Author: Rhys Gregory

The British Business Bank has partnered with the Development Bank of Wales and Women Angels of Wales (WAW), the business angel investment syndicate for women. The syndicate of over 30 women, led by lead investor Jill Jones, was set up in 2022 by the Development Bank of Wales, and will be jointly supported by the British Business Bank and the Development Bank of Wales. WAW has been established to help support women in the early-stage investment community in Wales. As a syndicate, all deals can also have access to co-investment of up to £250,000 from the Development Bank’s £8 million…

Aberglasney is set to indulge all your senses this September when it holds its first Food & Music Fair in the beautiful surroundings of the Gardens. The weekend-long event will be a celebration of locally produced food and drink, with the entertainment being provided by music artists from around west Wales. On Saturday and Sunday, 9 & 10 September, the Gardens will be transformed into a foodie paradise with dozens of stalls selling locally produced cakes, cheeses, charcuterie, chutneys, chocolate, wine and spirits, as well as ‘on-the-go’ food and drink vendors. There will also be Aberglasney’s very own Tearooms with…

A new app which aims to support People with Dementia (PwD) and their carers, by creating a virtual community and unique activities to help with independent living has been announced. In collaboration with Age Connects Torfaen (ACT), Cardiff Metropolitan University are one of the 24 semi-finalists to receive £80k grants as part of the overall £4m Longitude Prize on Dementia, to develop the app, known as DementiaConnect. The DementiaConnect app will address the challenges associated with ‘Sundowning Syndrome’. This syndrome typically occurs during the late afternoon to early evening and causes increased distress, agitation and the occurrence of hallucinations or…

Health staff are set to visit gyms to offer help with a common condition many are too embarrassed to talk about. Incontinence, of the bladder or bowel, can affect anyone of any age. But stress incontinence, pressure on the bladder from movement or activity which causes a leak, is often a problem for women during exercise. And with a perceived stigma discouraging discussion of the issue, lead nurse Louise Barraclough said many people will simply put up with the problem and wear a pad. “There has been investment in lots of absorbent pad products which are advertised on TV and…

A search has been launched for a trio of volunteer crime busters. The call has come from the North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT) which is celebrating its 25thanniversary this year. The charity is looking to recruit the volunteers, one to work in each of the three policing divisions, Flintshire and Wrexham, Conwy and Denbighshire and Gwynedd and Anglesey. PACT recently revealed that it has handed out more than £2 million in grants and funded over 2,500 community projects since it was founded in 1998. To celebrate reaching the milestone it set up a £25,000 anniversary fund and is…

Twenty five of the world’s finest young singers will be heading to North Wales to compete for a prestigious international prize. Entrants from five continents will be battling for the title of Pendine International Voice of the Future at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. It will be the first full festival since before the Covid-19 pandemic and it all gets underway on Tuesday, July 4, when thousands of international competitors will once again be flocking to the Dee Valley town where “Wales meets the world”. The Pendine International Voice of the Future competition is celebrating its 10th anniversary and is…

An award-winning paddleboard company in South Wales, has secured financial support from HSBC UK to meet increasing demands. Based in Llantwit Major, Quroc Inflatable Paddle Boards plans to use the funding to expand in an ever-changing market and keep up with competition this summer. According to a recent Watersports Participation Survey by The British Canoe Union, a record 1.6 million people now own a paddle board in the UK, and, with the demand for paddle boards showing no sign of slowing, Quroc wanted to secure production slots and stay ahead of the competition. The HSBC UK funding has enabled Quroc…

A trailblazing bakery industry pioneer has been honoured with an MBE. Alan Jones, 79, transformed a back street bakery with five staff into the multi-award winning Jones Village Bakery that now employs 800 people and has a turnover of more than £80 million. Now retired, two of his three sons are now at the helm, Robin as managing director and Christien as project director, as the Wrexham-based family firm goes from strength to strength. According to Mr Jones, it was particularly special  be recognised in the King Charles’s first birthday honours list. He has fond memories of when the King,…

A £250,000 project that aims to open up volunteering opportunities across Conwy has been launched by a mum who is no stranger to doing something for nothing herself. Jasmine Pilling is the Programme Manager for Amdani! Conwy – Amdani means Go – which aims to recruit 300 volunteers over the next two years and link them to opportunities in libraries, galleries, events, theatres, museums and festivals. Amdani! Conwy were chosen as one of four bids successful bids to share one million pounds from the Spirit of 2012, the Trust set up in the wake of the London Olympics and Paralympics…

A determined mum who lost two family members to cancer within eight months is taking on a double marathon challenge in their memory to raise money for a top Welsh charity. Emma McCracken, will complete both the New York and Berlin marathons – just six weeks apart – is running in memory of her mother and father-in-law, Phillip and Adele McCracken, from Gwersyllt, in Wrexham, who recently lost their cancer battles within eight months of each other. The 42-year-old from Nesscliffe, in Shropshire, who balances a tough training regime with providing care for her 13-year-old son who has Down’s Syndrome,…