Author: Rhys Gregory

Businesses in Wales have welcomed the news that the Welsh Government has responded to FSB’s calls and announced a new package of support to ease business rates over the course of the next two years.     The upcoming draft Welsh Government Budget will see the non-domestic rates multiplier frozen for 2023-24 to combat inflationary pressures on firms, in addition to a transitional relief for all ratepayers whose bills increase by more than £300 following the UK-wide rates revaluation in April.    The Welsh Government also announced that those within the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors will receive 75% non-domestic rates relief for…

Orbis Education and Care has appointed Lisa Cowles in a new role for the organisation as its Head of Clinical Services. Orbis is one of the UK’s leading providers of specialist schools and homes, supporting children and adults with complex needs associated with autism. Lisa’s new role will see her manage all aspects of Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Positive Behaviour Support, Psychiatry and complimentary therapies. Lisa, from Caerphilly, originally joined Orbis Education and Care in 2012 as an Occupational Therapist herself. She was promoted to Head of Therapies in 2018 and was given oversight of a multi-disciplinary clinical…

Allens Caravans is expanding its footprint of caravan parks across England and Wales, after securing a £12.5million funding package from Lloyds Bank. Allens Caravans provide a wide range of luxury holiday home and permanent residential accommodation at eight highly sought-after countryside and coastal locations. In the latest phase of its expansion, the business has widened its presence using the seven-figure loan from Lloyds Bank to complete the acquisition and development of two new flagship sites in Aber Bay in Wales and Bredon View in Worcestershire. Since the site developments began, the business has expanded its workforce, adding eight people to…

Tickets are now on sale for The 2023 Senior Open Presented by Rolex, which takes place from July 27-30, 2023, at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, Wales. Europe’s Senior Major Championship returns to Royal Porthcawl for the first time since 2017 and fans can now take advantage of Early Bird tickets to see some of the biggest names in over-50s golf in Mid Glamorgan. Tickets start at £15 for adults, £10 for juniors aged 12-17, while tickets for under 12s are completely free. Fans are urged to act now to avoid disappointment there are only a limited number of Early Bird…

New research reveals just 1 in 3 pregnant women in Wales would have Covid-19 vaccination A new study led by researchers at Swansea University has revealed that potentially only one in three pregnant women in Wales would actually have the Covid-19 vaccine during pregnancy, even though two in three said they would have the jab. Vaccine hesitancy is an important consideration among vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women especially during the pandemic.  The study, led by the Born in Wales team at the National Centre for Population Health & Wellbeing Research in collaboration with Bristol Medical School and Public Health…

Deloitte in Wales has donated 250 laptops to three Cardiff schools since the firm first committed to donating the firm’s used laptops in 2021. During this time Deloitte has donated a total of 6,865 laptops to schools, charities and community groups across the UK. Over half (3,600) of the reconditioned laptops have been donated to pupils from 58 schools across the UK, including 100 each to Fitzalan High School and Eastern High School and 50 to Willows High School, all of which are Deloitte 5 Million Futures partner schools  All the schools are in Cardiff – Fitzalan High School in…

Young entrepreneur Will Kinder has been announced as the Managing Director of The Kingsward Group following a management buy-in that has enabled the founding directors to retire. Margaret and Alan Keetch have sold the Ferndale-based metal fabrication business that they established in 1990 to 32 year old Will Kinder, previously a Director of engineering company Aluqo which is a customer of the Kingsward Group. Funding for the management buy-in was provided by the Development Bank of Wales with a mix of debt and equity alongside the growth and working capital provider, Growth Lending. Employing 25 people on the Oaklands Business…

Brand-new compositions by a leading Welsh composer will be given their world premieres at a top music festival. Richard Barrett will present the new works, entitled Pektis and Outsider, at the Bangor Music Festival, where he will also give one of the festival’s key note speeches. While focusing mainly on contemporary music, the festival has been a highlight on Wales’s cultural calendar for more than 20 years and will be staged at Pontio and other sites at Bangor University on February 17 and 18. Festival organiser Guto Pryderi Puw, who has been involved with the festival since it was launched…

Santa arrived in style for the big Christmas lights switch-on at a care organisation. Father Christmas was travelling on an illuminated state-of-the-art sleigh made by the talented maintenance team at Pendine Park in Wrexham. The bearded man of the moment and his entourage of elves were given a rousing cheer by the delighted residents and staff. According to Pendine Park Artist in Residence Sarah Edwards, it was one of the most exciting days of the year. She said: “The Christmas lights switch on and Santa arriving with his sleigh is always a highlight of Christmas celebrations here at Pendine Park.…

Moondance Cancer Initiative has announced more than half a million pounds is to be given to seven projects led by teams from across NHS Wales as part of its latest funding round to improve cancer outcomes in Wales. Among the awarded projects is an innovation which introduces a new diagnostic test to Wales that could assist in earlier cancer diagnosis for patients with Barrett’s oesophagus. Cytosponge™ is a minimally invasive device that has been developed to collect cells from the oesophagus lining. The Cytosponge™ is a small capsule which is attached to a fine string. After swallowing, the capsule coating…