Author: Rhys Gregory

Organisers of the Ascona Group Child of Wales Awards are delighted to announce that last year’s Young Performer winner, Lucciano Mortimore, impressed all four judges on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, earning four yeses and securing his place as one of the standout young acts of the series. He will also return to perform at the 2026 awards this October. Having both won the award and performed on stage at last year’s ceremony, Lucciano’s journey is a powerful example of how the awards help nurture young talent and build confidence, providing a platform that can lead to even greater opportunities. Last…

A much-loved name in Welsh street food is set to take centre stage this weekend, as Hang Fire BBQ returns to Forest Feastival for a special woodland takeover. The award-winning duo, widely credited with helping to spark the street food movement in Wales more than a decade ago alongside Street Food Circus, will be back cooking in the forest and serving up the original dishes that made them a household name. Their return is being billed as a full circle moment for the scene they helped build, with festivalgoers able to experience the bold, slow-cooked barbecue flavours that first put…

Yesterday, BBC Radio Wales Phone In show, presented by Jason Mohammad, was broadcast live from the University of South Wales’ Cardiff campus, thanks to a collaboration with Media, Culture and Journalism, Film, and Media Production students. The two-hour programme was guest-edited by the students, who came up with ideas of the topics for discussion – including the Senedd elections, getting on the property ladder, and online dating – as well as creating social media content and taking calls from listeners. After a panel discussion on the ways people prefer to find information on each political party, Jason spoke to journalist…

FinTech Wales, the independent membership association for the fintech and financial services industry in Wales, has revealed that Anne Boden MBE, founder and former CEO of Starling Bank, will be a headline speaker at the Wales Fintech Festival in Swansea on 3rd June. Anne Boden MBE is a fintech disruptor and a driving force behind the UK’s challenger bank movement. Launching Starling in 2014, Anne set out to redefine banking for the digital age, building a mobile-first bank designed around customer needs rather than legacy systems. Under her leadership, Starling became one of the UK’s most successful challenger banks, growing from…

The Vale of Glamorgan Council has been awarded £574,850 to launch a new and exciting second phase of the Restore the Thaw Landscape project, which has been benefiting wildlife, landowners and communities over the last three years. Building on the success of the first phase, the project will work alongside a wide range of existing and new partners to deliver landscape-scale nature recovery across the River Thaw catchment. A wide variety of biodiversity improvements will be delivered along the River Thaw, its tributaries and surrounding landscapes. Planned work includes creating and enhancing ponds and wetlands, restoring river habitats and floodplains,…

Swansea is set to host one of Britain’s most significant touring contemporary art exhibitions when British Art Show 10 comes to the city next year. Swansea is set to host the exhibition from February 12 to May 16 – its only stop in Wales – from its base at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, spanning to a range of locations around the city including high street venues, temporary and permanent community arts spaces. Over the last four decades the British Art Show has brought some of the country’s best-known artists, including Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry, David Hockney and Lucian Freud,…

Swansea primary school pupils can enjoy free entry to explore the historic Oystermouth Castle during selected after‑school sessions throughout term time. Children wearing their Swansea school uniforms can enjoy complimentary entry when accompanied by a paying adult by visiting the ticket office on weekdays after 3pm during term time. The castle is open daily until 5pm, with last admission at 4.30pm, allowing families plenty of time to take advantage of this special after‑school opportunity. Children under the age of five continue to enjoy free entry at all times, during school holidays and special event days. These include events such as…

A 7-year-old and 9-year-old are among winners at this year’s Local Citizen Awards held by the Mayor and Mayoress of Neath Port Talbot at Margam Park. The special evening at the Orangery saw a total of thirteen awards being presented, whose stories ranged from the unbreakable bond of siblings to saving the life of a stranger (see below for a full list of winners). A raffle also helped raise hundreds of pounds for two charities chosen by Cllr Wayne Carpenter and Mrs Carol Carpenter, which are Type-1-derful and Alzheimer’s Society Cymru. Mayor’s Citizen Awards – 2026 Winners Below are the…

Parents of 16-19-year-olds are reminded to extend their Child Benefit claim if their teenager is staying in certain types of education or training after their GCSEs or National 5s. Child Benefit will automatically stop on 31 August on or after a child’s 16th birthday unless parents confirm their teenager’s plans. Around 1.5 million reminder letters will be sent from late April, with most landing on doorsteps in early May. Parents don’t need to wait for their letter. HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) digital service for extending claims opened on 1 April, so those who already know their teenager’s plans can…

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service came together with partner organisations to deliver vital water‑safety education to 500 local children, reinforcing key life‑saving messages about staying safe in and around water. The multi‑agency event saw MonsLife, Gwent Police, the RNLI, Swim Safe Cymru and Caldicot Leisure Centre working together, echoing the national Be Water Aware campaign. Across two days, pupils from schools across Monmouthshire took part in interactive, small‑group sessions both in and out of the water, learning essential skills such as how to ‘float to live’, who and how to call for help, how to identify water hazards and…