Author: Rhys Gregory

Less than two years after its launch the world’s only inland community surf club – Clwb Syrffio Dyffryn Conwy – is celebrating an array of achievements, including helping six of its members find employment at one of the UK’s most exciting adventure destinations. The club, which was born out of a partnership between the community, local charity The Outdoor Partnership, Conwy County Borough Council and Surf Snowdonia, is based at Surf Snowdonia – the world-first inland surf lagoon in the heart of the Conwy Valley, North Wales. It offers low cost surf coaching to youngsters aged 8 to 18. “We…

Newport has officially accepted the British Transplant Games flag as this year’s event in Birmingham draws to a close. [aoa id=”1″] Following the four-day event which has been hailed the biggest yet, representatives from Transplant Sport and the Birmingham Games officially handed over to Newport at a celebration event at the city’s International Conference Centre. Councillor Malcolm Linton, Mayor of Newport and Ann Lloyd CBE, Chair of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and Chair of Newport’s Local Organising Committee for the Games, praised those who were involved and took part in Birmingham and made a clear commitment to match if…

Thanks to funding by the Welsh Government, visitors who are planning on climbing Snowdon will now be able to benefit from specialist information and advice at the mountain gate. [aoa id=”1″] As part of a wider Mountain Safe project, a grant received by the Welsh Government was used to develop a mobile exhibition aimed at educating the public on how to enjoy the mountains safely. As well as providing information on Snowdon’s paths, information about other alternative walking routes in the area is also provided, and a small supply of maps for sale. The exhibition was developed internally by the…

Llantwit Major based solicitor Andrew Campbell of Bikelawyer has been shortlisted for the Law Society’s prestigious Excellence Awards, the highest accolade for lawyers in England and Wales. Andrew has been shortlisted in the “Solicitor of the Year – Private Practice” category. Andrew commented: “I am delighted and honoured to be short-listed for this award in recognition of a ground breaking insurance law case involving a seriously injured motorcyclist. It is a real pleasure for me and the rest of the team at Bikelawyer to represent motorcyclists with life changing injuries and secure them the compensation they deserve.” Law Society president…

Crashing out of Europe with a hard Brexit or no deal at all will put North Wales people in jeopardy, the region’s police chief has warned. According to North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones and his deputy, Ann Griffith, we are ticking down to a potential crime-fighting catastrophe unless a “sensible agreement” can be reached. If that doesn’t happen the UK could be frozen out of up to 32 of the shared services currently used to target criminals across Europe after March 31 next year. [aoa id=”1″] Among them are ECRIS, the European Criminal Record Information Service used…

Techniquest has secured £3m of funding to make science more accessible to the people of Wales. Awarded through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and Wellcome Trust’s Inspiring Science Fund, the funding means that Wales’ much loved educational charity can move forward with its plans to radically transform its science discovery centre in Cardiff Bay. Earlier this year, Techniquest announced plans for The Science Capital – a project which encompasses an extension of its building on Stuart Street and a repositioning exercise to extend and diversify its audiences. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] Along with the new funding, the charity…

In a special event in the Cardiff University Tent at 17:30 on Friday 10 August, Undeb Myfyrwyr Cymraeg Caerdydd (Cardiff’s Welsh Speakers Students Union) will be officially established by Cardiff University’s Welsh speaking students. Meri Huws, the Welsh Language Commissioner, will join as a guest speaker. [aoa id=”1″] In April 2017, it was announced that a union of students would be established within Cardiff University Students’ Union that would be responsible for representing Cardiff University’s Welsh speaking students. The name of this union would be Undeb Myfyrwyr Cymraeg Caerdydd (UMCC). This announcement came after a campaign was led by the…

Charities in Wales who team up for a dream project could get up to £1,000,000 to make their idea a reality, thanks to a new funding pot now open for applications. The Postcode Dream Trust, which is in its eighth year and is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, is making £3,000,000 available for three ground-breaking projects in 2019. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] The Dream Trust funded the ‘Building our Dreams’ project, in the Gower Peninsula, Swansea in 2016.  It was led by Valley Kids, an innovative community development initiative and supported by the Down to Earth Project, a social enterprise…

Health professionals from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board have been training medical staff in a rural region of Lesotho. [aoa id=”1″] Many women in Lesotho’s rural area of Quthing suffer complications giving birth, which are often made even more challenging by the high rates of HIV, so the training sessions are tailored to improve midwives and health centre staff skills. On this occasion, over 15 members of health staff from 8 Health Centres received the essential training. Grant funding also enabled some of the Lesotho based Health Management Team to visit Wales to share their learning and to…

Final plans have been submitted for a £100m scheme to transform a high-profile area of Swansea city centre, in south Wales. They reveal a dramatic, innovative and hi-tech new look for a huge area of land between the core shopping district and the Marina. Initial plans won overwhelming public support. Consultation respondents liked the proposed 3,500-capacity digital indoor arena, coastal park, digital plaza, “gateway” landmark pedestrian bridge, new homes and premises for retail, food and drink. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] If permission is granted by Swansea planners in October the major development, known as Swansea Central Phase One, will be built either side of Oystermouth Road –…