Author: Rhys Gregory

Welsh Love Island hunk Connagh Howard has traced his family roots back to Africa via a sailing ship that brought his ancestors to Jamaica as slaves. One of the stars of the ITV blockbuster show, Connagh and his dad, Wayne, have been on a voyage of personal discovery for the new series of S4C’s family tree programme Teulu, Dad a Fi (Family, Dad and Me). The first programme in the three-part series made by Caernarfon-based Cwmni Da will be broadcast  at 9pm on Tuesday, March 7. Connagh, a former model who once appeared in an advert with boxer Anthony Joshua,…

A global search has been launched to find a new international singing star. The prestigious Pendine International Voice of the Future competition will be one of the main highlights of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod which gets underway on Tuesday, July 4. It will be the first full length festival since the pandemic struck, with international competitors once again returning to the picturesque town in the Dee Valley where Wales meets the world. The aim of the Pendine International Voice of the Future competition which started in 2013 is to advance the careers of the world’s most gifted young singers.…

Fiona Stewart, owner and Managing Director of Wales independent Green Man, is standing down from her position as an Executive Board Member of the Concert Promoters Association, after nine years in the role. Stewart was the first woman to have sat on the Board of the CPA, which was founded by music promoter Harvey Goldsmith in 1986 and is the oldest and to many, the UK’s most respected Live Music Association. Stewart, who is listed as number 24 in the BBC Woman’s Hour Music Power list and has over 30 years’ experience as a leader within the live music industry,…

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the sale of Parkside House Care Home in Penarth, Wales. Established in 1987, Parkside House is a reputable, care home offering residential, dementia, and independent care for up to 35 residents. The business occupies a beautiful Victorian property ideally located in a conservation area set above Penarth Esplanade. The founding owners recently decided to sell in order to retire and, following a confidential sales process with Christie & Co, Parkside House has been purchased by Serenity Healthcare Ltd. This is the third home the group has bought through Christie & Co, and…

Aberystwyth University is to offer prestigious scholarships in food sustainability for students from Commonwealth countries for the first time. Funded by the UK Foreign Office, Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to access the training and skills required for sustainable development but which are not available in their home countries. The distance scholarships offered by Aberystwyth University are designed to equip Masters students with the skills and knowledge to improve food security, mitigate and adapt to climate change, and minimise biodiversity loss along the agrifood supply chain. Applications for these much sought-after study opportunities will close on…

A colourful new mural has been unveiled running along Platform 4 at Swansea Railway Station. The mural was delivered by the South West Wales Community Rail Partnership, South West Wales Connected (SWWCo), which is headquartered at the station, with funding from Transport for Wales (TfW) and Great Western Railway (GWR). It depicts key features of Swansea, running from its history to the present day, and was created in consultation with 10 local community groups including people of all ages. Swansea-based murals specialist Fresh Creative Co painted the mural based on guidelines that came out of the consultation. Dawn Lyle, co-founder…

Business confidence in Wales fell 33 points during February to 1% according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Companies in Wales reported lower confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, down 28 points at 15%.  When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, down 39% points to -13%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 1%. Businesses in Wales identified their top target areas for growth in the next six months as evolving their offer (39%), introducing new technology (33%) and investing in their team (32%). The Business Barometer, which surveys 1,200 businesses monthly, provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide. A net balance of 15% of businesses in the region…

STAFF members at an Aberdare opticians have completed a 10k run in aid of a local charity. The Specsavers store, located at 20b Victoria Square, decided to take on the challenge to support Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, raising a total of £718 as a result. The money raised will help Velindre purchase a proton beam machine. Proton beam therapy is a highly-targeted type of radiotherapy that can treat hard-to-reach cancers, such as spinal tumours, with a lower risk of damaging the surrounding tissue and causing side effects. Victoria Williams, a 39-year-old optical assistant at Specsavers Aberdare, was diagnosed with…

Zero Carbon Llanidloes in Wales has been awarded £21,804 by The Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF) through our “Supporting Rural Communities” grant programme. The UK-wide charity, which works to create a real future for rural Britain, supports projects that make a difference in rural communities across the UK, providing grants of up to £25,000 over two years. Keith Halstead, Executive Director of The Prince’s Countryside Fund said: “Our grants help bring ideas and projects to fruition which are developed by those who live and work in rural communities and that really matter to them. The PCF’s funding supports amazing people who…

One of Wales’s most high-profile black entrepreneurs will headline a special event at the House of Lords in March dedicated to female empowerment, featuring high-profile speakers including author and businesswoman Alison Edgar MBE; Durdana Ansari OBE, Hon Captain of the Royal Navy; and Lady Anne Welsh, CEO of Painless Universe. Bernie Davies has launched the two-day event, called Women Mastering Change, on the back of the successful ‘Your Way Empowerment Series’, launched in January 2022, as a LinkedIn Live monthly event. The series was designed to offer a platform for likeminded women of any race, colour or creed to share…