Author: Rhys Gregory

Glandwr Dental Practice in Pwllheli has converted a former restaurant into a state-of-the-art new dental practice with the support of funding from Lloyds Bank. Dr Dylan Jones, owner of Glandwr Dental Practice, has transformed the building into a new six-surgery site in the centre of Pwllheli, after outgrowing his previous two-surgery practice in Criccieth following an increase in demand. The renovation means dining chairs have been replaced by dental chairs, and cutlery with cutting-edge equipment to provide high-quality dental care. It will also operate a new training facility to help other local dentists develop their skills. The new practice will…

A successful partnership between the Culinary Association of Wales and Grŵp Llandrillo Menai spanning a decade has been celebrated with the signing of a new agreement. The agreement will see the Junior Culinary Team Wales, which flies the Welsh flag in competitions around the globe, continue to be based at the Grŵp’s campus in Rhos-on-Sea where team manager Michael Evans is a lecturer. Under the agreement, Grŵp Llandrillo Menai provides a base, sponsorship and a coach for the junior team, which comprises talented chefs aged 23 years and under. The partnership began in 2011 when the Junior Culinary Team Wales was re-formed…

A top Welsh butcher is ramping up production to make a record number of pigs in blankets to allay fears of a shortage this Christmas. Edwards of Conwy are well on the way to wrapping over 180,000 of their tasty pork chipolatas at their newly-expanded headquarters on the Morfa Conwy Business Park. The team swung into action after warnings in the autumn that the meaty festive treat to accompany the traditional turkey dinner would be in short supply this year. This year too for the first time the seasonal special with an overcoat of succulent smoky bacon will be on…

Aldi is increasing its pay rates for store colleagues in Wales from 1st February 2022, maintaining its position as the UK’s best-paying supermarket. The UK’s fifth-largest supermarket will pay all Store Assistants at least £10.10 an hour nationally and £11.55 for those inside the M25. Aldi remains the only supermarket to offer paid breaks, which for the average store colleague is worth £750 annually. Its new rates exceed the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended real living wage rates of £9.90 an hour nationally and £11.05 an hour inside the M25. Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer, Aldi UK and Ireland said: “The…

South Wales Police is appealing for information concerning the whereabouts of Benjamin Willie in connection with a kidnap investigation. Last year, a 20-year-old man was driven from Cardiff in a grey Audi Q5 bearing false registration plates to an address in Hemel Hempstead from where a successful rescue operation involving officers from several police forces was carried out. South Wales Police Major Crime Investigation Team continues to investigate the incident which happened between Friday 11th and Saturday 12th December 2020. 11 men from north-west London and Hertfordshire have been charged in connection with the incident and are remanded in custody.…

FinTech Wales has announced that applications are now being accepted for its 2022 FinTech focused accelerator programme, the FinTech Wales Foundry. The 12-week, no equity programme, titled The Foundry: Validate Raise & Scale, is the only one of its kind in Wales, and the themes for 2022 will include helping founders overcome the challenges of fundraising and scaling a new venture successfully. FinTech Wales is encouraging applications from startups in Banking, Insurance, Wealth Management, Financial Services, and FinTech, before the closing date of applications on December 24th, 2021. Experienced entrepreneur Neil Cocker has been announced as the year’s programme director.…

TUDENTS raised more than £9,000 in a matter of weeks for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal. The pandemic could not stop Uniformed Public Services learners at Coleg Cambria achieving the staggering total of £9,157 for the charity campaign. And that takes the college’s overall figure to £24,474 since 2015, a remarkable effort. Lecturer Jason Ferguson was overwhelmed by the determination and imagination of those involved, and the generosity of the community. “It’s a magnificent result and testament to the hard work of the staff and students, who were focused on raising more money than we ever have before for…

A big new step is about to be taken in the repair and restoration of an historic Swansea landmark. It will help lead to the return of Landore’s 112-year-old Bascule Bridge. The structure is earmarked by Swansea Council as a key heritage feature of the Hafod-Morfa Copperworks site’s bright future. The aim is to re-install the restored 70-tonne steel span at its site crossing the River Tawe. Restoration work, in the form of detailed investigations, structural repairs and painting, has taken place at Afon Engineering, Swansea Vale, since summer 2019. Having investigated the bridge’s timberwork that helps support the span,…

Earlier this year, Bridgend County Borough put itself on the map as one of the country’s most beautiful areas after scooping nine Green Flag awards. Among the success stories was Tremains Wood, a small ancient woodland area in the centre of a Brackla housing area, which received a Community Award, its maiden Green Flag triumph. The journey to achieving the award started in January with Tremains Wood Rangers Dana Boon and Mark Payn highlighting the site’s best features and the works that are being implemented in an application The woods were then visited by a judge who assessed them against…

Urgent changes to the way in which people receive their Covid-19 booster vaccinations are being introduced as national efforts to fight the spread of the new Omicron variant get underway. The move follows the recent announcement from Welsh Government confirming that all eligible adults in Wales will be offered a Covid-19 vaccination booster shot by the end of the month. To achieve this, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board now needs to deliver 166,000 boosters across the region by 31 December 2021. For Bridgend County Borough, it means that a number of important changes need to be introduced at the…