Author: Rhys Gregory

Wayne Greenshields, of Plas Isaf, Rhosymedre, Wrexham, appeared before Caernarfon Crown Court for sentence yesterday, Wednesday, December 18th, having been convicted of nine offences. They included three counts of sexual activity, two counts of sexual assault, inciting sexual activity, rape and two counts of attempted rape. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and handed an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim who was abused by Greenshields over a two-year period. It was when she bravely disclosed what had happened to a parent that he was arrested in July 2022. He denied the offences but was found guilty…

A vacant and derelict former commercial building in Neath Abbey has been given a new lease of life, having been fully refurbished and transformed into three new apartments, thanks to a grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Once a newsagents, the building has stood empty for several years and following previous unfinished attempts at refurbishment, RWP Properties acquired the premises at St John’s Terrace. It has since been renovated and converted into three modern and stylish apartments, providing much needed, high quality living accommodation for the local area. The refurbishment was carried out by Glynneath based contractor, Alpha Building…

Proposals to update and refurbish Port Talbot’s Princess Royal Theatre and the adjacent Civic Square have been given the go ahead by Neath Port Talbot Council’s Planning Committee. The scheme, backed by UK Government funding, aims to ‘rejuvenate and modernise’ the 798-seat Princess Royal Theatre by improving customer experience with new cafes, an extension to the south west elevation of the building, a remodelled bar servery area and an auditorium entrance lobby with a large, modern foyer. There will also be a “premier” green room for artists. Other additions for the theatre include a conference hall with capacity for 250…

Pembrokeshire County Council has recently achieved the insport Partnerships Gold standard, recognising its commitment and passion to providing inclusive opportunities for disabled people across the local authority area. ‘insport’ is a Disability Sport Wales programme delivered with the support the of Sport Wales, which aims to support the physical activity, sport, and leisure sectors delivering inclusively of disabled people. The purpose of the insport programmes is to support the development of inclusive thinking, planning, development and delivery by everyone within an organisation so that ultimately, they will deliver across the spectrum to disabled and non-disabled people, at whatever level they…

Caerphilly County Borough Council has announced a series of significant upgrades to its Leisure Lifestyle facilities, made possible through funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). These improvements aim to provide residents with modern and flexible facilities, promote active and healthy lifestyles, and create new opportunities for events and revenue generation. The upgrades align with the objectives outlined in the council’s Sport & Active Recreation Strategy. Heolddu Leisure Centre: New Group Cycling Studio Heolddu Leisure Centre now boasts a state-of-the-art group cycling studio featuring Keiser M3i bikes. These top-of-the-line bikes offer an exceptional cycling experience suitable for all fitness…

Strong westerly winds are expected to develop through the course of Saturday, with gusts of 50-60 mph developing quite widely across this region, and a small chance of gusts reaching 70 mph around some coasts and high ground areas. This has the potential to cause delays to public transport and some disruption to the road network, which may have a greater than usual impact given the busier pre-Christmas weekend travel. Dangerous coastal conditions can be expected too, with large waves an additional hazard. What should I do? Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if…

15 community groups will be awarded up to £10,000 each to turn their ideas into viable projects to support Cymraeg in their communities. Since it was established in 2022, the Welsh Government’s Perthyn small grants scheme has supported 62 community projects. Llanrwst town has secured a grant of up to £10,000 to help the local community to purchase the Bys a Bawd book shop that’s served the community for 50 years. The Welsh language has been at the heart of the business, and now the community intend to buy and transform the space into a literary hub. The Perthyn small…

Following an increasing number of cases of avian influenza in poultry and kept birds, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has declared a regional Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) across the East Riding of Yorkshire, City of Kingston Upon Hull, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. Within this AIPZ, enhanced biosecurity actions are required on a mandatory basis to both help prevent disease getting in to flocks and any further spread. We are now in a period of heightened risk from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) across the UK, and all bird keepers in Wales are urged to remain vigilant and take…

A Welsh diagnostics company is developing a groundbreaking test that could detect prostate cancer in men more quickly and with greater accuracy than current methods. Valley Diagnostics, based in Cardiff, is working on a lateral flow test that could detect the disease within minutes via a urine sample at a GP surgery or even at home. It hopes the test can be rolled out into a nationwide prostate cancer screening programme that could help save thousands of lives and the NHS millions of pounds every year. The OSCAR clinical study, a collaborative research project between Aberystwyth University (AU) and Betsi…

He may be up to his twinkly eyes getting ready for Christmas, but Santa still found the time to chat to young patients in Morriston Hospital. A little digital magic meant they could enjoy a virtual meet and greet with the big man from the comfort of his North Pole ho-ho-home. This was all thanks to technology giant Cisco, which has brought its Connected Santa programme to Morriston for several years, along with volunteer “elves” from Cisco and Swansea Bay’s IT department. The elves went around the wards, chatting to the youngsters and finding out more about them to share…