Author: Rhys Gregory

It will see thousands of athletes, supporters and spectators enjoy the 2023 World Triathlon Para Series Swansea (15 July) and IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea (16 July). The inaugural events ran back-to-back this year in early August and were hailed by many as a huge success. Next year’s events will be held on the weekend of July 15-16, before the school summer holidays start – and will kick-start the area’s peak tourism period. As with 2022, the weekend will follow a week-long Disability Sport Wales Para Sport Festival with accessible participation opportunities in activities such as swimming, cycling and running. The World…

Coffee Barker is expanding to the heart of Mumbles, with a new cafe located on the busy Mumbles high street opposite Joe’s ice cream and other retailers in the village. The sister business of Gin & Juice Mumbles, Coffee Barker will be an espresso-bar cafe with comfy leather seating for around a dozen customers inside. Outside an additional 30 Parisian-style seats sit under giant awnings with heaters to create a relaxed, continental atmosphere. Coffee Barker will open on Wednesday, 28 September and to welcome new customers, on the opening day, everyone can claim a free sit-in or takeaway coffee. Coffee…

People buying homes with a Wales Postcodes for less than £225,000 will pay no tax, under new measures announced by the Finance Minister. The threshold for paying Land Transaction Tax is being increased from £180,000 and the change will come into force from 10 October. There will also be a small increase in the rate of Land Transaction Tax for homes that cost more than £345,000. The move is intended to ensure that the threshold for paying tax reflects the rise in prices of homes over the last two years. People buying homes under £225,000 will not pay any Land…

Goliath is one of the first VR experiences being shown in Bocs, the Wales Millennium Centre’s brand new immersive theatre space that’s a first for Wales. Earlier this year, the centre unveiled Bocs (Welsh for ‘box’) and launched with a season of programmes including 360° films and projections, as well as extended reality (XR) experiences – including augmented reality, mixed reality and virtual reality (VR). Goliath arrives following Ripplies of Kindness, a communal VR experience that tells the story of the Amiri family who fled from Afghanistan to Cardiff.  David Massey, Senior Producer (Digital Experiences) at the Wales Millennium Centre hopes…

Providing vital support to Welsh start ups during a challenging economic period, the British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme has expanded to include start-ups that have been trading for up to three years and second Start Up Loans are now available to eligible businesses that have been trading for up to five years. The programme previously provided finance to start ups which had been trading for up to two years. Start Up Loans’ expansion follows the 2021/22 Spending Review, at which the government made the commitment to provide 33,000 loans to the programme over the next three years. The…

Family-run Welsh housebuilder, Llanmoor Homes, has partnered with United Welsh Housing Association at their Bedwas development to provide 60 Affordable homes to families across South Wales. As part of their Cae St Barrwg development and ongoing contribution to providing Affordable housing, Llanmoor Homes have already built 36 Affordable homes on the site. A combination of two and three-bedroom homes will be provided, with each home featuring a private driveway and an energy-efficient heating system. Residents will also benefit from an NHBC ten-year warranty and exceptional build quality. Tim Grey, Sales Director of Llanmoor Homes said: “The delivery of Affordable social…

Mavericks Wales has won a contract to host a series of classic car and motorbike auctions. The Holywell based community-owned company, which started out five years ago as a specialist motorcycle repair and restoration business, is expanding its events and hospitality service. Specialist auction house Hampson Auctions has chosen the North Wales venue to hold two auctions of classic, modern classic and prestige cars and motorbikes before the end of the year. The first auction takes place on Wednesday, September 28th at 1pm with a second event to follow on Tuesday, November 29th at 1pm. Other events that have been…

Principality Building Society has awarded £117,000 between 24 charities who give support to young people in some of the most vulnerable and financially deprived communities across Wales. The largest building society in Wales received almost 100 applications and awarded grants of up to £5,000 each for projects for its Future Generations Fund to encourage young people to prepare skills for their future world of work, personal finances, finding employment, and living more sustainable lives. Successful charities included Valleys Kids, Bullies Out, Autistic Minds LTD, Welsh Air Ambulance, Caerau Community Growers, and the award-winning Stephenson & George Centenary Charitable Trust in…

A new report from Aston University and NatWest, which was sponsored by the Welsh Government has found the Covid pandemic created new opportunities for Welsh entrepreneurs in 2021. The latest Global Entrepreneurship Team (GEM) report, based on a sample of just over 10,000 individuals, found that almost one in three working age individuals were either engaged in entrepreneurial activity or intended to start a business within the next three years. GEM is the world’s largest survey of entrepreneurship and is the only global research source that collects data on entrepreneurship directly from individual entrepreneurs. It measures various rates of entrepreneurship…

Famed chef and restaurateur Marco Pierre White was in Swansea earlier in the week visiting his Steakhouse restaurant which is located in the SA1 area of the city. He dined with friends at the popular harbour side venue during a visit to South Wales where he caught up with both the kitchen and serving staff to chat about menus, service levels and new dishes. Ellie Boer, restaurant manager said: “It’s always great to see Marco visit us here in Swansea. “He spent a lot of time with our head chef John (Taylor) discussing new menu ideas and dishes and what he thought about the new Autumn…