Author: Rhys Gregory

A NEW independent ultrasound clinic will help alleviate lengthy waiting times and ease pressure on GPs, physiotherapists and hospital staff in North Wales. After more than five years living and working in Australia, Dr Tom Constantine has moved back to the UK and opened a diagnostics company in his hometown of Colwyn Bay. Employing local sonographers, Coastal Medical Imaging aims to provide support from a modern, leading-edge facility in Abergele Road. Referred patients will receive their results within days rather than months, as Tom and the team use innovative technology and software to conduct non-obstetric ultrasound scans of musculoskeletal areas…

An innovative partnership between Cardiff-based health and wellness provider The ION Group and Space2B at The Maltings, will see the launch of an onsite 300sq m ION class-based fitness facility at the historic location. Founded by former Wales and Cardiff Blues Rugby player Robin Sowden-Taylor, The ION Group will deliver an exciting timetable of functional fitness circuit sessions, with a range of other health and wellness support packages also available to Space2B’s office members. With an increased focus on businesses’ care of their teams’ health and wellness, Space2B have pledged to deliver unrivalled support for office members and co-working partners.…

Wales’ most exciting new businesses have been shortlisted as part of a brand new awards programme. The StartUp Awards National Series has been launched to recognise the booming startup scene across the UK which has accelerated since the pandemic began. In 2020, when most of the world was shutting down, more than 400,000 startups were set up in Britain, with similar increases seen in other European countries. This marked boost in newfound entrepreneurship is mirrored by a huge 2,500 applications which have been received in response to the Startup Awards National Series’ first ever call for entries. The Wales startups…

April 14 – the first ever National Laverbread Day – is fast approaching. Founded by Jonathan Williams, founder of the Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company and the award-winning street food outlet Café Mor, National Laverbread Day is all about celebrating seaweed – specifically laver, a seaweed that is common on the UK’s coastlines and is cooked up to make the Welsh delicacy, laverbread (a glutinous, dark green gloop that tastes delicious). Jonathan’s business is built on a passion for laverbread, and seaweed in general, and he’s made it a mainstay of his menu at Café Mor for over a decade. Touring…

Cardiff’s popular entertainment hub, The Red Dragon Centre, is bringing the great outdoors indoors this April, with a range of fun and educational nature activities for families to enjoy. Working with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Cymru, The Centre will be installing its specially created Tweet Tree filled with sounds of some of the UK’s greatest songbirds to bring joy to visitors this spring. The Tree will also be filled with a range of different birds for children to find and learn about. As well as spreading the happiness with its songs of spring, the music…

An animal bedding company that champions the mental health and wellbeing of its staff has given every member of the team a £1,000 Covid bonus. Family firm Platts Agriculture says it’s a way of saying thank you to the workforce for their “incredible help” in navigating the problems thrown up by the pandemic. The Wrexham-based company overcame a whole host of difficulties to achieve a 6.5 per cent hike in turnover, with the number of staff rising from 54 to 62. It has also set up two new stand-alone sister companies, haulage operation Platts Transport and Platts Commercial Services which…

A rogue builder who duped four victims out of just under £15,000 has been sent to prison for three years. Alan John Freeman, 63, from Mynachdy in Cardiff, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court, last Friday, March 25th. Freeman, operating through the company name, ‘Alexander Building Maintenance’ – requested a significant deposit from his victims for work to their homes, often carrying out work without the correct qualifications or a licence from Natural Resources Wales to remove waste from their property. In all four cases, Freeman quoted a ‘very reasonable price’ for the work, with half of the cost being…

Neath Port Talbot Council is launching a new Property Development Fund covering Harbourside, Baglan Energy Park and Baglan Industrial Estate. The fund will seek to encourage and enable development in the town’s former docklands. It will be used to fund the financial gap between the high construction costs of commercial/industrial buildings and the completed end market value of the properties. The fund can also be used for building refurbishments on the three eligible sites. The property development fund (PDF) will specifically target the research, development and innovation sectors, with the aim of creating jobs. Eligible schemes will be awarded up…

The School Sport Survey which began in 2011 gives children and young people the opportunity to have their say on sport. Every school in Wales is invited to take part in the School Sport Survey and aims to identify young peoples’ attitudes, behaviours and opportunities in sport during school, extra-curricular and community provisions. The survey helps to understand who, where and how often young people are taking part in sport. The use of pupil voice provides an invaluable level of insight that can be used to positively influence the health and wellbeing of children. The results from previous surveys have…

Monmouthshire’s first Library of Things opens its doors in Monmouth on April 1st. It allows people to borrow things that they need but don’t own, saving money and space in their homes. This includes equipment for entertainment, household items or garden tools. It also allows residents to donate things they no longer need, helping to reduce waste, all whilst meeting and sharing knowledge and skills with others. Monmouth’s Library of Things is named Benthyg Monmouth, benthyg being the Welsh word meaning to borrow or lend.  Benthyg Cymru and local community groups have trained up a team of local volunteers who…