Author: Rhys Gregory

A charity dedicated to helping people in rural communities deal with mental health issues has been praised by a young woman who knows all about the challenges of running a farm. Ffion Hooson was only 18 when her dad, Huw, suffered a stroke and she had to take over the day to day running of the family farm near Denbigh – and she admits the pressure almost proved too much for her. One of the things that helped her get through some dark days were social media messages posted by the charity The DPJ Foundation, set up in 2016 by…

A TV investigation stretching from North Wales to South America has made two dreams come true for a 91 year old great grandmother who was adopted when she was just a few weeks old. Retired carer Myra Williams, from Caernarfon, has been reunited with long lost relatives from Flintshire and she has been able to arrange for flowers to be laid on the grave of her beloved brother who died in a tragic accident in Brazil in 1953 at just 17 years of age. Myra knew she had been adopted and always yearned to know more about her birth family.…

The headline NatWest Wales Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – registered 47.7 in September, down from 48.1 in August to signal a modest contraction in output across the Welsh private sector. The pace of decline was quicker than the UK average and the fastest seen in Wales since February 2021. Lower business activity was often linked to supply chain issues and weak client demand. The drop in output was broad based, with manufacturers recording a slightly sharper downturn. New business across…

Campaigners from the League Against Cruel Sports held a family friendly roadshow in Brecon town centre on Sunday calling on the Welsh public to back a campaign to end the cruel cage breeding of pheasants and partridges. In the first of a series of events across Wales, volunteers and staff from the national animal welfare charity, including one in a pheasant costume, gathered on the High Street to encourage shoppers and local residents to contact their Members of the Senedd and urge them to back a ban on cage game bird breeding. Billie-Jade Thomas, senior public affairs officer (Wales) at…

Cardiff could soon see even more electric buses operating across the city thanks to a £8m grant designed to get cleaner vehicles on our streets. Cardiff Council’s Cabinet will take a decision at its next meeting on Thursday, 20th October, which would allow bus operators to bid for Welsh Government funds to help increase the number of electric buses operating in Cardiff. All bus companies operating in Cardiff could be given the opportunity to bid for the funding. Both Welsh Government and Cardiff Council want all buses operating in Cardiff to produce zero emissions by 2035. Cllr Dan De’Ath, Cabinet Member…

Grangemoor Park is scheduled to re-open to the public on the week commencing December 19th. The area was closed to the public to enable safety work to be carried out on the former landfill site that sits underneath Grangemoor Park. The existing pathways and access to the park have also been upgraded for park users and to ensure that the critical infrastructure on site can now be easily accessed and maintained by the council. Due to the nesting season some of the planned works had to be delayed this year, but this work is now progressing well and the park…

A whole generation of motorists has been spared a once familiar sight – nose-to-tail traffic queues as local and through traffic mixed on the old A48 Cardiff to Carmarthen trunk road which ran right through the heart of Morriston. Last month brought the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Morriston by-pass, a new road built to motorway standards and ultimately incorporated into the M4. The then Swansea City Council worked with the UK Government’s Welsh Office and others to deliver the new road project in 1972. Images – from the West Glamorgan Archive Service – offer a taste of…

Close to 110,000 – that’s how many visitors Swansea Arena has attracted since first opening its doors about six months ago. Developed by Swansea Council and run by Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), the arena stands at the heart of the city’s new £135m Copr Bay district. Stars to have already performed at the arena include John Bishop, Royal Blood, and Alice Cooper and The Cult. Forthcoming performances that tickets are still available for include Kaiser Chiefs on Wednesday November 2 and Level 42 on Wednesday November 9. The arena has also recently announced Wynne Evans for March 25 and Russell…

Jeremy Miles MS, Minister for Education and the Welsh Language in the Welsh Government, visited Fochriw Primary School to see their Curriculum for Wales journey, present a Welsh Language Award and celebrate National Poetry Day. The Minister had a tour of the school, led by representatives from the school’s pupil voice groups and the headteacher, Sharon Pascoe. Shortly afterwards, the Minister attended the school assembly where he presented the ‘Siarter Iaith Silver Award’ to the ‘Criw Cymraeg’. Finally, Jeremy Miles MS took part in the school’s ‘Daily Mile’ with the healthy confident pupils from Year 3 to Year 6. Sharon…

Transport for Wales are undertaking a programme of essential maintenance works to help ensure the safety and reliability of the railway, and to prepare for the upcoming South Wales Metro. This programme of work will require a temporary station closure between 10th October 2022 and 22nd November 2022. What’s happening They will undertaking works to the platform surface and installing modular anti-slip boards on both platforms. This will include tactile paving and white and yellow lining. A variety of equipment will be used, including light plant equipment such as generators, drills, paddle stirrers, and light break out drills. The work…