Author: Rhys Gregory

s your dog a golden oldie or the best rescue? If so, your pet pooch could be a winner at a dog show taking place to raise funds for RSPCA Bryn-y-Maen Animal Centre. The Upper Colwyn Bay animal centre is holding its annual dog show on Sunday 21 May between 11am and 3pm and promises to be a fun-filled day with you and your pooch. As well as a dog show with classes for all ages, there will be rescue dog of the year, raffle, tombola, bargain pre loved pet goods, along with with VIP tours of the cattery and…

More homes came onto the market in Wales last month, but there are fewer buyers actively looking to purchase, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Market Survey. Anecdotally through, respondents says that correctly priced properties continue to sell.  A net balance of +18% of Welsh respondents said that instructions to sell rose in the month – the fourth consecutive survey in which respondents reported an increase. However, the indicators for new buyers enquiries and newly agreed sales were in decline again.  Looking at sales a net balance of -15% of respondents reported a fall through…

A former leading plastic mouldings factory in the south Wales valleys which was used as a drill hall by the Home Guard during the last war is facing the last throw of the dice. The factory was once specialised in the production of dice, plastic games figures and buttons, employing at its height a workforce of some sixty people. With a history of manufacturing and skilled employment stretching back many decades, the industrial building and yard at Catherine Crescent, in Porth, Mid Glamorgan, is now up for sale. Originally built as a slaughterhouse in the 19th century by the coalmine…

Swansea lettings agent Hannah McCartan, who runs McCartan Lettings, has launched a new business, The Landlord Community, to provide education and support for landlords. The online community’s first offering is a new course, Compliance Training for Welsh Landlords, which is free to anyone who signs up to The Landlord Community. It briefs landlords on all the new requirements brought in by The Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, which commenced fully on December 1 2022. Topics covered include rent increases, serving notice, succession rights, written statements, new property safety standards including electrical safety, carbon monoxide alarms, smoke alarms, and how to…

A Bridgend brewery will begin its journey to net-zero by creating a solar energy farm with a six-figure funding package from HSBC UK. The owners of Cold Black Label and Brecon Brewery, which makes local beers and ales, will use the funding from HSBC UK to finance a 4 acre solar energy farm [in Bridgend] which will produce over 1,000 MWH of renewable energy a year. They also have a 30KW Solar System on the roof of Guardian House. The renewable energy will offset the brewery’s carbon footprint enabling it to reach net-zero carbon emissions. The investment is part of…

Savills and joint agents Knight Frank, on behalf of GGC Capital Quarter Limited, has completed the letting of the ground and first floor suits totalling c.15,000sq ft at 1 Capital Quarter in Cardiff, to Audit Wales, who were advised by JLL. A 10 year lease has been agreed on the c.5,000 sq ft ground floor suite and c.10,000 sq ft on the first floor, which have both been recently refurbished to a high standard. The latest success at 1 Capital Quarter follows the recent deal to Regus who has leased  the 4th and 5th floors at the building, taking approximately…

Anglesey-based social enterprise, Menter Môn has launched a new partnership, which will carry out a feasibility study using hydrogen to produce sustainable food through precision fermentation. Funded by the Welsh Government, FerMôntation will be the first project of its kind in Wales to look at hydrogen to produce protein. The project will assess the viability of hydrogen to produce sustainable food and how it can add value to the economy in Wales. David Wylie, Senior Project Officer at Menter Môn explains: “We’re proud to be the first group in Wales to be using this technology and grateful to the Welsh Government…

To support manufacturers in south Wales and the south west and ensure their C-Class components are in the right place, at the right time, leading vendor managed inventory (VMI) provider TFC, an AFC Industries company, is launching a south Wales service centre. The new 900 m2 facility, based in Ebbw Vale, is in striking distance of south Wales and south west England industrial hotspots, meaning TFC can more easily help local manufacturers drive productivity, profitability and growth through TFC VMI supply chain solutions. Headquartered in Heathfield, Sussex, TFC works with manufacturers all over the UK, as well as internationally from…

Age Cymru Nordic Walking groups from Brecon, Cardiff, Pontypridd, and the Vale of Glamorgan, came together for a special Nordic Walk in Cardiff’s Bute Park to celebrate National Walking Month. With glorious sunshine in the capital, the walkers were further blessed with a complimentary afternoon tea in the sumptuous Hilton Hotel next to the park. The charity has been setting up Nordic Walking groups, whereby you walk with a pole in each hand, throughout Wales for several years now.  The activity is ideally suited to help older people build core strength, keep fit, and improve their balance and thereby help…

Eight mums of children with life-shortening illnesses have conquered the three highest peaks in Wales in 24 hours – and raised more than £30,000 for Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice in the process.  The group: Bridget Harpwood from Aberystwyth, Lynsey Harris from Cardiff, Stacey Carr, Marie Jones and Kat Brown from Bridgend, Helen Jenkins from Penarth, Alex Forbes from Llantwit Major and Martina Harding from Chepstow have become friends thanks to their involvement with Tŷ Hafan.   The group, most of whom are self-confessed newbies to mountain walking, set off from the foot of Snowdon at 4am on Sunday May 7, summited Cadair Idris at 6.10pm and finished their challenge at the peak of Pen…