Author: Rhys Gregory

Newport-based accountancy and tax expert Kilsby Williams has secured Cyber Essentials Plus status as it looks to stay ahead of the curve on the important issue of cyber security.The decision to pursue the maximum Cyber Essentials compliance level has come from the increased awareness of the ever-growing threat levels within the accountancy sector, with the successful cyber-attack on HM Revenue and Customs highlighting the importance of meticulous cyber security.Cyber Essentials is a government backed scheme designed to ensure that companies are best placed to protect their customers’ data and prepared for the threats of the digital age, such as cyber-attacks.The…

Whilst many firms in Wales still have strong recruitment intentions, there are difficulties across the country.Of the 455 businesses that took part in the survey, half of firms have undergone a recruitment process in the last 2 years. When asked what difficulties they had faced in recruiting, 57% suggested that they were not able to find the right people to do the jobs they required. There are a number of reasons for this, most of which relate to the attitude, skills and experiences of applicants.These figures differ across the regions of Wales, with 62% of South West Wales firms saying…

Swansea Bay Business Club will finish their 2018 season of networking events on Friday December 14 with a festive lunch at the Marriott Hotel in Swansea.After last month’s sold out Beaujolais lunch saw over 180 members and their guests fill the Marriott Hotel, the business club is set to return to the venue for what is expected to be another sold out event.Welsh favourite, entertainer and entrepreneur, Stifyn Parri will be guest speaker and with over 35 years experience in both the creative industries and entertainment business he looks set to be another great speaker for the final celebration event…

A new telecoms business has been launched in South Wales by two experienced professionals with a passion for putting customer service back into the sector.Incom Wales has been launched by co-Managing Director’s Dean James and Ian England, with the business having a combined 50 years in the telecoms industry in South Wales. Speaking of the launch, Dean said:“The reason we started Incom Wales is that we wanted to provide local businesses with an experienced but personable approach to telecoms and IT. We specialise in on-premise and cloud-based telephony solutions along with the ability to supply all of the customers’ network…

A dairy farmers’ cooperative has bought a slice of Christmas cheer to war veterans with a gift of top quality cheese.Expert cheesemakers South Caernarfon Creameries gave three and a half kilos of their finest Cavern Aged Cheddar, Cheddar & Leek and Caerffili cheeses to the Chelsea Pensioners at the annual Ceremony of the Christmas Cheeses.It’s a centuries-old Yule Tide tradition where cheese is handed over to the country’s war veterans at the Royal Hospital in London.It dates back to 1692 when the hospital asked a local cheesemonger to provide the pensioners with cheese as a Christmas treat.Cheddar has played a…

Last week, Wordpress launched the biggest update to the content management platform since its release.[aoa id=”1″]Now I know what you’re thinking, what is Wordpress and why does it matter to my business?Wordpress is a content management system (CMS) for websites. Basically, it allows pretty much anyone to update their website extremely easily without needing to know how to code using HTML or PHP etc. Many of us don’t know how to code, so before Wordpress, we would have to pay a web developer every time we want to add/edit or delete something from our own websites. This can be both…

With the nights drawing in and the weather turning colder, households in Wales could miss out on significant savings if they forget to adjust their heating system for the change in temperature.[aoa id=”1″]Poor energy use, in particular leaving heating and lights on by mistake for just four hours a week, is estimated to cost on average £250 per home every year.In response OFTEC, the trade association for oil heating, has issued advice to households in Wales  on how to avoid these expensive mistakes by highlighting some of the most common winter heating myths:[/aoa]Myth 1: Turning the thermostat up high will…

High-Performance IT consultancy DevOpsGroup is promising future technologists a year they’ll never forget through its 2019 trainee programmes.[aoa id=”1″]The fast-growing Welsh tech firm is now recruiting for intern and graduate engineers as part of continued efforts to close the growing tech skills gap, which could result in 800,000 unfilled IT roles by 2020 (according to Computer Weekly).Delivered through the DevOpsGroup Academy, the schemes offer practical work experience and academic training centred around the latest DevOps, Agile, and cloud practices and technologies.[/aoa]James Harvey, head of the Academy, said: “We’re thrilled to be running our internship and graduate programme and supporting a new cohort…

A HOSPICE is on course to open a £500,000 satellite unit that will create 15 jobs and provide vital end-of-life care for patients in isolated areas of north west Wales.[aoa id=”1″]St David’s Hospice plans to unveil the new four-bed inpatient complex in 2019, with building work set to start next April at a converted ward at Penrhos Stanley Community Hospital, Holyhead.The opening will mark a year since the Llandudno facility was merged with Hospice at Home to form one charity covering Conwy, Gwynedd and Anglesey.St David’s is also exploring opportunities in south Gwynedd with the aim of further extending its…

The Real Ale Farm in Bargoed, Rhymney Valley, has again been one of the top four clubs in the country in CAMRA’s Club of the Year awards for the second year in a row. [aoa id=”1″]Housed in the oldest surviving building in the town, the Real Ale Farm offers a range of quality beer which has been selected for flavour and interest. The club aims to promote local producers and brewers of real ale, cider and perry, and hosts numerous charity events as well as the occasional beer festival.The CAMRA Club of the Year competition is run in conjunction with…