Author: Rhys Gregory

ETHICS and an entrepreneurial spirit have been the perfect blend for a talented coffee aficionado who will further expand his business later this year. Patrick White launched Jaunty Goat in Bridge Street, Chester, seven years ago. Focused on providing customers with sustainable, quality coffee and outstanding service, the 30 year-old has since added two more outlets – an animal free vegan cafe of the same name in Northgate Street, and an independent bakery – and will unveil a roastery in the coming months. Backed all the way by law firm Mackenzie Jones, based in St Asaph, Menai Bridge and Chester,…

With building work now complete, many residents have already started moving into a new apartment complex in Swansea city centre. The 33-apartment block being run by Pobl Group forms part of the £135m Copr Bay district developed by Swansea Council. Located on the city centre side of the new bridge over Oystermouth Road, the apartment complex overlooks Swansea Arena and the 1.1-acre coastal park. Some of the apartments benefit from views of Swansea Bay and the coastline. The Copr Bay district is being development managed by RivingtonHark and constructed by Buckingham Group Contracting. Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said:…

A growing coworking and business support hub in Llanishen has appointed its Community Manager as it looks to welcome more members and build on its already thriving community. Adam Sparkes has been appointed as Cwrt Coworking’s Community Manager and will be responsible for finding and supporting new members, sourcing and organising business mentors, arranging events and the general day-to-day running of the space. Cwrt, based in the New Directions building on Cardiff Business Park in Llanishen, is run by coworking and small business experts, Town Square Spaces Ltd (TownSq) which also operates spaces in London, Wrexham, West Sussex, Oxfordshire, Devon…

Dozens of Swansea businesses have benefitted from specialist support to help attract more customers. As part of a Shop Doctor scheme run by Swansea Council, customer experience experts helped over 60 businesses in the city centre, Mumbles and Uplands to identify and address the key issues they face. Funded by the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme, customer experience specialists from a company called Insight6 carried out the scheme to give businesses advice on how best to lengthen the visit times of their customers and encourage return visits in future. Mel Evans, Insight6 customer experience director, said: “We ‘mystery shopped’ many…

Writer and performer Mari Elen has won a British Podcast Award for Gwrachod Heddiw, a Welsh-language podcast she created during lockdown. Mari, who graduated from USW in 2015 from BA Theatr a Perfformio, picked up the title of Best Welsh Podcast at the awards, which showcase the best podcasts in the UK and encourage new audiences to listen. Gwrachod Heddiw, which translates to ‘Witches Today’, celebrates some of the most outspoken women in Wales, known as femme – a term that refers to a queer person whose gender expression is considered to be feminine – by discussing whether they share…

A team of talented Welsh butchers is primed and ready to represent Wales with great pride after an intensive period of training in preparation for the World Butchers’ Challenge in the United States on September 2 and 3. That’s the opinion of Craft Butchery Team Wales co-ordinator Chris Jones, who will be one of the judges at the global competition, which will be contested by 13 countries in Sacramento, California. The Welsh team, who fly out to Sacramento on August 30, will be making their debut at the World Butchers’ Challenge where Celtic cousins Ireland will be defending their title.…

Corris Railway Society’s Model Railway Exhibition returns to Y Plas in Machynlleth on Bank Holiday weekend, August 27and 28 after a Covid-enforced two year break. Visitors will also have a chance to visit the revived section of Corris Railway, running along the Dulas Valley from the station in the village of Corris. The event has been organised by Bill Newton and visitors will be able to see 11 layouts in action, ranging in scale from N to 16 mm. There will also be a static display of models courtesy of the Mid Wales Gauge 1 Association. Visitors will be able…

Dogs Trust Bridgend is searching for a new home for a 22-year-old dog, the oldest dog in their care, who loves listening to classical music. Ty, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier Dalmatian Cross, is described as a ‘terrific older gentleman’ by the team at the rehoming centre who believe he may be the oldest dog Dogs Trust, which cares for around 14,000 dogs every year, has ever taken in. Assistant Manager at the Bridgend centre, Melissa Cook, says: “Ty is a very special dog. Not only do we think he is the oldest dog we’ve ever looked after, but we also…

Noel Mooney, Chief Executive of the Football Association of Wales (FAW), will join Cardiff Breakfast Club for the return of its live speaker events at Glamorgan County Cricket Club on 28 September, sponsored by Darwin Gray. Hailing from Cappamore, Limerick in the Republic of Ireland, Noel is a former League of Ireland goalkeeper playing for Limerick, Cork City and Shamrock Rovers. Following his playing career, he joined the Football Association of Ireland in 2006 where his role was focussed on domestic football, later having the responsibility of marketing the League of Ireland. Noel joined the FAW last summer from UEFA,…

Cats can become strays for a variety of reasons and sometimes cats with owners can be mistaken for strays. It’s important to try and find the owner of any cat you think may be a stray – including placing a paper collar on a cat, creating ‘found’ posters and advertising on social media and other online resources such as Animal Search UK. Many people think to call the RSPCA for help when they see a healthy stray cat in their neighbourhood but the charity, whose focus is on rescuing animals who are sick, injured or being badly treated, would like…