Author: Rhys Gregory

A group of ‘Rising Stars’ from the Welsh food and drink industry put their products in the limelight at Wales’ premier food and drink event – BlasCymru/TasteWales 2023. Held at the International Convention Centre Wales at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport (October 25-26th2023), BlasCymru/TasteWales brought together food and drink industry buyers, suppliers, and businesses eager to network and discover new products. The flagship Welsh Government event featured 120 Welsh food and drink businesses, giving them the opportunity to showcase and meet some of the industry’s most important contacts, including 270 buyers from the UK and abroad. Among the displays…

Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid held its annual general meeting (AGM) on Wednesday 25 October, reviewing the year and setting out its vision to support businesses in Wales over the next year. Chamber members and partners joined the organisation’s CEO Paul Butterworth for the event which took place at Sophia Gardens, the home of Glamorgan Cricket and Welsh Fire. Following the election of Paul Clark to President and re-election of Rachelle Sellek to the board, the Chamber revealed how it will promote, connect, support and inform businesses through its membership packages, trade network and its soon to…

Leading commercial cleaning company Mrs Buckét has made a series of high-level appointments as it continues its rapid growth within the cleaning and facilities management industry. The Swansea-headquartered business has appointed several new senior team members in recent months, including: Glenn Day as Growth Manager, Michael Owen, Jane Boyle and Jonathan Pike as Area Managers, Jon Roberts as Division One Operations Manager, and Robert Ford as Talent Advisor. All new hires join with significant industry experience and will play a crucial role in achieving the company’s ambitious growth plans. Mrs Buckét was founded by Rachael Flanagan, then just 18, in…

Over 550 residents have already installed a new web-based Swansea city centre rewards app since its launch last week. The web-based app gives access to offers in shops and restaurants, as well as information about what’s on in the city centre. It’s being run by Swansea Business Improvement District (BID) and funded by Swansea Council. Replacing the old Big Heart of Swansea app, residents can benefit from the new one by visiting app.bigheartofswansea.co.uk and installing it on their mobile devices. The web-based app also includes a searchable directory of city centre businesses, as well as their opening hours, locations and…

Welsh producers have enjoyed success at the prestigious BBC Food and Farming Awards ceremony, hosted at the International Convention Centre in Newport last week. The winners included North Wales-based cheese and yogurt producer, Cosyn Cymru, who took the top prize of the evening, winning the UK’s ‘Best Food Producer’ award. The other Welsh winners were Cardiff’s Maasi’s café, which was named the UK’s ‘Best Streetfood, Takeaway or Small Eatery’. Meanwhile, the Vale of Glamorgan’s Peterston Tea beat stiff competition from fellow Welsh producers, Pembrokeshire Lamb and Velfrey Vineyard, to win the ‘Best Food and Drink Producer in Wales Award with…

Over four decades ago, rural West Wales was at the centre of the greatest drugs bust in history. The police investigation, Operation Julie, resulted in dozens of arrests and the discovery of LSD worth £100 million. Next Spring, the hit musical play from Theatr na nÓg and Aberystwyth Arts Centre returns to explore the story from both sides of the drugs divide – the police, and the hippies who settled in Ceredigion hoping to spread their ideals in a changing world. The co-producers are thrilled to announce that the original cast and creatives return for a limited 6-week tour visiting…

Entries to the 2024 Principality Cardiff Half Marathon are filling up faster than ever before with high demand from overseas competitors. More than 10,500 entries for the race, on Sunday 6 October 2024, have already been snapped up by runners after just over a week of going on sale. The Early Bird Entry offer sold out within three hours of launching and event organisers, Run 4 Wales, anticipate this will be the earliest ever sellout in the race’s history. Matt Newman, Chief Executive of Run 4 Wales, said: “We’re so excited for next year’s event and we can already see…

Chart-topping boyband JLS will bring their Summer Hits tour to Cardiff Castle next year. The double BRIT Award winners – who are currently wowing audiences across the UK with their ‘Everybody Say JLS’ arena tour – will head to the iconic Welsh venue on Sunday July 7. JLS – Aston Merrygold, JB Gill, Marvin Humes and Oritsé Williams – have sold more than six million records; two million live tickets; are the first X Factor act to win a prestigious BRIT Award (2010), five MOBO Awards, four Digital Music Awards and three Urban Music Awards. Their first four albums all…

New operations manager David Branter is excited to rejoin Beacon Foods, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of ingredients and ready-to-eat products, to contribute to the company’s major expansion. He says the Brecon-based business, which supplies food manufacturers, food service, coffee shops, fast food chains and travel and hospitality industries, is now perfectly placed to secure new business opportunities. Investment totalling £6 million in the last three years has seen Beacon Foods double the size of its manufacturing and storage facilities to 53,000 square feet in preparation for business growth. The company, which has 130 employees, has greatly increased production…

The Wellbeing Centre in Lampeter, the first of its kind in the county, was officially opened this week by Lynne Neagle, MS, Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing. Funded by a Welsh Government Communities for Learning Grant and Ceredigion County Council, the centre commits to transform the county’s approach to holistic wellbeing. Promising an extensive spectrum of services tailored to improve the physical, mental, and social aspects of individuals, the centre also aims to facilitate increased access to vital information, advice, and support on Council services for its residents. This comprehensive framework aligns with the Council’s objective of Creating Caring…