Author: Rhys Gregory

An animal bedding company that champions the mental health and wellbeing of its staff has given every member of the team a £1,000 Covid bonus. Family firm Platts Agriculture says it’s a way of saying thank you to the workforce for their “incredible help” in navigating the problems thrown up by the pandemic. The Wrexham-based company overcame a whole host of difficulties to achieve a 6.5 per cent hike in turnover, with the number of staff rising from 54 to 62. It has also set up two new stand-alone sister companies, haulage operation Platts Transport and Platts Commercial Services which…

A rogue builder who duped four victims out of just under £15,000 has been sent to prison for three years. Alan John Freeman, 63, from Mynachdy in Cardiff, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court, last Friday, March 25th. Freeman, operating through the company name, ‘Alexander Building Maintenance’ – requested a significant deposit from his victims for work to their homes, often carrying out work without the correct qualifications or a licence from Natural Resources Wales to remove waste from their property. In all four cases, Freeman quoted a ‘very reasonable price’ for the work, with half of the cost being…

Neath Port Talbot Council is launching a new Property Development Fund covering Harbourside, Baglan Energy Park and Baglan Industrial Estate. The fund will seek to encourage and enable development in the town’s former docklands. It will be used to fund the financial gap between the high construction costs of commercial/industrial buildings and the completed end market value of the properties. The fund can also be used for building refurbishments on the three eligible sites. The property development fund (PDF) will specifically target the research, development and innovation sectors, with the aim of creating jobs. Eligible schemes will be awarded up…

The School Sport Survey which began in 2011 gives children and young people the opportunity to have their say on sport. Every school in Wales is invited to take part in the School Sport Survey and aims to identify young peoples’ attitudes, behaviours and opportunities in sport during school, extra-curricular and community provisions. The survey helps to understand who, where and how often young people are taking part in sport. The use of pupil voice provides an invaluable level of insight that can be used to positively influence the health and wellbeing of children. The results from previous surveys have…

Monmouthshire’s first Library of Things opens its doors in Monmouth on April 1st. It allows people to borrow things that they need but don’t own, saving money and space in their homes. This includes equipment for entertainment, household items or garden tools. It also allows residents to donate things they no longer need, helping to reduce waste, all whilst meeting and sharing knowledge and skills with others. Monmouth’s Library of Things is named Benthyg Monmouth, benthyg being the Welsh word meaning to borrow or lend.  Benthyg Cymru and local community groups have trained up a team of local volunteers who…

Merthyr Tydfil players are making big strides in the sport of street football, with several members selected for the county borough side, and the team itself winning two championships in the past 12 months. Chaplin’s hostel residents Lloyd Jones and Thomas Jones, and Adam Davies – who was once sofa surfing but is now living in Merthyr Tydfil with his partner – were all selected to take part in the Four Nations Challenge Cup in Edinburgh, and the club has won two cup competitions, the Swansea Memorial Cup and the Street Football Wales Cardiff 2022 Cup. Two teams from Merthyr…

Health Minister Eluned Morgan has warned the health and social care system in Wales is currently under ‘extraordinary pressure’ as a result of a range of factors. Significant challenges caused by COVID outbreaks within hospitals limiting available bed capacity, high levels of COVID in the community, staff sickness absence and blockages in patient flow through hospitals leading to difficulties discharging patients have put the sector under strain. These issues, which NHS Wales and social care staff are working tirelessly to manage, have been exacerbated by a recent increase in levels of demand. People in Wales are being urged to ‘help…

£25m is being invested in school kitchen and dining infrastructure, as part of plans to roll out free school meals to all primary school children in Wales, the Welsh Government has announced. The policy is part of the Co-operation Agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, which will see free school meals extended to all primary school pupils over the next three years. From September, some of the youngest children in primary schools will begin receiving free school meals as the policy is introduced in a phased way. Working with schools and local authorities, the Welsh Government will plan…

Since their debut EP release in 2001, The Coral have sold over a million UK albums. Their self-titled debut received a Mercury Music Prize nomination and the band have had five Top Ten UK albums including 2003’s chart-topping ‘Magic and Medicine’. During their career they’ve had eight Top 40 singles include the hits ‘Dreaming Of You’, ‘Pass It On’ and ‘In The Morning’. Last year they released their ninth studio album, the critically acclaimed ‘Move Through the Dawn’, proving The Coral are one of the most consistent bands in the UK thanks to their knack for crafting great songs and frontman James Skelly’s powerful vocals.…

COLEG CAMBRIA University Centre has launched a series of fully funded digital degree apprenticeships. Delivered in partnership with Bangor University, the programmes begin this September and are aimed at supporting the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of workers for no extra cost. The apprenticeships are in Applied Data Science, Applied Software Engineering, and Applied Cyber Security, with tuition fees – which equate to £27,000 over three years – funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), subject to confirmation. Based at the college’s Yale site in Wrexham the flexible nature of the courses will allow participants to continue in…