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Work experience of a lifetime awaits two hairdressing apprentices in Cyprus
Two hairdressing apprentices from Caerphilly and Ystrad Mynach are preparing for a work experience opportunity of a lifetime. Hannah Voisey, 21, from Cracked Actors, Caerphilly and Luca Sparey, 19, from Spirit Hair Team, Ystrad Mynach, will fly out to Cyprus on April 9 where they will divide their 16-day visit between working in Cypriot salons and attending cutting, hair up and colouring workshops at The Hair and Beauty Academy in Paphos. To prepare them for the experience they have been taking Greek lessons to help them converse with their hosts. It’s the most ambitious work experience placement to date arranged by award-winning ISA Training, based in Bridgend, who are the largest independent hair and beauty training provider in Wales. A total of 15 apprentices from South Wales and Gloucestershire and two staff members are involved in the visit, which is being arranged as part of the company’s Oyster Project, which is based on the saying ‘The world is your oyster’. The project aims to enhance the learning experience of apprentices, increase their confidence and broaden their career horizons. Funding support is being provided by Erasmus+, the European Union programme for education, training, youth and sport, which offers exciting opportunities for UK leaners to study, work, volunteer, teach and train abroad in Europe. ISA Training, which has arranged previous visits to Spain, Cyprus, Poland, Turkey and New York, is now seeking funding support for future trips to Spain, London and Finland. Last year, the company welcomed learners from Poland, Spain and Turkey as part of an exchange programme. This is the…
New Art Exhibition Flies into Bargoed
A ‘pop up’ art gallery in Bargoed town centre has unveiled its final exhibition “I let myself be bird” which runs from 4th – 22nd April and comprises of photos taken by Stanka Koleva, a Bulgarian born photographer currently living and working in Berlin, Germany. Stanka began taking photographs after inheriting her first camera from her grandfather and learning the printing techniques she uses now from the owner of the last commercial darkroom in Bourgas. “I let myself be bird” is the 7th and last exhibition by the Kickplate Project which has used ‘pop up’ gallery in Hanbury Road since August 2015. The project has been financially supported of the Arts Council of Wales (Welsh Government and Lottery Funding), Caerphilly Arts Development and Bargoed Town Council. Project Director Dafydd Williams said: This is our final exhibition in Bargoed and we’re very happy to be showing Stanka’s beautiful and ethereal work as a farewell show. We’d like to thank everyone who has been coming to visit us in the past 8 months, we found the community in Bargoed very warm and welcoming and we wish we could stay longer. We’d also like to remind everyone they can still bring their old photographs and negatives to the gallery if they’d like to have them scanned
New Business Provides Turkish Delight
A new traditional Turkish barber has opened on Market Street in Caerphilly town centre. Male grooming is currently emerging as a growth area in the retail sector and Turkish barbers are proving particularly popular. Visiting a Turkish barber can include not only a haircut, but also a hot shave, beard trim, eyebrow threading as well as other male grooming services. The emphasis is on offering the customer a complete experience which is more than just a quick haircut. The business is run by brothers Hakan and Yayo Salak. Owner Hakan Salak said: We were located in Trethomas but wanted to make the move to Caerphilly town centre, we managed to find a great property overlooking the castle and look forward to bringing something new to the people of Caerphilly.
