Author: Rhys Gregory

The First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, will today host the first Ireland-Wales Forum to be held in Cardiff with Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney T.D. The forum is a key commitment set out in the Shared Statement and Joint Action Plan launched in March of this year. Both Governments will commit to strengthen the political and economic ties between the two countries. As we look ahead to the COP26 summit in Glasgow the Forum is a chance to discuss co-operation on green energy, climate action and shared ambitions to meet Net Zero targets.  The First Minister said,…

The Welsh Government has today announced its intention to introduce financial incentives to help recruit more ethnic minority teachers. This comes as part of a wider plan being published today that will focus on increasing diversity among applicants into Initial Teacher Education courses. The latest Annual Education Workforce Statistics found that only 1.3% of school teachers in Wales identified as being from an ethnic minority background, compared to 12% of learners. The Plan will include targeting promotion of teaching as a career to more people from ethnic minority communities. There will also be a requirement for Initial Teacher Education courses…

Although it is fair to say that the coronavirus pandemic has not gone away, normal life for many people has been returning. In turn, this has meant that many people are looking to get out and about more. However, there are still doubts among wide sections of the population concerning the use of public transport. Before the pandemic, people might not have worried about taking a bus journey, hopping onto a tube train or even booking an intercity service. However, they are more likely to want to get to their chosen destination under their own steam these days. What this…

Sports betting is a pastime for many sports fans in the UK. According to the Telegraph, 40% of bettors in Britain prefer to wager on football. Horse racing, tennis, golf, cricket, rugby, boxing and North American Sports follow next. Although there are numerous sports you can bet on, it’s essential to choose a couple of sports to focus on. That’s the only way you can become a successful punter. That being said, you also need to choose a reliable betting site by checking for these features: #1: A License from the UKGC With more than 500 betting sites accepting players…

South Wales police have confirmed the name of the man who died following an assault outside the Colliers Arms, Penywaun, Aberdare at approximately 1.10am on Sunday, October 17th. Keyron Curtis, 21, was from Cwmdare, and his family have paid the following tribute to him: “Keyron was a friendly, easy-going family boy with a heart of gold. He was loved by us all, and always put other people before himself. He was to become a father in a few weeks and would have been a great dad. He will be sorely missed by all of his family and friends” A 24…

Kerry Vale Vineyard is celebrating following this year’s “very successful” harvest of grapes from the five-acre site on the Powys-Shropshire border. Husband and wife team Russell and Janet Cooke say they are delighted with the quantity and quality of their grapes this year. The family, their workforce and a fantastic team of local volunteers, harvested a whopping 12 tonnes of grapes over three days. “The last month has been incredibly busy, but also very exciting,” said Russell. “Harvest time is the culmination of a year’s worth of work on the vineyard, and determines our future wine production capabilities. “This year’s…

Vale of Glamorgan town centres will be fa-boo-lously transformed this half term to celebrate Halloween. With the aim of getting families back on to the high streets to enjoy all that local traders have to offer following the COVID19 pandemic, the Council is hosting Halloween themed events across Barry, Cowbridge, Llantwit Major and Penarth in a bid to drive footfall into the town centres. Each town centre will have a host of spooktacular events for visitors to take part in, including Halloween trails, face painting, pumpkin carving, a lantern parade, High Street Trick or Treats, and much more! A number…

An impressive line-up of speakers has been secured for the 2021 Mid Wales Tourism and Hospitality Conference will be held at The Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod Wells on November 9. Organised by MWT Cymru, it will be the first major tourism and hospitality conference held in Wales since the Covid-19 pandemic began in the UK last year. The conference is being sponsored by pan-Wales apprenticeship provider Cambrian Training Company and supported by Visit Wales. The morning speakers will be Lucy Von Weber, head of marketing at Visit Wales, experienced travel journalist York Membery, Arwyn Watkin, OBE, managing director of Cambrian Training…

Business leaders say securing freeport status for Holyhead would be a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to turbo charge the North Wales economy. According to the North Wales and Mersey Dee Business Council, it would help attract billions of pounds of investment and create thousands of new jobs. The influential organisation’s Commercial Director, Ashley Rogers, spoke out after meeting Anglesey MP Virginia Crosbie, who is leading the freeport campaign, and a senior figure from Rolls-Royce who want to build up to four mini-nuclear reactors on the island. The MP is also pushing for two new full-size reactors to be built on the Wylfa…

South Wales Police will be holding an anonymous offensive weapon surrender scheme giving the public an opportunity to hand in weapons to get them off the streets and help prevent serious violence. The scheme runs from 20th October until 20th December. Changes to legislation brought about by the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 earlier this year means that it is now an offence to possess certain items such as knuckledusters, throwing stars and zombie knives, even in private. It also includes an updated definition of flick knives to reflect changes in weapon designs, and the banning of private possession of flick knives and…