Business

Start-ups and entrepreneurs get a helping hand in Cardigan

Published

3 hours ago

October 2, 2024

A RAFT of innovative business support is boosting trade and the economy in West Wales.

And nowhere more than Cardigan, where access to guidance and funding via Antur Cymru Enterprise has provided start-ups and entrepreneurs with a platform to grow in past months.

The South Ceredigion Local Business Support project, delivered by Ceredigion County Council via the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, has had a positive impact on ventures looking to develop their strategies and products.

As well as advice and expertise, small businesses have been given space at the town’s historic Guildhall market, which reopened during the summer following a £3m revamp.

***Neil Croucher: His Mellangell brand is growing in popularity***

Among them were Amaze Me 3D, Under the Laurel handmade jewellery, and The Craft Wife of Teifi.

Clive Davies, a Project Manager for Antur Cymru’s Smart Busnes programme, said they are already reaping the rewards.

“The Guildhall has the potential to be a destination space for Cardigan, and I’m sure will attract a lot of footfall,” he added.

“It’s great to see their progress in taking an idea through to their own trading space and business.

“This Antur Cymru project has been a big support to them and others, and I’m so pleased they had the confidence to relocate to the market, which as it develops will benefit them even further.”

As well as offering a space to trade, advisors are delivering training workshops and one-to-one advice to existing stall holders at the Guildhall.

In addition to the South Ceredigion Local Business Support project and Smart Busnes, local start-ups have capitalised on the Cynnal y Cardi Fund – also delivered by Ceredigion County Council via the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund – which aims to support and engage local people, businesses and communities in delivering sustainable solutions to address some of the economic, social and environmental challenges facing the Ceredigion area.

Beverley Winn, owner of The Craft Wife of Teifi, has now based her sustainable crafts venture at the Guildhall, as well as receiving advice on visual merchandising and administrative tasks.

“Without the encouragement and ‘hand holding’ throughout the process I wouldn’t have had the self-belief and confidence to launch and run my little business,” she said.

“I only started three months ago at the Antur Cymru trading space in Cardigan and have now relocated, which has enabled me to continue running things – the rent is affordable – and engage with the local community, especially neurodivergent young adults who are highly creative.

“I buy and sell their items through my shop, and they also help with serving customers and learning new communication skills, which has had a positive impact on their self-esteem and confidence.”

“For me, that is a mark of success, rather than any monetary gain.”

Another to join the Guildhall was Loren Nash, who founded Under the Laurel in 2021 after learning to make bespoke jewellery – and later painted designs for greeting cards and prints – during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I would not have been able to do this had it not been for the encouragement and support of Antur Cymru and the low risk of trying a new product in the shop initially,” she said.

“And now, being in the Guildhall has allowed me to have a permanent base for local customers and opened my business up to the tourist trade. It’s the first time I’ve been able to see my products in a space that I decorated and designed. It makes me so happy every time I walk in there.”

Loren added: “A constant challenge for me is my health. I have a disability called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which is unfortunately degenerative, so I am always constantly adapting how I work.

“But that won’t stop me working towards my goal – with the support of my partner, Rob – to have a shop on the high street where I can set aside a percentage of my profits to pour into free art workshops, where people can turn up to create, relax and possibly learn a new skill.

“Antur Cymru afforded me the opportunity to grow my product base and gave me the belief in myself that I could run my business from a bricks and mortar location, and I’ll always be thankful for that.”

Others in Cardigan to have accessed the services of Antur Cymru this year are Theo Latham, who produces stylish card wallets made from Italian leather; Andrea Edwards, whose Amaze Me 3D venture uses 3D printers to build model animals and dinosaurs from sustainable materials; Three Little Pigs, which sells high-end crafts and furniture online, and Neil Croucher, whose Mellangell brand is growing in popularity, creating stained-glass art, jewellery, candles and more.

For more on Antur Cymru, visit the website www.anturcymru.org.uk and follow them on social media at @AnturCymruWales.

Alternatively, call 01239 710238 or email [email protected].

Business

Council takes next step to approve Celtic Freeport final business case

Published

20 hours ago

October 1, 2024

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL is looking to secure a stronger economic future for the county with the approval of the Celtic Freeport final business case on Thursday 3^rd October.

The Freeport represents a new opportunity to help Wales continue to develop a globally competitive, inclusive and sustainable economy.

Deputy Leader Cllr Paul Miller, cabinet member for Place, the Region and Climate Change, said: “Approval on Thursday will represent the next step in our journey to delivering the Celtic Freeport.

“The Celtic Freeport is part of our close collaboration with both UK and Welsh Governments and is designed to create the right conditions for investment and growth both here in Pembrokeshire and across the South West Wales region.

“The scale of the opportunity ahead for the Milford Haven Waterway and for Pembrokeshire is enormous and we are determined to ensure we maximise the opportunity this coming energy revolution offers to grow the Pembrokeshire economy, to secure investment and to create and sustain jobs.

“Nationally, the Celtic Freeport will unleash the full green industrial potential of Wales, accelerating the decarbonisation of our most carbon intensive industries and bringing new opportunities to our communities.”

The Cabinet will take place on Thursday, October 3 at 2:00pm and people can watch via webcast.

