Author: Rhys Gregory

The proposed closure of the Ford Bridgend plant in 2020 with the resultant loss of 1700 jobs was discussed as an urgent item at the meeting of the Cardiff Capital Region Regional Cabinet on Monday. [aoa id=”1″]Describing the announcement by Ford last Thursday as a ‘significant economic blow to the whole region’, the ten local authority leaders discussed the importance of the £1.3bn City Deal which it oversees and its relevance to building a new economic future.[/aoa] Chair of the Regional Cabinet and Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, where it is thought almost 400 of the plant’s workers live,…

Following James Brokenshire’s suggestion that youngsters should be allowed to access their pensions savings to help them get on the property ladder, Stuart Price gives his thoughts.

One of the UK’s most respected horseracing historians has written a book to celebrate Ffos Las Racecourse’s 10th anniversary. Jim Beavis, has detailed the first successful decade of the Trimsaran course with his insightful book, Ffos Las, The Birth of a Racecourse, which is published this month.  Jim has chronicled the history of courses including Brighton, Fontwell, Windsor and Uttoxeter in the past. Now he has told the story of Ffos Las Racecourse, which was the first new National Hunt racecourse to be built in Britain for 80 years, sited at a former open cast mine, back in 2009.  Going from…

Wales-based mental health charity, Gofal, is launching ‘Not Forgotten’, a powerful exhibition sharing the memories of Cardiff residents living with dementia. [aoa id=”1″]Funded by the National Lottery and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, two projects; [DIAL and Not Forgotten], have formed the basis of the exhibition which will feature a documentary film and an interactive display to delve deeper into these memories. Stunning portrait photographs of participants will be on display, as well as a variety of craft-based projects, dementia awareness workshops and ‘how to’ workshops offering practical advice and guidance about Cognitive Stimulation and Reminiscence Therapy.[/aoa] The projects have…

The Red Dragon Centre is joining organisations nationwide to celebrate ‘One Great Day’, a charity fundraising day in aid of local children’s health charities that support families, including Tŷ Hafan. [aoa id=”1″] The entertainment centre is inviting families and friends to Cardiff Bay on Saturday 22 June in celebration of One Great Day between 12pm and 4pm. With Toy Story 4 hitting screens at the Red Dragon Centre on 21 June, the entertainment centre welcomes lookalike mascots in tribute of the original characters. [/aoa] Next to meeting the special visitors, children can enjoy various free activities, including face painting, colouring…

A NEW-LOOK management team plans to build on the success of a revolutionary sixth form complex. Miriam Riddell and Rob Hughes are the new heads at Coleg Cambria’s £15million Deeside Sixth Form Centre. They will work alongside Alex Thomas, who held the role from the centre’s opening in 2016 before being named Assistant Principal and Director of General Education. [aoa id=”1″]Miriam, a former psychology teacher and assistant head of sixth form at Mold Alun School, and Rob, who was geography lecturer at Deeside Sixth and previously head of humanities at Connah’s Quay High School, are looking forward to the challenge…

Two Welsh charities unite for the first time ever ahead of Wales’ largest celebration of equality and diversity. Cardiff Deaf Centre and Pride Cymru have come together to meet the needs of the deaf and hard of hearing community in Wales during the annual Big Weekend (23-25 August). Working together again, the two charities will collaborate fully, making Deaf Pride Wales a part of Pride Cymru’s Big Weekend, which is celebrating its 20th year. As a charity Cardiff Deaf Centre is undergoing a large development programme that sees the charity looking to raise £750,000 to redevelop the home of the…

A legal team dedicated to helping Port Talbot steel workers who lost significant parts of their pension savings is claiming back an average of £33,000 per case.  National law firm Clarke Willmott is helping over 170 workers who were badly advised to transfer out of their “gold plated” occupational pension schemes and into risky investments.  [aoa id=”1″]The team, which has opened a dedicated centre to support steel workers in Water Street Business Centre, Port Talbot, was brought together after it emerged Port Talbot steel workers were given bad advice by a firm called Active Wealth UK, which has since gone…

Between initiatives such as the Economic Action Plan – setting out the Welsh government’s approach to economic development over the next few years – and Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures from March revealing that Welsh exports are on the rise, it’s an exciting time to be doing business in Wales. Businesses are telling us that they’re looking to increase their headcount over the coming months. A recent Lloyds Bank Business Barometer report found that a net balance of 14 per cent of Welsh businesses plan to hire more staff during the next year. While it’s encouraging to see businesses…

An ambitious new Carbon Management Plan is targeting a 15% reduction in emissions by 2023. The plan to reduce Ceredigion County Council emissions was approved by the council’s Cabinet on 11 June 2019. [aoa id=”1″]The plan sets out an action plan for reducing carbon emissions over the next five years. This is the third five-year carbon management plan to be carried out by the council.[/aoa] The latest plan lists a number of projects that the council will carry out in the next five years. They include: Building on previous work of making buildings more energy efficient Rolling out more energy…