Author: Rhys Gregory

Splish Splash is staged entirely in and under water, and is an Oily Cart and National Theatre Wales (NTW) co-production commissioned as part of NTW’s NHS at 70 Festival. The watery wonderland toured hydrotherapy pools in NHS hospitals, hospices and special schools across Wales, playing to an audience of just two young people and their carers in each performance, and featuring a cast of four actors and a musician playing live on floating instruments in the water. The Dolphin hydrotherapy pool was transformed into a floating fantasy land with underwater lighting, clouds of bubbles and curtains of spray.  The performance…

Toddlers from a Rhyl nursery showed off their natural charm and boundless energy as they enjoyed a teddy bear’s picnic of jelly and ice-cream with elderly care home residents. The tots, who attend Beach House Day Nursery in Rhyl, took an afternoon “pull-a-long” tram to St David’s Residential Home in the seaside town to spend time with the seniors as part of a new project to enhance wellbeing and promote inter-generational interaction. The children, aged two and three, have been visiting the home regularly since Christmas and residents have grown very fond of their comical outbursts and cuddles – with…

SCHOLARSHIPS of £1,000 are being offered to three undergraduates who study through the medium of Welsh. [aoa id=”1″] The University of South Wales (USW) is offering the funding for first year students who start their degree this September. They must study at least one third of their course – 40 credits – in Welsh during their first year to qualify for the funding. The courses included in the scholarship scheme are Business Management, Human Resources Management, Marketing, Event Management, Theatr a Drama, Primary Studies with QTS, Police Sciences, Construction Project Management, or Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management. [/aoa] USW’s Head…

The Anglesey branch of the Farmers’ Union of Wales is looking forward to a busy county show (Tuesday August 14 – Wednesday August 15) held at the Mona Showground, and extend a warm welcome to everyone. FUW Anglesey CEO Alaw Jones said: “We are looking forward to a jam-packed county show where we will be discussing #FarmingMatters and #FairFarmFunding with our members and elected politicians. I hope many of you can join us for what promises to be an excellent show.” [aoa id=”1″] North Wales Police and Crime commissioner Arfon Jones will be present from 11am – 1pm on the…

A finalist in 2018 Song for Wales competition, Gary ‘Ragsy’ Ryland is rapidly developing a reputation as one of Wales’ emerging recording artists. [aoa id=”1″] But fans of his music might be surprised to find out the artist –  known as Ragsy – is also a trained chef with a long-standing fascination for Welsh cookery. It’s these two passions that will bring Ragsy to this year’s Mold Food & Drink Festival where he will take to the stage alongside a host of local bands and performers, providing the musical backdrop to the two-day festival. Ragsy said: “Not many people…

[Warning: Some may find this distressing to watch and should carry a warning before viewing] Welsh Water is reminding people the dangers of taking a dip in reservoirs, with a number of people already being cautioned for ‘putting their lives at risk’. Welsh Water’s One Last Breath campaign highlights the dangers of swimming in reservoirs which features the impact on friends and family of a drowning. [aoa id=”1″] The video campaign starkly depicts two teenagers who drown after going into the water at a reservoir on a hot summer day – and the impact on their friends and family left…

Aluminium manufacturing and installation company AB Glass has once again been awarded the highest Green Dragon Environmental Standard for the company’s continued dedication to effective environmental management. The Green Dragon Environmental Standard is awarded to organisations that can demonstrate effective environmental management and that are taking action to understand, monitor and control their impacts on the environment. Swansea-based AB Glass has been provided certification for the level five standard, which is the highest standard awarded by Green Dragon, and acknowledges the company’s efforts towards continued environmental improvement. This latest certification adds to the company’s prolonged achievement of level five Green…

Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford will today (8 August) visit the National Eisteddfod to speak about two important matters affecting Wales – Brexit and funding challenges for public services. [aoa id=”1″] He will speak about the impact of Brexit on children, young people and their families in his annual Eisteddfod address at an event sponsored by Children in Wales, the national umbrella body for organisations and individuals who work with children, young people and their families in Wales. The speech follows a period of intense debate, throughout the UK, about the type of Brexit deal the UK Government can negotiate with…

Bosses at Wookey Hole Caves in Somerset have paid tribute to the courage and skill of the cave divers who reached and helped rescue 12 boys and their coach from a Thai cave – and have launched a search to find the next generation of potential lifesavers.   Cave divers Richard Stanton and John Volanthen – who led the rescue efforts which finally got through to the trapped youth football team – developed their techniques and specialist equipment during exploratory dives at Wookey Hole Caves back in 2004.   Managing Director Daniel Medley said: “This was a Real-Life Mission Impossible in which Richard and John played a key role. The…

British crops are not only wilting because of the prolonged scorching sunshine – it’s the Brexit effect causing a shortage of seasonal workers to harvest them. [aoa id=”1″] That’s the findings from one of the UK’s leading procurement experts, the Regency Purchasing Group. Sterling has taken a pounding since the British people voted in June 2016 to leave the EU. On Referendum day, the pound was worth 1.28 Euros. On 9 July, 2018, it was worth 1.13 Euros, a drop of nearly 12%. [/aoa] Regency’s Managing Director, Alex Demetriou, said: “Less than one percent of the 85,000 people who harvest…