Author: Rhys Gregory

Two of the best known companies in North Wales have joined forces in a new partnership. Ifor Williams Trailers (IWT) has taken on Mona Tractor Co as a distributor for Gwynedd, Anglesey and down into West Wales as far as Tregaron, south of Aberystwyth. Mona are the latest to sign up as part of the trailer maker’s 50-strong network of distributors across the UK. IWT also has global reach with their market-leading products – made in their six factories in Denbighshire and Flintshire – being sold in outlets across Europe and as far afield as Australia and New Zealand. According…

Recent storms have damaged Haverfordwest Castle’s two flagpoles leading to their temporary removal. Due to the imminent start date for conservation works at the Castle, replacement flagpoles will not be erected until the Castle development project is complete. The site will be closed off for safety reasons during the regeneration project work. Works at Haverfordwest Castle will include a new flagpole solution, which will be more durable and easier to replace when needed. A Pembrokeshire County Council spokesman said: “We will continue to fly flags at County Hall, marking all official dates, but look forward to the completion of the…

Hospitality businesses across Wales are losing sales and customers if they don’t use Welsh food and drink products on their menu. That’s the wake-up call from Arwyn Watkins, OBE, president of the Culinary Association of Wales (CAW), an organisation representing chefs and butchers across Wales. He highlights market research undertaken by the Welsh Government Food and Drink Insight Programme, which has been exploring the attitudes of customers towards Welshness since 2017. “The pivotal question asked is: Does Welshness matter? The answer is a resounding ‘yes’,” Mr Watkins told the Welsh International Culinary Championships Awards Dinner at the International Convention Centre…

Scent training could make pet dogs better behaved, a new study by Aberystwyth University academics suggests. The research suggests that pet dogs trained to detect smells have improved mental ability and capacity to carry out certain tasks. Training is known to improve dogs’ ability to solve cognitive tasks, but previous research has focused on comparing highly trained working dogs, like those trained in search and rescue or assistance dogs, with untrained pets. The study by researchers from Aberystwyth University, in collaboration with Emma Stoker, owner of Puppy Plus in Newtown, suggests that even pet dog training can alter how our…

A 37-year-old from Maesteg has discussed how an apprenticeship has given him a new lease of life after he left school with no qualifications to pursue a career as a professional snooker player. James Matthewman is supporting the ‘Genius Decision’ campaign this Apprenticeship Week Wales, and hoping to encourage more people who are looking to upskill, gain qualifications or change careers later in life to consider an apprenticeship. Despite enjoying school, James focussed on becoming a professional snooker player when he was younger, which saw him travel the world competing in countries such as Latvia and Russia. After struggling to…

The average price of a home in Wales fell to £234,086 at the end 2023 following continued economic and financial pressures, making this the fourth consecutive quarter that prices have fallen in Wales. The figures have been released from Principality Building Society’s Wales House Price Index for Q4 2023 (October-December), which demonstrates the rise and fall in house prices in each of the 22 local authorities in Wales. House prices in Wales are now down 6% – or £15,000 – when compared to the same period the previous year when the peak price of £249,076 was recorded. Despite this being…

Wales’ most senior healthcare scientist has taken on a new role to help Wales become a world leader in cancer outcomes. Dr Rob Orford, who has been Chief Scientific Adviser for Health for Wales since 2017, will become chief executive officer of Moondance Cancer Initiative in April 2024.  Currently a member of the National Diagnostics Group, UK Genomics Board and UK Life Science Vision Delivery Board, Dr Orford led the Welsh Government scientific and technical response to Covid-19.  He was recently recognised in the New Year Honours list 2024, receiving an OBE for services to health sciences and evidence in…

A book loving five year old boy is “bringing joy” to the residents in a care home by reading exciting adventure stories to them. Young Harri Shone is a firm favourite at Pendine Park’s Highfield care home in Wrexham where he regularly pops in on his way home from school Harri just loves to read, whether it is imaginative stories or non-fiction, and says it’s his number one hobby. So, he takes along his schoolbooks to read stories out loud to residents with whom he has become big mates. The visits have become so successful that Pendine is now hoping…

Environmental consultancy Tyler Grange has just opened the doors to its new office in Cardiff. It’s the firm’s seventh UK location. The investment supports the growth of B Corp four-day week firm – expert in arboriculture, ecology and landscape planning – and enables Tyler Grange to work even more closely with Welsh architects, housebuilders and developers to deliver their projects with optimal benefits to people and the environment. And the firm is on the look-out for like minded ecologists, landscape architects and arboriculturists – who believe that a balance between purpose and profit is very much possible – to join the new award-winning team there. Operating from Cathedral…

Some energy suppliers are using rocketing standing charges as a way to inflate bills for small firms, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). In its response to Ofgem’s recent consultation on the standing charges system, FSB flagged fresh complaints from members of staggering rises – up to 12-fold increases – in the fixed fee set by energy suppliers regardless of energy usage. While standing charges are capped for household customers, they are now on a second year of hikes for business customers of the same energy suppliers providing the same electricity. Small businesses are often left with no…