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Business News Wales
5 days ago
- Business
- Business News Wales
Why I Built a Drinks Brand That Puts Welsh First
When I set out to create DIRWEST, I wasn't just developing a drinks brand – I was creating something rooted in Welsh identity. For me, DIRWEST is a way to put our culture, our language, and our values front and centre in a space that's increasingly crowded but often lacking that sense of place. The idea had been bubbling away for a while. I've worked in the Welsh food and drink industry for more than 15 years, supporting producers and helping to build their presence in the market through the Cywain programme. But it was when I began drinking less myself – opting for more alcohol-free options during the week – that I noticed how few non-alcoholic options spoke to me as a Welsh consumer. There were plenty of alternatives out there, but none that reflected our language or heritage in any meaningful way. That was the gap I saw, and that's what DIRWEST set out to fill. The name itself is the Welsh word for temperance. It's a nod to the generations before us, particularly the chapel-going women of Wales, often depicted in traditional dress and drinking tea. It's a playful reference, but also a serious one. The last 'dry' Sunday in Dwyfor wasn't that long ago, and in many ways it feels like we're still negotiating our relationship with alcohol, choice, and identity. When I received a £5,000 bursary from the Vale of Glamorgan Council, through Shared Prosperity Funding, it gave me the confidence to move from idea to action. That funding allowed me to cover early costs such as trademarking, design work and product development and reduced the personal risk of starting something new. Thanks to my experience in the sector and the support of great collaborators, things moved quickly. I already had strong relationships with buyers and producers, and I knew who I wanted to work with, from distilleries to graphic designers. The drinks themselves are made and bottled in Wales using UK-sourced ingredients, and the visual identity, particularly the design of the gin-style botanical spirit, has drawn consistent praise from customers wherever we go. It's grown steadily from there. We've had a strong response at local markets and food festivals, with Crickhowell recently standing out as one of the busiest and most engaged. People are curious, and once they try the products, they very often go on to buy. But the product is only part of the story. I'm passionate about using the Welsh language not as an afterthought, but as a foundation. Our labelling is in Welsh first. Our website and social media posts are bilingual. The beer – our alcohol-free IPA – is called Yma O Hyd. And I want that to feel completely natural. After all, no one thinks twice about French on a bottle of wine or Spanish on a beer label. Why should it be any different with Welsh, especially when the product is made here? There's evidence to support this approach too. Welsh Government research consistently shows that 'Welshness' adds value in the marketplace. Consumers across the UK, not just in Wales, associate Welsh products with quality and freshness. We should be more confident in celebrating that, at home as well as over the border. That sense of place also informs our environmental choices. Sustainability is a key part of DIRWEST's approach, from our lightweight, recycled-glass bottles and organic ink labels to our use of aluminium cans and recyclable cardboard packaging. It's all made with the lightest footprint we can manage. That's part of our responsibility as producers based in Wales, where our landscape is both a backdrop and a resource. Looking ahead, I want to build a wider range of non-alcoholic drinks and mixers. I'd like to create jobs and contribute to the local economy near Cowbridge, where we're based. But most of all, I want people to see Welsh products – and the Welsh language – as something they're proud to buy into. Something that's modern, relevant, and rooted in who we are. Vale of Glamorgan Council recently launched the Taste of the Vale directory, which aims to connect residents and visitors with local food producers. The directory highlights the county's food and farming heritage, and provides a guide to local producers, vineyards, dairies, bakeries, and more. To view the Taste of the Vale producer directory, visit the webpage here.
