Author: Rhys Gregory

Macmillan Cancer Support has welcomed calls to review who is eligible for Wales’ Blue Badge scheme, to help ensure the needs of people with cancer are being met. The charity also welcomes the recommendation that an appeals process should be put in place. The Blue Badge scheme provides a lifeline for people with various medical conditions and disabilities, helping them to access facilities within their communities. The first recommendation made by a new report published today by the National Assembly for Wales’ Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee, is for a review of the eligibility criteria for Blue Badges to…

A game-changing £1bn transport vision designed to cut congestion and improve air quality in Cardiff has been revealed by the leader of Wales’ capital city. [aoa id=”1″]Speaking at a Welsh Government Conference on Active Travel, Cllr Huw Thomas, told delegates that the time has come for action on the city’s transport needs, warning that urgent investment is needed and that the city will ‘grind to a halt’ if partner agencies don’t come together to transform the way people move in and around Cardiff.[/aoa] Cllr Thomas said: “Cardiff’s transport network needs to change. It was originally designed for a city with…

A charity golf day hosted by a Newbridge-based electronics manufacturer has raised £5,000 for the military support charity, Help for Heroes. The Wales National Course at the Vale Resort golf club provided the location for annual event hosted by Axiom Manufacturing Services, which was attended by more than 70 of company’s clients, suppliers and business partners from across the UK to raise money for Help for Heroes. The charity works to deliver an enduring national network of support for British service personnel who have been injured in the line of duty. David Davies, managing director at Axiom Manufacturing said: “At…

Over 800 Scouts, Guides and members of the public gathered at the 66th annual Scout and Guide Fete at Romilly Park, Barry on Saturday 6th July to create a human fleur-de-lis. [aoa id=”1″] The participants put on red ponchos to mark out the fleur-de-lis shape and remained in place for 5 minutes to break the current record of 445 people. They now have to wait for their attempt to be verified to see if they will be placed in the Book of World Records. [/aoa] Tir a Mor district commissioner Chris Parsons said: “The annual fete gives us the chance…

Today, thirty workers from financial services consultancy, Quantum Advisory, will complete an epic charity cycle ride to raise funds for Welsh children’s hospice, Tŷ Hafan. The novice cyclists from across Quantum’s UK offices will join together on 6 July to cycle 52 miles from Brecon in Mid Wales to Cardiff. The route follows the Taff Trail through the heart of the Brecon Beacons along winding roads and mountainous terrain, peaking out at the summit of Torpantau, before ploughing on to Merthyr Tydfil. The intrepid fundraisers will then continue through a string of small towns before meandering their way through Pontypridd.…

A researcher at Swansea University working with AgorIP is the third person in the institution’s history to win funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering. [aoa id=”1″]Dr Jonathan Widdowson, 26, who is also the CEO of company ProColl, won the funding of £60,000 that will aid their mission to supply 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…

A mum from Buckley has opened up about her journey from redundancy to dream career in a bid to inspire those going through a similar experience to seek free support to help change their own story. [aoa id=”1″] Lynsey Green was working in project management and marketing when she accepted voluntary redundancy by her former employer following a restructure. As a mother to two young children and facing an uncertain and worrying time, Lynsey decided to contact Career Wales for help and advice. It was during these conversations that she was first introduced to a redundancy programme called ReAct. [/aoa]…

A Pontypridd man has been jailed for a campaign of online abuse which has been described as unprecedented by online investigators in south Wales. It was what appeared to be an isolated act of indecency in Ferndale in November last year, which unravelled a trail of online abuse which identified victims across the UK and as far as the USA. Owain Thomas was sentenced to 15 years in prison at Merthyr Crown Court on Friday (5 July) after pleading guilty to 158 online sex offences against children. The 29 year-old from Pontypridd used the internet to befriend children and incite…

Cardiff Bay will be home to mythical creatures and more this summer when the BRICKLIVE Fantasy Kingdom heads to Mermaid Quay. From Saturday 3rd August – Sunday 1st September, nine models made with a total of nearly 750,000 LEGO® bricks will take centre stage in Tacoma Square, in the heart of Mermaid Quay. [aoa id=”1″] Free to view, the display will feature an 11ft fire-breathing dragon, a unicorn and two hunting wolves as well as a wizard, princess, knight and huntswoman. Collectively the models took over 2,000 hours to build.  There will also be 10 cute dragon whelps (baby dragons) displayed…

The store which is known to sell handbags and clothes worth thousands of pounds has been targeted yet again. South Wales Police have arrested a 42-year-old man from Riverside, Cardiff, on suspicion of commercial burglary. Police CCTV operators alerted officers to someone smashing the shop window at around 5am this morning and the suspect was arrested in Despenser Street, Riveside, within 15 minutes. He is in custody and a number of designer items have been found. This is the third time so far this year that the Vivienne Westwood store in Cardiff has been targeted by criminals. In May and…