Author: Rhys Gregory

Projects in Swansea that work to boost local people’s employability and skills now have the chance to benefit from a major new £2m funding pot. Applications are open for a Swansea Council anchor programme called Pathways to Work as part of the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund. The council is looking for applications from providers that deliver engagement activity, employability support, or skills and training support for economically inactive, unemployed and employed people aged 16 and over in Swansea. Potential applicants are being encouraged to visit swansea.gov.uk/spfemployability for more information, with applications open until May 22 this year. Cllr Robert…

Ludlow Street Healthcare and Holmleigh Care have relaunched under the new group brand name Iris Care Group. The announcement follows the merger of the two thriving health and social care businesses in England and Wales in 2021. Ludlow Street Healthcare has supported and cared for over 800 people for nearly 20 years. It has worked in partnership with the NHS, developing services and investing in the necessary health infrastructure and staff training, to support patients through their range of specialist services. Holmleigh Care was founded in 2000 and provides essential residential care, supported living and domiciliary care services to adults…

Local housebuilder, Persimmon Homes, has completed the purchase of land to unlock a significant housing development in Twynyrodyn, Merthyr Tydfil. The site off Elm Tree Grove has full detailed planning permission for 121 quality new homes, and will include a mix of homes from one to five-bed properties. The land purchase will now see a substantial work programme undertaken on site with the scheme also set to deliver a new access road and junction. Commenting on the purchase, Managing Director for Persimmon Homes East Wales, Lee Woodfine said: “This is a hugely exciting development that will deliver much-needed homes for…

Cadre Advisory has announced the appointment of Kate Methuen-Ley as Non-Executive Director in a plan to accelerate the company’s growth and deliver a new strategic direction. Kate, a strategy consultant and advisory specialist, brings a wealth of knowledge and skill, with more than 16 years of private sector marketing experience for a range of sectors, including the Financial Services. Since exiting her own business just over four years ago, Kate has been lending her expertise within the Welsh startup ecosystem. Kate is also a Non-Executive Director of the Development Bank of Wales. Commenting on her appointment, Kate said: “I’m delighted…

Cardiff Devils have welcomed Configur back on board as Official Data Partner for another season. Configur is a multi-award-winning business based in Wales with offices in Cardiff and Newport and this will be the second season that Configur will be involved with the Devils. If you attended a game or followed the matches on social media last season, you will have seen the key statistics during the match being ‘powered by Configur.’ Josh Evans, Co-Founder and CTO, spoke about the partnership: “We’ve loved becoming part of the Devils’ family over the past year, and there was no question that we…

Age Cymru has launched its More Money in Your Pocket guide to help and encourage older people claim all their benefit entitlements. Despite many struggling to pay their bills during the current cost-of-living crisis, more than £200m worth of pension credit goes unclaimed in Wales each year which is in addition to the huge amounts left unclaimed for a raft of other benefits. Between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, the charity has had 73,728 visits to our benefits advice pages on our website in addition to thousands of calls to our advice line, demonstrating how important the issue…

TV star Alex Jones was moved to tears when she heard how heroic care home fundraisers helped a toddler win her battle against the odds to walk down the aisle at her mum’s wedding. The kind hearted care team from Pendine Park’s Bodlondeb  care home in Wrexham, were joyously reunited with smiling four year old Nova Martin Roxburgh and her family in front of TV cameras filming the BBC’s Reunion Hotel, hosted by Alex who’s best known as the main presenter of The One Show. The hit series offers people a chance to reconnect with those who have been pivotal…

A North Wales housing association does more than put a roof over people’s heads – it also provides many of them with jobs. Cartrefi Conwy and its subsidiary Creating Enterprise have revealed that 30 of their staff – more than 15 per cent of the overall workforce – are also tenants. It’s believed the percentage of tenants they employ is “incredibly rare” and much higher than any other housing association in the UK. Roles range from painters and plumbers to community workers, admin and finance jobs. Among the tenants they employ is single mother of two Clare Murphy, 47, from…

A nurse who has seen the horrors of war at first hand and successfully battled cancer is aiming for a fresh start thanks to a life-changing TV show. Andrea Davies-Tuthill, 52, from Merthyr Tydfil,  who recently finished treatment for breast cancer, wants to restore her health and stamina by taking part in a popular S4C programme, FFIT Cymru. Her skills as a theatre nurse are also used in her work with the Army Reserve for 34 years, which has seen her deployed to Afghanistan to treat both soldiers and civilians injured in the conflict. Andrea jumped at the chance of…

A North Wales textiles firm has undergone a management buy-out backed by a seven-figure sum from the Development Bank of Wales. Based on Wrexham Industrial Estate, Riva UK was first established in 1993 by Rita Bird who was then joined by her son Carl. They now employ over 50 people and supply custom engineered textile solutions to a variety of blue chip companies. This includes the automotive, emergency services, aerospace and industrial sectors. Joe Quinlan has served as operations manager for Riva since 2017. He will take over from outgoing Managing Director, Carl Bird, who has agreed to stay on…