Author: Rhys Gregory

Although the pandemic undoubtedly made it much harder for many budding entrepreneurs and small businesses to get off the ground and survive, the number of entrepreneurs willing and brave enough to take that leap soared. The pandemic seemingly created just the right conditions for entrepreneurship to flourish. With many people working from home and taking time to reflect on the big questions, answers came in the form of innovation, passion and drive. Twill’s ‘Breaking free from the 9-5’ interview series sheds light on some of the important steps needed to start a new business. 1. Be open to learning There…

Christmas in Cardiff was in full swing last night, as the Definitive Rat Pack brought its sell-out set to St David’s Hall. Audience members were treated to a little taste of Vegas on a cold winter’s evening in Cardiff. It may sound a little cheesy, but with the frosty weather outside, it gave the perfect backdrop to some very iconic Christmas tunes performed by the Rat Pack trio. On stage, you will have find the very charming and talented Stephen Triffitt as Frank Sinatra, Mark Adams as Dean Martin, bringing his own camaraderie to the role, and the witty tiptoeing…

As temperatures plummet, and with snow, ice and fog in many UK areas, RSPCA Cymru is urging people across Wales to follow its urgent advice and 15 top tips to keep pets, livestock and wildlife happy and healthy this winter. With a Met Office yellow warning for snow, ice and fog in many parts of the UK until Thursday (15 December) – and temperatures having recently plummeted across Wales – the animal welfare charity is calling on people to do their bit to help animals. RSPCA pet welfare specialist Dr Sam Gaines said: “It’s really important we help our animal…

Businesses in Wales have welcomed the news that the Welsh Government has responded to FSB’s calls and announced a new package of support to ease business rates over the course of the next two years.     The upcoming draft Welsh Government Budget will see the non-domestic rates multiplier frozen for 2023-24 to combat inflationary pressures on firms, in addition to a transitional relief for all ratepayers whose bills increase by more than £300 following the UK-wide rates revaluation in April.    The Welsh Government also announced that those within the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors will receive 75% non-domestic rates relief for…

Orbis Education and Care has appointed Lisa Cowles in a new role for the organisation as its Head of Clinical Services. Orbis is one of the UK’s leading providers of specialist schools and homes, supporting children and adults with complex needs associated with autism. Lisa’s new role will see her manage all aspects of Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Positive Behaviour Support, Psychiatry and complimentary therapies. Lisa, from Caerphilly, originally joined Orbis Education and Care in 2012 as an Occupational Therapist herself. She was promoted to Head of Therapies in 2018 and was given oversight of a multi-disciplinary clinical…

Allens Caravans is expanding its footprint of caravan parks across England and Wales, after securing a £12.5million funding package from Lloyds Bank. Allens Caravans provide a wide range of luxury holiday home and permanent residential accommodation at eight highly sought-after countryside and coastal locations. In the latest phase of its expansion, the business has widened its presence using the seven-figure loan from Lloyds Bank to complete the acquisition and development of two new flagship sites in Aber Bay in Wales and Bredon View in Worcestershire. Since the site developments began, the business has expanded its workforce, adding eight people to…

Tickets are now on sale for The 2023 Senior Open Presented by Rolex, which takes place from July 27-30, 2023, at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club, Wales. Europe’s Senior Major Championship returns to Royal Porthcawl for the first time since 2017 and fans can now take advantage of Early Bird tickets to see some of the biggest names in over-50s golf in Mid Glamorgan. Tickets start at £15 for adults, £10 for juniors aged 12-17, while tickets for under 12s are completely free. Fans are urged to act now to avoid disappointment there are only a limited number of Early Bird…

New research reveals just 1 in 3 pregnant women in Wales would have Covid-19 vaccination A new study led by researchers at Swansea University has revealed that potentially only one in three pregnant women in Wales would actually have the Covid-19 vaccine during pregnancy, even though two in three said they would have the jab. Vaccine hesitancy is an important consideration among vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women especially during the pandemic.  The study, led by the Born in Wales team at the National Centre for Population Health & Wellbeing Research in collaboration with Bristol Medical School and Public Health…

Deloitte in Wales has donated 250 laptops to three Cardiff schools since the firm first committed to donating the firm’s used laptops in 2021. During this time Deloitte has donated a total of 6,865 laptops to schools, charities and community groups across the UK. Over half (3,600) of the reconditioned laptops have been donated to pupils from 58 schools across the UK, including 100 each to Fitzalan High School and Eastern High School and 50 to Willows High School, all of which are Deloitte 5 Million Futures partner schools  All the schools are in Cardiff – Fitzalan High School in…

Young entrepreneur Will Kinder has been announced as the Managing Director of The Kingsward Group following a management buy-in that has enabled the founding directors to retire. Margaret and Alan Keetch have sold the Ferndale-based metal fabrication business that they established in 1990 to 32 year old Will Kinder, previously a Director of engineering company Aluqo which is a customer of the Kingsward Group. Funding for the management buy-in was provided by the Development Bank of Wales with a mix of debt and equity alongside the growth and working capital provider, Growth Lending. Employing 25 people on the Oaklands Business…