Author: Rhys Gregory

Staff and pupils at Llanharan Primary School are now benefitting from new and improved facilities after a significant extension block and outdoor learning areas were completed by RCT Council. The improvements, jointly funded by RCT Council and Welsh Government, has delivered brand new facilities and allowed the infant class sizes at the school to be reduced to fewer than 30 pupils. The scheme has provided a new extension block that includes two new classrooms with 21st Century facilities, a kitchen and new pupil toilets.  A new hygiene room providing specialist facilities for pupils with disabilities will be completed and brought…

FinTech company Yoello has been named Technology Business of the Year at the Cardiff Business Awards. The Cardiff-based business, which provides the hospitality industry with a cheaper, instantaneous and secure way to manage payments, has gone from strength to strength in the past 12 months as it has helped the hospitality industry navigate the changes in the market following the COVID-19 outbreak. The awards reflect Yoello’s rapid growth – it has grown from a team of 4 to a group of 36 in less than a year – and follows on from the FCA-regulated company winning Fintech Start-Up of the…

Co-op has chosen Zoom 1hr Delivery as their logistics partner, to allow them to deliver their products across Wales. Co-op, which has recently been named Convenience Retailer of the Year, has rolled out the service in response to more consumers buying their food shopping online. The latest supermarket data from Kantar showed that online grocery sales in the past month were up 76% on a year ago, with one in five households ordering groceries via the internet. Zoom 1hr will initially be offering their fast delivery service to 50 Co-op stores in areas along the English Border from the Wirral…

Following updated public health advice received from the office of Wales’ Chief Medical Officer over the weekend, the ice walk attraction at Cardiff Castle and a similar event planned at Swansea’s alpine village has been cancelled. In a statement released by Cardiff Castle, the venue said: “It has been decided that the ice walk attractions, which were due to open in both Cardiff and Swansea city centres will remain closed to the public.” Work only recently started to create a “Christmas at the Castle” event at the heart of the city in lieu of this year’s Winder Wonderland which usually…

In a bid to celebrate local Welsh producers and share the love for Welsh food and drink, a special digital food and drink campaign has been launched. Shoppers have been urged to “Keep it Local, Keep it Welsh” this winter to boost the local economy and place the spotlight on Welsh food producers. Is this a sign of the growing benefits of partnering the digital with the traditional? Digital creates visibility to help forge local connections The Cywain Producers’ Map has been devised to help shoppers locate specific Welsh products and to discover new producers in their local area. With 250…

Hard work and determination has seen a learner from Porth overcome the challenges brought by Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and win the country’s top apprenticeship award for manufacturing and engineering. Coleg y Cymoedd learner, Jamie Jones, has been presented with the Apprentice Endeavour Award by the judges of the Wales Manufacturing Awards 2020, who recognised the fortitude and resilience he’d applied throughout his apprenticeship programme with Llantrisant-based design and manufacture company, FSG Tool and Die Ltd. The annual Wales Manufacturing Awards are held by the national manufacturing organisation, Make UK, with the aim of recognising and celebrating the best…

HOSPITALITY firms and accommodation providers have made significant changes to their premises in a bid to claw back business lost during the Coronavirus lockdowns. The region’s hotels, B&Bs, cafés, pubs and restaurants have endured a torrid time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many reopened with strict social distancing and safety measures in place, while others have diversified to ensure they survive and thrive into 2021. Among them is the Three Eagles bar and grill in Llangollen, which is planning to celebrate Christmas early this year. Adam Gaunt Evans, chef and operations director, took onboard customer feedback and has…

Sarah John, 33, from Swansea recently entered the annual NatWest Everywoman Awards in the Aphrodite category and has received a special mention in the Daily Mail’s Inspire magazine as one of the top six mumpreneurs in the UK. The Aphrodite award celebrates women who started a business with a child under the age of 12, and having begun her Welsh craft brewery in 2015 following the birth of her daughter Esme, she knows all about the ups and downs of business life with a young child, as Sarah explains: “Before starting the business I worked in sales and marketing but…

Around 25,000 people logged on to watch Swansea Council’s countdown to Christmas begin with a Virtual Christmas Parade. The viewing figures were possibly three or four times that, with families gathering around tablets, smartphones, laptops and PCs to enjoy the colourful action. Although most viewers were based in Wales the video was also seen as far away as America’s west coast and in European countries including Germany, Holland, Spain and Sweden. And the large amount of feedback from those who watched on the council’s Enjoy Swansea Facebook and YouTube accounts was warm and appreciative Alana Gill wrote: “Aww this was amazing! Although it’s…

Law firm Blake Morgan has promoted two founding members of its Project and Cost Management consultancy division, following a period of significant growth. Alex McCusker, 37, and Alex Leighton, 35, have both been promoted to the role of Project Director in the division, believed to be the first of its kind to be launched by a law firm in the UK. The division was established in 2018 to help the firm compete for construction-related work by offering a holistic service covering all stages of a development’s lifecycle. From a standing start, the division has grown turnover to over £500,000 within…