Author: Rhys Gregory

The Osmonds: A New Musical does exactly what it says on the tin – it allows the audience to relive the career of one of the world’s biggest boy bands’, made up of five brothers from Utah. Alex Lodge, who gave a spectacular performance as the show’s writer, Jay Osmond, first entered the stage before the show’s opening. Out of character, Alex informed the audience that the cast has had a nightmare of a day; an illness had travelled through the majority of the company, with lead actors down to stagehands out of action for the performance. They considered cancelling…

A LEADING law firm continued its expansion into the North West by opening a new city centre office. Mackenzie Jones Solicitors – which also has sites in St Asaph and Menai Bridge – has taken on premises in Chester. Director Andrew Foley-Jones will be based at the Watergate Street building, along with commercial and real estate solicitor Sara Parry and legal secretary Holly Wilkes. “We have continued to grow post-pandemic, with new clients from the Cheshire region and beyond joining us all the time,” said Andrew, from Prestatyn. “As a result, we decided to strengthen our presence in this area…

The heroes of Wales’ contact centres have been celebrated at the industry’s 24th annual awards ceremony hosted by TV star Richard Ayoade. The 2022 Welsh Contact Centre Awards saw individuals and businesses within the sector hailed for their successes over the past 12 months including achievements like supporting inclusivity and the mental wellbeing of employees. The awards, supported by headline sponsor Jomo People, celebrate a sector that contributes £650m annually to the Welsh economy and employs 32,000 people from 200 businesses across the country. Over 490 guests at the event at the Cardiff City Stadium on Friday, September 30, saw…

Morrisons has launched a mega toy sale, to help customers get their hands on much-wanted gifts for kids and spread the cost this Christmas. Customers can bag themselves up to 50% off must-have toys this year, including L.O.L Dolls, Peppa Pig, Super Mario Kart and Hotwheels. The toy sale is available now in 423 stores while stocks last. Morrisons is offering Peppa Pig’s Wooden Playhouse for £52.50, 50% off the RRP, which is bound to be the perfect gift for her fans. The wooden house comes with Peppa and George wooden figures and each room is kitted out with fun…

A Swansea-based designer who launched her sustainable fashion label during lockdown upcycling old wetsuits destined for landfill is already making waves in the industry with multiple accolades. 23-year-old Ffion McCormick Edwards founded Barefoot Tech with the support of Big Ideas Wales in a bid to tackle the volume of old, unused wetsuits that are adding to the environmental impact caused by landfill. A fond water skier who comes from a family of water sport enthusiasts, Ffion has built a business that centres around her love for the sea and puts sustainability at the heart of the business ethos, reclaiming unwanted…

Cardiff-based software company Method4 is sponsoring the Best Tech Workplace award at the Wales Technology Awards on October 20. The awards, which take place in Mercure Cardiff Holland House Hotel, celebrate the most talented and innovative people in the tech industry in Wales. At the forefront of technological excellence in Cardiff’s vibrant tech scene, Method4 provides innovative software and consultancy services with specialised knowledge of cloud web applications and information systems. Now in its 18th year, the company’s public sector clients include Senedd/Welsh Parliament, Welsh Government, the WJEC, and Education Scotland. It also works for clients such as VocaLink, Mastercard,…

Popular chocolate schools, workshops and tasting experiences have been relaunched by Coco Live at the company’s new premises in Llanidloes. Groups of up to 30 people are welcomed to the Coco Live workshops at Parc Derwen Fawr. The company can cater for families, schools, community groups and organisations as well as for the more serious and ambitious chocolate makers. Chocolate schools were halted for two years during the pandemic, but founder Lori Whinn has relaunched them with plans for a couple of charity workshops, with the proceeds going to Village by Village. The Ghana charity, which works to reduce child…

Welshpool-based manufacturer Trailhead Fine Foods aims to reach more customers by listing five of its range of award-winning Get Jerky snacks with Wales’ leading independent food service wholesaler. Castell Howell Foods, which supplies customers across Wales, the border counties and the South West of England, is providing a new route to market for the premium PGI Welsh Beef jerky snacks, which are high in protein and gluten free. The wholesaler is stocking the Original, BBQ, Spicy Chilli, Black Pepper and  Hot Smoked Chipotle Get Jerky flavours. “We’re always keen to add to our range of Welsh produced foods and Get…

Nearly 50,000 servings of pet food have been distributed across Wales via RSPCA branches since June. The Wales Pet Food Bank involves securing dog and cat food donations from suppliers and then distributing these via RSPCA branches to food banks and organisations across Wales. Recently RSPCA Carmarthenshire Branch have taken part in drop offs to food banks in order for them to distribute donations  amongst pet owners struggling to feed their pets due to the current cost of living crisis. Carmarthenshire branch trustee Tracey Clarke (pictured with rescue poodle Dylan) said they were delighted to be part of the scheme…

Groundworks are now well underway for the new operating theatres at Neath Port Talbot Hospital, which is set to become the health board’s Centre of Excellence for Orthopaedic and Spinal Surgery. This artist’s illustration shows what the impressive entrance to the £6.1m new theatres will look like. They are being erected on land alongside the Minor Injury Unit. Through the summer work was carried out re-routing underground cables and pipework, and engineering work is now underway preparing the foundations, which is expected to last into October. We apologise for the additional noise during this time, but difficult ground conditions have…