Author: Rhys Gregory

Sweet-toothed music lovers will be fizzing with joy at the world premiere of a new composition inspired by popping candy. The tasty piece has been written by acclaimed composer Guto Pryderi Puw and will be one of eight new works being premiered at Bangor Music Festival next month. Popping candy is a confectionery item that reacts by bubbling on contact with the moisture found on the tongue or lips. First created in 1956 by an American chemist, it was the result of a failed attempt to produce a ‘tablet’ to make an instant carbonated drink. Guto, who is also the…

Peter Lynn and Partners Solicitors have helped facilitate the sale of a regional franchise of Pass the Keys – the award-winning Airbnb property management company. Pass the Keys Swansea was, until recently, run by local property expert Hannah McCartan, founder and owner of McCartan Lettings however after growing the franchise, she decided the time was right to hand it over to a new team. “Pass the Keys has been an amazing part of my business life,” said Hannah. “I’m so proud of what I started here in Swansea and am blessed to have met some wonderful people along the way, both…

rom anticipated Welsh language horror, Gwledd, set in the hills of Snowdonia, to the transgender community of New Delhi in documentary Hijra – eight eclectic films are set to bring Welsh talent and stories to the big screen in 2022. The eight films offer audiences a chance to discover something new about Wales, from unknown local Welsh stories such as the fight to save The Lyric cinema in Carmarthen (Save the Cinema), through to global narratives of the African National Congress told through the eyes of Welsh storytellers like Gordon Main and John Giwa-Amu (London Recruits). Through their Made in Wales strand, Film Hub Wales (FHW) are working with distributors, Welsh cinemas and film festivals to promote films to wider audiences.   Hana Lewis,…

ProCare Wales, the Denbighshire-based provider of care and support services within the community, has launched an ambitious recruitment drive, as it prepares to open its third residential site in early 2022. The organisation, which is celebrating its 20th year in business, is looking to create more than 70 jobs within the region over the course of the next six months, with 15 jobs immediately available at its existing residential locations in Rhuddlan and Conwy. The support worker roles will be based at both Plas Llorna and Arnold House – two unique residential settings for adults, aged 16 to 64, who…

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has written to ASDA regarding the supermarket’s decision to step away from its pledge to source 100% fresh British beef just weeks after implementing the pledge. The letter comes after farmers from across Wales contacted the union to express their anger and disappointment. The FUW has met with representatives from ASDA on a number of occasions throughout the pandemic to discuss the importance of supporting Welsh and UK producers at a time when global food supply chains were most volatile. Therefore, the commitment to source 100% British dairy, potatoes and fresh beef following the…

COLEG CAMBRIA served up career opportunities for two talented former students. Owain Jones and Bradley Wilford have joined the team at Cambria’s popular Ial Restaurant in Wrexham. Owain, 21, is now working as a sous chef having completed the Level 3 Hospitality and Catering course at Yale. Chef de Partie Bradley, 20, is a graduate of the same diploma. Both hit the ground running having gained valuable experience with head chef Barry Langston at the Wimbledon tennis championships last summer. “I was here as a student when the restaurant opened, so to now be employed here is fantastic, it’s a…

Further funding is available for businesses impacted by the latest restrictions arising from the coronavirus pandemic. Denbighshire County Council is helping to administer the Welsh Government’s Emergency Business Fund – January 2022. Under the latest package of support, retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses who pay Non Domestic Rates will be entitled to a payment of £2,000, £4,000 or £6,000 depending on their rateable value. Applications for this element of the fund open from January 13. A discretionary portion of the fund is also available to sole traders, freelancers and taxi drivers who are able to apply for £500 and…

The FinTech Wales Foundry, the flagship accelerator program by FinTech Wales, has today announced the nine FinTech startups accepted into its 2022 Accelerator. The 12-week, no equity programme, titled The Foundry: Validate Raise & Scale, is the only accelerator of its kind in Wales, with an explicit focus on helping founders overcome the challenges of validating, fundraising, and scaling a new venture successfully. After a rigorous interview process, the Foundry and its sponsors Principality Building Society, Admiral Financial Services (AFSL), and Cardiff Capital Region City Deal, extended offers to nine startups from across the UK and Europe, who will begin…

HUNDREDS of graduates from an esteemed leadership programme are to form an exclusive networking club sharing advice and best practice in business. Plans for the group – made up of 20Twenty Business Growth Programme alumni – include access to free ‘Wisdom Labs’ and training focused on topics such as sustainability and employee wellbeing. The sessions will feature key speakers and representatives from different sectors, beginning with a wellbeing workshop series at Xplore Science Discovery Centre in Wrexham this month. Other workshops include Goals and Purpose, New Mindset – Emotional Control, and Your Individual Wellbeing Plan. Business Development Manager Jackie Whittaker…

Insurance broker Gallagher has donated £2,000 to Wrexham-based Nightingale House Hospice, as part of the firm’s community support programme. The donation, by the Gallagher team based in Chester, was made through the firm’s Gallagher Community Fund scheme, a nationwide initiative which invites colleagues to nominate charities to receive funding. Founded in 1986, Nightingale House Hospice provides respite and palliative care for patients living within North East Wales and the border areas, who suffer from life-limiting conditions. The hospice operates a 12- bed inpatient ward, a patient day care unit and an outpatient clinic, as well as providing a range of…