Author: Rhys Gregory

A memorial hall built to commemorate a village’s First World War dead has been given a major makeover by a housing association and a construction group. The Memorial Hall Institute in Llandudno Junction was built in the 1920s using bricks shipped from Flanders, in Belgium, the scene of many of the great battles of the war, and its foundation stone was laid in 1927 by Lloyd George. He was presented with a silver trowel by the Rose Queen of the year 1927, Olga Hughes, and in 1928 the official opening took place on Good Friday with a local war veteran,…

The chance to “road test” dream holidays will be perk of the job at a North Wales-based travel firm that’s launched a search for 44 new apprentices. With business booming, Hays Travel North West, which has outlets across North Wales and the North West, will be holding local open days at Liverpool, Manchester and Wrexham for young people keen to work in the holiday industry. Hays, which has 44 shops across the region, is enjoying a surge in bookings in March as pandemic travel restrictions ease with the business reporting holiday bookings are up by 10 per cent on the…

After a competitive tender process, A&R Services have been awarded a major contract with Snowdonia National Park. Having built a reputation for providing industry-leading soft services for major companies such as Welsh Water and One Central Square, it is the innovative approach to their work that made A&R Services the right choice for Snowdonia National Park. Ashley Davies, Managing Director of A&R Services, said “This is an extremely proud moment for us. Snowdonia is the largest national park in Wales and has over 10 million visitors per year, covering 823 square miles. We are glad that our amazing team get…

A real highlight in the Welsh food calendar, the Cowbridge Food & Drink Festival is back with a bang for 2022 with South Wales’ leading distillery on board as festival sponsor. Promising to be a whole weekend of foodie, family-friendly fun the festival will take place over the Easter Weekend (17-18 April), with Hensol Castle Distillery – South Wales’ first full scale gin distillery, visitor experience, gin school and bottling plant – playing a key role in events. A team will be on site over the weekend allowing festival goers to sample and buy some of the fabulous products available,…

A local artisan producer is gearing up for a beautifully busy season as St Clears-based Little Grandma’s Kitchen prepares to make a first appearance at this year’s foodie favourite, the Cowbridge Food and Drink Festival which will take place over the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend (April 17-18). Husband and wife duo Richard and Jennifer Compton produce a range of artisan chutneys and marmalades; curds, preserves, mustard, jams and spreads – all from their own home kitchen in the heart of St Clears – made to unique family recipes. “It really is a completely family affair” says Richard. “Jennifer is in…

University of South Wales (USW) Policing graduate Megan Evans has crossed the stage this week to celebrate achieving a first-class honours degree in Police Sciences. She is following in the footsteps of her father, Carwyn, who recently retired after 30 years in the police service. For Megan, there was never any question that she wanted to join the police force. She said: “I’ve always wanted to be a police officer. In fact, the first job I wanted when I was a child was to be a police dog! Both my parents were police officers, and all their friends were also…

Wales head coach Ioan Cunningham has made five changes and one positional to the side that secured victories in the opening two rounds of the TikTok Women’s Six Nations. Prop Donna Rose, who scored two tries after coming off the bench against Ireland, will start at loosehead, while Sisilia Tuipulotu will make her first international start, partnering fellow Gloucester-Hartpury lock Gwen Crabb. Sioned Harries starts at No 8 with captain Siwan Lillicrap switching to the blindside flank. There is a new half-back pairing with Ffion Lewis, a try scorer last weekend against Scotland, starting with Robyn Wilkins. Cunningham said, “These…

Leading bike share operator nextbike and South Wales Police have been stepping out in tandem to help prevent cycle crime in Cardiff city centre. Police officers have joined nextbike’s maintenance teams on foot patrols around Cardiff to learn more about the OVO Bikes scheme and how to spot misuse of the system. Nextbike was forced to temporarily remove the OVO Bikes scheme last November after a spate of vandalism and thefts. Since the scheme’s reintroduction in January this year, nextbike has been working closely with various other groups in the area, including the police, to tackle the issue. Cardiff and…

An awards ceremony honouring and recognising businesses and entrepreneurs within the Vale of Glamorgan has been officially launched. The Vale of Glamorgan Business Awards will take place on September 16th at The Vale Hotel. The awards will bring together those entrepreneurial and innovative ventures that are making a difference within the Vale of Glamorgan County. The Vale of Glamorgan is growing rapidly as a location for economic activity for local businesses and is one of Wales’ most attractive locations, consistently being ranked as one of the top places to live and work in Wales. The awards are supported by a…

The English-Speaking Union Primary School Competition saw ten Cardiff primary schools compete against each other in a series of debates which took place at Howells School recently. Year 5 pupils, Shane Dite, Zion Sinacanoo and Daniil Osipovs, represented Baden Powell, taking on the roles of questioner, speaker and chairperson. Headteacher Ceri Gibbon said; “Aimed at encouraging quick thinking and building relationships, our team debated the benefits of pupils leading school assemblies. I am delighted that they have done so well and theactivity has promoted valuable speaking and listening skills which they put to use on the day. “After two years of…