Author: Rhys Gregory

A £6 million expansion at a fast-growing food distribution company will create 150 new jobs in a major boost to the economy of rural Gwynedd. News of the investment was revealed during a visit to Harlech Foodservice by Liz Saville Roberts, MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd and her Senedd counterpart, Mabon ap Gwynfor. They were given a briefing and a guided tour of the firm’s headquarters site near Cricieth by Managing Director David Cattrall and Joint Chairman Andrew Foskett. Over the past three year sales have increased from £32 million to a record turnover of around £50 million, with profit at…

A new exhibition created in partnership with Principality Building Society, The Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre and the people of Newport, has now opened in the gallery space at The Riverfront Theatre. The exhibition, titled ‘Roots and Roofs’, features a variety of model homes that have been created by local Primary and Secondary schools, charities including Tŷ Hafan, and proud recipients of the Principality Building Society Future Generations Fund, Sparkle. The models reflect the diverse and vibrant cultures, values and lifestyles of the Newport community, and were created through a series of workshops where participants were asked to show what…

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds has announced four huge outdoor shows for summer 2024 including Wigan’s Robin Park (Thursday 18th July), London’s Alexandra Palace Park (Saturday 20th July), as well as returning to Cardiff Castle (Wednesday 17th July) and Halifax’s The Piece Hall (Thursday 1st August) following sell out shows at these venues in 2022. Fans can look forward to a set of songs including a wide selection of Oasis classics, as well as a cross section of material from the past dozen years of Noel Gallagher’s highly successful career as a solo artist with his band, the High Flying…

CONWY Employment Hub secured up to £300,000 to deliver vital jobs and education training academies across the county for the next 12 months. The Pathways to Employment project is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which is administered and managed on a regional basis. Together they will be targeting industries with a labour shortage locally, including Energy and Environment, Construction, Advanced Manufacturing, Creative and Digital, Tourism and Hospitality, Health, and Food and Farming. Conwy Employment Hub’s grant was for £292,510 and in past weeks training has begun, led by key organisations in each sector. Among…

Wales’ first ever Future Generations Commissioner, Sophie Howe, has joined the Football Association of Wales (FAW) as a sustainability advisor. Sophie will work with the association on the implementation of the FAW’s Sustainability Strategy 2030, ‘Cymru, well-being and the world’, in addition to chairing the newly formed Sustainability Advisory Panel. The FAW’s ‘Cymru, well-being and the world’ strategy was developed in collaboration with the Office of the Future Generations of Wales Commissioner while Sophie was at the helm, using the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act as its cornerstone. The FAW adopted the act’s pioneering spirit with its ambition tobecome…

Cardiff-headquartered Drink and Food Group has acquired the lease on the Old Inn in Somerset which is the second pub in the south west in its portfolio. The acquisition is part of its two-year expansion plan as the business looks to reach a forecasted turnover of £1 million. Speaking of the acquisition, Phil Kent, Head of Operations said: “This is a fantastic acquisition for us as part of our national growth strategy. “The Old Inn is reasonably close to another one of our pubs, The Old Bear Inn in Wiltshire; with both being selected for their rural setting with high-quality…

The British Business Bank today announces changes to the future delivery of its Start Up Loans programme for businesses in Wales. From 24 February 2024, working in partnership with Business in Focus as an affiliate of the Start Up Loans programme, the Bank will be providing pre-loan support directly to Welsh businesses. This initiative brings together Business in Focus’ extensive experience and networks with the Bank’s direct partnerships within the Welsh business support ecosystem. The initiative will combine these relationships with an internal British Business Bank team of Business Advisors who will be dedicated to furthering Wales’ dynamic business economy…

Leisure centres in the UK have been thrown a lifeline thanks to a carbon-cutting scheme which is predicted to save one ‘valued community asset’ £10,000 annually. Babergh District Council and Abbeycroft Leisure have benefitted from a decrease in energy consumption due to the installation of an innovative warm water recovery system at its swimming pool in Sudbury, significantly reducing its bills. Welsh water treatment firm Pwlltec has conserved 2,000 tonnes of water and 47MWh in energy at Kingfisher Leisure Centre during the year-long pilot scheme, the first of its kind worldwide. Instead of disposing of heated wastewater after it passes…

An appeal has been launched to find ex-strikers to invite them to the premiere of a documentary to mark the 20th anniversary of one of Britain’s longest industrial disputes. The hard-hitting film, Y Lein: Streic Friction Dynamics (The Line: Friction Dynamics Strike), has been made by  Dïon  Wyn, the grandson of one of the strikers, Raymond Roberts, who was determined the “historic injustice” should never be forgotten. The strike saw workers picketing the Friction Dynamics factory on the outskirts of Caernarfon for almost 1,000 days between April 2001 and December 2003 but, despite winning an industrial tribunal, they never received damages.…

Chart-topping UK singer/songwriter, James Arthur*, today announces that he’ll be bringing his UK summer show to Swansea next summer, when he comes to Singleton Park on 18 July, with special guests to be announced. Tickets on sale from 8 December. “A night singing my songs out in the open air of Singleton Park, what could be better,” smiles James Arthur, “For an artist, nothing compares to being able to connect with your audience, in the moonlight, it brings that pure festival vibe to the performance.  I can’t wait, Swansea, here I come.” With the magnificent backdrop of Singleton Park as…