Author: Rhys Gregory

In 2019 Tonypandy was once again named Wales’ worst high-street and the fourth-worst retail location in the whole of the UK.  Once the heart of the valleys coal industry, the town was as active by night as it was by day, with multiple cinemas, shops, bars and cafes. As coal left the Rhondda, slowly did its economy, prosperity, jobs and outlets. But now there sits a vibrant and new enterprise in the centre of the town. Clwb Coffi, a modern speciality coffee shop, has been opened by husband and wife team, John and Sarah Sutton. Launched as a social enterprise,…

Hospitals in Wales are to benefit from a new high-tech digital-monitoring system for seriously ill people in intensive care units.  Following a pledge by Minister for Health and Social Services Vaughan Gething to accelerate digital improvements for critical care, the NHS Wales Informatics Service has signed a £13 million contract with the supplier ASCOM. The seven-year agreement for ASCOM’s Digistat software delivers a managed service and provides a technical platform to develop the all-Wales Intensive Care Information System. Funding is provided by Welsh Government, Health Boards and the Critical Care Trauma Network. Digital innovation will transform critical care by automating…

The work of a group of talented young artists will help brighten the lives of care home residents. The Wrexham-based Pendine Park care organisation staged an art competition for children related to residents, their families or staff – and the results were stunning. So much so, that artist-in-residence Sarah Edwards is putting on a virtual online exhibition with their pictures taking pride of place. According to Sarah, the Covid-19 lockdown had been difficult for everyone including young people and she wanted to give them an art challenge to help keep them engaged. Jeri Alyson Azarcon, 14, whose mum and two…

Two titans of Welsh rugby have gone head to head in an epic towing battle – with the help of Europe’s biggest trailer maker. Legendary Wales captain and British and Irish Lion Alun Wyn Jones and national teammate, Josh Navidi, were put through their paces in a ‘Big Tow’ contest staged by pick-up specialists Isuzu at the Vale Resort, Cardiff. The sporting giants were challenged to a nail-biting towing competition as part of the Summer Show by Isuzu, a series of virtual shows filmed for social media. Isuzu are the main partner of the Wales Rugby Union (WRU) and official…

Welsh HR experts Jayne Jones and Sam Heighway have joined forces to launch a timely business, Be Business Fit, to help SMEs navigate the ever-changing business landscape.  With HR backgrounds spanning multi-national organisations and expertise in culture change, organisational development, leadership and executive coaching, the duo launched Be Business Fit to help organisations in Wales plan for post-COVID-19 recovery and beyond.  Its distinct model focuses on, and helps prioritise, the fundamentals that are critical to strengthening the business, increasing resilience and achieving growth.  Speaking of the launch, Jayne Jones said: “We’re very excited to be officially launching Be Business Fit this summer and…

A £135m Swansea regeneration scheme is set to take a major step forward this week. The first four huge steel panels of a striking landmark bridge are due to arrive in the city where, with others that will follow, they will be expertly fitted together over the coming months. The gold-coloured bridge is due to be installed in one piece over the main Oystermouth Road early in the New Year for finishing touches to be carried out. It will range in width from 12m to 6m, will stand 6m off the road, will be 6m high and 49m long. It…

Lockdown has brought challenges never before faced by the human race. There has never been a situation like it in the history of the planet. The last time we faced something similar was in 1348 when the bubonic plague hit. Fortunately, we have evolved scientifically and have a better grasp of illnesses and how to deal with outbreaks. The way we have dealt with the Coronavirus pandemic is by placing everyone into a worldwide lockdown, no leaving the house and many people stopped working meaning there was plenty of time to do other things. Some chose to learn a language,…

Following a recent report suggesting 1/10 employees have frozen their pension contributions during the pandemic, Stuart Price is using this Pension Awareness Day (15 SEPT) to encourage the public to re-engage with their pension obligations.

A Neath business that sources and sells natural and organic health and beauty products has hit the £25 million turnover mark, after increasing sales by 25% year on year. Naissance, based in a 40,000 square foot warehouse on Neath’s Milland Road industrial estate, was founded in 2005 by entrepreneur Jem Skelding from his spare bedroom. His childhood in Africa inspired Jem, where the shortage of retail products and an abundance of raw materials meant his mother would often make her own skincare and natural remedies. When e-commerce started to take off, he spotted a gap in the market for an…

Sharp End, the long running political series from ITV Cymru Wales returns this week with a new look and a new presenter. National Correspondent Rob Osborne takes over in the hot seat as Political Editor Adrian Masters launches a new political podcast and concentrates on daily news coverage on air and online. It’s the latest step in a 12 year career for Rob who joined ITV Cymru Wales straight out of university.  In that time, he has won multiple awards including TV Journalist of the Year, Scoop of the Year and the overall Journalist of the Year prize at the…