Author: Rhys Gregory

Local fundraiser Gareth Evans, who recently raised more than £10,000 for Parkinson’s UK Cymru by braving a public head shave, has made another meaningful gesture by donating a unique piece of boxing memorabilia to City Hospice. At the recent Brave the Shave auction, Gareth successfully bid for a pair of signed boxing shorts once worn by Sugar Ray Leonard, the legendary American world champion. Rather than keeping the prized item for himself, Gareth chose to donate the shorts to Cardiff-based charity City Hospice, where they were presented to Corporate Partnerships Manager Nicky Piper, himself a former Welsh boxing champion. Adding…

Leading timber supplier, Premier Forest Products, has won the Growth Award at the Circle2Success (C2S) Awards 2025. The award recognises a business that has demonstrated substantial growth through revenue growth, headcount or service and product development. The business, headquartered in Newport, has continued to strengthen over the past year despite a challenging year for the industry. In doing so, the firm has invested heavily in acquisitions and internal growth, increasing their team from 320 to 400 across 19 sites UK-wide. Recent acquisitions have included Bitus UK from Swedish company Bergs Timber in November, followed by Stairway Joinery Ltd, a specialist…

Youngsters in Wrexham have shared an incredible 3,600 ideas as part of a £20 million plan to revitalise and shape the future of the city. Hundreds of young people from across the city have had their voices and suggestions heard in a consultation as part of a project being masterminded by Wrexham City Board. The board, which is chaired by Rachel Clacher CBE, the founder of hugely successful Wrexham-based Moneypenny, was formed after the UK Government announced in 2023 that Wrexham was one of 55 places across the country to receive £20million of funding under a ‘Long-Term Plan for Towns…

STUDENTS raised thousands of pounds for community charities this year. As part of their Welsh Baccalaureate studies and the Global Community Project, UPS (Uniformed Public Service) learners at Coleg Cambria Deeside have given up their time to support a host of worthwhile causes. Among them were the Domestic Abuse Safety Unit (DASU) in Shotton, and the Teenage Cancer Trust via activities including a ‘Battle of Bala Lake’ canoeing challenge, sponsored walks, and staff v students netball matches. They also collected up to £4000 for the Royal British Legion, taking their overall tally for the Armed Forces organisation to more than…

Scientists are starting to question whether being able to crack a good joke runs in the family, according to new research. In the first ever study to look at the influence of genes and the environment on comedic abilities, scientists compared over a thousand twins by asking them to rate their own humour and create funny captions for cartoons. The new findings, published in the journal ‘Twin Research and Human Genetics’, revealed that the scores people gave their own humour were influenced by both inherited and environmental factors. However, when their captions were judged independently, there was no evidence that…

Cardiff’s cheese lovers have a new reason to celebrate, as a brand-new cheese & wine shop will be opening in Victoria Park later this year. The shop is the latest project from the team behind The Welsh Cheese Company, the Welsh cheese specialists run by international cheese judge Tom Pinder. For the past seven years The Welsh Cheese Company has made it their mission to spread the word about Welsh cheese, working closely with some of the most passionate producers in the country including Caws Cenarth, Caws Teifi, Pant Mawr Cheeses, The Snowdonia Cheese Company, Brooke’s Dairy and Cosyn Cymru. …

A multi-million-pound UK government-funded programme has significantly benefitted Flintshire residents, with communities upskilled, local facilities enhanced, and business productivity increased. Having received more than £12.4m from the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), Flintshire County Council has supported 26 projects to improve employment opportunities, foster business growth, and upgrade key amenities. The financial aid was delivered between 2022-2025 and encompassed three core themes: communities and place, people and skills, and supporting local business alongside ‘Multiply’, which was designed to increase adult numeracy skills. Thanks to the investment, data revealed close to 15,000 people have a more positive perception of their…

A LEADING law practice is celebrating 25 years with a recruitment drive and a surge in clients across multiple sectors. Mackenzie Jones Solicitors, based in Chester, St Asaph and Menai Bridge, has taken on three new faces including Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury (PI) lawyer, Elen Roberts. Originally from Anglesey and now living in Rowton, Elen has spent more than two decades in the legal arena including high-profile work on The Thirlwall Inquiry, set up to examine events at the Countess of Chester Hospital and their implications following the trial, and subsequent convictions, of former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby. The…

Pioneering alcohol-free craft brewer Drop Bear Beer Co., continues to reshape the beer landscape with the launch of its innovative Cut Lager series. The series debuts a cold-fermented lager, cut four ways with a variety of fruit: Pink Grapefruit, Raspberry, Peach, and Guava. Crafted for moderators and mindful drinkers alike, each cut lager expertly balances the crisp, clean refreshment of a classic lager with a fruit ‘cut’ that adds a bold juicy finish. As a leading brewer in the low & no space that is fiercely female-owned and operated, Drop Bear continues to push boundaries. The Cut Lager series aims…

A leading education consultancy is celebrating a decade in business, having supported thousands of teachers across Wales and beyond to improve their practice and make an impact in the classroom. Impact Wales, based in Caerphilly, provides professional learning support for schools and teachers, including bespoke training sessions and resources. The business was founded in 2015 by former teachers Finola Wilson and Jane Miller, who have more than 40 years of combined experience in teaching and education. They have since worked with more than 300 schools, delivered training sessions to thousands of teachers and produced professional resources that have been used…