Author: Rhys Gregory

A popular hotel in a Pembrokeshire beauty spot has secured a bright new future after being bought by new owner Robert Jones and hotel manager Matthew Pugsley. The 10-room Lamphey Hall hotel in the village of Lamphey was recently put up for sale. In addition to a £50,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales, Rob and Matthew have invested their own money as well as securing a personal mortgage from NatWest. The micro loan from the Development Bank bridged the gap between their finance and the asking price, allowing them to buy the hotel as a going concern. The…

Eleven people in Swansea are celebrating this weekend after scooping a £1,000 cash prize each thanks to their lucky postcode. The Linden Avenue neighbours netted the windfall when SA3 5LA was announced as a Daily Prize winner with People’s Postcode Lottery on Friday 20th December 2019. People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Danyl Johnson sent his congratulations to the winners. He said: “What a way to start the weekend! I hope this win makes Christmas extra special for our winners.” A minimum of 32% of ticket sales goes directly to charities and players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised over £500 million…

Business confidence in Wales fell two points during December to 8%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Companies in Wales report lower confidence in their business prospects at 5% and higher economic optimism at 9%, giving an overall confidence reading of 8%. Businesses’ hiring intentions showed that a net balance of 9% of businesses in the region expect to hire more staff during the next year, up one point on last month. Across the UK, overall confidence edged up one point to 10% as firms’ confidence in their own prospects rose six points to 18%,…

Global real estate firm, Savills has forecast strong house price growth of 18% in Wales over the next five years, which would make it one of the fastest growing markets in the UK. While housing supply is almost meeting need, there is still a shortfall in the provision of affordable homes in Wales. The predicted house price rises are expected to put further pressure on the sector. Caroline Jones is an associate director in Savills development team in Cardiff, specialising in residential development. She comments: “The value of residential property in Wales is fast catching up with the rest of…

Eggnog the hamster will have a very happy Christmas after all – despite being abandoned in bitterly cold temperatures on the streets of Swansea. The tiny Russian dwarf hamster was found by a family on the pavement outside their home in the Penllergaer area of the city. RSPCA Cymru say it is “shocking” someone would dump a hamster like this – but are “over the moon” that Eggnog has been saved. The hamster was found near a small pile of sawdust, and was making his way down the family’s driveway when they came to his rescue. Sadly, Eggnog was also…

Important work to help improve Swansea city centre will take place from January 6. It will see work carried out to pedestrianise the upper section of Union Street and an adjoining part of Park Street. Alongside work already undertaken on the neighbouring Kingsway, it will help improve walking and cycling connections through the city centre. Swansea Council have commissioned the work. Throughout the work, motoring access to the car parks in Park Street – including all the accessible parking bays – will be maintained at all times via Portland Street. Pedestrian access will remain at all times and business are…

Boys and girls from Swansea had a special Christmas surprise this week when they made a visit to Amazon in Swansea to take part in a Christmas-themed day of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) fun with Barnardo’s. The children, who are cared for by Barnardo’s Cymru, visited Amazon in Swansea with the charity as part of a programme called Amazon Future Engineer. Amazon Future Engineer is one of several STEM programmes run by Amazon in the UK and is aimed at inspiring, educating and enabling 10,000 children to try computer science over the next two years. Amazon’s STEM programmes…

A NEW care consultancy is being launched which provides a unique blend of strategic and operational support unavailable anywhere else in the UK. Raising the Bar in Care has been launched by Sue Jones, from Penrhyn Bay, and Helen Butler and Tina Chapman, based in Grantham, Lincolnshire. The “only business of its kind” in the country, the trio say there is “huge demand” for support and guidance on future-proofing health and social care organisations and services as the industry continues to grow significantly. With more than 20 years’ experience in the financial services and care arenas, Sue says a further…

Retailers in Swansea’s Independents Quarter are praising the City Centre’s Santa sleigh Christmas attraction, for boosting visitor numbers to the area. The Big Heart of Swansea sleigh, which has been provided by Swansea Business Improvement District (BID), drew enthusiastic crowds to Lower Oxford Street last weekend, and it is set to return in the run-up to Christmas, with a £500 competition proving an added incentive for visitors. Christopher Barnes, from Mr Dapper Barbers, nearby, said: “It has been good to see the buzz around the Big Heart of Swansea Santa sleigh, centred on the independents quarter. We have noticed a…

The annual and renowned Merthyr Mawr Christmas Pudding Run saw hundreds gather in Merthyr Mawr, Bridgend, on Sunday 8 December, raising £2,235 for local charities, £835 of which has gone directly to the Welsh homeless charity, Llamau. Organised by the Brackla Harriers running club, the event saw runners brave the chill and the mixed terrain – including some thigh-aching sand dunes and many water features – to raise money for Llamau and other charities, including Bridgend Community Bereavement Support, MacMillan Cancer Support and Action for Children Bridgend. Some runners took home a Christmas pudding as a race memento, and many…