Latest news with #AbergavennyFoodFestival
South Wales Argus
23-04-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Plans for Garden Kitchen by Pugh's, Abergavenny approved
However Welsh historic buildings body Cadw, which had already raised concerns two refrigerated containers planned for a service yard would be partly inside the boundary of Abergavenny Castle historic park and gardens, still has to give scheduled monument consent. South Wales-based chain Pugh's wants to open its second Garden Kitchen by Pugh's store at the former Timothy Oulton Outlet furniture and homeware store, at 7 to 9 Mill Street, which is considered a gateway to the town centre and is within the Abergavenny conservation area. Timothy Oulton closed in January and the buildings, at the turning of Mill Street and Cross Street, were the Eric Davies furniture shop for many years. Monmouthshire County Council's planning department has approved the change of use from retail to mixed retail including food and drink and for outside seating as well as associated works and new storage buildings. Pugh's has said it's operated the food and retail concept at its Rogerstone branch, near Newport, since 2021 and as well as a garden centre features a deli counter and food hall with a 60-seat restaurant. Activities such as workshops could also be held at the Abergavenny shop. This photograph of the current service yard, car parking area beside the shop shows how close it is to Abergavenny Castle. Planning officer Kate Bingham said, in a report, the plans support the vibrancy and viability of the town centre and central shopping area: 'The application for change of use is welcomed in terms of place making as it will create a destination venue at this end of Cross Street, contributing to the vitality and vibrancy of the town centre and conservation area. 'The buildings are not listed but are within Abergavenny conservation area. The proposal is considered to retain the historic character of the building and makes minimal external alterations. It will bring a vacant unit back into use contributing to the vibrancy of the street scene.' The current service yard is described as distracting from the conservation area and plans to improve it are welcomed. The opening hours applied for, from 7am to 11pm, are consistent with town centre expectations, though it isn't anticipated to typically open for those hours but could for events such as the Abergavenny Food Festival. The application was supported by the Abergavenny and District Civic Society which said it hopes Cadw and the council will 'make every effort to resolve any impediments to approval'. According to the planning application the store could employ up to 30 full-time equivalent staff.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
I gave birth in a bomb shelter, now I run my dream business
Maryna Korolova was nine months pregnant when the war in Ukraine began. She gave birth to her daughter Emmanuelle in a bomb shelter as she, her husband and two young sons fled the capital, Kyiv, in 2022. They arrived in Wales with nothing but their most basic belongings, having left behind their home and a construction business. But now the family runs a cafe on the high street of Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, and said the people of the town were largely behind its success. "The [local community] hugged us, cried with us, prayed with us - we feel welcome here," said Maryna. She is one of three Ukrainians, all now running businesses in Wales, who have spoken to BBC News on the three-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Trump wants peace. Ukrainians fear what that might look like Ukraine war in maps: How control has shifted in three years 'My son was 18 and went to Ukraine as cannon fodder' Maryna previously also fled her hometown of Donetsk in 2014 following unrest in the Donbas region. "I know how to survive and I know what it is to start life again," Maryna told BBC Cymru Fyw. After arriving in Wales, Maryna's husband Vadym decided they should try to start a new business. Maryna did not believe it was possible, but her husband's optimism encouraged her to persevere. "My husband said, 'we have to try, we must to try for our children'," she said. With just £40 to buy a small juicer, they initially opened an orange juice stall in the Abergavenny Market Hall in January 2023. Maryna and Vadym began travelling across Wales to sell their juices, taking part in the Royal Welsh Show, Hay Festival and the Abergavenny Food Festival. In June 2024, they opened their own cafe, Squeezing, on Abergavenny's High Street. Maryna said much of the success of their business was down to the support of the local community. "We have so many friends in Abergavenny - they love us and support us," she said. "I will be forever grateful to them." Yaroslav and Oksana Izviekov also fled Ukraine and arrived in Wales with their three children in June 2022. The couple ran their own coffee stand in Ukraine and had just begun renovating their first ever coffee shop when the war began. "Our dream was to have a real coffee shop, but we had to leave everything behind," Yaroslav said. The family lived in a hotel for seven months before finding a house of their own. They then decided to pursue their dream of opening their own coffee shop once again. The couple spent months looking for the right building, completing the renovations themselves and learning how to run a business in Wales. "It was very difficult to open a business in a country when you don't know anything about the rules and laws," he said. Two years later, their dream became a reality when they opened their cafe Zerno on Wrexham High Street in September 2024. "My biggest fear was that no-one would show up... but we've had so much support from the community," Yaroslav said. "We now have regulars, people we see every day." Someone Yaroslav hopes will become a regular visitor is Wrexham AFC owner Ryan Reynolds. The Hollywood actor visited Zerno while filming Welcome to Wrexham. The experience, according to Yarolsav, was "unforgettable" and "amazing". "We were full of admiration and so excited to see him." Yaroslav said Reynolds was "very easy to talk to" as they shared a coffee and talked about his home in Ukraine. Volodymyr Pavliichuk opened his restaurant Ruta Kitchen in Neath on 31 January with his close friends Volodymyr Ivliev and Ihor Tertyshnyi. The Ukrainan-born businessman has lived in Wales with his family for the past five years, but his two business partners fled the war in Ukraine with their families. He said their business was not intended to make a profit, but instead to create an escape for Ukrainian people in the local area of Neath. "We [also] wanted a place to be an ambassador of our culture to the local people," he said. "We provide jobs for refugees from Ukraine who cannot speak English and therefore cannot find jobs anywhere else." Volodymyr said he believed the most important thing was that Welsh and Ukrainian people could come together to socialise and share their cultures together. The temporary UK visas worrying Ukrainian refugees Trump 'very frustrated' and Zelensky must strike minerals deal, says adviser Trump calls Zelensky a 'dictator' as rift between two leaders deepens Ukraine war in maps: How control has shifted in three years
