Author: Rhys Gregory

Crime, comedy, science and nature are all on the reading list at the award-winning Cardiff Children’s Literature Festival, which is back in April, with a twist. This year, as well as an inspiring programme of authors, illustrators and workshops the family festival also has an exciting new format – all the action will be squeezed into one jam-packed weekend at City Hall and the National Museum of Cardiff. Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, Cllr Peter Bradbury said: “The Children’s Literature Festival is all about getting children excited about books and this year we wanted to focus on creating a…

The rabbits were found on Albert Street, Canton, on Friday (31 January) outside in a box near the dustbins – with the RSPCA being notified. RSPCA animal collection officer Fiona Thomas who responded to the call, attended to find an adult female, adult male and four baby rabbits, who are aged between three to four weeks. They all appeared to be in good health. She said: “These rabbits are just lovely – it is just a shame they were found abandoned in a box and left to their own devices. The box they were found in was reportedly very wet…

ProColl has been named the winner of the Outstanding Impact on Industry, Commerce and Innovation award at the annual Swansea University Research and Innovation Awards. ProColl supplies biomaterials to help researchers create innovations such as artificial skin and organs with their first to market vegan friendly materials. This includes a material based on collagen, a major component of connective tissues in the human body, for medical breakthroughs that will offer the solutions for everything from cancer drug testing to (autograft) organ replacement. CEO Jonathan Widdowson, 27, discovered a way to produce non-animal derived products with just two people involved in…

Coychurch Primary have won the first Sustrans Gold School Mark Award in Wales for their dedication to active travel. Choychurch Primary, Bridgend, were awarded a Sustrans Gold School Mark Award at an awards ceremony last week. The ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport, Lee Waters AM. Also at the ceremony was County Mayor Stuart Baldwin. The Sustrans Gold School Mark is awarded to a school that has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to promoting active and sustainable travel over several years, which has led to significant and lasting organisational, cultural and behavioural changes. Steve Brooks, Sustrans Cymru,…

The Royal Television Society (RTS) in Wales has announced nominations for its 2020 awards, celebrating the very best content by television industry professionals and student filmmakers in Wales. The RTS Cymru Awards 2020 will be held on Thursday, 27th February at Cineworld in Cardiff. The event will be hosted by popular television presenters, Sean Fletcher and Ruth Wignall. RTS Cymru Wales is also delighted to announce that Whisper Cymru, the sports and live event production specialist, will be the Title Partner of this year’s awards. In addition to the long-standing students’ honours, the annual awards have this year been extended…

A rare street organ that’s been lovingly restored to its former glory will be a star attraction at a top music festival. New life has been breathed into the Dutch organ called Astrid by owner Francis Stapleton, from Bala, and it will be out and about on the streets of Bangor during the city’s two-day music festival. The event, which takes place on Friday and Saturday, February 14 and 15, at Pontio Arts and Innovation Centre in Bangor, will showcase Astrid’s talents as part of a unique collaboration between The Vale and Glamorgan Festival and Bangor Music Festival, led by…

The Welsh Government has awarded £950,000 to develop a new riverside venue in Newtown, Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government Hannah Blythyn has announced. The £1.5 million project – to build an iconic, two-story building on the site of the former Radio Maldwyn studio in Newtown’s main car park – will be funded through the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Fund and the National Lottery’s Community Fund in Wales. Hannah Blythyn said: “The Welsh Government wants to Transform Towns across Wales, making them fit for the 21st century. I’m really pleased the Welsh Government is supporting this new and exciting…

Property consultancy Knight Frank has strengthened its team in Cardiff with the appointment of Tom Griffiths as a graduate surveyor. He joins from Cardiff Council where he has been working on property disposals in its Strategic Estates Department. Tom, 27, is due to complete a Masters degree in Real Estate Management at the UWE Bristol in April and will complete studying for his Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) qualification – the practical training and assessment which leads to membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) – next Spring. During that period he will also work on a range…

Foresight Group, a leading private equity and infrastructure investment manager, announces a further £1.1 million growth capital investment into portfolio company Tudor Group Limited to fund the acquisition of Wales-based cleaning contractor, A Quality Service Limited. Based in Manchester, Tudor is an established facilities management provider which offers window cleaning, general cleaning and ancillary maintenance services to more than 100 customers nationwide including Transport for Greater Manchester, Hilton, Radisson and Marriott. Established in 2011, AQS is a specialist cleaning contractor, founded by Robin Kinrade and Gillian Edwards who used their extensive experience in the cleaning industry to set-up a business…

The Pontcanna-based bakery is encouraging other businesses to choose apprenticeships as a way of bringing innovative ideas into the workplace.  Brød the Danish Bakery and Coffee Shop, which opened in 2015, was inspired by owner Betina Skovbro’s desire to bring traditional Danish baking to Wales’ capital city. In doing so, it also created a unique opportunity to train the next generation of baking professionals in the craft of Danish baking. The bakery owner moved to Cardiff from Copenhagen in 1998. Having made her home in the city, she saw an opportunity to bring a taste of Scandinavia to Cardiff. Betina…