Author: Rhys Gregory

The search for the best patisserie team in Britain has ended after ten intense weeks of competition, as Cardiff’s Cocorico Patisserie were this week crowned the winners of Bake Off: The Professionals 2020.   Since 2010, Cocorico Patisserie on Whitchurch Road has been creating delicious French delicacies in the Welsh capital using the best ingredients available; from praline and hazelnut cream-filled Paris-Brest, to salted caramel-filled tarte au chocolat and an assortment of handmade macarons. But during this unusual summer, viewers have been able to watch owner Laurian Veaudour and Head of Pastry, Thibault Courtoisier, battle it out every week on…

The charity is inviting participants from all over Wales to march two by two – at a safe two metre distance of course – and walk either two or four miles in aid of the organisation. Supporters of the charity will be walking in locations all around Wales, including Neyland, Menai Bridge, Brecon, Cardiff, Gower, Conwy and Cardigan. Rhian Mannings MBE, founder of 2 Wish Upon a Star, said of the walk: “2020 is a really important year for us to be launching this walk and we’d love to encourage anyone who has lost someone in the past few difficult…

Brian Manship, of Llys Graig Y Wion, Pontypridd, was jailed for the murder of Sarah Hassall at Swansea Crown Court. The 38 year-old man from Pontypridd was sentenced to life in prison and will serve a minimum term of 20 years. Sarah Hassall was brutally stabbed at Brian Manship’s flat where they went after meeting in Pontypridd town centre in the early hours of Sunday, 6th October, 2020. A neighbour contacted police after he heard noises and officers forced entry to the flat to discover Sarah’s body wrapped in a curtain. Brian Manship escaped through a first floor window, but…

A police boss has promised a high tech crackdown on organised gangs coming on crime sprees to two North Wales towns. North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones has secured an extra £1 million in funding for a raft on initiatives including Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras (ANPR) and increased CCTV coverage in Wrexham and Rhyl. The aim is to target thieves, burglars and robbers travelling in from places like Liverpool and Manchester as well as local criminals as part of the Safer Streets campaign. ANPR cameras can read a registration number and instantly check it against database records…

A care home is adopting a giraffe, an elephant, a jaguar and a penguin as part of the fund-raising campaign to support Chester Zoo. The kind-hearted residents and staff at Pendine Park Hillbury care home in Wrexham were inspired to help after hearing about the devastating losses suffered by the zoo as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. In normal times the zoo is a popular destination for the animal-loving residents. The home organises monthly visits for people with dementia to the attraction’s Memory Café in the Bembe Coffee Shop by the main entrance The zoo has now reopened but…

Europe’s top trailer maker is helping to save lives in Scotland by supporting volunteers from the UK’s oldest inland water rescue team.  The Thomas Sheriff & Co trailer centre in Coldstream, on the English-Scottish border, has supplied a BV85 box van to the Borders Water Rescue Team (BWRT) to carry vital equipment during its emergency call-outs – and is now sponsoring their activities by offering free annual servicing. The highly-trained team provides water-based search, rescue and recovery services in conjunction with the police, fire service and mountain rescue teams and has saved countless lives over the past 23 years. Before…

Employers re-opening and bouncing back from the COVID-19 pandemic are being advised by work-based learning provider Cambrian Training to consider applying for support from the Jobs Growth Wales (JGW) programme if they are looking to create new job opportunities. The programme is designed to help growing businesses across Wales to create sustainable job opportunities for unemployed and job ready young people aged 16-24 years. New recruits will be paid at least the national minimum wage for a minimum of 25 hours a week and the programme reimburses half of their wage cost for the first six months. The Welsh Government programme,…

Transport for Wales (TfW) is asking the public to take part in a survey that can help with future transport planning. SenseMaker is a digital survey that can be accessed through a mobile phone, desktop or on paper if needed and will be used to gather information on the public’s perception on transport. As TfW continue with their plans to transform transport across their network, they want to engage with the people they serve, gain insight and provide them with an accessible platform where their thoughts can be heard, shared and acted on. James Price, Transport for Wales CEO said:…

The Chancellor, fellows and alumni of Aberystwyth University are among those joining the National Eisteddfod’s Gorsedd of the Bards, it has been announced. The list of honours has been published by the National Eisteddfod ahead of the festival being held in Tregaron in Ceredigion next year. Amongst the recipients is the Chancellor of Aberystwyth University, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, who has been honoured for his contribution to the Welsh language in the justice system. He was a High Court Judge and Presiding Judge of the Welsh Circuit prior to his promotion to the Court of Appeal, and Lord Chief Justice…

WARNING: UPSETTING AND DISTRESSING CONTENT A Borth man has admitted causing unnecessary suffering to two horses, after sexually assaulting them with a paintbrush. Peter Bourne, aged 33 – of Cliff Road – was caught on CCTV on 19 September 2019, approaching two horses – named Hannah and Urani – from behind, before inserting a paintbrush into each of the equine’s vaginas. Video footage shown to the court then saw Bourne licking and sniffing the paintbrush after the attack. The man’s interference with the horses last year was confirmed by vets to have caused both animals to suffer unnecessarily. He was…