Author: Rhys Gregory

A new development that will turn a former brownfield site in Llantwit Fardre, near Pontypridd, into a neighbourhood of 95 homes has opened to the public. The development, called Coed Derw, is a project by homebuilder Bellway and will include 87 two, three and four-bedroom houses for private sale and eight affordable homes for rent or shared ownership. The first homes were released for sale at the start of October, when a sales office was opened on site. The land, off Llantrisant Road, was once home to the chemical and care product manufacturer Clariant, but it was left vacant after…

Tramshed Tech, ‘The Home of Startups in Wales’, has opened its new co-working hub in Barry’s Goodsheds complex, offering workspaces, business support services and skills training to entrepreneurs, startups and scaling businesses. Since Tramshed Tech opened its first co-working space in Grangetown, Cardiff in 2016, it has developed an award-winning brand and class-leading reputation, supporting a growing community of members. As well as developing an award-winning Startup Academy, Tramshed Tech has secured partnerships with industry leaders across the UK and Europe unlocking an impactful network to their members and delivering access to programmes such as the Barclay Eagle Labs and…

Hodge has strengthened its Board with the appointment of a new Senior Independent Director. In addition to the main Board, Penny will sit on the Audit, Risk and Remuneration committees. Penny Bickerstaff brings financial, operational and advisory experience to the role, as a former Finance Director and Big Four Partner. She has worked closely with FTSE 100 groups including Barclays, Legal and General and Marks & Spencer, and with UK Government departments on issues including audit, risk, strategy, regulation, change and transformation. A chartered accountant, Penny also brings some prior board experience to her new position, having served on several…

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin and Bangor University are leading a six-year project aiming to stop useful energy going down the drain. They have piloted a system that recovers energy from wastewater at Penrhyn Castle and Garden – a fantasy castle and garden owned by National Trust Cymru in north Wales, UK. Using the new technology, the researchers are extracting heat from the hot wastewater flowing out of the kitchens at between 20°C and 55 °C, and use this to preheat the cold water coming into the kitchens. The heat recovery system has been operational since February 2022 at Penrhyn…

Social enterprises across Wales have scooped prestigious awards for making a difference to lives and communities over the past 12 months. The annual 2022 Social Business Wales Awards marked the ninth year of the ceremony, which saw prizes awarded to nine social enterprises and social entrepreneurs from across the country. Winners at the event last week included a credit union that managed to lend more money than ever to people during the cost-of-living crisis, an organisation which restores and recycles bicycles to encourage people to travel on two wheels, and a society which rescued a community’s only pub from closure.…

This year, The Rickshaw Relay Rides Again (1×60), made by BBC Studios for BBC One, will see Matt Baker MBE and a team of five incredibly inspiring young people, all of whom have been supported by BBC Children in Need funded projects, take on a relay-style ride over five days. Each rider will take a section of the journey, travelling through their hometowns and visiting places across the UK which hold a particular significance for them along the way. The Rickshaw Relay will take place between Monday 17th October and Friday 21st October and this year, in a first for…

A Carmarthenshire woman who caused the unnecessary suffering of 24 donkeys has been handed an 18 weeks prison sentence, suspended for two years. It follows a multi-agency operation in February 2021 where 72 donkeys and one horse were taken into possession by police on welfare grounds following veterinary examinations. Zoie Celina Burton of Llanelli, appeared at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 20 September where she pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act. The offences were that she caused unnecessary suffering to 24 donkeys in that she failed to ensure adequate hoof care for them and she did…

Students, staff, alumni and friends of Aberystwyth University gathered on Friday 14th October, to kick the bar on the town’s famous promenade for the founders’ day celebration to mark the institution’s 150th Anniversary. The event marked the latest in a year-long programme of celebrations a century and half after the University welcomed its first students to an unfinished Victorian hotel, later to become the Old College, on the 16th of October 1872. Led by Professor Jamie Medhurst, head of the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies the Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Chancellors Dame Elan Closs Stephens and Elfyn Llwyd, the Founders’…

A stark financial warning has been issued by Cardiff Council which says spiralling inflation, increased demand and lower than anticipated income levels, has left it with a £53m hole in its budget for 2023/24. The potential increase in costs to deliver services like education, social care and waste services is the highest ever seen in a single year by the local authority. The pace and volatility of economic factors is such that its budget gap for 2023/24 has almost doubled, meaning the council will now have to find £53m in savings and income generation next year instead of the £29m…

Things might be going “bump” in the mine next month, as the sensational Halloween Spooktacular returns to A Welsh Coal Mining Experience at Rhondda Heritage Park. On October 29 and 30,  ghosts and ghouls can enjoy an Underground Spooky Tour, Pumpkin Hunt with prizes, arts and crafts , two small funfair rides, crazy golf and lots of Halloween-themed fun. The web of fun will be cast right across the entire site, with lots of decorations and more to ensure an atmosphere that is frighteningly good. Entry to Halloween Spooktacular is £3.50 for participating children (all participating children) and includes the…