Author: Rhys Gregory

A major part of a £700,000 drainage project in Ystalyfera which will reduce the flood risk to residents of the Varteg Estate has now been completed. While further improvement and reinstatement work continues, a new 140 metre culvert connection is now in place and providing drainage for the estate. It is expected the scheme, which began in Autumn this year, will be completed early next year by Neath Port Talbot Council’s contractors for the project, Jones Brothers (Henllan Ltd). The Welsh Government funded work, aimed at stopping surface water backing up in Varteg Road during periods of high rainfall, will…

Age Cymru’s chief executive Victoria Lloyd says we must all play our part in supporting older people in 2022. As we say goodbye, or even good riddance, to 2021 it seems highly likely that older people in Wales will continue to face more tough challenges as we enter 2022.   Loneliness and isolation, spiralling fuel costs, and of course the worry of the Omicron variant of the Corona virus, are all contributing to what may be a difficult start to 2022.  Our research showed that nearly 87,000 older people in Wales expected to spend Christmas day alone, while an estimated 200,000 older people reported…

FSB Urges Welsh Government to go Further on Business Rates Support to Meet Rising Omicron Threat to Welsh Businesses. Commenting on the news that Welsh Government are to extend the Business Rates holiday in Wales next year with a reduction of 50% off rate bills for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, Ben Francis, Policy Chair at FSB Wales stated: “While it’s welcome that Welsh Government has acknowledged FSB concerns about the need to continue to support businesses through the Business Rates system, it seems clear from the gathering economic clouds and the significant problems already being experienced by business in…

The National Elf Service has brought some festive cheer to young patients on the children’s ward in Morriston Hospital. As it’s the busiest time of the year for Father Christmas, he could not make the journey to Morriston to meet them in person. Instead Santa spoke to them via a live video link from his North Pole workshop – and arranged for some elves to be there to hand out Christmas presents on his behalf. Children who were not well enough to go to the playroom where the link had been set up did not miss out either. The live…

Business confidence in Wales fell one point during December to 36%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Companies in Wales reported higher confidence in their own prospects month-on-month, up three points at 47%.  When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, down six points to 24%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 36%. The Business Barometer, which questions 1,200 businesses monthly, provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide. The survey captured responses between 26th November and 10th December. The first two cases of Omicron in the UK were confirmed on 27th November and nations began announcing the reintroduction of restrictions in the week commencing 6th December. A net balance of…

A trailblazing child safety centre has reached a major milestone in its history – welcoming its 100,000thvisitor. DangerPoint, established in 2005, is an interactive centre for schools and youth groups where young people can work through real-life scenarios to understand risk and learn how to keep themselves safe. The Talacre-based centre is designed like a film set, where visitors can travel from home to the beach, countryside, playground and a host of other settings to explore dangerous scenarios, including cyberbullying and keeping safe online. New displays include one about equality and diversity and another one about being environmentally friendly by…

New Year’s Day has seen the most domestic violence and abuse incidents for the last four years in the South Wales Police force area. Many of these incidents happened in the early hours of New Year’s Day. The highest number was on 1st January 2019 and 1st January 2020, with 162 reports of domestic violence and abuse incidents on both days. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Lewis said: “Whilst we know Christmas and New Year is a time to relax and enjoy ourselves, it can also be a difficult time for many. Around this time of year, we see a large…

Business technology solutions provider, Brother has achieved carbon neutral status for its recycling and environment technology centre in North Wales as the business commits to reaching net-zero carbon emissions globally by 2050. The site at Ruabon, which recycles used toner cartridges returned by Brother customers from across Europe, uses 100 per cent green-certified electricity to power the plant and a fleet of electric vehicles. Globally, Brother recycles more than 2.6 million toner cartridges every year. The centre was certified by The Carbon Trust, which includes a calculation on the site’s scope 1 and 2 emissions determined by direct and indirect…

Space Forge has closed Europe’s largest ever seed round for a space tech company; raising $10.2 million (approx. £7.7 million). The oversubscribed round, reached four times the original target with investment from across the globe. Space Forge’s aim is to advance the expansion of the microgravity market for premium research and development applications by lowering the barriers to entry. Dedicated in-space manufacturing, coupled with reliable return, enables Space Forge to leverage the benefits of the space environment, namely: microgravity, vacuum, and temperature, to create products impossible to manufacture on Earth. Its focus is on producing materials and products which offer…

A South Wales entrepreneur has secured a six-figure funding package from HSBC UK to acquire a garden machinery and e-commerce business. With the help of the finance package from HSBC UK, Steven Williams will take over ownership of Cheltenham Mowers following the retirement of Jonathan Heasman who has run the business for the last 20 years. Cheltenham Mowers has been selling, servicing and repairing garden equipment, including lawn tractors, hedge trimmers and chainsaws, for the last two decades. New owner, Mr. Williams will bring his extensive business management experience to the company, having previously established and owned three DPD Local…