Author: Rhys Gregory

A community cycling group in Llansannan is urging other rural organisations in Conwy to apply for £60,000 available in the latest round of windfarm funding. Clwb Beicio Llansannan bought 13 electric bikes helped by a £7,000 grant from the Brenig Wind Farm Fund and Club organiser Huw Rawson said they’re in regular use, especially at weekends. The closing date for applications for the latest round of funding is Wednesday, August 25, and he said: “It’s a great opportunity for local organisations to take advantage of these grants. “It’s helped us and we’re seeing plenty of use made of these bikes,…

A successful Denbighshire community transport scheme is appealing for volunteer drivers as it continues its expansion into Llangollen. South Denbighshire Community Partnership’s not-for-profit scheme is travelling further afield as it helps elderly and vulnerable people to get out and about. As part of an exciting £500,000 three-year initiative SDCP have extended their services along the Dee Valley to Llangollen and its surrounding villages from its base in Corwen. The partnership’s social inclusion services include a dial-a-ride facility, luncheon club, meals-on-wheels, leisure excursions and shopping trips. But a bigger area means more drivers are needed to keep the charity’s fleet of…

CHARITY MENINGITIS NOW are urging young people off to university or the world of work this Autumn not to assume it’s COVID-19 if they feel ill – it might be meningitis. As A-level results are announced and thousands of young people contemplate their future, the charity is concerned that the combination of new-found social freedoms, the desire of young people to mix in large groups and a move to campus-based accommodation for students, present the ideal opportunity for infectious diseases to spread, putting young people at a higher risk of meningitis. It’s calling on young people to carefully consider their…

Rural residents and businesses in Denbighshire are being remind to apply for funding towards the cost of installing gigabit broadband. The Welsh and UK governments are working together on the Gigabit Broadband Voucher scheme which covers part of the cost of installing new gigabit-capable internet connections. Under the partnership £7,000 is available for small-to-medium sized businesses and up to £3,000 is available for residential premises. Gigabit-capable broadband connections offer the fastest and most reliable speeds available, and the scheme is open to rural premises with broadband speeds of less than 100Mbps. Cllr Hugh Evans OBE, Leader of Denbighshire County Council…

Electronics manufacturer Davlec has secured a six-figure Development Bank of Wales loan to expand its agri-tech and sub-contract business. Founded in 1983 by her parents Glyn and Sue Davies, electronics manufacturer Davlec is managed by Nia Davies. From its origins designing, manufacturing and servicing equipment for the dairy parlour Davlec has grown to provide a full sub-contract electronics manufacturing service to customers from across a wide spectrum of industries. The Welshpool-based company initially approached the Development Bank for support during the Covid-19 pandemic through the Covid-19 Wales Business Loan Scheme. Nia and the team, working with their portfolio executive Stewart…

Andrew Gibson has joined strategic real estate adviser Avison Young as Director of Capital Markets in Wales. He joins from Cushman & Wakefield in Cardiff where he headed the Capital Markets and Development team. Peter Constantine, Managing Director and Principal, Avison Young in Cardiff says, “Andrew has an impressive track record and is a respected figure in the industry in Wales. We’re delighted he has agreed to join Avison Young and work as part of our experienced agency team to further drive our business forward.   His wealth of knowledge within the capital markets and development sectors will be an asset,…

The popular Rhondda Arts Festival Treorchy (RAFT) will return after a one-year hiatus later this month with ‘The Big Weekend’, featuring a day-long music festival, outdoor movie screenings plus food and drinks, stalls and more. Running throughout the Bank Holiday weekend, from Friday to Sunday (August 27-29), the festival will take place at the 2,000 capacity Ystradfechan Recreation Ground, Treorchy, CF42 6UG. Founded in 2018, and previously headlined by Jools Holland and West End star Kerry Ellis, the 2021 RAFT LIVE! event on Sunday, August 29, will feature soul sensation Mica Paris, X-Factor finalist Lloyd Macey, Wellerman originators The Longest…

Thousands of Cardiff’s children and young people have been left smiling, as Cardiff’s Summer of Smiles city-centre festival has drawn to a close, paving the way for even more Child Friendly family fun this summer. Attracting more than 8,500 visitors, the three-week family fiesta located at Cardiff’s City Hall lawn, was an integral part of the capital’s city-wide Child Friendly summer event programme, providing Cardiff’s children and young people with activities based on a range of themes including science and tech, creative arts, sport and adventure, play and family fun.  Around 22 formal partners joined together to deliver a wide…

The production of low carbon energy will be a key sector for the North Wales economy with many exciting developments underway, Minister for North Wales Lesley Griffiths said today. The Minister was visiting Anglesey to hear more about plans for the Morlais tidal power scheme and the Hydrogen Hub which is planned for Holyhead.  Both schemes are being led by Menter Môn, with Morlais being one of the proposed North Wales Growth Deal investments. Low Carbon Energy is one of the five programmes included in the North Wales Growth Deal, which is backed by £240m from both the Welsh and…

Yuri Shafranik is a well-known Russian expert in the energy sector, co-chair and a long time participant of the Dartmouth Conference, as well as a Russian entrepreneur. He was born and grew up in the Siberian settlement Karasul, located in Tyumen Oblast. After graduating from a local high school, he went to Tyumen city to study electrical and mining engineering. Yuri Shafranik gained two degrees at Tyumen Industrial Institute, but his academic work did not end here. He went on to publish a research article about rationalisation in the development of hydrocarbon resources, which led to him becoming a Doctor…