Author: Rhys Gregory

The charity regulator for Wales and England has announced that over £10 million of unused charitable funds has been recovered to support communities across Wales. The Revitalising Trusts programme ensures charitable funds that are lying dormant are spent and make a difference as originally intended. The programme helps charities by supporting and advising trustees who find it hard to spend their income, recruit new trustees, identify beneficiaries, or find time to run the charity. Good causes, community foundations and charities across Wales have received a collective total of £10,361,324 since the programme started in 2021. With help from the programme, 72…

PRIMARY schools have given small businesses and independent producers a well-deserved break in partnership with Larder Cymru. Caerphilly County Borough Council is the first in Wales to fully implement a new menu featuring their Welsh supply base following a test period earlier this year. With support from the Larder Cymru Welsh Food for Schools initiative, Caerphilly was one of six counties – the others being Wrexham, Flintshire, Anglesey, Gwynedd, and Cardiff – to use more locally sourced ingredients in their St David’s Day dinner menus. Now, following the success of the initiative – delivered by Menter Môn and supported by…

Hundreds of toys from Amazon’s Top Ten Toys list have been donated to Cwtch Mawr Multibank by the Amazon toy train to spread some festive cheer in the run up to Christmas. Cwtch Mawr Multibank is part of The Multibank charity initiative – which was founded by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Amazon in 2022 – and seeks to meet the needs of families and individuals living in poverty. To date, the Multibank initiative has donated more than three million essential goods to help over 400,000 families, and currently operates in Scotland, Greater Manchester and Wales. The toys were…

Two men from Swansea have been jailed for drugs offences. 38-year-old Gurali Dika and 40-year-old Arton Dika were both arrested following a warrant at an address on Morfydd Street, Morriston in October. Both defendants pleaded guilty to producing Class B drugs. Each have been sentenced to nine months in prison and a surcharge of £187. Inspector Andrew Price said: “Drugs and drug-related crime are extremely harmful to our communities, and we will target those responsible. “Gurali and Arton Dika showed a complete disregard for the wellbeing of those who came into contact with the drugs that they were producing, and…

Ahead of this year’s Wales Ambassador Week, which takes place between 18-22 November, Llangollen and Corwen Railway staff and volunteers have become Denbighshire Tourism Ambassadors. The Denbighshire Ambassador Course provides online training opportunities to learn and improve your knowledge of the County’s unique characteristics and is a part of the wider Wales Ambassador Scheme, which provides people with free online training and knowledge on the special qualities of other areas across Wales. Similar courses are also offered in Eryri National Park, Conwy, Gwynedd, Anglesey, Flintshire, Wrexham, Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire. Welsh Ambassador Week has a range of…

With only 6 months to go until Eisteddfod yr Urdd 2025 is held in Neath Port Talbot, 1,800 local children have come together to create a special song with songwriters Bronwen Lewis and Huw Chiswell. Next year, one of Europe’s largest touring festivals, Eisteddfod yr Urdd is returning to Margam Park for the first time since 2003. In celebration, a welcome song, ‘Cân y Croeso, Eisteddfod yr Urdd Dur a Môr’ has been composed by Bronwen Lewis and Huw Chiswell and features over 1,800 children from Neath Port Talbot and Swansea. The song has been chosen by BBC Radio Cymru…

Learners at Pembroke Dock Community School are being inspired to think of a future in renewable energy as they found out more about how the energy sector is changing in Pembrokeshire. The whole school focused on the topic and discovered more about wind turbines, energy testing areas, combating climate change, solar power, and more, in a number of engaging and practical workshops. Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum and the Darwin Centre brought the subject to life and learners enjoyed getting involved in researching and testing their work. Some groups designed and built model floating platforms for offshore wind turbines as well as…

Running from 2pm to 5.30pm on Saturday, November 16, Countdown to Christmas will feature live music, fairground rides and celebrity guests, culminating in the official switching on of Newport’s city centre Christmas lights and a breathtaking fireworks display. Pop star and West End actor Gareth Gates has sold more than three million singles in the UK and topped the charts four times since finishing as runner-up to Will Young on the original Pop Idol talent show in 2002. As a recording artist, Gareth scored number one singles with Unchained Melody, Anyone of Us (Stupid Mistake), Suspicious Minds/The Long and Winding…

On Friday 8th November, the Caerphilly Sports Awards celebrated outstanding individuals, clubs and organisations that have made significant contributions to sport in the borough. The event recognised volunteers, coaches, athletes, and clubs whose dedication and commitment inspire and empower local communities. Aaron Ramsey Foundation Young Volunteer of the Year Winner: Valleys Girls Peer Leaders Valleys Girls Peer Leaders of Valley Gymnastics Academy received the Young Volunteer of the Year Award, acknowledging their dedication to engaging young people in active, healthy lifestyles and creating a supportive community for youth sports. Welsh Sports Association Volunteer of the Year Winner: John Helmore  John…

Registered childcare premises will no longer have to pay business rates, saving millions of pounds every year. Estimated to save the sector £3.4 million annually, the now permanent non-domestic rates relief for childcare premises will support childcare providers to invest in staff, create new jobs and reduce fee increases for parents. Since 2019, premises like day nurseries have not paid business rates in Wales thanks to the small business rates relief scheme – helping many tackle rising costs and continue to operate. Minister for Children and Social Care, Dawn Bowden said: “Childcare settings provide an essential service in Wales, offering…