Author: Rhys Gregory

While cybersecurity should always be at the forefront of users’ minds when browsing the internet, it is never more critical than during the process of making online transactions. The reassuring logos of debit and credit card providers is normally a sign that a site can be trusted to complete transactions securely, but there are several new services challenging the dominance of these traditional online payment methods. Consumer behaviour on the high street has changed in recent years. In 2019, The Guardian reported that one in ten adults in the UK had predominantly cashless lives, driven by the rise of contactless payments. Wales…

A 54 year-old man from Basildon in Essex has been sent to prison for 16 years after being convicted of five sexual offences against a child. Sean Harknett was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court today (Tuesday 29th April). After sentencing Detective Inspector Andrew Paddison from Bridgend CID, said:  “Sean Harknett was a registered Sex Offender and today he has received a substantial prison sentence for his dreadful crimes. “I want to pay particular tribute to the victim who demonstrated tremendous bravery throughout this police investigation and Detective Constable Natasha O’Rourke who worked with the victim to bring this offender to…

KFC has announced it will open a further 80 of UK restaurant within the week. Those looking to get their hands on their favourite chicken meals in Cardiff can order through the Deliveroo app from today (Wednesday 29th April). The Cardiff Queen Street restaurant is the only KFC to open in Wales and will be open for delivery only. It’s one of 100 KFC restaurants around the UK to open. In a statement posted on the KFC website, they said: “We’re reopening our restaurants in a responsible way, with stringent processes and hygiene measures in place. We’ll be serving a…

RSPCA Cymru has dealt with 1,641 animal welfare incidents in the month following the nation entering lockdown. Dramatic new figures show that – despite the Covid-19 restrictions – the RSPCA is dealing with more than 51 incidents each and every day in Wales. The charity has released the figures as part of its emergency appeal, launched to keep its rescue teams out on the road during the Coronavirus crisis and continuing to reach and rescue animals most in need. However, vital funding is needed to help the RSPCA’s frontline staff continue this work. In total, across England and Wales, RSPCA…

Three small Welsh manufacturing businesses are joining the fight against coronavirus by producing scrubs for Wales’ healthcare heroes, Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport Lee Waters has announced. A Clydach firm which specialises in the production of flags for films, TV, festivals, and castles among other uses, and two independent seamstresses, from Swansea and Carmarthen, will all be making vital supplies to support the NHS in Wales. Work is under way at Red Dragon Flagmakers, which has already received fabric, while seamstresses Tesni Owen and Bethan Jones Boutique are set to start producing scrubs this week. The Welsh Government linked…

Across Wales right now teachers should be settling back into the new summer term after the Easter break, ready to introduce new schemes of work or put into practice some new professional learning. In reality this is the sixth week that schools have been in lockdown. Headteachers and teachers have been working in repurposed hubs, setting home learning for their pupils, supporting the emotional wellbeing of their colleagues, pupils and parents as well as home schooling their own children all while dealing with the most significant global crisis for a century. On the whole the Welsh Government and the education…

Starting on 29 April until 3 May, Cardiff Music Festival will deliver a multitude of sounds directly to your home. University of South Wales (USW) Music & Sound students have been working hard to transform, what was originally planned to be a series of live gigs in Cardiff, into a real-time event of multiple live streams. In partnership with Keep Cardiff Live and Dazed, the USW students had to quickly adapt when the Covid19 pandemic brought with it a unique set of circumstances where those plans were no longer possible. Overcoming many technical challenges, the students will be hosting the…

Savills, on behalf of Aeron Properties Ltd, has let almost 10,000 sq ft of office space at 11-13 Penhill Road, in Pontcanna, Cardiff, to Jeffrey Ross Ltd. The property, which comprises 9,333 sq ft (923 sq m) of offices and 21 car parking spaces has been let on a 10-year lease at a rate of £10 per sq ft per annum. Penhill Road is located in a prominent position within the popular suburb of Pontcanna, just 1 mile (1.6 km) north-west of Cardiff city centre. Jeffrey Ross Ltd. is a family-run firm of estate agents, with offices across the Cardiff…

Cancer Research UK nurse from Abergavenny has been asked to join the fight against Coronavirus and use her experience to help experts find better treatments. Mandy Edwards, the charity’s lead research nurse in Wales is helping experts across the UK to collate and co-ordinate crucial data from Covid-19 patients to be analysed, as part of the UK wide endeavour to find better treatments for the virus through research. The nurse, is part of a team of research nurses and doctors in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area, who are working on the Randomised Evaluation of COVID Therapy (RECOVERY) trial…

With most staff on Talyllyn Railway at Tywyn in Mid Wales having been furloughed due to the Coronavirus lockdown, two new recruits are doing donkey work trackside and at stations on the seven-mile line. The railway’s four-legged friends, Hamish and Lady Maude, are have been drafted in to graze the grass around Rhydyronen station and keep the trackside undergrowth in check. The line’s closure may be bad news for the team running the world’s first preserved railway, but Hamish and Maude are enjoying the absence of trains to fill their bellies! Talyllyn Railway’s general manager Stuart Williams explained that it…