Author: Rhys Gregory

Accountancy firm Bevan & Buckland, is marking the beginning of a second century of trading with the addition of several key hires as part of a company-wide digital transformation program – the largest in its 100 Year history. [aoa id=”1″] With Accountancy & Finance becoming increasingly technology focussed, the company is taking proactive steps as it seeks to establish itself as one of the leading accountancy practices in Wales by 2020. The firm is looking to appoint three senior hires initially, with more over the next two years. These newly created roles will sit alongside regular Tax, Audit & Accounts…

His voice was his life and his passion – but after surgery to remove a devastating tumour, public speaker Simon Green was left with a stammer. [aoa id=”1″] Surgeons could not remove the tumour in its entirety but the 42-year-old from Bridgend is still making great progress with his speech. He spoke to more than 1,000 people at the National Diversity Awards, raising awareness of stuttering and helping others by sharing his story. And Simon trusts he will make further progress with the support of the Adult Speech and Language Therapy team at Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend. [/aoa]…

The last beam is being placed on a new palliative care unit being built by Cwm Taf and Macmillan – a year to the date since the turf was cut by the Health Secretary. [aoa id=”1″] Today will see the topping out ceremony for the Y Bwthyn NGS Macmillan Specialist Palliative Care Unit, which is being built by Cwm Taf University Health Board and Macmillan Cancer Support in partnership with the National Garden Scheme. The ceremony is happening a year to the day since Cabinet Secretary for Health Vaughan Gething helped cut the turf on the site at the Royal…

Swansea Bay Business Club continued their 2018 networking season of events with their re-scheduled St David’s Day lunch at the Parc-y-Scarlets in Llanelli on Thursday 18th October. The event, which was originally scheduled for March, had previously been cancelled due to the severe weather conditions and heavy snow, with the safety of guests in mind. One of Wales’ favourite faces, Jonathan Davies OBE, joined members and their guests at Parc-y-Scarlets on Thursday and spoke at length about his career in Welsh rugby, his life after the game, both in the media and in business, and his commitments to charity. President of…

More people will die needlessly as a result of the UK Government’s decision to rule out the introduction special facilities where drug addicts can inject themselves safely and hygienically. That’s the view of North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones who says the refusal to even contemplate setting up a pilot project for a Drug Consumption Room (DCR) flies in the face of all the evidence. According to Mr Jones, he was bitterly disappointed but not surprised by the ruling by Victoria Atkins, the Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability, at a time when drug deaths are at an…

Apprentice chef Thomas Martin is a young man with a passion for cooking who has already sampled work in some of London’s top fine dining restaurants. [aoa id=”1″] At the age of 22, he is following a career path that he hopes will lead him to achieving his ambition of opening his own restaurant in Cardiff to champion the very best Welsh ingredients. Having achieved a Foundation Apprenticeship in Professional Cookery with training provider Cambrian Training Company, he plans to progress to an Apprenticeship next year. [/aoa] Earlier this year, he was rewarded for his passion and dedication to learning…

BBC Gardeners’ World magazine have announced the shortlist for the People’s Choice Award 2018 – which includes a garden in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan. [aoa id=”1″] Launched earlier this year, BBC Gardeners’ World magazine’s Garden of the Year competition, sponsored by Flight Centre, asked readers to nominate their private gardens to win the coveted accolade. Nearly 500 entries were whittled down to a shortlist of 11, from which Wayne Amiel’s Jamaican inspired South London garden was named the Judge’s Choice. Now, all 11 shortlisted gardens are open to the public vote for the People’s Choice Award including Gulrukh Saleem’s garden in Penarth, Vale of…

The ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Brexit negotiations is taking its toll on the commercial property market in Wales, according to the Q3 2018 RICS Commercial Property Market survey.  [aoa id=”1″] The quarterly survey results point to occupier demand falling in Wales at the headline level for the first time since early 2013. Falling demand from potential occupiers in the retail sector is the key factor in the overall drop in occupier demand, though a slowdown regarding office space is also evident. The picture for the industrial sector is more positive. [/aoa] Surveyors point to the uncertainty being caused by the…

THEY cooked up a storm at BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend and now one of the UK’s leading street food caterers will be hitting all the right notes with up-and-coming North Wales culinary businesses. [aoa id=”1″] Jabberwocky Street Food – run by husband and wife team Flic and Barny Luxmoore – dish up award-winning toasties at festivals, events, and weddings up and down the country. But there’s more to this couple than their catering vans, which they nickname Betty and Balu. Both gave up full-time careers to turn toasties into a thriving business. The couple, who have served more than 50,000…

Awarding winning Cardiff-based accountancy firm Lewis Ballard is expanding its business with the acquisition of family-run accountancy specialists, Harris & Co. [aoa id=”1″] The purchase has been supported by a £250,000 funding package from NatWest, and marks the next phase in the company’s ambitious growth plan. Lewis Ballard is nationally recognised as an innovative and proactive practice, and their professionally qualified, dynamic team, lead the way in providing digital solutions for businesses. Already offering a full range of accountancy and business advisory services, the practice is broadening its scope thanks to Harris & Co’s experience in specialist tax and a…