Author: Rhys Gregory

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) provides local authorities with funding for communities, places, businesses, people and skills. In Merthyr Tydfil this has amounted to a huge £27m investment. Councillor Andrew Barry, Deputy Leader of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council and Cabinet Member for Governance & Resources, said: “The Shared Prosperity Fund, what is essentially the replacement for what used to be European Funding, is critical to the successful regeneration of our County Borough. “The support it brings to residents through training and employment opportunities is invaluable. It brings support to our businesses through a comprehensive stream of business support…

In a statement to the Senedd this week, at the start of the autumn session, the First Minister committed to driving forward progress across four key areas: ‘Iechyd da’ – A Healthier Wales – cutting NHS waiting times, including for mental health; improving access to social care and services for women’s health; Green jobs and growth – creating green jobs that tackle the climate crisis and restore nature, while making families better off; accelerating planning decisions to grow the Welsh economy; Opportunity for every family – boosting standards in schools and colleges and providing more homes for social rent, ensuring…

Will you meet Wales’s famous ghosts this autumn? A new spine-tingling experience is coming to Margam Country Park this Halloween as zombie’s, ghosts, and ghouls emerge from the petrified forest on the country estate in Port Talbot. Margam Country Park’s Fright Nights will lead visitors on a haunted trail beginning in the large ruins in the gardens where they will meet the towering seven-foot Cistercian monks. Visitors will want to tiptoe through the bone yard so they don’t wake up the skeletons and into the petrified forest where they may bump into the zombie of gamekeeper Robert Scott, who was…

A new report by leading planning and development consultancy Lichfields calls for a more comprehensive housing strategy in Wales. Whilst efforts to increase the supply of low-carbon social housing are commendable, Lichfields’ analysis reveals that this narrow approach misses the larger picture. The Welsh Government’s current focus on affordable housing alone will not solve the deepening housing crisis, which requires a more holistic strategy that addresses both supply and demand factors. The report, titled “Affordable housing in Wales: Does more of less really mean more?” highlights that the key to improving housing affordability lies in expanding overall housing delivery, not…

Black Mountains Smokery is celebrating after winning one of the food and drink industry’s most prestigious awards. The Great Taste Awards, referred to as the Oscars of the food world, saw the Crickhowell based company’s Smoked Duck Breast taking the Golden Fork from Wales award. In another victory for Wales, Dà Mhìle Distillery’s Absinthe from Ceredigion, also earned the Nigel Barden Heritage Award for highlighting traditional production methods and heritage. Organised by the Guild of Fine Food, the Great Taste Awards are the acknowledged benchmark for the speciality food and drink sector. In this year’s awards, Black Mountains Smokery was…

Prima Foods UK Ltd, the UK’s largest factory producing suet and dumplings, is now running on 100% renewable electricity and generating its own power after a major solar panel installation at its site in Llanelli, south Wales. The business has committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a goal of achieving Net Zero by 2033. After a comprehensive review of its energy requirements last year, Prima Foods worked with Mypower Solar Professionals to deliver a state-of-the-art rooftop solar PV system. The site’s complex layout, comprising multiple buildings and incoming supply points, necessitated a meticulously planned installation. In early 2024, a…

Leon Stapleton, founder of We Make Footballers Cardiff, a football training academy for children aged 4-12, is among 14 businesses announced today as Start Up Loans’ 2024 Ambassadors. Applying for a £15,000 Start Up Loan from the Start Up Loans programme last year meant that Leon was able to launch the first We Make Footballers franchise in Wales. A former maths and science teacher, Leon spent over 10 years teaching in a secondary school, but pre-pandemic he became disillusioned and wanted a change from life in the classroom, despite really enjoying working with children, and decided to leave teaching for…

A TIMBER company approaching five years in business will branch out into new markets and territories with the support of a leading university. Snowdon Timber has navigated post-pandemic challenges to grow significantly in recent times. Launched in 2019 by Jody Goode, from Old Colwyn, the firm now employs 14 staff at its sites in Mochdre and Bangor. The latter is a 20,000 sq ft warehouse and headquarters on Llandegai Industrial Estate, where they supply a range of products – including decking, sleepers, and firewood – to customers including national retailers. With plans to expand further, Jody contacted Bangor University to…

The British Business Bank announces the second debt finance deal from the £130m Investment Fund for Wales, with a £150,000 investment from the Debt Finance fund, managed by appointed fund managers FW Capital. A team of trained beauticians has expanded their business in the heart of Neath, supported with investment from FW Capital and the British Business Bank’s Investment Fund for Wales. Blossom, a luxury hair and beauty salon, opened in the former Next store on New Street, Neath, earlier this month. The salon is led by experienced beauticians Jenny Dobson, a qualified make-up artist, and part-time nurse Fiona Spinks,…

A 41-year-old man from Risca near Newport has been found guilty of an offence under the Terrorism Act 2000. Following a two-week trial at Winchester Crown Court, Daniel Niinmae was convicted today (Monday, September 16) of possession of a document containing information of a kind likely to be of use to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The conviction follows a detailed investigation led by Counter Terrorism Policing Wales. He was acquitted of two offences of dissemination of a terrorist publication, contrary to Section Two of the Terrorism…