Author: Rhys Gregory

Elementary, my dear Watson! Sherlock Holmes has not only been named the UK’s number one big screen detective, but also the UK’s favourite mystery thriller movie, according to new national research published today1. The study saw the Guy Ritchie film take top spot (16%), beating Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho (15.8%) and the prequel to Death on the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express (15.5%), according to the study by carried out by Showcase Cinemas to celebrate the release of the latest Agatha Christie novel to hit the big screen. Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of the iconic investigator also landed Sherlock…

Residents have moved into new homes at Llys yr Eglwys in Pontllanfraith that have been built on the site of the former St Mary’s Church. An event was held on Friday 28th January to mark the completion of the new homes, and to celebrate the partnership between Housing Justice Cymru, Caerphilly County Borough Council and Pobl Group. Guests included the Bishop of Monmouth, Cherry Vann, who gave a short address. St Mary’s was constructed in 1957 as part of a wider post-war planned estate in Penllwyn. It closed in 2016 after almost 60 years serving the community. The site was…

Residents in Powys are being urged to follow the coronavirus rules for international travel to and from Wales to minimise the risk of it spreading, the county council has said. Powys County Council has issued the advice after a north Powys resident was prosecuted for failing to isolate after returning to the UK after a holiday in Spain last August. At the time of the resident’s return from their holiday, Spain was an Amber-listed country and legislation at the time required them to quarantine at home on return for 10 days in line with Section 7 of The Health Protection…

A newlywed couple from Monmouth chose an unconventional but environmentally-friendly way to get to their wedding, opting for Bridges Centre’s trishaw bike. Being supporters of the Bridges Centre, newlyweds Lisa and Lee James wanted to use and support local businesses as much as possible for their big day. After finding there was no wedding car hire in Monmouth, Lisa and Lee took to Bridges Centre to organise transport for their special day. The trishaw bikes are part of the Cycling Without Age scheme from independent Monmouth-based charity the Bridges Centre, whose aim has always been to enhance the wellbeing of…

he Council has now delivered upon its commitment to provide FREE public access Wi-Fi across all seven of its town centres – with the recent roll-out in Pontypridd completing the programme across Rhondda Cynon Taf. Shoppers, businesses and visitors to retail areas in Aberdare, Mountain Ash, Ferndale, Porth, Treorchy, Tonypandy – and most-recently Pontypridd – can now access this provision for free. This was a key priority commitment for the Council, having been first rolled-out as a pilot scheme in Aberdare in 2019. The provision of free Wi-Fi contributes toward assisting greater digital inclusion and is part of the wider…

The new £9.9m home for Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Tan-y-lan that will benefit thousands of pupils in the years to come has been officially opened. Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart opened the state-of-the-art school in Clase which replaces the old Victorian buildings at Tan-y-lan Terrace in Morriston. It has been jointly funded by the council and the Welsh Government under the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme and has been future-proofed so the number of pupils can grow to meet increased demand for Welsh medium education. The completed project, which saw pupils move in last month, is part of a £170m investment…

Two Year 11 pupils from Willows High School have been selected to represent the UK at the World Expo in Dubai next month. Marzooq Subhani and Crystal Tran secured their places by winning the Dubai Expo Factor last year, a national debating competition where they each discussed, presented and pitched their take on what makes Britain extraordinary against other students from across the UK. The World Expo is a global celebration of culture, collaboration and innovation where 190 countries come together to show how collectively we can build a better world for all. The UK National Day on takes place…

Encouraging more girls to follow careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) will help Wales lead the way in tackling some of the major global challenges facing society, Minister for the Economy, Vaughan Gething said today. To mark the annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the Minister said Wales needs more young girls to follow careers in STEM if the country is to realise its full economic potential, and to realise its ambition of becoming a truly globally responsible nation. Careers in science, technology, engineering and maths has never been more important to finding the solutions…

The Welsh Government has announced that free Welsh lessons will be made available to anyone between 16 – 25 year old and to all education practitioners. From September, 18-25 year olds will be able to enrol free-of-charge on courses with the National Centre for Learning Welsh. Most courses are currently held online in virtual classrooms, using Zoom or Teams, with in-person courses also available. Learners will be able to access courses tailored to their own level of Welsh, from taster and entry courses through to advanced and proficiency levels. 18 – 25 year olds will not be asked to pay when…

Tens of thousands of social care staff who will be eligible for the real living wage from April will receive an additional £1,000 net payment as the Welsh Government invests in the sector. Deputy Minister for social services Julie Morgan today announced a further investment of £96m to support staff, on top of the £43m to introduce the real living wage. The additional payment, which will be made to some 53,000 people, comes amid the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades. Deputy Minister Julie Morgan, who has previously worked in social care and has had weekly meetings with the sector throughout…