Author: Rhys Gregory

The anxiety that comes with car-buying is as bad as being stuck in a lift, buying a house or even planning a wedding, according to new research. And it is this stress which has pressured potentially thousands of car-buyers in Wales to succumb to a deal on the spot, as a third (32%) have said they don’t do research before buying a car and agree to a deal on the day. [aoa id=”1″]This research follows a new scientific investigation conducted by Confused.com to analyse the impact that buying a car can have on a driver, as they sign away potentially…

Swansea University’s department of Classics, Ancient History, and Egyptology have launched a new venture where students collaborated with members of the local community and professional filmmakers to produce a series of short films on the ancient world. [aoa id=”1″] The films were showcased in the Taliesin Theatre on Singleton Campus on Monday, 13 May. Funded by a grant from the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), The Ancient World on Film was a new project that seeks to communicate the research of the department’s academics to new audiences. [/aoa] A team of students, filmmakers and the local community produced…

Students on the BA (Hons) International Hotel Management degree programme at University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) have recently completed a module on which they worked closely with the international hotel group, Marriott Corporation. [aoa id=”1″]Part of a wider relationship with one of the world’s leading hotel brands, the students on the International Hotel Management programme spend about 8 months undertaking a detailed training programme run by the Marriott in conjunction with the University. Towards the end of their degree programme students study a module called Organisational Consultancy in which they undertake a consultancy in a hotel they are…

Housing land values showed small signs of growth in the first quarter of 2019, with Wales and the west of England continuing to outperform London and the wider South East, according to real estate advisor Savills. [aoa id=”1″]Greenfield land across Wales and the west of England saw an increase of 0.6% in value in the first quarter of 2019, bringing annual growth to 2.4% in the last year. Urban land values remained at the same level in the first quarter, representing 4.2% annual growth.[/aoa] These figures compare favourably to UK average growth of 1.3% in greenfield land values and 1.8%…

A social enterprise that’s just won a major UK award for its spectacular 300 per cent growth has launched a new commercial venture to help others follow in their footsteps. [aoa id=”1″] Creating Enterprise, a subsidiary of housing association Cartrefi Conwy, has secured the licence to set up innovative Wales-wide learning and development programmes for companies, social enterprises and public bodies. The Social Enterprise Academy will be using the model trailblazed in Scotland that’s now been replicated across more than a dozen countries as far afield as Canada, China and Australia. [/aoa] Creating Enterprise, based in Mochdre, near Colwyn Bay,…

A Cardiff-based English-language academy is urging the Welsh Government to capitalise on international students, recognising them as educational tourists, when they come for English language programmes. [aoa id=”1″]Celtic English Academy, headquartered in central Cardiff, employs over 50 staff across two centres in the Welsh capital and North Wales and draws in students from across the world in order to learn English and experience life in Wales. [/aoa] Speaking of the impact of educational tourists, Director Shoko Doherty said: “Currently, around 90 per cent of Wales’ tourism comes from the British domestic market, demonstrating a huge market for international tourists. “Those…

The Council of Bangor University has appointed Professor Iwan Davies FLSW as the University’s next Vice-Chancellor. He will become only the eighth Vice-Chancellor or Principal in the University’s 135 year history. Professor Davies is currently the Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Swansea University, and he is a leading authority on international commercial law with a particular interest in asset finance, IP and personal property law. [aoa id=”1″]In his current role he has responsibility for internationalisation, strategic development, resources and estates. He led the development and delivery of Swansea University’s new £450m Science and Innovation Campus with an emphasis on University and Industry…

Zakaria Daud Afey, 20, has pleaded guilty to possession of material useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism contrary to the Terrorism Act 2000 and Dissemination of Terrorist Publications contrary to the Terrorism Act 2006.  He was sentenced today (Thursday 16th May) to 30 months in prison. Afey, from the St Mellons area of Cardiff, was appearing before the Central Criminal Court in London when he changed his plea to guilty of dissemination of a terrorist publication in January 2017 and possessing a terrorist publication called How To Survive In The West. During the opening stages of…

A Bridgend drug dealer has been ordered to pay back more than £130,000 he made from his criminality. Two men were jailed last year following raids where officers seized more than £100,000 worth of illegal drugs. [aoa id=”1″]Stephen Edwards, aged 51, of North Cornelly, was sentenced to three years and nine months in December, 2018, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class A – cocaine and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class A – heroin.[/aoa] At a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing held in Cardiff Crown Court today, (May…

Ahead of their return to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park later this month (24th – 27th May 2019), The Big Retreat Wales has announced the launch of it’s very own gin brand The Cleddau Gin, using their unique festival location and site history as inspiration for the special recipe.  As a festival with passion for everything that makes your feel good, The Big Retreat has teamed up with the self-proclaimed maverick ‘In The Welsh Wind Distillery’ based in Ceredigion to create an exclusive gin that will delight the senses. Diana Dredge, Co-founder at The Big Retreat Wales said: “We took our inspiration from our amazing festival site and…