Author: Rhys Gregory

A booming farmers’ co-operative has launched a recruitment drive for new members to supply milk after posting record sales of £45 million. The news was revealed by managing director Alan Wyn Jones at an open day to celebrate the 80th anniversary of South Caernarfon Creameries which employs 130 staff at its base near Pwllheli on the Llŷn Peninsula. Over the last four years the company has invested £12 million in a state-of-the-art cheese production facility as well as redevelopment of their cheese packing plant. According to Mr Wyn-Jones, they need more farmers to join the fold because of the demand…

Some of Swansea’s best-loved parks will have eye catching new attractions next week – giant emojis. Huge smiley faces – some with sunglasses, some with heart-shaped eyes – will be mown into the grass at a number of locations across the city. Their appearance will coincide with the UK-wide Love Parks Week (July 13-20), World Emoji Day (July 17) and a host of free fresh air activities run for the public by Swansea Council’s ParkLives team. Council Cabinet Member for Investment, Regeneration and Tourism Robert Francis-Davies said: “People around the world use emojis every day so it’s a great idea…

A student from Cardiff and Vale College has won a prestigious national education award at the ceremony at Central Hall Westminster in London, on Thursday 5th July 2018. Whitney Phillips won the BTEC Award for Child and Social Care Student of the Year in recognition of their achievement in their subject. The award was presented by Jackie Rose, Principal, Leeds City Academy. Spanning 24 categories, the eighth annual Pearson BTEC Awards were hosted byfinancial journalist and TV Presenter Steph McGovern, and showcased the fantastic contributions made by students and young people studying for BTECs.  The ceremony was attended by the…

LinkedInLocal Swansea launched in May and has already held one successful event attended by 30 local businesses, many of whom were meeting for the first time. For those new to LinkedInLocal, it is a meetup concept that allows people to connect offline with their LinkedIn network to build meaningful relationships. The idea in short is to claim the social back from social media allowing people to meet the real people behind the profile pic and catchy headline. The second LinkedInLocal event is taking place at Americanos in SA 1 on 26th July and will feature informal networking, refreshments and special…

This week (11th July) a class from Christ the King Catholic Primary School in Llanishen were invited by their local group of station adopters to join them in caring for Llanishen train station as part of Arriva Trains Wales’ ‘Adopt a Station’ scheme. The class were excited to join Tony Fundell and members of Llanishen Rotary Club to learn about the kind-hearted work that station adopters are doing for their communities. The children were given a talk by Tony about what his work involves, before putting what they had learnt into action as they tidied up any litter and watered the…

Victims or families of those affected by a historic infected blood scandal, dubbed ‘the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS’, are being urged to come forward before a July 20 deadline to have their voices heard in a Public Inquiry. Following last week’s announcement of the independent public inquiry, Welsh law firm Watkins & Gunn Solicitors are one of four firms across the UK who have been designated by the Inquiry, and is calling on victims and their families to put forward their stories before it is too late. Called the worst treatment disaster in the history…

The Council will undertake Highways safety improvements in Cwmaman this summer for the benefit of the community – ahead of the new £7.2m Cwmaman Primary School opening in September. The brand new school, currently being built off Glanaman Road, will welcome 3-11 pupils from Glynhafod Junior and Cwmaman Infants’ Schools at the start of the 2018/19 academic year. The project, funded through #RCTinvest and the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools and Education Programme, will provide first-class facilities to transform the education offer in the local area. The wider development includes a Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA), staff car park, on-site pupil drop-off…

Newport City Council is delighted to reveal that its bid for National Lottery funding for a scheme to refurbish and revitalise Market Arcade has been successful. Development funding for the Townscape Heritage project from the National Lottery (through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)) was awarded last year. Now HLF has confirmed that the full bid for more than £1.1 million has been awarded to restore Market Arcade to its former glory. Originally called Fennell’s Arcade, the arcade was created in 1869 as a key pedestrian route between the railway station and the then new provisions market. In recent years, it…

With only 50 days to go until the annual Nation Radio Cardiff 10k takes place on Sunday 2nd September, leading Welsh charity Kidney Wales is encouraging people to sign up while they still can. Places are filling up fast for the race, one of the top road races in the UK which is now in its 32nd year.  With 10,000 spaces up for grabs – one for every kidney disease patient across Wales – the run is open to runners of all standards and provides a great opportunity for people to have fun as they get fit and raise both…

Business activity at private sector firms in Wales continued to rise in June, according to the NatWest PMI®, thereby extending the current period of expansion to almost two years. That said, after having rebounded from April’s 21-month low in May, a renewed slowdown in the rate of growth was evident in June. The moderation was accompanied by a weaker rise in new business and a downturn in employment. Meanwhile, business confidence hit a ten-month low. On the price front, input cost inflation intensified, which fed through to a sharper rise in average charges. The headline Wales Business Activity Index –…