Author: Alice Gregory

Welshman Emyr Afan, who launched the TV careers of Steve, Alex and Gethin Jones and put Porth’s Pop Factory on the map, has been recognised for services to Media and Music in His Majesty the King’s Birthday Honours List 2024. Emyr, co-founder, CEO and Executive Producer of family-run independent media production company Afanti Media, has previously won a raft of awards for big budget productions including BAFTA-nominated BBC’s Life Drawing Live, Songs of Praise and Channel 4’s The Perfect Pitch. In 1997, Emyr, 60, co-founded Afanti Media with his wife Mair Afan Davies, now Afanti’s Company Director and Head of…

National law firm Clarke Willmott LLP has moved into its new office in Callaghan Square. Taking 3,172 sq ft of space, the firm will occupy the second floor of 2 Callaghan Square, a prime location in the heart of the city centre’s main business district. Moving 26 colleagues from the previous office at Pierhead Street, the firm has created an open plan office space crafted to compliment hybrid working and accommodate both in-person and remote working. The state-of-the art space comprises an impressive business lounge which makes the ideal location for collaborative or more relaxed meetings; 25 sit/stand desks; a…

PetPlace Abergele welcomed more than 650 visitors to its free Pride in the Park event. The programme included a host of activities and attractions for dogs, their owners, and revellers to enjoy in celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, to raise awareness and promote diversity and inclusion. The award-winning retailer – which also has sites in Llangefni, Ruthin, Mold and Gledrid, Oswestry, and a HQ in Kinmel Bay – organised competitions, face painting, arts and crafts, a bouncy castle, entertainment, and outdoor games. While pets played in the dog park – the first of its kind in the region – customers…

A collection of watercolour paintings of Snowdonia, jewellery and watches from a Herefordshire seller grabbed the headlines when selling for £50,000 at a leading Shropshire fine art auction house yesterday (Wednesday). The 19th century watercolours, owned by a Herefordshire family, did particularly well in Halls Fine Art’s £200,000 auction of fine art, antiques and jewellery in Shrewsbury. The paintings were mostly of Southern Snowdonia, particularly Cadair Idris, Dolgellau, Barmouth and Harlech and were purchased from prominent London galleries. The artists included John Varley (1778-1842), David Cox (1783-1859), James Holland (1799-1870), Alfred William Hunt (1830-’96). The top selling watercolour was ‘Travellers…

VEEZU, south Wales’ leading private hire operator, supported the Radyr Rangers Football Club at their Football Festival on 8 June. As part of the Funded by Veezu programme, set up to improve the communities in which Veezu operates by offering funding and grant opportunities, Veezu was a silver sponsor at the event, making a £500 donation. The Radyr Rangers Football Club provides community football to Radyr, Morganstown and the surrounding area, and successfully provides football training for over 400 children and young people engaged in fun and healthy activities, aiming to provide a safe and fun environment for all. Through…

Openreach employees have showcased their commitment to the community by collecting an astounding 500kg of food donations, which have been distributed to foodbanks across Wales. This incredible effort comes at a time when many families are facing unprecedented challenges and the generosity of Openreach volunteers will provide much-needed relief. Over the past few months Openreach staff have demonstrated the company’s dedication to social responsibility by gathering food supplies at various locations across Wales.  The collection drive culminated in a significant delivery to local foodbanks, ensuring that the donations reach those who need them most. The idea for the collection came…

Cardiff-based B Corp four-day week environmental consultancy Tyler Grange has received Living Wage Employer accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation. Tyler Grange Cardiff has significantly increased employee salaries during recent years, to support staff during challenging times. This accreditation now officially recognises that all 80+ Tribe members are paid a fair and real Living Wage. The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate based on the cost of living and is introduced voluntarily by employers. Tyler Grange is now just one of just 14,000 UK businesses – from a total of 5.6million – that believes its employees deserve a wage that meets their everyday needs. To establish the real Living Wage,…

When Bill and Brenda Brown launched a start-up engineering business in a converted farm building in Hampshire 50 years ago, they could never have imagined that it would grow to become a global brand employing 120 people making equipment for superyachts. In 1989, the couple moved their business, Makefast, from Swanwick to a new factory built in Newtown, Mid Wales by the Development Board for Rural Wales. Fellow director David Cozens and a dozen of their 18 employees moved with them. Half a century later, the business is still going strong with group turnover of £16.5 million and the Makefast…

Clinical Psychologist and Diabetes UK Clinical Champion Dr Rose Stewart from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is having her 2021 children’s book ‘How to Manage a Mammoth’ read this week on CBeebies Bedtime Stories, by actor James Norton as part of Diabetes Week 2024. Rose wrote the book in 2021 in collaboration with NHS Wales, published by Cambridge University Press, for children living with type 1 diabetes and their families to help them better understand and manage the condition. Dr Rose Stewart said: “I felt strongly that I wanted to create something to help children and families come to terms…

Company bosses in North Wales are being urged to investigate the potential of hydro-electric schemes to generate cheap and reliable green energy. The call came from business leaders who went on a fact finding visit to the community energy organisation, Ynni Ogwen in Bethesda in Gwynedd. The trip was organised by the Net Zero North Wales Network which was set up to help businesses in the region chart a path to a carbon free future. The aim of the network is to share information and best practice to help other businesses and organisations as part of the campaign to help…