Author: Rhys Gregory

There are noticeable changes in the real estate industry that have resulted in improved private sales. For this reason, vendors are prompted to steer off the traditional vending tactics and adopt other approaches such as off-market when selling their homes. Off-market sales witnessed an exponential growth of 40% between 2019 and 2021. Property owners who choose discreet sales can do so independently through social media platforms, local community and word of mouth or by accessing a list of potential buyers through estate agents. How to Sell a House Discreetly You can choose to sell your home discreetly through a North…

The Footloose UK Tour has arrived at the New Theatre, Cardiff. If you want a fun time that will get you out of your seat dancing, Footloose at the New Theatre is the perfect show to watch this week! Footloose follows Chicago city boy Ren (played by Joshua Hawkins) when he moves to a new town, Bomont, only to find dancing and rock music are deemed too ‘sinful’ and are in fact against the law. So, taking matters into his own hands, he decides to bring the town back to life through dance, but standing in his way is Reverend…

Business confidence in Wales rose six points during May to 26%, the second consecutive month of growth, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking.    Companies in Wales reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up four points at 31%. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up nine points to 20%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 26%.   Welsh businesses identified a range of growth opportunities for the next six months, including evolving their offering with new products or services (36%), hiring new employees and investing in the development of their existing teams (33%) and introducing new technologies (24%).  The Business Barometer, which questions 1,200 businesses monthly, provides…

Welsh racer Matt Rees demonstrated race-winning performance as the GB3 Championship travelled to Donington Park last weekend (May 28/29), but heavy contact in the opening contest cost a shot at victory. Those memories would be banished in the final race on Sunday afternoon however, as the 16-year-old Sport Wales-backed reigning F4 British champion made up a remarkable 13 positions to fire a warning shot to his title rivals. Showing excellent pace in the two days of pre-event testing, Matt and JHR Developments continued that form, missing pole position in qualifying by just 0.019s having been hampered at the final turn on his…

EMERGENCY workers in Wales are reminding the public to treat them with respect in the face of a continued rise in assaults. The monthly average of emergency worker assaults has increased from 203 in 2019, to 226 in 2020, to 237 in 2021, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.9 per cent. More than 1,440 assaults were committed in the six-month period 01 July 2021 to 31 December 2021, new figures have revealed. The top five most common types of assault were kicking, spitting, verbal abuse, punching and shoving. Among the victims is Joanna Paskell, a paramedic in Barry, Vale of…

A new, fully-funded bursary for people who face barriers to starting a business has been launched across Cardiff. Square One is an initiative funded and run by coworking and small business experts, Town Square Spaces Ltd (TownSq), which also operates Cwrt Coworking, where the support will be based. The support package contains everything an individual needs to start and grow a business, including full-time desk space with high-speed internet access for three months, one-to-one business support, bi-weekly check-in and goal setting sessions, enrolment into the expert-led Startup Club programme and access to networking and special events. To be eligible, individuals…

A new church hall building has been handed over to St David’s Priory in Swansea city centre. The new church hall forms part of the £135m Copr Bay phase one district developed by Swansea Council. Replacing the former church hall at the soon-to-be-demolished Llys Dewi Sant building nearby, the new facility includes a space for events and meetings, an administrative office, a kitchen and toilets. A new café unit to be let by the council is located adjacent to the new church hall. The Copr Bay district has been supported by development managers RivingtonHark, with Buckingham Group Contracting Ltd leading…

A project which was originally started to upcycle bikes in Flintshire has grown into a successful community venture which sees members of the public sharing their practical skills and diverting unwanted household items away from landfill. The ‘Second Chance’ (Ail Gyfle) initiative, based at Abbey Upcycling in Flint, is run by learning disability charity Hft with the support of Flintshire County Council, and provides valuable training opportunities for adults with learning disabilities and autism. Twenty volunteers from the community offer their time and knowledge to teach up to 75 adults with learning disabilities the skills needed to upcycle a variety…

The Development Bank of Wales has invested £1.2 million in Pontyclun-based printing specialist business Reel Label Solutions to fund a shareholder restructure and provide funding for capex investment as the company embarks on a programme of growth led by newly appointed Jonathan Wright as Managing Director. Reel Label Solutions was first established in 2002 by founding Directors Jonathan Wright, Paul Prothero and Chris Duffin.  The investment of £1.2 million is a mixture of debt and equity from the Development Bank with former Sales Director Jonathan Wright becoming the majority shareholder and Managing Director following the exit of Paul Prothero and…

The biggest change to Welsh housing law in decades is coming into force in July and it is changing the way local homelessness charity Emmaus South Wales operates. Homelessness charity Emmaus South Wales has purchased a four-bedroom property in Bridgend to give the people it supports more secure tenancies when the Renting Homes Act comes into force from 15 July 2022. The new house is in addition to the charity’s 18 en-suite bedrooms at its main site in Bridgend, which has a shared kitchen, living room, games room and garden for people who have experienced homelessness. People joining Emmaus sign…