Author: Rhys Gregory

A renowned artist from Rhondda is working with teenagers from a South Wales college to support their artistic dreams and help them develop a series of public artworks celebrating Wales and its culture. Treorchy artist and TV presenter, Siôn Tomos Owen, who previously fronted S4C’s Pobol y Rhondda, is hosting a number of bilingual workshops with art learners from Coleg y Cymoedd and working with the aspiring artists to create their own masterpieces. Learners on the programme, who are all studying a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, have developed their own murals which are being showcased on college buildings…

Health organisations and Senedd Members have united to show support for No Smoking Day, a national campaign which encourages smokers to quit on the second Wednesday of March each year.  This year’s campaign message is centred around ‘Never Quit Quitting’, which encourages smokers to not give up as each quit attempt brings a smoker closer to success. The campaign has reinforced this message through the voices of UK healthcare professionals, who have offered encouragement and first-hand insights into the benefits of quitting. Professor of Respiratory Medicine Keir Lewis has supported the campaign in Wales, saying: ‘’Today is a solid reason…

A fast-growing Flintshire amateur boxing club is launching new weekend training and coaching sessions for young people thanks to cash seized from criminals. Buckley Boxing Club was founded more than 100 years ago and has produced its fair share of champions and Welsh internationals but it is showing no signs of flagging. They already have more than 200 members aged from four to sixty plus who attend sessions at their gym off Drury Lane most evenings of the week. Now they want to extend their coaching for youngsters up to the age of 18 to weekends and they’ve been given…

Cardiff-based Coles Funeral Directors has taken the pledge to become a Dementia Friendly business, as part of the Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Friendly Communities initiative. Research shows that in 2020, 22,868 people were diagnosed with dementia and this brings its unique daily challenges for those living with the disease and their support network. Having faced their own experiences of this, the Coles team set out to become a Dementia Friendly business, working in collaboration with Marie Curie, to improve access to support across the business. Head of Communications, Francesca Coles said: “We’re passionate about becoming a dementia friendly organisation to ensure our services are accessible to all…

A North Wales construction firm has volunteered to help to create a welcoming reception space and the perfect atmosphere for a Bangor-based community hub offering essential support to those seeking better mental health. Team members from Wynne Construction donated their time and resources to refurbish two rooms in the Victorian-era building which houses Canolfan Abbey Road, helping give it a much-needed revamp.  Work completed by the company included forming a new doorway between two rooms, fixing the joists in floors, painting using supplies donated by subcontractor Curtis Painting Group, and providing new flooring, donated by subcontractor Idris Contract Flooring. Additional…

Experienced equity investor Duncan Gray has been appointed as Technology Venture Investments Director following a successful period of growth in the Development Bank of Wales’ Technology Venture Investments (TVI) division. Duncan takes over from Simon Thelwall-Jones who led the team from 2019 to December 2021. As the new director of technology ventures, Duncan progresses from his former role as Deputy Fund Manager (Strategic Portfolio) within the TVI team. He is replaced by Mark Bowman who has been promoted from Senior Investment Executive to Deputy Fund Manager. The TVI team has also expanded to include new joiners Oliver Wheatley as an…

Welsh soldiers take their annual St David’s Day celebrations to the next level by walking, running and cycling over nine-thousand miles to raise money for seriously ill children.  The challenge will see members of 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards in Cardiff and The Long Range Reconnaissance Group in Mali walk, run and cycle a total of 9,387 miles charting the distance from Cardiff to Mali. Around 1,000 soldiers will participate in this never-done-before challenge, being split into three groups to complete 3,129 miles each. “As a regiment, we celebrate St David’s Day every year, but this year we have been…

Innovative hangers may soon be lining the aisles of retail stores across the globe as a worldwide manufacturing company looks to expand on sustainable designs created alongside Bangor University undergraduates. Global hanger maker Mainetti has worked alongside the university to develop new ideas for hangers for use with some of the world’s largest fashion brands and retailers. The firm, which has more than 6,000 employees across six continents, produces the bulk of its new hanger designs at its factory in Wrexham, where Bangor students had previously undertaken work placements. Following contact from staff from the university’s School of Computer Sciences…

Singer-songwriter supreme Rufus Wainwright has announced a show at Rhyl Pavilion Theatre this summer which is only one of four UK Dates. The singer-songwriter who reached 12 million views on Youtube with Choir! Choir! Choir! Covering Leonard Cohen’s famous Hallelujah, will be coming to Rhyl Pavilion Theatre on 26th June, 2022 as 1 of only 4 UK dates to celebrate his ninth studio LP and first new pop album since 2021. Wainwright’s new album, Unfollow the Rules finds the artist at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a new-found fearlessness while remaining as creative,…

More than half of all eligible Senedd Members have already signed a Statement of Opinion calling for more action in Wales against the illegal ear cropping of dogs – as shocking new figures show calls received by the RSPCA about the mutilation reach record highs. In 2021, RSPCA investigators received 188 reports related to illegal ear cropping across England and Wales – an 86% increase on the 101 reports to the charity in 2020. Since 2015, when record keeping began, reports to the RSPCA have soared 1,243% – with only 14 reports received by the charity in 2015. RSPCA Cymru…