Author: Rhys Gregory

A Coleg y Cymoedd learner who was inspired by her grandmother to give her A-levels another go and pursue her dreams of becoming a doctor, is celebrating top marks after getting the grades she needs to secure her place at university. Tazkia Choudhury, 20, from Pontypridd, is set to study medicine at Sheffield university after coming back to college to give A-levels a second try and securing impressive A* AA grades in Biology, Chemistry and History. Three years ago, Tazkia left her school sixth form after receiving D grades in her AS exams and made the decision to focus on…

Researchers at Cardiff University have been awarded £155,000 from the Brain Tumour Charity to develop a standardised way of recording patient-reported outcomes for brain tumour trials. Brain cancer studies traditionally focus on tumour size and maintaining patient survival. But there is growing recognition that studies need to better consider information about outcomes such as quality of life. This is particularly relevant in brain cancers like high-grade glioma, where survival benefits are modest. Quality of life naturally means something different to every patient. Some patients might want to prioritise quantity of life over quality – perhaps they have a grandchild on…

Aldi has donated Holiday Kits to Bethel Food Share in Port Talbot to support local children in need during the school holidays. In partnership with Team GB and Neighbourly, Aldi have created the Holiday Kits, which include games, colouring books, recipes and craft activities, inspired by Team GB athletes, to help children stay busy and active during the summer holidays. With many children missing out on school meals during the summer holidays, Aldi has also provided free shopping vouchers that can be used to purchase ingredients for the healthy recipes that are included in the kits, ensuring that children in…

Onecom, the UK’s largest independent business telecommunications provider, has acquired the Glamorgan Telecom Group for an undisclosed sum as part of an ambitious strategy designed to significantly expand the business over the next three years. The acquisition will see the multi-million-pound revenue Glamorgan Telecom Group become a Onecom company with its senior leadership, including chief executive officer Kelly Bolderson, remaining with the business. The deal represents the first of a number of acquisitions planned by Onecom, led by former O2 executive Ben Dowd, after it secured a £100million funding package from LDC and Ares Management Corporation last year. The acquisition…

STORY UPDATED: Deeside firm bought out of administration and continues to trade Patrick Lannagan and Conrad Pearson of Mazars LLP have been appointed Joint Administrators of Collister & Glover (Pipeline Materials) Ltd (“the Company”), as of 11 August 2020. The Company is a leading plumbing and supplies merchant trading from premises in Deeside, Wales with 13 employees. The Company has experienced cash-flow difficulties as a result of difficult trading conditions in the sector, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.  As a result, the director took the decision that the company should enter Administration and regrettably it has been necessary to make…

In the midst of a global pandemic, around 56,000 students across Wales are preparing to collect their GCSE and A-Level results this summer. With uncertain times ahead, Working Wales is encouraging young people to consider all their options for the future and make an informed choice to start their story. Data released by Careers Wales in the lead up to results days shows that consistently high numbers of students are opting to continue in full-time education each year with 87.4% of respondents in 2017, 84.8% in 2018 and 86.8% in 2019. The annual ‘Destinations of School Leavers’ report surveys students…

The Swansea skyline has changed forever as massive steel skeletons of the city’s new indoor arena and allied buildings have been completed. Work on the frames of the £135m Swansea Central Phase One site began to rise in late April. Now, just four months later, the arena framework is up on the former Oystermouth Road car park along with the framework of a multi-storey car park on the opposite side of the road. The latter towers over the neighbouring Quadrant multi-storey. On the main road side of the multi-storey is another tall structure that will offer new homes and commercial…

The Coronavirus may have disrupted her A level exams, but the fight to defeat the virus has inspired an A* learner from Coleg y Cymoedd to pursue a career in medical research. Josie Wood’s passion for science existed long before the pandemic, as is evidenced by the news that today she has A*AAA in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and French. However, after witnessing the tireless efforts of researchers and scientists around the world working to defeat the virus, she now feels a career in virology or epidemiology may be calling. Having secured the grades needed to study Natural Sciences at Bath…

As the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in changes to the provision of NHS services, an online platform offering home tests was introduced throughout Wales – enabling service users to access STI testing at home.  The scheme, titled Test and Post and accessed via the Frisky Wales website, is a collaborative Welsh government funded project being delivered by Public Health Wales, the sexual health services of the health boards and Signum Health. The technology behind  the ordering platform was created by Signum Health, a Caerphilly-based MedTech company which has developed a digital health shop, where health care professionals can create their own…

More than 300 entries were received for this year’s virtual Llanfyllin Show on Saturday which was declared a “great success”. Due to a ban on mass gatherings during the Coronavirus pandemic, the popular annual event, which is widely known as the ‘friendly show’, was held online. Show secretary Sian Lewis declared: “Due to the unfortunate circumstances we find ourselves in, we didn’t want anyone to miss out on the hard work and talent that gets displayed in our show every year. “The virtual show was a great success and a good way of keeping the event in people’s minds this…