Wales Online
10-07-2025
- General
- Wales Online
Shocking situation affecting 9 out of 10 3-year-olds arriving at Welsh primary school
Shocking situation affecting 9 out of 10 3-year-olds arriving at Welsh primary school 'I think it's definitely increased since Covid and there could be a whole host of factors that are at play' A lack of literacy and numeracy skills among young children is still being seen by teachers in Welsh primary schools (Image: Getty Images ) Issues with literacy and numeracy have increased among children according to the head of a Welsh primary school where many entrants are non-verbal. The head teacher of Oak Field Primary School in Barry, Luke Tweedley, told members of Vale of Glamorgan Council's start well scrutiny committee recently that more than 90% of three-year-olds coming to them were below the expected level for literacy and numeracy. A report published by the Welsh Government in 2023 recognised the numeracy and literacy challenge schools face and said the Covid-19 pandemic played a big part in creating it. One member of Vale of Glamorgan Council's start well scrutiny committee, Cllr Helen Payne, asked Mr Tweedley at a meeting on Monday, July 7, whether poor literacy and numeracy rates were a regular occurrence in schools now. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . He responded: "I think it's definitely increased since Covid and there could be a whole host of factors that are at play. "At our school, and I know... schools within our cluster, they've seen an increase in the needs of children as they start with us." Article continues below The head teacher went on to say that despite this challenge children at Oak Fields went on to make "really good progress with us" and that this is down to creating "language-rich environments". He added: "[This is] surrounding and immersing children in language, really good role models. "Role modelling a range of language which is appropriate for them and once you develop those language models in children the children are modelling to each other. "What we've started to do before children start with us [is]... language and play sessions. "We have them come in and they work with our classroom teacher so we allow our nursery teacher to come out and work with parents and we send home story sacks with puppets and we show the parents how to use them. "We are trying to encourage the use of stories and talking to the children and in some cases putting down the phone. "Putting down the doom-scrolling and maintaining eye contact and showing them even non-verbal queues, showing them what emotion looks like in a positive way." Another Welsh Government report published in 2025 shows that there was an improvement in attainment for numeracy assessments among year three and year six pupils for 2023-24 compared with 2022-23. Overall for numeracy assessments there was lower attainment in 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 relative to 2018-19. The data showed a similar pattern for English reading assessments with attainment being higher in 2023-24 for year three and six pupils compared with the previous year. Mr Tweedley went on to say: "We are doing our best to work with families before they arrive [with] us and I know that Flying Start are doing a huge amount of work trying to work with families as well. "Once the children are in that environment.... [they] do make really good progress but they might not leave us at the expected level for their age. Article continues below "That's because they've come in below the expected level. It's really hard to play catch-up."
Wales Online
09-07-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Business owners worried about jobs after free parking scrapped at Welsh seaside towns
Business owners worried about jobs after free parking scrapped at Welsh seaside towns Vale Council said it would look again at plans to get rid of free parking in Barry Island and Penarth seafront, but recently decided to press ahead with the scheme Louis Ross of Barrybados Gift Shop in Barry Island claims he and other traders weren't listened to by Vale of Glamorgan Council (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) A Barry Island business owner claimed traders have not been listened to after Vale of Glamorgan Council decided to go ahead with controversial car parking charge plans. The local authority's cabinet members decided at a meeting on Thursday, July 3, to get rid of free parking at a number of on-street car parking spots in Barry Island and Penarth seafront three months after agreeing to look again at their proposals. Vale Council argues the charges will increase the turnover of visitors at both towns and generate income to maintain facilities there. However business owners like Louis Ross of Barrybados Gift Shop in Barry Island are worried that it will drive customers away – particularly regular customers who they rely on during the quieter winter months. