Author: Rhys Gregory

A retired business manager whose nose swelled and became a horrible bulbous mass three times its normal size has got his life back after “miracle” surgery. [aoa id=”1″]The distressing condition suffered by Geoff Turner, 72, from Llandudno, was caused by a rare skin disorder, Rhinophyma, which first struck three years ago. Mr Turner’s massively enlarged nose, which had lumps growing out of the front and the side, obscured his vision, threatened to obstruct his breathing and left him feeling ashamed and embarrassed about his appearance. The condition typically causes the blood vessels to enlarge and stimulates an overgrowth of skin…

This year’s prestigious Apprenticeship Awards Cymru will be contested by 31 star employers, learners and learning providers from across Wales. [aoa id=”1″] Judges had a difficult task selecting the finalists from the many entries in 11 award categories. The winners will be announced at a high-profile awards ceremony at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport on November 9. The annual awards are designed to showcase and celebrate the outstanding achievements of learners, employers, tutors and assessors who have excelled in contributing to the development of the Welsh Government’s Traineeships and Apprenticeship programmes. [/aoa]Jointly organised by the Welsh Government and…

Library campaigners are celebrating following the outcome of a judicial review, which has ruled that the decision to close 21 libraries in Northamptonshire was taken unlawfully by Northamptonshire County Council.   [aoa id=”1″] The judgement was handed down yesterday (Tuesday 14th August) by HHJ Worster for the trial judge Mrs Justice Yip DBE at Birmingham High Court.   South-Wales law firm Watkins & Gunn represented the campaign to save 20 of the 21 libraries, which were earmarked for closure in February this year on behalf of their client, Mr Connolly, with support from campaign group, the 21 Group Libraries Network.…

New campaign targets pension scams

Rhug Estate is used to feeding hungry passers-by but this Saturday, 18 August, the Bistro will have special visitors who, after providing them with a pit stop and some energy boosting Flapjacks, will be told to get ‘on yer bike’! Staff from JFCAgri in Oswestry are undertaking the mammoth T2O bike ride on 18 August from the company’s headquarters in Tuam in County Galway in Ireland back to their office in Oswestry to raise vital funds for RABI (Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institute) and RDA (Riding for the Disabled). Staff members from JFC accompanied by farmers will be cycling a total…

A woman who lost her sight when she was a teenager is believed to be the UK’s first blind personal banker. Andrea Salt, who lives in Cardiff, works for NatWest as an associate personal banker at the city’s Queen Street branch. Accompanied by her guide dog Edie, she helps customers using a specially adapted braille computer. The 26-year-old, who is originally from Stockport, was born partially sighted and began to completely lose her sight when she was only 18. She is also severely deaf and uses hearing aids in both of her ears. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] She joined the bank in…

Cardiff and Vale College has been awarded for its commitment to preparing its students for the world of work. The College has achieved the Careers Wales Mark. The award is designed to recognise a commitment to continuous quality improvement in educational institutions to meet the Welsh Government’s requirements set out in the Careers and World of Work: a framework for 11 to 19-year-olds. Careers and World of Work is designed to equip young people with the skills they will need in order to manage their working life whether they leave education at 16, 18 or 21. It highlights the importance…

The research teams of Cardiff and Vale Clinical Research Facility (CRF) and Velindre Cancer Centre (CTU) have been shortlisted for the 2018 Nursing Times Awards in the Clinical Research category.  [aoa id=”1″] This is the first time that the work of the research staff has been recognised at a national level. Staff will be presenting to the judges panel at Nursing Times HQ on 18 September and attending the ceremony in London on 31 October 2018. This is a first-of-its-kind collaboration where research staff from two Welsh hospitals came together to plan the joint delivery of a complex clinical trial…

A study by a researcher at Aberystwyth University into how social isolation affects snail responses to stress has been published in the latest edition of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society Journal. The paper by Dr Sarah Dalesman ’Habitat and social context affect memory phenotype, exploration and co-variance among these traits’ appears in a special edition of the journal on Causes and consequences of individual differences in cognitive abilities 10.1098/rstb/373/1756. Dr Dalesman is a Lecturer in Freshwater Biology at the University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences and a snail behaviour expert. Dr Dalesman said: “Social isolation is…

Those who take on the lease of Swansea’s Beach and Watersports Café – currently known as 360 – will enjoy incredible views of a vast golden beach, dramatic blue tides and rolling green hilltops. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] They will benefit from the thousands of people who walk, cycle and drive within yards of the attraction every week. The lease is being advertised from today (note: Aug 14) by property agent EJ Hales on behalf of Swansea Council which owns the licensed café bar. Deadline for informal tender offers to go to Hales is September 21. Robert Francis-Davies, the council’s cabinet member…