Author: Rhys Gregory

BGF, the UK and Ireland’s most active growth capital investor, has completed a multi-million-pound investment to acquire a 23% stake in Swansea-based Character.com, the market leading online retailer of children’s licensed apparel and accessories. Founded in 2009 by husband-and-wife team Stephen and Karen Hewitt, Character.com is a dynamic character clothing retailer with a focus on children’s products which has featured on the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 for four consecutive years. Revenue has grown from less than £10 million in FYE Jul-17 to over £50 million in FYE Jul-21. From its South Wales base, Character.com services customers across the UK,…

THE Welsh Ambulance Service is urging the public to take precautions ahead of the autumn heatwave forecast for this week. Temperatures in Wales are set to hit 28°C tomorrow with a warm spell likely to last at least through the early part of the week. Warm weather generates an increase in calls to people with breathing difficulties, so the Trust is asking the public to take extra precautions to prevent falling ill. Lee Brooks, the Trust’s Director of Operations, said: “We had 4,316 calls to 999 over the weekend, which is roughly one call every 40 seconds. “Extremely high levels…

The Peer to Peer network will bring like-minded business figures together to develop confidence, knowledge and invaluable connections amongst the business community across the Valleys. It is an initiative set up by Tech Valleys, the Welsh Government’s 10-year, £100m programme with Blaenau Gwent at its heart that supports high value, sustainable jobs, attracts investment and creates opportunities. Faced with the challenge of scaling up a high potential company, this group of carefully selected business leaders will have the opportunity to learn from each other, both best practise and what not to do, in a private, peer to peer environment. The…

A bakery firm from North Wales has been hailed as a “role model” for other companies for the way it recruits people who are struggling to find jobs. The fast-growing Jones Village Bakery that’s recently launched a new 140,000 sq ft super bakery on Wrexham Industrial Estate is looking to take on another 115 staff. As well as placing the usual job adverts, they are working with Remploy which provides employment placement services for disabled people and HMP Berwyn that’s also located on the industrial estate. According to the bakery, it’s a policy that’s paying dividends for all concerned. From…

As temperatures heat up in time for the end of summer Brits could be breaking multiple driving laws and some even when the car isn’t moving. As we take advantage of those late summer staycations and day trips out before the kids return to school, motorists are being warned that there are a host of driving laws they could be breaking this August. Young driver insurers, Marmalade has looked into the most common driving laws we break whilst on the roads in summer, which could leave you with a nasty fine or points on your licence: Delayering at the wheel…

Welsh alcohol-free brewery Drop Bear Beer Co. has launched a range of cans, as it converts from bottles as part of its commitment to the environment. The switch from bottles to cans further increases the award-winning brand’s drive to sustainable beer production and takes the brewery a step closer to achieving key environmental accreditation. Already sustainability-focused, Swansea-based Drop Bear’s move to 330ml cans is central to becoming Wales’ first ‘B Corp’ brewery (and one of less than ten in the UK) an essential goal for Drop Bear’s business ethos. Attaining ‘B Corporation’ status is a natural transition for the company and…

Wales’ largest housing association is investing millions of pounds in affordable city centre living as part of ambitious plans for the future of Swansea. As well as signing-up to manage 33 affordable apartments being constructed as part of the emerging £135 million Copr Bay development, Pobl Group is also behind several other major schemes in the city centre. These schemes include the transformation of Orchard House into a mixed-used apartment, office and commercial premises, building on Swansea Council’s £12m improvement of The Kingsway into a far greener, more pedestrian-friendly environment. Pobl Group will also be the residential partner for the…

Abertillery is the latest site in Wales to benefit from a new free to use ATM as part of a commitment to support communities who need access to cash. In recent years, Abertillery has seen several bank branches close and with many local residents reliant on cash, LINK visited the town following contact from residents and the local MS, Alun Davies (Labour) to see if it could help. While there are a couple of free to use ATMs in Abertillery, the town is very hilly meaning travelling a short distance for elderly or disabled residents is particularly tricky, especially those…

Drake Audio Visual celebrates a half century in business. Established by the late Geoff Drake, as part of the Drake Group, with his brother Harry Drake, and now led by Geoff’s daughter Heather Drake, the Cardiff based firm has been providing industry leading audio- visual solutions since 1971. With its official anniversary taking place on 1 September 2021, Drake reflects on its key successes, strong team and its varied client base that has seen the company evolve over the past five decades. Having been around since the beginning of the industry, Drake Audio Visual has seen technical developments fuel an…

The final round of concerts for this year’s Fishguard and West Wales International Music Festival will continue on Wednesday 8th of September with a world premiere at Capel Tabor, Dinas. Alis Huws, harpist to HRH The Prince of Wales, will give the first live performance of a short piece by mid-Wales composer Steph Power entitled Camddwr Bleiddiaid (Wolf’s Leap). The work is areference to a location on an old drovers’ road in the desolate beauty of the Cambrian mountains. Alis will also perform works by Bach, Debussy and other composers in her recital which will take place at Capel Tabor,…