Author: Rhys Gregory

The rugby aces at Monmouth School for Boys are shining nationally after recording five successive wins. Captain, Theo Mayell, is leading the 1st XV who are unbeaten so far this season and gaining momentum in the 2021 SOCS Daily Mail Schools Trophy. Monmouth’s best win has been a 29-3 success over Cheltenham College, while they have also recorded a 20-5 cup victory at RGS Worcester. It’s a winning run matched only this autumn by KCS Wimbledon, Epsom and Kirkham in this national merit table, which has attracted 120 teams. The school will be hoping to rival their 2014 squad who…

Leading British community pubs owner Amber Taverns is gearing up to open new sites in the South West and South Wales continuing its UK expansion, advised by Savills. The business, which operates over 160 pubs in the Midlands, Wales, North of England and Scotland, has opened three sites in the UK this year, all of which have been retail conversions. They are now on the hunt for freehold or long leasehold high street locations in the South West of England and in South Wales. Stuart Stares, Associate Director in the Licensed Leisure team at Savills, says: “With the economy opening…

Nearly two years after bereavement support charity 2Wish presented a petition to the Senedd urging Welsh Government to provide families who suddenly lose a child crucial grief support, the petition is finally being debated by the plenary committee on November 3rd. The petition, which has more than 5,000 signatures, is calling on the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to provide immediate support to families of children aged 25 and under who die suddenly. There is currently no official bereavement support for these families in Wales, it is all provided by 2wish. The charity works with every…

Ellen Wakelam, co-founder and owner of award-winning West Wales distillery, In the Welsh Wind, has been shortlisted as a finalist in the prestigious Natwest Everywoman Awards 2021. Ellen Wakelam, who founded the distillery with her partner Alex Jungmayr, near Cardigan in January 2018, is a finalist in the ‘Demeter’ category which recognises the most inspirational woman running a business trading from three to five years. The winners will be announced at a celebratory lunch in London on December 7, 2021. Educated in Cardigan, she graduated with a degree in geography and qualified and worked as a secondary school teacher, having…

University leaders in Swansea are hailing the £1.7bn Blue Eden development as a transformational project that will secure the city’s standing as a globally significant centre for innovation in renewable energy. A 9.5km tidal lagoon structure forms part of the Blue Eden project, which will include state-of-the-start underwater turbines generating 320 megawatts of renewable energy. Blue Eden is being led by Bridgend-based DST Innovations and business partners, with support from Swansea Council and Associated British Ports. Made possible by funding from the private sector, the project will be delivered in three phases over 12 years. It also includes a manufacturing…

Residents and businesses of Morriston are being encouraged to take part in a Victorian-themed Christmas event. Shops are being invited to dress their windows in period style, entertainment is planned for Woodfield Street, the main shopping street – and residents will be asked to shop locally. Business staff are being urged to dress like the Victorians – anything from the landed gentry to miners and copper workers. The Christmas event – Saturday, November 27 – is being organised by Swansea Council which already has a regeneration project focused on the celebrated Victorian landmark Morriston Tabernacle. Council cabinet member Robert Francis-Davies…

A Covid mobile testing unit will soon be operating in Pontardawe on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am-5pm. The unit will offer a bookable testing option for people with either the ‘classic’ signs of coronavirus or other symptoms they may feel are unusual for them or their child. These may include flu-like symptoms, including any or all of: myalgia (muscle ache or pain); excessive tiredness; persistent headache; runny nose or blocked nose (unless this is a known hay fever symptom for the individual); persistent sneezing; sore throat and/or hoarseness, shortness of breath or wheezing; Testing will also be open to anyone…

Earlier this year, Caerphilly county borough council unveiled an ambitious blueprint for the future of the area, which included exciting investment proposals totalling more than half a billion pounds. The Leader of Council, Cllr Philippa Marsden, is now fronting an eye-catching campaign that shows in detail how the council’s exciting investment strategy, called the Place Shaping plan, is already changing the lives of residents across the county borough. In total, the Place Shaping plan will deliver more than £500million of investment across all parts of the county borough. The money is split into three distinct parts: £153 million – the…

The Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales, Christianne Glossop has confirmed the presence of avian influenza H5N1 in poultry and wild birds at a premises in the Wrexham County Borough area. Temporary Disease Control zones of 3km and 10km have been imposed around the small infected poultry premises, to limit the risk of disease spread. A veterinary investigation is underway, however, dead wild birds found in the area have tested positive for the virus and are believed to be the source of infection. The risk to public health from the virus is considered to be very low and these cases do…

Education and Welsh Language Minister Jeremy Miles has today announced that all new school and college buildings, major refurbishment and extension projects will be required to meet Net Zero Carbon targets from January 1 2022. Buildings will be required to be Net Zero Carbon in operation, which means producing zero or negative carbon emissions as part of their operational energy. The first  generation of schools and colleges under the new rules will also be required to demonstrate a 20% reduction on the amount of embodied carbon, which is the carbon emitted through construction materials and the construction process, with further…