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Centre Manager Spreads His Wings
In 2011 Adam Oldham swapped his life as an aircraft engineer for the manager’s chair at The Market Place Shopping Centre in Blackwood. As Centre Manager Adam is employed by Living City, his role includes coordinating the maintenance program and liaising with the tenants, which include Peacocks, Dorothy Perkins and Iceland, as well as running the outdoor market. Photo seated Adam Oldham / standing Ron Thomas Adam is assisted by Ron Thomas who has worked at the centre for 15 years as the caretaker. The Market Places Shopping Centre is owned by Fairacre which is a commercial property company with over 20 years experience in both the UK and Germany. Adam said: I like meeting people and I really enjoy my work as every day is different. At The Market Place we are really keen to attract local independent retailers and are working with our letting agents EJ Hales to offer competitive packages for units of all sizes. A full list of all available properties in Blackwood town centre, including those in the Market Place Shopping Centre, can be found on the Property Directory.
High Street Sees a New Name
A new name has appeared in Blackwood town centre Bateman Opticians, which for the last 30 years was called Peter Hong Opticians and is situated on High Street near Pentwyn Road. The new owner of the business is Elliot Bateman, who was already working for the independent optician and is keen to build upon its long association with the town. In addition to providing a range of glasses, the optician also offers a contact lens service. Elliot said: Although the name has changed, our staff and values are the same and I am delighted that Peter Hong is also still involved. At Bateman Opticians we will continue to provide our customers with the modern, friendly, personal care that they have come to expect from us.
Simply the Best Solution
Fooks & Co has been in existence since 1896 and in Bargoed since the early 1970s making it one of the longer established businesses in the town centre. Back in 2014 when the current owner David Collins needed a new tenant for the buildings ground floor, following the closure of the national Santander Agency Network, his wife Jayne came up with the perfect solution. She decided to open a new shop in the space called Simply-at-Home. The shop is an expansion of Jayne’s existing business called Simply Christmas and stocks a range of gifts and household decorative items, many of which are sourced from France and Germany. Jayne said: It’s the perfect solution enabling us to grow the business. Many of the items we sell in Simply-at-Home are unique to us which means our customers can find that special gift. David said: Fooks & Co is a trusted, long established firm of accounts and business advisors. Locating business here works really well, we have done exactly what we advise clients to do – be open to new opportunities!
Big Cheese Festival 2016 Starts Today!
The wait is almost over as Caerphilly’s Big Cheese Festival returns this weekend for its 19th year! Lots of details – who / what is on when can be found below on this page: Music Marquee: Timetable | Artists / Bands Reenactment Arena: Timetable | Entertainment / Displays The sights and sounds of the Big Cheese Festival will surround Caerphilly Castle from Friday 29th July to Sunday 31st July, with a whole host of family entertainment on offer. Starting off with the Great Cheese Race at 6:30pm on Friday 29th July, where competitors work in pairs to see who can carry a truckle of Caerphilly Cheese along the route in the shortest time. After the great cheese champions have been decided, an evening of musical entertainment will follow in the music marquee to include Kizzy Crawford, Vince James and Whitehall Parade. The music marquee will also host a range of musicians on Saturday 30th July and Sunday 31st July including Gin Rummy, Danielle Lewis, The Heavy Quartet and Feelgood Experiment. The Great Hall will be home to the beautiful sounds of Caerphilly Ladies Choir, The Melody Makers, Aber Valley Male Voice Choir and many more throughout the weekend. Re-enactments will provide historical entertainment throughout the weekend from various periods in time including Roman, Medieval and 10th Century, all of which will be performed in the designated re-enactment area. Pembrokeshire Falconry will also entertain within the re-enactment area on both Saturday and Sunday at 1:15pm and 5:00pm. The Big Cheese Festival will also include a vast range of food and craft stalls for…
Pokémon Go to The BIG Cheese!
