Author: Rhys Gregory

Two roads in Wrexham have become the first in north Wales to return to 30mph following the 20mph default speed limit change in 2023. The B5605 Wrexham Rd/High Street, in Johnstown and the A525 Bryn-Y-Grog Road have returned to 30mph following public consultation. The two roads are the first of 52 sections of highway where the speed limit is going to be changed to 30mph by Wrexham County Council, following the publication of revised guidance by the Welsh Government, to ensure that 20mph is targeted on the right roads. The Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates joined…

A husband-and-wife duo from Cardiff will be taking on the Brecon Carreg Porthcawl 10K to raise money for the event’s lead charity Tŷ Hafan. The children’s hospice is particularly close to their hearts as it cares for their 15-year-old niece Elain. Anwen and Huw Jones are currently doing the Couch to 5K training programme, as well as parkruns, in preparation for the race which takes place in the seaside town on Sunday 6 July. When Elain was born in March 2010 she was diagnosed with a complicated heart condition, including the genetic condition 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome. It means she also…

A historic home in Wrexham is celebrating 60 years of caring for older people. Hillbury House was built in 1864 on five acres of land on the south west of the city for local businessman John Bury. It became a care home in 1965 when it was taken over by the Catholic Order of the Sisters of Nazareth who ran it until 2005 as Nazareth House when it became part of the Pendine Park care organisation founded by Mario Kreft MBE and his wife, Gill. Pendine Park is now celebrating its 40th anniversary but Hillbury has been looking after Wrexham…

AN EMPLOYEE at Specsavers Flint has raised £650 for North East Wales Mind after completing the Chester Half Marathon on Sunday. Coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Week (12 – 18 May), the 13-mile run took dispensing optician Dawn Dale 1 hour and 52 minutes, raising vital funds for the charity, which supports people living with mental health challenges across Flintshire and Wrexham. Out of 189 runners in the over-50’s category, Ms Dale placed fourteenth. Colleagues at Specsavers Flint were there to cheer Ms Dale on along the route and supported her fundraising efforts in the lead-up to the race day.…

A Cardiff-based ingredient manufacturer has secured new wholesale customers thanks to technical support delivered through the Welsh Government’s HELIX Programme, previously named Project HELIX. Aromada, which produces a range of mirror glazes, jams and jellies that are supplied to the baking industry, secured SALSA food safety certification following support from ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Founded by Samir Bougaci and Motaz Dadou in 2019, Aromada combines the pair’s experience in ingredient manufacture and luxury patisserie. Motaz previously worked in development for a European ingredient manufacturer whilst Samir is a trained baker who also owns a Cardiff-based celebration…

Construction has started on a major housing development in Abertridwr, Caerphilly. Working in partnership with Caerphilly County Borough Council and Welsh Government, not-for-profit housing organisation United Welsh has officially started work on the former Windsor Colliery site. This project will see the development of 152 new homes next to Ysgol Ifor Bach in Abertridwr. The development will include houses and apartments available for social rent, affordable rent and sale. The homes will be entirely off-gas and built to the highest energy efficiency standards, helping to reduce the development’s carbon footprint and providing homes for residents that are cost-effective to heat.…

Towns and villages across Flintshire can benefit from a near £400,000 fund to upgrade their local communities – but they need to act fast. It’s a second helping of the Flintshire Community Key Fund being distributed by Cadwyn Clwyd and the Flintshire Local Voluntary Council and comes hot on the heels of an initial fund worth £775,000. Over 50 community groups and organisations from across the county took advantage of Stage One of the Community Key Fund, and Stage Two takes the total for the county to over £1.1 million, part of a wider suite of projects managed by Flintshire…

Bridgend based environmental management services specialist, GEO Pollution Technologies (UK), is to create new jobs after securing a £350,000 funding deal with NatWest. The firm, which has been in business for more than 20 years, offers a range of services to different industries including flood protection, pollution control and contaminated land treatment as well as dealing with on-land oil spills. Operating from Village Farm Industrial Estate in Pyle, Bridgend, the business also has a second premises in Exeter and thanks to the funding is soon to be opening a third in the Midlands, creating new positions in many areas of…

A LEADING independent school completed work on a new £150,000 multi-use sports facility. Already generating interest among prospective learners and the local community, the state-of-the-art pitches at St Gerard’s School in Bangor have been completed ahead of the summer. The site includes a ‘next generation’ artificial grass surface which can be used for five-a-side football, netball, hockey, tennis, basketball and more. An access road, parking, running track and landscaping neighbour the development and there are plans to construct a toilet block and changing rooms in the coming months, in addition to floodlighting. The school – ranked eighth in the country…

Creative Wales – the Welsh Government agency that supports and promotes the creative industries in Wales – has announced a new round of its Music Capital Fund, with over £500k allocated to support music businesses across Wales. Open until midday on 26th June, the fund welcomes applications from small and medium-sized music businesses for grants of between £10,000 to £40,000. The aim is for these businesses to identify areas of their establishment and operations in need of capital investment and then put the funding towards improving and increasing the businesses’ commercial outlook and sustainability, in turn benefiting the music industry in Wales.…