Author: Rhys Gregory

A nurse who turned to poetry as a way of coping during the pandemic has had his heartfelt words published in his own book. Michael Jenkins used his experiences as an emergency department nurse as inspiration for a number of his poems. Despite always having an interest in poetry, it was only during the pandemic that Michael put pen to paper. He has since written around 100 poems, many of which detail what it’s like to be a nurse and care for patients in a high-pressured environment. “I’ve always had an interest in poetry since I was a child but…

The headline NatWest Wales Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – registered 49.8 in November, up from 49.1 in October to signal broadly unchanged levels of output. The slower downturn was linked to a less marked contraction in new business during the month. Alongside firms in the North East, Welsh companies registered the joint-highest headline index reading, with the UK average indicating a modest decrease in business activity. Welsh businesses recorded a fourth successive monthly decline in new orders during November. Where…

THE number of pupils attending extra-curricular activities designed to support their health and wellbeing has surged in past months. Ysgol Eirias has introduced designated weeks where Areas of Learning and Experience can host innovative activities and events to encourage learning and mindfulness outside of school hours. Led by Assistant Headteacher Alex Metcalfe, the sessions are held on-site in Colwyn Bay, but wellbeing trips and educational overseas visits are also in the pipeline to build a stronger culture of togetherness post-pandemic. As well as sporting activities and fixtures utilising their outstanding facilities, there will be cooking and nutrition lessons that will…

Young kidney patients and their families have enjoyed a long-awaited Christmas treat thanks to Swansea-based kidney charity, Popham Kidney Support, and a donation of £1,000 made by the charity’s corporate sponsor, Swansea Building Society. The donation was originally made in 2021 to the kidney charity’s Christmas Day Out Appeal, which offers young people cared for at the Children’s Kidney Centre and their families the opportunity to enjoy a festive day out together. Last year’s event was planned to be a trip to see Beauty and The Beast in the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff. Unfortunately, due to the emergence of new…

Krazy Races, the popular, free to attend national soapbox derby has today confirmed that Wales Air Ambulance, will become it’s headline charity partner for the event which is set to take over Swansea on Sunday 18th June 2023. The national award winning soapbox derby event that sees a mixture of local and business teams, build and race weird & wacky soapboxes through the centre of Towns & cities while raising money for local charities has seen nearly 50,000 people coming out to support the free to attend events when Krazy Races visited Shropshire, Cheshire and Wolverhampton City Centre this Summer.…

Local and award-winning housebuilder, St. Modwen Homes, has offered a helping hand by donating a generous £8,000 to Llamau charity – an organisation that aims to prevent homelessness for young people and vulnerable women in Wales. Llamau supports young people and women who are experiencing homelessness by supplying homely, communal accommodation. Set up to promote independent living, socialising, and the development of life skills, these spaces are completely subsidised by the charity, which relies on donations to fund its important work. St. Modwen Homes’ donation will be utilised to renovate two of the local supported accommodation’s garden spaces, which are…

The RSPCA is inviting people to help mend broken hearts as it launches its Christmas video. The film named Heart – made in-house and starring the charity’s staff who gave up their own time for filming – features a beautiful, exclusive cover of Blondie’s Heart of Glass by Gabrielle Aplin. The clip tells the story of an injured and abandoned dog who is helped to safety by an RSPCA rescuer before his life is transformed by love and care. The video was created by the RSPCA’s small in-house video production team Alan Laxton and Lewis Jones, with help from Lewis’s…

Exciting plans for Moorland Primary School in Splott, could soon be progressed following recommendations to Cardiff Council’s Cabinet to release funding so that the scheme can get underway early in the new year. In July 2022, the Cabinet agreed to establish a 20 place Specialist Resource Base at Moorland Primary School for pupils with Complex Learning Needs. This is part of a significant city-wide programme to expand provision, improve the standard of facilities and help tomeet demand for special school places for primary and secondary age learnersby more than 270, right across Cardiff. The redevelopment of the school would also allow…

Electric vehicle owners will have the chance to charge their cars while they’re at the shops or on a trip to the beach. Forty-eight new electric vehicle charge points and bays have been installed at 13 council-owned car parks and almost all are now connected to the mains. The latest additions means there are now 80 EV charge points and bays in 25 council car parks around Swansea operated for the authority by Clenergy EV, including ten at the new Bae Copr Bay De/South car park located underneath Swansea Arena. Of the new network those at Bracelet Bay car park…

Young people had a chance to find out more about how local democracy works with a visit to the Council chamber recently. Pembrokeshire County Council chairman Cllr Pat Davies invited young people from Pembroke Cubs and Scouts and Sea Cadets from Tenby and Milford Haven to County Hall last month for a meeting chaired by Presiding Member Cllr Simon Hancock. Cllr Davies said she hoped inviting more young people to visit the council would encourage an interest in what takes place within the building and how decisions are made. Cllr Joshua Beynon also attended, as one of the youngest members…