Author: Rhys Gregory

The grandparents of two-year-old Ethan Ives-Griffiths have been jailed for his murder. Ethan’s mother was also sentenced for her role in his tragic death. Following a six-week trial at Mold Crown Court that concluded on 15 July, 2025, a jury of seven women and five men unanimously found Michael Ives and Kerry Ives guilty of murder. Shannon Ives was convicted of allowing her son’s death. All three were also found guilty of child cruelty. At Mold Crown Court today, Friday, 3 October, they received the following sentences: Michael Ives, 48-years-old, of Kinglsey Road, Garden City, Deeside – life imprisonment with…

A company has been fined £36,000 after Pembrokeshire County Council Officers uncovered serious breaches of food allergen labelling requirements. During a routine inspection at CKs Supermarket Ltd located at 7 Spring Gardens, Narberth, on July 24th 2024, Environmental Health Officers from the Council’s Food Safety and Standards Team identified multiple examples of non-compliance with allergen labelling requirements. Three products, chosen at random for allergen compliance checks, were found to be incorrectly labelled and failed to appropriately declare all allergens in accordance with regulations. Labelling concerns had previously been raised at both store level and Head Office, but this had failed…

This week, contractors working on behalf of Swansea Council plan to install important new road safety features on Mumbles Road, in Mumbles. Four new raised areas – each with improved pedestrian access – are being created: near the George restaurant; near The Carlton Hotel; near Village Lane; and at the entrance to Oystermouth Car Park. Crossings will be level access with the footpaths and the expectation is that car speeds will reduce. It’ll help pedestrians safely access the new-look prom, businesses, organisations, events and homes. To help contractors undertake the work, there’ll be a road diversion each night – 8pm-6am…

Cardiff Council has announced a second round of funding for the city’s grassroots music venues, building on the success of initial funding last year, which saw nearly £200,000 awarded to independent venues across the capital. The ‘Cardiff Grassroots Venue Fund’ offers capital grants of up to £7,500 to help venues become more financially and environmentally sustainable, with strategic projects exceeding £7,500 also considered. Made possible by support from the UK Government alongside income generated through last summer’s series of outdoor concerts at Blackweir Fields, the fund forms part of the Council’s work to put music at the centre of the city’s…

Refurbished community basketball and netball courts have reopened for Maesteg residents and Caedu residents as part of a renovation project managed by Bridgend County Borough Council. As part of a collaborative project with Sport Wales, Wales Netball and Basketball Wales through the Sport Wales Court Collaboration Project, the community courts have undergone a £223K renovation project utilising £167,250 of funding secured via Sport Wales’ Court Collaboration Fund and £55,750 via Bridgend County Borough Council’s Community Asset Transfer (CAT) Fund. The Court Collaboration Scheme was launched in 2022 as a collaborative project by Sport Wales, Wales Netball, and Basketball Wales. The…

The winners of the 34th BAFTA Cymru Awards have been announced this evening at a special ceremony at the ICC Wales in Newport, hosted by Welsh TV presenter Owain Wyn Evans. The BAFTA Cymru Awards are the biggest annual celebration of creative excellence across film and television in Wales. Lost Boys and Fairies receive five awards including Television Drama. Sion Daniel Young wins for Actor, Danielle Palmer for Editing, Daf James for Writer and James Kent for Director Fiction. The Golden Cobra wins the Entertainment Programme award with writers Adam Llewellyn, James Prygodzicz, and Thomas Rees also winning the Breakthrough…

A new £6m Chiropractic Clinic was officially opened at the University of South Wales (Friday 3 October), by Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Sarah Murphy MS. The clinic, which is home to the Welsh Institute of Chiropractic (WIOC) is an extension of the learning and teaching facilities on USW’s Treforest campus, bringing together all aspects of chiropractic education and clinical training under one roof. Designed by Stride Treglown and built by Kier Construction, the 975 sqm, two-storey building took 15 months to complete, and includes 26 treatment rooms, seminar spaces, DXA (bone density) and diagnostic ultrasound facilities. The clinic…

There are many ways into teaching and on World Teachers’ Day (October 5th) find out what support is available to start the journey into becoming a teacher. With a teacher’s salary currently starting at £33,700 and reaching up to £146,300 for a headteacher it’s a great time to be a teacher in Wales. With secondary school teachers in key subjects being in particular demand. (Biology, Chemistry ,Design & Technology, Information Technology, Mathematics, Modern Foreign Languages (MFL),Physics and Welsh.) There are several incentives to help people into teaching and the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle has confirmed a programme of…

Despite the Welsh Government’s best efforts to keep the Menai Suspension Bridge open for cars and motorcyclists’, feedback from UK Highways A55 around the challenges with enforcement have led to the difficult decision to temporarily close the bridge as of 14:00 on Saturday 4 October.  This decision has been taken in light of recent investigations that were carried out as part of phase two works that discovered bolts on beams under the bridge need replacing. Emergency service vehicle arrangements are in place should the Britannia Bridge be affected by high winds. Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates said:…

Architecture and engineering firms are facing a lot of complexity when it comes to managing their budget, resources and projects. It is a challenge for them to keep clients happy and teams efficient.  The right software will make all the difference because it will integrate analytics, scheduling, finance and collaboration in one very powerful platform. If you have been searching for the best tool to manage all your projects from design to delivery, take a look at these five top performing software platforms for architecture, engineering as well as construction. 1.Unit4 – Best for Project-Centric Financial Control Unit 4 stands…