Author: Rhys Gregory

Start Up Loans, part of the British Business Bank, has today revealed the top local authorities for start ups across Wales, based on the number of Start Up loans successfully drawn down since 2012 by borrowers in their areas in comparison to other local authorities. Swansea was found to be the top local authority for start ups in Wales, with 568 loans worth over £5.8 million successfully drawn down since 2012, representing 3.7 in every thousand local adults. Swansea also saw the largest number of loans delivered, with an average loan size of £10,345 per loan. Following Swansea’s lead Newport…

The Royal Mint Experience, based in Llantrisant South Wales, has announced its Christmas event will be returning once again this year – transforming the official home of coins into Santa’s magical workshop. Last year’s Christmas extravaganza proved extremely popular among families, with 8,500 tickets being sold over the festive period, making it the busiest December on record since The Royal Mint Experience first opened its doors in 2016. From coins in Christmas stockings to sixpences stirred into Christmas puddings, coins have a long association with Christmas. The centuries old tradition is the inspiration behind this year’s magical Christmas event at…

Wales & West Utilities is announcing plans for a major hydrogen pipeline in south Wales, to accelerate decarbonisation plans for industry and gas customers in the region. HyLine Cymru will assess the feasibility of a pipeline network from Pembroke to the Swansea Bay area, connecting low carbon hydrogen production with industrial demand and providing options for other natural gas customers. If built, the pipeline will pave the way for commercial scale hydrogen production in Pembrokeshire, Port Talbot and in the Celtic Sea, whilst also providing infrastructure for energy intensive industrial customers to begin fuel-switching their processes to hydrogen in the…

A syndicate of nine business angels has joined the Development Bank of Wales and M-SParc in backing local entrepreneur Anna Roberts as she prepares to launch Explorage, an online solution for global storage providers and users. Worth an estimated £48 billion, the global storage market is big business. There are approximately 27,000 new storage bookings each month in the UK yet finding, comparing and reserving the right self-storage is inconsistent and long-winded as many storage facilities don’t have instant booking functionality. Explorage will offer an easy user experience with 24/7 customer support. There will also be an e-commerce facility so…

The Lumineers BRIGHTSIDE World Tour has announced dates in Europe and the UK – including a Friday night headline at Cardiff Castle on July 7th 2023. The BRIGHTSIDE World Tour Europe and UK tour dates announcement is preceded by the band’s successful North American run which saw the group headlining stadiums in the U.S. playing to over 40,000 fans per night – as well as a UK arena tour which included a sold-out date at London’s The O2. “We are so excited to return to Europe and the UK again and to reconnect with our amazing fans. We’ll see you out there!”…

Urgent reforms to the UK’s outdated Business Rates system and inflexible Apprenticeship Levy are essential to support a retail and wholesale industry which underpins economic activity in every town and city across Wales. New research by CBI Economics, conducted on behalf of the CBI and its retail members, reveals retail and wholesale activity is now worth £352billion a year to the UK economy. It supports one in five of the nation’s jobs, with 5.7 million people employed within the sector or its suppliers. In Wales alone, the sector is worth £10.926bn to the economy and sustains 223,408 jobs. That includes:…

The Football Association of Wales has launched its first ever sustainability strategy, ‘Cymru, well-being and the world’, outlining its vision for a “global, local Cymru”, using the power of football to improve the nation’s well-being. With the men’s national team heading to their first World Cup in 64 years, chief executive Noel Mooney said the organisation will put sustainability at the heart of all its decisions and encourage the whole football ecosystem – and the rest of the nation – to follow its lead. The strategy has been developed with the support of the Future Generations of Wales Commissioner, using…

BHF Cymru is appealing to the local community to get involved and donate the gift of time by volunteering in the Newport shop on Commercial Street. Head of BHF Cymru Rhodri Thomas visited the shop to thank members of Lloyds Banking Group Customer Service Team who took part in a volunteer day, meeting staff and regular volunteers who support the charity. Lloyds Team manager Emma-Jane Giles said: “We decided to volunteer for the British Heart Foundation as it is a charity that is close to a lot of our team and has impacted our own families. The work they do…

A woman whose ongoing migraines stopped after her twin sister was diagnosed with a brain tumour is fundraising to find a cure for the disease. Hilary Stockton of Prestatyn in Denbighshire was 18 when she began suffering with painful headaches and a change in vision. Simultaneously her identical twin Hayley Hinds was also suffering with migraines. Hilary went for an eye-test and was referred to HM Stanley Eye Hospital in Abergele and was sent on to Glan Clwyd Hospital A&E in Rhyl, where a scan showed a mass on her brain. She was diagnosed with a low-grade tumour. The next day…

New research has revealed the impact the Covid-19 pandemic had on senior staff in Welsh schools. According to a Swansea University report their wellbeing is not only lower than the UK average but senior leaders also experienced moderate to high stress with more than half displaying depressive symptoms. More than 170 senior leaders from schools across Wales took part in the Covid-19 School Leadership Survey which aimed at exploring the burden and stress that school heads and senior leadership staff experienced during Covid-19. Their responses have now formed the basis of a new report, led by Dr Emily Marchant, from…