Author: Rhys Gregory

An “inspirational” financial planner is to run the London Marathon in aid of a children’s hospice charity just a year after having a kidney transplant. Rhys Owen, 34, from Bangor, who works for Hadlow Edwards Wealth Management Ltd in Wrexham, is back on the road to fitness after his loving younger sister donated one of her kidneys to him. He says he has been given a new lease of life following the operation in February 2020 and as a way of thanking sister, Hannah Owen, 26, he is resolved to make the most of his future. According to Rhys, he…

A Gwynedd care home group has been granted permission by a leading dementia organisation to establish an all-inclusive support service to those living with dementia and their families, the first such scheme within nursing homes in Wales. Meddyg Care, which operates two specialist dementia homes in Criccieth and Porthmadog, have been given approval by national charity Dementia UK to employ an Admiral nurse. The position covers three main disciplines which aim to further assist the work carried out by traditional carers. Admiral nurses offer comprehensive and focused knowledge to help families and those living with dementia through all stages of…

Work on a major public realm improvement in Llangollen will start on Monday, October 4. Following approval by Denbighshire County Council’s Cabinet in July 2021, the Llangollen 2020 Castle Street Improvement project is being undertaken by the Council in partnership with Welsh Government and Transport for Wales. The scheme, which involves making a number improvements along Castle Street, has been developed following extensive consultation with the local community, local county councillors and Llangollen Town Council. Work includes: Widened footways on both sides of Castle Street; New footway construction using natural stone paving materials; A raised junction table at the junction…

With planning for winter festivities across the city now in full swing, Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland has unveiled plans for their 2021 event- and it’s not like anything you’ve seen before. Split across two locations in the heart of the city centre, visitors will now be able to experience Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland at both City Hall Lawns and Cardiff Castle. This year, the Castle grounds will become home to a mighty undercover ice rink and a magical 150m ice walk, allowing for a skating experience against the backdrop of the spectacular Norman Keep. In addition to its popular funfair attractions, City…

On Saturday 2nd (9:00 am-7:30 pm) and Sunday 3rd October (11:00 am-5:00 pm), the Lush Spa Cardiff team will welcome the Sleepy pop-up at St David’s Cardiff (located close to Boots) to bring some mindfulness to the Cardiff community. Lush’s best selling Sleepy range is going on tour, bringing a Sleepy shoppable experience to a location near you. Offering visitors the opportunity to connect with the best selling Sleepy collection along with providing Sleepy exclusives, Christmas sneak peeks and a mindfulness installation. The tour will be visiting Glasgow, Leeds, London and Cardiff. The Sleepy pop-up will host a tunnel where visitors…

Secondary schools in Denbighshire are to take extra precautions to reduce the spread of Covid-19. Due to an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases associated with schools, learners and staff will be undertaking further measures to help control the spread of the virus. This includes continuing to encourage pupils and staff to take twice weekly LFD tests to help identify and isolate asymptomatic cases and the wearing of face coverings by secondary school pupils, staff and visitors in indoor communal areas outside of the classroom. Other arrangements include reducing close interactions between staff and learners such as physical distancing…

NFTS Cymru Wales in partnership with Creative Wales and BBC Cymru Wales, has marked the launch of its first slate of film and television courses with a Q&A event featuring special guest, acclaimed Welsh director Euros Lyn whose credits include Doctor Who, Sherlock and recent feature, Dream Horse. Based within Central Square, BBC Cymru Wales new broadcast centre in Cardiff, the Welsh hub of the National Film and Television School (NFTS) provides the gold standard of training it is renowned for globally to support emerging Welsh talent as well as strengthen skills development. For half a century, the NFTS has developed…

A new study by online savings platform BravoVoucher reveals the top countries with the savviest consumers as part of the Smart Shopper Index, a global ranking of the top countries where consumers are the savviest with their spending habits and their savings. Brits amongst least savvy consumers in the Smart Shopper Index The study analysed several consumer habits including household savings and debt, purchase consideration, overall spending relative to cost of living, and food spending relative to cost in all OECD countries for which data was available, and aggregated these in a points-based index to find out which countries have…

From September through to November, National Trust Cymru is excited to be welcoming some very special guests to the Blue Lagoon, Pembrokeshire. Recent years have seen increasing numbers of the Grey seal population breeding in and around the lagoon and spotting them is an exciting wildlife encounter that many visitors won’t forget. However, the combination of the Blue Lagoons high visitor numbers, and its sheltered nature which makes it so attractive to seals, creates a situation where there is a high potential for disturbance to seals. The time seals spend resting on land is vital to their health and that…

Pembrokeshire County Council’s ambitions to develop a new flagship heritage attraction project at Haverfordwest Castle have moved a step closer following the approval of a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) for the site. Formally adopted by Cabinet, the CMP has undergone consultation with tourism and heritage professionals and the broader public. This plan is a key document that will guide the protection and enhancement of the site’s significance. Cllr Paul Miller, Cabinet Member for the Economy, Tourism, Leisure and Culture, said he was delighted the CMP had been approved. “Haverfordwest Castle is one of the County’s most under-utilised heritage assets despite…