Author: Rhys Gregory

Chef Mitchell Penberthy is climbing the career ladder in the contract catering sector after honing his cooking skills with help from award-winning training provider Cambrian Training Company. Named Apprentice of the Year in this year’s Cambrian Training Company Awards, Mitchell, 27, from Penarth, has his sights on a long and fulfilling career in the industry. [aoa id=”1″] He has worked for the catering and hospitality company, CH&CO, at the National Assembly of Wales at Cardiff Bay for seven years, beginning as a porter and recently being promoted to chef de partie after completing the AAA Level 3 Craft Cuisine qualification.…

TAG Community Youth Centre has been voted the latest winner of St Tydfil Shopping Centre’s St Tydfil Cares Community Fund and now has £200 to spend at Wilko. [aoa id=”1″] After inviting charities and community groups that are putting on activities for local children during the school summer holiday to apply for the vouchers, the centre chose three groups as finalists and the local community were invited to vote for who they would like to receive the vouchers. Just under 600 votes were received with TAG Community Youth Centre topping the poll. Throughout the summer, the centre will be running…

The managing director of a multi award-winning caravan dealership believes doctors should be prescribing camping and caravanning as an alternative to medication for stress related conditions. [aoa id=”1″] Mark Bebb from Salop Leisure, which has sales centres in Machynlleth, Shrewsbury and Stourport-on- Severn, has welcomed a pledge by Government’s new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, to reduce people’s reliance on ‘unsophisticated drugs’. The comments came after it was revealed that 7.3 million people in the UK were given antidepressant drugs last year and 70,000 of them were children. Mr Hancock plans to give GPs alternatives…

Technology which has given people with diabetes easier access to crucial information about their blood sugar levels is already making a difference across Wales. Now researchers at Swansea University are hoping the increasing use of glucose monitoring devices will help encourage patients with diabetes to lead more active lifestyles. Swansea University Associate Professor Dr Richard Bracken said: “Hypoglycaemia, or low blood sugar, is a real fear facing people with type 1 diabetes.  As exercise can cause glucose changes some people may be discouraged from being as active as they should be for overall health benefit to avoid having a ‘hypo’.…

Professor Mike Christe of Aberystwyth University has been appointed co-chair of a global assessment on the value and sustainable use of wild species. A Professor of Environmental and Ecological Economics at Aberystwyth Business School, Mike Christie is one of four international experts who will lead the assessment on behalf of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). [aoa id=”1″] The study will focus on the diverse conceptualisations of multiple values of nature and is one of two major assessments by the IPBES starting this year. Professor Christie will co-chair the assessment with Professor Patricia Balvanera (Institute for Ecosystem…

The Welsh Government has allocated £250,000 to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, to support the progression of plans to reopen the Rhondda and Abernant Tunnels. [aoa id=”1″]The funding, announced this morning, has been awarded following the Council’s bid to the Welsh Government – which aims to support individual projects and packages of local schemes across Wales.[/aoa] Commenting on the announcement County Borough Councillor Andrew Morgan, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, said:  “I am pleased with today’s announcement from the Welsh Government, which allocates £250,000 to allow us to take forward the next stages of both the Rhondda and Abernant Tunnels in…

Cardiff and Vale College is proud to be Welsh – and as the biggest college in Wales it is looking forward to hosting a wide range of exciting and fun opportunities for all the family at the Eisteddfod. [aoa id=”1″] Passionate about Wales, CAVC believes in growing opportunities for everyone to speak, learn and live in Welsh. The activities on hand promise fun for all ages and reflect the College’s commitment to Welsh culture. Come to the College’s stand in Cardiff Bay and take a photo, either taking part in an activity or using the Welsh language or the fun…

The pioneering north east Wales college celebrates five years on Sunday (August 5). Born from the merger of Deeside College and Yale College in Wrexham, and building on Deeside’s previous mergers with the Welsh College of Horticulture and Coleg Llysfasi, Cambria has gone on to break records and set benchmarks for the further education sector. Past weeks have seen them mark the occasion with events including a barbecue for more than 500 staff, a student awards ceremony and chief executive David Jones’ epic 48-mile walk across all five campuses in one day for the NSPCC. Mr Jones oversaw the “challenging”…

A fun day was transformed into a scene from the hit film franchise Jurassic Park when it was invaded by rampaging dinosaurs. Although they looked fearsome, there was nothing to worry about when the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Velociraptor bared their teeth and roared at the Big Day Out organised by housing association Cartrefi Conwy. [aoa id=”1″]Hundreds of tenants came across the county to the popular annual event at a sun-baked Stadium Zip World at Eirias Park in Colwyn Bay to help celebrate the organisation’s 10th anniversary. The scary prehistoric visitors, both around 10ft tall and 15ft in length, were…

Jazz superstar Jacqui Dankworth and renowned classical guitarist Craig Ogden will be joining forces to wow the audience at a top musical festival. [aoa id=”1″] They will be performing together at the North Wales International Music Festival in St Asaph Cathedral on the evening of Thursday, September 27. Their repertoire will include songs by everyone from Paul Simon and James Taylor to Henry Mancini and Michel Legrand and the theme for the concert will be Reflections of Love. The festival, which runs from Saturday, September 15, to Sunday, September 30, is being supported by the Arts Council of Wales and…