Author: Rhys Gregory

The ABP Newport Marathon Festival is returning this Sunday (28 April) to the streets of Newport, with a new look, new half marathon distance and newly designed courses. More than 7,000 people have signed up to take part in the running event suited to every level of ability and ambition. The new courses have been devised by Run 4 Wales Race Director and double Olympic marathoner, Steve Brace. While the routes are new, first-time runners or those looking to secure a PB, needn’t worry as the flat and fast course, which the Newport events are famed for, have been retained.…

The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) is to hold a business breakfast on May 3 to promote opportunities for Ceredigion based businesses and organisations at the 2024 Royal Welsh Show. This event at University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter will be an opportunity for businesses in and around Ceredigion to make new connections with partners, suppliers and potential clients. The breakfast will also be a chance to learn more about how businesses can get involved and work with the RWAS during Ceredigion’s year as the show’s feature county. Attendees will hear from key RWAS officeholders, including chief executive Aled…

A WELSH cancer charity is bringing hope to people living with brain tumours, their families and loved ones today with the launch of a £1 million research programme. Cancer Research Wales is setting up the Brain Tumour Research Initiative to fund pioneering research into brain tumours in Wales. It will establish Wales as a world-leader in brain tumour research and provide scientists with a greater understanding of the disease. The Brain Tumour Research Initiative will also develop new life saving and life-prolonging treatments and provide better support for people who have brain tumours. Survival rates barely improved over the last…

A BUSINESS hub and trading space in the heart of Newtown will attract visitors from across the region. Launching the new Cymorth Busnes Lleol / Local Business Support programme at Bear Lanes Shopping Centre, Montgomeryshire MP Craig Williams and local councillor David Selby declared it a “brilliant addition” to the area. The Broad Street retail unit and start-up support centre is the fourth unveiled by Antur Cymru Enterprise in just 18 months and follows Aberystwyth, Cardigan, and Newcastle Emlyn. Among those already operating from the premises are Peony Green bespoke lampshades, Awaken Spiritual Wellbeing and Home Décor, and Josie’s Creations handmade jewellery, whose…

The average price of a home in Wales fell to £229,263 in the first quarter of 2024, making this the fifth consecutive quarter that prices have fallen in Wales and brings the average house price almost £20,000 below its peak of £249,000 at the end of 2022. The figures have been released from Principality Building Society’s Wales House Price Index for Q1 2024 (January-March), which demonstrates the rise and fall in house prices in each of the 22 local authorities in Wales. Principality’s report shows the average house price in Wales has fallen by 2.1% since last quarter and is…

During its meeting on 19th April, the Growing Mid Wales Board granted approval of the Outline Business Case (OBC) for the Elan Valley Lakes project. This decision marks a major milestone for the Growth Deal as the first project to advance to the next stage of development under the Board’s approval. With this milestone achieved, the project is now poised to progress towards the completion of a comprehensive Full Business Case; the crucial final step required to secure Growth Deal funding prior to implementation. On receiving the news, Martin Driscoll, Senior Responsible Owner for the Elan Valley Lakes project and…

A popular TV chef has been giving tips to a group of enterprising teenagers who are setting up a pizza making business The budding entrepreneurs are regulars at Cellb, the innovative community arts complex based at the former police station in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Chris “Flamebaster” Roberts conducted a workshop teaching them the finer points of making dough and adding toppings. Their new venture, Pizza ‘Stiniog, is based in a converted shipping container that’s been kitted out with three pizza ovens. Chris went to Cellb with his fellow presenters, stand-up comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean television presenter Alun Williams, from the S4C series,…

A much-loved North Wales hospice has been adopted as a charity by a high flying precision engineering company after staff voted to support it. St Kentigern Hospice, which serves Denbighshire, eastern Conwy and western Flintshire, was chosen by Continental Diamond Tool Ltd (CDT) because of the “wonderful care” it has shown for relatives of team members, including both parents of engraver and dispatch officer Helen Turberville. The company,  which supplies sophisticated parts for production machinery for Rolls-Royce and other aerospace companies, has made its first donation to the charity with Helen handing over a cheque for £1,000 at the hospice…

A Swansea duo are preparing for a second season of business SUP-cess, having launched a popular water sport rental company with the support of Big Ideas Wales. Gower Waves is a mobile stand up paddleboard (SUP) rental company that delivers equipment across all 26 of the Gower’s beaches, from Langland and Swansea Bay to Caswell and Oxwich Bay. Behind the business are best friends Evan Richards, 20, and Lewis Morgan, 19 from Swansea. The pair launched Gower Waves in early 2023 during a gap year and spent the summer driving from beach to beach delivering customised paddle boards to holiday…

37 aspiring young business people from all corners of Wales have come together to hone their business ideas, expand their networks and develop their self-confidence at an immersive residential bootcamp. Hosted at The Summit Centre, Treharris, this year’s Big Ideas Wales residential ‘Bootcamp to Business’ event marked the eleventh annual event since it first launched in 2013. Targeted at individuals aged 18-25 with an entrepreneurial spark, Bootcamp to Business aims to strengthen the support framework available for aspiring startups by inviting leaders to collectively develop the skills needed within the first year of trading, from branding and social media to…