Author: Rhys Gregory

With less than a week to go until the 2025 Royal Welsh Spring Festival, organisers are delighted to reveal an exciting programme of events, competitions and entertainment for visitors of all ages. This year’s Festival marks the first event in the calendar for the 2025 Feature County, Caernarfon, represented by President Mr John Owen and Ambassador, Rhys Griffith. Visitors will notice the Festival’s vibrant new branding, which incorporates the traditional ‘Brethyn Cymreig’ pattern, emphasising the Society’s deep commitment to Welsh heritage whilst appealing to families with bright, welcoming colours. The refreshed name reflects the Festival’s broad appeal to audiences from…

After a year of fundraising activities, not-for-profit housing organisation United Welsh is pleased to announce it has raised over £6,100 for Velindre Cancer Centre. After selecting Velindre as the charity of the year for 2024/25, staff got to work fundraising for the cancer centre.  People across the organisation took part in a range of activities to range funds, including bake sales, running races and walking 30,000 steps a day. Velindre, the Hospital of Hope has been providing specialist treatment and supportive care to cancer patients and families for over 65 years. Money raised for Velindre Charity helps fund ground breaking…

A business leader is driving forward a campaign to encourage more women to take up top roles in the automotive industry after being shocked by its lack of diversity. Laura Hall, the managing director of Maverick Diagnostics, based in Holt, near Wrexham, is a member of The Automotive 30% Club that’s battling for a better gender balance in the sector. She will be outlining her crusade at the next meeting of the Wrexham Business Professionals organisation at the Maesgwyn Hall in Wrexham on Friday, June 27. The influential group is made up of successful businesses and skilled professionals working together to…

TWO Welsh primary schools are helping to build powerful links with war-affected Ukraine through a new international education initiative.  YGG Pontybrenin in Swansea and Tir-y-berth Primary School in Caerphilly, are among four schools from Wales selected to take part in the UK–Ukraine School Partnerships Programme, a British Council initiative funded by the UK Government. The programme has connected 100 schools – 50 in the UK and 50 in Ukraine – using a shared love of reading to foster cultural understanding, build resilience and support emotional wellbeing. And the Welsh schools haven’t just joined the programme – they’re leading it. Last…

A FORMER student has swapped college life for Championship glory. Harry Ashfield, who this year completed a Level 3 Sports qualification at Coleg Cambria Yale, is celebrating promotion from League 1 with Wrexham AFC. Having signed a new contract earlier this year, taking him to the end of the 2026/27 season, the marauding midfielder can’t wait for life in the Championship, where they will face the likes of Southampton, Ipswich Town and Leicester City. A former Darland High School pupil, he said: “I am still in shock that we have managed to be promoted three times in a row, from…

Acclaimed chef, Larkin Cen, is returning to Wales’ iconic Celtic Manor Resort, bringing his signature style of modern Asian cuisine back to where his culinary journey first took flight. Cardiff-born and originally trained as a lawyer, Larkin swapped the courtroom for the kitchen after making his mark in the finals of MasterChef in 2013. He went on to open Cen at Celtic Manor Resort in 2016 – a bold Asian dining concept that quickly earned recognition for its fusion of traditional Chinese flavours and contemporary flair. Following a successful three years at the five-star resort, Larkin expanded his culinary vision…

Big Splash, Wales’ largest free outdoor arts festival, returns to Newport this summer – and organisers are calling on local performers to take to the stage. Whether you’re a choir, dance group, band, poetry collective or a solo act, this is an open invitation to perform at this year’s event and be part of the celebrations. Presented by The Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre, Big Splash is a much-loved annual festival, drawing thousands of visitors to the city with live music, street theatre, dance, crafts, workshops and activities for all the family. At the heart of it all are the…

Cardiff will become the meeting place for two cultures next weekend, as the city plays host to Welsh-Hungarian Day – a community-led event marking the growing friendship between Hungary and Wales. Taking place on Sunday 18 May at Lisvane Memorial Hall, the event promises a lively afternoon of cultural exchange through live entertainment, craft stalls, food workshops, and family-friendly activities. The celebration falls around Welsh-Hungarian Friendship Day (14 May), an initiative founded by not-for-profit group Magyar Cymru in 2022 to honour the deepening ties between the two nations. Organisers say this year’s celebration will be the most diverse yet –…

A former West Wales shop for sale at auction could prove to be a sweet investment as a spacious residential property. Currently the substantial character property is like stepping back in time with vintage shop fittings and even an ancient cash register almost the same as when it served its last customer many years ago. There’s a period weighing scales, pine cladding and even the shop’s sturdy counter and display cabinet, all as it were the day it closed. Where sweet jars once stood now lined on the pine shelves are old Penguin paperbacks and other old hardback books adorning…

A man from Swansea has been jailed for his involvement in the supply of a range of different drugs. 36-year-old Lee Paul, from Brynmill, was seen jumping out of the window of his address while officers were investigating an unrelated matter. Officers then entered his address to find large amounts of cannabis and bags containing other white substances, as well as weighing scales with further white power on a weighing plate. It was later established that Paul was concerned in the supply of cocaine, ketamine, ecstasy, cannabis and alazopram. He has been sentenced to three years and four months in…