Author: Rhys Gregory

Despite the challenges caused by a global pandemic and Storm Dennis, which affected 1,500 homes and businesses across the region, Rhondda Cynon TafCouncil’s Apprenticeship Programme has thrived. With a programme stretching back nine years, the council was able to act swiftly. Its 80 apprentices were set up to work from home with laptops, desks, chairs and other equipment while virtual learning and extensions to courses and deadlines were implemented by training providers. In response to last February’s Storm Dennis, which damaged highways, bridges and town centres across the region, the council has even recruited an additional four civil engineering apprentices.…

Three exciting new developments on Rhyl waterfront have been unveiled by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd. The brand new outdoor eatery The Terrace at 1891, the Rhyl Pavilion ‘Costa’ cafe and a new gourmet Fish and Chips takeaway on the promenade are set to open this Summer in Rhyl. Following on from the success of the hugely popular Beach Hut outdoor restaurant, launched by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd in Prestatyn last summer after the first lockdown, 2021 will see the opening of The Terrace at 1891, a premium outdoor dining experience, with panoramic views of the North Wales Coast. 1891 is the company’s…

A top trailer maker has come to the rescue of TV presenter Matt Baker as part of a new series documenting his ambitious journey to save his family’s sheep farm. Matt Baker: Our Farm in the Dales, soon to be aired on More4, follows the Countryfile and former The One Show presenter as he returns to his parents’ organic sheep farm in the Durham hills to make vital changes that will help secure it for future generations. The popular presenter, who uses a trusty Ifor Williams Trailers livestock trailer throughout filming, was spurred into action after his mother, Janice, 65,…

A bike trailer created by the Cerebra Innovation Centre at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) in Swansea has given a young boy a new taste of freedom. Henry Waines, aged 3, has a rare congenital heart disease and tracheobronchomalacia, a condition of the windpipe that means he currently needs to be ventilated 24 hours a day via a tracheostomy. The ventilator is bulky and has to travel everywhere with him. Like any young boy, Henry wants to play and be active, but it was becoming hard for his mum Shevonne to keep up with him while carrying the ventilator…

A college with campuses across the south Wales valleys has received an award in recognition of the unrivalled support it offers to young carers. Coleg y Cymoedd, which has locations in Ystrad Mynach, Aberdare, Rhondda and Nantgarw, has been awarded the ‘Gold Young Carers College’ award from Rhondda Cynon Taf Young Carers’ Service, which celebrates further education colleges that are taking active steps to support learners with caring responsibilities. The gold award – the highest possible accolade an education provider can achieve in the region – recognises the steps that Coleg y Cymoedd has taken to ensure that its young…

Cardiff Bus has been successful in gaining funding to retrofit 20 of its vehicles, in a bid to make them cleaner and greener as part of its wider investment in to reducing its carbon footprint. As part of Cardiff Council’s Clean Air Project, the Clean Bus Retrofit Scheme aims to tackle air quality issues in the capital. Cardiff Bus took part in the bid for grant funding which will enable them to upgrade 20 of their enviro200 buses from Euro V emission standards, with 80% of the cost being funded by the scheme and the remaining 20% being covered by…

Hywel Dda Health Charities has thanked Kathy Sturley and her daughter Nadine who live near Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire. The fantastic team created rainbow crochets and sold them for £2 each, to raise money for their local NHS charity, with £325 going to Withybush Hospital general fund. Made at home and sold to family and friends, in their local shop and to the community. Nadine said, “It all started off when a family friend asked if my mum could knit or crochet a rainbow for her as she was always knitting things for people. She made the pattern up and after…

Hollywood star Michael Sheen has lent his voice to a new NHS animation created to combat anti-Covid vaccine sentiment. News of the video comes just after the Welsh actor revealed on Twitter that he’s spent the last few weeks “laid low by Covid” in what he described as a “difficult and quite scary” experience. https://twitter.com/michaelsheen/status/1369115222724771842 Mr Sheen narrated the video before his recent illness. It uses easy to follow visuals to show how vaccines work and provide protection safely. He said: “Vaccination offers us a pathway out of this pandemic, so I was delighted to be able to play a…

A TV advertisement, launched by the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) Support Hub and broadcast to the nation for the first time tonight, spotlights the harsh reality of young people facing adversity at home. The ACE Support Hub is funded by the Welsh Government to prevent and mitigate ACEs by raising awareness and transforming systems to promote change. The advert has been launched today as part of their ‘Time to be Kind’ campaign in response to the growing concerns for young people facing adversity at home. The main subject of the advert, a young boy, is shown discussing a school project…

A 300-strong team from Llanishen High School is travelling to Patagonia virtually as part of City Hospice’s 100 Heroes challenge. Staff, pupils, parents and former students of Llanishen High School have come together to travel the equivalent of the distance to Patagonia, a region in Argentina where over 50,000 people speak the Welsh language and experience Welsh culture, by the end of March. Participants are encouraged to run, walk, cycle, skate and scoot their way to the joint target of 12,000km while raising money for local charity City Hospice. The challenge has already exceeded expectations, raising over £1500 in the…