Author: Rhys Gregory

Medical device business IQ Endoscopes has secured a £5.2 million investment in a round led by BGF – one of the largest and most experienced investors in the UK and Ireland – alongside existing investor the Development Bank of Wales and a consortium of investors. The funding will help to support the development and roll-out of IQ Endoscope’s ground-breaking medical device which has the potential to revolutionise the early diagnosis of a range of cancers and other gastro-intestinal conditions. Based in Chepstow, South Wales, IQ Endoscopes has created a single-use endoscopy device which is not only cost effective and scalable…

The UK’s go-to online car buying service, webuyanycar, has revealed some of the weird and wonderful items its customers left behind after selling their car in 2022. With over 500 branches nationwide, it’s no wonder the webuyanycar branch managers encounter a few interesting items left behind by motorists, with branch managers saying they come across around five misplaced items each week – that’s almost 130,000* forgotten items a year! From the understandable to the downright shocking, the list includes a lot more than the typical wallets, spare change and charging cables. Perhaps the most astonishing discovery was a baby, which…

Dragon’s Den winners have installed resources at Aberystwyth University’s new Healthcare Education Centre to help educate nursing students about dementia. The company RemPods, which won a £100,000 investment on the BBC TV programme, has created rooms that support vulnerable patients and individuals who have a diagnosis of dementia, including a memory wall, a room that resembles a train carriage and a community room. This is the first time the company’s equipment has been used in a higher education setting and is part of the new £1.7 million healthcare education centre on the University’s Penglais campus. Aberystwyth University’s first ever cohort…

Fast-growing IT and Managed Service Provider Flotek has announced two new senior appointments, as the business accelerates its ambitious and robust growth strategy. Founded in spring last year by entrepreneurial trio Jay Ball, Malcolm Holland and David Middleton, a series of five acquisitions, and a further two planned for Q1 2023, has seen the Flotek Group expand rapidly across the Wales and South West area. Now, the appointments of Phillip Emanuel to Director of Telecom and Craig Jones to Director of IT, follow recent expansion of the senior team and reflect the success of Flotek’s commitment to customer service, bespoke…

Compass Cymru, part of Compass Group UK & Ireland, the UK’s largest food and support services firm, is sponsoring a Welsh student chef’s participation at an international cooking competition in India. Compass Cymru is sponsoring Ben Newcombe from Cardiff, a Level 3 Hospitality student at Cardiff & Vale College, as he represents Wales at the International Young Chef Olympiad 2023. The competition is taking place in India from 31 January – 5 February 2023. At age 17, Ben is the only chef to represent Wales in the competition, battling it out against competitors from 60 other countries for the winning…

Police investigating the death of Darren Moore in Cardiff city centre have arrested a 50-year-old man on suspicion of manslaughter. He remains in police custody and Mr Moore’s family have been updated. Darren Moore, 39, from Newport was found in a lane close to Windsor Place and Park Lane on Sunday evening (January 22). A post-mortem has been conducted and further examinations are now on-going to establish the cause of death Detective Chief Inspector Paul Raikes, from South Wales Police said: “Initial investigations have so far not revealed or confirmed any obvious cause of death, however extensive enquiries are continuing…

AN INNOVATIVE charity is inviting people living with or alongside dementia to share the joy of singing with weekly chorus sessions in the community. Wales-based charity Forget-me-not Chorus (FMNC), hosts weekly singing sessions in care homes, communities and hospitals across the UK to bring the joy of singing to people living with dementia, and those who support them. The format of these sessions is unique, engaging and relaxed. FMNC’s North Wales community sessions are welcoming new members to their Saturday afternoon events at Bodelwyddan Village Hall near Rhyl. Sessions take place every week, and are a fun way to meet…

In line with the sustainable aims of the 21st Century Schools and Colleges Programme, as well as other school investment schemes in Wales, one company has called for school leadership, architects and construction companies to also integrate the principles of the circular economy into the way they plan their interiors. Ministry of Furniture, one of the most forward-thinking suppliers of loose and fitted furniture for schools in Wales, has called on schools to consider a number of exciting techniques that align with the principles of a circular economy. Using such techniques can also help inform and educate pupils These include…

Small firms’ confidence in the final quarter of 2022 plunged to a depth almost on a par with that measured during the second Covid lockdown two years previously, new research from FSB has found. The Small Business Index (SBI)’s headline confidence figure in Q4 2022 fell to -46 points, down from -36 points in Q3 2022, and the lowest such finding since Q4 2020, when it was -49 points. In several individual industry sectors, the confidence reading was particularly low, with retail businesses registering a finding of -83 points, and hospitality firms coming in at -71 points. This is particularly…

Members of Neath Port Talbot Council’s cabinet have given the go ahead for five ‘anchor projects’ paid out of £28.4m of core funding from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). The fund is a central pillar of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda and across Britain provides £2.6bn of new funding for local investment by March 2025. The proposed anchor projects for Neath Port Talbot come under the headings of Place, Valleys and Villages, Sustainable Communities, Enhanced Business Support for Growth & Innovation and Employability. Place projects include the construction of 14 business units within three of our valleys…