Author: Rhys Gregory

A brave daughter has spoken movingly about why she’s decided not to have children after seeing the devastating effects of a hereditary brain condition on her mum and her aunty. Katie Davies, 36, from Ruabon, near Wrexham, says there’s too much of a risk that she might pass on the cruel illness, Huntingdon’s Disease, a genetic disorder that affects the nerve endings of the brain. It causes progressive damage that leads to physical, cognitive and emotional changes and each child of a parent with Huntingdon’s Disease has a 50 per cent chance of inheriting the gene. For the past eight…

Comparison Creator, the software development company which specialises in insurance comparison, has recorded a 77% growth in revenue in the last three years. The Cwmbran-based company, which provides specialist insurance comparison services for products like wedding and gadget insurance, as well as breakdown cover via white label platforms for brands such as Go.Compare and MoneySuperMarket, has enjoyed a bumper few years with revenue increasing year on year since 2020. Comparison Creator also has its own comparison site, Protect Your Family, and this year has also launched Protect Your Gadget, a standalone gadget insurance policy. The new product has three levels…

Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Investment, Cllr Andrew Morgan OBE, has recently visited the Castle Inn Bridge work site in Treforest. The bridge was damaged by Storm Dennis and is being demolished so a permanent replacement bridge can be lifted into place this summer. The scheme will reinstate the community link between River Street and Cardiff Road with a fit-for-purpose structure, and will deliver a huge improvement to flood defences at this location. Cllr Morgan was updated by contractor Knights Brown during the visit, outlining the progress made since work started in late April 2023.…

Plans to build a new, state of the art leisure and wellbeing hub in the heart of Caerphilly are taking shape. Activity will commence on site this week (Monday 5th June) as contractors begin to clear parts of the land to allow survey works to progress. One of the key surveys to be completed includes Site Investigation works, which will help to establish the type of soil / rock underlying the site, so that the foundations and drainage can be designed. Prior to these works starting, the site will be cleared of vegetation in discrete areas where the survey equipment…

Ysgol Iolo Morganwg is one of the Vale’s Welsh medium primary schools, based in Cowbridge, which currently offers up to 210 school places. The new campus will double school spaces, eventually taking capacity to 420 pupils. This will also result in additional nursery space with places increasing from 66 to 96 part-time spaces (48 full-time). The new school will be built on land located on the new residential development to the north west of Darren Farm (known as Clare Gardens), which is 1.3km away from the existing school premises. Cllr Rhiannon Birch, Cabinet Member for Education, Arts, and Welsh Language said:“The…

Get involved with your local parkrun or junior parkrun and join the thousands of people walking, running or volunteering in ‘parkrun for the NHS’ to celebrate NHS75. Tens of thousands of people are expected to parkrun for the NHS on Saturday 8 July and junior parkrun events on Sunday 9 July to celebrate the NHS’ 75 birthday. Wales was the birthplace of the NHS and the free event is an opportunity for people to acknowledge the huge contribution NHS Wales and its staff make to Welsh communities. Parkrun is a UK-based global health and wellbeing charity that encourages movement in…

Today, the use of drinking straws keeps soaring higher. While this is good, it may also threaten the environment if they are not disposable. Using disposable drinking straws helps in fighting climate change to some extent. Based on reports, Europe alone is estimated to use several billion straws per year. Drinking-Straw. com also contributes to this significant demand, with a considerable portion of their production sites located in Asia and Europe.  When finding disposable alternatives to plastic drinking straws can be tough, paper straws are often the go-to option. However, there are several other sustainable alternatives available that offer similar functionality…

Cardiff residents are being given the chance to show off their creative flair and develop new artistic skills as Cardiff Metropolitan University’s School of Art and Design opens its doors to the public for its annual Community Day. On Sunday 11th June 2023, members of the public can have a go at some of the skills taught within Cardiff Met’s School of Art and Design including laser cutting in the digital technology workshop, FabLab; using the potter’s wheel; and learning new stitching techniques with textile experts. The Community Day is open from 12-4pm, with free workshops running until 3.30pm. Activities…

Cardiff Bay’s new outdoor food court, Tiger Yard, will throw open its doors for the first time on Thursday 8th June, kicking off an initial 12-week summer run. After months of work, Tiger Yard sees the site of the former Dr Who Experience in Cardiff Bay transformed into an outdoor food court, featuring six permanent shipping container kitchens and two purpose-built bars. By using 22 rainbow-coloured shipping containers to create the bars, kitchens, toilet blocks and some seating areas, Tiger Yard is now ready to welcome a total of 1,000 covers at a time. The new venture comes from the…

A sensory room has been opened at a care home in memory of a much-loved former Bangor City football legend and retired teacher. After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and dementia, Cedric ‘Cid’ Pritchard spent the last 18 months of his life at Pendine Park’s Bryn Seiont Newydd Care Home on the outskirts of Caernarfon. In his younger days Cid was a highly talented all-round sportsman who captained Bangor City during their glory days at Farrar Road, as well as skippering the city’s cricket team and being an excellent golfer. Off the sports field he was a primary school teacher…