Business
Herald announces £1.5m investment in local journalism

A WEST WALES based newspaper group is to invest £1.5m in the next twelve months, creating up to 10 new jobs while safeguarding a further 25 full-time positions.
The good news comes as the Herald group of newspapers, based in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, secured significant new investment to secure its future.
The cash injection will also see a relaunch of Herald Newspapers’ three print titles, The Pembrokeshire Herald, Carmarthenshire Herald and Llanelli Herald, as well as it’s news sites which include the Ceredigion Herald and the new Swansea Herald – which is currently under development.
The firm has faced “considerable financial challenges” over the last two years following the closure of one of its print titles, The Ceredigion Herald, under a previous owner, Managing Director David Lee confirmed.
A small number staff and freelancers were left unpaid when Megagroup Newspapers went into liquidation in January 2017 – some of those have now been repaid, with others set to receive their remuneration shortly.
Most of the original management and staff – a twenty-five strong team continued to work on Herald titles under the ownership of Herald Newspapers plc – and kept the three of the four newspaper titles in print during corporate restructuring.
David Lee said that keeping the Herald titles going following the closure of The Ceredigion Herald had been a ‘near impossible task’.
Editorial controls were also not tight enough for a fourth title – leading to the conviction of Group Editor Tom Sinclair for putting the identity of the victim of a sexual offence at risk, and for naming a 17-year-old fisherman who crashed his boat – also unlawful.
Mr Lee said: “Launching a fourth print title, The Ceredigion Herald, was a bridge too far” for MegaGroup Newspapers – and losses started to mount quickly – almost bringing the other three titles down with it .

Popular: 45,000 people read Herald titles each week in west Wales
“The new investment –a significant amount – will secure the future of the Herald print tiles for the next two years, whilst we move our business model towards a digital offering.
“It will also allow us to invest in recruiting more journalists, increasing the speed and scope of our news coverage.”
The newspapers’ future was secured by its sale to private investors based both in the UK and overseas.
The new investment vehicle for The Herald titles is Herald News International Inc., a new company incorporated in the United States last month, due to one of the major investors – an Omani – having significant holdings there.
David Lee added: “Our commitment is to provide a truly local news service to west Wales. “While a lot of the news about local newspapers is all doom and gloom, HNI has seen something in The Herald’s brand worth investing in.
“This is very good news for the region and a sign that local news is not dead.”

Community: Herald titles are campaigning newspapers
Business
Freeport status ‘key’ to unlocking potential

FREEPORT status for Pembroke Port could unlock a multitude of employment and economic opportunities for the local area.
That’s the belief of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire Senedd candidate Samuel Kurtz.
While freeports are a Westminster policy, the Welsh Government are involved in the process but they have been far from enthusiastic over its potential benefits.
Commenting, Cllr Samuel Kurtz said: “Freeport status for Pembroke Port would turbo charge the recovery of the local economy, helping to boost employment opportunities for people in Pembroke, Pembroke Dock and the local area.
“That fact that the Labour government in Cardiff have sat on their hands over freeports, while England has already announced its freeport locations, shows the party has little regard for helping the economy recover and grow.
“This is a key policy that shouldn’t be overlooked simply because of party politics. Recovering from the effects of the pandemic needs collaborative work between Cardiff, London and local authorities.”
Business
Port of Milford Haven confirms compliance with National Marine Safety Code

THE PORT OF MILFORD HAVEN has confirmed its compliance with the Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s Port Marine Safety Code (PMSC).
The confirmation comes following an audit by leading maritime consultants ABPmer.
The Port Marine Safety Code is a national standard that applies to all harbour authorities. The Code and its accompanying guidance provide an essential toolbox to ensure the control of risk and the maintenance of safety in ports and in the marine environment.
Port of Milford Haven’s Harbourmaster and Marine Director Mike Ryan is proud of the Port’s continued compliance with the Code.
“This is further endorsement and confirmation of everyone’s commitment here at the Port of Milford Haven to providing a safe operation for all port users,” said Mike.
Monty Smedley, ABPmer’s Lead PMSC Auditor, who conducted the audit, said: “I am very pleased to confirm to the Port of Milford Haven’s Board that their harbour operations demonstrated compliance with the requirements of the Code, with many examples that we considered to be industry best practice.”
The MCA’s Ports and VTS Policy Manager, James Hannon, who leads PMSC compliance for the UK government said: “The Code is recognised across the industry and has been developed in partnership by the UK government and industry over the last two decades. The resources set out how ports can assess risks, design safety management systems, and also install governance processes to ensure that a Designated Person is able to evaluate controls and report directly to port duty holders and boards.”
The Port of Milford Haven’s Board formally declares its compliance with the Port Marine Safety Code to the MCA every three years.
Business
Pembrokeshire business encourages others to take advantage of free courses

IN LIGHT of the recent Welsh Government announcement on the re-opening of the Welsh tourism sector, Wales. A Food Destination is running a number of masterclass sessions tailored for the hospitality sector.
Wales. A Food Destination is a project which specialises in supporting retail and hospitality businesses to source, serve and sell Welsh food and drink through cafes, restaurants, shops, farmers markets, food festivals, B&B’s and tourist attractions.
Throughout April virtual workshop sessions will take place, covering a variety of areas such as local food and drink pairing, breakfast menu inspiration, how to offer the best customer experience possible, through to creating an authentic local eating experience, with a particular focus on sourcing local ingredients.
According to Laura Alexander, co-coordinator for Wales. A Food Destination, the aim is to give a helping hand to those in the sector looking to source, serve and sell Welsh food in a post Covid world,
“It is great that we are able to offer such a diverse range of training opportunities to hospitality businesses in Wales as the sector prepares to re-open. We know that a lot of businesses have been closed for a long time now, and are looking forward to re-opening and refreshing what they have to offer. We are keen to support them with opportunities for learning.
“The masterclass sessions will hopefully assist businesses in recognising how our first rate produce can make their offer even more attractive and help in boosting the sector at such a crucial time.”
One business who have benefitted from attending one of the recent workshops is Melin Tregwynt, based in Haverfordwest.
“It was great to take the time to look at what we can do to prepare for whatever re-opening throws our way this year. Also to be able to access such a brilliant resource of recipes, information and ideas. Thank you to all involved in delivering these courses.”
The good news is that all courses are delivered virtually and are fully funded for any business who sources, serves and sells Welsh food.
For a full list of courses available, please visit https://www.foodskills.cymru/wales-a-food-destination/events/
Wales. A Food Destination project offers fully funded one-to-one consultations, so if you are a retail and hospitality business and are looking for support or advice then please contact Laura Alexander at wales@lantra.co.uk.
Wales. A Food Destination is a project funded by the Welsh Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. Its aim is to support businesses source, serve and sell Welsh Food & Drink.
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