Author: Rhys Gregory

Nine of the most inspiring, talented, and dedicated teachers and education staff from across Wales have been revealed as winners of the fourth annual Professional Teaching Awards Cymru. The pandemic didn’t stop the celebrations at the virtual ceremony with 26 finalists and their schools, family and friends all tuning in to watch. Hosted by comedian and presenter Tudur Owen and entertainment provided by acapella trio Sorela, Education Minister Kirsty Williams revealed the winners. The awards recognise the brilliant work that our teachers and education staff do for our schools across Wales, and after a difficult year for the education sector, provided some much-needed…

The proposal to develop a Wellbeing Centre in Lampeter was approved at a Cabinet meeting on 01 December 2020. As part of its commitment to form an Adult Wellbeing Program, Ceredigion County Council intends to establish Wellbeing Hubs in North, Mid and South Ceredigion as well as pop-up provision in other locations in the County. Each Wellbeing Hub (area) will host a ‘Wellbeing Centre’ – a facility that enhances its core offer of Leisure provision with areas for meeting, consultation and treatment to contribute to improving the physical, mental and social well-being of the County’s residents. Councillor Catherine Hughes said,…

A group of creative learners from the South Wales Valleys are set to take on the virtual stage to entertain audiences far and wide with a Shakespeare classic. 12 budding performing arts learners from Coleg y Cymoedd have been busy preparing for a performance of Shakespeare comedy ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ as part of a national festival dedicated to the famous playwright. The learners, who are all studying a vocational access course in performing arts, will take to the stage at the college’s Nantgarw campus on Thursday 3rd December at 2pm for the performance, which will be live-streamed digitally for…

Aldi is hiring up to 100 additional colleagues to work in its Welsh stores on a temporary basis over the Christmas period, as part of its biggest-ever festive recruitment drive hiring more than 1,000 people across the UK. The supermarket is looking for people to support its permanent colle­­agues with replenishing stock and picking and packing orders made through click and collect and Deliveroo. Aldi is extending its click and collect trial to 25 more stores in Wales before Christmas, while four Aldi stores now offer an on-demand delivery service with Deliveroo across Wales, including Cardiff, Newport, Bangor and Wrexham.…

On Thursday 3rd December, disability groups, businesses and public sector employers are coming together to celebrate the economic contribution that disabled people make across the globe through the Purple Light Up. The initiative is part of a global movement to celebrate the estimated 386million disabled employees around the world. It is estimated that Wales has nearly 200,000 disabled employees working in organisations and companies, in various roles. Leading the Purple Light Up for Wales is Julian John, Managing Director of Delsion, an award-winning People and Development consultancy whose primary focus is in supporting employers to be more diverse and inclusive.…

This December, Hijinx will bring together participants from PAWB, its pan-Wales community and training programme, to create, perform and engage online in the 12 Days of PAWB, a festive celebration of creativity, which will include the release of a charity single. Cardiff based theatre company, Hijinx, makes outstanding theatre productions with learning disabled and/or autistic actors. This year would have been Hijinx Odyssey’s 21st anniversary, celebrated in style at their annual Christmas production in Wales Millennium Centre each December. Odyssey is Hijinx’s inclusive community theatre, featuring a mixture of actors with learning disabilities, neurodivergent and neurotypical actors, who perform together…

Proprietors of three takeaways in Aberystwyth town centre have been warned that their businesses may face closure if they fail to take reasonable measures to provide or require the use of personal protective equipment and face coverings by persons working on their premises. Premises Improvement Notices have been served on the persons responsible for G-One on North Parade, and Penguin Pizza and Hollywood Pizza on Pier Street in Aberystwyth. The improvement notices require the businesses to ‘provide or require the use of personal protective equipment and face coverings by persons working on the premises’ and warn that failure to comply…

A 16-year-old has been charged with possession of an offensive weapon and section 18 wounding with intent. The boy from Canton, who cannot be named for legal reasons due to his age, appeared at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, November 28 and is remanded in custody for a further court hearing. Emergency services were called to the Broad Street area of Canton to reports of a stabbing at around 10am on Wednesday, November 25. A 17-year-old boy was taken to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, with non-life threatening injuries. Three others arrested in connection with the incident have been released from police custody.…

Having witnessed first-hand the severe impact of domestic abuse on women and children, two social workers and a group of local volunteers came together in 1980 to provide somewhere safe for victims in North Powys. Forty years on, Montgomeryshire Family Crisis Centre (MFCC) is busier than ever, providing refuge and outreach support for women, men and their children. Demand for the charity’s services, which have saved and transformed lives, is growing every year and has increased during this year’s Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns. Between 2017-’18 and this year, the number of families needing support increased from 205 to 306 and these…

Holiday shopping usually means spending lots of time in stores, among vast crowds and high stress so that we end up buying things we would not normally consider, just to get something crossed off the list so that we can go home and rest our weary feet. However, holiday shopping is 2020 is already not a typical year. Individuals are making different choices to normal, largely due to the pandemic and concerns about uncertain economic situations. Even though 2020 has been a challenging year, here are three tips to ensure that you have the best holiday shopping experience that all…