Author: Rhys Gregory

BUSINESS leaders in South West Wales are supporting a call for immediate approval of two major Swansea Bay City Deal projects. [aoa id=”1″] Private sector members of the City Deal’s Economic Strategy Board say they’ll do all they can to help get the ‘Yr Egin’ and Swansea City and Waterfront Digital District projects over the finish line. Their support comes after an independent review into the £1.3 billion Swansea Bay City Deal found that the businesses cases for these two projects are ‘fit for purpose’. The Economic Strategy Board is made up of experts in key City Deal themes like…

Today (26 March), Aberaeron Community Ambassadors organised and hosted a beach clean at Aberaeron beach during their lunch hour. Whilst carrying out the clean-up, the young people had the opportunity to learn about looking after the environment around them. Aberaeron Community Ambassadors is made up of Ysgol Gyfun Aberaeron pupils and members of Aberaeron Youth Club. The group is part of Ceredigion Youth Service and is led by young volunteers and local young people. School-based Youth Worker at Ysgol Gyfun Aberaeron, Rebeca Davies said, “The ambassadors did a great job organising and hosting their first community project, which was well…

Choosing to support South Wales Police in fighting crime, the first Special Superintendent role advertised within the force has found its match in the appointment of Jason Coleman. [aoa id=”1″]  By day Jason, from Llanharan, is Head of Quality Safety Health and Environment at Cardiff Airport. A self-confessed proud Welshman, Jason has been working as acting Special Sergeant based at Pontypridd Police Station. He’s been in charge of the deployment of 26 Special Constables to ensure secure policing at events, walking the beat and on frontline operations. Detective Superintendent Jason Davies has spoken about how: “Jason’s strategic management of quality…

The UK Government’s push to increase mobile phone coverage across Wales has hidden, and potentially expensive,  side effects for farmers, according Farmers’ Union of Wales [aoa id=”1″] The revised Electronic Communication Code means that Telecom operators have been able to cut rents paid to those with masts on their land. Now the Farmers’ Union of Wales is calling for prompt action to redress cash shortfalls which in some cases run into thousands of pounds. “It seems grossly unfair that the big Telecom giants, who already make vast profits, should be selling landowners short,” said Tudur Parry,  FUW Land Use Committee…

A college learner from Caerphilly has won a national contest to be crowned the UK’s top plumbing apprentice.  [aoa id=”1″]  Nineteen-year-old Lewis Blakely, from Caerphilly, has bagged himself the top prize at the grand finals of this year’s HIP UK Heating Apprentice of the Year competition, which aims to find the most talented young tradespeople in the country. Beating off stiff competition from across the UK, Lewis, who is currently studying a Level 3 plumbing diploma at Coleg y Cymoedd’s Ystrad Mynach campus, came out on top after a close contest held over two days in Cheltenham. [/aoa] Putting plumbing…

Marian Evans, founder of Elevate Business Consultancy, has been recognised for her contribution to the financial services and leadership industries with a string of recent award nominations.

Leading financial services consultancy, Quantum Advisory, has promoted three senior team members to partner as part of the company’s wider growth plans.

A lady who has worked for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board for the past 54 years is named as Health Hero for April. [aoa id=”1″] Gwen Bunn, from St Mellons who works in Health Records at the University Hospital of Wales was nominated by her supervisor Sam Prosser. Sam Prosser, Request Team Supervisor in Health Records at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) said: “I would like to nominate Gwen Bunn for the Health Hero Award as she is a committed and valuable member of the Medical Records team. “Gwen has worked within the health board since 1966 when…

The CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, and Cranfield Trust, a national charity that uses a network of skilled volunteers to share best practice with voluntary organisations, have launched a new partnership that will benefit charities across south Wales. [aoa id=”1″] The partnership will see Welsh CIPD members volunteer to provide free HR advice to charities across south Wales that currently have limited or no HR support. In a recent survey carried out by Cranfield Trust, many charities said that HR issues were among their top challenges and figures suggest many lack the resources to fund specialist…

Fears that the rise in e-cigarette use would lead to young people thinking smoking is ‘normal’ are unfounded, according a study of 248,324 teens carried out by researchers at Cardiff University. [aoa id=”1″] Their research, published in the Tobacco Control Journal, was based on three national surveys of 13 to 15-year-olds from Wales, England and Scotland. ASH Wales, believes e-cigarettes have a crucial role to play in reducing smoking prevalence in Wales and has welcomed these latest developments. The study, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), found young people’s attitudes towards smoking tobacco have become more negative…