Author: Rhys Gregory

A REVOLUTIONARY pet store and park complex is helping an international detection dog company in the war against drugs and terrorism. [aoa id=”1″] Award-winning Flintshire firm Wagtail UK Ltd has joined forces with PetPlace, the leading chain of pet outlets in North Wales. Specialist instructor David Scott and his team use the company’s new-look Abergele facility – including the popular park, coffee bar and cinema – to train the canines and provide them with myriad distractions during the search process. [/aoa] A former member of the RAF police, David has worked in Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, Kuwait and other war-torn…

A window cleaner from Ferndale has been jailed for stealing money from an 86 year-old woman who suffers from Dementia. Mathew Benjamin Lewis, 33, was sentenced to five years at Merthyr Crown Court on Wednesday, 10th April, 2019, after he pleading guilty to two counts of burglary. He was caught red handed by family members who had installed CCTV in their elderly mother’s house after becoming suspicious of Lewis’ visits. The victim who is 86 years-old, was a Dementia sufferer who had no concept of money or time. A year before his arrest, Lewis was told by the family not…

A brie-lliant line-up of chefs is on the way to North Wales with Coronation Street actor and award-winning cheese-maker Sean Wilson headlining a top food festival. [aoa id=”1″] Now running the Artisan Farm cheese company and with dozens of awards to his name, Sean, who played Martin Platt in the long-running soap, will be cooking up a storm for visitors at Mold Food & Drink Festival. Sean, whose range of six kinds of cheese includes Lancashire Mouth Almighty and How’s Ya Father, is also an avid chef and will take to the main cookery stage on September 22. He said:…

Three iconic World War II aircraft will bring history to life at this summer’s Wales Airshow. [aoa id=”1″] As part of the celebrations marking Swansea’s 50 years as a city, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will showcase three of just a handful of planes still in the air more than 70 years after their finest hours. The Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and Avro Lancaster will make their mark at the Wales Airshow on July 6 and 7 in front of huge crowds. [/aoa] The free event run by Swansea Council has already announced that the RAF Red Arrows will…

The Coleg Cambria student beat eight others in the Automotive Technology category at Skills Competition Wales in Cardiff. [aoa id=”1″] Kaisha, from Wrexham, had earlier won the North Wales regional title and now hopes to compete for a place at Worldskills UK LIVE in Birmingham later this year. The 18 year-old grew up wanting to become an automotive technician and is now realising her dream with the support of lecturers on the Diploma Level 3 Motor Vehicle course at the college’s new £10m engineering complex on Bersham Road. “The regional skills contest was held at Cambria, so I wasn’t too…

Budding aircraft engineers from schools based across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan have been put through their paces at a special Aero Challenge held by Cardiff and Vale College. [aoa id=”1″] The Year 10 pupils travelled to the College’s renowned International Centre for Aerospace Training (ICAT) for the annual Aero Challenge. The competition has been designed to give school pupils a taste of the various tasks involved in the aerospace engineering industry and to show the value of vocational education, with CAVC learners helping out and acting as ambassadors. A team from Pencoedtre High Schools won the contest, retaining…

Penrhyn Choir is set to perform on the site where it all began, over 130 years after the choir was founded. [aoa id=”1″] The choir will take to the stage at ZipRoc 2019 on June 15th, which takes place at Penrhyn Quarry, Bethesda. The choir joins the likes of, Cast, Miles Hunt of The Wonder Stuff, Mike Peters, frontman for The Alarm, Elin Fflur and Bryn Fon in a jam-packed line-up with something for the whole family. Cor Y Penrhyn was founded in the very same spot in the 1880s, in what was then the world’s largest slate quarry. The…

One of the first patients in the UK to receive high-energy proton beam therapy has today praised UK oncologists for embracing proton beam therapy and the transformative effects it has had on his treatment. [aoa id=”1″] Ryan Scott, 23, from Cardigan in Wales, underwent treatment for a brain tumour (grade 1 cranio pharyngioma) at the Rutherford Cancer Centre South Wales in Newport as part of NHS Wales proton beam therapy treatment pathway for adults. Ryan Scott said: “I was very pleased when my consultant recommended proton beam therapy and told me that it was available close to home in South…

One of the region’s best-known accountancy firms is expanding and merging with a practice in Chester. [aoa id=”1″] According to Coxeys, which has offices in Wrexham and Saltney, the city’s branch of the Hall Livesey Brown group is the “perfect fit” for their ambitious growth plans. The Chester operation will still be based at their offices in Nicholas Street but will be rebranded as Coxeys. Meanwhile, the other branches of Hall Livesey Brown in Tarporley, Rossett and Shrewsbury will be unaffected and continue to trade separately. Coxeys was originally founded in 1927 as W. Cross and Co and changed its…

A young man from Caerphilly is taking on the Caerphilly 10K to support Diabetes UK Cymru in honour of his nan. Luke Evans, 21, completed last year’s race in an impressive 44 minutes and 10 seconds. He hopes to beat his time this year as well as raise vital funds, inspired by his nan Doreen Evans’ 20-year struggle with Type 2 diabetes. Doreen, 74, has experienced a number of diabetes-related complications over the years. Luke, a student at the University of South Wales, said, “Nan struggles every day with her diabetes. Her condition has got worse over time and led…