Author: Rhys Gregory

The A487 Caernarfon and Bontnewydd bypass has been completed ahead of time and will now open to traffic on Saturday 19 February rather than Friday 18 February in order not to encourage any unnecessary travel during Storm Eunice. Construction of the £139m scheme, delivered by the Balfour Beatty Jones Bros Joint Venture, began in 2019 with work continuing throughout the Covid-19 pandemic with safeguards in place to protect the workforce. One of the largest recent infrastructure projects in North Wales, the 9.7km bypass runs from the Goat Roundabout on the A499/A487 to the Plas Menai roundabout. 17 major structures were…

The legal requirement to show a Covid Pass to enter certain venues and events in Wales has now been lifted by the Welsh Government, the Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden has confirmed. The move comes as the Welsh Government continues to lift some of its remaining coronavirus protections as cases continue to fall. From today (Friday 18 February), the domestic Covid Pass will no longer be required for entry into indoor or outdoor events and venues, including nightclubs, cinemas, theatres and concert halls. But events and venues will be able to continue to use it if they…

A new app has just been launched that puts the power to rate and help improve communities in the hands of young people. Now, thanks to the new RPlace app, it only takes youngsters a few clicks to share what they like – and hate – about where they live, play and go with their friends and have their say on what needs to improve. The free secure app, supported by Play Wales, has been developed by the HAPPEN and ACTIVE research projects based at Swansea University which both study ways of improving young people’s lives. RPlace allows young people…

The prestigious Wales Harp Festival returns this year after the Covid-19 pandemic forced its cancellation two years ago and into becoming a virtual event in 2021. There will be a live audience at Galeri Caernarfon when it becomes the centre of the harp playing world with the staging of the event for two days on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 12 and13. Under the artistic direction of Elinor Bennett, an internationally-renowned harpist, the festival combines concerts with master classes and workshops, offering harpists of all ages and abilities the opportunity of learning from some of the best performers in the world.…

A popular Welsh TV soap star and singer has taken on a new starring role – at a care  home in Caernarfon. Well known actor and S4C favourite Emyr Gibson told how the career move was one of the most surprising of his life, but one about which he has no regrets. He has been bowled over by the way his acting skills and musicianship fuse perfectly with the demands of his new job working within the enrichment therapies team at Pendine Park’s Bryn Seiont Newydd. Emyr works three days a week, six hours each day, as the actor-in-residence at…

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…