Author: Rhys Gregory

An award-winning company set up by the Welsh inventor of the electronic breathalyser is set to beat the £1m turnover mark for the first time this year fuelled almost entirely by export sales. [aoa id=”1″] PPM Technology manufactures toxic gas monitors and indoor air quality sensors. The Caernarfon-based firm has seen turnover rise consistently over recent years, from £660,000 in 2014 to £850,000 at the end of the last financial year in August. And so far in the five months since September, turnover has already reached £550,000, putting the company well on course to breach the £1m mark this year.…

The UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) Challenge is an international student drone design competition organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. [aoa id=”1″] This year the event is attracting a record 32 teams comprising hundreds of young engineers from as far afield as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Canada, along with first timers from Denmark and the Netherlands. The Challenge is staged over three days in the spectacular Snowdonia Aerospace Centre at Llanbedr, part of the Snowdonia Enterprise Zone, and has been building popularity over the past five years. Colin Brown, Chief Executive of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: “We are…

THE Red Dragon Centre is stepping into spring with colourful festivities to mark St David’s Day. Parents are invited to celebrate the Welsh National Day with their little dragons during half term at the entertainment centre. The festive celebrations will take place on Friday 1 March from 12pm to 4pm. Families and children can get crafty at the eco-friendly craft station, creating the emotive symbols of Wales – from breath-taking dragons to bright yellow daffodils. The Red Dragon Centre will also welcome back its baby dragons. The fiery creatures will be let out to play at 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm and…

Over two thirds of businesses in Wales (67%), say that Making Tax Digital is a good idea but that they need more support with their plans ahead of the deadline of April 1st 2019 for VAT, according to new research from KPMG. [aoa id=”1″] Making Tax Digital is a key part of the government’s plans to make it easier and more effective for individuals and businesses to get their tax right and keep on top of their affairs. From 1st April 2019, most VAT-registered businesses above the threshold of £85k will have to keep digital records and submit VAT…

Welsh farmers must be prepared to dedicate time and resource to health and safety standards to avoid falling foul of government inspections, an agricultural risk expert has warned.  [aoa id=”1″] Richard Wade, risk specialist for Farmers and Mercantile Insurance Brokers (FMIB), urged farmers to take workplace risk seriously or face severe penalties, following the launch of the latest raft of targeted on-farm inspections by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the region. The initiative will see inspectors visiting one hundred farms in Wales up until March 2019, as part of HSE’s continued efforts to crackdown on high rates of…

New fixed penalties to help prevent household waste being illegally dumped have passed in the Assembly and come into force today.   [aoa id=”1″] Under the waste duty of care, householders are required to ensure that waste produced on their property is transferred to an authorised person for disposal and can be prosecuted if they do not. However, taking someone to court is not always the most appropriate response for this type of offence and can take a great deal of time and effort.   Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government Hannah Blythyn said: “We know that over 60%…

A brand-new musical adapted from David Walliams’ hit book, Billionaire Boy is coming to Cardiff’s New Theatre from 26 February – 2 March, just in time for half-term! Written by Miranda Cooper and Nick Coler, the show is on its world-premiere tour and has received rave reviews from audiences around the UK. In Billionaire Boy the Musical, factory worker Len Spud invents a new loo roll “Bum Fresh – wet on one side, dry on the other.” The wiping-wonder is an instant hit. Len, and his son Joe, become overnight billionaires, turning their lives upside down. Whilst Mr Spud spends,…

Bevan Buckland LLPis now the main sponsor of the Swansea Bay Business Awards. The established chartered accountants and tax advisor, whose history spans more than 100 years, replaces PwC to support the awards and the businesses that it so proudly honours. Bevan Buckland LLP recently signed a three-year deal with the organiser ahead of the launch of the Swansea Bay Business Awards 2019, which takes place at Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall on Friday 22nd February 2019. The glamorous ceremony will be attended by all nominees and many of the region’s best business minds. The event will be compered by journalist and TV…

With a sell-out crowd, there will be a full city centre road closure between 1.15pm and 7.45pm, with kick off taking place at 4.45pm. Enhanced security measures will be in place at Principality Stadium so all those that are coming to Cardiff to watch the game are strongly advised to leave plenty of time to get into the city and into the stadium. [aoa id=”1″] Rugby fans are strongly advised to leave large bags at home and pay attention to the prohibited items listed at  principalitystadium.wales  before they travel into the city. Cardiff Council has issued the following information from public transport…

From struggling to form sentences to a speaking part in his school play – the last few years have been a real journey for RomanAubrey-Cooze. Roman, from Swansea, has verbal dyspraxia, a speech sound disorder that affects children’s ability to learn and coordinate movements for speech. It left him struggling to make friends from the age of two at nursery and answer simple questions, like “What’s your name?”. Now thanks to help and support from speech and language therapy, seven-year-old Roman can produce sentences clearly. And he has achieved a huge milestone – taking part in his school play. When…