Author: Rhys Gregory

An event held to help Welsh businesses learn more about the trading opportunities with Spain has been hailed a huge success by NatWest’s Managing Director of Business and Premier Banking Marcelino Castrillo. Mr Castrillo was joined by the Spanish Ambassador to the UK, Carlos Bastarreche, at the BeTheSpark organised event in Cardiff. Supported by NatWest Cymru, 100 local businesses and key stakeholders were in attendance to hear from key note speakers including Invest in Spain ICEX and a special panel Q&A. With a population of more than 45 million people Spain is home to the world’s fourteenth largest economy and…

A full scale model of the ExoMars rover which is set to search for life on Mars in 2021 has been named after a pioneering Aberystwyth University space roboticist. Barnes has been named after the late Professor Dave Barnes who initiated Aberystwyth University’s involvement with the European Space Agency / Roscosmos mission to Mars. Professor Barnes, who died suddenly in 2014, was also a leading member of the team that developed and built the innovative Beagle2 lander that formed part of the 2003 Mars Express mission. Built by Stephen Fearn and Dr Matt Gunn from the Department of Physics, the…

Simply Do Ideas has partnered with the educational charity Techniquest to help find creative solutions to engage more people with STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). The two innovative organisations plan to use the Simply Do Ideas platform to collate ideas from people across Wales, from all walks of life, which Techniquest can use to help inspire future generations of scientists and innovators. Techniquest’s mission is to embed science in Welsh culture through interactive engagement. They aim to make science fun and accessible for all ages. As well as offering the Techniquest experience at their science discovery centre in…

Swansea University staff, students, local businesses and members of the community have joined Vice-Chancellor Richard B Davies and Santander Universities UK Director Matt Hutnell to officially launch the start of a brand new bikesharing scheme for the city. Swansea now joins London and Milton Keynes, with Brunel soon to follow, to become one of four Santander backed bikeshare schemes. Santander Cycles Swansea was made possible following Swansea University’s fantastic win in the Santander Cycles University Challenge last December. During the energetic crowdfunding campaign, University students and staff, together with the local community and businesses came together to support the University…

A second Swansea beach is set to be designated as ‘smoke free’ as part of a city-wide health campaign. Langland Bay is the next beach Swansea Council hopes will be ‘smoke free’ after launching a pilot scheme at Caswell Bay in 2017.  The pilot scheme has been a success in reducing the number of people smoking at the popular beach. Mark Child Cabinet Member for Care, Health and Ageing Well, said: “The launch of a smoke-free beach at Caswell Bay has been a great success. “There has been a noticeable reduction in cigarette litter at the beach which tells us…

Another packed summer of activities for school children in Bridgend County Borough will launch with a FREE ‘Fun in the Park’ event from 1pm – 3pm at Newbridge Fields in Bridgend on Saturday 14 July. Families will get a taster of what’s to come this summer, with a mischief trail, arts and crafts, hula-hooping and bubble football all on offer, as well as the launch of this year’s Summer Reading Challenge. Those are some of the activities that will form part of this year’s ‘Schools Out’ programme of summer holiday activities, which is being organised by Bridgend County Borough Council…

FIRST birthday celebration in Llantrisant as “The Shed” celebrates a successful year in business. The re-use shop has been a huge success over the last 12 months, with over 42,869 items finding new homes and over 70 tonnes of waste being successfully diverted from landfill. What is The Shed? The Shed gives residents the opportunity to purchase items deposited at the Community Recycling Centre (CRC) from members of the public. From books to toys, bikes, crockery, ornaments, furniture and much more, the shop gives a new lease of life to items which had been thrown out. The shelves and floor…

A team of business-savvy school children from Barry have beaten hundreds of pupils from across Wales to be crowned the winners of a Welsh Government national competition looking to find and nurture entrepreneurial young talent from across the country. Pupils from Cadoxton Primary School picked up the top title at the annual Enterprise Troopers competition which took place at Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff. After demonstrating their entrepreneurial attitude and business acumen, Cadoxton Primary were presented with the top prize for their business idea, Real Junk Food Café, which is to reuse food waste from supermarkets at a local community café.…

Visitors to The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth will have a rare opportunity to see the silver harp of the Caerwys Eisteddfod, Wales’s earliest surviving eisteddfodic trophy, for the next six months. Today (Friday), Lord Elis-Thomas, the Welsh Government Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport, will open the doors of a new exhibition showcasing treasures from the private collection of Lord Mostyn of Mostyn Hall, Flintshire, side-by-side with precious manuscripts that were purchased for the national library a century ago, a month after the Armistice of 1918. The heads of the Mostyn family were commissioned in 1523 and 1567 to arrange two important…

A mum from Cardiff who has raised more than £70,000 for Diabetes UK Cymru in memory of her 13-year-old son has won a UK-wide award for her tireless fundraising. Beth Baldwin was named the UK’s Best Volunteer Fundraiser at the Institute of Fundraising’s National Fundraising Awards in London. Beth’s son Peter, 13, passed away from undiagnosed Type 1 diabetes in 2015. Since then Beth, her husband Stuart and Peter’s sister Lia, 12, have campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness of the condition, hosting a multitude of fundraising events and presenting to Assembly Members at the Senedd. The family helped launch Diabetes…