Author: Rhys Gregory

When it looked like Geoff Walker’s daughter would need a kidney transplant, there was no question about what he would do. Straight away, 63-year-old Geoff, an activity coordinator at Caswell Clinic in Bridgend, offered to donate one of his. “About two years ago, we learned that one of our daughters was showing signs of renal problems due to a condition known as Sjogren’s Syndrome,” Geoff explained. “When we learned a transplant might be needed, a few of the family stepped up to the plate. “Thankfully, the urgency receded somewhat and she doesn’t need a transplant, at least for now. “But…

A SPECIALIST industrial hose manufacturer is planning expansion after a successful launch. Powerhose Technical  of Abertillery was set up by Dave Morgan this year, and is now looking to grow into larger premises as business increases. “We have seen a six-figure turnover earlier than predicted in the Business Plan, and this is really encouraging,” he said. He now plans to take on extra space and invest in machinery to increase production capacity, broadening the range of products the firm can offer, and  is also seeking ISO 9001 approval. Within three years, Mr Morgan aims to employ five people  as the company…

Students and staff from Whitchurch High School in Cardiff have been thanked by the Welsh Blood Service for rolling up their sleeves and giving blood to help patients in need. More than 60 blood donations were recently made at the first blood donation session to be held specifically for students and staff at the school, potentially saving or improving more than 180 lives. A further 18 blood donorsalso signed up to the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry, joininga database of over 35 million donors from across the globe whose unique attributes could make them the only person in the world…

Swansea residents are being asked what they’d most like to see taken into account if council services were to move from the Civic Centre to a new city centre building. Their responses could range from the new site’s location to its food and drink facilities – and from its transport links and parking facilities to its accessibility and toilet facilities. The survey comes at the initial stages of Swansea Council considering a move away from its seafront site into a new city centre hub for public sector services. Geoff Bacon, the council’s head of property services, said: “I urge the…

Cardiff lawyer Fflur Jones, has been named as the new Chair of Menter a Busnes’ (MaB) board of directors. Fflur takes up her position at MaB as the independent economic development company celebrates its 30th anniversary. She follows in the footsteps of Siân Lloyd Jones who has retired after a decade as Chair. A partner in Cardiff based commercial law firm Darwin Gray, Fflur heads up its Employment and HR team, providing advice on all aspects of employment law, with a particular expertise in discrimination law. She also specialises in Regulatory Compliance and the Welsh Language Standards. Fflur was instrumental…

CGI has officially opened its new Cyber Security Centre in Bridgend, south Wales.  The new centre significantly expands CGI’s current cyber security services delivered from Wales with plans for around 100 highly skilled analysts providing 24/7 cyber services to clients across the UK’s commercial and public sectors.  The state-of-the-art cyber centre will provide services including 24/7 protective monitoring, cyber threat intelligence, threat hunting and incident response & forensics. Richard Holmes, Vice President of Cyber Security Services at CGI in the UK said: “At CGI we help a broad range of clients manage their cyber security challenges with a business focused…

Stuart Price, Partner and Actuary at Quantum Advisory, looks into what the parties are saying in their manifestos ahead of next week’s general election.

DataKom and Pinnacle Telecom, two long-standing rivals in the industry, have merged to create South Wales’ largest homegrown telephony business. The business, which will utilise the DataKom brand going forward, will be led by Managing Director Jay Ball who founded DataKom in April 2007 and over 12 years the Bridgend-headquartered business has been the fastest-growing telecoms company in Wales. Speaking of the merger, Jay said: “This is a hugely significant day for us. We have combined two excellent businesses to form a Welsh telecom powerhouse that will offer products and services to help future-proof organisations. By combining these two businesses,…

Techniquest has unveiled its brand-new science exhibit that comes in a recent partnership with National Imaging Academy Wales (NIAW). The new exhibit will showcase the important role Radiology plays in diagnosing a broad range of conditions, helping people get more accurate early diagnoses leading to more successful treatment. Visitors will be able to interact with the exhibit and explore a range of conditions that can be identified by radiology techniques such as X-rays, CT and MRI scans. The exhibit comes as one of the many new exhibits expected to arrive at Techniquest ready for its grand opening of the Science…

An innovative training provider in Swansea has relocated to a larger premises after securing a five-figure finance package from HSBC UK, allowing them to recruit an additional 12 members of staff. Inspire Training, which delivers fully-funded training and consultancy to businesses and unemployed adults across Wales, has used the finance package to expand the business by moving to larger premises. The additional space means the company has been able to  increase the number of classrooms from five to 12, accommodating an extra 100 students per year. Inspire offers bespoke training classes, including vocational programmes with work placements, to the unemployed…