Author: Rhys Gregory

Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest accolade a UK voluntary organisation can receive. The award, often described as ‘the MBE for volunteer groups’, was announced by Buckingham Palace in a special edition of The London Gazette published on Sunday. The citation reads that the W&LLR is honoured for “Operating an eight-mile steam railway to demonstrate how it served its rural Mid Wales community from Edwardian times.” [aoa id=”1″]Volunteers reopened the W&LLR as a heritage railway in 1963, seven years after the 2ft 6in gauge line was closed by British Railways.…

A new research facility specialising in advanced engineering has reached completion.  [aoa id=”1″]The Institute for Innovative Materials, Processing and Numerical Technologies (IMPACT) is a £35 million state-of-the-art engineering research operation based at Swansea University Bay Campus and forms part of the College of Engineering, providing it with space for strategic expansion.[/aoa] The completion of the building marks a major milestone in the successful delivery of the IMPACT research operation.  Construction commenced in December 2017 with a design created to further support the global engineering industry with collaborative, fundamental research.  The transformative design combines laboratory and office space to provide a…

A 22-year-old from Caerphilly who has worked in the costumes department for a hit Netflix series has opened her own clothing company in a bid to tackle ‘fast fashion’. [aoa id=”1″] Shaunnah Crosbie set up Shaunnah’s Sew Crafty, after graduating from the University of South Wales with a degree in Costume Construction. Shaunnah has worked in the costumes department for several television and theatre productions, including BBC’s Doctor Who and Netflix’s Sex Education. [/aoa] As well as costumes, Shaunnah has now turned her attention to vintage clothes, soft furnishings and bags, while offering sewing workshops in her studio in Llantrisant.…

The appointments are across a range of practice areas, demonstrating the versatility of Blake Morgan’s comprehensive offering. [aoa id=”1″] Tax specialist Cathy Bryant becomes a partner in the firm’s corporate team. Cathy advises on a range of tax matters from corporate transactions to share schemes and employment-related taxes. Richard Jones becomes a partner in the corporate team. Richard advises on a broad range of corporate transactions, including M&A, management buyouts, private equity and corporate structuring matters. [/aoa] In the commercial property team, Daniela Smith, who specialises in both investment and development related commercial property transactions, becomes a new partner. Daniela has…

NatWest Cymru and the Royal Welsh Show are on the lookout for Wales’ next big brands after announcing the launch of a new entrepreneur courtyard at this year’s show. [aoa id=”1″] Entitled Future Brands of Wales, the courtyard will showcase up to 32 new and exciting Welsh start-up brands with the focus on making one of Europe’s biggest agricultural shows more accessible to smaller businesses. Each year the Royal Welsh Show attracts some 250,000 visitors and more than 1,000 trade stands making it one of the UK’s biggest annual events. [/aoa] NatWest Cymru is subsidising the eight pop-up pitches so…

PLANS for a new community hub and public open space as part of a garden village coming soon to North Swansea will be on display at Morriston Golf Club this week (Wednesday, June 5). Magor-based business The Edenstone Group has outline approval to build circa 300 homes at Parc Ceirw Garden Village, on the site of the former Cwmrhydyceirw Quarry in Morriston. Work on the first phase of homes will start soon. In the meantime, the independent homebuilder is hosting a public consultation event to showcase plans for new community facilities. [aoa id=”1″]Martin Taylor, managing director of the Edenstone Group,…

With much interest already shown in its latest development, the eagerly anticipated launch of Bedwellty Field has moved a step closer. Situated just off the A4049, Pengam Road on the former site of Bedwellty Comprehensive School, the development will feature a mix of just 55 two, three- and four-bedroom homes, which include a selection of 12 of Llanmoor’s most popular house types. Of the 55 homes constructed, 8 (15%) are to be affordable homes. Speaking about this latest development, Tim Grey, Sales Director of Llanmoor Homes, said: [aoa id=”1″]“We pride ourselves on our reputation for high-quality developments in sensitive locations.…

The man who died following an incident in a lane near Cathays Railway Station has been named as 18-year-old Fahad Mohamed Nur. Officers were called to a lane adjacent to the railway line which links Park Place to Corbett Road at approximately 00:24hrs on Sunday, June 2 following reports that a man had been stabbed. Mr Nur, who is from Cardiff, was taken to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, where he died from his injuries. His family is being supported by specially trained officers. No further action is being taken against two local men, aged 17 and 18, who…

Businesses across Wales’ food and drink industry are struggling to recruit and retain skilled professionals despite the industry experiencing strong economic growth. That’s according to the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink (NSAFD), the voice of food and drink careers across Wales, which is calling on local businesses across the industry to sign up to the Skills Pledge to tackle this shortfall. [aoa id=”1″]In the last year alone, Welsh food and drink exports have gone up by 20% – this is compared to a 9.5% increase for the UK as a whole over the same period. And there are…

The staff and volunteers at Swansea’s Barnardo’s headquarters have received delivery of a £1,000 donation from the Amazon fulfilment centre in the town.The donation was made by the charity committee at Amazon in Swansea Bay as part of its local community support programme.To celebrate the donation, members of Swansea’s Amazon team made a visit to Barnardo’s in Swansea, based on The Kingsway.Chris Law, Amazon Swansea Site Leader, said: “Barnardo’s is an important charity that does vital work in our community and it’s great to support them with this donation. Our team enjoyed the visit to the Swansea headquarters of the charity, where…