Author: Rhys Gregory

Around 25 professionals gathered for Wales’ first global online festival last week dedicated to bringing together the circular economy community from across South West Wales. The event helped organisations understand the theory and application behind the concept of the circular economy.  [aoa id=”1″] EFT Consult, a specialist in building services design consultancy and the implementation of the principles of the circular economy, officially launched the Circular Economy Club in Swansea on 14th November 2018 with the support of 4theRegion – a new regional engagement project for South West Wales. Held at the new Construction Wales Innovation Centre at the University…

A police chief has hit out after being “gagged” to try and stop him from warning people in North Wales about the threat to law and order caused by the Brexit chaos. [aoa id=”1″] The region’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Arfon Jones, says the National Police and Crime Council and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners has issued what amounts to a gagging order to the country’s 41 police and crime commissioners. The latest information from the National Police Chiefs Council and APCC about policing contingency arrangements for a ‘No Deal’ Brexit are marked ‘CONFIDENTIAL’ and a warning that they…

Around 180 of the club’s members and their guests enjoyed one of the biggest dates in the Swansea social calendar and they were treated to an afternoon of entertainment from stand up comedienne and actress Tiff Stevenson. President of Swansea Bay Business Club, Paul Gardner, commented: “Once again we’ve played host to one of the biggest and best Beaujolais celebrations across the city and it was great to hear the whole room packed with our guests laughter as they enjoyed the iconic Swansea celebration that is Beaujolais. “With Tiff as our entertainment for the afternoon we knew that we’d be…

A popular restaurant group that’s served 350,000 diners and spent £1.3 million with North Wales suppliers this year has been honoured with a top award for its massive contribution to tourism in the region. [aoa id=”1″] Dylan’s, which has three seaside restaurants in Menai Bridge, Criccieth and Llandudno, received the Special Recognition Award at the 2018 Go North Wales Tourism Awards. The glittering ceremony at Venue Cymru, Llandudno was organised by North Wales Tourism which represents more than 1,500 tourism-related members across the area. The audience was entertained by Britain’s Got Talent finalist Gruffydd Wyn Roberts, from Anglesey. Other…

A Kilsby Williams tax manager took a walk on the wild side, as she trekked along the Great Wall of China for five days to raise vital funds for charity. After hearing about an opportunity to use her passion for hiking to raise money for charity, Rachael Day jumped at the chance to take on the challenge with her partner Alastair and his colleagues at Ensono. She quickly decided to join the Caerphilly-based IT Consultants team and hike a challenging 35km of the world’s longest wall. As part of the Ensono team, Rachael helped raise over £20,000, doubling the original…

The MIB reported last month that thousands of people are unwittingly breaking the law by driving other people’s cars without insurance, resulting in over 3,000 vehicles being seized between July 2016 and June 2018. Research by Tempcover, a temporary motor insurance provider, reveals that over the past few years, most insurers have been quietly modifying or removing ‘drive any car’ clauses after they were increasingly abused by motorists looking to dodge rising premiums. That means that you can’t assume that you can just drive someone else’s car. These days, many drivers are unlikely to find the ‘drive any car’ clause…

After nearly two years of painful and protracted negotiations, the UK government and the European Union have finally agreed a text on the EU – UK Withdrawal Agreement, despite numerous delays and missed deadlines. The text runs to 585 pages and covers three main areas: (i) the financial settlement; (ii) the rights of EU citizens; and (iii) the Northern Ireland border. (i) The financial settlement deals with the outstanding liabilities the government faces with respect to its EU obligations, as well as contributions to the EU budget during the transition period. Although an exact figure has not been specified, initial…

Grants totalling £150,000 have been awarded to seven organisations in Wales through Innovate to Save. [aoa id=”1″] Managed by Y Lab and funded by Welsh Government, the grants will be used to test new ideas that have the potential to improve public services and generate cashable savings. Y Lab, the public services innovation lab for Wales, which is a partnership between Cardiff University and Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation will provide support and guidance to the projects over a 12-month period as they test and trial their idea.  Further support will be offered by Wales Council for Voluntary Action. Their…

School children across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan have been holding sessions for older people in the local community to raise awareness of and reduce the risk of falling. Staying Steady Schools was launched by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board with the help of Cardiff University students who hosted a number of sessions in local primary schools where children teach older people about the risk of falls and how to reduce them. Following a successful pilot earlier this year, Staying Steady Schools was named a Bevan Exemplar for 2019. The Bevan Commission, Wales’ premier think tank for health…

The 50 staff at a television company being turned into a mini-John Lewis have given their unanimous backing to the idea that’s making history in the broadcast industry. [aoa id=”1″] Independent valuers are now being brought in to put a price on Caernarfon-based Cwmni Da which will become an Employee Ownership Trust. The owner and sole shareholder, Dylan Huws, is handing over company ownership  to the workforce in a move that will cement the £5 million a year firm’s future in the town. As part of the deal that’s a first in the UK television industry, he will sell…