Author: Rhys Gregory

Award winning South Wales law firm, Watkins & Gunn, has been giving back to the local community by donating over £45,000 to 12 different local charities.  Through ‘Watkins & Give’, the firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm, it has so far surprised 10 charities with a mystery donation. There are 2 further mystery donations to go over the coming weeks as part of its ’12 days of Giving’ initiative. With offices in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypool, the firm (with input from the staff) chose 12 local charities – Alzheimer’s Society, City Hospice, Kidney Wales, MIND, Richmond House (Diabetic Centre), Shelter Cymru, Sparkle, Tenovus, The Silverlining Brain Injury  Charity, The Wallich, Wooden Spoon the Children’s Charity of…

The Cardiff Design Festival is returning to venues throughout the city from 10 to 13 October 2019 after a nine-year hiatus. With the aim of celebrating and showcasing Cardiff’s thriving creative scene, 32 events are planned across the capital. The festival programme was developed after a call out earlier this year for the local creative community to submit ideas for potential events, speakers and collaborations. The programme of events, which include exhibitions, talks, socials and workshops, has been curated and hosted by the local design community to reflect all aspects of design. The festival’s headline event – It Will Glow…

With a development ethos to ‘Achieve, Aspire and Grow’, Legal and General Investment Management (LGIM) has created a successful Apprenticeship Programme that has laid solid foundations for the future. [aoa id=”1″] LGIM’s investment in people development has resulted in the company being shortlisted for the Large Employer of the Year Award at next month’s Apprenticeship Awards Cymru, the annual celebration of outstanding achievement in training and apprenticeships. Thirty-four finalists in a dozen categories are in the running for the prestigious Apprenticeship Awards Cymru, which will be presented at a high-profile ceremony at the new International Convention Centre Wales, Newport…

Amanda Dorel, regional director for Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking in Wales, discusses the practical ways in which local businesses can get themselves in shape for the festive season. Whisper it quietly, but this month saw us cross the threshold and enter the 100-day countdown to Christmas. While for consumers the festive season may feel a long, long way off, many businesses across Wales will be deep in planning as they gear up for one of the busiest trading periods of the year. From the hospitality businesses through to the retail sector, December’s celebrations are a major undertaking. But with retail…

The Chief Executive of the Board of Welsh Cycling shared her remarkable 30 years of successful sports management at Swansea Bay Business Club’s September lunch event, which took place on Friday 20 September at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium.  Anne Adams-King also spoke about her impressive history of sporting achievement as an Olympic and Commonwealth Games swimmer at the event, which was sponsored by Cycle Solutions. Alan Brayley, Acting President of Swansea Bay Business Club, said: “It was inspirational to hear Anne’s journey. She shared her insights and experiences of managing relationships and leading programmes and initiatives for Welsh Cycling, Sport Wales, the…

Deloitte is continuing the success of One Million Futures, the firm’s social impact initiative, and has today announced the launch of a new charity partnership in Wales. Deloitte in Wales is now working with Llamau, whose mission is to eradicate homelessness for young people and vulnerable women. The firm will focus on supporting the charity’s Learning 4 Life project, which aims to progress young people aged 16-24 who face complex disadvantages into sustainable employment, volunteering or further education or training. Deloitte is now midway through its five-year programme to help one million people get to where they want to be through…

The national culinary teams of Wales, England and Scotland will lock horns at the Battle for the Dragon contest in North Wales next month. [aoa id=”1″] The annual contest, which is traditionally held at the Welsh International Culinary Championships, has been brought forward to October 29-31 at Coleg Llandrillo Menai, Rhos-on-Sea because of a clash with the Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart in February next year. With all three teams set to compete at the Culinary Olympics, there will be a lot at stake in terms of national pride, fine tuning their dishes and teamwork. The Battle for the Dragon contest…

As the Rugby World Cup kicks off in Japan, TV Licensing is advising all publicans to avoid a penalty and check they are correctly covered by a TV licence if they plan to show live matches. Due to the time difference, the scrum at the bar will start far earlier than usual this weekend as ruby fans across the country pack into pubs to watch the home nations live in action. Supporters in Wales have an extra reason to be cheering on the 31-man strong squad as Wales’ Head Coach, Warren Gatland, prepares to lead his team for the final time…

An information centre is opening soon (October 4) to keep residents of north Swansea up to date about plans to transform a former quarry into a new garden village of homes and community facilities. [aoa id=”1″] The Edenstone Group, based in Magor, has approval to build circa 300 homes on the 35 acre site, which was the former Cwmrhydyceirw Quarry. The development, known as Parc Ceirw Garden Village, will feature the company’s two housing brands – Edenstone Homes and Bluebell Homes. Clearance and preparatory work is underway, with the first phase of construction due to in the near future. Ahead…

E-cigarette use is rising across Wales and more tobacco smokers are quitting the habit, according to the latest YouGov survey by ASH Wales. The figures reflect the growth in e-cigarette use across Great Britain, where nearly half as many people vape as smoke. New data published by ASH shows that there are now an estimated 3.6 million vapers compared to 7.2 million smokers in Britain.  In Wales 7% of the adult population now vape, compared to 17% that smoke. This compares to 5% of the population in 2018 when 19% of adults smoked. There has been an increase too in…