Caerphilly Print & Display business expands
A Caerphilly business which specialises in the manufacturing and fitting of a range of signs, displays and vehicle graphics is celebrating its ongoing expansion. Print Sauce Ltd was set up in January 2010 by Gary Bagstaff and his business partner Matthew Bullough, after they were both made redundant from their previous jobs. The business, formed during the height of the recession and with no capital investment or existing equipment, initially began trading from a friend’s garage in Newport. The business soon began to grow, and within a few months they had moved to a new premises in Capital Business Park, Cardiff, where they shared the premises with another company. After four years sharing this unit, they once more outgrew the facility and decided to take their own unit within Caerphilly Business Park. Year on year, the business has steadily grown, but the last year in particular has seen Print Sauce Ltd really develop. The business, which actively looks to work with larger companies and has customers including Warner Bros, Peters Foods, Tenovus, Ty Hafan, Wales Air Ambulance, Cardiff University, Cardiff Met and University of South Wales, now has seven staff members and has seen its turnover rise by a huge 75%. In the latest development, Print Sauce Ltd has now taken on a second unit on the same estate, giving them three times the available space. Gary Bagstaff says: We pride ourselves on the range of products we offer, the quality control process we have in place and the fact that we are constantly looking for new materials and…
Charity Easter Collection is a Massive Success
A local butcher’s shop is celebrating this Easter after a fantastic charity campaign. Howard, Sue and Christopher Powell of Howard’s Butcher on Commercial Street, Pontymister have been collecting Easter Eggs for children at Velindre Cancer Centre for the last 15 years. However, the last few years have been so successful that Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice has also benefited. This year, over 230 eggs were collected – the highest number yet – meaning that children at the Royal Gwent Hospital (Bluebell Ward) in Newport also received some eggs. Commenting on the success of this year’s appeal, Howard Powell said: Thank you very much to our customers for donating these eggs. Their generosity gives pleasure to all of these children.
“We Are Ghosts” Exhibition
A young artist Dafydd Williams is staging a new exhibition in Blackwood Miners Institute in Blackwood town centre over the next few weeks. Entitled “We Are Ghosts” the exhibition comprises of a series of photo’s which aims to highlight and help preserve the architectural beauty of South East Wales. Architects working in the valleys in the late 19th and early 20th century drew their inspiration from the great European cities and sought to create miniature versions of buildings from Vienna, Paris and London. Blackwood Miners’ Institute is the third and final destination of the exhibition which has been organised thanks to funding from the Arts Council of Wales. “We are Ghosts” is open to the public until the end of March. Dafydd Williams said: I really wanted to draw people’s attention to the architectural heritage of the area and so used black and white images. Each photo only shows the tops halves or details of the buildings so that the contemporary context doesn’t detract from the architecture.
Exotic Pet Shop Opens in Blackwood
A new independent pet shop has opened in Emily’s Indoor Market which is situated above Wilko’s in Blackwood town centre. Feathers an Scales is run by Lauren Bailey who has turned her talent for hand rearing birds into a new business venture. The exotic pet shop stocks numerous birds of different breeds which are hand reared by Lauren in her home aviary, as well as snakes and other reptiles. Lauren said: I always wanted to run a pet shop as I love animals and breed reptiles and birds at home. Renting a unit in Emily’s Indoor Market has offered me a great way to establish my business in Blackwood. Emily’s has lots of small business like mine so please call in and see us. If you are interested in finding out more about how to rent a unit in Emily’s Indoor Market on Blackwood High Street please contact Sue Jenkins on 07920 054124
Launch of £1 Billion Support Programme for UK’s Co-operative Businesses – ‘The Hive’
Launched by Co-operatives UK, the Hive is a £1 billion business support programme designed to enable growth among the UK’s £37 billion co-operative economy. The initiative will help people who intend to start or grow co-operative or community enterprises, using various online resources, training and advice. http://www.uk.coop/the-hive/
Empty Shop Becomes an Art Gallery
A ‘Pop Up’ art gallery is holding a new photographic exhibition in Bargoed town centre from 9th– 26th March. ‘Lost & Found’ is being staged by the Kickplate Project in a vacant shop on Hanbury Road. The exhibition is the sixth at the location and is jointly funded by The Arts Council of Wales, Caerphilly Council’s Arts Development and Bargoed Town Council. Dafydd Williams said: The aim of this exhibition is to create a unique social history of the Bargoed by encouraging people to bring in their old family photos which we can digitalise using our scanner. If you are interested in utilising an empty shop to set up a Pop Up shop or community project, the Council’s Town Centre Management Team have produced a ‘Pop Up Guide’ which explains the process.