Author: Rhys Gregory

It seems the nation’s love for a traditional Welsh Christmas knows no bounds. In fact, according to new research from the Celtic Manor Resort, over half (51%) of Welsh people surveyed still follow classic Welsh customs, with taffy making (55%) ranked the most popular. [aoa id=”1″] What’s more, when it comes to Christmas in Wales, family remains at the heart, with spending time with loved ones a highlight of the festive season for 62% of those surveyed. Perhaps unsurprisingly, food and drink also occupy a huge part of the celebrations. In fact, tucking into a turkey dinner with all the…

The Cardiff-based sixth form college welcomed almost 1000 young people across the two evenings to its Penylan campus, all looking to take their next steps in their education. [aoa id=”1″] With an increased footfall of almost 20% and a 32% increase in completed applications since the previous academic year, St David’s is becoming increasingly oversubscribed. The College also recently celebrated its 30th anniversary of nurturing youth in the 2017/2018 academic year and marked an enormous success with regards to applications and student A Level results. But now it’s already set to reach a record number of applications for the 2018/2019 year.…

Sixty-eight new and existing Foundation Degree and BA Inclusive Education students started their course in the new location of St Thomas Primary School last month.  Created for Teaching Assistants, this innovative Foundation Degree in Inclusive Education programme is a three year part-time programme with sessions delivered as twilight sessions and on Saturdays. The foundation degree is a flexible course that’s designed to fit around the students’ work and family commitments. This particular programme has been running and delivered at UWTSD’s Carmarthen campus for nine years as well as in other locations across Wales – including Monkton Primary School, Ysgol Hafren…

Police investigating a road traffic collision in Cardiff last weekend have issued a fresh appeal for information which could help their enquiries. Cyclist Ronald Triggs, 71, died in the incident on Colchester Avenue, Penylan, which occurred at about 1.30pm on Saturday, November 24. The collision involved a Volkswagen Transporter van. Officers are keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the collision, or who may have captured the incident on CCTV or a dashboard camera. Anyone who can help is urged to call 101, quoting reference 1800446271.

A Swansea club is helping children with cancer gain greater independence thanks to a £5,582 donation to buy specialised mobility buggies. Chris Board, general manager of Fiction on Little Wind Street, nominated LATCH Welsh Children’s Cancer Charity to receive the money to purchase 15 robust lightweight buggies to help children receiving treatment for cancer and leukaemia to get out and about. Chris said: “The donation is from our company’s Echo Trust charity to give something back to our local community. We hold regular collections at the club and our customers are always generous. We wanted LATCH to benefit because of…

As well as a cinema screen there will be a health store, play park and coffee bar selling nutritional food and drink for dogs. Pooches can sip canine tea and coffee or sip a bowl of the aptly-titled Pawsecco or doggie beer, Bottom Sniffer. They can also enjoy healthy snacks and watch a selection of movies, from Beethoven to 101 Dalmatians and more. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] Managing Director Sion Pritchard says the unveiling comes after months of hard work by the PetPlace team, who have managed to keep it a secret while refurbishing the 4,000 square foot site in time for…

Its annual Cardiff Report  showed that office take up of 300,000 sq ft in the first three quarters of the year was 20 per cent down on the long-term average for the period, with the lack of new office stock a particular factor. Transactions of Grade A offices accounted for just 11 per cent of deals in the third quarter (Q3), compared to 35 per cent in 2016 and 67 per cent on 2017. Matt Phillips, managing partner of the Knight Frank office in Cardiff, said: “The restrictions on supply have put pressure on rent and incentives as competitive forces…

PIONEERING service that helps thousands of workers in North Wales combat work sickness absence has been given a £6.2 million boost. Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport Ken Skates announced the EU and Welsh Government funding package to continue the In Work Support service provided by social enterprise RCS (Rhyl City Strategy) for another four years. Mr Skates revealed the news at a special event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of RCS, which has its headquarters in Rhyl and a second office in Bangor. The In Work Support service provides free and confidential support to people experiencing mild to moderate…

“Ocean Rift”, one of the world’s most popular Virtual Reality programmes is the first to be available in Welsh for use with VR headsets Created by Dr Llŷr ap Cenydd, a lecturer at Bangor University’s School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, Ocean Rift was one of the first programmes to be released alongside the Samsung Gear VR headset, and has become one of the most popular with an estimated 2.5 million downloads since 2013. Llŷr developed the programme in his spare time, in conjunction with Samsung and Oculus. Published by Picselica Ltd, ithas been used as a launch title…

RSPB Ynys-hir Reserve in Mid Wales is offering free entry to National Lottery players as part of national #ThanksToYou celebrations from December 3-9. [aoa id=”1″] The nature reserve near Machynlleth is one of hundreds of participating National Lottery-funded visitor attractions across the UK saying ‘thanks’ to people who have raised money for good causes by buying a lottery ticket.  The idea is simple: any visitor who presents a National Lottery ticket or scratch card between December 3-9 inclusive gets free entry in return. Terms and conditions apply. RSPB Ynys-hir received money from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which, along with additional funding…