Author: Rhys Gregory

The UK government launched a Green Finance Strategy in 2019, which included a £5 million fund to help the financial sector develop green finance products, including green mortgages. Lenders also see green properties and eco-conscious borrowers as lower-risk investments. This is partly because energy-efficient properties are cheaper to run, so your energy bills will be lower. Saving money on energy bills should make it easier for you to afford your mortgage repayments. Energy-efficient properties are also considered low risk because they are more likely to hold their value and less likely to need major improvements to improve their efficiency in…

NatWest is inviting ambitious entrepreneurs and business owners in Wales to attend a special Discovery Session at the Cardiff Entrepreneur Accelerator to find out more about the industry-leading business support on offer. The NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator programme is a fully funded support initiative designed to help businesses scale and grow. Successful applicants benefit from one-to-one coaching from dedicated Acceleration Managers as well as full use of the Hub’s modern coworking spaces in central Cardiff, access to a calendar of events, and the opportunity to join a community of like-minded peers, specialists, mentors, and NatWest colleagues. The programme runs for six…

The new National Chef of Wales is 28-year-old Josh Morris, senior sous chef Palé Hall Hotel, Llandderfel, Bala. The former Junior Chef of Wales finalists, who is originally from Porthcawl, edged out eight rivals from across Wales in a high quality final to win the coveted dragon trophy, presented by Minister for Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths. The presentation at the Welsh International Culinary Championships awards dinner last night (Wednesday) after three days of hospitality and butchery skills competitions at the International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales), Newport, organised by the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW). “I didn’t expect that at…

Members of the Welsh baking industry will come together to discuss key issues facing the sector at the second annual Welsh Baking Conference, which is taking place at the All Nations Centre in Cardiff on 13 March 2024. Organised by ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University, this year’s conference will focus on the theme of the ‘Past, Present and Future’ and will see bakeries of all sizes, industry bodies, food science students, and equipment and ingredient suppliers meet to share their perspectives on the issues facing the sector in Wales. Conference attendees will hear from a line-up of…

Hay Festival has this week launched Writers at Work, a creative development programme for emerging Welsh talent at Hay Festival 2024 (23 May–2 June) with the support of Literature Wales, funded by Arts Council of Wales. Offering a fully programmed week of creative development opportunities, Writers at Work allows the selected writers to engage in the main Festival events, to attend masterclasses and workshops with publishers, agents and, crucially, with established international artists. Writers at Work is a Hay Festival project supported by Literature Wales – the national company for the development of literature – and run by writer Tiffany…

Aberystwyth University scientists are testing how nutrients in green tea can affect age-related diseases by monitoring people’s brain activity. The food and behavioural experts will test whether supplements containing natural blends of ginseng and omega oils can improve people’s health. As we age our body becomes less able to absorb nutrients from our diet and this contributes to some of the health difficulties we may experience as we get older. Changes to our body as we age can include problems with digestion which in turn can make us vulnerable to illnesses, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but also cognitive decline.…

A new Enterprise Hub has officially launched in Carmarthenshire to give aspiring and established businesses access to facilities and expertise they need for growth. Created and managed by the non-profit social enterprise, Business in Focus, the Carmarthenshire Enterprise Hub is located on St Catherine’s Walk in Carmarthen and provides over 10,000 square feet to serve as a multi-use business space that can be used for co-working, meetings, and test trading. Split over two floors, the space can accommodate up to eight co-workers with dedicated working spaces, three meeting rooms, and two large event spaces for exhibitions or large meetings. Crucially,…

AN OPTICIANS in Newport has committed to raising money for a childhood cancer charity throughout January to mark its one-year anniversary. Specsavers Spytty Road, which opened its new store in January 2023, hosted a party and had cakes, sweets, balloons and party hats for sale. Staff and customers came together to support Shine Bright Support, a charity which was founded by a family who experienced dealing with osteosarcoma when eight-year-old Eleri Hooper’s treatment was unsuccessful and she passed away in September 2019. The charity provides mental health support to children and their families that are dealing with childhood cancer by…

The Denbighshire-based Godfrey Group has started work on redeveloping a former asylum and estate near Ruthin, with long-term plans to redevelop the site for leisure and hospitality purposes. The business purchased the site supported by a substantial six figure loan from the Development Bank of Wales, from the Wales Flexible Investment Fund. Pool Park is a former asylum at Efenechtyd, with buildings and grounds dating back to the early 1800s. The circa-30 acre plot was the site of a substantial hall and farm which became dilapidated but a manor house dating back to 1824, along with a coaching house, neighbouring…

The next generation of health practitioners are learning their craft at a sector-leading health hub at Cardiff Metropolitan University following a £1.3m investment to create a collaborative clinic space across multiple health disciplines which will deliver both NHS and private healthcare services. The Allied Clinical Health Hub at the University’s Llandaff campus sees students across Dietetics, Podiatry, Speech and Language Therapy, Healthcare Science, Clinical Psychology and Dental Technology work symbiotically from one dedicated space where they are taking responsibility for actively organising and delivering care for patients, supported by practice supervisors. This week, Eluned Morgan MS, Minister for Health and…