Author: Rhys Gregory

Ahead of Dog Theft Awareness Day on Saturday, 14 March, Dogs Trust Cardiff is issuing guidance to owners in a bid to say, ‘paws off!’ and prevent dogs from being separated from their loving families.   Having a beloved dog stolen is a traumatic, heartbreaking experience. For most owners, their four-legged friends are members of the family, and being separated from them, without knowing where they are, is devastating.  Recent data from the National Dog Survey, sponsored by the People’s Postcode Lottery, shows that one in three dog owners (33%) is worried about the risk of their dog being stolen1. With nine in 10 (93%) dog owners agreeing that dogs should…

A North Wales life sciences company has doubled its workforce and is expanding into a second facility in Deeside following rapid international growth that has seen revenues rise by 400% since 2023. Reacta Healthcare, which develops specialist products used in global food allergy clinical trials, has grown its headcount from 50 to 80 in the last 12 months and is planning further recruitment as it scales up production to support studies worldwide. The expansion has been driven by exports, which currently account for 100% of the company’s business. Founded in 2013, Reacta was established to address a major challenge in…

Hydrogen has been successfully used to decarbonise asphalt production on an industrial scale for the first time in the UK at Heidelberg Materials UK’s Criggion plant in Powys, mid Wales. The pioneering project is part of the company’s commitment to decarbonise its production processes and has been three years in the making. The Criggion trial is part of the UK Government’s Industrial Hydrogen Accelerator programme and received part-funding from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). During the trial, hydrogen was used to replace liquid fossil fuels to produce more than 1,300 tonnes of asphalt, without any impact…

RenEnergy UK Ltd has successfully delivered a multi-story solar carport installation at University Hospital Wales, operating within one of the most challenging clinical environments in the country. The project involved the full design, installation and commissioning of a solar carport system constructed on top of a live multi storey car park. The installation sits directly beneath the operational flight path of the Air Ambulance helipad and next to a blue light emergency access lane at the lower level. Both assets remained fully operational for the entire duration of construction. RenEnergy carried out the works through careful logistics planning, out of…

Mind Cymru has published its manifesto calling for the next Welsh Government to improve access to mental health support and respond to a rising mental health need, especially in children and young people. Its manifesto, ‘Mental Health Is Everything’, shows increasing demand combined with lengthy waiting times and rising inequalities are leaving too many communities in Wales without the right support. The charity is calling for faster, fairer access to services, and for stronger partnerships across the NHS, communities and third sector organisations in order to help make it happen. Simon Jones, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Mind Cymru explains:…

A father-of-three from Stroud will be taking on the ABP Newport Marathon just two years after having open heart surgery. Gareth Ponsford, 45, said it will be his first road marathon and he’s looking forward to seeing what he’s capable of as he continues to get his fitness back post-op. Gareth, who works as an operations manager for engineering company AVTPUMP, has always been fit and healthy. A keen rugby player, he took up running in 2013 to recover from a leg break and began taking part in many trail marathons and ultra marathons. However, in October 2021, he decided…

More than 30 key organisations are teaming up in a bid to transform Wrexham into “one of the best places in the world to grow up”. They came together at an event called WrexChange that was designed to showcase and harness the growing sense of optimism, ambition and investment in the city Among those taking part were senior leaders from business, culture, education, sport, the voluntary sector and local government. The meeting at Coleg Cambria was organised by Wrexham City Board (WCB) which has secured £20 million in funding from the UK Government’s Pride in Place Programme to invest in…

Wales may need to deliver more than 10,600 homes a year over the next five years if it is to reflect the Welsh Government’s latest housing need figures on a comparable basis, according to new analysis from planning and development consultancy Lichfields. The Welsh Government’s updated Estimates of Housing Need, published in February, identify a central requirement of around 8,700 homes per year between 2025 and 2030. That is already well above recent delivery levels, with housing completions averaging around 5,000 homes a year and 4,631 delivered in 2024/25. However, Lichfields’ review shows that the way the new figures are…

UK’s renters are under less pressure, with the lowest level of competition for rented homes in six years. The result is rents for new lets increasing by just 1.9% over the last year , according to Zoopla’s latest Rental Market Report. Competition eases as demand falls Demand amongst renters has fallen by 14% over the last year while the number of homes available for rent has increased by 11% over the same period. The result has been less competition between renters with 4.8 enquiries per property, down from 6.5 a year ago. This is clear evidence of the rental market…

On No Smoking Day 2026, ASH Wales Cymru is encouraging the estimated 260,000 people in Wales who smoke to take the first step towards quitting, highlighting that free support is available across the country. Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable illness and early death in Wales,contributing to lung cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illness. Survey data from ASH Wales shows smoking remains closely linked to inequality. Only 8% of homeowners smoke, compared with 18% of private renters, rising sharply to 30% among people living in social housing. This highlights how tobacco harms fall disproportionately on the most disadvantaged communities.…