Author: Rhys Gregory

A new apprenticeship scheme has been launched by InSite, the UK-based technical consultancy that serves the oil, gas, metals, chemicals, renewables, technology licensing and financial industries. [aoa id=”1″] The new apprenticeship scheme is set to boost employment in the local area and to benefit InSite by providing skilled employees as it grows. Since InSite’s formation in 2014, the company has grown from six directors up to 60 employees in 2018. “The apprentice scheme will directly benefit the apprentices, Pembrokeshire College, InSite and clients of InSite,” said Jon Scarr, InSite’s General Manager. “The indirect beneficiary is the local economy, which will…

A Welsh pâté manufacturer has secured a £400,000 finance package from HSBC UK to install a new product development kitchen and expand its range of pâtés and vegan dishes. Patchwork Pâté, a family-run business based in Denbighshire, has used HSBC UK funding to purchase the equipment needed to introduce vegetarian, vegan and reduced-calorie pâtés to its collection, alongside five bespoke Welsh meat pâtés. The eight new product lines have enabled the business, which currently supplies to local pubs and restaurants, to enter the retail market for the first time. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] The business, which was established in 1982, has also…

Orbis Education and Care’s Lucy Pottinger will fly the flag for Wales at a national ceremony this month as the only Welsh nominee shortlisted for a Variety Catherine Award. [aoa id=”1″] Lucy has been nominated for the Rising Star Award at this year’s event, which celebrates inspiring women from the worlds of business and philanthropy UK wide. As Director of Education at Orbis, Lucy is also the only individual working in the education and care sector shortlisted for the category, which shines a spotlight on ‘women to watch’ for the future. Fellow nominees for the awards include Olympic ice skater…

The Chefs’ Forum recently staged ‘A Chefs’ Lunch’ at Cardiff and Vale College. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] Hospitality students at the college had the opportunity to learn from industry experts as they welcomed chefs from Seren Diemwnt, Celtic Manor, Heaney’s Restaurant and St David’s Hotel. The Chefs’ Form holds a culinary convention in Wales each quarter and is proud to showcase students from Cardiff and Vale College working front of house and in the kitchen at a variety of leading operations, under renowned local chefs and hospitality experts. The event was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the college’s world class facility and…

This Christmas join Hijinx’s community theatre group, Odyssey, as they follow Hansel and Gedeon on their adventure through the Grimms’ Wood. Showing in the Weston Studio of the Wales Millennium Centre from the 6th– 8th Dec at 7pm and 8th Dec at 3pm, with BSL interpretation for all performances and Audio Description on the 7th December. Hansel, Gedeon and the Grimms’ Wood [aoa id=”1″] Written by Llinos Mai, Hansel, Gedeon and the Grimms’ Woodfeatures a large cast of disabled and non-disabled performers from Odyssey, pupils from Woodlands High School, and haunting, original music by David Roche, composer in residence. This is the third…

Leading Welsh property developer Waterstone Homes is set to make a return to housebuilding in Swansea after three years with a brand-new luxury residential scheme on the outskirts of the city. Following the resounding success of its Howell’s Reach development in Derwen Fawr, which sold out in just six months, the high-end housebuilder has confirmed a second Swansea location after securing another sought after site in the region. Listening to its customers, the housebuilder has introduced homes that are that little bit more affordable with lower starting prices than its first city development. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] Set in the affluent and…

Bangor University is to contribute towards increasing the number of teachers available to teach Religious Education and improve the teaching materials available to both teachers and students. [aoa id=”1″] Religious Education has been facing a crisis in recent years, with teachers feeling increasingly underqualified to teach an ever-changing syllabus at GCSE and A level, while recruitment of new graduates as subject teachers is failing to keep up with demand. A new three-year project at the University’s School of History, Philosophy, and Social Sciences will collate and develop new teaching materials for use by both teachers and students and encourage more…

Ahead of National Stress Awareness Day, new research has highlighted the benefits of recalling positive childhood memories in order to relieve stress and promote a more positive outlook. [aoa id=”1″] The study questioned 2,000 British adults and revealed the impact of recalling childhood memories, with one in ten (10 percent) admitting they helped to cheer them up when they’re feeling down, one in seven (14 percent) claim it helps them relax when they’re stressed and one in five (20 percent) feel more optimistic and energised when thinking back to past happier times. As well as the positive impact on stressful…

The demand for proton beam therapy for cancer patients has increased significantly this year as a result of the availability of the treatment in the UK. [aoa id=”1″] Proton Partners International reported today that 25 patients have been or are in the process of being treated with high energy proton beam therapy through its Rutherford Cancer Centre network. The therapy has been used to treat a variety of cancers including breast, head & neck, prostate and hip. Simon Hardacre, the first patient to be treated with high energy proton beam therapy in the UK, was treated at the Rutherford Cancer…

A cutting-edge new leisure centre that will give a major boost to health, fitness and wellbeing opportunities for many thousands of people in Llanelli and beyond is planned to open in 2021. [aoa id=”1″] Located in the £200 million Wellness and Life Science Village at Delta Lakes, the leisure centre will combine with other attractions and facilities in an iconic Wellness Hub building forming part of the overall development. Carmarthenshire County Council is leading on the Village project in partnership with Swansea University and Sterling Health. The leisure centre at the Wellness Hub is proposed to include: [/aoa] An aquatic…