Author: Rhys Gregory

A fraudster who stole nearly £1.9 million of taxpayers’ money to fund a lavish lifestyle, including buying three Spanish villas, has been jailed for five-and-a-half years. Graham Drury, 69, of Strathalyn, Rossett, Wrexham, stole almost £1.9m by submitting fraudulent VAT returns to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The claims were made through his company, Drury Machine Sales Ltd, to cover VAT payments made on machinery that was never purchased. Drury used the stolen money to buy several properties; one in the UK and three villas in Spain which he regularly visited on holiday. Drury was arrested on 13 January 2019…

Detectives investigating the death of five year old Logan Mwangi from Sarn, Bridgend have charged three people. John Cole, 39, of Sarn, Bridgend, has been charged with murder. John Cole, Angharad Williamson, 30, also of Sarn, and a 13 year-old boy have been jointly charged with perverting the course of justice. All three are remanded in custody and will appear before Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, August 5. Senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Mark O’Shea, said:  “This is a very harrowing case for all involved and I extend my deepest sympathies to Logan’s family and friends. “This remains an…

Redrow, the premium housebuilder headquartered in north Wales, is to create a development of 76 new homes on the former grounds of Queens Comprehensive School at Queen’s Hill, Newport. Following the reserved matters approval by Newport City Council today (4 August), Redrow will purchase the land from the local authority and joint owners, Residual Lands Limited. The 8.7-acre brownfield site is allocated for residential development within the city’s Local Development Plan and the new development will include 11 affordable one and two bedroom homes. Redrow expects to begin demolition and site clearance in the coming months to start construction in…

Town centres in the Vale of Glamorgan are looking blooming lovely this month as the Vale of Glamorgan Council hosts its inaugural Festival of Flowers. With the aim of helping its high streets ‘bloom’ back to life following the COVID19 pandemic, the Council is hosting the event in a bid to drive footfall into the town centres of Barry, Cowbridge, Llantwit Major and Penarth. Each town centre has a flower trail for local residents and visitors to take part in, giving them the chance to win £100 to spend on the high street. Trail maps are available from traders on…

Ceredigion Museum is to reopen its doors to the public on 12 August 2021 after being closed due to the pandemic. It will reopen with Human Threads; a stunning exhibition of historic quilts, with the addition of two new quilts (one digital and one physical) made by Ceredigion residents to record their experiences of the pandemic. Museum staff said that they are excited to be reopening with a wonderful exhibition, having missed visitors and access to the museum for over a year. Research by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions shows that 75% of respondents want visitor attractions to retain…

Later this month, both Cardiff’s Castle grounds & Swansea’s Singleton Park will be filled with the sound of live music for the first time since the start of the pandemic, almost 18 months ago. With more than 35,000 tickets sold across five events at two venues, the organisers at DEPOT Live have now shared details of the COVID safety precautions and procedures that will need to be followed at each, to ensure a safe and enjoyable time for all. Developed in partnership with Public Health Wales and the Local Authorities, the rules state that: ALL customers aged 14 and over…

A Swansea Bay paediatric nurse has been named as a finalist for a prestigious award for her work in raising awareness of the challenges faced by children with feeding tubes. Louise Heywood, a paediatric nutrition nurse in Morriston Hospital works with 85 families and their children who have nasogastric (NG) tubes. These special tubes keep children, who are unable to eat normally, alive. They deliver food, fluid and medicine to the stomach through a tube in the nose. Louise has been nominated in the Enhancing Patient Dignity category of this year’s Nursing Times Awards for producing a video called ‘This…

LEADING North Wales organisations made great strides in supporting people experiencing mental health issues or isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic. Led by Conwy Mind and funded by Conwy Valley and North West Wales Coast Community Rail Partnership and Carneddau Landscape Partnership Scheme, more than 80 people took part in the Walking for Wellbeing programme throughout July. All routes began at a bus stop or train station and included socially distanced leader-led hikes of varying difficulties and lengths around Conwy, Llanrwst and Abergwyngregyn. The final leg took place in Betws-y-Coed on Wednesday, where participants also enjoyed sensory activities and mindfulness sessions.…

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has welcomed a report and recommendations by the Welsh Affairs Committee on the implications of a UK Australia Free Trade Agreement for Wales. The report, published after two evidence sessions held in July, calls for the UK Government to take a number of steps the union says would increase transparency around the deal and its impacts for Wales and clarify what, if any, safeguards would be in place in worst case scenarios that adversely impacted UK agriculture. Speaking after the report’s publication, FUW Head of Policy Dr Nick Fenwick, who gave evidence to the Committee,…

A new ‘bee friendly’ approach to managing Neath Port Talbot Council’s verges and grasslands has been adopted by the council’s Regeneration and Sustainable Development Cabinet Board. The Bee Friendly Scheme, approved on Friday, July 30th, 2021, will see a big increase in wildflower species and the insects such as bees which pollinate them in support of the council’s Biodiversity Duty Plan and the NPT Nature Recovery Action Plan. The scheme has been prepared jointly by the council’s Neighbourhood Services and Countryside and Wildlife Teams, in consultation with other sections across the council, with the aim of increasing the area and…