Author: Rhys Gregory

Every child and young person in Wales will have free access to a new bilingual digital music platform to help them discover their first musical notes. Charanga Cymru is a digital platform which is now available free of charge to all schools in Wales as a teaching and learning resource to support the National Plan for Music Education. The bilingual platform has been developed through partnership work between the Welsh Government, Charanga and the Welsh Local Government Association. To help teachers become familiar with the new platform, a resource pack for six weeks of work will be provided initially for…

Adwaith has won £10,000 at this year’s Welsh Music Prize for Bato Mato (Libertino Records), becoming the first band ever to have won the prize twice. Adwaith, from Carmarthen, Wales, were thrilled when accepting the £10,000 prize at the ceremony, presented by BBC Radio 1 presenter Sian Eleri. The band said: “We’re absolutely ecstatic. We were not expecting it whatsoever! To win a second time – and the first people to have won it twice, is just amazing and we’re very grateful.” The Welsh language indie rock group, formed in 2015, consists of Hollie Singer, Gwenllian Anthony, and Heledd Owen. Bato Mato was released in July…

A medical device manufacturer in Cardiff has expanded its business into the Middle East for the first time after securing a contract in the region with the help of the Welsh Government. Eakin Surgical, which produces high-quality, single-use surgical instruments from its site in Llanishen, set its sights on entering the Middle East market as part of the company’s strategy to grow its global presence and sales through exports. The company has appointed a new distributor in the region after attending the Arab Health exhibition in Dubai as part of a Welsh Government trade mission. The deal will see Eakin…

Principality Building Society has completed a new deal for Caredig, a Swansea based housing association worth £26m, which will help them to deliver their ambition of building 700 new affordable homes in South Wales by 2030. Caredig (formerly known as Family Housing) manages over 2,897 high quality affordable homes, providing a range of services, with a core focus on social housing. Established in 1975, Caredig develops and manages social housing accommodation for general needs, older persons and extra care across five local authority areas in South West Wales and also provides care and support services. A socially focused organisation, Caredig…

Here’s how the site of the former Llys Dewi Sant building now looks as its demolition paves the way for the further transformation of Swansea city centre. The site forms part of the overall Swansea Central North development site that will be redeveloped by regeneration specialists Urban Splash and Milligan. Before its demolition, the former Llys Dewi Sant building had most recently been used as a site office for the £135m Copr Bay district developed by Swansea Council and development managed by RivingtonHark. Once detailed proposals are in place for the overall Swansea Central North development site, plenty of opportunities…

Cardiff headquartered digital marketing agency, Spindogs, has acquired a Pembrokeshire firm in a deal that will bolster the company’s development capabilities and put the business on track to reach a targeted £4m turnover. Newport, Pembrokeshire-based United Studios employs seven staff and specialises in e-commerce website solutions and Wordpress development for clients including: Cardigan Bay Brownies, Bluestone Brewing Company, Walter Rose & Son Butchers and high-end Italian bike manufacturer Pinarello Bikes. Set-up by Byron Rees in 2008, the United Studios team will transfer to Spindogs with immediate effect with Byron taking on the role of solutions architect across the whole agency.…

From November 7th – 13th Cardiff Sherry Week will bring the delights of a deliciously versatile and underrated wine to bars and restaurants around Cardiff. Now in its ninth year, International Sherry Week is an annual festival that brings together a vibrant worldwide community of Sherry-lovers, to celebrate one of the oldest wines in the world.In the UK, Sherry Week is mainly celebrated in London, with only a small number of Spanish bars and restaurants outside the capital joining in. But this year, the team behind Curado Bar and Vermut Bar in Cardiff have convinced a host of independent venues to join them…

A landscape architect turned liqueur maker from Skewen has established an artisanal liqueur business inspired by the slow food movement, linking the pleasure of using traditional methods, sustainable ingredients and slow consumption for maximum taste. Emily Richards, 32, launched Caru Spirits in April 2022. The company makes sustainably-produced brandy liqueur for distribution to local markets, online alcohol retailers including Amazon, and independent shops in Wales such as the Loafley Bakery and Deli in Tenby. Sense of place, and the ability to create a connection with a place, has always been important to Emily, thanks in part to her job as…

Fit-out, design and build specialists Paramount has today announced the appointment of Richard Jones as Chief Executive Officer in a move that will accelerate the company’s growth. Richard has been elevated from his role as Managing Director, which he had held since November 2017, into a newly-created post that reflects the Cardiff-headquartered firm’s growth since he joined the business 15 years ago, before acquiring Paramount in a 2018 management buyout. Helen Bartlett, who joined the company as a receptionist in 1998 with a degree in Interior Architecture, has been appointed as his successor, having previously operated as Design Manager for 11 years…

A spooky augmented reality Halloween Trail around some of Cardiff’s most popular parks and green spaces has launched on the new Love Exploring App. The free App, which is available to download from the Apple App Store and via Google Play, includes a range of informative trails, and fun augmented reality games around Roath Park, City Hall Lawns, Bute Park, Forest Farm, Parc Cefn Onn, and Cardiff Bay. Cabinet Member for Culture, Parks and Events, Cllr Jennifer Burke-Davies, said: “The Love Exploring app is a great way for people to get to know Cardiff’s parks and green spaces better and…