Author: Rhys Gregory

A POPULAR childcare expo looks set to get bigger every year after taking its first steps. The inaugural Childcare Show was held at Coleg Cambria’s £14m Nant building at Yale in Wrexham and welcomed guests from across the sector, and region. Organised by Childcare Assessor Lauren Lawrence, a former nursery manager with more than 10 years’ experience, the event was a first for the college and brought together some of the industry’s top names. It also acted as a showcase for the college’s facilities and coursers, with more than 30 organisations and businesses – as well as up to 100…

ROB Edwards, the entrepreneur behind the reinvention of Welsh Premier League football team Haverfordwest County AFC, has taken over the iconic brand that gave the likes of John Cena, Randy Orton, Dave Batista, and Brock Lesnar their starts in professional wrestling, aiming to relaunch the promotion and grow it globally. Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) – immortalised by Netflix’s hit documentary ‘Wrestlers’ – has relaunched under Edwards’ leadership, with the Londoner’s sports management group, MSM, taking a controlling stake in a company that has produced more wrestling world champions than most small countries. From having wine to Haverfordwest It all began…

Following two consecutive months of decline, the latest Cymru Growth Tracker data from NatWest signalled a fresh and solid rise in Welsh private sector activity. The headline Wales Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – rose to 51.5 in May from 48.1 in April, signalling the joint-strongest uptick in a year. Meanwhile, demand conditions remained subdued as new orders declined for the sixth month running. Lower new business dampened output expectations for the year ahead which were at their lowest for two-and-a-half…

Two men have been arrested following a planned operation in Menai Bridge last week. Officers attended the Ffordd Tysilio area of Menai Bridge at around 9am this morning following reports concerning sightings of weapons. A 30-year-old and 21-year-old local men have been arrested on suspicion of being in possession of weapons and burglary. A number of weapons have been recovered during our searches which are ongoing. Superintendent Arwel Hughes said: “Two men remain in police custody whilst our enquiries are ongoing. “I am grateful to residents for their support and patience this morning during the operation. “We will not tolerate…

Passenger train drivers are once again based in Barry for the first time since the 1990s after work was completed on the depot there. The move sees the number of people working at the depot rise to 58, signifying a huge boost to the local economy. Transport for Wales took over the rail depot there in 2022 and have been proceeding to develop it alongside our partners in Network Rail. And from the May timetable change on 18 May, 39 drivers will now be based there alongside depot colleagues, cleaners and train crew managers. Most of the Class 756 and…

The Vale of Glamorgan Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Kier as the preferred contractor for the highly anticipated new Ysgol Gymraeg Iolo Morganwg development. This milestone marks the next phase in delivering a transformative new building for Ysgol Iolo Morganwg in Cowbridge – which will double the current pupil capacity from 210 to 420 places and offer nursery provision for up to 96 full-time equivalent (FTE) children. The development will significantly expand Welsh-medium educational provision in the area, responding to increasing demand for Welsh-medium education in the Vale. Cllr Rhiannon Birch, Cabinet Member for Education, Arts and…

Cardiff’s skate community is celebrating the opening of a new 1,000m2 skate park. The ‘East Side’ skate park, next door to Eastern Leisure Centre in Llanrumney, was designed by award winning consultants VDZ+A and Newline Skateparks in consultation with the local skateboard community and features a series of ramps, hips, curbs, ledges and rails as well as a quarter pipe. Dirty Sanchez star and keen skateboarder Matt Pritchard said: “It’s what we need in Cardiff. I’m 52 now, and when I first started skateboarding, we had nothing in Cardiff, so to have facilities like this is amazing. It’s really good…

Two new amazing urban parks are being created for city residents in the coming months. Work has started transforming two patches of waste ground in SA1 into what will become thriving urban community parks, between them boasting play areas, nature trails, meeting spots, events space and a pump track. The innovative new areas will mean that communities in the city centre and SA1 will have three brand new urban parks on their doorsteps to enjoy, including Amy Dillwyn Park next door to Swansea Arena. The project is being financed by income from developers known as section 106 funds and will…

Risca residents have voted to keep the Ty Darran name for its new later living scheme. Caerphilly County Borough Council is working with construction expert Willmott Dixon to deliver the innovative 45 apartment development on the site of the former Ty Darran care home, which is scheduled for completion in autumn this year. The new ‘Ty Darran’ will become home to residents from existing sheltered housing schemes in the locality that are programmed for closure.  Future residents and the wider community took part in a survey to choose a name for the new development, with 67% of people voting to…

Work has started on the creation of a wetland habitat at Wern Pond in Powys that will extend the habitat for protected species of aquatic plants and other wildlife as part of the restoration of the Montgomery Canal. Glandŵr Cymru, the Canal & River Trust in Wales, is creating a new conservation area just off the A483 near Coppice Lane as part of the UK government-supported restoration of the canal. The canal is recognised as a Special Area of Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its rare plant-life. The area will include a 1.5-metre-deep pond, that…