Author: Rhys Gregory

Not even a global pandemic has stopped a Pontypridd teenager from fulfilling his career goals and landing himself his dream job at a barbering salon. After discovering his grades were a cut above the rest, Coleg y Cymoedd learner Daniel Braund, 17, from Pontypridd, has bagged himself a full-time position with Hawthorn-based Lost Boys Club Barbers after achieving 100% in his barbering qualification at college. The talented stylist, who has just completed his barbering level 2 course at college, is excited to take his first steps on the career ladder, albeit working in a very different environment to what he…

Transport for Wales (TfW) and British Transport Police (BTP) are reminding customers of the need to wear face coverings on board public transport services – those failing to comply with the rules will not be allowed to travel and could be fined. It became mandatory to wear a face covering on public transport on 27 July and over the past two weeks, TfW staff and BTP officers have engaged and advised customers about the new policy.  They have encouraged customers, who are unable to explain why they are exempt from the requirements of the Regulations, to wear a face covering…

Scale model locomotives surpass expectations at auction in aid of Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway An auction house achieved sales that far surpassed forecast results at a highly anticipated Live Steam sale this month (August). The collection from the estate of Leicester-based Kenneth ‘Mike’ Abbott, which was sold by Gildings Auctioneers, resulted in 100% of 229 lots sold, with only seven lots selling below estimate. The final sale total was £132k against a pre-sale bottom estimate of £70k. The proceeds of the sale will benefit the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway. Railway enthusiasts competed online, on the phone and through…

Three orphaned baby hedgehogs have been returned to the wild after two months of rehabilitation and care, including being hand-reared by RSPCA officers when they were only days old. RSPCA Cymru took the hoglets into their care after their nest in Tavernspite in Pembrokeshire was accidentally disturbed. The tiny babies were left in situ for some time in the hope their mother would return – but sadly, she never did. The hoglets came into the RSPCA’s care on 8 June, and the three boys weighed just a combined 89 grams at the time – tipping the scales at 27g, 30g…

Indoor visits to care homes will be allowed in Wales from Saturday 29 August, subject to the strict controls set out in the guidance and conditions remaining favourable, First Minister Mark Drakeford will confirm later today (Friday 21 August). The First Minister will also say that from Saturday, August 22, extended households can expand to include up to four households in an exclusive, extended arrangement. Weddings and funerals will also be able to include a meal for up to 30 people, in suitably socially distant settings. However, he will also warn that despite the latest easing of lockdown restrictions in…

Following a hiatus lasting more than one hundred days, the English Premier League made a return to action on June 17th. 20 teams returned to action as they resumed from where the league closed down in mid-March. The question of the title was quickly decided as Liverpool romped home to their first top-flight trophy in 30 years and their fans duly celebrated the news. Liverpool supporters were relieved to see the EPL’s Project Restart come to fruition as a proposed abandonment of the division would have potentially robbed them of that title. It was a welcome return for the red…

Welsh Government and councils must prioritise supporting Tata Steel Port Talbot and Toyota Deeside, according to a far reaching report prepared for the Welsh Automotive Forum. The report by Ian Henry, head of Autoanalysis, follows similar studies he has carried out for WAF in recent years but his final conclusions have been published against a background of a global economic downturn, the Coronavirus and impending British exit from the EU along with the move to more electrified vehicles. He says supporting the steel plant which supplies products for vehicles bodywork and the Japanese engine plant which feeds into UK and…

For this class of 2020, picking up their GCSE results occurred with strict social distancing measures in place, a very different experience to the hustle and bustle of the usual GCSE results day. A government-backed algorithm used to award grades has been withdrawn after thousands of A level students were downgraded to the predicted grades given by teachers. This morning Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, released a statement and said: “I want to send my very best wishes to everyone who receives their results today. “Due to the many changes we’ve had to make this year in exceptional circumstances, you’ve had…

People in Wales can be treated closer to home for treatment that can minimise the risk of oesophageal cancer, thanks to the introduction of the South Wales Barrett’s Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) Service. The South Wales Barrett’s RFA service, which started in May 2020 and is housed within Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, has already seen 30 referrals to date; all of which have developed consequences of long term Barrett’s oesophagus. Barrett’s oesophagus is a condition where the lining of the lower part of the oesophagus changes to a lining similar to the stomach. The cause of the pre-cancerous condition…

A Welsh football fanatic from Bala whose business keeps alive the memories of the country’s one World Cup Finals appearance has raised £2,500 for NHS charities across Wales. Tim Williams runs website and Bala High Street shop Spirit of 58, which commemorates Wales’s appearance at the 1958 Finals in Sweden when they reached the quarter-finals before losing to a goal from the 17-year-old Pele. He also helped design Wrexham Football Club’s newly-unveiled kits with the green away shirt a nod to the club’s history and based on the colour worn by the club from 1904 to 1921. He has raised…