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . Louis said: "As a trading community we have tried several times over six months to engage with the council about this issue but the council have not been interested. "We wanted to tell them first hand about the long winters and having a destination with zero free parking during the winter is severely damaging to our winter trade. "We all open later and close earlier. Some days we don't open at all. Article continues below "Now if locals have to start paying to come here they will just come less and find other places to go that offer free parking. "This will impact trade, which will result in hours being cut." The following on-street locations will be affected by new parking charges: Barry Island Paget Road – 54 spaces Breaksea Drive – 56 spaces Friars Road – 8 spaces (excludes disabled parking) Station Approach Road – 49 spaces Penarth seafront The Esplanade – 42 spaces Cliff Hill – 58 spaces Cliff Parade – 26 Spaces Beach Road (Part) – 13 spaces Bridgeman Road (Part) – 12 spaces Vale of Glamorgan Council was also met with opposition from traders in Penarth when it announced its car parking charge plans earlier this year. Petitions were set up for both towns with one in Barry Island gaining 3,337 signatures and the Penarth petition gaining 2,997 signatures. Parking is currently free for two hours at a number of on-street locations around Barry Island (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) However not all business owners have been opposed to the council's plans. One business owner we spoke with in Penarth said he agreed with the council's proposal, complaining that some people take advantage of the two hours free parking on the seafront and that customers are left struggling to find a space. Following a scrutiny committee meeting in March the council agreed to review its car parking charge plans. However the only obvious change that's been made to the original proposal is the times that people will be charged. Vale of Glamorgan Council is proposing to charge for parking at these locations seven days a week between the hours of 10am and 6pm. There will be a maximum stay period of four hours. Parking will be charged as follows: Up to two hours - £2.50 Up to three hours - £4 Up to four hours - £6 The initial proposals for parking on-street were to charge for seven days a week from 8am to 6pm at a similar hourly fee scale. Louis added: "We are concerned about peoples' jobs during winter. It's a shame the council doesn't share the same level of concern as we do. Penarth seafront will also be affected by the on-street car parking charges (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) "They have gone against the recommendations of traders, residents, the scrutiny committee, and their own Labour councillors by implementing on-street parking charges all year round without any winter concession. "Our winter trade is going to be damaged and they are willing to trial it for two years to see if it works or not. "A lot can happen in two years and if we see even the smallest of drops in trade during the winter we will have to cut hours of our staff. "We've tried to tell the council this but they will not engage with us on any level. We want to work with the council to find the right solution for all, we still do, but there's no willingness on their part to even engage at the slightest." Louis Ross said winter trade in Barry Island will be damaged by the council's parking plans (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) A consultation process is currently under way before the new car parking charges come into force. Vale of Glamorgan Council cabinet member for neighbourhood and building services, Cllr Mark Wilson, said the later start time for charging is aimed at helping traders who need to unload stock in the mornings. He said at last week's cabinet meeting: "These are very popular resorts. We want to encourage people to visit those resorts. "We don't want them to go... around in circles finding a space. Vale of Glamorgan Council said it's car parking plans will help increase the turnover of visitors in Barry Island and Penarth (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) "I would also like to emphasise here that there are legal implications. We also looked at the equality act and we also looked at road traffic [access]. "One of the things I would like to emphasise is that the money generated here will be reinvested into improving the actual roads around that area and that's very important." Vale of Glamorgan Council's original car parking plans also included a proposal to close Court Road multi-storey car park in Barry. The council said the facility is costing them £80,000 a year to operate but some local councillors argue it is still needed. Plaid Cymru councillor for the Buttrills ward in Barry, Cllr Ian Johnson, said: "The time at which users enter the car park and the length of time they are there shows that the main users are the local school, which has no alternative car park, and staff working on Holton Road. 'They [the council] keep saying that they want to make Barry a better place so why do they have nothing to offer the centre of town? Article continues below 'This is quite literally levelling down rather than levelling up.' Vale of Glamorgan Council will review car parking charges at on-street sites in Barry Island and Penarth 24 months after their implementation.
Wales Online
08-07-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Fury as popular seaside resorts face parking charges people say will 'kill businesses'
Fury as popular seaside resorts face parking charges people say will 'kill businesses' Vale of Glamorgan Council confirmed it will be pressing ahead with plans to scrap two hours of free parking at on-street parking bays in Barry Island and Penarth (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) Wales Online readers are outraged at new proposals to end free parking at two Welsh coastal spots. The Vale of Glamorgan Council faced a backlash from local businesses in March when it announced plans to reconsider free parking at Barry Island and Penarth seafront. The council's cabinet members resolved on Thursday, July 3, to move forward with the scheme, saying increased revenue would safeguard the region's seaside attractions and boost visitor numbers. Additionally, the decision includes shutting down Court Road multi-storey car park in Barry, as initially intended. Cllr Mark Wilson, the Vale of Glamorgan Council's cabinet member for neighbourhood and building services, commented: "These