Author: Rhys Gregory

Young people in Oakdale, a community in the Caerphilly county borough, are enhancing their skateboarding skills thanks to the recent replacement of their local skate park. Caerphilly County Borough Council invested £50,000 through its Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) programme into replacing the previous skate park with a new concrete pour design, developed by experienced UK skate park contractor Bendcrete.  The WHQS programme will see over £260 million invested into the homes of Council tenants and local communities throughout the county borough. Thanks to additional funding via Play Wales, the Council’s Positive Futures team, who form part of Sport Caerphilly,…

The question of where technology will take us next is so broad that it is difficult to know where to begin. Our use of technology in our everyday lives has become so extreme that, even two years ago, it would have been difficult to forecast where we are at in 2021. A resident in Wales can become friends with someone in China by following them on social networking platforms like Instagram. We can pay for our meals by scanning a code on our smartphones. We can stream Swansea and Cardiff City football matches on our laptops. And we can accept…

The north east Wales college has again been awarded the Level Five Green Dragon Environmental Management Standard. All its sites in Wrexham, Deeside, Llysfasi and Northop have achieved the prestigious accreditation. It is the highest level of the Groundworks scheme that can be achieved via the Green Business Centre, a Cardiff-based environmental and quality auditing and training service that provides support to businesses and public organisations across the UK. Cambria was lauded for demonstrating effective management of its facilities and taking action to understand, monitor and control surroundings for students, staff and visitors. A delighted Rick Bedson, Head of Estates…

Cardiff and London-based law firm, Capital Law, has hired a former Serious Fraud Office lawyer to spearhead its business crime and investigations practice. Phillippa Ellis joined Capital in March 2021 from the Serious Fraud Office, where she has spent the last 5 ½ years leading teams investigating and prosecuting financial and economic crime across the globe. Based in Capital’s London office, Phillippa now leads the firm’s business crime and investigations practice – advising clients who are under investigations themselves, or who are conducting their own internal investigations. This strategic role sees her work closely with lawyers from across the business,…

An innovative mixed-use regeneration development in the heart of Swansea city centre has been hailed as a first for the UK. The Biophilic Swansea project will transform the site of the former Woolworth store on Oxford Street, providing affordable new homes and workspace alongside a community urban farm. The project will be delivered by Hacer Developments, with Wales’ largest provider of affordable homes, Pobl Group, joining as its residential partner. The pioneering scheme is the result of extensive collaborative working among a range of local organisations, including Swansea University, the Active Building Centre, Public Health Wales, and a number of…

FSB has recently made new appointments to its Wales staff team which will bring fresh experience and expertise to Wales’ most influential business organisation. Dr Llyr ap Gareth will take on the role of Head of Policy whilst Brett John will join the team as Deputy Head of Policy. Llyr is promoted from Deputy Head of Policy for FSB Wales into the new role, having previously worked for the Community Transport Association where he was employed as Support and Engagement Executive. Llyr ap Gareth, said: “It’s a real privilege to take on the responsibility of Head of Policy at FSB…

A mum of two from Cefn Hengoed is taking on a fundraising challenge with a difference to support blind and partially sighted people in Wales. Emma Arnold, 33, will be taking part in sight loss charity RNIB’s Marathon Mates. The virtual fundraiser calls on people to pair up with a friend, partner, housemate or family member and split the distance of a marathon (26.2 miles) during the month of May. Inspired by the way many people with sight loss run with a guide runner, participants can choose to run, walk, jog or skip the distance in their own time and…

Shopping local was crucial for many businesses throughout the COVID pandemic, with some owing their survival to the support from communities. When the first lockdown came to an end, many noticed that consumer habits didn’t change, with customers continuing to buy from them rather than returning to national chains. According to Barclaycard, many individuals have chosen to purchase from local companies during the pandemic, with 57 per cent saying they wanted to increase their support of nearby businesses as a result of restrictions. Shop owners are now thanking communities for their help over the last 12 months, but also encouraging…

A top music festival established by a royal composer will mark its 50th year with the world premiere of a new work to celebrate its illustrious history. The piece written by Jon Guy will be featured in one of two concerts in May which will be curtain raisers for the North Wales International Music Festival which in normal times is held at St Asaph Cathedral. Like the main event last September, the concerts will be staged online – with the premiere of the music called Shining Dawn happening at 7.30pm on Saturday, May 8. At the same time the day…

A police boss who describes himself as an “experienced protester” says a report on how protests are policed is one sided, illiberal and undermines civil and political rights. North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones is so concerned that he has written to Home Secretary Priti Patel to complain about it. The UK Government used the report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Service (HMICFRS),“Getting the balance right?, when they were drafting the controversial Police, Crime,  Sentencing and Courts Bill. According to the inspectors, the balance had tipped too heavily in favour of protesters. The legislation…