Author: Rhys Gregory

Celebrate with Mickey and friends as Disney On Ice presents 100 Years of Wonder returns to the UK for a second and final time, offering a magical experience for families in Cardiff. Bringing together your most beloved Disney characters, be wowed by the stunning costumes and incredible special effects as your favourites spin, sparkle and come to life before your eyes. The production will skate into Cardiff’s Motorpoint  Arena from 13th – 16th March 2025. Priority Customers can take advantage of the pre-sale from 9am on Friday 20th September 2024 by heading to www.prioritycustomer.co.uk to sign up. Tickets then go…

Swansea University has been named The Times and The Sunday Times’ Welsh University of the Year 2025. It took the honour thanks to its consistent focus on career-building, a seafront student experience and a four-place year-on-year rise. It also broke into the top 300 QS World University Rankings with a leap of 118 places. Cardiff University is the highest-ranking institution in Wales, however, the Russell Group university slipped seven places to 32nd, so no university in Wales makes the top 30 UK rankings this year. The universities of Aberystwyth and Bangor also fell in the league table. Cardiff Metropolitan University…

Sambou Kassama did his best to evade officers by throwing his drugs out a window and jumping from the first floor of his house. But he was found hiding in a neighbour’s garden and now he’s in jail. A police investigation revealed that the 27-year-old from Ely, Cardiff, had been running two drug lines in the area, dealing crack cocaine and heroin. On July 4, 2024, officers conducted a warrant at his home address. Drone footage captured the moment Kassama discarded drugs out of a back bedroom window before jumping and running away. He was arrested and later pleaded guilty…

unners competing in the Cardiff Half Marathon this October will be able to catch the train in for the start for the first time ever. More than 20,000 are expected to compete on 6 October. Traditionally the race has always taken place on a Sunday morning and the early start time has meant very limited public transport options for those traveling in. However new agreements with train crew on Sunday working have meant TfW are now able to run earlier services from key stations to get people in on time for the start. People traveling from Swansea, Hereford, Maesteg, Gloucester,…

A Rhyl nature reserve has been recognised for its contribution to supporting local nature. Brickfield Pond Nature Reserve was honoured at the recent Wales in Bloom 2024 awards ceremony at Abergavenny. Denbighshire Countryside Services and volunteers supported by Nature for Health have worked to improve the site both for nature and for the enjoyment of the local community. Ongoing development work has seen a new community orchard and pond opened up, improvements to the walkways, removal of dead trees and the tidying up of the viewpoints around the main waters. Areas have also been improved around the nature reserve to…

Plans to make Swansea one of the best cities in the UK for skateboarding, BMX bikes and similar sports are to be given a £2m boost. Swansea Council has pledged to invest an extra £1m on top of £1m already committed into developing state-of-the-art facilities across the city, providing better opportunities for skateboarders, scooter riders, BMX lovers and inline skaters. Following a wide procurement process, international skate park experts – Curve Studio –  were appointed to map existing facilities, assess conditions and opportunities, and help deliver consultation to shape the ambitious plans. Now the council is committing further funding to the…

Swansea’s first-ever Arts Weekend is set to make a cultural splash early next month in a combination of live music, comedy, dance, immersive exhibitions and performances and interactive art workshops. Swansea Arts Weekend will offer lots of free arts workshops, performances and exhibitions alongside ticketed live music events for visitors to enjoy. Two new, free events have been curated for the festival: We Are All Artists, taking place across five galleries in Swansea, and Olympic Fusion, an immersive dance performance at Swansea’s Museum Park. The third headline event is the ever-popular Swansea Fringe festival of music, comedy, and theatre also…

Neath Port Talbot Council in partnership with Tai Tarian and Cardiff University’s Welsh School of Architecture has secured £250,000 from the UK Governments Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to create Swansea Bay’s first Homes As Power Stations’ (HAPS) demonstration houses that will inform and inspire the wider industry and local residents to support the acceleration in the use of technology to create cleaner, greener, more energy efficient homes. The Homes As Power Stations (HAPS) project, led by Neath Port Talbot council is one of Swansea Bay City Deal’s initiatives to accelerate the decarbonisation of homes in the Swansea Bay area. The…

School leaders from Pakistan have visited two schools in Wales to learn about Community Focused Schools, family engagement and school governance. Community Focused Schools aim to tackle the impact poverty has on educational attainment. They offer support to children by creating a strong link between the school, families and local community through collaboration. Engagement with families has been shown to improve the attendance, attainment and the behaviour and wellbeing of children and learners. Community engagement also provides benefits for learners and their families and create empowered and connected communities. The Welsh Government’s ambition is for all schools in Wales to…

A project celebrating the rich heritage of cricket in Wales is one of six cultural schemes to receive funding from the Welsh Government. More than £246,000 will support the Museum of Welsh Cricket, based in Sophia Gardens, for their project ‘Cricket has been, and still is, a game for everyone’. The exhibition celebrates the deep culture and history of cricket, highlighting the contributions of women, LGBTQ+ people and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities. The funding is being used to improve the collections’ care, add new technology and create public art murals. The Cultural Transformation Capital Grant Programme helps organisations…