Author: Rhys Gregory

STUDYING while working and getting the best mix of academic and professional expertise is what degree apprenticeships are all about. And for Gareth Davies and Rachel Watkins, working towards a degree is a perfect example of the double benefits. Dad-of-two Gareth, 45, from Newport, and Rachel Watkins, 48, from Abergavenny, both work at Newport Wafer Fab – Gareth for the past 20 years, while Rachel has been there four years longer. They are just two members of the Newport Wafer Fab (NWF) team that has been producing world-class, high-end silicon and compound semiconductor devices for more than 30 years. Understanding…

GlobalWelsh is the not-for-profit organisation dedicated to connecting Wales to its global diaspora. GlobalWelsh has partnered with Hodge to hold its first ‘Pitch Perfect’ series of workshops for business founders. The bootcamps are being held through January and February. They aim to help start-ups ‘fine-tune’ their funding pitches before being selected to present to investors at the next GlobalWelsh Investor Portal Live Pitch event in London on 13th February.  Launched in 2017, GlobalWelsh, is seeking to create a borderless international community of people with a Welsh connection to create new ideas and opportunities, to inspire and build a prosperous future…

Sony UK Technology Centre (UK TEC) is searching for the latest round of talented applicants to join its Higher Apprenticeship scheme. The Pencoed-based facility, which produces 4K and HD broadcast cameras for worldwide distribution, is launching the scheme for the eighth consecutive year on February 3rd. The industry-leading scheme is coordinated by the company’s onsite Sony Wales Academy and will enable its participants to gain invaluable work experience at one of the world’s leading manufacturing sites, while they also work to gain degree-level qualifications. Sony UK Tec is looking for budding Electronic Engineers from across South Wales to take part…

A 36 year old man from the Bridgend area has been sent to prison for five years yesterday (Monday 3rd February) after being found guilty of a number of sexual offences. David Rainbow was found guilty at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday 9th January of inciting a girl aged 13 to 16 to engage in sexual activity, three counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child and two of possession of indecent photographs of a child. The offences were committed between January and March last year and came to light when school staff found indecent videos and images of…

The GS Verde Group has opened a new office within a listed building in Pembroke Dock to accommodate the growth of its corporate and commercial teams and the development of its sector specialist energy team.  The latest office for the Group will be within the Grade II listed Guardhouse on the Royal Dockyard area of Pembroke Dock, currently owned by the Port of Milford Haven. The Port of Milford Haven is the UK’s top energy port and Wales busiest port handling around 20% of Britain’s seabourne trade in oil and gas. The port is also widely recognised in the industry…

A group of kind-hearted primary schoolchildren used flower power to brighten up the lives of residents at a care home in Wrexham. The Year 5 and 6 pupils from Ysgol Bodhyfryd planted daffodils and other bulbs in flowerpots they decorated themselves and presented them to residents of Pendine Park’s Hillbury care home as a keepsake. The visit was part of an intergenerational project that’s seen the youngsters visit Hillbury once a fortnight. Also, there on this occasion was the Mayor of Wrexham, Cllr Rob Walsh, who said it was a wonderful idea. The project was the brainchild of Heulwen Harris,…

Charitable organisations across Wales and south west England received more than £84,000 last year thanks to the fantastic fundraising efforts from Wales & West Utilities colleagues. Kind-hearted employees from the gas emergency and pipeline service have taken part in hundreds of events, whilst also volunteering their time to support local teams and clubs, leading to them raising over £84,000 – making it the company’s highest charitable donation to date. Of the £84,000, £20k has been given directly by Wales & West Utilities through its match-funding programme, which supports the efforts of its colleagues to make their fundraising go further, whilst…

Welsh winner of BBC One’s The Apprentice in 2016, Alana Spencer, will soon be saying those famous words “You’re hired”, as she celebrates Apprenticeship Week Cymru by seeking to recruit her first apprentice. Alana, 27, already employs seven staff in her handmade cake company, Ridiculously Rich by Alana, which moved into a unit on Glanyrafon Industrial Estate in her home town of Aberystwyth last October. Up until that point, she had been outsourcing production but has now brought everything in-house which resulted in five staff being recruited immediately. One of those staff, Matt Lloyd, 20, was recruited through the Welsh…

Local accountancy practice Bevan Buckland LLP has signed the Time to Change Wales pledge delivered by Hafal and Mind Cymru. The pledge aims to help improve understanding of mental health problems and to end the stigma around it. Mental health has been a hot topic in recent years, with a number of charities, initiatives, events and individuals showing better support for mental health problems and all those affected. Time to Change Wales is the first national campaign focussing on reducing the stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental health problems in Wales. People who experience mental illness often face…

The driver of a Toyota MPV which was involved in a single vehicle road traffic collision at around 5.00m on Friday 17th January has died in hospital. 2020 a Toyota MPV collided with a parked vehicle and a house in Blanche Street, Cardiff. Victor Moore, 75, was driving the vehicle along Blanche Street in the Adamsdown area of Cardiff when it collided with a parked car and a house.  Mr Moore was taken to the University Hospital of Wales, where he has since died from his injuries. He is survived by his long term partner Miss Cherry Hyde and their…