Author: Rhys Gregory

A chef and a nursing assistant from Llanharry are marking their first-year wedding anniversary in style after a life-changing £1M UK Millionaire Maker win from the EuroMillions draw on Friday, 24 January 2020. David Taylor (40), who is a chef, and his wife Stacey (37) have returned to the venue where they were married – Manor Parc Hotel in Thornhill, Cardiff – for a doubly special celebration. The pair still can’t quite believe their luck since becoming Wales’s newest National Lottery millionaires. David described the moment when he found out the life-changing news: “I’ve always been a night owl and…

They’ve held a tarantula, braved an icy Boxing Day swim and taken on high ropes – now two sisters are gearing up to take on even tougher challenges for Macmillan Cancer Support in their mother’s memory. Sisters Verity Pyke, of Cardiff, and Lauren Turner, of Bridgend, have completed 12 of 20 fundraising challenges for Macmillan Cancer Support to mark 20 years since their mother Susan Turner sadly died of breast cancer in April 2000. And the duo has doubled their £2,000 target by raising £4,000 for the charity with the challenges they’ve completed since April 2019. They have now set…

A local dog rescue is appealing for help from the public after suffering terrible flood damage to their Pontypridd charity shop. Llanharan based Hope Rescue helps vulnerable dogs in need from across South Wales but is facing a huge loss of funds after the flooding from Storm Dennis caused their only charity shop in Pontypridd to fill with contaminated water. Not only will repairs include replacing fixtures, fittings and stock damaged by the flood water, but the shop also needs specialist deep cleaning and drying out before any work can take place.   The shop will need to close for…

A blind man from South Wales is calling for an end to pavement parking after he was hit by a car in December. Steve Lawrence, 62, from Talbot Green, was walking home with his shopping on a residential street when he encountered two cars parked on the pavement. Steve, who uses a long cane to detect obstacles on his route, tried to avoid them. But one of the cars began to drive along the pavement before pulling out into the road, hitting Steve in the arm and damaging his cane beyond repair. Steve said: “I’ve been blind since 2014 and…

South Wales Police is investigating a serious road traffic collision, which occurred on the A483 Cadle, Swansea, towards the M4 at approximately 10.30pm on Monday, February 24. The collision involved three vehicles – a red Mini Cooper, a white BMW and a blue Ford Mondeo which was travelling in the opposite direction to the Mini and the BMW. Two people were taken to hospital, with one remaining in a critical condition. A third person, a 20-year-old man, has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and is currently in custody. The road was closed in both direction for several hours…

Thanks to the New Theatre for inviting us along in exchange for this review. GHOST Stories, the West-End phenomenon is set to terrify Welsh audiences this week as it arrives at the New Theatre, Cardiff. After exhilarating audiences across the globe, Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman’s Ghost Stories has been turned into a film and is now on its first ever UK tour. If you search for the production online, you will find out very little about it. Audiences are sworn to secrecy, so if you want to unlock the wonders and nightmarish encounters, you’ll have to go and see it for…

Wales has a record five nominations in this year’s UK-wide star-studded Into Film Awards, which will be hosted by top comic actor and author David Walliams at the Odeon Luxe, Leicester Square, in London, on 18 March. Welsh actors Rhys Ifans and Luke Evans presented awards at last year’s ceremony, which seeks to honour the most talented and innovative young filmmakers, reviewers and Into Film Clubs in the UK. It also gives recognition to educators who use film as an education tool. Some of the biggest stars in the industry attend the ceremony, with previous attendees including Daniel Craig, Eddie Redmayne, Lily James,…

Cardiff Capital Region is stepping up a gear as its 2020-21 business plan reveals some transformative new projects are expected to reach legal completion this year. This is the fourth annual business plan for the capital region, which has seen some of the highest levels of relative GVA growth in the UK in 2018-19. But there is still much to do and the plan focuses on the next steps that are expected to take shape over the coming year. One of the key themes in this year’s business plan is economic inclusion. Parts of the region remain stubbornly low in…

The transformative power of technology on businesses across Wales will be put in the spotlight at an Innovation Conference at the Glyndŵr University’s OpTIC Technology Centre next month. Organised by the Welsh Opto-Electronics Forum, it will allow people to discover more about – the Centre for Photonics Expertise (CPE), the Advanced Sustainable Manufacturing Technologies (ASTUTE 2020) and the Solar Photovoltaic Academic Research Consortium (SPARC II).  These operations are funded by the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO) under European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) scheme.  Director of the OpTIC Technology Centre, Caroline Gray, said: “The event here at our centre in St…

The Claude pub in Roath re-opened its famous doors last weekend following a six-figure refurbishment by national pub operator and brewer Greene King. As part of the investment, the Claude, on Albany Road, has undergone a total refurbishment, including brand new bar and dining areas, full decorations throughout and new areas dedicated to dining and sports viewing. The pub, famous for being one of the largest venues outside of the city centre, now boasts a totally different look and feel for patrons who can enjoy late night entertainment on a specially designed dance floor, as well as new pool areas…