Author: Rhys Gregory

The growing global reputation of a North Wales bakery company has earned it a lucrative contract to supply pancakes to Australia. According to the Jones Village Bakery, which celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, it’s hoping the deal with a major Antipodean wholesale and distribution firm will open the door to sending a raft of other products to the new market Down Under. It’s all been made possible by the Village Bakery’s investment in a new £2 million pancake production line which created 20 new jobs last year. The new deal to supply Australian outlets will see a move to…

As dog ownership in the UK soars to new heights, the doggy-treat market is booming – and a Welsh business is aiming to benefit from the trend. Swansea-based Dewkes, set up during the Covid pandemic by James and Jane Bygate, is investing £150,000 in the business and has ambitious plans for growth in the next three years aiming to create ten jobs. Dewkes recently set up its second outlet in the city, and is now moving into the UK wholesale market with its point-of-sale presentations to satisfy canine cravings. “The hospitality industry is picking up on the benefits of creating the right…

The Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways have been shortlisted for two prestigious awards at the upcoming HRA (Heritage Railway Association) 2024 Annual Awards. New double Fairlie locomotive ‘James Spooner’ has been shortlisted for the Coiley Award for Steam Locomotive Engineering and marketing lead, Osian Hughes has been shortlisted for the HRA Award for Rising Stars. The Coiley Award is awarded to a HRA member organisation which has completed an outstanding engineering project in the overhaul, restoration or preservation of a steam locomotive or self-propelled vehicle. The Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway’s newest double Fairlie, ‘James Spooner’ is the fifth new…

A FOOD and drink project will serve up support for producers in Wales and review school dinner menus across the country. Six local authorities in Wales have signed up to the Larder Cymru Welsh Food for Schools pilot scheme following a successful test trial in Conwy. Over the next 12 months, Wrexham, Flintshire, Anglesey, Gwynedd, Cardiff, and Caerphilly councils have pledged to work with the initiative. Supported by the Welsh Government’s Backing Local Firms Fund and delivered by Menter Mon, the aim is to increase the volume and range of Welsh produce purchased and used by education catering departments in…

A popular bowling club which suffered a destructive arson attack has been given a helping hand by a well-known law firm. Two youths set fire to a viewing shelter at St Asaph Bowling Club one afternoon in November and it burned down with the heat from the blaze melting the surround to the bowling green which was also badly scorched. The fire was seen by Janette Barton, a legal assistant at solicitors Swayne Johnson whose head office is just up the road in St Asaph High Street. She and her partner, Gareth Tibbetts, were in their car when they saw…

A promising young football star of the future is kicking off 2024 with a smile after triumphing in a sports-themed contest with the prize donated by Wrexham AFC. Schoolboy Ryan Roberts, 11, a pupil at Ysgol Clywedog, in Wrexham, took top spot in the competition organised by Ifor Williams Trailers. The prize generously provided by EFL League Two heroes Wrexham FC was a shirt signed by the Dragons’ dynamic defender Aaron Hayden. Ryan, from Coedpoeth, who loves to play football, was presented with the coveted shirt in front of classmates and staff at the school. Dafydd Jones, the show manager…

Work on a multi-million pound investment at Pennant Holiday Park near Holywell is underway with the construction of 55 new lodges and upgraded facilities ready for the 2024 season. Part-funded by a substantial seven-figure loan from the Development Bank of Wales, Wayfind Escapes will upgrade the 112 acre park having completed the purchase of Pennant Park Golf Club and Holiday Park in October 2023. With views over the Dee Estuary to the Wirral Peninsula, Pennant Holiday Park currently has an 18 hole golf course, 18 privately-owned lodges, a bar and on-site restaurant. A further 31 bases are ready for a…

Swansea Building Society has announced the launch of an enhanced range of personal regulated mortgage products, commencing in January 2024. These innovative offerings are designed to provide increased flexibility, transparency, and fairness to homeowners, aligning with the Society’s core values of delivering value and supporting sustainable homeownership. In a significant departure from the current structure, Swansea Building Society will replace the existing percentage fee arrangement with a standard £1,249 product fee payable upon completion. This change is the result of a comprehensive fair value review, aiming to ensure consistency in arrangement/product fees across all standard residential products, irrespective of the…

Aldi donated 99,410 meals to those in need in Wales over the festive period. The supermarket paired up its stores with local charities, community groups and food banks in the area to collect unsold fresh and chilled food when stores closed their doors early on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Charities that benefitted from the donations in Wales include Food4All (Cardiff) and Community Volunteers Wales. The food donations are part of Aldi’s successful partnership with Neighbourly, a community giving platform that links businesses to charitable organisations. Aldi’s UK stores donate surplus food to good causes each and every day,…

AltraLaw, the UK’s first not-for-profit law firm, has appointed Carys Strong as a senior solicitor and its new Head of Training. AltraLaw provides specialist legal advice on employment and work-related issues, and also on Wills, Trust and Probate matters, from the unique position of using its business for good – meaning all profits go to charitable and other causes chosen by its clients. As a former HR Consultant and trainer with gender equality charity Chwarae Teg, Carys will leverage her combined legal, HR, charitable and training sector expertise to support future growth and development at the Caerphilly-based legal firm. Carys,…