, she said, had overcome a series of major challenges in recent years. “We are very mindful of how rising costs are affecting businesses, which emphasises the importance of being agile in what could be a difficult trading environment this year,” she said. “In what’s likely to be a…

Brand new one-off documentary Blood, Sweat and Cheer follows Team Wales Adaptive Abilities cheer squad as they prepare for the biggest competition of their lives at the World Cheerleading Championships in Florida. The programme follows the rigorous months of hard training the Welsh squad take on ahead of the World Championships, where they will have less than 3 minutes to impress the judges and take the title.  When the team arrive in Florida, they discover that their final showdown is with the squad from the biggest cheerleading nation: Team USA. Cheer coach Sabrina says “Adaptive Abilities is a team of disabled…

House-hunters can now get to look inside a brand new showhome which has been unveiled at a new development in Llantwit Fardre. Bellway Wales threw open the doors to a four-bedroom Bowyer house type at its Coed Derw development, off Llantrisant Road in the village at the end of last year. The developer is building a total of 95 homes at the site. There will be 87 two, three and four-bedroom houses for private sale and eight affordable properties available for local people through rent or shared ownership. The new homes are transforming a 7.5-acre brownfield site, formerly owned by…

A Ffilm Cymru programme which has brought hundreds of training opportunities and jobs to Newport can turn the city’s “raw talent” into sustainable economic opportunities for the city’s communities, according to actor and “Newport girl”, Alexandria Riley. Since spring this year, Foot In The Door has seen Ffilm Cymru work with over 800 people in Newport communities to demystify careers in film and TV, develop skills and offer opportunities for people with transferable skills to move into the screen sector. After a ground-breaking year for the Welsh film industry, with blockbuster productions like Sex Education, Willow, and His Dark Materials…

A new £2million purpose-built fracture clinic is increasing time dedicated to patient care and cutting waits on treatment after opening at Morriston Hospital. The clinic has returned to Morriston having moved to Neath Port Talbot Hospital during the start of Covid to create more space for an intensive care unit. The service is based where the hydrotherapy pool was previously situated, with Singleton and Neath Port Talbot hospitals now the focus for hydrotherapy services following a public engagement consultation. The new fracture clinic in Morriston has bigger capacity with more consultation, treatment and plaster rooms along with a dedicated plaster…

Swansea residents looking to save money are being reminded of the benefits of free library membership as the cost of living crisis continues to take hold. Seventeen libraries are available in communities throughout the city, with membership giving access to services including free books and events for people of all ages. Run by Swansea Council, free computer, internet and WiFi use are also available in Swansea libraries, enabling members to access a range of the council’s online services. These include a dedicated, one-stop shop cost of living help website at www.swansea.gov.uk/costoflivinghelp that gives information on funding support people may be entitled to,…

A North Wales mum whose daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumour after a rapid growth of her head is working with the charity Brain Tumour Research to raise awareness. Baby Molly Wardle-Hampton was just 12 weeks old when a sudden bulge of the soft spots in her head led to the discovery of an ependymoma tumour on her brain. The devastating diagnosis came months after her staff nurse mum, Corinne Wardle, 38 began to document a catalogue of unusual behaviours. These included: a fixed eye gaze, a tilt to one side of her head, not settling and vomiting. Corinne…