Author: Rhys Gregory

A courageous cop who won an award for single-handedly stepping in to stop a gang beating up a defenceless man is spearheading a police recruitment drive. Mum-of-three Clare Larkey-Jones, 48, was alone after coming off duty one evening when she broke up the attack on the Maes in Caernarfon, an act that has seen her honoured at a reception at 10, Downing Street. She said: “I had just finished an 11-hour shift and was picking my brother and his girlfriend up in at The Maes in Caernarfon before going home when I heard a lot of shouting. “I told my…

Award-winning film ‘Staying (Aros Mae)’, which was filmed in the Elan and Claerwen Valleys, near Rhayader in 2019, was screened in the town on Saturday to thank the community who helped make it. Written and directed by previous Elan Valley artist-in-residence Zillah Bowes, ‘Staying (Aros Mae)’ features members of the community as cast, including Stephen and Kerena Pugh who were chosen to play farmer Huw and his wife Megan. The short fiction film is about Ruth, played by actor and 9Bach singer Lisa Jên Brown, a newly divorced gallery manager selling her city home, who sees a video of a sheepdog for sale…

A new service to help relieve irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms is now available to patients at GP practices across Swansea Bay. The service, run by the health board’s IBS lead dietitian, provides specialist advice to people diagnosed with the condition. IBS affects the large intestine and symptoms can include cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhoea or constipation, or both. While there is no cure, diet changes can often help to control the symptoms. Those who are referred to the service are given a specific diet which, by eliminating specific foods at a time, can help them identify what…

Cardiff Bus has announced changes to its services for Bank Holiday Monday and is encouraging customers to make the most of its summer timetables before the new academic year begins. Sunday timetables will be followed on Bank Holiday Monday – 29th August – and the operator’s customer service operation will be closed. With temporary summer timetables ending on Saturday 3rd September, Cardiff Bus is encouraging customers to take advantage of its Summer Services for the remaining weeks of the holidays. Monday 29th August – 4th September will be the last week during which customers can take advantage of extra baycar…

Brecon-based shearer and Lister Ambassador, Lloyd Rees, sets a new British record with 902 sheep sheared in nine hours at Blaenbwch Farm, Powys. Starting at 5 am on Friday 19th August, Lloyd Rees sheared 203 in the first two-hour run. He tallied 174, 171, and 177 in the next three runs, before bagging the record with 177 sheep sheared in the final run. Shearing on average just over 100 sheep an hour, Lloyd Rees was on target to hit his goal of 900. Lloyd has been a long-standing ambassador for Lister and provided all of the shearing equipment and gear…

Swansea Building Society will sponsor the Welsh Equine Endurance Team for the second year running at the Home International Endurance Championships – one of the most prestigious equine events in Europe. The event will take place between the 9th – 11th September at Longnewton, near Melrose, in the Scottish Borders. Last year, the Welsh team romped home to win the Celtic Challenge and came second in the Home International. This year, the team is aiming to go one better and win both trophies. The competition has horses and riders competing over courses ranging from 40km in one day to a…

Hodge has added three new experienced managers to its Commercial Lending team. Andy Buss has joined as a senior business development manager along with David Hales as senior development finance manager and Jon Hankins as senior relationship manager. Andy Buss joins Hodge from Cambridge and Counties Bank, and before that he spent nearly 20 years at NatWest in the Commercial Real Estate team, working with property developers and investors in the south west of England. At Hodge, Andy will be building relationships with brokers and intermediaries in the commercial property investment sector and helping customers with their property portfolio plans.…

Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has been soaring over the peaks of Snowdonia – without ever leaving the ground. Mr Gething was given a taste of a UK first virtual reality paragliding experience during a visit to Adventure Parc Snowdonia in Dolgarrog in the Conwy Valley. The two Fly Snowdon paragliding pods were created especially for the pioneering adventure complex – which also boasts the UK’s first inland surfing lagoon – by VR innovators Frontgrid who are based in Llandudno Junction. A grant from the Welsh Government helped get the idea off the ground thanks to development funding from the Creative…

North Wales Tourism has appointed Yvonne Jackson as an advisor to support the challenges that Hospitality, Travel and Leisure sectors might face post-pandemic and beyond. This aims to build and maintain a prosperous and sustainable tourism industry in North Wales. Yvonne is Condor Hotels CEO and a ‘hands-on’ business consultant specialising in the Hotel and Leisure Industry. During her thirty-year career, Yvonne has held significant senior roles within Hospitality across the UK, including the prestigious Q Hotels, Hilton Hotels and DeVere Hotels. The last few years have seen the Hospitality, Travel and Leisure industry on its knees across the UK…

Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I, a proud part of AB InBev, welcomed Secretary of State for Wales, Robert Buckland to its Magor Brewery in South Wales on Tuesday 16th August. During the visit, the Minister toured the brewery to learn more about the recently installed water and energy efficiency projects, designed to reduce energy output at the brewery. Over the past year, the introduction of these technologies resulted in a 10% reduction in water usage, and a 10% reduction in energy usage. These collective savings mark another step in Budweiser Brewing Group’s journey to achieve net zero brewing operations in 2026…