Author: Rhys Gregory

Acorn by Synergie has been recognised for its commitment to supporting the emotional wellbeing of its employees as a winner at this year’s Wales Business Awards. The leading UK recruiter took home the Wellbeing at Work award at the 2023 ceremony, which took place at the International Convention Centre (ICC) Wales this week (May 18th). Judges were looking for businesses that support their employees to succeed by demonstrating their commitment to health, safety and wellbeing and found what they were looking for at Acorn by Synergie, a company signed up to the Mental Health at Work Commitment pledge, among other…

Plans to relocate Bridgend College to the heart of the town centre have made significant progress with the demolition of the old police station now being close to completion. The demolition contractors are now entering the final stages of the works, which are due to be completed in the coming weeks. The site at Cheapside, forms a key part of the council’s regeneration plans for the town centre and represents an investment of around £60 million into the skills and training of both young people and members of the community who need opportunities to retrain and gain valuable employability skills. …

The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Cllr Graham Hinchey will be stepping down from his role as Lord Mayor this Thursday as well as his Deputy, Cllr Abdul Sattar at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) at City Hall. Over the last year, Cllr Hinchey has carried out approximately 300 events at schools, care homes and other events across the city, raising more than £75,000 forGuide Dogs Cymru, the charity he and his wife Anne, the Lady Mayoress, nominated. Cllr Hinchey, 64, represents the Heath ward and was first elected as a local councillor to South Glamorgan Council from…

A comprehensive school in Swansea is the first in the region to earn a gold award for encouraging pupils, staff and the wider community to speak Welsh more often both inside and outside the classroom. Gowerton Comprehensive has achieved the gold Siarter Iaith award which has just been presented to the school. It is a Welsh Government initiative to inspire children and young people to use Welsh in all aspects of their lives. But it is not just for pupils with all members of the school community having a part to play, the school council, learners, workforce, parents, carers, governors…

Donna Forkin has paid a heavy price for littering the street in High Street, Glynneath, unaware a Neath Port Talbot Council Waste Enforcement Officer was nearby. The incident happened in October 2022 while the officer was conducting a dog fouling / littering patrol in the Glynneath area. Ms Forkin did not attend the trial, which proceeded in her absence.  The officer told Swansea Magistrates on May 18th, 2023, that he saw Ms Forkin, 47, of Heathfield Avenue, Glynneath, smoking on High Street, Glynneath. He added that after a short time he witnessed Ms Forkin throw the cigarette she had been…

Haverfordwest High VC School pupils have left a gift for future generations at the town’s Western Quayside regeneration scheme. The Year 7 students filled a time capsule with items to show what their life is like in 2023 before a group came along to the former Ocky White store to bury it on site. The time capsule project, spearheaded by development contractors John Weaver (Contractors) Ltd, allowed learners to focus on their town as well as the exciting archeologically finds unearthed during the build. Victoria Hooper, Humanities Teacher at Haverfordwest High VC School said: “Pupils at Haverfordwest High VC School…

CB Refrigeration has been in business for over 50 years and in 2016 relocated their main office to Caerphilly. Since then, owner Andrew Hall has seen the business grow from strength to strength with turnover now more than £4.3 million and increasing by 25% this year alone. They specialise, throughout the UK, in supplying, maintaining and fitting refrigeration and air conditioning for Retail, Hospitality and Distributor sectors, with some of the major blue-chip companies in hospitality among their clients. Despite the aftereffects of the pandemic, 2022 saw an expansion of the company with a further 18 new staff being taken…

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Bargoed May Fair, which took place on Saturday the 13th of May, attracted a record-breaking number of visitors to the town, making it an incredible success. Bargoed welcomed an outstanding 16,410 visitors to the fair, with the peak attendance being at mid-day. People even came from Rhondda, Newport, Tenby, and Carmarthenshire!  This was the busiest day for the town in a very long time, with 15,266 more visitors in the town compared to the previous Saturday. It was the highest footfall in Bargoed since footfall counters were installed in 2018. The day was fun filled with…

Cllr Malcolm Colbran has been elected Mayor of Merthyr Tydfil for the second time in three years after Covid-19 prevented him from carrying out the role fully in 2021-22. At the Council’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 17 May 2023, immediate past Deputy Mayor Cllr Colbran took over from Cllr Declan Sammon as First Citizen of the County Borough. Having grown up in Hailsham, Sussex, Malcolm moved to Merthyr Tydfil to take over Bedlinog Post Office in 2003. He has represented the Bedlinog electoral ward since 2017. “While I’ll always be proud of my Sussex roots, I’m equally proud to…

Food businesses can now find guidance and advice from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in one easy to access business guidance hub on food.gov.uk. The new hub brings together guidance on how to set up a food business, how to achieve a good food hygiene rating and manage allergens to keep customers safe. Businesses can also find new case studies on the FSA blog, telling real stories about how working with your local authority and the FSA helps get your business off the ground and grow safely and successfully. Cllr Richard Church, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a Safer…