Author: Rhys Gregory

The findings of an informal engagement exercise on plans to transform secondary school in mid Powys have been published, the county council has said. Powys County Council wants to address issues with the current operating model of Ysgol Calon Cymru, a dual stream secondary school operating campuses in Builth Wells and Llandrindod Wells. In 2021 the council had identified a preferred way forward that could address these issued which included: A new 11-18 English-medium campus in Llandrindod Wells; plus A remodelled 4-18 Welsh-medium all-through campus in Builth Wells. Last year, a questionnaire was launched to help the council understand what…

Franco Manca, the latest pizzeria to grace Cardiff has swung open its doors for the very first time in Wales. The restaurant is conveniently located on Church Street opposite St John Baptist Church, and is the latest venue to form part of Cardiff’s unofficial foodie scene. When new restaurants pop up in Cardiff, we are usually first to talk about burgers and who has the best in the city. However, I’m saying it first, Cardiff is now the pizza capital of Wales with the array of pizzerias springing up. So let’s get down to it… What makes Franco Manca different?…

Start-up numbers in Wales fell almost 11% between Q2 and Q3 of this year, according to new research from the Welsh branch of insolvency and restructuring trade body R3. R3’s analysis of data provided by Creditsafe shows 4,500 new firms were set up in Wales in Q3 – a fall of 10.8% from Q2’s total of 5,044. Wales saw the biggest quarter-on-quarter fall in start-up figures across all the UK regions and nations, followed by Yorkshire and Humberside (10% fall), the West Midlands (6.2%) and the South West (5.8%). Start-up figures in Wales have been slowly falling since June and…

A Swansea-based accountancy firm, Lee Coombes Accountancy, has been instrumental in helping leading fin-tech company, Coconut, in the development of a cutting-edge digital accounting application aimed at sole traders. The app is designed to help sole traders streamline and simplify their accounts ahead of a new legal requirement to keep digital records and use software to submit online self-employment tax returns. It follows the mandate for VAT registered businesses to submit online through third-party software this year. The collaboration between Lee Coombes and Coconut to develop the app has come about due to new plans which have been put forward…

Redrow has unveiled its latest development in Newport with the launch of 75 high quality new homes. Nestled in a peaceful residential area, Parc Elisabeth has been named after the late Queen Elizabeth II who began her first official visit to Wales in Newport following her coronation in June 1953. Work on the development is now underway with an assortment of three, four and five bedroom homes due to be built over the next two year period. All are being sold from Redrow’s new sales hub at Great Milton Park in Newport. Andrew Williams is Area Sales Manager for Redrow.…

PureGym, the UK’s largest gym operator, is delighted to announce the opening of a brand new gym in Bangor, North Wales! The opening of the state-of-the-art gym marks the latest step in PureGym’s ambitious expansion plans across the UK and will extend its current provision of flexible, affordable fitness in Wales. Located near to the Menai Centre on Garth Road, PureGym Bangor Wales will open its doors at 12pm on 18th of November. Members will have access to the c. 12,700 sq. ft. gym 24 hours a day, seven days a week through their low-cost, zero-contract memberships that cater for…

Zip World’s three gravity-defying North Wales adventure sites now offer bilingual Key Stage 2 and 3 educational programmes for schools. Designed to support the physics, geography, Welsh and English curriculums, the programmes help pupils understand forces at work in caves, forests, quarries and real-life scenarios. Zip World is Wales’ leading adventure tourism company. Attractions included in the Zip World Schools programme include Quarry Flyer – a tandem ziplining experience for mini adventurers, covering 200m of zip line against the backdrop of the Penrhyn Quarry lake; Bounce Below cavern trampoline park; the Deep Mine Tour – a historical mine walking tour…

Specialist merger and acquisition advisory business GS Verde Group has appointed Gavin Johns as its new Chairman, as the Group embarks on the next phase of its acquisition and growth strategy. A technology entrepreneur with global expertise in fintech, mergers and acquisitions, finance and business scale-up projects, honed through almost three decades in industry, Mr Johns’ skill and experience in scaling disruptive business models, global markets and fast-growing business will be a real asset for the GS Verde Group and its clients. He succeeds Peter Wright, who is stepping down after more than eight years as Chairman of the GS…

After extensive environmental studies and a review of the feedback collected during the early engagement carried out in late 2021, Pennant Walters has announced the launch of its statutory consultation on detailed proposals for Mynydd y Glyn wind farm in Rhondda Cynon Taf. This is the second statutory consultation exercise that Pennant Walters has undertaken in the space of 5 months – the first being that for its wind farm proposals at Mynydd Carn-y-Cefn in Blaenau Gwent, which was held during the summer. The RCT site is located three kilometres to the west of Pontypridd, adjacent to Pre-Assessed Area 9…

Tailoring bespoke training models to plug the widening skills gap in the construction industry has led to one Swansea-based company creating its own careers pathway. Through its ‘Persimmon Way’ philosophy, around 150 new job opportunities have been created both for apprentices starting out on their careers and also for those looking to retrain and enter the construction sector. In partnership with Bridgend College, Persimmon Homes West Wales believes that the organic growth of in-house resource and career progression opportunities is helping the company to recruit and retain the very best local talent and to ensure a sustainable business model. In…