Author: Rhys Gregory

As the cost of living rises and household budgets are squeezed, a Welsh Community Bank has launched a new scheme to help those who are struggling to afford the things they need. Smart Money Cymru’s Credit Builder finance aims to extend credit to people who have not been able to access loans elsewhere, and may even have been turned down recently by other lenders due to poor borrowing histories. But now loans of up to £400 are being made widely available for new members of Smart Money Cymru, and to members who haven’t yet taken out a loan, even if…

With thousands of teenagers across Wales anxiously awaiting their GCSE and A-Level results this month, care worker Callum Fennell has highlighted the benefits of an apprenticeship to school leavers. Callum, 18, is reaping the rewards of choosing an apprenticeship to develop a rewarding career after feeling disengaged at school. He joined Bethany Residential Care Home in Chepstow at the age of 16 and has transformed his confidence, skills and career prospects by taking a Foundation Apprenticeship in Health & Social Care, delivered by work-based learning provider ACT. His apprenticeship has allowed Callum to earn while he learns and gains the…

The Hope House Cycle Challenge saw pedal power raise more than £7,000 to support seriously ill local children. Hundreds of cyclists pulled on their helmets and took to the roads on Sunday, August 14, starting at Hope House in Oswestry and heading on two routes to either 56-miles to Lake Vyrnwy or 70-miles to Lake Bala and back. Cyclists were sent on their way in the early morning sun by event sponsor Ash Poole from The Fencing Bloke who sounded a horn to get the event into gear. After completing their ride, cyclists were provided with a well-deserved afternoon tea…

The Wizz Air Cardiff Half Marathon will feature its strongest elite field to date when it returns on Sunday 2 October, with more nationalities represented than ever before. The packed line-up mirrors the mass race which is expected to have the most international representation in the race’s history. It comes as the race has joined the new international SuperHalfs series along with events in Prague, Lisbon, Copenhagen and Valencia – leading to a significant increase in runners from outside Wales signing up to take part, from both across the UK and overseas. Elite runners from Canada, Djibouti, Great Britain, Ethiopia,…

With the climate crisis increasing the risk of wildfires in the UK and many other parts of northern Europe, scientists from across the world are sharing their expertise to help tackle the dangers. Last week Swansea academics were among UK wildfire experts who warned that the record temperatures recorded across the country, along with extremely low fuel moisture conditions, had increased the chances of Britain experiencing severe wildfires. Last weekend kept UK Fire and Rescue Services exceptionally busy. The fact that severe fires are happening further north than ever has been highlighted by the FirEUrisk consortium. Made up of partners…

Olivia Trevelyan Richards is making English Youth Ballet (EYB) history as she is the company’s first young dancer ever to return to the company as a professional principal dancer.  She will be starring as Cinderella in English Youth Ballet’s upcoming production of Cinderella in Hollywood at New Theatre Cardiff. Olivia (22) grew up in Cyn Coed Cardiff, and at the age of 13, she danced with EYB in Cardiff in a production of Giselle.  At this time, she was training at the Mandy & Shirley Morris School of Dance.  She graduated from Central School of Ballet and was offered a…

Pubs across Wales have recently celebrated the graduation of 16 managers from various Stonegate sites across the country, from its internal progression programme Aspirations. The programme provides General Managers at Stonegate venues the opportunity to learn and develop vital skills and behaviours required to become industry leading Area and Regional Managers. Max von Arep, General Manager of Be At One Cardiff is one of the managers to graduate the training and progression scheme. Aspirations is a part of Stonegate Group’s award-winning learning and development programme, Alberts Theory of Progression. Completion of this programme, earmarks graduates for Area and Regional Manager Roles within…

Cardiff-based public relations agency Petersens PR has made a key appointment to help take the business to the next level. The agency has hired experienced practitioner Darren Evans as PR Manager to oversee its client accounts. Darren has worked in PR for seven years in a variety of agency and in-house roles and was previously a journalist for 13 years. He said: “I’ve been working with Rob and the team on a consultancy basis, and I’ve seen the huge potential in the business, so I’m excited to take the next step and become a permanent part of the team. “Although…

The RSPCA has released new figures which reveal seven cats a day suffer at the hands of humans and this is expected to increase during the summer months. Over the last six years (2016-2021), there were 16,212 incidents of deliberate cruelty towards cats reported to the animal welfare charity which equals a staggering seven cats a day suffering at the hands of humans. In 2021 alone, there were 1,387 reports of intentional harm to cats and this peaked during the months of July and August. Overall, there were 17,804 complaints made to the charity regarding cats in 2021 from abandonments,…

Welsh whisky giants Penderyn are set to bring their unique distillery and bottling plant to Swansea as part of a landmark £1 billion transformation program launched by the city council Shaping Swansea is set to rejuvenate up to seven different areas across the city and districts, from the Civic Centre to Sailbridge, Oystermouth Road to Oxford Street. The Hafod-Morfa Copperworks, meanwhile, is set to be the site of a third location for Penderyn – having expanded into Llandudno, North Wales last year. “I speak for all of us at Penderyn when I say how thrilled we are to be making…