Author: Rhys Gregory

Milford Haven swim coach Makala Jones is about to take on the challenge of a lifetime: to swim the Channel. She will undertake the crossing next month to raise money for The Bluetits Chill Swimmers, who part-funded her open water swim coach training. Makala’s coaching business, Calm Seas, provides swim coaching all over Pembrokeshire, with impressive results – some of her pupils will be swimming a mile in the Long Course Weekend in Tenby at the end of June. Makala has always loved going in the water. As a child she swam breaststroke at a national level, then she fell…

A family run business in the heart of Neath has turned personal tragedy into an opportunity to help others in the community through difficult situations. Co-founded by a mother, daughter and best friend trio, the inspiration to open Magnolia Health & Wellbeing spurred from personal loss in the family when father & husband Richard Booth sadly passed away due to cancer. Magnolia is a health & wellbeing centre helping others to feel their best by bringing together some of the best wellness, spa and beauty professionals that South Wales has to offer. The centre also offers free treatments to people…

Nick Smith MP recently joined up with some of the Openreach engineers that have been busy building a new Ultrafast Full Fibre broadband network across his Blaenau Gwent constituency. He was given a tour of the work, which is making faster and more reliable ‘full fibre’ broadband available to homes and businesses in the local area. Around 30% of premises across the Blaenau Gwent constituency can already benefit from Openreach’s investment which when complete will total around £8 million* and bring some of the fastest and most reliable broadband speeds to the area. The tour started with a quick visit to the Merthyr telephone…

Wales’ first all-female angel investor syndicate has marked its first investment into a new business intelligence platform, supported by the Development Bank of Wales. Women Angels of Wales (WAW) backed Newport-based Talent Intuition and CEO Alison Ettridge with £60,000 into its Stratigens software, a SaaS product which brings together labour market, economics and location data to provide the insight businesses need to shape radically smarter decisions. Headquartered at Tramshed Tech, the business’ customers include major brands such as BP, EY and Netflix. The investment was also backed with £20,000 from Matthew Epps – who came into the deal via the…

A BA Adventure Filmmaking student from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) has collaborated with Western Beacons Mountain Rescue Team to showcase their work. Scott Beckett from Seven Sisters in the Dulais Valley decided to follow the Western Beacons Mountain Rescue Team’s day to day work for a short documentary as part of his coursework. Mountain Rescue has always been an organisation that Scott has greatly admired. When he discovered that he had some time to dedicate to a film project, he decided to produce a video that would not only support his coursework but also an organisation…

In an admirable feat of determination and camaraderie, five members of a Welsh motorcycle club have conquered the gruelling Welsh Three Peaks challenge, raising over £1,500 for Tŷ Hafan Children’s Hospice. The Welsh Three Peaks challenge involves conquering three iconic mountains: Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), Cadair Idris, and Pen y Fan. While the team of bikers are typically known for their adventures on motorcycles, this time they chose to tackle the peaks on foot, relying on physical and mental fortitude to complete their journey. The team from the Neath-based ‘Ride Club’ included Meriel East, a Partner at Hutchinson Thomas Solicitors who…

RSPCA Cymru is calling for more to be done to prevent pets being given out as prizes across Wales – as it is revealed that 83% of people are shocked by the ongoing legality of this practice. The animal welfare charity’s plea follows the results of a survey conducted earlier this month. Data showed that more than four in five adults in Wales agree that local governments in Wales and England should ban the giving of pets as prizes on council-owned land. Twelve of Wales’ local authorities have banned the practice so far, with RSPCA Cymru urging more to take…

For the sixth year running, Principality Building Society has been voted the Best Building Society for Customer Service in the What Mortgage Awards. Principality received the accolade after a 22-week voting period where customers were able to rank all the building societies in the UK. Vicky Wales, Chief Customer Officer at Principality Building Society, said: “It is such a great achievement to receive this award for the sixth consecutive year. It is especially meaningful as it is voted for by our members and customers. We are proud that they value our customer service and this award is a testament to…

Students from Cardiff Metropolitan University have returned from a visit to a school in Rwanda where they got to teach children in Welsh and also learn about the history, culture and different styles of education internationally. During the two week visit, BA (Hons) Primary Education Studies students worked with children from the Educational and Cultural Parents’ School (ECPS) in Rwanda. ECPS first opened in 2009 and was set up by parents who wanted their children to receive a better education than the state funded schools in the area. The school receives no state funding and relies on funding from parents…

This year’s Business Barometer report published by The Open University and the British Chamber of Commerce shows that three quarters (75%) of Welsh business leaders are still experiencing skills shortages, a statistic unwavering since last year’s report findings. The annual report, which provides a temperature check on the UK skills landscape and surveys 130 Welsh employers, also highlights growing concern for staff morale and wellbeing in Wales, with almost three quarters (70%) of employers in Wales reporting an increase in workload for existing staff. The report suggests that employers must now rely on the opportunity to ‘grow your own’ talent…