Author: Rhys Gregory

A woman from Pontyclun will be running her first half marathon after battling sarcoidosis – a rare condition that caused small patches of swollen tissue to develop in her organs. Claire Rennie, 49, has joined the Principality Cardiff Half Marathon 100 Club and will be taking on the race on Sunday 6 October to prove to herself just what she’s capable of. Claire, who works as a contracts manager, first noticed something wasn’t quite right two years ago when her face started swelling up. She said: “I was working at an airshow at the time but when I got back…

A £45,000 loan from the Development Bank of Wales has been used to part-fund the management buy-out of Welshpool-based Forden Concrete Products Limited. Director Shane Clee has purchased the business from founder Geoffrey Jarman who first established the precast concreting company in 1978. Shane joined Forden in 2001. With high quality materials and traditional techniques, Forden manufactures a range of precast concrete products for the dairy and agriculture industries including water troughs, feed troughs, slurry systems, portable cow stalls, gate posts and cattle foot baths. The company has 24 agents throughout the UK and is now hoping to diversify the…

BUSINESSES are breaking new ground and blooming nicely with the support of Antur Cymru. Start-ups and entrepreneurs in Mid Wales have benefited from the organisation’s guidance and advice, with several accessing transformative funding via the Powys Growth Grant. Among them were Beyond Breakout escape rooms, Seren Handmade, and Keridwen Garden Design. All three companies are owned by inspirational women working to support the regional economy, following their dreams and creating long-term employment opportunities. Beyond Breakout, based near Llanidloes, was launched by friends Lorna Morris and Jo Woodall just weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK in 2020. The last…

A celebration has been held at the Cardiff office of Clarke Willmott LLP, following the firm’s move to its new city centre location. The new 3,172 sq ft base at Callaghan Square represents a positive move into the heart of the city’s business district and a commitment to the firm’s hybrid working strategy and ESG plans. The grand opening was attended by staff from across Clarke Willmott’s seven regional offices as well as clients, business contacts and suppliers. Relocating from Pierhead Street, the colleagues moved to the prime location earlier this summer and have been settling into the space since.…

Nearly six months after the introduction of the workplace recycling law, the annual book festival in Hay on Wye stands as a shining example of how businesses can benefit from the new law, following measures that have resulted in the recycling of 85% of its waste. The organisers behind the festival have worked with suppliers to reduce the waste produced at the event by minimising the use of single use plastics, placing water refill stations across the site, and introducing re-useable coffee and bar glasses. As a result, it has reduced its plastics and can waste by 75%. The workplace…

Swansea University has once again joined forces with PAPYRUS to host a beach walk to help raise suicide awareness. This year’s HOPEWALK will take place on Sunday, October 13 in aid of PAPYRUS, the suicide prevention charity which offers confidential support and advice to young people. University staff, students and members of the public who want to take part should meet at the Secret Beach Bar and Kitchen on Mumbles Road, Swansea at 10am. The three-mile circular walk heads towards Blackpill along the beach and seafront footpath. Now in its sixth year in Swansea, participants have raised more than £2,200…

A TRAILBLAZER in sustainable farming and food production unveiled a series of new developments for Organic September. The 12,500-acre Rhug Estate, near Corwen in North Wales, has been a pioneer in green agriculture for more than two decades, at the forefront of advances in the sector. Led by owner Lord Newborough, the 100-strong team at Rhug have pushed the envelope even further in 2024, introducing systems, processes and facilities to benefit customers and the many animals they have on-site, including North American Bison and slow-maturing turkeys. One of just seven businesses in Wales to receive a Royal Warrant of Appointment…

An innovative new research facility currently under construction at the Tŷ Gwyrddfai decarbonisation hub in Penygroes, north Wales, will unlock the potential to carry out research into more sustainable, cost-efficient and healthy homes. The facility, funded by the UK Government through the Shared Prosperity Fund, is being developed through a collaboration between Bangor University, Adra and Busnes@LlandrilloMenai, and constructed on-site at Tŷ Gwyrddfai by Enbloc. Partners are keen to collaborate on research projects with both large companies and SMEs to test their products in a dual controlled environment. The facility will create and maintain two distinct thermal and environmental conditions…

THE academic year is off to a first class start at one of the country’s leading independent schools. St Gerard’s School in Bangor has brought all its pupils – primary and secondary – under the same roof for the first time in its 109-year history. The move follows a summer of huge investment at the Ffriddoedd Road site, including a new car park and toilet block, access, fencing, furniture, and signage, a major overhaul of the roof, and a £150,000 revamped heating system featuring seven state-of-the-art boilers. After securing some of the best GCSE and A Level results in Wales…

A man from Swansea has been handed an extended jail sentence for numerous offences including two counts of attempted rape. 20-year-old Leo Payne, from Bonymaen, was convicted of two counts of attempted rape against two separate victims, as well as one count each of sexual assault, indecent exposure, and GBH. He has this week been handed an extended sentence of 16 years in prison, of which 11 years and three months is custodial. Detective Constable Kelly Hurley said: “Leo Payne preyed upon his victims while they were alone and vulnerable in Swansea city centre. “His repeated offending shows that he…