Author: Rhys Gregory

The Swansea Council-run venue has a number of casual trading pitches and they’re being offered at the bargain rental price to support the UK-wide Love Your Local Market celebration. [aoa id=”1″] Would-be entrepreneurs can apply for a casual pitch to trade on any days Monday-Saturday from May 17-31. Casual trader Lyn Mackay, who specialises in handmade jewellery and gifts, said: “People should give this a go! The market is a great place to be and will offer a strong indication of whether a living can be made with a special idea.” [/aoa] Lyn, an entertainer and former teacher of Sketty,…

South Wales Police can confirm that the five men who were arrested in connection with the cashpoint theft in Treharris on Tuesday (May 14), have all been charged with burglary and theft of motor vehicle. They are appearing at Merthyr Magistrates Court today (16 May, 2019). No further action will be taken against a 25 year-old woman who was arrested in connection with the offence. Individuals charged: Mark Hayter, 32, from York Terrace, Ebbw Vale. John Hearne, 24, from Broach Road, Stourport on Seven. Gareth James, 37, Canning Street, Ebbw Vale. Gavin Jordan, 38, Roundhouse Close, Nantyglo. Tony Smith, 25,…

British-Sri-Lankan human rights documentary filmmaker, turned debut novelist, Guy Gunaratne (35 years old), has been announced as the winner of this year’s Swansea University International Dylan Thomas Prize, with a prize sum of £30,000, at a ceremony held at Swansea University for his debut novel In Our Mad and Furious City (Tinder Press, Headline). [aoa id=”1″]In Our Mad and Furious City burst into our consciousness in 2018 providing an urgent, timely and compelling fictional account of 48 hours in a North West London housing estate after the murder of a British soldier, as told through three narrators. Risky and inventive,…

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…