Author: Rhys Gregory

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has announced the sale of Lakeside Care Home in Cardiff, South Wales. Lakeside Care Home, which is registered for 69 elderly clients, occupies a substantial 65-bedroom, purpose-built property. It is ideally located on Wedal Road, in the heart of Cardiff and close to the University Hospital of Wales. The business was founded by Phil Cliffe in 1994, who extended the property during COVID, adding 18 en suite wet rooms via a substantial extension, which was completed in 2023. After 32 years of ownership and a successful career in the care sector, Phil decided…

A yellow weather warning for strong winds has been issued for parts of Wales, with forecasters warning that travel disruption and difficult conditions are possible throughout Thursday. The warning, issued by the Met Office, is in place between 5am and 8pm on Thursday, 12 March. It covers parts of north Wales including Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, the Isle of Anglesey and Wrexham. Forecasters say an active weather front moving south east across the UK will bring a period of strong winds accompanied by heavy rain during the day. Wind gusts of 50 to 55mph are expected across many areas, while…

New findings from the Lloyds Business Barometer show that AI is helping Welsh firms work more efficiently and unlock new opportunities for growth. Welsh businesses integrating AI into their operations are reporting significant financial benefits, with 85% seeing increased productivity and 38% reporting higher profits over the past 12 months. Of those who reported a profit boost from using AI, 42% recorded an uplift of 11% or more, with a further 40% saying profits increased by 6-10%, and 19% saying profits increased between 0-5%. The findings come as investment in AI accelerates, with nearly half (48%) of Welsh businesses confirming they have invested in AI. The research…

“You are never too old, never too late and never too busy learn.” That’s the rallying message Adult Community Learning (ACL) Practitioner Christopher Roberts has for adults who may have doubts about returning to education. Christopher, who has worked for Bridgend College as an ACL mathematics lecturer for 14 years, consistently drives innovation to transform the way he delivers classes to meet community needs and demands. By developing partnerships with Bryntirion, Porthcawl and Pencoed Secondary Schools, he runs Maths for Parents’ classes, which benefit not only individuals but their families and communities, too. Christopher is one of six tutors who…

The number of new homes coming onto the housing market in Wales rose during February, according to the latest Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Residential Market Survey, but respondents remain cautious about the short-term outlook. A net balance of 15% of Welsh respondents reported that new instructions to sell were up through the month of February, indicating that more sellers were putting their houses on the market. However, whilst supply is stronger, demand seems to have dipped. A net balance of -37% of Welsh surveyors reported that new buyer enquiries fell through, which is further into negative territory than…

Artist Catrin Williams is bringing her talent and experience to schools across North Wales this month (March), as part of Discover! Creative Careers Cymru, led by education charity Into Film Cymru. The series of workshops is part of a UK-wide campaign funded by the UK Government, which has successfully introduced creative careers to over 80,000 young people and inspired them. The aim of the programme in Wales is to help young people across the country explore careers in the creative industries, connecting them with industry professionals, such as Catrin, and providing practical experience. Catrin will be running a series of workshops that will…

Vale of Glamorgan Council has approved a new budget that will see significant investment in schools, housing, roads and public services over the coming years. The spending plans were agreed during a meeting of all councillors on Monday night, setting out how money will be allocated across a range of key services. Over the next five years, the council will spend a total of £0.5 billion on developments across the Vale. The investment includes more than £55 million for new schools, with a further £29 million planned for future education projects, alongside £10 million to improve existing school facilities. Funding…

The brand new Ysgol Cynefin has opened its doors to pupils and staff – providing a vibrant new home for specialist education in Cardiff. Delivered in partnership with the Welsh Government through the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme and built by Kier, the state‑of‑the‑art £23 million landmark development provides a modern, inspiring learning environment designed around the needs, wellbeing and aspirations of children and young people with additional learning needs (ALN). Formerly known as The Court School, Ysgol Cynefin now operates across two purpose‑built sites in Fairwater and Llanrumney, welcoming pupils into bright, accessible, single‑storey buildings that place inclusion, creativity…

A dozen local businesses have received grant funding from Newport City Council to help them cut energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint. The council’s Net Zero Newport Decarbonisation Programme offers grants of up to £30,000 to help businesses match-fund the cost of energy efficiency or renewable energy projects. It also offers free technical support to help local businesses develop low carbon projects. The 2025-26 programme has built on the success of the first year of the programme, with a total of just under £250,000 being awarded to the twelve businesses. Businesses helped by the programme include Wibli Wobli, Newport’s…

Jane Bryant MS, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, has visited Caerphilly town centre to view progress on a range of ambitious regeneration schemes that are helping to transform the community. The Cabinet Secretary was accompanied by Cllr Jamie Pritchard, the Leader of Caerphilly Council, as they viewed a number of exciting ongoing and planned developments. The schemes form part of the Caerphilly 2035 Placemaking Plan – a bold and ambitious project to enhance and regenerate the town with significant investment from the Welsh Government and Caerphilly county borough council. The first stop of the visit was to view…