Author: Rhys Gregory

Over 80 inspirational Welsh ScoutCymru volunteers are set to receive the organisation’s highest national honours thanks to their “perseverance, dedication, and commitment” to uniting communities. Scouts from Caerphilly, Cardiff, Cwmbran, Flintshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Swansea, Vale of Glamorgan and Wrexham  are among 82 highly achieving members who are set to be recognised as part of this year’s Good Service Awards celebration. The event, which traditionally takes place in Windsor on St George’s Day with Chief Scout Bear Grylls OBE in attendance, sees prestigious awards including The Silver Wolf, The Silver Acorn, and Bar to the Silver Acorn handed out. With this…

Food charity FareShare Cymru has doubled the amount of food delivered to frontline charities supporting vulnerable people since lockdown measures began – praising the ‘extraordinary’ efforts of its supporters and volunteers during the crisis. Over the course of the last financial year, the Cardiff-based charity redistributed over 570 tonnes of in-date surplus food from the food industry to 136 charities, including food banks and community centres. The food they redistribute includes fresh meat and fish, fruit and vegetables, ready meals, milk and cheese. However, in the weeks following the lockdown, demand for its service has soared and the charity has…

Grassroots business support team proves success with North Wales business community  More than 100 businesses have successfully sought expert advice to negotiate through the ongoing coronavirus crisis. DBF, known previously as Deeside Business Forum, has formed the Business Advisory Team to provide help to organisations throughout North Wales. The group – including DBF Chair Askar Sheibani – have since processed more than 100 enquiries from organisations seeking guidance as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to impact business trading and cash flow. The scheme has also won the praise of Ken Skates MS, Minister for the economy, transport and North Wales. The DBF specialist team of volunteer…

New initiative Crowdfund Swansea is beginning to deliver benefits to people around the city. Three groups raising funds through the scheme, driven by Swansea Council, have already hit their targets. They are Pontarddulais Cricket Club, the Friends of Hafod-Morfa Copperworks and the Friends of the City of Swansea Botanical Complex. Andrew Stevens, a council cabinet member for better communities, said: “It’s good to see Crowdfund Swansea giving residents new facilities and services. “The projects are rooted in our communities and are driven for people in those communities. “They all offer something important and I hope that many other schemes find…

A college in the South Wales valleys has created its very own record label to provide aspiring musicians with a platform to get their music out to the masses. Coleg y Cymoedd has launched ‘Cymoedd Creative Records’ to give learners studying on its creative music courses the chance to release their own music to the public. Learners signed to the label will see their songs added to leading music streaming platforms, including Spotify and Amazon Music – thanks to licencing and distribution rights arranged by the college – as well as shared across social media. The record label is the…

Cyfarthfa Retail Park, which is owned and managed by Hammerson, has announced a range of new safety measures that it will introduce when the Park reopens. The new safety measures include: Clear signage throughout the retail park reminding consumers of the need to follow social distancing guidance, and to avoid shopping in large groups Enhanced cleaning processes, with a clear focus on key customer touch points Clear graphics for queues outside of stores All customer-facing colleagues to wear protective clothing when in internal areas The Welsh Government has not yet confirmed when non-essential retail stores can reopen, but it is…

A Caerphilly company has switched up production at its factory to create millions of sustainable face shields that will be used worldwide by frontline staff as well to support employees returning to the workplace. Transcend Packaging, a sustainable packaging specialist and the first company in Europe to produce paper straws for major quick service restaurants, has converted operations at its Ystrad Mynach manufacturing base to create protective face shields. Made from reinforced paper boards and recyclable materials, the inexpensive visors are designed for single use and to be recycled. With support from Life Sciences Hub Wales, Transcend has been able…

A retired GP, Dr Mike Bloomfield, is challenging himself to walk 500km over 100 days for leading Welsh charity City Hospice. The 69-year-old co-founded City Hospice, and remains a Vice President of the charity which provides palliative care for 550 patients with life limiting or terminal illnesses in Cardiff at any one time. Dr Bloomfield, who has previously had both hips replaced and quadruple bypass surgery, set himself the physical challenge to raise funds for the charity at a time when its shops are closed and fundraising events are postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently in self isolation at…

The COVID-19 pandemic has particularly hit the food and drink sector. But Welsh producers will get expert advice on coping with the current situation at two special marketing masterclass webinars later this month. The ‘TUCK IN – Marketing in a Crisis’ webinars will be held on June 9th and June 16th. Organised by the Food and Drink Wales Industry Board and the Fine Food Cluster, the ‘TUCK IN’ masterclasses bring together a wealth of expertise and experience from across the marketing spectrum. Previous masterclasses have been very well received by producers, and there has been a tremendous response to the…

A WEEK of virtual talks, workshops and seminars for students and graduates wanting to start a business will be launched on Monday (June 8). The Summer Start-Up week has been organised by colleges and universities across Wales, including Coleg Cambria. Six sessions across the five days will be hosted by Cambria partners and collaborators, including Gareth Jones and Katherine Broadhurst from Town Square Spaces in Wrexham, freelance advisor Mike Corcoran, author and entrepreneur Sid Madge, and Limb Art founder Mark Williams. The free online programme covers numerous topics, from self-employment, networking, and money matters to promotion, protecting your ideas, finance,…