Author: Rhys Gregory

An international harp festival being held in North Wales has been given a major boost. The World Music competition at the Wales International Harp Festival, which will be staged for the fifth time at Galeri Caernarfon from April 5-11 is being supported by the arts-loving care organisation, Pendine Park. Organised by Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias (William Mathias Music Centre), the festival will feature concerts, masterclasses, workshops and lecture recitals. Pendine, which runs the Bryn Seiont Newydd care home in Caernarfon and other homes in Wrexham, will sponsor the competition to the tune of £3,500 from the Pendine Arts and Community…

A former firefighter and truck driver who knew from an early age she was trapped in the wrong body has undergone gender confirmation surgery at the age of 80. Devout churchgoer Isobel Jeffery, who began transitioning to female in October 2021 at the age of 79 after living her life as a woman for six years, says it has enabled her to finally find peace. After beginning hormone therapy a year ago, she had the operation at the private Spire Yale Hospital in Wrexham in January this year under Consultant Urologist Christian Seipp. Isobel said: “I cannot tell you how…

Eight years since its creation – and just over three years after it was last relocated – Cardiff’s biggest independent warehouse events venue is investing £500,000 into moving to new premises. The DEPOT, who have established themselves as one of the best-loved entertainment brands in the city, will relocate to a new 30,000 sq ft venue on Curran Road. They will form part of developer Vastint’s transformative, mixed-use development scheme which aims to strengthen connections between Cardiff City Centre and the bay along the banks of the River Taff. The move will increase the venue’s total capacity from 1,600 to…

A substantial six-figure loan from the Development Bank of Wales has helped Alexander Sage and Carl Adams to complete the management buy-out of Motomec Aberdare Limited allowing them to take over the ownership and management of the Aberdare based business. Motomec was established by Eddie Hawkins in 1987 and is now one of the largest independent garages in Aberdare. As a successful motor vehicle service and repair workshop with a customer base that includes private individuals and corporate fleets, Motomec has three work stations, an MOT station and parking for around 20 vehicles on site. The company also has technicians…

Savills Cardiff has announced four promotions within its multi-disciplinary office. The promotions, which took effect on 1st March 2023, are within the real estate consultancy’s development, property management and planning teams. Chris Potts, head of Savills Cardiff, said: ‘I am delighted to announce our 2023 promotions and warmly congratulate Andrew, Jo, Chloe and Josh, who have seen their hard work recognised with new positions within their respective teams. Our business continues to grow and it is very much testament to the talent and commitment of our multi-disciplinary experts.’ The full list of promotions is below: Andrew Weeks Development Director Jo…

The Football Association of Wales has announced the launch of the PAWB Fund for its second year. The FAW PAWB Fund supports young people and families across Wales to access football opportunities and equipment. The PAWB Fund aligns to the FAW’s Our Wales|Ein Cymru 2026 Strategy key objective; to provide a flexible and inclusive playing offer and make football accessible and affordable for people from different socioeconomic backgrounds. The application is open to 5–18-year-olds living in Wales and can be applied for by or on behalf of any young player, to support and assist them with accessing football opportunities and/or…

‘Own Our Venues’ the campaign launched by Music Venue Trust (MVT) to make a radical intervention into the ownership of the UK’s grassroots music venues (GMVs), is nearing its £2.5m fundraise target and has set a final deadline of March 30th to secure the remaining investment needed to commence the purchase of properties. The Bunkhouse in Swansea is one of nine pilot venues that, if the target is reached, will be purchased by Music Venue Trust. ‘Own Our Venues’ was launched as a Music Venue Properties, a crowdfunded project announced in June 2022 and the first step in a long-term…

FoodCycle, the charity that aims to make food poverty, loneliness and food waste a thing of the past for every community, is in urgent need of volunteers as it opens its second Project in Cardiff. This marks FoodCycle’s forth Project opening in Wales in 18 months, reflecting the need for vital services to help those gripped by the cost-of-living crisis. Opening on 27th March at Dusty Forge at ACE – Action in Caerau & Ely on Cowbridge Road, the weekly free meal will provide great food and conversation every Monday at 6.30pm for anyone who wants to come along.  FoodCycle…

Members of school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru are to be consulted electronically on the latest offer on pay, workload and funding from Welsh Government. Following a members-only online meeting this evening, an electronic ballot will be sent out for all eligible members to vote on whether to accept the offer. Laura Doel, director of NAHT Cymru, said: “We welcome this offer and believe it is important to put it to our members to hear their opinion. “However, we do have concerns about how the offer will be funded. The Welsh Government has committed additional funds to cover the 3% uplift…

Neath Port Talbot Council is due to start work on a natural flood management scheme amongst trees planted by Coed Cadw (Woodland Trust) at Brynau Farm next to Gnoll Country Park. The scheme is being delivered by Neath Port Talbot Council in partnership with Welsh Government and in collaboration with the Woodland Trust to safeguard local residents and reduce the community of Neath’s risk of flooding. Natural flood management interventions are aimed at reducing the risk of flooding and to protect residential areas of Neath through using natural materials and restoring natural water systems. The natural flood management scheme will…