Author: Rhys Gregory

Austerity has led to an alarming rise in the number of people with mental health problems, according to the boss of an advocacy charity. Elfed Williams, the director of services at the Conwy and Denbighshire Mental Health Advocacy Service (CADMHAS), revealed there has been a 15 per cent increase in their workload over the past year. Mr Williams was speaking at a special event to mark the St Asaph-based organisation’s 10th anniversary. Appropriately, the venue for the celebration was the Eirianfa Community Centre in Denbigh where CADMHAS was launched to provide a voice for people unable to represent themselves. The…

Denbighshire businesses can get a helping hand from Google at a special event. As part of Denbighshire County Council’s March for Business month, a Google Digital Garage will be taking place in St Asaph. Industry experts will be on hand to explain how businesses are using the latest technology to make more informed choices, reach new markets and drive more sales. Help will be provided on how to reduce customer acquisition costs and understand data analytics and SEOs Lloyds Banking Group in partnership with Google and Superfast Business Wales will be holding the event at the OpTIC Technology Centre, St…

AN ENGINEERING degree has taken off thanks to a college partnership with a world-leading plane maker. [aoa id=”1″] The collaboration between Coleg Cambria, Swansea University and Airbus has attracted high-calibre students to the BEng in Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering. The second cohort graduated at the South Wales institution just weeks ago, having enjoyed working and studying at the Airbus factory in Broughton and Cambria’s multi-million-pound facilities in Deeside and Wrexham. Salah Berdouk, Deputy Director for the Engineering curriculum at Coleg Cambria, said the popular aerospace programme – and a new degree in Advanced Manufacturing – have taken higher education and…

A police boss has warned again that a No Deal Brexit would put the people of North Wales in real danger. North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones fears the police will be powerless to arrest foreign crime suspects on the spot if Britain loses access to European databases and agreements. It would not be possible, for example, for North Wales Police to detain suspects until a warrant was obtained from the courts even when checks showed an individual was wanted overseas. That meant, he said, that suspected offenders could abscond if the police had to rely on measures…

One of the UK’s most respected contractors is to help deliver the £120m Swansea Central Phase One transformation. Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd has been appointed by Swansea Council as the principal contractor under a pre-construction services agreement (PCSA). The contract was awarded after a competitive tender process. The transformation will bring a 3,500-capacity digital indoor arena, a coastal park, digital plaza, landmark pedestrian bridge, new car parking and new homes and premises for retail, food and drink. The PCSA will see Buckingham – over six months from Monday (Feb 18) – undertake pre-construction services including detailed design, costings and essential…

This Friday’s (15 February) EuroMillions jackpot stands at a jaw-dropping £144M*. If won by a single ticket-holder this fantastic Friday jackpot would create the UK’s third biggest National Lottery winner ever. [aoa id=”1″] According to Forbes in 2018, if one winner scooped the entire £144M jackpot, they would instantly become almost twice as rich as Wales’ superstar Gareth Bale (£74M). In fact, with £144M the winner could start their own football club, given that their instant wealth would be almost 18 times the annual wage bill for Cardiff City’s first team (£8.1M in October 2018 according to respected US website…

As part of its response to Brexit, the Welsh Government is establishing a new £1.5m fund that  will test new ways of nurturing and growing the everyday parts of Wales’ economy. [aoa id=”1″] The Foundational Economy, which accounts for around 40% of jobs in Wales, describes the organisations SMEs, microbusinesses and social enterprises that are rooted in local communities and deliver the goods and services people need. From construction and childcare, through to social care and retail, the Foundational Economy describes the jobs that provide the goods and services that people across Wales rely on. Deputy Economy Minister, Lee Waters …

A Porthcawl drug dealer has today been jailed for 7 years after officers found thousands of pounds worth of cocaine in a safe. Thomas Hughes, aged 64, of Porthcawl, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday (Feb 14) for possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class A – cocaine and money laundering. His accountant Joanne Hughes-Bassett, aged 45, of Porthcawl, received a suspended sentence of 14 months for a money laundering offence. They both pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing. As part of Operation Delta, officers from the Organised Crime Unit in Bridgend, along with the Porthcawl…

A high-profile British investment manager has recently won over half a million dollars in a major live poker tournament. Talal Shakerchi, age 54, finished on the final table of the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) $25K buy-in event to scoop the big prize. Shakerchi is the CEO of a successful company, but also, one of the U.K.’s top poker professionals. Shakerchi founded Meditor Capital Management Limited in 1998, and he has also been chairman of Streamvale Management Company Limited and Intelligent Energy Holdings during his busy business career. Shakerchi has an estimated net worth of around $150 million. For players on…

A group of students from Swansea University took part in a Hackathon in collaboration with Swansea City Football Club, aiming to come up with a technological innovation that could drive new or increased revenue. [aoa id=”1″] Working alongside the University’s Enterprise team, students were given just 48 hours to devise a pioneering solution that had the potential to generate club revenue and push Swansea City to the forefront of the tech innovation arena. Pitches ranged from strategies to improve match-day entertainment and consumer access to service points, as well as ways of improving fan engagement through brand perception. The group…