Author: Rhys Gregory

Students in Wales who are moving home for the summer are being reminded by TV Licensing that they could be entitled to £50 in the form of a refund. [aoa id=”1″] In 2017, TV Licensing changed the way refunds are calculated to make it easier for customers to apply. This means more students can benefit from a refund as they can now claim for any full months left on their licence. With more than 120,000 students attending universities in Wales, thousands could be missing out on some much-needed cash. [/aoa] In order to qualify, students with existing TV Licences need…

Two Central Square has been recognised as one of the best workplaces in the South of England and South Wales at the annual British Council for Offices’ (BCO) regional awards, held yesterday [Thursday 9th May] at We the Curious, Bristol. The prestigious BCO Awards programme recognises the highest quality developments in the UK and sets the standard for excellence in the regional and national office sector. In addition, the following workplaces won awards: Promenade House, Bristol, Best Project up to 1,500sqm Award Victoria Gate, Woking, Best Refurbished / Recycled Workplace Award Herb House, Pukka Herbs, Bristol, Best Fit-Out Workplace Award…

Swansea City Centre will soon be blooming thanks to a new planting scheme by Swansea BID (Business Improvement District) that will see colour spring up at some of its overlooked kerbsides and small spaces. [aoa id=”1″] Flowers have been planted in Nelson Street, close to Franco’s Café, with other planting schemes planned in suitable spots in the City Centre over the next few months. The scheme is pressing ahead after Swansea BID’s ambassador canvassed opinions from the businesses she meets each week, on improvements they would like to see, to brighten up their area. [/aoa] Amelia Rudman, Swansea BID Project…

Principality Building Society has provided £10m worth of funding to three development sites across South Wales. Developed by Taff Housing Association, the sites situated in Cardiff, Radyr and St Mellons will provide over 170 residents with affordable, modern housing. [aoa id=”1″]The development sites located on Penarth Road in Cardiff, De Clare’s Road in Radyr and The Droke in St Mellons, will ensure that over 70 high quality and spacious homes will be made available for local communities. The Penarth Road development is near completion, whilst the Radyr and St Mellons developments are expected to complete by 2020.[/aoa] This funding forms…

Activity in the Welsh housing market fell for the second month in succession, according to the latest RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Residential Market Survey. [aoa id=”1″] Welsh respondents pointed to house prices continuing to edge upwards, but the survey indicates that the number new instructions to sell, new buyer enquiries and newly agreed sales all fell in April. The short-term outlook for the market in Wales is also relatively subdued, according to respondents. [/aoa]Surveyors expect sales activity to be broadly flat in the three months ahead, meanwhile the net balance for price expectations is +7, indicating…

Principality Building Society has seen its position as one of the best places to work in the UK soar within a year. The largest building society in Wales ranked 13th in the super large employer category of the UK Best Workplace™ awards by Great Place to Work®, up from 36th place in the large employer category last year. [aoa id=”1″]The Best Workplace™ award is based on the results of Trust Index© employee survey and Culture Audit©. These both show that Principality has created a diverse, inclusive culture that rewards colleagues and teams for outstanding behaviours and celebrates its unsung heroes…

FEEDBACK from the South West and Mid Wales business community is wanted to help equip our young people with the skills they’ll need to succeed in future. [aoa id=”1″] Responses to a survey put together by the Regional Learning and Skills Partnership will inform the detail of an annual employment and skills plan. Once complete, the plan will be used by the Welsh Government to guide decision-making on funding for further education and work-based learning. [/aoa] Primarily employer-led, the Regional Learning and Skills Partnership (RLSP) covers Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire, Powys and Swansea. The partnership works to bridge…

An eye-catching flying boat will make its debut at this summer’s Wales Airshow – 75 years after it was hunting World War Two enemy submarines. Miss Pick Up, a Consolidated Catalina plane that undertook wartime patrols off western Canada, could become a new crowd favourite at the Swansea event. [aoa id=”1″] There are only around 12 airworthy Catalinas remaining and Miss Pick Up is the only one flying regularly in Europe. The Wales Airshow, including attractions such as The Red Arrows, will see tens of thousands of spectators gather on Swansea Beach for two days of spectacular flying action on…

A farmer who lost his hand in a work accident has returned to the hospital ward which cared for him to present a donation of more than £4,500. Aneurin Jones was back behind the tractor wheel just a few months after he was seriously hurt when his hand was caught in machinery. He has nothing but praise for staff at Morriston’s Pembroke Ward who looked after him during the weeks immediately following the accident. Aneurin, his wife, Heulwen, and their baby daughter Angharad, have returned to the ward, accompanied by a group of well-wishers who helped raise £4,650 for its…

A team of Electronic Engineering students from Cardiff and Vale College have won a prestigious Big Bang Award for an innovative plan to reduce the carbon footprint of an art gallery. [aoa id=”1″]The learners won the award, organised by the Engineering Education Scheme Wales STEM Cymru (EESW) at its Big Bang fair, where they were competing against schools and colleges across the region. They were tasked with reducing the carbon footprint at the new art gallery in the St Fagans National Museum of History.[/aoa] Mentored by engineering firm Arup, two teams came up with two different solutions. One team won…