Author: Rhys Gregory

Two teenagers from Cardiff have beaten learners from across Wales to win a national debating competition and represent the UK at a global exhibition in Dubai. Marzooq Subhani, 16, and Crystal Tran, 15, both Seren learners at Willows High School in Splott, secured their places to attend and debate at this year’s World Expo in Dubai after winning the Welsh leg of the ‘Dubai Expo Factor’ – a UK competition which sees teams of two young people from across the four UK nations compete in a series of debating challenges. The learners were crowned the winners for Wales, bagging themselves…

The Premier League is celebrating 15 years of its flagship community programme. Premier League Kicks has supported hundreds of thousands of young people to achieve their potential and improve their wellbeing through free weekly football sessions and educational workshops. One person who has benefitted from their involvement is Harri Stevens, of Swansea, who has been named as a Premier League Kicks “Local Legend” by the Swansea City AFC Foundation as part of the programme’s 15-year anniversary. Premier League Kicks began in the 2006/07 season in partnership with the Metropolitan Police, with the aim of involving and supporting young people in…

Macmillan Cancer Support is warning that Wales is failing to meet strict new targets designed to make sure people receive lifesaving cancer treatments on time. The latest cancer treatment waiting times data marks a full year since the Welsh Government launched its new national target that at least 75% of patients would start treatment within 62 days of first being suspected of cancer. In December only 58.6% started their treatment within the target timeframe – meaning an estimated 643 people faced delays during that one month alone. Macmillan warns that over the course of the first 12 months of the…

All female start-up accelerator and investment movement, We Are Radikl, is launching a free, fully funded three-month accelerator programme, designed specifically for women in business. Launching next month in South Wales, We Are Radikl is offering 80 free places to businesswomen in Bridgend and Caerphilly on their Rise programme; where successful candidates will benefit from practical learning, from inspirational teachers on all aspects of business. Rise is designed to take a start-up business to the next level through a programme of practical learning, live online workshops and pre-recorded lessons designed to help scale and grow businesses. The project is funded…

Acclaimed magician Tom Brace heads to Wales, this February half term, for one performance only at Barry’s Memo Arts Centre as part of his new show Tom Brace: Embrace The Impossible!’s UK tour. Tom Brace will bring his unique blend of comedy and magic to the venue on Friday 25th February at 7pm. Tom Brace loved his childhood. Roald Dahl, Cluedo and one film in particular from 1985… Join him for a hilarious evening of 1.21 gigawatts of magic as he showcases his unique, incredible and totally pointless abilities in a new show inspired by his past! Featuring Tom’s unique blend of comedy and magic, the show…

New research has revealed that Wales’ Aber Falls is the UK’s most Instagrammable waterfall. A study by creative resource Design Bundles analysed Instagram hashtag data and the Trip Advisor rating and reviews of the UK’s most loved waterfalls to find the ten waterfalls with the highest ‘Wonder Score’. The study reveals Aber Falls, located in Conwy County, Wales, is the most Instagrammable waterfall with a Wonder Score of 21.79. The hidden gem snapped a score of 8.75 with 25,631 posts under the hashtag #aberfalls and had a 3.05 score for the number of ratings – 446. The location boasts a…

Aberystwyth University historian Dr David Ceri Jones has co-authored a new book which documents the story of Christianity in Wales from its origins in Roman times right up to the present day. A History of Christianity in Wales draws on the expertise of four leading historians of the Welsh Christian tradition, and is based on the latest scholarship and study. Specifically designed for a general audience, the volume plots the chronological development of Welsh Christianity, documenting the waxing and waning of Christian practice in Wales over the centuries. Dr David Ceri Jones, Reader in Early Modern History at Aberystwyth University,…

Dreamachine is a powerful new kind of immersive experience exploring the limitless potential of the human mind and is due to land in Cardiff later this year. Created by Collective Act, it brings together Turner Prize-winning artists Assemble, Grammy and Mercury nominated composer Jon Hopkins, and a team of leading technologists, scientists and philosophers. It will be launched in London in May 2022, followed by presentations in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh, commissioned and presented as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK. Dreamachine is inspired by an extraordinary but little-known 1959 invention by artist-inventor Brion Gysin. His experimental homemade device used flickering…

Construction has started on an all-new Welsh-medium childcare hub that will serve families in the Garw Valley for generations to come. Part of a £2.8m investment into Welsh-medium childcare which is also establishing facilities at Blackmill, Bridgend and Porthcawl, the Bettws hub is being built on the former Boys and Girls Club site. The work, which had to be postponed after an ecological survey revealed that birds were nesting at the site, is being carried out by Stafford Construction and is expected to be complete by spring 2022. Designed to serve the Garw Valley and surrounding valleys gateway area, the…

Three new local businesses have been announced for Swansea’s emerging £135m Copr Bay phase one district. Frozziyo Frozen Yoghurt, Imperial Candy and KoKoDoo Korean Fried Chicken will lease units on Cupid Way – a new link between the city centre and Swansea Arena that leads to the new bridge over Oystermouth Road. Frozziyo Frozen Yoghurt will allow customers to help themselves to a range of flavoured frozen yoghurt from self-service machines and a wide range of toppings and sauces. It will be led by Katharine Partner, who is also managing director of Swansea-based Rock the Dragon – a dance shop…