Author: Rhys Gregory

The horse racing calendar turns its attention north of the border on Saturday, September 18, when the latest edition of the Ayr Gold Cup will be contested over six furlongs. Introduced in 1804, the Ayr Gold Cup is one of the most celebrated sprint handicaps of the UK racing season, evidenced by the long waiting list to be one of the 25 runners who will make the cut. That’s reduced from a field of 200 applicants, and it won’t be until the week of the race that spectators discover who will make up the final field. Former winning jockeys and…

From this week (Monday 23 August 2021), the National Governing Body (NGB) for netball in Wales will enter a new chapter and be named Wales Netball. In a bid to progress its vision of growing the game and inspiring success, the NGB has modernised the look and feel of the wider brand and provided clarity on the global netball stage. Until now, Wales was the only netball NGB that didn’t have its country within its name when it was formally Welsh Netball. This rebrand to Wales Netball now aligns the organisation to World Netball and Europe Netball. As well as…

St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire will host two concerts by the acclaimed Welsh National Opera Orchestra (WNO) this Friday (27 August). The concerts mark a welcome return by the Orchestra to form part of the programme of the annual Fishguard and West Wales Music Festival. An afternoon concert at 3pm will feature JS Bach’s Orchestral Suite No 3, Serenade by Richard Strauss and Haydn’s 102nd Symphony. An evening concert at 7.30pm will start with Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No 3 followed by Richard Strauss ‘Morgen’ with soprano soloist Isabelle Peters and finish with Beethoven’s Symphony No 4. Both concerts have tickets…

Wales’ largest music, science and arts festival, Green Man Festival came to a triumphant close Sunday night with a thrilling headline set from Fontaines D.C. The Dublin four piece’s first major festival headline show followed headliners from across the weekend, Caribou, Tirzah and Mogwai, and was a truly raucous display with the Black Mountains of the festival looming behind them. Following Fontaines D.C.’s closing performance, festival goers made their annual pilgrimage across the site to witness the annual burning of the handcrafted Green Man effigy under the full moon, celebrating the end of an emotional return to the hallowed festival…

St Asaph and Daresbury based Pure Residential & Commercial Ltd. has recently submitted a full planning application for a new housing development on an 8 acre site directly opposite the Betsi Cadwalader University main campus at Glan Clwyd Hospital, Bodelwyddan. The proposed development is offering a range of house types from apartments, 2,3 & 4 bed homes and given the site’s location adjacent to the main A55 coast road, demand for the homes is forecast to be high. Managing Director of Pure Residential & Commercial Chris White said: “We are delighted to be able to have secured this prime site…

EYE Cymru is a revolutionary immersive event series bringing together pioneering laser art, music and nature at iconic locations across Wales. Cardiff will play host to its international premiere at Cardiff Castle on 14th October 2021; EYE Cymru will run continuously until 31st October 2021, with live performances on the weekends featuring the headline artists. Created in partnership with the Welsh Government and Visit Wales, EYE Cymru is set to become a landmark feature of the UK arts and festival scene, with events being planned across Wales throughout 2022 and 2023. The EYE Project collective also plans a residency at…

Surface Pattern Design student from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) has started a coveted paid internship with iconic car manufacturer Rolls-Royce. Rebecca Davies, 23, gets to spend 13 months as part of the company’s exclusive eight-strong design team, which is based between Goodwood and Munich. Rebecca is studying for an MDes degree in Surface Pattern Design, specialising in Textiles for Fashion. The course is based at the University’s Swansea College of Art, Dynevor campus. Once Rebecca completes her internship, she will graduate with a Master of Design degree in Surface Pattern Design: Textiles for Fashion. To win the…

Dr Chris Martin becomes the new chair of Life Sciences Hub Wales. He succeeds Professor Sir Mansel Aylward who is stepping down from the role of chair but will continue as a non-executive director on the board. Dr Martin has been the vice chair of the organisation since 2017 and has been interim chair for the last 18 months. He is also deputy chair of the Bevan Commission, an internationally renowned Welsh health and care think tank. Eluned Morgan, Minister for Health and Social Services, welcomed the appointment saying: “I am delighted that Dr Martin is taking up the substantive…

Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre retailer, has announced the winners of its first-ever ‘Not Your Average Gardener’ awards. Judged by gardener, journalist and Dobbies’ podcast host Louise Midgley, and Dobbies’ Horticultural Director, Marcus Eyles, the duo has found a gardening star in Llanelli who will receive a £250 Giftcard to spend on gardening plants and tools in the Swansea store as well as a consultation with one of the judges. With the aim to find the best and most dedicated gardeners from Wales and beyond, the awards showcase those with creativity, commitment and passion for gardening. Kylie Walker (45)…

Red Dragon Pubs, a new pub company for Wales, has been officially launched at The Aubrey Arms, in Swansea – the first pub under its ownership. Since it bought The Aubrey, Red Dragon Pubs has added seven more venues to its portfolio in the Swansea and Gwent Valleys, with plans to open four more pubs by the end of October. Red Dragon Pubs is the brainchild of founder James Hunt, a serial entrepreneur, and a group of investors who admire and believe in the Welsh pub scene.  The company aims to buy and invest in pubs across South Wales, James…