Author: Rhys Gregory

South Wales Police’s Specialist Crime Review Unit has been investigating the murder of 12 year-old Muriel Drinkwater whose body was found in Penllergaer Woods, Swansea in 1946. As part of the investigation forensic evidence has been re-examined and officers have considered theories that convicted murderer Harold Jones was responsible for the death of Muriel. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Lewis, head of the Specialist Crime Review Unit said: “The results of the forensic examination categorically confirm that Jones was not responsible for the murder of Muriel Drinkwater. “Due to advances in forensic technology we have been able to look again at…

A family-owned dairy farm in the South Wales Valleys has seen an increased milk yield from happier cows, thanks to investment in a new rotary milking parlour, which received Welsh Government funding support. [aoa id=”1″]Price & Co Farming at Gelliargwellt Uchaf Farm in Caerphilly has seen milking times reduced by more than half – from 6-7 hours to just 3 hours because the new parlour maintains a steady flow of animals throughout each of the three daily milkings and, crucially, can milk twice as many cows at a time – 64 animals, up from 32. The herd is now producing…

Cardiff Bus is alerting passengers to diversions throughout Whitchurch this weekend as thousands of runners take part in the fourth annual Cardiff 5k. [aoa id=”1″] The operator is notifying customers, and those heading to the event, of bus stop changes as participants prepare to flood the streets once again for the charitable run on May 5th. The Cardiff 5k will take place on streets throughout Whitchurch from 7pm, with runners starting and finishing on Merthyr Road. [/aoa] During the event a number of roads across the village will be closed to traffic from 3pm until midnight with diversions also in…

Onecom, the UK’s leading independent business communications provider, has secured a £30m finance package from HSBC UK in support of its ambitious growth plans. [aoa id=”1″] The five-year funding deal will enable Onecom to invest heavily in customer experience, systems and teams, in line with its strategy of achieving significant growth in that time frame. Initial projects include upgrades to the company’s IT systems to scale them for future growth, increased use of AI to support customer service teams in delivering excellence in call quality, and an increase in resource at a local and regional level. The funding also strengthens…

PLANS for a £200 million Wellness Village in Llanelli could provide a global blueprint on how healthcare and leisure services should best be delivered in future, according to Scarlets boss Nigel Short. [aoa id=”1″] Mr Short, who sits on the Swansea Bay City Deal’s Economic Strategy Board, says the project earmarked for a site at Delta Lakes has the potential to boost not just Llanelli, but Carmarthenshire and South Wales as a whole. Providing specialist private sector guidance to the City Deal’s decision-making Joint Committee, the Economic Strategy Board is made up of experts in sectors including business, housing, life…

Nine Welsh organisations have been shortlisted for the prestigious Action on Hearing Loss Cymru Excellence Awards for the work they do to make their services accessible to the one in six people in Wales with hearing loss.   [aoa id=”1″] The leading charity established the awards to recognise businesses and organisations that go above and beyond to support the 575,000 people in Wales who have varying degrees of hearing loss. The shortlist is made up of a myriad of organisations across Wales and includes health boards, emergency services, councils and charities. [/aoa] Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is one of…

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co has completed on the sale of The Eagles Hotel, a Grade II listed, 16 bedroom hotel in the heart of North Wales’ picturesque Conwy Valley. [aoa id=”1″]The imposing hotel is situated in village of Llanrwst on the banks of the River Conwy, near to Snowdonia National Park and the popular tourist resort of Betws Y Coed and benefits from significant tourist trade throughout the year. The original building dates back to 1750 and, in keeping with its history, the hotel offers guests a combination of both period features and modern amenities. A more…

FinTech Wales is a new, not-for-profit independent membership organisation set up to champion the FinTech and Financial Services industry in Wales. [aoa id=”1″] It was launched earlier this week (April 29th) by Richard Theo, the UK Government’s FinTech Envoy for Wales, at the annual Innovate Finance Global Summit at the Guildhall in London. FinTech Wales will operate as a trade association with member organisations comprising of FinTech and financial services companies headquartered or operating in Wales. [/aoa] It brings together entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes, as well as technology suppliers, innovators, universities and public sector bodies. The association has…

Chepstow based PR and content agency, Cohesive Communications is calling on local people to take part in ‘Wye Walk’, a fundraising walk to help Welsh charity Llamau tackle homelessness.    [aoa id=”1″] The charity provides holistic support, including safe accommodation, domestic abuse refuge and mental health support, to help vulnerable women, young people and children to leave homelessness behind, for good.   “We have recently announced our partnership with Llamau and the Wye Walk is our first big community fundraiser of the year”, Cohesive co-CEO Andy Williams explained.  [/aoa]   “Llamau’s motto is ‘never to give up on anyone’ and…

Overall business confidence in Wales was the lowest in the UK in April, having dropped to minus one per cent, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. [aoa id=”1″] While Welsh firms’ confidence in their own business prospects rose by six points to 12 per cent, when combined with their views on the economy overall confidence fell 11 points to minus one per cent – the lowest in the UK. This was reflected in their hiring intentions, with a net balance of 14 per cent of businesses now expecting to hire more staff during the next…