Author: Rhys Gregory

Schroder UK Real Estate Fund (‘SREF’) has signed a deal to bring Coffi Co’s ‘Gin & Bake’ concept to Mermaid Quay, a popular 150,000 sq ft mixed-use destination on Cardiff Bay’s waterfront. With lockdown restrictions in Wales beginning to be relaxed, work has already started on fitting out the 4,157 sq ft waterfront unit – previously occupied by Carluccio’s – which also features a 732 sq ft external seating area. Gin & Bake Mermaid Quay opened for takeaway afternoon tea picnic boxes and freshly baked cakes alongside takeaway gins and alcohol from the bar, on Saturday 4 July 2020.  All…

Swansea Council has confirmed that one of its flagship annual events, the Wales Airshow, will be back next year.  The biggest free event in Wales, which has one of the most spectacular backdrops of any UK Airshow and which attracts audiences from across the UK, will return on Saturday and Sunday July 3 and 4, 2021. Despite this year’s event not taking place due to the coronavirus pandemic, the council’s cultural services marketing and events teams staged a digital celebration last Saturday (note: July 4) on Facebook. The day featured question and answer sessions from the pilots including Red Arrow…

Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) has advanced a £2 million loan to Creo Medical to develop its Cool Plasma technology which could provide a valuable weapon in the fight against Covid-19. Chepstow-based medical company, Creo Medical has developed its Cool Plasma technology, which has been shown to be highly effective in killing bacteria, with a 99.99% kill rate on tough bacteria such as MRSA, E. coli and C. difficile. Initial testing has shown it to be effective in inactivating the Covid-19 virus. The company believes it could be very useful in decontaminating and sterilising medical equipment, such as PPE and ventilators,…

Barod, the Welsh substance misuse charity, is pleased to announce the return of the Mike Parry Art Award competition, which launched on 1 July 2020.  The competition, now in its second year, is in memory of popular Barod support worker Mike Parry, who passed away in January 2019.   This year’s competition theme is Life in Lockdown: Art in Isolation, and will capture what people’s experience has been of the coronavirus lockdown. There are three different categories to enter: young people (up to 18 years old), adults, and groups.  The winner in each category will be announced at an exhibition in…

BBI Solutions, part of the UK-Rapid Test Consortium (UK-RTC), has reached a ‘major milestone’ in the development of a COVID-19 lateral flow antibody test. The UK-RTC has announced that it has reached design freeze for the test, which has been designed for people to use in their own homes. The ‘major milestone’ means that the test meets the required performance characteristics and the production specifications of the assay, or laboratory procedure, have now been set. The next stage will see the scale-up of processes this month, in readiness for manufacture. Tests carried out prior to reaching the design freeze stage…

Parkmans, Estate and Lettings Agents, are delighted to announce the opening of two new offices in Risca and Newbridge.  Charlotte Burles Corbett, Parkmans Managing Director, said, “We have been working hard during lockdown to get our new offices ready to open once we had the go-ahead from the government. The recent announcement by the First Minister didn’t give us much notice but, nonetheless, we are pleased to now be able to welcome customers to our new offices in Risca and Newbridge as well as our current office in Blackwood.” The teams in the new Newbridge office,12 High Street, and the…

A big-hearted distribution company has come to the rescue of an historic cricket club that’s nurtured the talents of some of North Wales’ finest players. Wrexham-based  McCarthy Distribution donated more than 50 pallets to Brymbo Cricket Club so that a team of 30 volunteers can rebuild the club’s damaged perimeter fence. The club, which is part of the Brymbo Sports and Social Club complex and has been at the heart of the community for more than 100 years, is self-funded and relies on grants, donations and sponsorship to cover the cost of essential maintenance work and new equipment. Since October,…

An exotic frog has made a 5,000-mile trip to an Asda store in Llanelli – after being found amongst an a-peel-ing bunch of bananas from Colombia. RSPCA Cymru was alerted after an eagle-eyed member of staff spotted the frog while on shift at the Murray Street store on Monday (June 29). The quick-thinking superstore worker has been thanked by the animal welfare charity. Amphibians are capable of slowing down their metabolism under different environmental conditions – and it is believed this is how the frog would have survived the long journey into a cooler climate without food and drink. Colombia is…

As lockdown eases, The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is warning that blind and partially sighted people’s independence in Wales is increasingly under threat. Social distancing, which relies heavily on sight, has made it nearly impossible for people with vision impairment to navigate safely and independently in a world turned ‘upside down’ by measures and rules that are often inaccessible. In response, RNIB has launched the World Upside Down campaign today (Monday 6 July), calling for people to think about the challenges blind and partially sighted people might face and make small changes to keep everyone safe. Its launch…

A collaboration between Welsh vineyards will see the first official Welsh Wine Week launch from 27th July to 2nd August to showcase the quality of wine being produced in Wales. The virtual Welsh Wine Week will include a range of events hosted by vineyard owners and friends from the hospitality and wider food and drink industry over social media video platforms giving attendees an insight into winemaking in Wales. There are almost 30 vineyards in Wales, and all are owned by independently-minded pioneers using Wales’ unique micro-climates to produce small quantity, terroir-driven, quality wines. With tourism non-existent since March due…