Author: Rhys Gregory

TWO local school friends with more than thirty years’ combined experience in optical care have been appointed to lead the city’s Specsavers store. Christopher Jones, 35, has been promoted to retail director, while Hayley Jones, also 35, has progressed to store manager at the Kingsway store. It’s been quite a journey for the former Manselton Primary School classmates, who reconnected in 2009 when Mrs Jones joined the Swansea store, six years after Mr Jones. Mr Jones first joined Specsavers in Swansea as a lab technician in 2003 when he was just 16, working his way up to manager in 2018,…

A talented group of more than 80 learners from St Peter’s Primary School in Rossett recorded the track – One Hotdog and a Massive Kit Kat – with representatives from the Rhosrobin music studio and Darren Hughes, director of Pivotal Sound and Lighting. Written by and starring children from different years, the rap follows Wrexham AFC’s attempt to win the FA Trophy while paying homage to Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, star striker Paul Mullin, and referencing teachers, landmarks, and their favourite things about the city. Wrexham Sounds General Manager Olivia Gallagher was impressed with the finished result…

After years of waiting the time has finally come! NILE RODGERS & CHIC is set to deliver an unforgettable evening of disco at Swansea Singleton Park on July 29th. Orchard Live proudly presents one of music’s greatest living legends, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, on Friday 29th July at Singleton Park, Swansea for his ONLY Welsh show of 2022. FINAL Tickets are on sale via gigantic.com and locally from Derricks Music, Grand Theatre Swansea, and Liberty Stadium Box Office. Since co-founding CHIC in 1976, Rodgers has built an unrivalled catalogue of hit songs. His collaborations with such iconic artists as David…

Transport for Wales (TfW) customers are being advised to plan their journeys carefully next week with services set to be disrupted by two days of national industrial action. The National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT) has announced strike action will take place on Wednesday 27 July, and train drivers’ union, ASLEF, has announced its members will strike on Saturday 30 July. TfW is not involved in either dispute but its services will be affected, particularly on the 27 July, when the majority of services on the Wales and Borders network will be suspended. Wednesday 27 July The…

A brand new, innovative charitable  re-use shop has officially opened its doors to the public. This pioneering project, developed by Bryson Recycling, Denbighshire County Council and St David’s Hospice,aims to extend the life of reusable household items while generating profits for a very worthwhile charity. The shop has been opened thanks to support from the Welsh Government’s Circular Economy Fund to improve recycling and reuse opportunities. Speaking at the official opening event, Councillor Pete Prendergast, Chairman of Denbighshire County Council said: “Having a re-use shop is a great way to change the way that people think about unwanted items.” “Every…

Women in need of specialist treatment for pelvic floor and continence issues may be spared a journey to England in future. It’s because Swansea Bay University Health Board has become Wales’ sole centre of excellence for urogynaecology. It has been granted accreditation by the British Society of Urogynaecology (BSUG) after it met the highest standards for its service – the only in Wales to currently achieve that. The accreditation gives the unit, which offers specialist services to women with pelvic floor disorders and problems after child birth, the ability to potentially expand its service to include more complex procedures that…

St David’s Cardiff is set to host a unique, free ice cream lolly-making event from 20th – 21st August as part of its summer Lollydays celebrations – flavour options will include sweet, savoury, and specialities such as Welsh cake, gold dust, bacon, and even edible insects! The Lolly-Pop-Up will open at St David’s exclusively for one weekend only where guests can create and fully customise their own bespoke lolly, using ice cream from award-winning Welsh brand Red Boat. The hands-on experience will offer a vast number of incredible toppings with ‘Hundreds and Thousands’ of flavours – sprinkle puns aside, there…

Cyber security consultancy PureCyber has teamed up with FSB Wales, Swansea University and Thomas Carroll Group to run free roadshows to raise cyber awareness across Wales with the first events planned in Cardiff and Wrexham. The event at Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday (June 29th) and the upcoming event at Wrexham FC on September 15th are funded by Higher Education Funding Council Wales and focus on making Wales’ many successful and growing SMEs cyber aware and cyber secure. The team from PureCyber, which recently rebranded from Wolfberry, will be on hand to talk to SMEs about the growing concerns around cyber…

This week, the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport will once again see thousands of our graduates cross the stage in their cap and gown. To celebrate, we are sharing the stories of some of our inspirational students. Having been homeless on a couple of occasions in her teens and early 20s, Leanne Fox was determined that the challenges she had already faced would not define her future. And her determination has really paid off. Now the proud holder of a first-class honours degree in Childhood Development from the University of South Wales (USW), the 28-year-old. originally from Bridgend, will…

Phone scam reports have fallen by 81 pent cent in Wales over the last year, new regional data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed. In Wales, 216 phone scams were reported to HMRC in June this year compared to 1125 in June 2021. People aged between 25 and 34 appear to be most affected by scams in the region, with 56 reporting phone scams in Wales in June. HMRC has made significant efforts to tackle the problem and protect the public. Scam call reports from across all regions peaked in March 2021 with almost 76,000 reports. This was…