Author: Rhys Gregory

Former international referee Nigel Owens has told William Hill that he doesn’t think Wales have a problem with slow starts, but says if they open Friday’s Six Nations game with France like they did against England then they’re in for a long night at the Principality Stadium. Wales have been criticised for starting slowly against Ireland and England during this year’s tournament, but Owens doesn’t believe it is an issue heading into Friday’s game. “They started well against Scotland, so I don’t think slow starts are a problem for Wales, but certainly against England they did start slowly and gave…

Newbridge RFC urges dog owners to do the right thing and pick up after their pets as part of a national dog fouling campaign from Keep Wales Tidy. The father of an eight-year-old boy, Jake, discovered dog poo smeared on the side of his son’s face whilst warming up to play an under 9s rugby game at Newbridge RFC in Caerphilly where the animals are banned. The dog poo narrowly avoided Jake’s eye, in what Newbridge RFC has described as a ‘close escape.’ Dafydd Martin-Lloyd, Director of Newbridge RFC said: “A young man left his house excited about going to…

Business Butler is investing in the future by providing rewarding work experience opportunities for young people. The Swansea based on-demand matching platform for startups and SMEs has taken on several participants during the past six months from the UK Government’s Kickstart Scheme and has recently added another four to the team. The scheme was devised to create thousands of new jobs for young people aged 16-24 at a time when it is needed most. Business Butler Founder and CEO, Bhupinder Sidhu is excited at being able to be help kickstart young people’s careers in the most challenging of times, as…

Cytiva, a global life sciences leader, is opening a new 11 000 m2 manufacturing facility in Cardiff, Wales. The site, part of a two year $1.5 billion (£1.1 billion) global expansion plan, has begun to make mixer bags, flow kits and tubing assemblies which will later be shipped to customers. These technologies are used in the development and production of biopharmaceuticals such as COVID-19 vaccines. Mary Blenn, Vice President Global Supply Chain at Cytiva, says: “Since 2020, we have invested and significantly increased global capacity to address our customers’ growing needs. We continue to expand with new manufacturing sites, such…

Working in collaboration with ISG, ARUP, and Austin Smith Lord, HLM Architects has developed a design concept for a new joint education campus in the Fairwater area of Cardiff, Wales. Capturing Cardiff Council’s vision, the Fairwater Campus will co-locate Cantonian High School, Woodlands Secondary Additional Learning Needs (ALN) School, and Riverbank Primary ALN School, all onto the existing Cantonian High School site in Fairwater. The development will form a fully inclusive state of the art campus for over 2,000 pupils and staff, which will also offer comprehensive facilities to the wider community outside of school hours. It will be the…

An ambitious cricket club is on the lookout for a new heavy roller for its spectacular ground beside the Menai Straits after receiving a grant funded by cash seized from criminals. Caernarfon Cricket Club was only formed in 2015 but they are already making an impact on the game after back-to-back promotions in the North Wales Cricket League. They will start the new season in April in Division Two after winning the Division Three title last summer but they need a new motorised roller to bring the pitches at their beautiful Aber Foreshore ground up to scratch. They used to…

A search has been launched to find the unsung heroes and heroines of social care in Wales who have “risen magnificently” to the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic. Entries are being sought for the 2022 Wales Care Awards, to honour the skill and devotion of people who work in social care looking after vulnerable children and adults. The event is making a welcome return after being cancelled during the last two years because of the pandemic The awards were introduced Care Forum Wales to inspire excellence in the care sector. As ever, this year’s event will take place in the…

Cardiff Animation Festival (CAF) has announced the full programme for its return to Cardiff on 7–10 April 2022. For the first time, CAF will be both online and in person, with online events running from 7–24 April. This year, the festival runners have crammed over 60 events into the in-person programme and 30 online, including feature films, shorts screenings, workshops, industry panels, masterclasses, networking opportunities, parties and more. Stand-out guests include the Oscar®-nominated Joanna Quinn, the animation team behind groundbreaking feature Flee, and Elizabeth Ito, creator of Netflix’s City of Ghosts. The Heads of Creature Effects from the BBC and…

In a year that saw the first Mazda vehicles roll off the Hofu Plant No.1 production line, Mazda welcomed Victoria Park Mazda to its UK dealer network. Now marking its 40th Anniversary, the Welsh dealership has received a commemorative plaque to celebrate the significant milestone. Established as a Mazda dealership since 1982, Victoria Park Mazda is one of Mazda’s longest-serving dealerships across the UK and has built a reputation for delivering first-class customer service in Cardiff. Currently located on Hadfield Road, Cardiff, the family-run business was named as the UK’s top Mazda dealership as ‘Dealer of the Year’ in 1989…

Swansea Building Society posted its best-ever set of results in 2021 as it helped to enable more individuals and families to realise their goals than ever before. Its total assets, mortgage balances, savings, capital and profits all reached record highs last year. This was partly achieved on the back of keeping its branch offices open for face-to-face and telephone/e-mail contact, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing it to welcome many new savers and mortgage customers. For the 12 months to December 31, 2021, the Society’s total assets increased by £49.1 million to £463.5 million, a 12% increase on…