Author: Rhys Gregory

Dear Editor, No matter your place of work or the size of your organisation, Marie Curie can help you handle grief better at work. In a recent Marie Curie survey of 1,000 bereaved employees nearly half (49%) said that they couldn’t afford to stay off work, returning before they were ready, and a further 58% felt their performance was affected by grief in the months after the bereavement. We have all been there for those painful silences and clumsy conversations. It is hard to know what to say when someone is dealing with grief at work, but a lack of…

An expanding Denbighshire green energy company is heading west as soaring energy prices boost interest in renewables. Vale of Clwyd-based Hafod Renewables has taken on a new team to cover Gwynedd and Ceredigion and is looking at opportunities for opening a new branch in the area. The building boom coupled with expected hikes of over £100 a year in energy prices is fuelling interest in a range of renewable options, especially solar and air-source systems. Hafod Managing Director David Jones said: “We now have a team based in Gwynedd to help deal with the demand, especially with the boom in…

Visitors will be invited to pick your own pumpkins in the run up to Halloween as part of a successful farm diversification project in the Upper Severn Valley. Having welcomed hundreds of visitors to Porth Farm, Moat Lane, Caersws since mid-August to see fields of blooming sunflowers, a maize maze and a woodland walk, Gerwyn Vaughan and Sarah Pinnell are now switching their focus to pumpkins. They have planted a three-acre field with an estimated 16,000 edible pumpkins in six  varieties and will be opening to visitors from October 9 to Halloween. Visitors must book online at https://porthfarm.digitickets.co.uk/tickets to visit…

A big-hearted truck driver and his eight-year-old daughter are planning a sponsored run to raise money for a multiple sclerosis charity. Brian Edwards, 46, who works as a shunter at the McCarthy Group, a haulage and warehousing company based on Wrexham Industrial Estate, was diagnosed with the condition 20 years ago. Luckily, he has only very occasionally suffered very minor symptoms – cold feet in winter and tingling hands – since it was confirmed. He and little Lily, a pupil of Penygelli Community Primary School, in Coedpoeth, are planning a repeat of another fund-raiser they completed over the summer. Brian…

A care worker who’s  battled severe anxiety and depression since early adulthood is celebrating a new lease of life after fulfilling her childhood dreams of modelling. Brigitte Prior, who works as a healthcare assistant at Pendine Park’s Gwern Alyn care  home, even contemplated suicide at the height of her mental health struggles. After securing her first healthcare job as a home carer eight years ago, she slowly rebuilt her confidence and self-esteem and learned to manage her anxiety with the help of her partner, John Beech. Determined to make up for lost time, the mother-of-two is now pursuing her lifetime…

If terms such as ‘furlough’ and ‘pivot’ featured high on the list of business lexicon for 2020, a contender for buzz word of this year must surely be ‘purpose’. It’s not new of course; many businesses have always looked beyond the bottom line and striven to do good for their customers and communities. In the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, I recorded a package for the BBC’s business programme, Wales@work, at the How The Light Gets In festival in Hay-on-Wye. The discussion topic was the trend we were seeing towards businesses embracing stakeholder value, as opposed to shareholder…

A work placement at Menai Science Park (M-SParc) has paid off for a university student, who is now in his second year of full-time employment with a business at the space. Callum Murray joined start-up Cufflink, based at M-SParc on the Isle of Anglesey shortly after completing his studies at Bangor University in July 2019. Cufflink, which aims to allow people to regain control of their own online personal data through an encrypted and secure method, has been operating out of M-SParc since October 2018. Callum said: “My role came about through a dissertation presentation event I attended while I…

Local businesses and organisations from around Cardiff came to St. David’s Hall last week to visit leading sustainability certification group Planet Mark’s 100% electric battle bus and hear from local people, businesses and community groups about the impactful and inspiring projects they are undertaking to reduce their carbon emissions. The event was attended by more than 50 local organisations including hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle manufacturer Riversimple, business energy management group Amber Energy, corporate and social responsibility firm Bee 1 and sustainable food company Food Cardiff, who shared their net zero carbon learnings and discussed the challenges they faced while reducing…

A “funny and cheeky” six-year-old with leukaemia is urging people across Wales to clear out their wardrobes to help more children and young people survive the disease. This September – Childhood Cancer Awareness Month – Sonny Jones is backing TK Maxx’s Give Up Clothes for Good campaign, in support of Cancer Research UK. Sonny, who received a star award from the charity for his bravery earlier this year, is encouraging the public to donate any pre-loved quality fashion and homeware they no longer need to their nearest TK Maxx store. Sonny, from Dinas Powys, is one of around 75 youngsters…

Flintshire based ACAI is revolutionising outdoor wear for women as the company is on track to double turnover to £6 million and begin exporting to international markets with the help of a £500,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales. First launched in 2017 by husband and wife team Joe and Kasia Bromley, ACAI offers a range of sustainable, stylish and functional outdoor wear designed by women for women. ACAI will use the funding as working capital to invest in a new ERP operating system, additional stock and strengthen the team with the appointment of up to 10 new roles.…