Author: Rhys Gregory

Daring to Dream, the charity whose mission is to support the emotional health and wellbeing of adults in Wales living with physical illness, held its first formal briefing event – ‘Making space to talk about emotional health’. Opened by Sarah Murphy MS, Welsh Government Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, the briefing was attended by patients, medical and health board staff, and representatives from many health charities. During the event, the charity’s founder and chair Barbara Chidgey outlined empirical research demonstrating that emotional health plays an essential role in enhancing quality of life for people living with physical illness, as it…

Marking 20 years since the Boxing Day tsunami, BBC Cymru Wales announce a two-part anniversary special, ‘Tsunami 2005: One night in Cardiff’, telling the extraordinary behind-the-scenes story of Wales’ biggest ever fund raising concert to be broadcast early in the new year. In 2004, an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 struck off the coast of Indonesia, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 230,000 people and displaced thousands as entire communities were swept away in the devastation. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. 14 counties countries around the Indian Ocean basin were impacted and…

On Sunday, November 10, around 9pm, an unmarked police car was patrolling along Mumbles Road in Swansea, when their attention was drawn to a red Seat Ibiza being driven at speed. When officers tried to stop the car, driver Ethan Grant failed to stop and drove away at speed. He was driving at speeds of more than 50mph and in some parts reached 70mph whilst being in 20mph and 30mph zones. Grant, 21, continued to drive erratically, running through red lights without slowing down and showing no care towards other drivers. As Grant neared a small roundabout with the junction…

Work has been carried out at a Denbighshire primary school to provide better energy efficiency for staff and pupils and lower long term building energy costs. Denbighshire County Council’s Energy Team has worked to tackle energy efficiency and lower costs at Ysgol Bodfari. The team has managed a number of projects across Council owned buildings including schools, to help improve building energy efficiency, reduce emissions and also usage costs over the longer term. The Council’s Energy team assessed the building to see what areas of energy use could be improved to increase efficiency. Work at Ysgol Bodfari included the installation…

A far greener Castle Square and the completion of several major new developments are on the way to Swansea in 2025 to boost city centre footfall and help attract more shops and other businesses. The schemes form part of a £1bn regeneration programme that will continue throughout next year and beyond. Led by Swansea Council and due to start in early 2025, work to transform Castle Square will feature a substantial increase in green space including lawns and planting. A new water feature for interactive play will also feature, along with new outdoor seating areas, a giant new TV screen…

“Blwyddyn Newydd Dda – Happy new year to you all. “I hope you had a joyful and peaceful Christmas. “As this year draws to a close, we can look ahead with hope to 2025. “Over the next year we will continue to focus on the things that you told us mattered most to you. “At the top of that list was more support for our NHS – so we’re investing more in equipment for the health service, speeding up how quickly patients are seen and cutting delays in patients being discharged so that they can get home more quickly. “We…

Pregnant women will benefit from better maternity care as a new app and electronic health record system is rolled out across Wales. Mothers-to-be will be able to access their full maternity records instantly on their phones through a new app. The app will provide tailored updates after every appointment and timely messages to ensure a healthy pregnancy. It will replace paper notes and allow women to: View booked appointments, Learn more about their baby’s development and track progress weekly, Enter blood pressure readings if asked by their midwife, Personalise details and preferences quickly, including where they want to give birth…

There was a feast of festive fun and football as local business leaders gathered for one of the calendar’s key networking events. The North Wales branch of the Institute of Directors (IoD) hosted its annual Christmas lunch, with high-profile sporting figures Noel Mooney and Kelly Davies providing expert insight at the Wynnstay Arms in Ruabon. Noel, CEO of the Football Association of Wales, and Kelly, chair of the Cymru Football Foundation, led discussions about the future of the game in the country, and how they are aiming to be a leading light on and off the pitch. Talk centred around…

A start-up accelerator programme to nurture Wales’ most promising entrepreneurial talent has announced the winners of its latest awards. The Business Wales Start-Up Accelerator Programme brought together 21 aspiring entrepreneurs for an intensive 12-week journey. It provided expert guidance, mentorship, and networking opportunities to help them transform their innovative ideas into thriving businesses. The programme concluded with a celebration recognising six participants for their exceptional progress and contributions. The winners demonstrated outstanding commitment and creativity across a range of categories: Sales Accelerator Award: Trystan Lloyd, founder of LYFT Club LYFT Club is a marketing platform that connects health and fitness practitioners with…

COLEG CAMBRIA is at the forefront of a nationwide campaign to meet a surge in demand for tens of thousands of new welders. With an ageing workforce of welders in the UK – an estimated 50% of which are set to retire in the next three years – the sector will need more than 35,000 skilled workers, according to reports. Tony Commins, a Fabrication and Welding lecturer at Cambria Deeside, said there has been an increase in students on the course this academic year. However, many more learners need to pursue welding as a career if the skills gap is…