Author: Rhys Gregory

Head teachers across Wales will have the chance to learn about education systems abroad and share their skills and knowledge with partners overseas as part of a new scheme. [aoa id=”1″] ‘Global Education Dialogues’ is part of Welsh Government’s new flagship for school leadership, the National Academy for Educational Leadership (NAEL). British Council Wales has developed the new international programme for the Academy, which has helped an initial cohort of 12 head teachers develop their own programmes, choosing the focus and aims of their international visits. The head teacher ‘associates’ on the programme will share best practice with educationalists in…

A partnership project designed to educate tenants about bonfire safety and encourage them to attend organised displays has been heralded a major success, with a big reduction in fire setting incidents reported on Bron Afon Housing land, the lowest number reported for 40 years. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service working in partnership with Bron Afon Housing Organisation implemented highly successive multi agency initiative as part of Operation Bang over the Bonfire period and Halloween period.  Theyused a range of interventions such as consequencestalks in schools, community engagement and community engagement activity plus community patrolswith partners includingGwent Police and Torfaen…

Work-based learning in Wales is a great success for the Welsh Government. Over the last 18 months, the Apprenticeship programme, in particular, has seen fantastic growth with almost 6,000 more apprentices commencing learning during the 2017/18 contract year than in the previous year. Some of this success can be attributed to the impact of the Apprenticeship Levy for large employers, where the tax they now pay has increased interest and activity in the Apprenticeship programme. Other contributory factors include the collaborative activity that has taken place between the NTfW and the Welsh Government, investing in external marketing, employer events and…

Emergency services were called to woodland near Brookfield Drive at 7.13am today. [aoa id=”1″]Although formal identification has not been carried out, the body is believed to be that of a 32-year-old Cardiff man. Next of kin has been informed and they are being supported by specially trained liaison officers. Detectives are carrying out house to house enquiries and scenes of crime officers are conducting forensic examinations of the woodland. An incident room has been set up at Cardiff Central Police Station and an appeal for information has been issued. [/aoa] This is not linked to the on-going murder investigation of…

Towergate’s group charity, The Ardonagh Community Trust (ACT), has given £4,000 to The Hollies, a primary school for children aged 3-11 years, who have special education needs in Pentwyn, Cardiff. The grant from ACT will go towards a replacement ‘Nest Swing’ for the children’s playground. Headteacher Lisa Marshall said: “Children with autism often prefer solitary play. To help further develop their play skills, the nest swing will encourage turn taking and social interaction but most importantly to have fun! With limited funds available to replace worn out equipment we are so pleased at the amount of money Towergate has given…

Around 100 Swansea City Centre businesses have signed up to a fantastic Golden Ticket competition this year, giving shoppers the chance to ‘win Christmas’, while encouraging people to shop locally. Swansea Bid (Business Improvement District) is behind the Golden Ticket competition, via its Big Heart of Swansea brand, which is offering a massive £500 worth of prizes for one lucky winner. Tickets are available in up to 100 Swansea City Centre shops and outlets – from big retailers like Ann Summers, New Look, Top Shop, Marks & Spencer and Top Man, to much loved small businesses like Madame Foner, Lee…

Detectives are carrying out a murder investigation as there have been no sightings of Mohamed Megherbi (pictured) since Tuesday, October 9 in Roath. A 26-year-old man from Llanedeyrn was arrested on Tuesday, November 20 on suspicion of murder and he remains in custody at Cardiff Bay Police Station. Despite extensive enquiries, Mr Megherbi, who has strong links to northwest London, has not been found and there is no proof of life. A property in Pennsylvania, Llanedeyrn has been subject of a full forensic examination and the surrounding area has also been searched as part of the on-going police investigation. An…

In the final game in the Under Armour Series at the Principality Stadium, Wales will be taking on South Africa on Saturday in the hope of being unbeaten in the series, following the wins against Scotland, Australia and Tonga. [aoa id=”1″] The game will kick off at 5.20pm, so the gates of the stadium will open at 2.20pm with a full city centre road closure between 1.45pm and 8.15pm. These are the advertised times when the council is able to close the roads. If the city centre isn’t as busy as we expect at 1.45pm the road closures will be…

Founder, Helen Wynn, hopes her cow’s milk kefir will bring customers the same positive health benefits she has seen in her own family. [aoa id=”1″] Helen, who is from Y Felinheli in Gwynedd, balances producing her kefir milk drink with her job as a television production manager. She first came across kefir as a way of easing her husband Gwyn’s inflammatory bowel disease and since drinking it has seen an improvement in his health. “He’d been managing his condition with medication, but about five years ago we came across an article about kefir, and so we set about finding how…

As Black Friday and Cyber Monday are expected to kick off an explosion in online shopping ahead of Christmas, with consumers expected to spend £8bn on deals, too many Welsh shoppers are still not protecting themselves online. As a result, 17% of online shoppers in Wales are losing money due to a combination of internet scams, weak passwords and misplaced trust in websites. New research from Sophos by Atomik Research shows Welsh consumers remain at risk of online cyber-attacks as they make some basic security mistakes: Nearly two-thirds (63%) of survey respondents don’t choose a different password for each online…