Author: Rhys Gregory

Friday 26 – Sunday 28 November 2021 will see the market town of Machynlleth host its inaugural, bilingual literary festival named Amdani! Fachynlleth. Literature & Travel Festival. This first festival, translated to Let’s Go! Machynlleth, will play homage to Jan Morris who was an award-winning Welsh historian, travel writer and author. She passed away in November 2019 so this event will take place on the second anniversary since her death. With her son Twm Morys’ blessing, and many of her author friends agreeing to take part, it’ll be a celebration of her life and achievements, as well as attendees hearing from…

Swansea University bioscientists have teamed up with a West Wales microbrewery to help it reduce its CO2emissions. They will be working with Pembrokeshire’s Bluestone Brewing Co using the CO2 emissions produced from the brewing process to cultivate microalgae which can then be used as biomass in a range of products. If successful, it is hoped that the solution will be replicable for other small scale CO2 producing companies. The craft brewery has won several awards over the years for its efforts at sustainable production as part of its quest to become a carbon neutral company. Bluestone’s Simon Turner described this…

Learna, the online postgraduate education provider, has seen its highest student intake for the second consecutive year with a 130% increase in admissions for 2021-22 compared to 12 months ago. The company has also reported a 41% increase in turnover, mirroring the trajectory of the wider online learning sector which has reported huge growth in the last eighteen months, building on momentum that existed even pre-pandemic as more and more people turned to learning online. Delivered in partnership with The University of South Wales, The University of Gibraltar, and now The University of Buckingham, Learna’s renowned online courses include specialist…

A runner from Wrexham has completed his 23rd London Marathon, helping to raise vital funds for North West Cancer Research. Chris Hall, who ran his first London Marathon in 1989, has raised more than £30,000 for the regional charity since 2004. After completing the renowned running event for the first time at 25, Chris still has the running bug at 57 and remains committed to using his hobby to help raise funds for a cause that’s close to his heart. North West Cancer Research is an independent charity dedicated to putting the region’s cancer needs first by funding life-saving research…

Great Taste, the world’s most coveted food and drink awards, has announced its stars of 2021, and a host of delicious Welsh food and drink products have been stamped with a gold seal of approval. An exceptional 270 Welsh products, ranging from small independent artisan producers to large scale distributors, have been successful at the awards, with 190 products achieving 1-star, 69 receiving 2-stars and 11 earning the gold stamp of approval with 3-stars. Every year a panel of distinguished judges made up of top chefs, cookery writers, food critics, restaurateurs and fine food retailers gather to sample the nation’s…

Dragon Taxis Vale of Glamorgan has donated £5000 to Welsh children’s hospice, TŷHafan. The campaign, launched in July, saw Dragon Taxis donate a percentage of all app bookings across the Vale of Glamorgan – one of the most recent regions to fall into Dragon Taxis’ service area – to the charity. Tŷ Hafan, one of the UK’s most well established and leading paediatric palliative care charities, offers comfort, care and support to life-limited children, young people and their families. This care is delivered at the hospice, in the community and in people’s homes, so that families can make the most…

A larger number of the 8000 objects detailing Flintshire and regional history held within the county can now go on display, thanks to the creation of a new exhibition space at a Holywell-based heritage centre. Originally comprising of two rooms, the floorplan of the new space at the museum within Greenfield Valley Heritage Park has been completely renovated into one larger, single space. The new location will be managed by the Aura Museum Service on behalf of the Greenfield Valley Trust. Greenfield Valley, which has a close working relationship with Flintshire County Council, is now opening the doors to locals…

The University Hospital of Wales will shine bright throughout Cardiff this Christmas bringing light and joy to patients, staff, visitors and the local community. The Shine Bright Appeal organised by Cardiff & Vale Health Charity hopes to raise £30,000 with local companies, schools and individuals sponsoring their own personalised light up star which will be fixed to the outer walls at the hospital. A light switch on event will be held on Monday 29th November at 5pm where we will be joined by Howell’s school choir and Birchgrove Primary school choir. The lights will be illuminated throughout December for everyone…

Brad Watson has joined Cornerstone Commercial Insurance as Senior Account Executive. Brad, who has spent 22 years within the commercial insurance industry, brings a wealth of experience as a broker. Cornerstone Commercial Insurance is part of the Cornerstone Finance Group – a hub of financial industry experts offering specialist interlinking services that work together to provide unrivalled service. The Group consists of commercial finance, commercial insurance, finance, protection and wealth. Brad has previously supported a range of clients, from single buyers to medium and large commercial enterprises, through business development, affiliate relationships, and sourcing solutions. He joins Cornerstone Commercial Insurance…

Insurance broker Gallagher today announces the appointment of Clive Smith as Managing Director of its corporate team in Wales. In this newly-created role, Clive will be responsible for leading a 30-strong team of insurance specialists across Gallagher’s Cardiff and Llantrisant offices, who advise mid-to-large corporate businesses on their risk and insurance requirements. He will also focus on growing Gallagher’s client base across Wales and the surrounding area. With over 30 years’ insurance industry experience, Clive has held a range of senior appointments both in the UK and overseas, with periods spent in South Africa, the US and Bermuda. Gallagher has…