While the Christmas holidays are generally a time to be merry and see family and friends (though not too many this year), it can be a stressful time for some people. If you’ve ever tried to coordinate a Christmas dinner by yourself, you probably know things can get a bit hectic, at a time when most of us are supposed to be taking a break from work. Ezra, a leading global provider of digital coaching, therefore presents some top tips…

Every day of the year a selfless team of Childline volunteers give up their time to listen to children and young people about anything that might be worrying them – and Christmas Day is no different. For some children, Childline provides that vital lifeline when they feel they have nowhere else to turn and last year the service delivered 6,566 counselling sessions to children and young people from across the UK and Channel Islands during the 12 days of Christmas…

ActiveQuote, one of the UK’s leading protection insurance comparison websites and brokers, has been working with Cardiff University to develop machine learning algorithms to improve sales processes. The application of this technology has had an immediate impact and has improved sales opportunities by 30%.   Cardiff University’s School of Computer Science and Informatics has an established and very successful track record in applying machine learning and data science through Knowledge Transfer Partnerships has teamed up with ActiveQuote to develop an…

Cardiff woman takes on a 24-hour walking challenge to help raise funds for her friend’s seven-year-old son.   Nia Thomson, 38, a production manager with the National Theatre Wales met Kasia Thompson, 38, at Freshers Week at the University of Aberystwyth in 2001 when they both joined the karate club.   Kasia’s son Leon, 7, from Codsall, West Midlands, lives with cerebral palsy, global development delay and sensory processing issues as well as being non-verbal.   Over the last few…

Education professional from Cardiff wins at the Professional Teaching Awards Cymru 2020 Nine of the most inspiring, talented, and dedicated teachers and education staff from across Wales have been revealed as winners of the fourth annual Professional Teaching Awards Cymru. The pandemic didn’t stop the celebrations at the virtual ceremony with 26 finalists and their schools, family and friends all tuning in to watch. Hosted by comedian and presenter Tudur Owen and entertainment provided by acapella trio Sorela, Education Minister…

An exceptional collaboration between a Cardiff consultant gynaecologist and a children’s illustrator has resulted in the launch of a beautiful children’s rhyming Christmas-theme book, with all the royalties going to a young people’s homeless charity. Family man Sean Watermeyer has been helping couples to conceive, carry and deliver babies for over 15 years. Vanessa Williams graduated in illustration earlier this year but as a student was already working with Sean Watermeyer on a range of books. Often inspired by tales…

Locals in Cardiff are invited to pitch in to stop surplus food from going to waste this Christmas by collecting it from Tesco stores and sharing it with their neighbours. Tesco stores in Cardiff have partnered with food sharing app and social enterprise OLIO to help reduce food waste and provide a helping hand in the local community. Across the UK, there will be approximately 2,000 volunteering opportunities to pick up food for the community this Christmas, which could put…

  Bee1, a Welsh beekeeping firm, is delivering wellbeing sessions to NHS workers in Wales, providing recommendations and bee-related activities to enhance the mental health of medical professionals during the pandemic.  The Senior Matron of Corporate Nursing at Swansea Bay University Health Board, commented:   “Following the initial Covid 19 outbreak, the impact on staff mental health has been a major concern to us all at NHS trusts. With that in mind, we ran a series of one-day wellness sessions at Liberty stadium for our…

World-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has released a breathtaking new album, Believe, via Sugar/Decca Records, celebrating the power of music to soothe the soul. He is joined on the record by Alison Krauss, the most awarded singer in Grammy history, for a powerful and emotional rendition of ‘Amazing Grace’. It follows Bocelli’s record-breaking ‘Music for Hope’ performance at Easter from the historic Duomo cathedral in Milan which was watched live by millions around the globe. The new album also features…

Pan-Wales youth singing organisation The Aloud Charity is hosting a virtual Christmas concert this Sunday evening (December 20) to provide some festive joy. The uplifting, free concert will feature Only Boys Aloud, along with special guests, performing a varied repertoire as well as seasonal favourites. The event starts at 5:00pm and there will be many opportunities throughout the performance to donate to the charity. Like many ensembles, Only Boys Aloud have turned to online rehearsals this year. With the help…