A cider-making entrepreneur, the founder of a nationwide farm-sitting business and the organisers of a growing programme of music festivals are among the winners of Aberystwyth University’s Enterprise Awards.
The awards, which are in their 12th year and supported by donations from alumni and the Research Wales Innovation Fund, celebrate the creativity and innovation of Aberystwyth University students and recent graduates.
Three winners each received £10,000. They will be supported by the University over the next 12 months as they continue to develop their ventures. They were selected following an assessment of business plans by a panel of judges from a range of professional backgrounds and areas of expertise.
Ffion Roberts, a PhD student in the Department of History and Welsh History, was given a £10,000 prize for her business Tŷ Seidr Bar & Bottle Shop. The independent bar is in central Aberystwyth, selling cider, craft beer and has 100 board games available to its clientele.
Roberts said the prize money would be used to produce a new range of cider products. She said: “When you run a small business, every single piece of spending has to earn its place, and there is always a list of things you would do if the money were there. This award allows me to take an investment in the business that I would not otherwise be able to justify.
“It gives me the opportunity to grow the product, reach people well beyond Aberystwyth and strengthen the business for the long term. I am absolutely thrilled to receive it, and hugely grateful for the support and belief in what I am building.”
BSc Agriculture and Business management student Holly Zeidler also won £10,000 to develop a farm-sitting business that operates across the UK. Zeidler and her business partner offer support from livestock care to general farm maintenance to help farmers travel for both professional and personal purposes.
Zeidler said: “Over the last 12 months, the biggest support from University has been the opportunities and connections it has given me. I have been able to run The BZy Shepherd alongside my degree and having people around me who understand the industry, challenge my ideas, and continually encourage me has helped us take the business further than we thought possible. The one-to-one support from the Enterprise Team encouraged us to apply for the Enterprise Awards, which has opened up another exciting opportunity for us to develop the business.”
The third winner of a £10,000 prize was Fine Art MA student Camp Wender and 2025 Aberystwyth University graduate Alana Batty Hughes who co-run Gwŷlan, a live events company that organises a programme of music festivals in and around Aberystwyth.
There are seven winners in total, who attended a prize giving event at Aberystwyth University today (23 September).
Professor Angela Hatton, Aberystwyth University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor: Research, Knowledge Exchange and Innovation, said:
“The collaborative and diverse nature of the ideas in this competition are worth celebrating. There is real variety in this year’s winning ventures, from businesses in the creative, agricultural and food and drink sectors to social enterprises and digital innovation. We are particularly excited to see partnerships that will deliver positive products, services and growth within the local community.
“We are also extremely grateful to our alumni and the Research Wales Innovation Fund, who donated to help fund this year’s prize. They are playing a key role helping the Aberystwyth University students and graduates who won this year to develop ideas that have the potential to make a real difference and change lives for the better.”
The other winners were:
- £5,000 – a creative arts and wellbeing charity delivering community-building workshops, led by Hannah Hannon-Worthington (third year Fine Art undergraduate).
- £2,500 – an educational video game teaching people the basics of law, led by Tomos Jenkyn-Jones (LLB third year undergraduate).
- £2,500 – One Device Multiple Impact – a social enterprise supplying refurbished retired devices and providing digital learning to displacement-affected communities, led by Ghakanyuy Fabrice Bongbarah (MSc data science 2026 graduate).
- £1,000 – Veloura – an e-commerce platform aimed at servicing small businesses, led by Nadhirah Zulkifli (BSc data science 2026 graduate).
