Author: Rhys Gregory

Businesses across Wales are getting involved with a Welsh Government campaign to share their reasons for using Welsh. [aoa id=”1″] The campaign, called #100kReasons, is urging business owners to help inspire others to start using Welsh by sparking a conversation about the benefits it can bring to a business. Wales is built on an economy of around 100,000 active small to medium enterprises, each with an opportunity to explore the positive impact using even just a little Welsh can have. To help these SMEs, the Welsh Government launched their Welsh in Business project in 2017 offering free, tailored advice on…

A Carmarthen garage has secured a six-figure funding package to expand its motor vehicle maintenance and repair business. [aoa id=”1″] Owner of Gordon’s Garage Ltd, Gordon Meakins, used a combined loan from NatWest and Lombard Asset Finance to purchase the freehold of the existing business premises on Cillefwr Industrial Estate. The funding has also enabled the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment, including new MOT bays and apparatus, allowing Gordon to start offering on-site MOT services to new and existing customers. A trained motor vehicle mechanic with more than 28 years’ experience, Gordon set up his business in 2006 with just a…

Welsh business confidence fell to the lowest level in the UK in February as companies across the nation became more pessimistic about their own prospects, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking. Overall confidence dropped 11 points in February, to give the lowest reading since the regional Barometer was launched in January last year. This is partly due to companies’ confidence about their own future business activity falling to 11 per cent, down from 22 per cent in January. When combined with their views on the economy, this gave an overall confidence figure on minus two…

BRITAIN’S Got Talent dance sensation Signature will take centre stage at a charity ball organised by a Wrexham businessman to raise funds for children with a rare disease. The world’s number one Michael Jackson dance tribute, who came runners up in the second series of the hit TV talent show and have been complimented by the King of Pop himself, will perform at the eighth annual A-T Spring Ball on Saturday June 8 at Bolesworth Castle in Tattenhall. Tickets are now on sale for the black-tie event organised by Vaughn Rawson, managing director of Wrexham-based Rawson Digital, and his wife…

Educ8 Group has been named as the best small company in Wales to work for on the same night its CEO won the Leader of the Year award. The double gong came at the annual Sunday Times Best Companies To Work For Awards. [aoa id=”1″] Founded in 2004 by Chairman Colin Tucker, the business is headquartered in Ystrad Mynach and has operations across Wales and England, with the ambitious company acquiring Bridgend-based ISA Training as recently as January. Educ8 topped the Welsh contingent in the Best Small Business To Work For category, coming 6th overall across the UK; the fifth…

A WORLD-RENOWNED animal psychologist who trained the Queen’s corgis praised a North Wales pet store for opening a revolutionary play park and cinema complex for dogs. [aoa id=”1″] Roger Mugford is known far and wide for his work in behavioural therapy, which has seen him give talks internationally and win a coveted Blue Cross Welfare Award. In 1979 he founded the Animal Behaviour Centre in Surrey, a referral service which has treated more than 80,000 problem pets over the last 40 years. He has seen it all, or so he thought before visiting PetPlace in Abergele and its purpose-built cinema,…

GlobalWelsh, the diaspora network for Wales, has hosted its first founding patrons’ forum Cardiff. [aoa id=”1″] The event, which was held at Principality Building Society’s headquarters in Cardiff, saw GlobalWelsh founding patrons and supporters meet to establish how the privately funded community interest company can scale and grow to maximise engagement opportunities with Welsh diaspora to benefit Wales. The event welcomed founding patrons, GlobalWelsh supporters, returning Welsh diaspora and politicians for a morning of talks, discussion and ideas on how it can grow and scale faster.  It aims to engage the global diaspora network in Wales and contribute towards creating…

Farmers and those reliant on agriculture for their income are getting increasingly frustrated with the lack of clarity on the UK’s exit from the European Union and are desperate for stability to continue running their businesses, the Farmers’ Union of Wales has said. [aoa id=”1″] Speaking after yesterday’s (Wednesday 27 February) 10 Downing Street reception, FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “We have spent the last couple of days speaking to key figures in the European Commission and Parliament to discuss Brexit and its implications and we have further discussed the worries and concerns of our farmers at the St David’s…

First Time Buyers have snapped up almost all newly released homes at a new Llandudno Junction development – in just 30 minutes.   Beech Developments have been inundated with calls and emails from local families and residents since they released the plots this morning (28.2.19) at Llys Marl. Fourteen of the 18 have been reserved with only four remaining.   Matthew Gilmartin, Managing Director of Beech Developments said: “The level of demand for good quality homes in Conwy is certainly exemplified in the speed of reservations at Llys Marl. Nearly all the buyers are First Time Buyers and we’ve been…

SCHOOLS and social care are to get millions of pounds of extra necessary investment in the coming financial year after Swansea Council passed its budget on Thursday (Feb 28). [aoa id=”1″] Councillors agreed to fully fund this year’s teacher’s pay rise and millions of pounds of necessary investment in social care despite continued cuts to local government funding. The measures would mean that in addition to a local council tax increase of 2.99% intended as part of the budget proposals, there will also be a rise of 1% for teachers pay and 2% for social care services. The move to…