Author: Rhys Gregory

A Bridgend man has appeared in court to face over 100 charges of child sexual offences as part of an investigation by the South Wales Police Online Investigation Team. The investigation started when police received intelligence about suspicious online activity, involving the downloading of indecent images of children from the dark web. The offender was confirmed as 23-year-old Lewis Edwards from Bridgend and identified as a serving police officer. Following his arrest, Edwards was immediately suspended from duty and resigned. An accelerated misconduct hearing was held which delivered the sanction of dismissal. He has been added to the barred list,…

A warzone nurse from Merthyr Tydfil has completed nearly a million steps on the road back to fitness after treatment for breast cancer. Andrea Davies-Tuthill, 52, who was keen to regain her strength as she’s unable to exercise like she used to , was one of the stars of the popular S4C show, FFIT Cymru. Her battle to get fit and maintain healthy eating habits are not helped by the long shifts she works at the hospital and gruelling tours of duty with the Army which have included visits overseas to war-torn Afghanistan. Over seven weeks Andrea and the four…

Community groups in North Wales are being urged to bid for a slice of a special £25,000 fund set up to celebrate the 25th anniversary of a crime-fighting charity. Since being established in 1998 the North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT) has given more than £2 million towards local initiatives across the region – appropriately, much of it cash seized from criminals and recycled for the public good. The organisation works closely with North Wales Police’s neighbourhood policing teams, particularly the network of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). Its main focus is to provide funding to community and voluntary…

A 19-year-old entrepreneur who hit the sweet spot in Penarth for her dietary-inclusive home-baked delights is now exploring mouth-watering business expansion alongside Big Ideas Wales. Meg Hitchen was 17 years old when she first launched Meggobakes from her family kitchen. Over a year later Meg’s completely customisable creations, once a simple sweet treat for family and friends, has expanded into a thriving business catering to loyal customers and corporate clients alike. During her first year of trading, Meg produced over 400 unique orders to clients across Wales, alongside supplying Wilmore’s 1938 with treats to tickle its customers’ tastebuds. Following such…

Care home owners in Torfaen have accused the local council of double-standards after they refused to fund pay rises for frontline Covid heroes. As a result the new rates announced by Torfaen Council are based on only 65 per cent of care workers receiving pay increases with the remaining 35 per cent left high and dry. They say that Torfaen Council have offered care homes a 7.5 per cent increase in funding at a time when food and heating inflation is running at over 20 per cent. At the same time they are paying more to their own in-house care…

Mostyn – a centre for contemporary visual art with Welsh roots – is excited to unveil its programme for Isdyfiant / Undergrowth, which blooms across Spring to late Summer 2023. The project aims to support and improve physical and mental health by allowing people to connect to the natural world through creative activities: a series of free events, which take place at the gallery’s home in Llandudno; a community-focused artists’ residency in Penmachno; and a closed health and wellbeing programme which will take place across North Wales. At Mostyn, Llandudno, there’s something for the naturally curious in a programme of…

Dear Editor  Volunteers Week takes place 1-7 June every year. It’s a chance to recognise the fantastic contribution volunteers make to our communities and to say ‘thank you’ to them.  The theme of Volunteers’ Week 2023 is ‘a time to celebrate and inspire’.  The aim is to highlight that our diversity is our strength, show that there’s more than one way to volunteer and encourage people to be the change that they want to see.  Volunteers play a vital role in the success of Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice – in fact, they make up a large percentage of our Tŷ Hafan family.   We have over 500 volunteers in a variety of roles and the contribution of each and every one of them is integral to our…

One of Cardiff’s largest Catholic schools has been praised by inspectors for its “caring and nurturing community” and for seeking to “enrich pupils’ lives through faith and extremely high-quality care, support and guidance”. In its latest Estyn report, carried out in March this year, inspectors said that a notable strength of Corpus Christi Catholic High School in Lisvane was its ethos that contributes positively to pupils’ wellbeing, behaviour and engagement in learning. They added that the school has a “well-established vision for pupil and staff wellbeing, which is underpinned by its Catholic ethos and centred upon all members of the…

A POPULAR greeting cards company is celebrating expansion plans after a pandemic business boom. Based in Colwyn Bay, Lima Lima was launched by Carly and James Brands in 2015 and got off to a flying start, producing and selling daring and risqué gifts and cards that quickly gained popularity and began selling the world over. The impact of Brexit that same year took its toll on the company, notably in Europe, but the couple have diversified and bounced back. They achieved a significant rise in turnover, sell more than 550,000 items annually, and now employ up to 10 full and…

When you want to start your design agency, you need to consider some vital things. After all, the most effective design agency managers have some knowledge in their field. Even if you have the resources, starting a UX design agency takes a lot of work. Because UX design agencies provide high-quality user experience solutions, having a team of professionals is a must. You can offer creative services to diverse businesses if you and your team have enough knowledge. Therefore, it isn’t easy to run an agency if you don’t understand how businesses work. Here are the steps for starting a…