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TV firm where staff got free pizza and £500 bonus is ‘one of best places to work in UK’

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A PIONERING Welsh TV production company is celebrating a quadruple dose of good news – including being lauded as one of the best places to work in the UK.

Staff at Caernarfon-based Cwmni Da (which means Good Company) say they were delighted but not surprised by the accolade from Broadcast magazine because they “just love” working there.

According to the workforce, they’re even more committed to the cause after making history five years ago when they took over the company and became an Employee Owned Trust, believed to be a first in the UK television industry.

Just over 12 months ago every member of staff received a £500 bonus to help them cope with the soaring cost of living.

Cwmni Da named UK’s best TV company to work for. Owain Jones , Sophie Craig and Marian Griffith. Picture Mandy Jones

In naming Cwmni Da as one of the best places to work in TV, the judges were persuaded by the raft of staff perks – including free pizza, team-building escape room adventures and charity fund-raising social events – as well as the glowing praise in a survey of the 53 employees that was conducted anonymously.

As well as the recognition from Broadcast, Cwmni Da was named by Televisual magazine as one of the Top 100 Truly Independent Media Companies in the UK.

The good news kept on coming when they heard they had secured two big grants to help them develop and grow as a company.

They were awarded £25,000 from Media Cymru’s Innovation Pipeline fund to develop the use of state-of-the-art XR (extended reality) technology for their multi-award winning children’s show, Deian a Loli, which merges real life and virtual images on a greenscreen backdrop.

Cwmni Da also received £25,000 from the BBC’s Small Indie Fund which was established to support the growth of up and coming independent companies.

Managing director Llion Iwan said: “Being selected to receive this funding is a real feather in our cap that will help us develop and grow.

“As well as the finance and training opportunities that come with the award from the BBC, there are opportunities to be mentored by the people who commission programmes and have a regular dialogue with them about what they are looking for.

“There are also opportunities for training through the National Film School and this is going to help us make better programmes that are more likely to appeal to television commissioners

“There are fortnightly meetings with the commissioner who’s mentoring you and they then introduce you to the relevant commissioners in the genres you want to develop.

“It’s all designed to raise our profile beyond S4C and improve the perception of Cwmni Da in the wider broadcast industry.

“We have already established a successful track record for award-winning international co-productions and this is something we want to do more of.”

Llion added he was very proud that the staff genuinely feel that Cwmni Da is a brilliant place to work.

Among them is production secretary Marian Griffith, 65, who has worked for Cwmni Da from day one when it was established in 1997.

She said: “It’s been an interesting journey and I have been given the opportunity to do different things as the company has developed. It’s great to be able to work through the medium of Welsh morning, noon and night.

“Everybody works towards the same goal and we’re all supportive of each other – it’s like a family.

“From the very beginning, the company has been very willing to consider people’s own individual family circumstances if anything crops up.

“The fact that we all now have a stake in the company, means we are even more committed and hard working than ever. If you’re happy in your work, you are going to be better at what you do.

It was a view echoed by technical head Carwyn Dafydd, 34, who said: “I’m very lucky to be able to work in the broadcast industry and I just love it here, especially as I live so close in Felinheli.

“The best thing about Cwmni Da is the people who work here, they’re brilliant.

“The fact that the company is owned by the staff means that people are working even harder because they know they are working for themselves and their colleagues, with the opportunity of a bonus at the end of the year.”

Executive assistant Sophie Craig, 35, is one of the newer recruits, having started there just over a year ago.

She said: “One of the reasons I was keen to join Cwmni Da is because the staff turnover is so low which speaks volumes about the company.

“The company also invests in the staff by providing loads of training opportunities and professional development, as well as being great in terms of work-life balance.

“I really enjoy working at Cwmni Da because it’s such a friendly place. It’s always a pleasure to come into work because you feel valued here.”

“Cwmni Da has absolutely lived up to the name and more since I joined. It really is a good company. In fact, it’s a brilliant company. “

Business

Saundersfoot 72-home development work set to begin

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PLANS by one of the UK’s largest housebuilders to build 72 homes, 25 of them affordable, on the outskirts of a Pembrokeshire seaside village have been given the final sign-off, with works due to start in the spring.

Back in 2022, Persimmon Homes applied to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park for the scheme on a 2.26 hectare area of land adjoining the northernmost houses of a long-established Sandyhill Park residential estate, Saundersfoot.

The application, including 47 open market dwellings, proposed a variety of detached, semi-detached, terraced and apartment properties to create an “attractive and integrated extension to Saundersfoot”.

