Author: Rhys Gregory

Brexit uncertainty is being felt in the housing market in Wales, with prices now flat and surveyors expecting prices and sales to edge lower in the three months ahead, according to the latest RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Residential Market Survey. The latest survey is the first in 15 months in which house prices in Wales haven’t been reported to have risen. It is also the fourth survey in a row that Welsh surveyors have pointed to a fall in new buyer enquiries. In addition, newly agreed sales were reported to have been lower than the previous month. RICS…

Welsh technology company DevOpsGroup has opened an office in London to accelerate its ambitious growth plans.  The Cardiff-headquartered business, which specialises in DevOps and cloud engineering, has made Rise London the newest addition to its UK locations. Located in the heart of Shoreditch, it’s home a thriving community of FinTech companies and the Barclays Accelerator. DevOpsGroup plans to use the contemporary tech hub as a base for staff, client engagement, recruitment, and community events. James Smith, Co-Founder and CEO of DevOpsGroup, said: “We’re thrilled to be expanding to London with an office at Rise, a catalyst for innovation in the capital.…

Cardiff’s plans for a new 15,000 capacity indoor arena in the Bay will take a step forward this month if the Council’s Cabinet grants permission for detailed design works to be progressed. [aoa id=”1″] Once completed, the scheme will be brought back to Cabinet for a decision in March 2019, and a planning application for the development would be submitted by July 2019. The report to Cabinet reveals that the existing Red Dragon Centre could be demolished to make way for the new indoor arena which would face Lloyd George Avenue and the Oval Basin. Before that happens a brand…

Swansea University’s Hilary Lappin-Scott has urged female entrepreneurs and innovators of the future to grab their opportunities and pursue their ambitions. In her keynote presentation at an Innovate UK conference held at Cardiff’s Millennium Centre, Professor Lappin-Scott emphasised that entrepreneurship is vital to bringing social and economic growth to the region. She said: “Innovation underpins some of the most successful entrepreneurs in history. To be truly entrepreneurial, to achieve and sustain success, we need to continually innovate. “We need to ensure we are developing existing female talent within our institutions and recruiting additional female talent from all over the world.” She…

A new apprenticeship scheme has been launched by InSite, the UK-based technical consultancy that serves the oil, gas, metals, chemicals, renewables, technology licensing and financial industries. [aoa id=”1″] The new apprenticeship scheme is set to boost employment in the local area and to benefit InSite by providing skilled employees as it grows. Since InSite’s formation in 2014, the company has grown from six directors up to 60 employees in 2018. “The apprentice scheme will directly benefit the apprentices, Pembrokeshire College, InSite and clients of InSite,” said Jon Scarr, InSite’s General Manager. “The indirect beneficiary is the local economy, which will…

A Welsh pâté manufacturer has secured a £400,000 finance package from HSBC UK to install a new product development kitchen and expand its range of pâtés and vegan dishes. Patchwork Pâté, a family-run business based in Denbighshire, has used HSBC UK funding to purchase the equipment needed to introduce vegetarian, vegan and reduced-calorie pâtés to its collection, alongside five bespoke Welsh meat pâtés. The eight new product lines have enabled the business, which currently supplies to local pubs and restaurants, to enter the retail market for the first time. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] The business, which was established in 1982, has also…

Orbis Education and Care’s Lucy Pottinger will fly the flag for Wales at a national ceremony this month as the only Welsh nominee shortlisted for a Variety Catherine Award. [aoa id=”1″] Lucy has been nominated for the Rising Star Award at this year’s event, which celebrates inspiring women from the worlds of business and philanthropy UK wide. As Director of Education at Orbis, Lucy is also the only individual working in the education and care sector shortlisted for the category, which shines a spotlight on ‘women to watch’ for the future. Fellow nominees for the awards include Olympic ice skater…

The Chefs’ Forum recently staged ‘A Chefs’ Lunch’ at Cardiff and Vale College. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] Hospitality students at the college had the opportunity to learn from industry experts as they welcomed chefs from Seren Diemwnt, Celtic Manor, Heaney’s Restaurant and St David’s Hotel. The Chefs’ Form holds a culinary convention in Wales each quarter and is proud to showcase students from Cardiff and Vale College working front of house and in the kitchen at a variety of leading operations, under renowned local chefs and hospitality experts. The event was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the college’s world class facility and…

This Christmas join Hijinx’s community theatre group, Odyssey, as they follow Hansel and Gedeon on their adventure through the Grimms’ Wood. Showing in the Weston Studio of the Wales Millennium Centre from the 6th– 8th Dec at 7pm and 8th Dec at 3pm, with BSL interpretation for all performances and Audio Description on the 7th December. Hansel, Gedeon and the Grimms’ Wood [aoa id=”1″] Written by Llinos Mai, Hansel, Gedeon and the Grimms’ Woodfeatures a large cast of disabled and non-disabled performers from Odyssey, pupils from Woodlands High School, and haunting, original music by David Roche, composer in residence. This is the third…

Leading Welsh property developer Waterstone Homes is set to make a return to housebuilding in Swansea after three years with a brand-new luxury residential scheme on the outskirts of the city. Following the resounding success of its Howell’s Reach development in Derwen Fawr, which sold out in just six months, the high-end housebuilder has confirmed a second Swansea location after securing another sought after site in the region. Listening to its customers, the housebuilder has introduced homes that are that little bit more affordable with lower starting prices than its first city development. [aoa id=”1″][/aoa] Set in the affluent and…