Author: Rhys Gregory

A science park in north Wales is helping a record number of Bangor University students get their foot in the door and take the first steps in their careers.  Anglesey’s Menai Science Park (M-SParc) by Bangor University has helped more than 70 per cent of students interning with businesses at the site secure full-time employment within the centre and help kick-start their careers, with the average salary within M-SParc £5,000 higher than the Welsh average.   The science park, the first of its type in Wales, offers space for technological and science-based businesses of all sizes and provides students with a…

Rosa Davies may be in her 80s but she doesn’t let that stand in the way of learning new skills and having a good chat. She is celebrating today after hearing about Borth Community Hub’s successful application for a grant of nearly £10,000. The £9,976 grant will fund the ‘Get Together Group’ providing activity sessions for older people, especially those dealing with memory loss. Rosa (pictured), was born in Ceredigion and has lived there her whole life, making her a fount of local knowledge, she tells me:  “Well, I’m no Picasso, I can just about draw a tree, but it’s so lovely sitting under the canopy to chat with everyone about everything that’s happening in the world. My grandad…

Tesco customers in Wales taking part in a new campaign to provide meals to children living in food insecurity have helped enable thousands of meals to be donated to groups offering them support. Over three weeks in July and August, Tesco gave a donation for every piece of fruit and veg purchased across all its Welsh stores, to provide food for its partner FareShare to redistribute to children’s charities. Welsh stores sold over 8 million pieces of fresh fruit and veg over the campaign period, which means they’ve been able to help FareShare support 207 community groups across the nation…

Cardiff Metropolitan University has offered sanctuary to academics from Afghanistan who have been forced to flee as a result of the current political crisis. President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Cara Aitchison, has written to Zeid Al-Bayaty from the Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA) University to offer assistance to academics from Afghanistan seeking sanctuary in the UK. Professor Aitchison said: “Whilst we recognise the need for academic and scientific talent to remain in Afghanistan to offer the best prospects for the country’s future, we also appreciate that this might not be possible for all academics, at least in the short-term. As such, we…

The arrival of Porthcawl’s all-new road train attraction has been celebrated with an official launch in Rest Bay. The seasonal service which runs between Sandy Bay and Rest Bay takes in key stops such as Coney Pleasure Beach, Porthcawl harbour, the town centre, the Grand Pavilion and the Rest Bay Watersports Centre. At the official launch on Tuesday 17 August, Emmaus South Wales, the charity and social enterprise behind the new road train, named the land train Lucie in honour of the co-founder of Emmaus. Jemma Wray, Chief Executive of Emmaus South Wales, said: “We’re delighted to be providing this…

RCT Council has provided a progress update on the construction of 20 modern commercial units in Robertstown – and can confirm it has already received significant enquiries from a number of potential future tenants. The business units, being built on previously unused land off Wellington Street, are being delivered after the Council secured £3.36m funding from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government. Site clearance took place in early 2020, to enable contractor R&M Williams to start the main construction phase later that year. The construction phase continues to make visible progress – with residents and visitors able…

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s FREE town centre Wi-Fi scheme is now available in Tonypandy, meaning shoppers, businesses and visitors to the town can now make use of the free public-access Wi-Fi scheme. Following on from the successful roll-out of the pilot to Aberdare, Mountain Ash, Ferndale, Porth and Treorchy Town Centres, Tonypandy is the 6th out of 7 town centres in Rhondda Cynon Taf the Council has committed to make the scheme available in. Supporting town centres is a key priority for the Council, especially during the Coronavirus pandemic, which has had such a huge impact on residents and businesses.…

On Friday 20 August, a team of creatives, including partners from Wales, will launch ‘Fix Up The City’ – the first ever city-scale, immersive Augmented Reality (AR) experience based on the iconic duo Wallace & Gromit – which can be experienced in Cardiff, San Francisco and Bristol. The new augmented adventure has been created by multi award®-winning animation studio, Aardman, and Fictioneers: which is a collaboration of partners including Newport-based Tiny Rebel Games, Potato (part of the AKQA network), and Sugar Creative. The activity, funded by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), follows Fictioneers’ successful launch of The Big Fix Upearlier…

The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society are delighted to announce that this year’s Royal Welsh Winter Fair will be returning to the Showground in Llanelwedd as a two-day event on the 29th & 30th November 2021. After not being able to hold event on the Royal Welsh Showground since the 2019 Winter Fair due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the Society are excited to be welcoming returning exhibitors and visitors to the 2021 Royal Welsh Winter Fair which will once again showcase the finest prime stock to enjoy two-days packed full of competitions and Christmas shopping for the upcoming festive season. Alwyn…

GMB Drivers and engineers are set for strike action as the new school term gets underway, unless stagecoach address the pay disparity which sees Merthyr staff paid less than their colleagues in neighbouring Porth  Drivers and engineers based at Stagecoach’s Merthyr Tydfil have announced their first strike date (Monday 6th September), the same date as the new school term begins. The move could see the county borough grind to a halt, as drivers refuse to work on what is traditionally one of the busiest weeks of the year. The strike has been called after GMB Members voted overwhelmingly for strike action at the company’s Merthyr…