Author: Rhys Gregory

EMPLOYERS will benefit from a new recruitment programme that guarantees candidates will be suitable for the jobs they are advertising. Conwy Employment Hub’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme is designed to build confidence among jobseekers and streamline the application process for companies looking to hire staff. Those already signed up to the Hub’s raft of employment and training services can capitalise on the initiative, and they are hoping more private and public sector organisations will join them. Among those already registered are Llandudno Pier, Alpine Coaches, Conwy County Borough Council, and hotels in Llandudno including The Imperial and St George’s. Clare Kingscott,…

The acquisition of a former power station in the Vale of Glamorgan by the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) has been named ‘Acquisition of the Year for Wales’ in the CoStar Impact Awards 2024. The annual Costar Impact Awards recognises exemplary commercial real estate transactions and projects in 128 major markets in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. The deal, which was agreed by Savills on behalf of RWE, paves the way for the transformation of the decommissioned coal-powered station into a renewable energy hob, with the potential creation of thousands of jobs. Savills Cardiff-based development team began marketing…

Wales strengthened its spot as top of the UK nations for the installation of small-scale renewables in the first three months of 2024, according to new data from MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme) – the UK’s quality mark for small-scale renewable energy. Wales and Scotland continue to battle for the top spot when it comes to renewable uptake, but MCS data shows there has been a total of 117,804 installations in Wales since records began in 2008, accounting for 8.74% of households with a renewable installation. This puts it ahead of Scotland’s 8.47%, leaving England and Northern Ireland further behind with…

​​​​​​​VISITORS continue to flock to major leisure and destination venues supported by Swansea Council as staff there continue their bounceback from the pandemic. Freedom Leisure, Wales National Pool Swansea (WNPS), Plantasia and the National Waterfront Museum are all enjoying healthy levels of custom. Visitor numbers at the city centre LC and Freedom’s other community leisure facilities in the 2022-23 financial year were up almost 30% to more than 1.8m on the previous year. Income rose almost 36% to around £8m. WNPS increased its income by more than £300,000 to around £1.3m. Plantasia, run by Parkwood Leisure, saw attendance figures up…

Welsh company LoftCo are gearing up to reopen Swansea city centre’s fantastic Albert Hall. Their transformation of the historic Cradock Street venue – with some help from ourselves – is in full swing & we’re thrilled they’ve allowed us to share the latest news with you. The building opened in 1864 as a venue for up to 2,500 people. It became the Albert Hall a few years later & went on to host a wide range of speeches, performances and shows. It became a cinema and bingo hall before closing in 2007. LoftCo acquired it around four years ago. It’s…

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Cabinet have updated Members with regards to the Sustainable Communities for Learning programme in respect of the proposal to relocate Ysgol Y Lawnt and Upper Rhymney Primary School, through the creation of sustainable school buildings with shared facilities. Cabinet members were asked to consider the information contained in the Objection Report and approve the recommendations, via vote, to proceed to planning application stage and subsequent Welsh Government business case approvals. The Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme is a major, long term and strategic capital investment programme supporting large scale capital building projects across Wales with the…

The second Spring Fair of 2024 took place in Blackwood Town Centre on Saturday 13thApril. A total of 6,926 people visited the Town Centre on the day, with 1,018 being the peak attendance at 1pm. There were 2,759 more visitors in town than the previous Saturday. There was a whole load of family entertainment at the fair including street theatre performers, The Mid Wales Ghostbusters, Birds of prey with Falconry UK, craft workshops, exotic animals, funfair rides, and more! Traders were even selling out by early afternoon. Hear what local businesses and traders thought of the event: Gavyn Bolton of…

The Welsh Network of Healthy School Schemes National Quality Award has been presented to Templeton CP School. The award is given to schools that have wellbeing initiatives in place that are serving pupils at the highest level which meet all criteria set under seven health topics. The fantastic work of the school, with special thanks given to in-school Healthy Schools Coordinator Oliver Furneaux who has led the work and evidenced it, has been celebrated. A review of the school found that there are so many “areas of excellent practice” that it was impossible to include them all in the final…

A man who was four times the drug drive limit following a fatal road traffic collision which killed a pedestrian in Johnstown, Wrexham in 2022 has been jailed. 42-year-old Dale Hilton of Heol Kenyon, Johnstown was sentenced to four years imprisonment following the collision which tragically resulted in the death of 86-year-old George Ian Stevenson on the March 2nd 2022. He was also disqualified from driving for five years and will have to pass an extended test to regain his licence. He was ordered to pay a £190 victim surcharge. The collision happened shortly after 7:30pm on the High Street…

Unexpected household bills can arise at any time, causing stress and financial strain if you’re unprepared. This is perhaps more true than ever with the country going through a recession and cost of living crisis. However, with a well-thought-out plan in place, you can mitigate the impact of these surprises and navigate them more smoothly. This should help to give you greater peace of mind while dealing with financial pressures. Being prepared for unexpected household bills isn’t something that happens overnight, though. That’s why we’ve put this handy guide together to make it easy to understand what you need to…