Author: Rhys Gregory

Staff and students at Cardiff-based St David’s Catholic Sixth Form College, have come together to raise over £1,800 for the homeless community in Cardiff. With the money raised, St David’s has provided 64 people with a place to go this Christmas. Just £28.18 buys someone three meals, a bed, a shower, a health check and treatment, expert mental health and addiction help, advice on housing and employment, and a way out of homelessness through education and training. During their pastoral tutor sessions for the first two weeks of December, the students looked at homelessness across Cardiff; gathering statistics and researching…

Welsh business confidence dipped nine points to 20 per cent in December, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. [aoa id=”1″] The decline in confidence was largely due to companies feeling less positive about the wider economy, with economic optimism falling by 17 points to 14 per cent. But businesses’ confidence in their own prospects remains steady at 28 per cent in Wales, while the UK average dropped five points to 26 per cent. A net balance of 18 per cent of Welsh firms now plan to hire more staff over the next year, down 11…

A 23-year-old Cardiff University student has launched his own virtual reality company for the property and retail sector to help tackle some of the challenges both industries face in the digital age. [aoa id=”1″] George Bellwood, a marketing student in his final year of studies, founded Virtus Tech, a B2B company which uses virtual and augmented reality to tour retailers and view homes on the market, blending real and digital experiences for customers and homebuyers. He got the inspiration for Virtus Tech during a lecture about retail industry issues and, with a background working in retail, he decided he wanted…

Familiar faces from the rugby world were given a work-out at Sardis Road last week, when they faced stiff competition from a community group doing wonders for physical and mental health in Cwm Taf. Former Wales captain Ryan Jones and Scrum V presenter Phil Steele joined in a tournament at the Pontypridd RFC ground following the success of a walking rugby project, which is supported by the Taff Ely primary care cluster and has attracted the support of the WRU. Four teams braved a near-freezing pitch in the hour-long tournament, including Ryan, Phil, USW Women’s Rugby, Cambrian and Play It…

At Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday, December 19th, Kalib Steven Facey, 19, and Philomena McDonagh, 35, were both convicted of murdering Damian Hill. Yesterday they were both sentenced to life in prison.Mr Hill, 39, was stabbed in Oakfield Street, Roath, at around 2.10am on Sunday, May 27. The father-of- two was taken to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, but died of his injuries. Speaking after the hearing at Cardiff Crown Court earlier, Detective Inspector Debbie Zeraschi, of South Wales Police said: “As always, our thoughts are with all those who knew and loved Damian and who showed immense dignity during…

Detectives investigating the sudden death of a 17-year-old boy are repeating their warning about a potentially dangerous batch of morphine drugs which are believed to be in circulation. Zomorph – a morphine which can be prescribed for patients receiving palliative care – is being linked to the death of a 17 year-old boy from Treorchy and a number of recent hospital admissions. The drug is potentially fatal if taken without a prescription and advice from a healthcare professional. The Zomorph tablets are described as being half white and half transparent capsules, marked 100mg and holding beige granular substance, and come in…

COLEG CAMBRIA is at the centre of success for netball in Wales. Students at the college are achieving their goals by securing places in the Welsh and UK sides. Among them are Emily Martin, Maisie Williams and Mollie Underhill, who will represent the Welsh Colleges Squad on the national stage in 2019, having attended trials in Cardiff. Emily, 17, has already played for numerous top sides, including Manchester Thunder, combining her love of netball with BTEC in Sport at Deeside. She said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been chosen to represent the Welsh Colleges squad this season. “There are…

Philip George Andrews, 51, from Miskin Road in Trealaw, Tonypandy has been charged with the murder of a 46 year-old woman also from Trealaw. Andrews was arrested on Wednesday 19th December and taken to Merthyr Tydfil police station where he has been questioned by detectives from the Major Crime Investigation Team. He will appear before Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates Court today (Friday 21st December). Currently, South Wales Police is not looking for anyone else in connection with this investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting occurrence number 1800477627.

Cardiff-based microbial and anti-microbial product developer, Genesis Biosciences, has appointed Admiral Cleaning Supplies as the sole UK distributor for its professional probiotic cleaning range, Evogen Professional.

The fund aims to increase access and opportunities for children and young people in Wales to learn new instruments and study music. It builds on initiatives such as Anthem and will offer opportunities to ensure the provision of high quality, universal access to musical education for all learners. [aoa id=”1″] £1.5million will be spent in 2018/19, with a further £1.5 million allocated for music services next year. This includes £1million per annum as agreed as part of the two-year budget agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, and £0.5m as announced in yesterday’s final budget allocation. Local Authorities have…