Author: Rhys Gregory

Winters can be extremely long, very cold and mostly cloudy. These extreme weather conditions can be tough on your car and tougher on your car tyres. Cold weather conditions like snow, sleet and ice can reduce your tyres’ grip on road. Therefore, we have a few tips that’ll help our readers based in Kent to keep themselves safe on road: 1. Checking Tyre Pressure Tyre Pressure has a direct impact on your car’s braking and handling abilities; therefore, it is extremely important to maintain an optimum tyre pressure. Cold weather can drop your tyre pressure by one pound per square…

One of the UK’s largest recruitment agencies, Smart Solutions, has seen a major shift to the use of its virtual recruitment portal since start of the Coronavirus pandemic, and predicts that this new way of processing candidates will play a large part in the future of the recruitment industry. Since the start of the pandemic here in the UK in March 2020, as ‘safe distancing’ companies scrambled to recruit in sectors under demand, over 50% of Smart Solutions’ candidates have been registered through their remote application process. Their virtual recruitment portal allows applicants to apply for roles and go through…

A CCTV company recording 20 years in business used lockdown to reinvent itself and focus on national growth. Adrian Standerwick, Director of Active CCTV, unveiled a new-look website, branding and mission statement to celebrate two decades of the Mochdre-based firm. It has been a challenging time for Adrian and wife Debbie; four years ago, their beloved son Sam died of an unknown heart condition aged just 25, a tragedy that shook them to the core. Adrian threw himself into charity work and launched the Sam Standerwick Memorial Fund – which has raised more than £50,000 – but admits he “took…

A new digital marketing agency, Foundation, has launched that will help the UK’s ambitious independent beauty brands hit their growth goals. Foundation is a team of digital marketers with decades of experience in the beauty sector, that uses performance marketing techniques to facilitate growth. Foundation covers a number of specialist services, including paid media, content marketing, digital PR, affiliate marketing and SEO. The agency formed after Google data in May 2020 showed that there was a huge shift in online user behaviour due to the pandemic, and trends data showed a surge in beauty and skincare with 70% of consumers…

Lorica Insurance, a leading regional insurance firm has rebranded to PIB Insurance Brokers. The move is part of a nationwide programme that will see a number of businesses under the parent company, PIB Group, rebrand to simplify the business offering. The commercial and leisure insurance specialist was established more than 40 years ago and has a branch in Ystrad Mynach which employs 4 people. The organisation has grown to employ more than 100 people across seven sites in the UK. Lorica Insurance was acquired by PIB Group in 2016 which has experienced a period of rapid growth since it formed…

Morrisons has removed glitter entirely from its own-brand ranges of greetings cards, gift wrap, seasonal items and horticulture in stores. This means all Morrisons cards, crackers, wrapping paper, present bags, flowers, plants and wreaths are now 100 per cent glitter-free. Glitter is made from tiny particles of plastic and is an ecological hazard if it becomes dispersed on land, rivers and oceans – where it takes hundreds of years to degrade. The move extends to non-seasonal as well as seasonal lines meaning Morrisons shoppers can shop more sustainably all year round. Soluble inks, foil and paper reliefs will instead be…

A fast-growing North Wales builder is bucking any construction slowdown with an order book bulging with £14 million of new work including a trio of exciting low energy housing contracts. Brenig Construction actually gained £6 million in orders and have taken on seven staff since lockdown, and they have continued to attract new contracts since their return to work. The projects involving ultra-low energy passive housing, among the first of their kind in Wales, are in Old Colwyn, Llanrwst and in Denbigh where they are due to put shovels in the ground later this month on a 22-property development on…

The best site managers in the Welsh house building industry have gathered to celebrate their achievements at NHBC’s Pride in the Job 2020 Awards virtual ceremony. Organised by NHBC, the UK’s leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes, the awards are the most highly regarded in the house-building industry.  They recognise and reward a site manager’s dedication to achieving the highest standards in house building, and their commitment to building homes of outstanding quality. Due to Covid-19 restrictions a series of online events are taking place throughout October and November, providing the opportunity to celebrate the Quality Award winners…

North Wales Fire & Rescue Service is upgrading its finance systems to a new state-of-the-art Software as a Service solution from leading enterprise software provider TechnologyOne. The fire and rescue service, which protects hundreds of thousands of residents and tourists across 2,400 square miles of picturesque North Wales, is switching to the new software to help improve real-time financial decision making and business reporting. By upgrading to TechnologyOne’s SaaS enterprise software, employees at the fire and rescue service will be able to access and use new general ledger, accounts, budgeting, forecasting and asset management systems at any time, using any…

Improving care for patients in Wales living with heart failure should be a priority according to a new report from the British Heart Foundation (BHF). Disjointed and unequal care, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, is leading to more people dying with heart failure. The report reveals that prior to lockdown, UK hospital admissions for heart failure had risen by nearly a third (29 per cent) over the last five years to more than 100,000 per year (1). This could be in part due to missed opportunities to diagnose and treat people with the condition before they become more unwell and…