Author: Rhys Gregory

A rugby taster session for blind and partially sighted people living in Wales will be held at Cardiff Arms Park on 21 August. The event, which is organised by the Change Foundation and supported by the Cardiff Blues Community Foundation and UNA Exchange, seeks to bring Visually Impaired (VI) rugby to Wales for the first time. The taster session is open to all ages and ability levels and offers a fun, jam-packed day of training and tournaments. Registration begins at 10am and the session runs until 3pm. The session is being held in anticipation of this year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan. In…

CHILDREN aiming to be a prince or princess for a day can have their very own castle to match if they head along to Oystermouth Castle later this month. [aoa id=”1″] Young visitors have the chance to come along as their favourite fairy-tale character at the special event on Bank Holiday Monday, August 26 that includes opportunities to enjoy crafty workshops, fairytales, glitter face-painting and entertainment from the likes of Rapunzel, Aladdin, Jasmine and Elsa. The family fun day will give princes and princesses the chance to play out their dreams and fairy tales in a proper medieval castle…

RCT Council’s Planning and Development Committee has granted planning permission for the construction of a brand new £10.4m primary school for Hirwaun, which will be delivered by 2022. [aoa id=”1″] On Thursday, August 15, Committee Members granted full permission for the development at Glanant Street, which is part of a wider £23.9m investment in 21st Century Schools facilities for the Upper Cynon Valley. The new school will replace the current buildings at Hirwaun Primary School. The application was recommended for approval in an Officer report to the Committee. The report noted that the state-of-the-art school will significantly benefit pupils and its…

Flat Holm has become the first island to be awarded ‘Bee Friendly’ status. The ‘Bee Friendly’ scheme, which aims to make Wales the first pollinator-friendly nation in the world, has four priorities:  Providing pollinator friendly food sources. Freedom from pesticides and herbicides. Providing ‘five star’ accommodation for insect pollinators. Fun! Involving the community and telling people why you are helping pollinators. Eleven different types of bee, including Large Red Tailed Bumble Bees, White-tailed Bumble Bees, Green Furrow Bees, Gooden’s Nomad Bees and Common Carder Bees, have been found on the island, which is also home to Painted Ladies, Meadow Brown,…

Talbot Green-based company, Hospital Innovations, is celebrating signing a major deal to become the sole UK distributor of Indiana-based BioPoly’s innovative resurfacing products. [aoa id=”1″] BioPoly, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, manufactures several biomaterial products that orthopaedic surgeons can use to resurface areas of the knee, patella and shoulder when they become worn down. Current surgical treatments for painful, debilitating articular cartilage defects lie between two extremes: biological attempts and artificial replacement. However, many patients are not suitable candidates for the biological techniques, and may not yet be needing such invasive surgery to insert a complete artificial joint. [/aoa] The…

Adventure Digital, a Newport based marketing agency, is celebrating one year in business this month and is celebrating with an exciting opportunity for Gwent businesses. [aoa id=”1″] The start-up agency, founded in August 2018, has had a very impressive first year, working with some of South Wales’ most exciting businesses. Supporting their clients with digital marketing, and helping them to grow and generate more sales. Impressive performance and results have seen them nominated in the upcoming Monmouthshire Business Awards for ‘Excellence in Marketing’ – as well as being runners up earlier this year at the Zokit Awards for ‘Start-Up Spark’,…

The announcement by J J Morris Auctioneers that Cardigan Animal Market will close next month, has been described as another blow for the industry by the Farmers’ Union of Wales. According to the auctioneer the final market will be held on Monday, 9 September. It is believed that the closure of Cardigan mart will not affect markets in Crymych and Whitland. The reasons for closing the mart have been reported to include rising costs, reduced animals and TB outbreaks in the area. FUW Deputy President Brian Thomas responded to the news saying: “This announcement comes just weeks after we heard…

The next developer to build at Plasdŵr, the £2billion garden city located in north west Cardiff, has been announced as Lewis Homes. [aoa id=”1″] The family-owned business based in South Wales has signed contracts with agent Cooke & Arkwright, working on behalf of landowner Plymouth Estate, to acquire a 3-acre site to the north of Llantrisant Road. Lewis Homes will join lead developer Redrow and Bellway in building at Cardiff’s new ‘garden city for the 21st Century’. The development will comprise 56 new homes. Plans include a mix of apartments and houses ranging from one to four bedrooms, with 15%…

A series of free workshops are being held across Caerphilly County Borough with the aim of addressing the digital skills shortage by providing education and training in coding, creative media, business admin and event management. [aoa id=”1″] Funded through the Caerphilly Regeneration Fund, the workshops have been held in Bargoed, Ystrad Mynach, Risca and Newbridge, with further courses to be delivered in Blackwood and Ynysddu. They are open to anyone aged 16 and older and are designed to teach people the skills that will help them feel more comfortable in a digital world, upskilling and improving opportunities for work. Alun…

LEADING MENINGITIS CHARITY Meningitis Now has today (Tuesday) declared ‘a perfect storm’ of ignorance, risk and confusion around a lifesaving vaccine for young people that will, unless checked, lead to young people losing their lives to meningitis in the coming year. The warning follows the publication of new data that shows that over 80 per cent of those aged 16 to 24 do not consider themselves at risk from the killer disease. Moreover, only one in four of this age group knows the signs and symptoms of meningitis and a third think the disease is not preventable. The research, undertaken…