Author: Rhys Gregory

Work is underway to reopen part of a Rhyl nature reserve to the public Denbighshire County Council’s Countryside Service staff and volunteers are bringing back to life a forgotten area of Brickfield Pond Nature Reserve. Over the winter work is taking place to an area at the south of the main pond, near the employment park, to open up a hidden space and restore access to the land and improve local biodiversity. Overseen by Countryside Ranger Vitor Evora, the work will include the clearing of an undergrowth area to allow a new path to be built linking to an old…

MHA, the UK’s 13th largest accountancy group has expanded its UK services by merging with Swansea-based firm Gerald Thomas. Gerald Thomas has provided high-quality accountancy services for a variety of clients across South Wales for 100 years including advisory, audit, compliance and professional services. The merger expands MHA’s offering in the UK and enhances the current services offered to Gerald Thomas’ existing clients. The current Gerald Thomas offices have been renamed and all staff moved over to MHA, with the wider MHA team supporting the Swansea office to provide an increased range of specialist services for the region. MHA’s Swansea…

Saecom, one of Wales’ leading telecommunications companies, has been acquired by the Flotek Group as the IT & Comms MSP progresses its ambitious growth strategy. The deal marks Flotek’s fourth acquisition of 2022. The addition of Saecom, founded in 2014, to Flotek significantly enhances the Group’s service offering, providing trusted telecommunications solutions to clients. Furthermore, Saecom’s large client base will have access to Flotek’s IT & Cyber Support technologies. Joint owners of Saecom, father and daughter Stephen Evans and Amy Evans will join the Flotek Group, alongside the whole Saecom team, with Amy moving to the role of Group Billing…

An adventurous hotelier with Parkinson’s has completed an epic charity scooter ride from Tenby to San Sebastian. Joe Sarrionandia, who runs the Strathmore hotel in the Welsh seaside town, and was diagnosed with the condition in June of 2021, has raised over £2,000 for Parkison’s UK Cymru. The 55-year-old father of three feared his riding days were over after he received his diagnosis, but he subsequently found out that his condition hasn’t prevented him from going on his scooter. The former Greenhill School pupil was joined on the journey by friends, Andrew Williams and Ian Thomas, who he has known…

Two Welsh sustainability and outdoors enthusiasts have joined forces to launch Dryad, a sustainable women’s activewear company based in Abergavenny. Matthew Thomas and Joby Barnard design women’s running tops, shorts and leggings made from recycled fabrics that have a fully traceable value chain, ensuring that everyone involved in the production line is treated equitably. In addition, a portion of Dryad’s profits go towards grass roots organisations aimed at increasing access to sports for women and girls. The company has been named on Runner’s World’s list of the top ten most sustainable brands and recently won two Editor’s Choice awards in…

Aspire 2Be, a multi-award-winning learning technology company, this week announced the launch of the ILM Leadership & Management Qualification, offering levels 4 and 5. These qualifications extend the range of Apprenticeships offered by Aspire 2Be, which also includes the Level 3 Diploma for Digital Learning Practitioners. The ILM Leadership & Management qualification is developed by educators for educators, and offers an exciting opportunity for learners to be taught by the industry experts, drawing on the extensive education-focussed knowledge and digital expertise within Aspire 2Be. The recent acquisition of A2B by Educ8 Group has enabled the development of this sector-leading range…

FRAUDSTERS are being warned there’s no hiding place in Swansea for people selling illegal and potentially dangerous tobacco. The message came after a Swansea-based couple were caught with more than 140,000 illicit cigarettes and almost 20kg of rolling tobacco hidden in a shop in Mansel Street. The couple were caught following a series of raids by trading standards officers, police and sniffer dogs who found hiding places for goods of a street value of more than £176,000. Merthyr Crown Court was told on January 6 that Simona Adamova and Jamal Karimi sold illegal tobacco goods from a shop they operated…

People across Swansea are being encouraged to hit the trail to enjoy their local area. The council’s new Try Our Trails campaign offers a range of entertaining low-cost healthy local journeys of discovery. Cabinet member Robert Francis-Davies said: “There’s a wide range of inspirational trails waiting to be explored. They can be enjoyed at low cost and at a time that suits individuals, couples and families.” An initial range of trails is showcased on the website enjoyswanseabay.com. A number of ideas are described there. The public can share photos and comments from their own adventures on the trails by posting…

Bridgend County Borough Council has officially launched a campaign to highlight the importance of school attendance. Backed by schools across the county borough, the campaign highlights the importance for children to attend school and return to the classroom following the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses on the benefits of school beyond learning along with providing support and resources for parents of children who are struggling to attend. It is vitally important that children across Bridgend County Borough attend school whenever possible. For example, with an attendance rate of 90 per cent during one school year, a pupil could…

The Mobile Library Service will be visiting Narberth every Monday and Saturday morning in January while the town’s library remains temporarily closed. The library requires emergency building maintenance to be carried out and the Mobile Library will ensure that book lovers continue to be well served. The Mobile library will be parked in the lower Narberth Town Moor car park between 9am and 12noon on Mondays and Saturdays throughout this month. The vehicle carries a selection of all categories and formats of stock, including: adult, junior, Welsh language, fiction, non-fiction, hardback, paperback, large print and audio recordings. Narberth Town Council,…