Author: Rhys Gregory

TRADERS are enjoying start-up success with the support of Antur Cymru Enterprise. Entrepreneurs, makers, and independent producers in west Wales are benefiting from the organisation’s Cymorth Busnes Lleol / Local Business Support programme. After opening retail units in Aberystwyth and Newcastle Emlyn, a space has now been unveiled on Cardigan High Street. Loren Nash is the owner of Under the Laurel nature-inspired jewellery accessories and homeware, now based at the bustling store having launched during the pandemic. She began making items in lockdown to improve her mental health; however, increasing demand led to customers across the area and online, so she decided to take…

The British Business Bank announces the first debt finance deal from the £130m Investment Fund for Wales, with a £500,000 investment from the Debt Finance fund, managed by appointed fund managers FW Capital. The investment in to leading contract scaffolders Palmers Scaffolding based in Deeside is the first debt finance deal announced on behalf of the Investment Fund for Wales and comes less than a month after the Bank confirmed the completion of the Fund’s first equity deal and just three months after its launch on November 23rd 2023. The Investment Fund for Wales was launched by the government-backed British…

As part of the continued drive to get more people active, the UK Government, the Football Association of Wales and the Cymru Football Foundation have kicked off the year by announcing 64 projects across Wales are benefitting from a share of £4 million. From Bangor to Carmarthen, 64 projects will receive funding for everything from changing rooms and pavilions, to a state of the art 3G football turf and brand new floodlights. Work is already underway on 63 of these projects, with the final one to commence from spring. The projects announced today will benefit from £4 million from the…

Aspiring businesspeople in Swansea are being encouraged to attend a free event next month to help inspire, support and guide them. The Swansea Start-up Expo event is taking place at Swansea Arena on Wednesday March 6. A daytime session is being held from 2pm to 5pm, and an evening session is taking place from 5pm to 8pm. The one-stop-shop event is being organised by 4 The Region in partnership with Swansea Council, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Swansea University and Gower College Swansea. It will include talks from entrepreneurs and expert-led workshops on topics like grants and finance,…

The Welsh Government has supported  ground-breaking work to secure a more prominent  place for the Welsh language in the technology we use every day, making our language better prepared for artificial intelligence (A.I) developments, the Minister for Education and Welsh Language will say today. Since the publication of the Welsh Language Technology Action Plan in late 2018, the Welsh Government has created and commissioned resources and data to improve technology in the Welsh language. It has also supported the development of voice technology in Welsh, and the development of Welsh language in A.I. Some of the plan’s achievements include developing…

“We need to think more broadly and creatively about how we support people’s mental health and wellbeing,” Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Lynne Neagle said as she launched the new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and the Suicide and Self-Harm Strategy for consultation today (Tuesday 20 February). The draft strategies, out for consultation until 11 June, aim to change how we think about mental health, empower people to improve their mental health and remove the barriers and stigma around getting help. With half of mental health conditions impacting people by the age of 14 and 75% by the…

A business that designs, manufactures and maintains first and business class aircraft seating is investing for the future at its sites in Newport and Cwmbran, after Welsh Government funding helped support more than 900 existing jobs and further workforce growth. Safran Seats GB is one of the world’s leading suppliers of first and business class seating to the fleets of the world’s biggest international airlines. With £1.6m of support from the Welsh Government’s Economy Futures Fund, the firm is making a multi-million-pound investment into its sites in South Wales, primarily in the acquisition of new machining equipment and facility modernisation.…

Bangor University graduate Katie Bright has been shortlisted for Student Nurse of the Year in the learning disabilities category by the Student Nursing Times Awards 2024. The Student Nursing Times Awards highlight excellence in all specialities of student nursing and provide an opportunity to congratulate individuals as well as the lecturers, practice supervisors, universities, trusts and private organisations that support for student nurses during their studies. Katie Bright, from Trearddur Bay, Anglesey graduated as a learning disabilities nurse from Bangor University last December with a first-class honours degree. She is now a learning disability nurse for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health…

Officers of Neath Port Talbot Council’s Trading Standards, Waste Enforcement and Licensing departments have stopped and spoken to a total of 65 traders as part of a joint operation against rogue traders. Partner organisations included South Wales Police, Dyfed Powys Police, Natural Resources Wales, the DVSA, Mid and West Fire & Rescue Service and HM Revenue and Customs. During the stops, as part of the two-day Operation Crossfield, council officers advised on contracts and consumer rights and checked Waste Carrier and Scrap Metal licences. At the same time, the other partnership teams carried out their own inspections on vehicle safety…

Work to install a new sports pitch at a south Powys sports centre will take place later this year, it has been announced. A new sand-dressed astroturf will be installed at Ystradgynlais Sports Centre, replacing the outdated sports pitch. As part of the works, an improved lighting scheme will also be installed. The works will be carried out after Powys County Council successfully secured a £350,000 Community Focussed Schools Capital Grant from the Welsh Government. The council and its leisure partner, Freedom Leisure, carried out a survey with key stakeholders including schools and sports clubs to seek their views on…