Wales.org.uk

Plans to restore Colwyn Bay’s pier to its former glory have been given a massive boost with a heritage lottery grant of almost £600,000.
Conwy Council plan to use the money to restore Victoria Pier as part of a wider regeneration scheme in the town estimated at some £56 million.
The Heritage Lottery fund (HLF) announced just recently that the grant will …

Top travel company Thompson and First Choice have recently confirmed that they are going to put on additional winter flights to both Alicante and Tenerife, leaving from Cardiff Airport.
The additional services are due to commence in November 2013 and will provide greater flexibility for those looking to travel over the winter period.
Part of Country Wide Campaign
Thompson and First Choice are …

Steve Howarth and Tommy Kelly, two former royal marines, have together founded Cardiff based Jottnar with the aim of tapping into the growing and lucrative market for technical outdoor clothing and equipment.
Howarth and Kelly have used their own personal experience to design and manufacture the range which will be launched in the Autumn and available for purchase in a …

If your commute to work takes you along the busy and congested M4 between Cardiff and Newport then come 2014 everything could change with the proposed introduction of a cycle path.
Joint project
The path that is being planned would use some roads already in existence as well as seeing other unclassified “ green lanes” being resurfaced to provide a continuous route …

Y Gododdin is one of the oldest surviving Welsh poems and features a small band of Celtic Warriors who died at the hands of Anglo-Saxon Soldiers.
Broadswords, death and the aftermath
Conjuring up images of ferocious hand to hand fighting, terrifying broadswords, death and the aftermath, it may just be the perfect storyline for the next Hollywood blockbuster. However it’s a different …

A Narbeth based family-run butchers has recently been named the best butchers in Wales and the second best in the British Isles.
Established in 1988
Andrew Rees and Sons was established in 1988 when Andrew (as a then 23 year old) had a dream of starting his own butchery business. After a lot of persuading he managed to get a bank loan …

Dale Vince is the name behind the UK’s largest green energy company, Ecotricity and yet, over 20 years ago, he was a new age traveller and seemingly the lest likely person to become affluent.
During the 1980′s Dale was a new age traveller living in an ambulance. He married Kathleen Wyatt, a fellow traveller, in 1981 but separated in 1984 and …

Clive Ranger a well known High Street jewellers based in Cardiff has been bought out of administration for an undisclosed fee by the former store manager Carl Parry.
Company employed 34 staff
The Diamond ring specialists has businesses in Cardiff and Swansea in Wales, and in Bath and Bristol over the border in England. It employed 34 staff in total and the …

Mr Hoppé the Managing Director for the Newport based engineering company, Rowecord Engineering  has blamed the company’s problems on a ‘poor market outlook’.
Failure to land substantial orders
The company went into administration at the start of the month and prior to this had been hit hard by the current conditions in the market. “The failure to land substantial orders and difficulties …

The search is on to find the fastest growing independent Welsh business in an award ceremony to be held in October of this year. Glyndwr Innovations are hoping to repeat the success of the last year when they won the 2012 Fast Growth 50 Awards.
Awards in 15th year
The awards are now in their 15th year and the aim is to …

The National Library of Wales has announced that it is re-opening its doors to the public after a fire caused its closure last week.
Officials from the Aberystwyth based library stated that a small part of the collection will need to be dried out by an Oxford based salvage company, following water damage as the fire was put under control.
An investigation …

A welsh branded confectionery company known as Bon Bon Buddies has recently picked up a major business enterprise award.
Bon Bon Buddies was founded a little over 20 years ago by business entrepreneur Chris Howarth, who identified a gap in the market place for branded confectionery. Now in 2013 the company employs 155 people and exports all over the world.
One of …

As a major boost to the small island economy, a chicken processing plant is looking to generate up to 300 vacancies within its factory.
Doubled the workforce
The 2 Sisters Food Group who recently purchased the abattoir from Dutch Food giant Vion is in negotiations about the creation of a second shift in order to up production levels.  If this happens then …

Over the last year animal rescue centres throughout Wales have seen a dramatic increase in the amount of abandoned Staffordshire Bull Terriers. Both the Dogs Trust in Bridgend and Cardiff Dogs Home have both seen big rises in unwanted ‘Staffies’ and North Clwyd Animal Rescue (NCAR) state that the breed makes up around 75% of the 90 dogs held there.
Unfair …

Spiller’s Records (a Cardiff based independent record store) has had customers in a spin this week by launching it’s very own branded turntable. The store which is located in Morgan Arcade was first opened back in 1894 and as a result now has the title of the world’s oldest surviving record store.
Ashli Todd manager of the independent store said “our …

Wendy Hopkins a Cardiff based law firm has recently added another two people to it’s payroll bringing the new total to 32 staff. This now makes it one of the largest niche family law practices in the the UK and certainly the largest in Wales.
Melanie Hamer a senior partner with the law firm said that “being able to employ one …

 
After drawing at Charlton, Cardiff City have finally won promotion to the Premier league. This comes 53 years to the day that they last reached the top flight.
Carwyn Jones Welsh First Minister said that “the promotion to the premiership was fantastic news for the Cardiff supporters and for the city in general”.
He continues… “in recent seasons they’ve been through some …

One of Wales’ oldest independent furniture stores is set to close its doors for for the very last time later on this year.
Store opened in 1835
Eddershaw’s in Swansea has been in business in one guise or another since 1835. The store was taken over in 1880 by Frederick Charles Eddershaw, the great grandfather of the present owner Michael Eddershaw.
Business rates …

Up until recently the supermarket giant Tesco had planned to build a Superstore in Machynlleth Powys, however plans were withdrawn after failing to agree on road construction changes.
Up to 75 full time jobs
Tesco’s had planned a 1400 square metre store that would have employed 75 full time personnel, but objectors complained that the new superstore would jeopardise existing small businesses in …