Author: Rhys Gregory

Further funding has been secured to develop the Market Hall in Cardigan. The Cardigan Market Hall Project will facilitate the restoration, repair and provision of updated facilities for the historic Grade 2* Market Hall, securing its long-term future and sustainability for market traders and opportunities for new enterprises. The project will address some structural improvements required to the building and that also improves the overall appeal and contribution the building makes to the vitality of the town. The estimated cost of the project for Phase 1 and 2 is £2.95 million. Funding has been secured from Building for the Future,…

Creative Hospitality Group (CHG), the brand behind Peppermint Swansea and Cardiff, Bambu, and BrewStone has launched Club CHG, a brand-new loyalty app, to give back to the community this challenging year. The challenges of Covid-19 and now the cost of living crisis has put stress on our communities and made it increasingly difficult to enjoy life to its fullest. That is why CHG is fighting back this year with a brand-new loyalty app. In a show of collaboration, CHG’s venues have pulled together, replicating the success of the Swansea Bay Pop-Up Tent, to synergise their collective efforts. The result of…

A WEB design agency celebrating 25 years in business has expanded after opening new offices. Based at Hanover House in St Asaph, Designweb grew its team last year having secured a raft of clients in multiple sectors across the UK and overseas. Director Paul Lyons, from Rhyl, has also developed the company’s offering to focus solely on the development, hosting, and support of WordPress websites, in addition to existing digital marketing services, including SEO and consultancy. Collaborating with businesses such as Be Social UK, Radar PR and Sales Geek North Wales – whose director Aaron Sussex worked closely with Paul on…

A major new loan scheme to support businesses in Wales cut their energy costs by taking steps to become greener and more energy efficient has been launched today by the Development Bank of Wales and the Welsh Government. With the ambition to invest £10m over the next three years, the new Green Business Loan Scheme, which will offer discounted interest rates and flexible repayment dates, will help businesses make improvements allowing them to reduce their carbon footprint – supporting Wales’ journey to become net zero by 2050. Projects which could be supported by the loans include: Investing in renewable energy…

Cardiff-based entrepreneurs, Sara Flay and Leighton Morris are on a mission to improve accessibility within every aspect of society – from workplaces and educational institutions to accommodation and leisure facilities.  Sara, who was diagnosed with a muscle-wasting disease at the age of 23, and Leighton, whose life was changed by bowel cancer in 2011, joined forces to launch the Ani Group after experiencing the challenges that can come with living with a disability first-hand.   The Ani Group works in partnership with a host of clients from across the UK – ranging from start-up SMEs to national events and public bodies – to make their facilities more…

Tasked by a Welsh Government funded project ‘Made with Wool’, Product Design students at Bangor University accepted their challenge to create innovative products using Welsh Wool which included mountain bike mudguards, surfboard fins and fruit bowls. The project which is looking to realise the potential of wool as a natural, sustainable, and versatile material challenged the student to produce either a new product or to consider wool as a substitute material for existing products Bryn Richards from Lincolnshire designed gym handle attachments which showcases the literal strength of wool. Bryn explained, “The body of the grips are created by compressing…

A pioneering architect is hoping to revolutionise the housing market with an innovative building block scheme inspired by LEGO. Alwyn Rowlands has been using the iconic plastic bricks to illustrate his concept of “stacking” rooms into different configurations to create anything from a one-bedroom apartment to a four-bedroom family house. The 48-year-old who runs Creu Architecture is targeting the social housing market initially with his venture, Creu Cartref (creating a home) in a bid to slash building times as well as making properties more energy efficient. The modular design approach means that homes can be built in situ using traditional materials…

A £3 million development of 18 apartments will help tackle the dire shortage of housing in Rhyl, say a housing association. The Tŷ Dyffryn scheme by Cartrefi Conwy has breathed new life into the derelict site of a former dairy in Victoria Road that was demolished to make way for the gleaming new four-storey building. Construction work is nearing completion and priority will be given to local people in most need when it comes to allocating the tenancies. David Kelsall, Cartrefi’s Assistant Director of Development, said: “It is a landmark building on a tight, complex brownfield site, which is going…

Multiple births, a short interval between pregnancies and mothers with a maternal physical or mental health condition are more at risk of having a low birth rate baby according to Swansea University researchers. Every year 20 million children are born with a birth weight below 2,500 grams, and considered low birthweight (LBW) babies  The study, by researchers at the National Centre for Population Health and Wellbeing Research, looked to understand the risk factors for LBW so that resources and interventions could be scheduled effectively. The cohort study comprised 693,377 children born in Wales between 1st January 1998 and 31st December…

Wales Week London, the largest annual programme of events celebrating and promoting Wales, kicks off this weekend, for its seventh successive year. Running for two weeks until Sunday 5th March, Wales Week London will deliver a schedule of nearly 100 activities and events around the period of St David’s Day; together helping to celebrate Wales’ heritage and culture, commemorating its national day, and promoting a modern Wales to the rest of the world. 2023’s programme includes events covering business, social enterprise, start-ups, innovation and finance, tech, architecture, art, music and song, screen, language, government, sport, food and drink, celebrity interviews,…