Author: Rhys Gregory

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Education Welfare Service, in partnership with SSCE Cymru, has launched a pioneering initiative recognising, supporting and celebrating children from Armed Forces families. This initiative sees the formation of the first Military Pupil Promise in Wales, which encompasses military families across the local authority. The project saw almost 70 service children come together to help develop the promise, giving them a direct voice in shaping how schools and the local authority support them. It aims to strengthen understanding of the unique challenges faced by service pupils, such as frequent moves and parental deployments, while promoting consistency, belonging, and…

three-storey historic village cottage with views over the River Dyfi in Powys is being sold at auction. The delightful property in the hamlet of Forge close to the bustling art and cultural centre of Machynlleth, is listed for sale with a guide price of £75,000. Sean Roper, of Paul Fosh Auctions, said: “This is a rare and wonderful opportunity to acquire a truly delightful and intriguing, three storey cottage of quality. “The property, 2, Bontfaen, Forge, offers a new owner plenty of scope to improve but nevertheless, has a wealth of character which any future improvement will compliment. “With a…

Swansea city centre has welcomed a major new addition as Y Storfa opened its doors to the public this week. This flagship community services hub, delivered by Swansea Council, is located in the former BHS building on Oxford Street. Y Storfa is a cornerstone of the council’s £1bn regeneration programme - and will help increase footfall in the city centre. It’s designed to transform how residents access essential services in the heart of the city. Y Storfa brings together a wide range of services under one roof, creating a modern, welcoming environment. It’s close to hundreds of car parking spaces -…

Bus drivers across South Wales are celebrating a pay win after securing an above-inflation award. Members of the Unite trade union had been locked in a bitter struggle with their employer Frist Cymru and taken eight days of strike action to highlight the low levels of pay they were receiving. On Friday, workers accepted a new offer from the company that will see them get a five per cent increase backdated to 1 April. This will see drivers’ pay move to £14.25 per hour now and then rising progressively to £15 per hour from 1 Jan 2027. In addition to…

Letter to the editor from Peter Lynn, Chair of Swansea BID. Since taking on the role of Chair of Swansea BID in June 2023, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing just how far our city has come and how much potential still lies ahead. Swansea is changing, fast. From new business hubs to landmark cultural venues, the city centre is rewriting its story once again. As we enter consultation for Swansea BID’s next five-year term, I want to reflect on what’s been achieved and why I believe our work is more vital now than ever. With millions of pounds already…

Kerry Ellis, the undisputed Queen of the West End – is returning with a tour celebrating her love of rock music, including a performance at Llanelli’s Ffwrnes Theatre on Friday 18th September 2026.   Kerry, who was the original Elphaba in the stage version of Wicked, will hit the road with her Rock Anthems tour next autumn. She’s an icon of the West End and Broadway; Sir Brian May described her as having ‘the most beautiful voice in Britain’, which lead to him asking her to star in Queen’s smash hit musical, We Will Rock You. The duo met in…

GE Aerospace has announced a £19 million investment over the next three years to refurbish its Wales site, a world-class centre for commercial engine Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) operations. This major project will enhance critical infrastructure, improve operational efficiency, and advance sustainability initiatives, ensuring the site remains a leader in supporting global commercial fleets. The refurbishment will include upgrades to more than 70,000 square feet of roof space, as well as improvements to building cladding, insulation, and glazing installations. These enhancements will modernise the site’s infrastructure, reduce energy consumption, and create opportunities for renewable energy projects. This investment represents…

A leadership development programme run by United Welsh has been named a winner in a prestigious housing awards. Seeds to Lead picked up the top prize in the Excellence in Professionalism, Learning and Development category at the Welsh Housing Awards. The leadership development programme, which has supported 68 staff from four cohorts in its first year, received the award at the Chartered Institute of Housing Cymru ceremony on Thursday. Standing for a Supporting Environment for Everyone to Deliver our Services, the programme is delivered by United Welsh in partnership with Insight HRC, a business psychology consultancy specialising in high-performing team and…

The 2025 Wales Safer Communities Awards has celebrated the outstanding achievements of individuals, teams, and partnerships working to make communities across Wales safer. The ceremony, held at Aberystwyth University last week, saw 33 awards presented to projects, partnerships, and people who have made a real difference in preventing crime, supporting victims, and building stronger, more resilient communities. This year’s awards showcased the breadth of partnership working across Wales, with winners representing local authorities, police, third sector organisations, and community groups. The event highlighted the innovative and dedicated work being done to tackle issues such as anti-social behaviour, violence against women…

Voice over IP runs the business now. Sales, support, finance — all of it rides on packets that cross networks, clouds, and third-party services. Pick the wrong partner early and you’ll be firefighting forever, so when you evaluate a VoIP setup, start with a reliable VoIP PBX provider and build from there. Why phone systems attract trouble Phones carry money and secrets. That’s attractive. A compromised telephony stack can mean premium-rate calls that drain accounts, recorded conversations that leak strategy, or a sudden outage that leaves customers stranded. Attackers don’t always need a PhD; they look for the obvious: default…