Author: Rhys Gregory

Improvements at Malpas Church in Wales Primary School has led to Estyn removing it from special measures. The official inspection body has confirmed that the school has made sufficient progress in relation to the recommendations following the last core inspection Councillor Jane Mudd, leader of the council, said: “As both a governor and a local member, I’m delighted that the school is out of special measures as I know how hard the head teacher and his staff have worked to make significant improvements. “They have had the full support of the current governing body as decisions had the best interests…

A visitor to Caldicot leisure centre recently returned to thank the centre’s staff for their quick response when he suffered a potentially fatal medical emergency earlier in the year. Alan Owen of Carmarthen suffered a cardiac arrest while he was at a Walking Football Tournament at the leisure centre on Sunday 3rd April 2022. The immediate intervention of staff and players at the event is credited with saving his life. Alan was given CPR and a defibrillator was used prior to Alan being airlifted to Heath Hospital Cardiff, where he underwent surgery to have an ICD (implanted cardioverter defibrillator) and…

An education setting in Brecon has expanded its provision to support learners aged 6-11 overcome barriers to learning, the county council has confirmed. The New Start Centre, Powys County Council’s Pupil Referral Unit in Brecon, has been providing alternative education provision to secondary school-aged learners since 2014. It supports the individual needs of all learners by offering rich learning experiences and nurturing support so that pupils flourish and grow in all aspects of their development. The centre has now added Key Stage 2 provision for learned aged 6-11 which will enable the council to provide earlier interventions specifically tailored to…

The biggest change to housing law in Wales for decades has today (Thursday, December 1) come into force, bringing greater transparency and consistency to renting a home. Protecting the interests of both landlords and tenants, the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 improves how homes in Wales are rented, managed and lived in. It replaces various, complex pieces of existing legislation and case law and introduces one clear legal framework, providing contract-holders in Wales with greater security than in any other part of the UK. Some of the main changes introduced from today include: All landlords being required to provide a…

LucasFilm’s much anticipated sequel to Willow hits screens this week, making it one in a string of productions to be filmed in Wales with support from Creative Wales. With blockbuster productions from the world’s biggest studios making Wales their home, Creative Wales has reported that spending from brands such as Lucasfilm, Netflix and Bad Wolf has attracted over 22 projects generating over £155.6m into the local economy since Creative Wales’ was established in 2020. Originally filmed in Wales in over 30 years ago, the new series is set to shine a light on some of country’s most magical hidden spots – including…

A demand-responsive, flexible bus service in Blaenau Gwent has seen passenger numbers increase by almost one fifth in the past six months as people explore more sustainable modes of transport. The Fflecsi bus service, which operates as a pick-up and drop-off service, has delivered more than 23,000 journeys since June, after aggregating passengers with similar journey routes together. Passengers must book via the dedicated Fflecsi app or local rate phone line, with journeys often starting near their front door and ending at places like their GP surgery or local shops. Gary Milburn has been a bus driver for over 10…

The search is on to find Wales’ best new businesses with the launch of the StartUp Awards National Series. Now in its second year, the series will shine a light on the flourishing startup scene across the UK which has seen more than 1.2 million new businesses created in the past two financial years alone – equal to one start-up per minute. Last year’s awards saw over 2,500 entries nationally, which were whittled down to 900 finalists that between them generated £300 million annually and employed over 5,000 people. Start-ups are the lifeblood of the economy and as such, the…

Cwmpas, formerly known as the Wales Cooperative Centre, has held its first Employee Ownership Forum. The forum has been set up to allow businesses and companies that have transitioned into employee ownership to gather and discuss how the transition into employee ownership has worked for them as founders, EOT (employee ownership trust) trustees and management. The event, sponsored by Geldards and held at their offices in Cardiff, also offered insight into those company founders who are considering EOT as part of their succession planning and gave them an insight into how it has worked for other Welsh companies. EOT as…

A leading containerised storage company is to open a new self-storage park in Porthmadog as it continues to expand across North Wales. The Lock Stock Self Storage site will be on the Penamser Trading Estate on land next to the town’s Lidl store. The one-acre site will be Denbigh-based Lock Stock’s 26th storage park across North Wales and the borders and will have capacity for over 160 20-foot-long containers. It will be their third storage park in Gwynedd, joining sites in Bangor and Caernarfon, and will be the first in the south of the county. The new storage units, in…

Business confidence in Wales rose 12 points during November to 17%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking – conducted between 1st-15th November, before the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement announcement on Thursday the 17th November. Companies in the country reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up 24 points at 36%.  When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, down one point to -3%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 17%. Welsh businesses identified their top target areas for growth in the next six months as investing in their team (35%), evolving their offering (29%), and investing in sustainability (28%). The Business Barometer, which questions 1,200 businesses monthly, provides early signals about UK economic trends…