Author: Rhys Gregory

Work over the winter season to help keep a sand dune and forest habitat on Anglesey healthy is now complete. Sands of LIFE, an EU-funded conservation project led by Natural Resources Wales (NRW), aims to revitalise sand dunes across Wales. The winter work at Newborough saw the project scrape about 0.36 ha at Gull Slack – one of the low-lying open glades in the forest near Penrhos Dunes. Scraping away overgrown vegetation helps to expose bare sand and create further damp habitat for native plants and invertebrates to inhabit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ad5y_ja2yi0 Other winter tasks completed at Newborough included 5ha of mowing,…

Two successful Carmarthenshire businesses have recently collected the keys to their new purpose-built premises at Parc Pensarn after receiving backing from the Development Bank of Wales and Carmarthenshire Council. The new retail and industrial site is just 1.2 miles from Carmarthen town. Old Oak Dental Practice received a £1.2 million loan from the Development Bank to purchase and fit-out a purpose built six-chair dental practice. Likeafish Swim School now have their own pool to help more children learn to swim after receiving a £400,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales. Likeafish was also supported by Lloyds Bank through a…

Leading law firm Geldards LLP has grown its Corporate team at the firm’s head office in Cardiff with the appointment of three new solicitors. Geldards’ Corporate team has a strong reputation in the marketplace for savvy commercial understanding of corporate transactions.  The team specialises in mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, corporate finance and joint ventures as well as advice on statutory and regulatory compliance. Bringing new expertise to the team in corporate transactions is Partner Alex Butler, whose previous experience working at top tier law firms, and most recently in the legal team for a global business…

Jamie Hopkins was severely bullied at school and consequently left without any qualifications. It wasn’t until four years later that he rediscovered his love of learning thanks to the support he received through a traineeship with Itec. Jamie, 20, from Beachley, near Chepstow, makes craft items in a workshop at home as a hobby with the skills he has developed and is focused on a career in fine carpentry. He credits his success to the life-changing support provided by Itec’s Newport Centre where he achieved a Traineeship Level 1 in Employability Skills. Now Jamie has been shortlisted for the Traineeship…

A North Wales construction company has won a £4.0m contract to build a much-needed new primary school in Cricieth. Bodelwyddan-headquartered Wynne Construction is to deliver the new Ysgol Treferthyr on a greenfield site on the western approach to the Gwynedd town, around 500m from its current location. The project is being funded by the Welsh Government under the 21st Century Schools programme alongside Gwynedd Council. Ysgol Treferthyr is currently using a school built in the 19th century with a 1970s-built prefabricated extension in the centre of town with capacity for 119 pupils plus pre-schoolers, offering Welsh medium education for ages…

The Royal Mint Experience, based in Llantrisant, South Wales, has launched a 360˚ virtual tour in conjunction with Mr. Men Little Miss, letting people explore behind the scenes of The Royal Mint from the comfort of their own home. Whilst the visitor attraction remains temporarily closed, visitors can go behind the scenes of The Royal Mint virtually (and free of charge). The launch of the virtual tours coincides with The Royal Mint’s launch of a commemorative coin collection celebrating 50 years of fun with the Mr. Men Little Miss characters. Special guest Little Miss Inventor has taken on the responsibility…

A series of workshops are being delivered via Zoom next month (April) as part of the Art for the Park project led by University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) graduate NylahMAK and supported by the University and Swansea City of Sanctuary. The project will culminate in a community art installation that celebrates the 10th anniversary of Swansea as a City of Sanctuary. The workshops will run once a week starting Monday April 26. Each participant will make a decorative fabric bird house to be exhibited as part of the public installation, which will be shown in a Swansea park…

An Aberystwyth bar has been issued a £1,000 Fixed Penalty Notice and served a Premises Closure Notice after an underground drinking den was discovered on the night of the France v Wales Six Nations rugby match. Officers from Ceredigion’s Public Protection Team were carrying out routine patrols in the county when they discovered a makeshift room set up in the cellar of Bar 46 on the evening of 20 March 2021. The cellar was being used by some of the bar’s workers and their friends. Officers entered the cellar using their powers under the Coronavirus restrictions regulations and found the…

Business confidence in Wales rose 14 points during March to 9%, the first net positive reading since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. The data has been released just a week after the one-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 lockdown. Companies reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up six points at 15%.  When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up 23 points to 4%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 9%. The Business Barometer questions 1,200 businesses monthly and provides early…

Astutis, an industry-leader in workplace health, safe­ty and environmental training, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. The Welsh company has reached the impressive milestone of partnering with more than 100,000 customers across 3,000 organisations in 180 countries. All from its Cardiff HQ and in the name of helping to make the world of work safer, happier and more eco-conscious. Improving the world of work The environment and our health and safety are fundamental to our very existence. Both require increased awareness, understanding and continuous improvement. The risk of injury, or even death, at work remains ever-present while global pressures for increasing sustainability in business continues to rise. Which…