Business

Derelict Cilgerran house could be transformed into cafe

Published

1 day ago

October 1, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS by a village shop owner to convert a house “in a state of disrepair” to a café to “improve the variety of community facilities” locally have been submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council.

Mrs Morris, through agent Harries Planning Design Management, seeks permission to convert The Old Post House, High Street, Cilgerran, currently a four-bed dwelling, to a ground floor café, along with a first-floor flat.

A supporting statement, through the agent, says: “The proposed site is currently a dwellinghouse, in current need of modernisations and renovations throughout. The site is under the same ownership as the neighbouring village stores Siop Y Pentre,” saying the proposal “can be read as an extension to the existing Siop Y Pentre”.

“Siop Y Pentre is a thriving local community village shop which acts as a village hub. The shop provides local residents with day-to-day necessities, with a focus on local, sustainable and minimal waste products,” the statement says, adding the dwelling it seeks to convert “is in disrepair and in need of internal works to make suitable for modern living”.

It goes on to say: “The proposed café seeks to retain its focus on local and seasonal produce with minimal waste and would provide a welcomed opportunity for socialising, especially during the daytime. The café will also seek to employ local staff retaining a community feel throughout. As such, the principle of the café adjacent to the existing village store is considered acceptable. The site seeks to encourage a sustainable community, with development of an appropriate scale and nature.

“Further to this, the location of the development is within the settlement boundary and seeks to fulfil a need for day-time socialising environments currently lacking within Cilgerran.”

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

Business

Cardiff Airport’s passengers can fly to 155 destinations this winter

Published

2 days ago

September 30, 2024

Tom Sinclair

KLM’s winter schedule for this season runs from October 27, 2024, to March 30, 2025. KLM’s network includes 155 destinations, 89 in Europe and 66 intercontinental via its hub in

New to the network is the previously announced American destination, Portland. Additionally, KLM offers 15% more seats to destinations in India compared to last year. The first new A321neo aircraft are also operational on European destinations such as Copenhagen, Berlin, and Stockholm. Furthermore, Premium Comfort is available to book on all Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft.

Spencer Birns, CEO of Cardiff Airport, said: “Cardiff Wales Airport is delighted with the news from KLM. This additional global connectivity is an excellent boost for Welsh tourism and is instrumental in helping to assist families, businesses and our world-famous educational centres of excellence in Wales to stay connected with their respective ties across the World. With flights operating for over 35 years from Cardiff Wales Airport, it is a great success story and we look forward to many more years of partnerships with KLM.”

This winter, the Premium Comfort class can be booked on all Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft. This newest class offers passengers comfortable seats with extra legroom and a unique catering concept. KLM will add three new A321neo aircraft this year and will also fly these to Paris, Prague, and Vienna. KLM expects to put a total of four of these aircraft into service this year.

On several European destinations, KLM will fly more frequently this winter. From October 28, there will be six flights per day to Billund and two flights per day to Belfast. Additionally, KLM will fly three times a day to Bilbao and four times a week to Malaga and Alicante. Capacity to Bremen will be increased to four flights per day. KLM will also fly three times a week to Rovaniemi (Finland), up from twice a week last winter.

This winter, KLM will fly to nineteen destinations in North America (Canada, USA, Mexico). In the USA, KLM will fly to Portland three times a week this winter, a new destination taken over from Delta Air Lines. Additionally, KLM will fly five times a week to San Francisco, increasing to a daily flight midway through the winter season. Furthermore, KLM will fly four to five times a week to Edmonton in Canada.

KLM will fly daily to Paramaribo this winter, which is one extra flight per week. Sint Maarten will be combined with Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago), with frequency increased to five times a week. During the Christmas and spring periods, the number of flights to and from Curaçao will increase.

KLM will fly daily to Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Panama. Buenos Aires will be combined with Santiago de Chile, as it was last year. San José will be serviced four times a week, combined with Liberia (Costa Rica) after the runway maintenance is completed. Additionally, there will be six flights per week to Lima and the combination of Quito and Guayaquil.

KLM will fly seven times a week to Lagos this winter. Additionally, KLM will fly daily to two destinations in South Africa: Johannesburg and Cape Town. Capacity to Cape Town will be increased from the Christmas period to the end of the winter season with two extra flights per week on Tuesdays and Sundays. There will also be daily flights to Nairobi and Accra. This winter, passengers have the option to fly to three destinations in Tanzania: a daily flight to Dar es Salaam combined five times a week with Kilimanjaro and twice a week with Zanzibar. Furthermore, Kigali in Rwanda and Entebbe in Uganda will be serviced five times a week this winter.

Capacity to Asia has not yet fully recovered from the COVID pandemic, and due to rerouting around Russia, flights take longer than usual. This winter, the same schedule as last winter will be flown. KLM will fly daily to Shanghai and Beijing and four times a week to Hong Kong. KLM will also fly daily to Tokyo Narita and three times a week to Osaka. Seoul in South Korea will be serviced five times a week. Passengers can fly daily to Bali with a stopover in Singapore. Additionally, KLM will fly six times a week to Jakarta with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur. Bangkok is reachable every day with a daily flight. In India, Delhi and Mumbai will be serviced daily, and there will be a flight to Bengaluru five times a week.

KLM will fly daily to Dubai this winter. The route to Riyadh and Dammam will also be flown six times a week.