The application was given delegated approval when it came before the national park’s July development management committee, with conditions including the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement relating to the affordable housing.

The affordable housing units will be split into four low-cost ownership units and 21 socially rented units, the report for national park planners said; the 35 per cent affordable percentage taking precedent over an affordable housing policy requirement of 50 per cent as it is designated as an allocated site.

As well as the affordable housing element and an open space provision, the scheme included a financial contribution to cover the contribution towards Active Travel Routes within the local area (Saundersfoot Harbour to New Hedges).

After that approval, Persimmon Homes West Wales and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park have now signed the S106 agreement and Persimmon is planning to begin groundworks next Spring, with sales launching soon after ahead of the summer season.

Welcoming the agreement, Persimmon Homes West Wales’ Managing Director, Stuart Phillips, said: “We’re pleased to have finalised the S106 agreement that will allow us to deliver 72 new, high-quality homes for local people in Saundersfoot.

“The development will provide a wide range of zero-carbon ready homes that will be of particular help to young families and first-time buyers, who otherwise might struggle to get onto the housing ladder in Pembrokeshire.

“Throughout the planning process, we have worked closely with officers and stakeholders to ensure that our homes are in keeping with – and enhance – the local area, and I’m thankful to officers and the project team for their collaborative efforts throughout.

“The scheme will deliver substantial community benefits, including new facilities, enhanced green spaces, and significant investment in public infrastructure, as well as the transfer of 25 properties to a local housing association.

“Persimmon has a proud record of delivery in Pembrokeshire, and we are excited about this latest development as we continue to build the best-value homes in sustainable and inclusive communities for local people.”

Local community council Saundersfoot had objected to the scheme on a number of grounds, also asking for a caveat that no property is bought for second-home holiday use.

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Business

West Wales man raising funds for craft cider venture

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A PENYBRYN resident is appealing for community support to launch a small-scale craft cider business in West Wales. Olly Craigan, the organiser of the GoFundMe campaign titled “Craigans Cider,” has already raised £545 towards his goal of £12,000. The funds will go towards purchasing essential equipment to establish a permanent apple press and cider workshop.

Since 2014, Craigan has honed his cider-making skills under the mentorship of experienced cider maker John Whitfield. Now living on a community organic farm in Pembrokeshire, Craigan is seeking to create a dedicated space for producing his craft cider.

The funds raised will help purchase an apple press (£4,500), scratter apple mill (£1,500), filtration and pumping systems (£950), stainless steel tanks (£2,500), and bottling equipment (£1,000). Any donations beyond the target will support operational costs and community cider-making workshops.

Craigan plans to thank supporters by inviting them to a grafting day on the farm, where attendees can sample cider and take home an apple tree.

Further information and donations can be made on the GoFundMe page here.

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Business

35 affordable homes plans for Cleddau Bridge Hotel site submitted

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A FORMAL application on plans to build 35 affordable homes on the fire-ravaged site of the former Cleddau Bridge Hotel, Pembroke Dock has been submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council.

A pre-application consultation on the plans was held in September and October ahead of the formal submission.

In a prime location at one of the entrances to Pembroke Dock the former Cleddau Bridge Hotel has been derelict since a fire in March 2019, which brought emergency services from as far afield as Ammanford, Aberystwyth and Swansea.

A previous planning application for the demolition of the hotel and siting of a residential care home and linked bungalows was submitted in October 2022 and which was subsequently granted permission in February 2023.

This permission, whilst in outline, is still live and allows for the loss of the hotel use of the site and its alternative redevelopment as a residential care home.

The site has now been purchased by Castell Group Property Specialists who specialise in delivering affordable housing in South Wales and have undertaken a joint development deal with Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) and that deal was agreed back in April 2024.

Castell Group Property Specialists, through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, now wants to demolish what is left of the hotel, with a development of affordable housing units, with landscaping and ecological enhancements, the housing being 100 per cent affordable, a mix of social rent and affordable housing.

Initial discussions with the council were for 38 affordable units, which has been lowered to 35 in a mix of 16 one-bed units, 11 two-bed units, six three-bed units and two four- bed units.

The applicants say: “The application offers an opportunity to find a solution to the redevelopment of the site, which has now been vacant and derelict now for some five years, and to make a significant contribution towards meeting the affordable housing needs of the area. The proposal is unique in that the scheme would be in the form of 100 per cent affordable housing.”

The application will be considered by county planners at a later date.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has previously said the 2019 fire was started by a deliberate act.

Following a fire investigation, Dyfed-Powys Police said they found there to be insufficient evidence to identify a suspect.

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