Author: Rhys Gregory

SMMT analysis published today reveals the scale of Wales’ contribution to UK Automotive, with the sector directly supporting 7,000 jobs, representing one in 20 UK automotive workers, sustaining skilled livelihoods and generating £477 million for the economy. The findings come as senior leaders from industry, Welsh Government and the defence sector gather in Newport today (Thursday) for SMMT Regional Forum, where discussions will focus on the country’s automotive strengths amid the challenges of electrification, regulation, energy costs and trade uncertainty, plus opportunities for auto suppliers following release of the UK Defence Investment Plan. Wales’ automotive strength lies in the diversity…

New BBC documentary, Hunting the Spycammers, uncovers a dark online network in which footage filmed on hidden cameras in bedrooms, bathrooms, changing rooms and other private spaces is liked and shared. Welsh presenter Jess Davies goes undercover to infiltrate this world and finds spycammers boasting about filming wives, girlfriends and strangers without their knowledge, including someone who plants spycams on a walking route to catch women stopping to wee in a bush where there are no public toilets. Hunting the Spycammers will land on the BBC’s YouTube channels and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday 15 July. It is a co-commission by BBC Current…

Primary school pupils across Bridgend County Borough are learning how to cook one of the recipes which will be introduced with the new school menu in the autumn – and taste-testing it with their classmates. A collaboration between the catering team at Bridgend County Borough Council, Bridgend Sustainable Food Partnership and The Cookalong Clwb is visiting eleven schools this month, giving pupils a practical lesson in cooking, and gathering their feedback as they share what they’ve cooked with other pupils. As well as learning about cooking a healthy meal from scratch – pasta and a seven-vegetable tomato sauce – the…

A GROUNDBREAKING higher education pathway is helping students turn their passion for gaming into careers in one of the world’s fastest-growing industries. Coleg Cambria has seen learners progress from Further Education into university-equivalent study through its Higher National Diploma (HND) in Esports, delivered at Cambria University Centre Deeside, in partnership with Pearson. The programme provides a clear route from Levels 2 and 3 through to Levels 4 and 5, with the option to progress to a full degree at university. Among those leading the way are Ben Oortwyn, from Sandycroft, and Adam Parkes, from Deeside – part of Cambria’s first-ever…

Sherman Theatre is giving audiences in Cardiff the chance to experience some of Wales’ most exciting theatre before it heads to the world’s largest arts festival, with a special Edinburgh Previews season this summer. The programme will feature three Welsh productions ahead of their runs at the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, offering theatre lovers an early look at new and returning shows before they travel to Scotland. Running from 7 to 31 August, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is one of the world’s biggest arts festivals, attracting thousands of performers and audiences from across the globe. Leading the Cardiff previews is…

The RSPCA is appealing for information after a poorly kitten was found dumped in a shopping bag on a basketball court in Caerphilly County Borough. The tortoise-shell coloured feline was discovered inside an Iceland Bag for Life by a council worker who was cutting grass at Channel View Community Centre at Risca, near Newport, on the morning of Tuesday, June 30. The workman took the kitten, who is around three months old, back to his home near Caldicot and his partner then took her to a vets and contacted the animal charity. She has been treated for diarrhoea and a flea burden and…

Photographer Robin Chaddah-Duke – a Documentary Photography graduate of the University of South Wales – has created a series of portraits capturing everyday life in the Rhondda valleys, as part of a unique project to celebrate the importance of community in the area. Robin’s images, which will be on display at railway stations from Pontypridd to Treorchy, are inspired by the Station to Station project – a collaboration between USW, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and Transport for Wales – which documents the importance of social and community spaces throughout the South Wales valleys. Having taken part in Station…

S4C has announced a brand new travel series that will see two Welsh brothers explore the United States at what the broadcaster describes as a pivotal moment in the country’s history. Pitts Stop America follows brothers Iwan and Hywel Pitts as they travel across America in a motorhome, meeting people from across the political spectrum while discovering the country’s culture, communities and their own family connections. The four part series was announced on America’s Independence Day, also known as Freedom 250, and will take viewers from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia, Scranton and New York. Along the way, the brothers will…

Adam Roe, 40, is taking on a 100k endurance event this summer to raise funds for a pregnancy charity after almost losing his wife during an ectopic pregnancy operation. Adam will be completing the Gower Peninsula Ultra Challenge 2026 on 18-19 July, fundraising for the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust after his wife Vicky experienced a rare, life-threatening caesarean-scar ectopic pregnancy in 2023. The challenge is a 100k continuous, day‑and‑night trek across rugged coastline and steep climbs in South Wales. Over 1,500 participants are signed up to the event that has already amassed £200,000 across all participant fundraisers. While Vicky underwent emergency…

Bridgend-based housing association, Valleys to Coast, is delivering the scheme with support from the Welsh Government, which is contributing 2.1 million – 65% of the scheme’s total cost – through its Social Housing Grant. The development will revitalise a site that has remained vacant since a fire destroyed the former pub in 2007, repurposing empty land to meet the demand for affordable housing. Valleys to Coast will work with Neath-based contractor CJ Construction to deliver the Ffaldau Arms scheme, which will comprise 12 one and two bedroom flats offered at social rent. The well-connected site is on Oxford Street in…