Author: Rhys Gregory

Business confidence in Wales fell 14 points during May to 18%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Companies in Wales reported lower confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, down 14 points at 28%.  When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, down 15 points to 7%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 18%. Welsh businesses identified their top target areas for growth in the next six months as investing in sustainability (27%), evolving their offer (26%), and introducing new technology (25%). The Business Barometer, which surveys 1,200 businesses monthly, provides early signals about…

Matty Jones has named his Cymru Under 21 squad for their first 2025 UEFA U21 European Championship qualifier against Denmark in June. Jones has selected a 24-player squad for the trip to Vejle as Cymru look to build on their 3-0 friendly victory over Scotland in March and begin the long journey to reach the finals. Fin Stevens, Oli Hammond, Eli King and Owen Beck have plenty of experience at this level and are named in the squad. Rubin Colwill, who has already made eight senior appearances, is also called up. Jones has selected six uncapped players, with Charlie Crew,…

The Summer season is stepping up, as the latest round of tickets for The National Lido of Wales, Lido Ponty are now on sale. Lido-lovers can now purchase tickets for all sessions happening from June 4 – June 30, including the new additional daytime swims. During half term, Lido Ponty is open seven days a week for two early morning swims, followed by six family fun/casual sessions where the inflatables and activities are out and the splash pool with fountain is on. From Monday, June 5, the summer timetable is in place, which will see on weekdays: Two early morning…

Two members of the Empty Homes Team at Caerphilly County Borough Council have been recognised at this year’s national Empty Homes Network Awards. Jamie Wagenaar received the Rising Star Award in recognition of his dedicated approach, positive attitude, and awareness of the positive difference his work makes to local communities. Oliver Denton was highly commended in the Empty Homes Practitioner of the Year category for his dedication and tenaciousness to progress the most difficult cases in the Caerphilly borough to resolution. Jamie and Oliver work as part of the team responsible for tackling the issue of empty privately owned homes…

A spectacular Woodland Play Tower has been completed in Neath’s Gnoll Estate Country Park – the early 18th Century landscaped attraction which covers around 100 acres. The children’s tower will add to existing features including lakeside and woodland walks, restored formal cascades, a grotto, a coarse fishery, ponds, play areas including an adventure playground and a visitor centre. The development of the Play Tower is part of a £4.2m programme of ‘clean-up and green up’ improvements to towns, valleys and villages approved by Neath Port Talbot Council’s Rainbow Coalition. The programme includes £200,000 for improvements at public toilets, £445,000 on…

The first Child Friendly Cardiff Awards will take place this July to celebrate and recognise children, young people and organisations that have championed children’s rights in their community, every-day life and workplace. Organised by Child Friendly Cardiff, members of the public can nominate people and organisations before Monday 12thJune, with the winners being notified by Monday 3rdJuly and the winners being presented with their award at a ‘Rights Fest’ event on Tuesday 11thJuly at Cardiff City Stadium. Child Friendly Cardiff has been supporting the Council in embedding children’s rights into its policies and strategies,and delivering projects aimed at upholding rights…

Clayton Hotel Cardiff is partnering with Food Cardiff, the city’s rapidly growing food partnership, to help fund its Community Food Retail Network – supporting people who are struggling to access food or under pressure from the cost of living. The hotel has secured more than £3,000 via the M&G plc Community Fund which Food Cardiff will now use to support the 2,000+ beneficiaries of its Community Food Retail Network.  Community Food Retail projects are not-for-profit, charity or social enterprise initiatives rooted within a local community, with a strong social mission to tackle food related issues. The Cardiff Community Food Retail Network is a…

Two leading businesspeople have praised the ongoing regeneration of Swansea. Rowland Jones, Director at RJ Chartered Surveyors, and Carwyn Davies, Managing Director of Hacer Developments, think the scale of development work in the city augurs well for a bright future. Schemes led by Swansea Council include the Copr Bay district, with Swansea Arena, the new bridge over Oystermouth Road and the new coastal park having now been open for over a year. Projects where construction work is continuing include the 71/72 Kingsway office development at the former Oceana nightclub site that will provide space for 600 workers in sectors like…

Wagonex, a platform for car subscriptions, recently added two new members to its product development team. Joel Livermore will serve as Head of Product, while Claude Compere will take on the role of Lead Software Engineer. Joel is head of the product team at Wagonex and has six years of experience in developing products for various sectors, such as consumer, financial, and real estate. He is currently leading the development of Wagonex’s next generation car subscription platform and has created a product strategy and roadmap to ensure its excellence. Previously, Joel worked at Rolls-Royce, as a continuous improvement engineer where…

A Cardiff social housing provider has doubled the space it holds in a local community allotment after realising the positive mental health and financial benefits for its residents. Taff Housing, based in Canton, purchased 15 plots in the Leckwith council-run allotment back in 2019. However, after receiving positive feedback from residents has managed to secure additional space, enabling more people to enjoy its many benefits. Studies show that seeing and being around plants and greenery helps us to feel calmer and more relaxed, which consequently decreases levels of anxiety. Nurturing and caring for plants has also been proven to reduce…