Author: Rhys Gregory

Another round of rail strikes will affect services on Saturday 19, Monday 21, and Saturday 26 November. On these days train services on many parts of the GWR network will be disrupted. Trains on the days following the industrial action may also be disrupted. On Saturday 19 and Monday 21, train services operating through the Thames Valley between London Paddington and Bristol will be disrupted. All other areas of the GWR network will continue to operate as normal. Where train services are affected, a reduced service will operate between 07:30 and 18:30, and the last trains will be earlier than…

After growing up in London and Brighton, Tashka and Krystn Yeomans – directors of Warehaus Signs in Mochdre – moved to North Wales with their mum Lynn as teenagers to begin a new life in Conwy. Sadly, Lynn passed away while they were studying at university, leaving them to raise younger brother and sister Mielan and Caedia, who were just teenagers at the time. After completing their studies in Fine Art and Marine Biology respectively, Tashka and Krystn began working with a friend in the design industry, creating props and unique items, before deciding to take the plunge and go…

Festive celebrations are going underground at a former Mid Wales slate mine this December. From December 2 to 23, people looking for a pre-Christmas adventure with a difference will be able to visit the unique underground workings of the old Braich Goch Slate Mine at Corris, near Machynlleth. The exciting trips, run by Corris Mine Explorers, will allow visitors to step back in time by following the route of entry hand dug by Victorian miners nearly 180 years ago. A sprinkling of Christmas magic will be thrown in too as they explore and discover. The festive underground adventures are for…

Illustrate Digital, a UX design and WordPress agency headquartered in Cardiff, has appointed two new members to its senior team. Ian Brown will take on the role of Head of Development and Jonny Allbut has been appointed Head of Experience. Former operations lead, Ian Brown, initially joined the business as a junior Backend Developer in 2017, having previously spent 16 years running supermarkets for a big brand retailer, but had been coding in his spare time from the age of seven. In 2015, he took on an Open University degree in Computer Science and began a longstanding career in web development.…

BHF Cymru has thanked rural communities across Gwent and Monmouthshire for their support at a Family Fun Day which raised £1,000 for the charity. The Wentwood Young Farmers group organised the event with an afternoon of family games, competitions and street food. On behalf of Wentwood YFC, Nerys Lewis thanked the Willett family for hosting and said: “We’re very pleased to have raised £1,000, which will help the BHF create new treatments and discover new cures for heart and circulatory diseases. Thank you to everyone who came along and donated to this wonderful cause.” In Wales 340,000 people are living…

Chloe Evans, 30, from Pencoed in Wales will appear on Channel 4’s Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Thursday 17th November. The food producer owns Lilo’s Handmade, which creates artisan pasta in unique colours and flavours. Chloe was picked from hundreds of applicants competing for a life changing contract to stock Aldi stores nationwide. Hosted by Anita Rani, of Countryfile and BBC Radio 4 and Chris Bavin, of Britain’s Best Home Cook and Eat Well for Less, the six-part series sees suppliers compete in categories such as dinners, baked goods, treats and store cupboard essentials. Products are presented to Julie Ashfield,…

When Jayne Young’s employer shut up shop in the aftermath of Covid, she decided to take the plunge and relaunch the business herself. And now, her impressive new hair salon Crowning Glory in Tredegar is proving a great success and playing a part in the rejuvenation of the town. Jayne spent £3000 refurbishing the premises in Commercial Street, reorganising the space to make it more efficient and welcoming for customers, and allowing for expansion in the future. The previous business had focussed more on beauty than hair-styling and Jayne thinks the balance is now right. “It was beauty services that…

The Development Bank of Wales was among a number of global backers which supported international fintech startup AGAM in a recently-closed funding round. Headquartered in Cardiff, AGAM aims to revolutionise lending, delivering an AI-based credit scoring service to people without a credit history or those looking to secure small loans. AGAM – meaning “advance” in Bangla – uses an algorithm based on an individual’s financial literacy, access to finance, resilience and confidence to judge their suitability for borrowing, and also provides modules on financial education to help boost their credit scores. Its digital nano-loans service platform, PrimeAgrim, was successfully piloted…

Principality Building Society has reaffirmed its commitment to paying the real Living Wage to its colleagues by becoming an accredited employer by the Living Wage Foundation. After listening to feedback from its colleagues across the organisation about the difficulties they are facing in to as a result of the cost of living crisis, Principality has also announced it will focus pay increases for lower paid roles this year, to support people as prices continue to spiral. The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate that is voluntarily paid by over 11,000 UK businesses who believe their staff deserve a wage…

Fans of Marco Pierre White will be licking their lips this Black Friday with the chance to snap up a special offer that will enable them to purchase a £100 voucher for just £60. Redeemable across the Marco Pierre White Restaurants estate*, including his Cardiff and Swansea Steakhouses, provides unbelievable value for money for those wanting to treat foodie friends or family or just to spoil themselves and have a delicious meal out – especially during the current cost of living crisis. With Black Friday having now become the annual shopping bonanza that sees bargain hunters snap up unbelievable offers,…