This weekend, Caerphilly welcomes thousands of visitors for its annual BIG Cheese event. As well as enjoying the funfair the council’s Town Centre Management team are urging people to top up their collection of Pokémon by searching Caerphilly town centre for ‘Pokestops’ and ‘Pokémon Gyms’. The new game, which is played on smart phones, uses mapping technology to show players where they can find ‘Pokestops’ and ‘Pokémon Gyms’ at famous landmarks and Caerphilly town centre is full of great places for Pokémon to hide. Here are some landmarks in the town where you could try looking for Pokémon! Starting at the BIG Cheese site: Park Gates – Owain Glyndwr Playing Fields Information Point – Dafydd Williams Park Druid Circle – Dafydd Williams Park Caerphilly Castle – Bronze Information Point (Opposite the Visitor Centre) Tommy Cooper Statue St Fagan’s Gate – St Fagan Street Green Lady Street Art – Pentrebane Street St Martins Church The council is also keen to remind people that they should always ensure they play Pokémon Go safely, and pay particular attention to traffic. Photo by Yoshikazu TAKADA modified, overlaying over town centre locations.
More Tea and Cake?
Steve and Kim Dyer made the decision to change careers from the public sector to fulfil a lifetime’s ambition to run their own tea room. The Grazing Ground, situated in Cardiff Road in Caerphilly town centre, was formally a coffee shop before they took it over in 2013. Steve Dyer, Lisa Randall and Kim Dyer at The Grazing Ground The traditional tea room offers customers an array of loose leaf teas as well as freshly baked homemade cakes, light snacks and hot meals. They are also licensed to serve alcohol and the menu caters for specialist dietary needs such as gluten free and vegan. Kim said: At the Grazing Ground we continually strive to offer a seasonal menu where possible, providing our customers with a choice which has something for everyone. We feel we’ve created an exceptional friendly, family orientated environment.
The Shop that Sells Nearly Everything
There is a shop in Bargoed town centre that seems to sell nearly everything you could need to maintain your home. From paint to wallpaper, hardware to fancy goods and light-bulbs to lamps, Decofore on Hanbury Road is the place to go. The family run business, which was established over 30 years ago, is currently being run by husband and wife Kash and Narinder Dhariwal. The store also has a paint mixing machine enabling customers to choose the perfect colour which will then be mixed in store whilst you wait. Kash said: We have lots of regular customers and I hope they see Decofore as a place where they get great one to one service
New Recruitment Agency has got it All Boxed Up
New recruitment agency Boxed Jobs has moved to Caerphilly, Director Nick Carter who served in the Royal Air Force for 8 years saw an opportunity to reduce the cost of recruitment for local business owners and recruiters alike. Nick explained: At Boxed Jobs we have a passion for ensuring the best service is provided and help reduce the cost of recruitment for business owners and recruiters alike, providing a bespoke and flexible job site solution for Wales and South West England. We provide the opportunity for recruiters and employers to reach and enjoy extended levels of engagement with job seekers across Wales and South West England. We deal with an impressive array of candidates and vacancies, so whether you are looking to fill a part time, full time or temporary vacancy you can do it all at Boxed Jobs. Fun and engaging, Boxed Jobs is an affordable option for employers and recruiters seeking to expand the reach of any job vacancy. Whether you are looking for that single candidate or advertising several roles, with unlimited job posting we can assist you, especially for businesses that have a high turnaround rate of employees.” We are offering 50% of all job posting for employers and recruiters based in Caerphilly For further details check out the Offers page.
Pokémon Choose the High Street
Caerphilly’s town centres have joined the Pokémon craze, with the council’s Town Centre Management team encouraging people playing the new Pokémon Go game to visit their local town centre in order to find ‘PokéStops‘ and ‘Pokémon Gyms‘. The popular game which has become a global phenomenon, uses mapping technology to show players where they can find ‘PokéStops‘ and ‘Pokémon Gyms‘ at famous landmarks, churches, buildings and statues – making town centres great places for players to visit, both to play the game but to enjoy the town centre while they are there too. The Town Centre Management team are also calling on local businesses to make use of the unique opportunity to engage with players who are using town centres to search for Pokémon. Shops located near ‘PokéStops‘ could advertise this in their shop windows, and café owners could create space for players to sit and play the game (and even offer phone recharging facilities) and offer small discounts on refreshments to players. With a new trading update due to be added to the game, the future promises even more opportunities for businesses to increase the time budding ‘Pokémon trainers‘ spend in local town centres. Cllr Ken James said: This is a fantastic way for people to explore their local town centres. I hope that businesses will really show their entrepreneurial spirit, and take this opportunity to engage with a whole new generation of customers. The council is also keen to remind people that they should always ensure they play Pokémon Go safely, and pay particular attention to traffic. …