Author: Rhys Gregory

A family run business from Corwen, Denbighshire, is on track to reach record sales approaching £3 million thanks to its export order book. Ruth Lee Ltd is a world-leading provider of realistic manikins and training aids to rescue training experts across the world. Designed and manufactured in Corwen, the manikins are primarily used by fire and rescue services, but the company has a multitude of other customers including the Ministry of Defence, police services, paramedics, RNLI, care homes and a host of global businesses including Glaxo Smith Kline and BMW. [aoa id=”1″] Outside of the UK, Ruth Lee Ltd is…

Dawn raids were carried out at sixteen addresses this morning, as part of an ongoing investigation in to spates of high-value burglaries in Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot. Officers descended on addresses in the Morriston, Clase, Brynhyfryd, Fforestfach, city centre, and Bonymaen areas of Swansea as part of Operation Timmia. Among the properties searched during the large-scale operation was an industrial unit in Fforestfach and nine caravans on the Millstream Way traveller site. Six people have been arrested on suspicion of offences including conspiracy to commit burglary, and are currently in police custody. Enquiries are ongoing to locate further suspects.…

They flocked to more than 50 performances of Cinderella starring Ian H Watkins, Kevin Johns and Ceri Dupree. The show at the Swansea Council venue ran for a month until closing night on Sunday Jan 13. Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said: “The Grand pantos are a great festive favourite and this year’s show exceeded all expectations and ticket sales were a good match for previous years. The hilarious Ugly Sisters were brilliant as were all other characters. “I thank the whole cast, production crew and other theatre staff for their professionalism and dedication. “It…

A former art student who discovered a talent for chainsaw sculpture has created a magnificent menagerie of woodland creatures The collection of giant squirrels, owls and hawks carved by Paul Morris now adorn the grounds of the Pendine Park Care Organisation in the leafy suburbs of Wrexham. Paul, 55, who is a skilled member of Pendine’s gardening and maintenance team, wanted to add colour to the rolling 11-acres at their site in Summerhill Road and give the residents something extra to enjoy. He is currently working on one of his most ambitious projects yet as he carves out a grizzly…

In 2019, GLL – the UK’s largest charitable leisure social enterprise that manages Better Cardiff Leisure Centres – is set to support local athletes through its athlete support programme, the GLL Sport Foundation. [aoa id=”1″]Eligible athletes can benefit from award packages that include financial grants of up to £1,250, free training memberships to use Cardiff leisure centres’ facilities and across 300 GLL and partner operated sporting venues. They can also benefit from access to sports science, medical support and employment opportunities all focussed towards supporting their athlete journey. Applications for the programme are open until February 20th 2019 and athletes…

When Smudge their beloved Staffie died, Sharon Hutchings and Mark Pike decided to launch a new business in her name. The result was Pampered Pooches, a high-quality dog grooming service which now has over 200 canine clients around South Wales. Based in Cwmavon, the mobile service caters for dogs of all shapes and sizes, offering grooming, nail clipping and ear cleaning and all the other necessities owners want for their pets. ‘It really is a labour of love,” said Sharon. “We both love dogs so much, that when Smudge passed away in 2015 we wanted to do something in her…

The Six Nations Championship is only a matter of weeks away and is one of the biggest sporting events of the year. It’s fair to say that Wales loves its rugby and there is no doubt that thousands of rugby fans will be watching Wales play in the Six Nations, whether they have a ticket or not. Following on from Wales’ semi-successful Six Nations campaign in 2018 (3/5 wins), and superb autumn fixtures with a full-house of wins (4/4), all eyes will be on Wales to see if this can be replicated and then some. When is the Six Nations?…

The expansion of Techniquest’s science discovery centre in Cardiff Bay has been given the go ahead by Cardiff Council. Planning permission has been granted to extend the educational charity’s current building on Stuart Street to create an additional 900m2 of exhibition floor space. The extension will help to radically transform the UK’s longest running science centre, increasing its footprint by 60% to house brand new innovative content related to, and developed with, Welsh STEM innovators, academics and communities. The scheme will also include a new vibrant public entrance, café and shop, in addition to a designated community space, roof terrace…

Cardiff is on the cusp of becoming the UK’s next major Build to Rent housing hub, following in the footsteps of London and Manchester – but only if residential developers deliver the mix of tenures and property needed, according to a new report from Knight Frank. The property consultancy’s annual Cardiff Report highlights office and residential development trends in the city. Its latest report released this month showed that while the proportion of households renting privately climbed from 22% in 2001 to more than 60% by 2017, none of it so far had been in the kind of purpose-built, professionally…

The number of fraudulent cases in Wales more than doubled in 2018 compared to 2017, with 30 cases reaching court in 2018 according to the KPMG Fraud Barometer. In value terms, KPMG’s research shows a staggering jump from £4.5 million in 2017 to £18.7 million in 2018. There was also an increase in the amount of crimes carried out by employees, reminding businesses of the need for ongoing assessment of internal fraud risks and the controls they use to address those risks. In addition, unlike last year when there were no cases involving fraudsters over the age of 55, this…