Author: Rhys Gregory

The waiting is over for businesses, organisations and individuals as the finalists are today announced for the inaugural Mid Wales Tourism Awards. [aoa id=”1″] Designed to celebrate and showcase the region’s exceptional tourism industry, the biennial awards have 42 finalists in 13 categories. The winners will be revealed at a glittering awards ceremony at The Hafren, Newtown on October 17. Compere for the evening will be Welsh tourism personality Jonathan Jones, CBE. Award winners and finalists may be selected to represent the region at the Wales National Tourism Awards in March 2020. [/aoa] The awards are organised by MWT Cymru…

Accountancy disruptor Mazuma have significantly strengthened their Board of Directors with the appointment of a new Chairman and an experienced sector NED, and have appointed a Director of Operations ahead of ambitious growth plans. Additional growth capital has been secured from an experienced syndicate of professional investors alongside incremental funding from existing capital provider the Development Bank of Wales. [aoa id=”1″]Co-Founder Lucy Cohen said. “Since founding the business with my childhood friend Sophie Hughes in 2006 with our first to market subscription based accounting service, the accountancy market has significantly developed but still doesn’t effectively deliver for the sole trader,…

The count-down begins as thousands of elite athletes will gather at Tenby’s North Beach to for the start of IRONMAN Wales 2019.  [aoa id=”1″] The event, to be held on Sunday 15 September, is renowned as much for its toughness as for its spectacular location with athletes competing in an endurance triathlon involving a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle race around South Pembrokeshire and 26.2 mile run around Tenby. This year IRONMAN Wales will also see the launch of a new partnership between the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) and one of the world’s most prestigious triathlon…

Cases of suspected carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning have increased significantly, rising by 34% in North Wales over the past five years a report by campaign group Project SHOUT has revealed.  Data from the UK Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) shows that incidences have risen steadily since 2014 with the FRS usually one of the first emergency services on the scene in the event of a CO leak. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that is produced when fuel doesn’t burn properly, usually from badly fitted or poorly maintained appliances. Common sources of CO are gas and oil boilers, gas hobs…

Seel and Co, one of Wales’ oldest independent estate and letting agents, chartered surveyors, and auction houses, has been acquired by Jeffrey Ross estate agents. [aoa id=”1″] Seel and Co’s outgoing Managing Director Tony Seel will stay on as a consultant at the company for a period of time for continuity. The company was established by Tony’s great grandfather in 1898. Following the sale, Seel and Co will continue to operate completely independently. Ross Hooper-Nash, Managing Director of Jeffrey Ross – which has four branches across Cardiff – said of the acquisition: “I have long been an admirer of Seel…

Next month’s Wales Rally GB (3-6 October) has attracted a star-studded line-up after organiser, Motorsport UK, confirmed it has received a world class entry from right around the globe for the UK’s eagerly awaited annual date on the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar. [aoa id=”1″]Entries for round 12 of this year’s 14-round WRC closed late last week, with an outstanding field of 59 International crews representing no fewer 25 nations revving up to compete against-the-clock on an exciting new-look route starting in Liverpool and featuring 22 gruelling special stages the majority of which are set in the legendary Welsh forests. The…

The housing market in Wales continues to outperform the UK average, with surveyors reporting a busy August and expecting prices and sales activity to rise in the three months ahead, according to the RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Residential Market Survey. [aoa id=”1″] A net a balance of +41 percent of Welsh respondents to the latest survey said that house prices had risen since June. This was significantly above the UK-wide figure of -4 percent. Surveyors in Wales are also increasingly optimistic about the housing market’s short-term outlook. A net balance of +28 percent of Welsh respondents expects prices…

A former international gamer who found love and friendship across the globe as an avatar in a video game is lending his world class skills to a top IT services firm in Wrexham. [aoa id=”1″] Dominic Buckley, 26, who once teamed up against some of the best professional gamers in the world, is bringing his extensive troubleshooting experience to Rawson IT Services as a senior systems engineer. At the peak of his gaming career, Dominic, who grew up in Buckley, was playing video game classics such as Smite and Guild Wars for up to eight hours a day against hundreds…

The Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths AM has launched VEXo, an insect and plant protein created by Bug Farm Foods, at Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi in their native St Davids.  [aoa id=”1″] The innovative VEXo can be used in a similar way to minced meat, whilst reducing saturated fat by over 80%. Nearly one-third of 2-15 year olds are overweight or obese, with obesity costing the NHS in Wales around £73 million. VEXo has been developed by husband and wife team chef Andy Holcroft and entomologist Dr Sarah Beynon, who between them have also founded the…

‘Zip Wire for Stephen’, in memory of inspirational teenager Stephen Sutton, aims to set a new Guinness World Record. On Saturday 7 September, over 100 daredevils took on the world’s fastest zip wire in memory of Burntwood teenager and legendary Teenage Cancer Trust fundraiser Stephen Sutton. The exhilarating challenge took place at Zip World in Penryn Quarry, North Wales. Organisers hope it will set a new Guinness World Record for the most money raised by a charity zip wire event. ‘Zip Wire for Stephen’ was the brainchild of Stephen’s mum Jane, an ambassador for Teenage Cancer Trust, and who also…