Author: Rhys Gregory

Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council (DVSC) proudly hosted the 2025 Key Fund Celebration, an inspiring event that brought together a vibrant and diverse community of voluntary sector representatives from across Denbighshire County. The celebration highlighted the remarkable achievements of organisations that received grants through the UK Shared Prosperity Key Fund programme, expertly managed and distributed by DVSC throughout 2024/25. Presented by the charismatic UK television and podcast personality Gareth ‘Gaz Top’ Jones, the event featured the premiere of specially commissioned films. These powerfully captured the creative and life-changing ways in which Key Fund grants have been utilised, showcasing the profound difference…

With a portfolio of projects which reads like a list of top visitor attractions in the UK, a Welsh landscaping firm has its sights set on further growth. Inscapes of Bridgend, which recently acquired Cardiff-based Landcraft, has received a £100,000 investment from Tata Steel subsidiary UKSE and has ambitious plans for the future. In the next three years, says Managing Director Gareth Rees, the plan is to take on another 40 staff bringing the workforce to 120 and to see turnover rise from the present £9.5 million to £15 million. He added that the order book was strong, and the outlook encouraging.…

From April 1st, Outpost on Llandaff Road, Cardiff will close its doors, and a bold transformation will take place. When it reopens, it will be known as SONDER—a new, neighbourhood bistro that seamlessly shifts from day to night, offering a laid-back yet refined dining experience, right on the border between Canton and Pontcanna. The transformation is the result of a conversation between Nick Saunders (33), owner of Outpost (and best known as the founder of Depot Cardiff); and Jake Lewis (29), former Executive Chef at Pasture Restaurant – one of Cardiff’s most popular dining destinations, famed for exceptional steak and locally sourced produce, cooked over fire. At SONDER, now Jake’s taking the reins…

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) has officially opened The Innovation Matrix, a cutting-edge 2,200 sq. m facility in Swansea’s SA1 Waterfront. Designed to drive digital innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry collaboration, the new space is situated alongside the University’s existing IQ and Y Fforwm buildings. It has already attracted nine businesses to its high-quality working spaces, creating a dynamic cluster with the added benefit of direct access to UWTSD’s expertise and research. Funded through a strategic partnership between UWTSD and the Swansea Bay City Deal, the Innovation Matrix offers a unique opportunity for established businesses and dynamic start-ups to accelerate…

Three men from Swansea have been jailed for their parts in an organised drug gang. 34-year-old Rhys Higgins, from Portmead, 28-year-old Liam McCabe, from Blaenymaes, and 50-year-old Dennis McCabe, from Cockett were subject of warrants at their home addresses on October 17 last year. Significant sums of cash were found at each of the addresses, totalling over £137,000. Two of the addresses contained five mobile phones each, while the third contained 93 wraps of crack cocaine and electronic scales. Evidence was also uncovered tying the three men to the purchase of multi-kilo quantities of cocaine. They have been sentenced to…

Wales’s largest business representative body, FSB Wales (Federation of Small Businesses), has appointed John Hurst, Director of Cardiff-based B2B IT Services, as its new Chair. A dynamic entrepreneur and passionate advocate for the Welsh business community, John brings a wealth of experience to the role. Prior to his current venture with B2B IT Services, John had a successful career spanning manufacturing, technology, and professional services. He also has extensive experience in international trade, exporting to over 100 countries. John will lead the Wales Member Advisory Council, comprising business owners from across the Welsh small business community to help guide FSB’s…

Cyclists and spectators from all across the UK and beyond will be heading to the scenic county of Ceredigion this June for the Lloyds National Road Racing Championships by British Cycling. This comes as British Cycling and Welsh Government confirm landmark agreement to host the next three Lloyds National Road Championships in Wales from 2025 through to 2027. This forms part of Wales’ commitment to hosting world-class cycling in the coming years, following on from last week’s announcement that the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will both take place in the UK in 2027. Wales…

Ballers Pizzeria in Lakeside has appointed Giacomo Rimanti as its new Head Chef. Ballers Pizzeria was first established in 2020, starting life as a pop-up with a van, then evolving into a hatch in Heath, before opening the first bricks-and-mortar site in Lakeside in December 2023. Focussed on hand-stretched Neapolitan-style pizzas with Spanish influences and premium ingredients, Ballers quickly became a go-to spot in Lakeside for great-quality pizza, craft beers, cocktails, and a carefully curated wine list designed to complement the food offering, too. New Head Chef Giacomo now joins Ballers from the acclaimed (and recently closed) 591 by Anatoni’s…

A long-running care home has passed into the experienced hands of new owners, backed with the support of the Development Bank of Wales. Cherry Tree Care Home opened in Caldicot in 1993, and has since been run by owners Hallmark. Following an extension in 2003, the home has 38 bedrooms and is licensed to provide nursing and residential care for 41 residents. The home has now been taken on by Basanta Nepal and Bishwa Tara Ghimire, who have run Dreams Care Homes since 2021, with a seven-figure loan from the Wales Flexible Investment Fund. The couple had previously worked with…

A proposed zero-emission fast ferry service linking Swansea with the South West of England has received an encouraging response so far. More than 3,000 people voted during the first week of an online survey launched earlier this month, with over 98% saying they’d support the introduction of a fast zero-emission ferry. Supported by funding from Swansea Council through the UK Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the research is being carried out by a company called Ocean which specialises in accelerated maritime decarbonisation and transition to zero-emission. People and business owners are encouraged to go to this Ocean webpage to cast a yes, no or maybe vote on the concept, leave…