Author: Rhys Gregory

Geshmak is a local café, bar and bistro that moved into Caerphilly town from Newport into an empty premises on Clive Street. Cllr Jamie Pritchard and Adam Sadler, CCBC’s Principal Business Development Officer, dropped by to see the new premises and to chat to owner Francesca Keirle. Francesca Keirle was previously a semi-finalist on the 2015 series of BBC MasterChef. The bistro is open throughout the day offering delicious Welsh breakfasts, light lunches and lovingly prepared fresh evening dining. The business started in Newport in February 2022, but Francesca soon needed better premises to expand. Looking at various sites within…

Growing Mid Wales has collaborated with mobile analysts Streetwave to map mobile coverage across the region using waste collection vehicles. Mobile network quality is now being surveyed across every road in the area on a weekly basis. Growing Mid Wales is making the results available to local residents and businesses with a groundbreaking coverage checker. In June 2024, data-capturing devices were installed in waste collection vehicles across Powys and Ceredigion. These devices have been making weekly mobile coverage surveys across every address in Mid Wales. Network coverage has been continuously analysed across the four main mobile networks in the UK:…

The Welsh Government is providing a further £5 million to support and protect Wales’ culture and sport arm’s length bodies and Cadw. Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip Jane Hutt will make the announcement today on a visit to the National Library of Wales and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales in Aberystwyth, both are amongst the organisations benefiting from the funding. The Cabinet Secretary says the Welsh Government has listened to concerns regarding the financial pressures facing cultural and sporting institutions and acted to help them mitigate against the difficulties…

The third round of funding has been awarded to 13 projects supporting the creation of 16 new Coetiroedd Bach (Tiny Forests) across Wales. The funding, worth more than £500,000, has been provided by the Welsh Government and is being administered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Roughly the size of a tennis court, Coetiroedd Bach have low management and maintenance requirements after the first two years. Grants of up to £40,000 were available to applicants per site, with a maximum of £250,000 for multiple sites in a single application. Organisations, communities and individuals who wanted to create new small woodlands in collaboration…

One of Wales’ most recognisable brands has taken the next step in its decarbonisation journey, with green loan backing from the Development Bank of Wales. Set up by couple David and Alison Lea-Wilson in 1996, Halen Môn is an internationally recognised business, which has gone on to make waves worldwide as a foodie’s favourite. Its products were served at the London 2012 Olympics and have been on menus at some of the world’s top restaurants, including The Fat Duck. Halen Môn sea salt carries Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status in Europe and the UK, recognising the unique nature of…

Specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co, has been instructed to market Hafan Artro, a guest house with a pub and restaurant in Llanbedr, Gwynedd. Situated in Llanbedr, Hafan Artro is a thriving guest house within the Snowdonia National Park and is highly popular among tourists and locals alike. The business has been put on the market as the current owners plan to retire. The boutique style guest house features seven double bedrooms, a bar and dining room with capacity for 76, and a spacious outdoor seating area with capacity for an additional 84 customers.  Also included in the sale is…

A Welsh media consortium has united academic and industry allies to make the media sector more inclusive and diverse – and is now set to host the very first “Accessible Futures Summit” to highlight how far the industry has come in accommodating a wide variety of D/deaf, Disabled and Neurodiverse (DDN) talent in media production careers. With the Paralympics in Paris showcasing how athletes from all over the world are expanding the limits of human possibility, Media Cymru and its consortium partner University of South Wales are preparing to unveil brand new approaches to working with D/deaf, disabled and neurodiverse…

In recent years, van leasing has emerged as a highly attractive option for businesses across the UK. This trend towards leasing rather than buying company vehicles is reshaping the way businesses approach their transport needs. Whether you’re a start-up or an established company, understanding why van leasing might be the right choice for your business can lead to substantial financial and operational benefits. Financial Flexibility and Affordability The primary attraction of leasing vans for business is the financial flexibility it offers. For many businesses, the prospect of an outright purchase of a fleet can be a daunting financial commitment. Leasing,…

Young people under 30 are happy to pay more to shop in Welsh, new research has revealed. The survey carried out by leading economist Dr Edward Jones, of Bangor University, showed that 70 per cent of 20 to 29-year-olds were willing to pay a premium for a product or service provided in Welsh. The number of those happy to dig deeper to use Welsh to shop and do business falls among older age groups but is still significant with 46 per cent of over 50s still happy to spend more for the privilege. The results of the survey have been…

Excellence IT, one of Wales’ leading managed service providers of IT support to SMEs, has transitioned into employee ownership. The business was set up by Andrew Beer and Andy Green in 2002, after they worked together in various departments at Hewlett Packard in Bristol, before leaving and setting up Excellence IT together to offer small businesses outsourced IT support. Since then, the business has grown to a staff of 20 from its base in Pontygwindy Road, Caerphilly, and works with large Welsh businesses such as Halo Foods, Edwards Coaches and Cwmpas by supporting their IT services. Excellence IT is one…