Author: Rhys Gregory

A classically trained tenor has teamed up with a  TikTok drag star to launch a search for budding singers from across Wales to perform with their musical idols. Rhys Meirion, who hails from Porthmadog and now lives in Pwllglas, near Ruthin, and student Ellis Lloyd Jones, 23, from Treorchy in the Rhondda, are looking for music loving dreamers to take part in dazzling duets on the S4C television series, Last year Ellis, who has amassed 31 million views on TikTok, fulfilled his own ambition when he sang with the acclaimed Welsh singer-songwriter, Elin Fflur, during the first season of the…

Cardiff Bus has announced a series of extra services for those looking for great local days out this summer. The operator has recognised that this summer will see more and more of us will be looking to stay closer to home, so in response has developed a series of extra summer services which will run alongside its main network. These include: Increased baycar service and a revised route which will now start at Kingsway for Cardiff Castle, Bute Park and National Museum of Wales. An open-top service between Cardiff, Cardiff Bay and Penarth Pier and Esplanade. A fast, direct, daily link…

Competitors from across Wales were awarded with gold, silver and bronze medals at an event celebrating the successes of Skills Competition Wales, a national programme recognising vocational talent in a variety of sectors.  The competitors have been named the best in Wales at their chosen skill. Backed by the Welsh Government through the European Social Fund, Skills Competition Wales is a series of events held across the country, designed to celebrate vocational skills and create highly skilled, talented employees for the Welsh workforce. Due to the coronavirus pandemic this year’s competitions took a blended approach to delivery, with some competitions…

Two UK Government Ministers have seen first-hand the significant progress being made on the emerging £135m Copr Bay phase one district in Swansea. Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, has given a tour to Robert Jenrick – Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government – and Simon Hart, Secretary of State for Wales. Copr Bay phase one includes the Swansea Arena site, a 1.1-acre coastal park, the Copr Bay bridge, apartments, new car parking and space for businesses. The project – worth £17.1 million a year to Swansea’s economy – is being led by Swansea Council and advised…

As Eisteddfod T draws to a close following an exciting week of competition, the organisers have expressed their gratitude to competitors, teachers, partners and sponsors alike for once again ensuring a successful digital festival this year. During what would have been the Urdd Eisteddfod week in Denbighshire, postponed for the second consecutive year due to Covid-19, competitors and viewers have enjoyed a digital festival on the radio, television and online, with messages of support shared on social media throughout the week. “The standard of competition has been amazing, and the festival once again a resounding success,” said Siân Eirian, Director…

Pupils are due to move into Neath’s newly built Cefn Saeson Comprehensive School today (June 7th). When teaching begins at the latest of Neath Port Talbot Council’s growing portfolio of modern schools, it will mark the completion of phase one of the Cefn Saeson Comprehensive school replacement project. The next phase involves the installation of new playing fields around the school building at Afan Valley Road, Cimla, and the demolition of the old school. Around 900 pupils at the new Cefn Saeson Comprehensive will benefit from more than 50 contemporary classrooms, spread across a two-storey building with art facilities, science…

Unavailability of construction materials numerous unforeseen complications on site and backlogs due to the pandemic means that the £900,000 redevelopment of the Canolfan at Cyfarthfa Park will not be completed until the autumn. Similar problems are affecting the play area and Splash Pad, and their reopening will also be delayed until late September and next year respectively. The refurbishment is being funded as part of Welsh Government’s Valleys Regional Park ‘Discovery Gateways’ programme. It will see the creation of a community meeting space at the Canolfan, along with new toilets and changing rooms at the Splash Pad, a resurfaced play…

The first buses will depart Merthyr Tydfil’s new £12m state-of-the-art bus interchange next week, on Sunday, June 13. The station is the first in Wales that allows for the charging of electric vehicles on site.  It has no gas or other fossil fuel supplies, with its heating and hot water provided through green renewable sources.  The buses using it will initially be diesel-powered, but the aim is to eventually make them all electrified, with charging stations for electric taxis ready for use now. In the running for a 2021 Constructing Excellence in Wales Sustainability Award, the interchange also has a…

A couple under the Foster Caerphilly system have retired after giving 22 years of their life to helping children through fostering. Mair and Martyn Jones, from Merthyr Tydfil have been fostering since 2001, although Mair first fostered alone in 1999. In 2017, Mair and Martyn transferred to Foster Caerphilly in 2017 from a different authority, and together they have fostered 14 children since 2001. The couple are both fulltime foster carers and have dedicated the last 22 years supporting the teenagers in our community. Mair Jones commented: “I started fostering 22 years ago. During this time, we have cared for…

Two learners from Rhondda Cynon Taf have been accepted into Mensa due to them having IQ higher than the projected scores of the late Albert Einstein and Sir Stephen Hawking. Jessica Casey, 13, of Aberdare, is delighted to have become a member of the elite society, of which her 15-year-old brother Harrison is already a member. Both are students at Aberdare Community School. Jessica began reading at the age of one and was dividing numbers by the time she reached the age of three. She achieved 162 marks on her Mensa paper, the maximum possible, ranking her in the top…