Author: Rhys Gregory

A competition to encourage businesses to develop their Welsh language skills is being launched by Menter a Busnes in collaboration with rugby international James Hook. Called ‘Iaith ar Waith’, the Menter a Busnes (MaB) competition also highlights Welsh’s increasing importance and growth in the workplace. The prize is a five-day Welsh course tailored to the needs and level of the winner. The course will be provided through Nant Gwrtheyrn near Pwllheli – home to the National Welsh Language and Heritage Centre – or, if preferred, it may be delivered virtually. At the end of the course, the winner will also…

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging Working Tax Credit (WTC) customers to check if they need to update their working hours if these have reduced as a result of coronavirus. During the pandemic, WTC customers have not needed to tell HMRC about temporary short-term reductions in their working hours as a result of coronavirus – for example if they were working fewer hours or were furloughed. It is one of several measures HMRC introduced to help those facing uncertainty around their hours. If a WTC customer’s hours temporarily fell because of coronavirus, they have been treated as if they…

The international fitness sensation, Clubbercise, is coming to Denbighshire Leisure with brand new classes coming to Ruthin Leisure and Club Nova, Prestatyn. Get ready to bring a night out to your workout – without the heels or hangover the next day! Clubbercise® is a fun full body workout with a banging soundtrack that gets great results, with clubbers burning up to 600 kcals per workout. The official Clubbercise launch will start with a DJ and party at Club Nova and the new Bar Nova on October 22nd.  3 classes delivered by ‘master Clubbercise trainers’ throughout the night. There will be complimentary…

Almost as many children aged 15 and under have been in hospital with Covid-19 in Swansea Bay over the last three months than the whole of the rest of the pandemic. So far 93 children in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot have been ill enough to need inpatient treatment for Covid-19 since the pandemic began in March 2020. But almost half of those, 45, have been admitted this July, August and up to 24th September. The increase in paediatric admissions mirrors a steep rise in Covid-19 community infection rates in comprehensive school age children in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot,…

Savills, on behalf of VCD Asset Management, has completed the sale of Briscombe Retail Park to a local private property company for £1.35 million. The sale price reflected a net initial yield of 5.63%. The multi let retail park comprises 3,847 sq ft (357 sq m) of accommodation and is let to Greggs PLC and CVS Veterinary Group at a current passing rent of £80,680 per annum. Briscombe Retail Park is situated on the A4055 (Cardiff Rd) which is one of the main arterial roads into Barry. The Property is located within the coastal town of Barry in the Vale…

Business confidence in Wales increased by more than anywhere else in the UK during September, up 27 points to 46%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Companies in Wales reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up 26 points at 42%. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up 28 points to 50%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 46%. The Business Barometer questions 1,200 businesses monthly and provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide. This month’s survey was conducted before fuel disruption and ongoing supply chain issues tightened…

Hay Festival Winter Weekend returns with an ambitious programme for its first ticketed, in-person events in the UK for two years, bringing writers and readers together 24-28 November with a programme to inspire, examine and entertain. Over five days, more than 80 acclaimed writers and performers will take part, launching the best new fiction and non-fiction, interrogating some of the biggest issues of our time, and spreading joy with conversations, candle-lit storytelling, comedy, music, and family workshops. In-person events take place in a new Festival site in the centre of Hay-on-Wye against the stunning backdrop of the Brecon Beacons. Comprised…

A team of eight engineers have completed vital refurbishment work on one of Britain’s tallest anchor pylons on the Welsh side of the River Severn Crossing near Chepstow. Anchor pylons hold the tension in conductors, which are the wires that carry electricity. These wires span the River Severn, in a route which runs parallel to the old Severn Bridge that carries the M48 motorway. The Severn crossing is the longest overhead line river crossing in the UK, spanning nearly 2.5 miles across the River Wye and River Severn from anchor pylon to anchor pylon. The river crossing has four pylons…

A multi-million-pound investment has been confirmed for the South West Wales Cancer Centre at Swansea’s Singleton Hospital. The Welsh Government has approved a replacement linear accelerator, used for radiotherapy, at a cost of around £4 million. It will help the centre’s highly specialised staff continue to develop their pioneering work in tackling cancer – using techniques which would not have been possible just a few years ago. But it doesn’t stop there. Swansea Bay University Health Board wants to completely transform the way it delivers healthcare. Changing for the Future, the health board’s engagement about this, envisages a series of…

A fast-growing Welsh legal group has acquired a Bridgend-based solicitors firm, creating a combined business with 14 offices and 180 staff. Redkite Solicitors, one of the largest legal firms in Wales and the south-west, has acquired David & Snape, which has offices at South Street in Bridgend and Lias Road in Porthcawl. David & Snape, which has been trading since 1929, will now be able to offer increased specialism in its broad range of client services thanks to its incorporation into the Redkite group, including in the areas of litigation, contentious probate and employment law. The acquisition will also bring extra investment in…