Author: Rhys Gregory

Building work is continuing apace at three new sites on Wrexham Industrial Estate as developer and asset management company, FI Real Estate Management (FIREM) makes progress in the creation of 38 acres of new build commercial space. Construction is underway at three out of five individual FIREM sites on the estate, totalling 105,196 sq ft of industrial space across two large single-unit developments and one comprising 11 smaller units. The steel frame is now in place at site 2 on Clywedog Road North and all works are on track for completion by the end of 2021, with yard space surfacing…

Maesycwmmer cartoonist Josh Hicks is set to take his cast of neurotic pugilists to the next level when Minneapolis-based publisher Graphic Universe releases his comic, Glorious Wrestling Alliance: Ultimate Championship Edition, in October. Josh Hicks, 30, has been writing, drawing and self-publishing the series for the last few years, selling mainly at art fairs, comic conventions and independent comic stores across Wales and England. Now the series will hit the top rope when the US publisher releases a definitive, full-colour collection of the comic across the world. Glorious Wrestling Alliance offers readers an inside look at the universe’s least professional…

A Love of art and nature are the inspiration behind the opening of Brook Cottage Shepherd Huts near Pwllheli. Offering luxury boutique glamping, the five traditional shepherd style huts have been constructed by co-owners Jonathan Gooders and Mark Barrow, both of whom have a background in fine art, together with a helping hand from the Development Bank of Wales. A £50,000 micro loan has enabled the completion of the three-acre site that now features two gypsy huts, two poacher huts and a single shepherds hut. Facing a lake and offering fabulous views towards the Yr Eifl mountains, the huts are…

The Food, Farming and Countryside Commission has appointed leading Welsh lawyer, Chris Nott, to be the new Chair of the FFCC Wales inquiry. The inquiry looks to capitalise on the opportunities afforded by the distinctive Welsh legal and policy framework provided by the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act to accelerate progress towards sustainable practices across the food, farming and countryside sector. Nott, a founding partner of leading Welsh law firm Capital Law, who has received an OBE for services to Business and Economic Development in Wales, will continue the work of the outgoing Chair Jane Davidson and work with…

Industry leaders and academics are set to join forces and start mapping out the route to a greener economy for Wales at a virtual summit this week. The South Wales Industrial Cluster (SWIC) Net Zero Week takes place from Tuesday (October 5th) to Thursday (October 7th) and is free of charge for anyone with an interest to attend online. SWIC is a partnership between Welsh companies, academia and public sector organisations committed to a greener economy, and has been awarded £21million from UK government which has been match funded by industry to total £40m for the development of Cluster and…

The winners of this year’s Social Business Wales Awards were announced yesterday (Tuesday 5th October) in the first ever virtual ceremony, with Therapeutic Activities Group in Cardiff and Prom Ally in Llandudno taking home the sector’s biggest prizes.    The ceremony celebrated the achievements of social enterprises and co-operatives in Wales and was a chance to shine a spotlight on the positive economic and social impact that these businesses have had on communities around the country.  Hosted by BBC Wales Today presenter, Jennifer Jones, the awards ceremony was attended virtually by 150 guests from the social business sector. Winner of this year’s Tech for Good category, Denbighshire Music Co-operative, a not-for-profit organisation providing quality music tuition for pupils in the Denbighshire area,  delighted guests during the…

Local community plasterer and multi-tradesman Stephen Alun Hughes, 53, from Prestatyn, North Wales has won TradePoint’s August £150k Vantastic Monthly Giveaway Competition which sees shoppers in with a chance to win a brand-new van if they shop at TradePoint twice in one month. TradePoint launched the competition to reward its customers, with the chance to win one of 6 brand new trading vans. Each month the competition is sponsored by a different brand including DeWalt, Dulux, Valspar, and Gyproc, with this month’s giveaway sponsored by Valspar paint. This month’s winner, Stephen Alun Hughes is a plasterer and multi-trader in the…

Savills, on behalf of Cardiff Gate Business Park Ltd, has brought to market two multi let office buildings – Unit’s 2A Oaktree Court and F, G, H and J Copse Walk – at Cardiff Gate International Business Park for £5.2 million, which represents an attractive net initial yield of 8.63% and a low capital value of only £134 per sq ft. Unit 2A Oaktree Court comprises of a three storey purpose built self-contained office building spanning 6,522 sq ft. The property has 29 car parking spaces. Units F, G, H and J were designed as four units providing a total…

Two North Pembrokeshire on-demand bus services are amalgamating. Bwcabws and Fflecsi Pembrokeshire are joining together to provide an integrated service, with standard fares and booking procedures. The move will enable customers to switch seamlessly between buses, said Cllr Phil Baker, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure. “This is great news for passengers,” he said. “Instead of having two different systems and pricing structures, the whole process will be streamlined, make booking transport much more straightforward.” He added: “The TfW Fflecsi service has demonstrated how demand responsive transport can play a vital part in transforming public transport in other parts of Pembrokeshire already. We are…

People in Swansea who have phoned a free advice line to check whether they are missing out on benefits they are entitled to have received an additional £50,000 in backdated payments between them so far. Earlier this year Swansea and Neath Port Talbot Councils together with partner organisations launched the 0800 112 4763 free phone number to support people over the age of 66 who may be missing out Pension Credit. So far this helpline has assisted people successfully claim 113 different benefits with many people receiving more than one benefit.  This has generated a weekly increase in income of £5,050.10 which…