Author: Rhys Gregory

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on many individuals across the country, but after a four-year wait, 33-year-old Carwyn Jones got the positive news he had long been waiting for when he was granted a second chance at life, after receiving a kidney and pancreas transplant in August 2020. Despite being type 1 diabetic from the age of two, Carwyn, from Pontsian, never thought he’d experience ill-health so early in his adulthood. He said: “I was never ill as a child. The only impact my diabetes had on me was having to inject insulin twice a day, which…

Thousands of people across Wales are now eligible for free training to rewrite their career by setting up a Personal Learning Account. As part of the Welsh Government programme, colleges in Wales collectively now offer more than 1,000 free courses across sectors that are ripe for job opportunities, including construction, finance, IT, health and safety, project management and engineering. The programme is aimed at those who are currently on furlough, on a zero hours contract, or whose job is at risk, providing they are 19 or over and earning under £26,000. Following a successful pilot with Coleg Gwent and Grwp…

Cymru’s senior Men’s National Team will face Albania for a final send off match ahead of EURO 2020 at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday 5 June, kicking off at 5pm. This will be Cymru’s final preparation match for the 23-player EURO squad before travelling to Baku for the opening EURO 2020 match against Switzerland. Cymru last faced Albania in 2018, where Chris Gunter became the most capped senior men’s player in our nation’s history. The match in Elbasan ended in a 1-0 victory for the home side and the Cymru squad will be looking to make amends in this reverse…

Continued collaboration between the Welsh and UK governments will be essential for the future success of Welsh justice, the Law Society of England and Wales said today as it launched its Future of Justice in Wales manifesto. “The Fifth Senedd term has been an exciting one for the advancement of justice in Wales,” said the head of the Law Society’s Wales office Jonathan Davies. “We saw the report of the Commission on Justice led by Lord Thomas along with the Welsh government’s rapid review of the legal sector undertaken by Jomati. The remit of the Senedd Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee…

A remarkable 103-year-old ex-nurse who lived through the devastating Spanish flu a century ago has now received her Covid vaccine Great-grandmother Hilda Richards, who cared for soldiers injured in the 1940 Battle of Dunkirk, is still going strong, having lived for the past year at Pendine Park’s Gwern Alyn Care Home. Hilda was given the coronavirus jab by the current crop of medics who are following in her illustrious footsteps. A delighted Hilda said: “I had my vaccine and I feel good after it. It went well. I’m glad I’ve had the vaccine. “Having been a nurse, things like this…

A police boss has revealed a high tech revolution will help to keep bobbies out on the beat. North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones has described the project to equip every frontline police officer with a sophisticated mobile communications app that cuts form-filling and even checks fingerprints as a “game-changer”. The app will be loaded on mobile phones and laptops as part of the four-year digital communications strategy which also aims to keep communities across the region and their local policing teams in close contact. It will mean that officers will be able to spend more time out…

Barratt Homes has opened the doors of its show homes at Brunel Quarter — a new housing development designed to boost the attraction of Chepstow living and celebrate the town’s rich industrial heritage. Overlooking the River Wye, this brand new development was once a hub of shipbuilding, known as ‘National Shipyard No. 1’ — a site which manufactured everything from merchant vessels during the First World War to landing craft and Mulberry Harbour sections during the Second World War. Later, the shipyard was transformed into an engineering hub for bridges and other structures — most famous for providing steelwork for…

National Dance Company Wales (NDCWales) and English National Ballet will be providing more opportunities for people with Parkinson’s to take part in its high-quality dance programme online and eventually at two new venues in North Wales. NDCWales’ Dance for Parkinson’s class for people living with Parkinson’s, their family, friends and carers has been running since 2015 as an affiliated hub of English National Ballet’s Dance for Parkinson’s programme. The first class was launched at the Dance House (Wales Millennium Centre) Cardiff 2015, and the second from Blackwood Miners Institute in Caerphilly County Borough in 2018. During the 2020 pandemic lockdown,…

Young people in Swansea have been involved in the recruitment of the city’s new Director of Education. Helen Morgan-Rees was this week appointed to the role following a rigorous interview process which involved councillors, headteachers, senior officers and a youth panel. It is the first time that shortlisted candidates for the post went before a youth panel where young people were able to question them and discuss their priorities. The youth panel was made up of pupils aged between 11 and 17 from eight different schools in Swansea. Mrs Morgan-Rees had been acting as Interim Director for the past four…

Two large Swansea schools will see their energy bills reduced after having solar panels fitted in recent weeks. Swansea Council is working in collaboration with Egni Co-op and the Welsh Government Energy Service to help the authority in its aims to become a net zero carbon by 2030 – and to make the net zero by 2050. Together they installed a total of 200kW of rooftop solar on Morriston Comprehensive School and Cefn Hengoed Community School. More than 500kW of rooftop solar has now been installed by Egni on Swansea schools – including Pentrehafod, Gowerton, Pontarddulais comprehensives, and Portmead and Glyncollen…