Author: Rhys Gregory

A £60,000 fund boosted by money confiscated from criminals has been launched to help tackle the growing menace of youngsters being groomed and exploited by vicious drugs gangs. According to North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones, the ill-gotten gains of villains will be recycled for the benefit of the community in a series of crime-fighting initiatives across the region. The Your Community, Your Choice Awards are again putting up the Community Fund for local groups and Mr Jones is urging local groups to bid for the cash. It’s being organised jointly by Mr Jones, North Wales Police and the…

The senior men’s team will return to play at the Racecourse in Wrexham for the first in 10 years for an international challenge match against Trinidad and Tobago on 20 March 2019. Wales have only faced Trinidad & Tobago once previously, back in May 2006. The teams met on neutral ground at the UPC Arena in Graz, Austria where Robert Earnshaw netted twice in a 2-1 victory. This will be the first game of 2019 for Ryan Giggs’ side, in preparation for their first EURO 2020 qualifying match against Slovakia 4 days later in Cardiff. Ryan Giggs, the national team…

A cordon which was in place for several hours following an incident in Cardiff City centre this afternoon, has now been lifted. At approximately 3.15pm South Wales Police received a report of an ongoing incident at a hotel on St Mary’s Street. Staff and residents, as well as occupants of neighbouring buildings, were evacuated as a precaution. No-one was injured. The public have been thanked for their cooperation and assistance. Officers have now been stood down from the scene following a thorough search of the area, and enquiries are ongoing to establish the source of the report to police. Anyone…

The Department for Work and Pensions has finally given the go ahead for the revolutionary pensions dashboard, with the first one expected to be introduced in the next 12 months.

A Swansea City Centre gift shop, which has provided goods for her Majesty the Queen and has been waving the flag for Welsh-made products for more than ten years, has received a gift of its own – a Swansea BID (Business Improvement District) Extra Mile Award for outstanding customer care. [aoa id=”1″]The quarterly awards recognise businesses of all kinds throughout the Swansea BID area whose staff go the extra mile to keep their customers and clients happy. They are also designed to give local businesses a boost for the hard work they carry out day in, day out, to help…

A LEADING broker has taken a long-standing insurance firm to new heights with a fresh approach to business. Since joining Credent Commercial Insurance in 2016, Niel Jones has increased turnover and staff numbers at the Colwyn Bay firm. He has big plans for the future, but none bigger than further enhancing Credent’s reputation for high-quality outcomes and customer care, rare traits in one of the most competitive and aggressive finance arenas. A former head of insurance for the sports and entertainment divisions of a global broking specialist – covering everything from major world music tours to festivals, pop stars, promoters…

COLEG CAMBRIA students are renovating a dilapidated community centre while a new £4million adult day care facility is being built [aoa id=”1″] Construction trainees have been busy painting fences and benches, plastering walls, tidying the gardens and carrying out maintenance duties at Glanrafon Adult Day Care Centre in Queensferry. Up to 50 people use the complex every day, but it is in a state of disrepair and will close next summer to be replaced by a modern single-storey facility nearby. Wirral-based Kier, a leading infrastructure services, buildings and developments and housing group, is building the new centre – to be…

British Cycling’s Geraint Thomas has topped off a fantastic 2018 by being crowned as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. [aoa id=”1″] The 32-year-old professional cyclist saw off the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Harry Kane to win the prestigious award in front of a packed audience in Birmingham on Sunday evening. As a two-time Olympic champion on the track, Thomas consolidated his impressive accomplishments in July this year by becoming the first Welshman to win the Tour de France. Thomas becomes the fifth cyclist in history to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, with Tommy…

The ever-popular Santa’s Toy Mine has returned to Rhondda Heritage Park for 2018. The sold-out experience has been one of my favourite places to visit at this time of year since I was a child. I have fond memories of my parents bringing me, and now that I have a daughter of my own, it’s time to carry on the family tradition. Even now that I’m older, there is something about visiting a mine that fills you with mystery, and in particular Rhondda Heritage Park, as it’s full of history and only a short drive from where I live in…

County lines gang members caught with drugs worth thousands in a south Wales street were jailed last week (Thursday, 13th December, 2018) Saed Saeed, from Cardiff, and Fouad Cilmi, from Bristol, were arrested on 8th August, 2018, after being stopped by armed officers. They were driving along Llantrisant Road, Beddau, in a black Vauxhall Astra when officers spotted them and began to follow. As the vehicle turned into Cwrt Castellau officers made their approach and signalled for them for them to stop. Saed Saeed tried to run away but was caught nearby, as was Cilmi, and both were taken into…