Author: Rhys Gregory

Keen to deliver more four-legged therapy to those in need in Cardiff, national charity, Pets As Therapy, is seeking 130 fury-friends and their owners to help offer companionship. Pets As Therapy is keen to find the most caring Cardiff pooches, so along with their owners they can bring comfort and joy to school children, patients in hospitals, care homes and hospices in the region. Contact with pets, especially dogs and cats, can be life-changing, not only do they help alleviate anxiety and loneliness but can aid recovery and of course offer unconditional love and affection. To help in the recruitment…

UP to 100 students took on Winter challenges at one of North Wales’s most popular outdoor activity centres. Level 2 and 3 Uniformed Public Services (UPS) learners from Coleg Cambria sites in Wrexham and Deeside participated in two five-day residential visits to Gwersyll yr Urdd Glan-Llyn, Llanuwchllyn, Bala. Led by Sports and Public Services lecturer Alan lowry – also the college’s Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award Coordinator – and UPS lecturer Gary Abnett, they enjoyed and endured a series of challenges in difficult weather conditions. “The learners got to grips with various outdoor activities including rock climbing, kayaking, canoeing, hill walking,…

Foundations are now being laid for a landmark new net-zero office development that will provide space for 600 jobs at the former Oceana nightclub site in Swansea city centre. The work will help pave the way for the start of constructing the building’s concrete frame in the coming months as The Kingsway’s transformation takes another step forward. Swansea Council is leading on the scheme, with Bouygues UK as main contractor. Due for completion in the summer of 2023, the five-storey scheme will be carbon zero in operation and worth £32.6 million a year to Swansea’s economy when finished. It will…

Welsh snacks manufacturer Trailhead Fine Foods is teaming up with a sporting events company to promote its award-winning beef jerky to runners, cyclists and others who enjoy outdoor sports. The Welshpool-based company, which makes the high protein snacks under the Get Jerky brand name, has agreed to sponsor a series of running and cycling events, together with a couple of talks, organised by Adrenaline Sporting Events throughout 2022. The eight-event series begins with the first Welshpool 10k run on Sunday, March 27, which was originally planned for 2020 but was cancelled due to the pandemic. The other events are Brynkinalt…

When the weather turns colder it can be easy to forget some of the dangers that come with it. The winter months can bring plummeting temperatures, alongside ice, snow and falling leaves, which can all increase the risk of a fall. As much as we would all like to continue with our daily plans and activities as normal, it’s important to be mindful of the weather conditions before venturing outside. There are many steps we can take to reduce the chances of a fall during a cold snap, both around the house and whilst out and about. Eleri D’Arcy, falls…

A new spatial database of dams and other river obstructions built partially or fully across the world’s largest rivers has been published. The Global River Obstructions Database (GROD) supports the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT)satellite mission led by NASA, CNES and Canadian and UK space agency partners to improve ocean and surface water topography measurements and determine how water bodies change over time. The database, and the approach to pairing people and computing power used to create it, came together over five years with contributions from several dozen researchers, students, and volunteers from Wales, the United States of America,…

The Neath-based supplier of environmental sensors, networks and data solutions has been acquired by Marston Holdings, the UK’s leading provider of integrated, technology-enabled transport solutions. Figures have not been disclosed. Marston supports government, utilities and private sector clients through the delivery of market leading integrated technology-enabled solutions from design through to implementation, management and recovery. Marston’s clients include local authorities seeking to build environmental schemes that reduce congestion and pollution.  With the acquisition of Vortex, Marston will strengthen its offering by delivering complementary air quality and acoustic monitoring solutions that maximise awareness, identify pollution hotspots and improve public health. Headquartered in…

An international research network led by Aberystwyth University is offering funding for research projects focusing on unarmed civilian protection in areas affected by conflict. The Creating Safer Space network works with communities in conflict-affected regions to enhance and strengthen civilians’ capacities to protect themselves and others. It also aims to create safer spaces in which communities can build infrastructures for sustainable peace and development. Berit Bliesemann de Guevara, Professor in International Politics at Aberystwyth University explains:  “According to the UN Refugee Agency, there are now a record high of 82.5 million people forcibly displaced by violent conflict, and most deaths in conflicts…

The Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, has announced over £1 million for projects to encourage more widespread use of Welsh. As part of the funding, £600,000 will be provided to the National Eisteddfod towards hosting the 2022 event in Tregaron. The funding will support the organisation’s preparations for this year’s event, due to take place between 30th July and 6th August, and help achieve its aims of opening the Eisteddfod to a wider audience. Funding will also be provided to the National Centre for Learning Welsh, for projects which include creating on-line taster courses for refugees and…

The Welsh Government’s Counsel General has called on the UK Government to back reforms to legal aid to ensure people can access to the support they need. Mick Antoniw said budget cuts over the last decade have risked creating one law for the rich and another for the poor. The Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid, chaired by Sir Christopher Bellamy QC, made a central recommendation that at least £135m additional funding is needed each year to ensure the criminal legal profession is adequately resourced. The review estimated that around 56% of arrested suspects requested free legal advice, and expressed…