Author: Rhys Gregory

A police operation to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable time in Cardiff city centre is in full swing. Police officers and partners are all putting in shifts to ensure partygoers, shoppers, and of course people who live and work in the centre, are well looked after this Christmas. Additional resources are being deployed in the city centre which is attracting around 142,000 visitors daily. So far this month, as part of Operation Mistletoe, officers have conducted plain-clothed patrols to arrest wanted people, a knife-sweep, and seized several bikes in a joint operation with city centre wardens to tackle…

COLLEGE staff submerged themselves in a unique charity quest. The 12-strong team from Coleg Cambria’s Bersham Road site in Wrexham successfully completed the Bigger Boat Challenge. The task – referencing the 1975 movie hit, Jaws – was the toughest yet for Karl Jackson and colleagues as they kayaked around Lake Vyrnwy and Bala Lake and hiked 22-kilometres, while camping overnight in rough conditions, all in aid of Dementia UK. “We have taken on some big adventures for various campaigns over the years, but this one was particularly gruelling, and the weather was terrible at the start,” said Karl, Assistant Principal for the Institute…

Julia Rausing Trust is pleased to announce £16.7 million in heritage grants across the UK. The funding includes £6.2 million to cathedrals, £6.2 million to botanic gardens and £4.3 million to museums and galleries. The grants will enable crucial repair and refurbishment works to English cathedrals and botanical gardens across England, Wales and Scotland. Funding for museums and galleries will support strategic programme delivery that will benefit smaller regional museums. Among seven cathedrals receiving support is York Minster, where a grant of £500,000 has been made to complete the fundraising campaign for the Centre of Excellence for Heritage Craft Skills…

Wales rugby legend Sam Warburton surprised pupils at a Swansea school when he made a special visit to a rugby lesson to deliver a donation of new kits. The rugby kits included shirts, shorts and rugby balls, and were donated to Cefn Hengoed Community School by Canterbury and Amazon in partnership with Cwtch Mawr, Wales’s first Multibank, which is run by Swansea charity Faith in Families, with support from former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and Amazon. The Cwtch Mawr Multibank is a community donations hub, offering support to families experiencing poverty across Swansea. It provides surplus essentials, such as hygiene…

The delivery of funding, which will support green energy projects across North Wales, is now a step closer given the appointment of two experienced Fund Advisors. Ambition North Wales has appointed WCVA and UMi, following a competitive procurement process, to prepare and mobilise its Clean Energy Fund which will launch next year. The fund will comprise of two sub-funds, with WCVA working in conjunction with Community Energy Wales on the voluntary sector sub-fund; and UMi leading the sub-fund targeting the private sector. The Clean Energy Fund project is part of the region’s Growth Deal which is delivered by Ambition North…

New funding that will support more people into work has been welcomed by the CIPD in Wales and Transport for Wales, who share a commitment to help create fair work and quality jobs. Announced as part of the UK Government’s ‘Get Britain Working’ plans, the ‘inactivity trailblazer’ will see £125 million invested in eight areas*, including Wales. This funding will enable local areas to create their own local plans to help people access health and skills support, so they can secure paid employment. Under the new ‘Get Britian Working’ plans, a review is also planned to see how employers can…

New research from leading business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK LLP finds that business leaders plan to increase both the number of days employees are required to be in the office, and their monitoring of this, in the next 12-24 months. The firm’s Business Outlook Tracker*, which surveyed 603 UK businesses in October, found that 86% of businesses are already mandating time in the office for employees. Of these, around one quarter require two (26%) or three days (25%) a week in the office, while 29% are mandating five days a week. Of the businesses (367) who currently require their…

Bearmont Group has acquired Denis Ferranti, a 6.5-acre industrial site on Caernarfon Road in Bangor. This site has been owned by Denis Ferranti, a privately owned engineering business specialising in mechanical, electromechanical, and electronic manufacturing, since 1951. Once a thriving engineering and manufacturing hub, Denis Ferranti employed over a thousand people at its peak. The property includes a substantial steel frame factory unit, complemented by a more recent northern extension featuring first-floor offices and warehouse space. As the company transitioned to new productions, the freehold was made available for purchase and listed on the market for £3.5 million. While the…

Law firm Darwin Gray has unveiled its new branding as the firm continues to achieve against its ambitious growth plans for both its Cardiff and Bangor offices. Having experienced 40% growth in the last 2 years, Darwin Gray recently doubled its office space in Cardiff, as well as adding new legal services and expertise to the team. Darwin Gray’s most recent appointments include Associate Ramyar Hassan and Solicitor Harriette Loveluck-Edwards to the Employment team, and Associate Non Kinsey to the Commercial Property team. The firm has also recently welcomed two new trainee solicitors, Caragh McCormack and Geraint Manley, as well…

Residents and commuters in Cardiff are invited to share their views on a new initiative to enhance six major bus routes into the city centre. The public consultation will begin on December 9th and run for seven weeks until January 27th, and everyone who lives or travels into Cardiff is encouraged to read about the strategy. Cllr Dan De’Ath, Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, Climate Change, and Transport, stated: “The ‘Bus Priority Infrastructure Plan’ aims to establish a ‘Core Bus Network’ of six key corridors into the city. This will improve bus travel for 80% of passengers, integrating bus travel…