Author: Rhys Gregory

A number of grants are now available to boost businesses of all shapes and sizes in Swansea. Funded by the UK Government through the Shared Prosperity Fund, Swansea Council has introduced several schemes in recent weeks. These include: Pre-start grants to support start-up businesses. With a maximum grant of £10,000, this funding can be used to cover the costs of expenditure including equipment, training, accreditation and marketing. Website development grants of up to £1,500 to help cover the costs of creating a business website for the first time or making improvements to an existing business website. Business growth grants up…

A range of temporary road changes have been announced to ensure that tens of thousands of people can enjoy this year’s Wales Airshow safely. The free-entry two-day event is due to take place on July 1 and 2 with a series of world-class displays over Swansea Bay. Temporary road changes for the 2023 show are the same as those that were in place for last summer’s highly successful event. They will include seafront sections of Oystermouth Road and Mumbles Road, a number of roads in Sandfields plus Pantycelyn Road, Townhill. Diversions will be signposted. Swansea Prom, from the Civic Centre…

An exciting demonstration of green zero emission public transport is underway in Neath Port Talbot and Swansea. Bus operator South Wales Transport and private hire operator Hyppo Hydrogen solutions are providing transport services to the communities using locally produced ‘green hydrogen’ made from renewable energy and local water. The initiative is being delivered by a private sector consortium responding to the climate change emergency. The hydrogen fuelled H2 City Gold electric bus is being provided by Caetano Bus UK with a HyQube refueller being provided by Fuel Cell Systems. The hydrogen fuel is being produced and supplied by green hydrogen…

Powys County Council is keeping a close eye on developments after Broadway Partners was placed in administration. The broadband provider has been working on seven community schemes in the county with the aim of bringing ultrafast fibre connections to more homes in rural areas. It had also been expected to become the supplier for several others that were still at the stage of assessing demand. There are hopes that a buyer may be found during the administration process, but, if necessary, the council will look to work with the affected communities to source an alternative provider. The only community broadband…

Following the demolition of the properties along the A472, our contractors Walters group will start site improvement works on 31 May 2023. The works are expected to take 24 weeks. Caerphilly Council has said to minimise traffic disruption and it is anticipated that much of the works will be carried out without the need for traffic management. Where they are required, they will be in place between 9:30am and 3pm. Traffic signals will be in place week commencing the 5 June, for 1 week only. During this time, the council is asking that all residents with children in the area…

The D-Day Memorial parade and service will take place this year on Saturday 3 June. It is organised by the Royal Welsh Comrades Association, and is the first parade since the Covid-19 pandemic. The Mayor of Newport, Councillor Trevor Watkins, will be attending the event, along with the Lord Lieutenant Brigadier Robert Aitken CBE and the High Sheriff Professor Simon Gibson CBE DL. They will all lay wreaths on behalf of the council along with the leader of Newport City Council, Councillor Jane Mudd. Parade participants will meet outside Wetherspoons, Cambrian Road from 11.30am with the parade leaving at 11.45am to…

A street food piazza, a farmers’ market, and a producers’ fair, served up with a side of live music, will all be on the menu in Cardiff Bay this summer as the Cardiff Food and Drink Festival returns. One of the most popular events in Cardiff’s events calendar and the biggest free food and drink festival in Wales, the festival opens at midday on Friday July 7thand runs throughout the weekend. More than one hundred stallholders will offer a spectacular spread of foodie delights, including: artisanal ice-creams, cheeses, meats, brewed and distilled beverages at the Producers Fair; preserves, sweet treats,…

The Welsh Government is making a £566,000 investment to support specialist fishing line manufacturer Airflo to grow and ensure the future viability of the plant in Brecon, creating 21 and safeguarding a further 44 jobs, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has announced today. Airflo manufactures the world’s only range of 100% PVC-free fly-fishing lines and is a leading innovator in the sector. Based out of a factory on the Ffrwdgrech Industrial Estate in Brecon and owned by US-based Mayfly Group, Airflo has become a leading Welsh exporting success story, with pre-season orders forecasting a quadrupling of business to North America. The…

The Welsh Government’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Andrew Goodall, has today announced that Judith Paget has been appointed on a permanent basis to the role of Director General of Health and Social Services and Chief Executive of NHS Wales. Judith has been in the post on an interim basis since November 2021, and has been appointed permanently following a rigorous international recruitment exercise chaired by the First Civil Service Commissioner. Commenting on being appointed to the role, Judith said: “I am honoured to be appointed to this important role and look forward to continuing to work with Ministers and NHS Wales…

A new £1 million project will research new varieties of peas to reduce the UK’s reliance on soya imports, it has been announced today (Thursday 1 June). The ‘Pea Protein’ project, which involves academics from Aberystwyth University, is being spearheaded by grass and forage seed specialists and breeders, Germinal. In 2022, the UK imported three million tonnes of soya for use in human and animal feeds.  Soya is also a crop associated with deforestation in South America, which contributes to the acceleration of climate change. Demand for plant-based proteins is increasing.  Soya forms the basis of most plant-based protein options,…