Author: Rhys Gregory

Blaenau Gwent councillors have this week unanimously approved the appointment of Stephen Vickers as the permanent Joint Chief Executive for both Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen County Borough Councils. This follows approval by councillors in Torfaen earlier in the week. The reports received by both councils follow a 7 month ‘discovery phase’ during which both councils agreed to share the Chief Executive role, while exploratory work took place to understand the opportunities and risks of closer working. The review supported by Local Partnerships concluded following engagement with councillors, senior officers, and staff, as well as representatives of Welsh Government, the Welsh…

St Mark’s Church in Caia Park, Wrexham, is being transformed into a hub for sports, drama, lunch clubs, and more, thanks to £300,000 from the Welsh Government’s Community Facilities Programme. The funding has supported major renovations, including a new roof, heating system, accessible toilets, ramped access, a kitchen refit, and reworked meeting spaces. These improvements will allow St Mark’s to expand its activities while continuing to host essential services such as the Trussell Trust Foodbank and a regular clothing exchange. Reverend Canon Jonathan Smith, project lead at St Mark’s, said: “St Mark’s has always been at the heart of life…

Professor Isabel Oliver has been appointed as’ the new Chief Medical Officer for Wales. Professor Oliver will be joining the Welsh Government from her role as Director General of Science and Research and Chief Scientific Officer at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). As Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Prof. Oliver will provide clinical leadership and  be responsible for providing independent professional advice to the Welsh Government about health and public health matters. She will also work with organisations across Wales to reduce health inequalities and lead the medical profession with the aim of improving the quality of healthcare and…

Careers Wales has announced nine winners of its Valued Partner Awards 2025 at an award ceremony held in Cardiff on Wednesday 15 January. The winners were revealed live by event host Sian Lloyd at The Neuadd, within the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. The prestigious Valued Partner Awards celebrate businesses that have gone above and beyond to inspire and support pupils across Wales over the last year. The awards are a chance for Careers Wales to recognise the vital role employers play in empowering young people with careers and work-related experiences. 2025 Valued Partner Awards winners: Outstanding Achievement Award:Hywel Dda University…

If you’re training for a race, you’ll be filling up your diary with weekly training runs and strength sessions to ensure you’re in top condition on the start line. While it might seem counterintuitive when you’re trying to get faster and stronger, it’s just as important that you’re putting some rest days into your schedule too. Run 4 Wales Race Director, and double Olympic marathoner, Steve Brace, explains why they’re a vital component of any training plan. Recovery: Taking a break will allow your body to rest and recover from the stress of training. Rest days slotted into your schedule…

British astronaut Tim Peake will will bring the awe and wonder of space travel past, present and future to Cardiff when his latest tour blasts off across the country. Astronauts: The Quest To Explore Space sees Tim sharing extraordinary archive footage bringing to life the adventures of astronauts in a celebration of the historic human endeavour of space exploration. Back by popular demand following its debut last autumn, this latest leg of the tour includes a date at Cardiff’s New Theatre on Monday October 6. Tickets go on sale on Friday January 24, from nothird.co.uk/live-shows/tim-peake or direct from venues. “’It…

Leading private medical service provider iGP has launched its services at the Medispace centre at Parc Dewi Sant. iGP offers GP, nurse, occupational health, counselling, physiotherapy, and cosmetic treatments across south Wales, as well as tests, screens and vaccinations. It currently has sites in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea, as well as providing online services. In addition to its expansion into Carmarthen, iGP celebrated 20 years of providing high quality medical services in 2024. After purchasing the historic Carmarthenshire site in May 2024, Parc Dewi Sant Ltd announced its plans for redevelopment, with health and wellbeing benefits for the local community…

CARDIFF Bay’s iconic entertainment venue, The Red Dragon Centre, is welcoming Lunar New Year with a celebration on 2 February. To mark the Year of the Snake, the Centre is once again partnering with Cardiff Confucius Institute to hold a fun-filled day of activities including calligraphy, paper cutting, lantern making plus music and dance performances between 12-5pm. Adding to the festivities, a Chinese Lion will be joining in the celebrations and meeting visitors at 12.30pm, 2pm and 3.30pm. In between festivities, visitors can take their pick from the Centre’s range of restaurants, including Chinese restaurant Everytime and Japanese all-you-can-eat Volcano,…

COLEG CAMBRIA cemented its place among the top institutions in the country for its work with young adult carers. Cambria received QSCS (Quality Standard in Carer Support) reaccreditation from The Carers Federation, having been one of the first 10 colleges in the UK to receive the inaugural award in 2020. Examples of good practice included multiple opportunities for student engagement and feedback; proactive and continuous review and consideration of how to develop and improve further, and cross-college working and communication to embed a cohesive approach to young adult carer support. According to the Welsh Government, there are more than 22,500…

Many business owners and HR managers get caught up in logistics when planning a corporate event and forget about venue ambience. While seating, food, and accessibility are essential for a successful event, you can’t afford to treat ambience as an afterthought when selecting a venue hire London. If you don’t create the right ambience, it can ruin the entire experience. It’s the X factor that makes everything else click. Want to set a particular tone, encourage conversations, or influence how guests view your brand? It all comes down to ambience. So, if you’re planning a corporate event, you must go…