Author: Rhys Gregory

It’s been serving the Anglesey community delicious gelato for the past 10 years. [aoa id=”1″] Now more and more locals and visitors to North Wales are going to be able to enjoy the delights from Red Boat parlour ice-cream with more retail outlets opening and a new production hub, thanks to a loan from Development Bank of Wales. The £292,000 loan has allowed owner Tony Green to launch two new shops in Plas Newydd and Llangefni, which will also form a new manufacturing production site. [/aoa] Tony has owned Red Boat Ice Cream Parlour for 10 years with his wife…

A celebration at the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway’s on Sunday (July 28) marked the successful completion of the line’s ‘Disability First’ project. [aoa id=”1″] This major investment at Llanfair Caereinion station has helped open up the popular Mid Wales tourist attraction to less-able visitors. W&LLR was awarded £42,500 in 2016 as part of the £1 million Heritage and Community Rail Tourism Innovation competition, run by the Challenge Fund of the Department for Transport and the Rail Safety & Standards Board (RSSB). [/aoa] The railway’s Disability First project aimed to improve access to trains for wheelchair-bound passengers. At the time,…

Locals can now enjoy some of the biggest and best blockbusters on the big screen for a new all-day, everyday price from just £5 per ticket at all ODEON cinemas in Wales. These include ODEON Cardiff, ODEON Llanelli, ODEON Swansea, ODEON Bridgend and ODEON Wrexham. [aoa id=”1″] The everyday low-price tickets are launching just in time for the Summer holidays and one of the biggest years of family film to date, meaning guests can see the most anticipated releases of the year for less. From just £5 a ticket or £5.75 if booked online (includes booking fee), families can experience…

Real estate firm, Savills, has further strengthened its market-leading development team in Cardiff with the appointment of Caroline Jones as an associate director. [aoa id=”1″]Caroline has more than 20 years’ experience as a surveyor in the residential development market in South Wales. She joins Savills from Bruton Knowles, where she worked in the social housing and development team. She has also worked in the residential valuation and development teams at BNP Paribas Real Estate and for Chesterton and Torfaen County Borough Council.[/aoa] She said: “I am thrilled to become part of the team at Savills. The largest specialist team in…

Nine Welsh companies have made it into NatWest’s inaugural #PowerUp Index of the 100 best and brightest businesses to have successfully emerged from the bank’s 2018/19 Entrepreneur Accelerator cohort. [aoa id=”1″] The #PowerUp Index is ranked upon businesses’ financial performance, growth and investment potential, as well as their founders’ growth mind-set. It has been developed in partnership with Beauhurst and Equifax and independently verified by the two organisations. Each of the 100 businesses on the list was based in one of the bank’s 12 Entrepreneur Accelerator hubs across the UK between April 2018 and March 2019. [/aoa] Highest from the…

INDUSTRY leaders and special guests will come together at the National Eisteddfod to begin the celebrations ahead of a decade of business leadership courses at Bangor University. [aoa id=”1″] Beginning in 2009 with LEAD Wales, the University has welcomed hundreds of company owners, managers and entrepreneurs onto European-funded qualifications, notably the popular ION and 20Twenty Business Growth programmes. An event is to take place at the Llanrwst Eisteddfod on Tuesday, with speakers including Manon Cadwaladr from Cymen translation services, Cadnant Planning’s Sioned Edwards, and Tanya Whitebits founder, Shoned Owen. [/aoa] ION alone has attracted 175 people to Bangor from some…

A new Non Invasive Ventilation (NIV) pathway has launched at University Hospital of Wales (UHW) to help patients in respiratory failure. Staff on Ward B7, Respiratory at UHW have developed the new pathway which will ensure that patients in respiratory failure receive timely and effective care in the right place by the right team. The new pathway includes a dedicated 4 bedded area on B7 for patients to receive care and treatment from the respiratory team on the ward. This will reduce the need to transfer patients to critical care for treatment and can result in quicker recovery times for…

Bodnant Gardens in Wales has been shortlisted as one of Britain’s best ‘secret spots’, according to research from McCarthy & Stone and the National Trust. [aoa id=”1″] Located in the scenic location of Conwy, the Grade I listed Bodnant Garden is also a wonderful example of British gardening. The impressive site has plenty to do – not just for those with green fingers – with grand formal terraces, dramatic riverside dells, a tranquil lakeside and woods and meadows teaming with wildlife. You can make the most of the ‘50 things’ challenge that offers something for the whole family to enjoy…

A trout farm and smokehouse whose delicacies once tickled the taste buds of James Bond has lined up a legendary new treat for visitors to a top food festival. [aoa id=”1″] Chirk Trout Farm Shop and Smokery, which has supplied smoked trout to the Orient Express among other prestigious establishments, will be unveiling its luxurious new smoked pancetta at the 2019 Llangollen Food Festival. It will be the latest in a growing list of delicacies to have won the hearts of food lovers near and far – including iconic silver screen star Sir Roger Moore. The late Bond actor, who…

Wyelands Bank has opened a new regional office in central Cardiff. [aoa id=”1″] It will help businesses in Wales and the West to access the right type of finance and unlock growth.  The office has been opened so the bank can get closer to its customers, local firms and the professional communities that serve them. This follows Wyelands Bank’s appointment of Kelvin Thomas to its working capital solutions team.  Based in Cardiff, Kelvin will focus on building the bank’s asset-based lending offer in the region. [/aoa] Ian Flaxman, managing director, working capital solutions, said: “Small and medium-sized business owners want…