are very popular resorts. We want to encourage people to visit those resorts. We don't want them to go... around in circles [trying to] find a space." Cllr Wilson also mentioned the council's goal to alleviate traffic congestion in both Barry Island and Penarth, which would contribute to better air quality. Nonetheless, there is concern among traders about the potential downturn during the winter months, a period when they typically depend on local visitors. The Vale of Glamorgan Council has committed to reassessing the parking fees at on-street locations in Barry Island and Penarth in two years. Commenter NoFoolJule believes: 'This will kill businesses on the front.' Article continues below Flowers5 agrees: 'There is no way I am paying a £2.50 tax to pick up fish and chips. I will go somewhere else or do without! That is custom lost to the chip shop!' Rfrom points out: 'The public moan when you have to pay for a car park, then they moan when there is no space in free car parks. The public moan regardless.' Yeknom laref says: 'This will just encourage people to park in disabled spaces without a blue badge. I hope they strictly police these spaces and fine people who park without badges.' Burniehd scoffs: 'It won't reduce congestion and improve air quality, it's all about the money. Traffic nightmare, who are the Vale council kidding?' Udy writes: 'I hope it ends Barry Island pleasure park that's for sure!' Barrian agrees: 'It looks so sad these days. It needs putting out of its misery.' Dm68 asks: 'How is it going to encourage people to visit coastal towns by slapping a parking charge on car parks ?! It beggars belief that anyone would believe this.' Thebear2025 agrees: 'What is the matter with these councils? See a busy, popular seafront then slap parking charges on them and stop people from coming anymore . Top business sense. NPT was the same with Aberavon Beach.' MPR adds: 'They really don't give a hoot about business do they? They will increase the cost year on year plus make costly decisions like only two options for parking being 30 mins or 5 hours (similar to what they do in Ogmore) when you only need 90 mins for a cuppa and a walk, it's infuriating.' Article continues below Cync48 thinks: 'Labour council, enough said. They have even done it on Wedel Rd and there are no houses there. It's because the nurses parked there and walked to the hospital.' Do you agree with the parking charges? How do you think it will affect the local area? Have your say in our comments section.
Wales Online
06-07-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Free parking to be scrapped at two popular Welsh seaside towns
Free parking to be scrapped at two popular Welsh seaside towns Plans to scrap free parking spaces at Barry Island and Penarth were met with strong criticism but the council has now made a final decision It will affect a number of on-street locations (Image: WalesOnline/Rob Browne ) Controversial plans to scrap free parking at two popular seaside resorts in Wales will go ahead as planned. Vale of Glamorgan Council said in March that it would look again at its parking plans for Barry Island and Penarth seafront after being met with strong criticism from traders in both towns. Following a review the council's cabinet members decided on Thursday, July 3, to press ahead with the proposal, arguing it will generate revenue that can help protect the Vale's coastal resorts and increase the turnover of visitors there. The proposal to close Court Road multi-storey car park in Barry, which was also part of the council's initial plans, will also be going ahead. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . Vale of Glamorgan Council's cabinet member for neighbourhood and building services, Cllr Mark Wilson, said: "These are very popular resorts. We want to encourage people to visit those resorts. "We don't want them to go... around in circles [trying to] finding a space." Cllr Wilson said the local authority also hopes that the changes will help reduce congestion in Barry Island and Penarth and improve air quality. Article continues below However businesses fear the impact that not having two hours free parking will have on their quieter months in the winter when many of them rely on regular customers. Read more about that here. Petitions set up opposing the proposed charges in Barry Island and Penarth have received 3,337 and 2,996 signatures respectively. The following on-street locations will be affected by new parking charges after a 21-day consultation period: Barry Island Paget Road – 54 spaces Breaksea Drive – 56 spaces Friars Road – 8 spaces (excludes disabled parking) Station Approach Road – 49 spaces Penarth seafront The Esplanade – 42 spaces Cliff Hill – 58 spaces Cliff Parade – 26 Spaces Beach Road (Part) – 13 spaces Bridgeman Road (Part) – 12 spaces Vale of Glamorgan Council is proposing to charge for parking at these locations seven days a week between the hours of 10am and 6pm. There will be a maximum stay period of four hours. Parking will be charged as follows: Up to two hours - £2.50 Up to three hours - £4 Up to four hours - £6 The initial proposals for parking on-street were to charge for seven days a week from 8am to 6pm at a similar hourly fee scale. When it revealed its proposed parking charges earlier this year Vale of Glamorgan Council also said it wanted to introduce car parking charges for a number of off-street locations. Article continues below The principle of charging at these coastal car parks, including Portobello and Westfarm in Ogmore, the Knap and Bryn Y Mor in Barry, and Penarth Cliff Walk, was approved in March. Vale of Glamorgan Council will review car parking charges at on-street sites in Barry Island and Penarth 24 months after their implementation.
