Author: Rhys Gregory

At-risk Flintshire pupils have reported a better attitude towards being in school following a hands-on and radical scheme that is having a positive impact on high schools throughout the county. LEAP (learn, explore, achieve, perform) is benefiting 80 learners who are at risk of becoming NEET – not in education, employment, or training. Schools defer pupils identified as going down the wrong path that could ultimately lead to exclusion, for reasons including truancy, poor social interaction with peers, and attitudes towards teachers. Run by Flintshire County Council, the programme has received key support from the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund…

A leading civil engineering firm has hit a significant milestone by reaching 500,000 hours without recording a single lost time incident (LTI) at North Kyle Wind Farm. Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK is the principal contractor on Brockwell Energy’s £300 million 49-turbine scheme near Dalmellington, Scotland, which will have the capacity to power more than 160,000 households. An LTI is an injury sustained by an employee that leads to a loss of productive work time, meaning they are unable to perform regular duties. With up to 250 people on site at any one time, Jones Bros has utilised its ‘Together…

Community groups, churches and chapels, voluntary and non-profit organisations that wish to improve and increase the range of facilities, activities and opportunities within Ceredigion are encouraged to apply to the Ceredigion Community Grant Fund. Grants are available towards the purchase of land, buildings, equipment and the upgrading of existing facilities. There are two grants: a Capital Grant Fund and a Policy Grant Fund. Capital Grant The Capital fund is currently open: 2024/2025 Capital Fund is open until 10 January 2025 – we are now taking applications for projects that can be completed by 1 March 2025. 2025/2026 Capital Fund is…

Scientists have devised a new way of creating alternatives to palm oil in our food and cosmetics. Demand for palm oil is set to increase by 40% in the next decade. It is well known to have a very harmful impact on the environment – destroying tropical forests and natural habitats. Academics at Aberystwyth University have worked with Sun Bear Biofuture to find a way of fermenting yeast to produce an alternative oil with similar properties to palm oil but without the damaging effects. By using cutting-edge fermentation and molecular biology techniques, the research team aims to reduce reliance on…

More than 4,400 Self Assessment customers avoided peeling the sprouts to file their tax return online on Christmas Day, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) can reveal. In total, 40,072 customers – as well as spending the three-day holiday indulging in usual Christmas pastimes of eating, drinking and watching festive favourites on the TV – found time to go online and wrap up their 2023 to 2024 tax return, well ahead of the 31 January deadline. Festive filing statistics show that over Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day: 15:00 to 15:59 proved to be the most popular time to file…

As New Year’s Eve approaches, many of us are excited to welcome friends and family into our homes for a night of celebration. And with over a third of UK households now shared with a dog, owners may be keen to include their canine companions in the fun. But for our four-legged friends, the loud noises, flashing lights, and unfamiliar faces can make the festivities overwhelming. Ahead of the countdown to 2025, Dogs Trust Bridgend has issued some top tips to help you ring in the New Year with your canine companion’s comfort and safety in mind. Dogs Trust’sTop Tips for…

Daring to Dream, the charity whose mission is to support the emotional health and wellbeing of adults in Wales living with physical illness, held its first formal briefing event – ‘Making space to talk about emotional health’. Opened by Sarah Murphy MS, Welsh Government Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, the briefing was attended by patients, medical and health board staff, and representatives from many health charities. During the event, the charity’s founder and chair Barbara Chidgey outlined empirical research demonstrating that emotional health plays an essential role in enhancing quality of life for people living with physical illness, as it…

Marking 20 years since the Boxing Day tsunami, BBC Cymru Wales announce a two-part anniversary special, ‘Tsunami 2005: One night in Cardiff’, telling the extraordinary behind-the-scenes story of Wales’ biggest ever fund raising concert to be broadcast early in the new year. In 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 struck off the coast of Indonesia, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people and displaced thousands as entire communities were swept away in the devastation. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. 14 counties countries around the Indian Ocean basin were impacted and…

On Sunday, November 10, around 9pm, an unmarked police car was patrolling along Mumbles Road in Swansea, when their attention was drawn to a red Seat Ibiza being driven at speed. When officers tried to stop the car, driver Ethan Grant failed to stop and drove away at speed. He was driving at speeds of more than 50mph and in some parts reached 70mph whilst being in 20mph and 30mph zones. Grant, 21, continued to drive erratically, running through red lights without slowing down and showing no care towards other drivers. As Grant neared a small roundabout with the junction…

Work has been carried out at a Denbighshire primary school to provide better energy efficiency for staff and pupils and lower long term building energy costs. Denbighshire County Council’s Energy Team has worked to tackle energy efficiency and lower costs at Ysgol Bodfari. The team has managed a number of projects across Council owned buildings including schools, to help improve building energy efficiency, reduce emissions and also usage costs over the longer term. The Council’s Energy team assessed the building to see what areas of energy use could be improved to increase efficiency. Work at Ysgol Bodfari included the installation…