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CARDIFFWORKS News, views and inspiring interviews with the region’s professionals
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CARDIFFWORKS
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For Alfie, it’s come to light that something needs to be done about fuel poverty
I’ve got the power
Former ales rugby captain Gareth Thomas helps People’s Energy launch a new campaign to end fuel poverty.
An estimated four million UK homes are currently living in fuel poverty, and with the full nancial fallout of covid- not yet known, this gure is undoubtably set to rise as households face soaring energy use and severe job losses. It is this worrying outlook that has prompted
People’s Energy, the ’s rst
Community Interest Company CIC energy supplier, to launch its end fuel poverty’ campaign starting with its rst ever national T advert, fronted
by the talent we know as Ale. hen I was rst approached by People’s Energy, I admit I didn’t fully understand the magnitude of the fuel poverty problem in the , he says. ow that I know more, I can honestly say I’m horried by the scale of the issue. ore than per cent of all homes are in fuel poverty. That’s a shocking statistic and one we must all work together to reduce. hether that’s by raising awareness or donating to a fuel poverty charity, we can make it happen. I was honoured to be part of the new campaign and admire the work People’s Energy are doing to help end fuel poverty. For more: www.peoplesenergy.co.uk
WINNER WINNER
Momentum is building for next spring’s ardiff Life Awards, the uberglam business event for all Cardiff businesses and organisations. Local companies are encouraged to get involved and there is a wide variety of ways to do so. ust one of the ways to get on board with Cardiff’s biggest business event is through sponsorship, explains Annie Miekus, events organiser at MediaClash, ardiff ie’s publisher.
ponsors benet from an unrivalled long-term marketing campaign, which peaks in the spring.
The event’s organisers are also keen to hear from companies who may have creative ways to partner with the Awards, such as through an interesting product or service. To join the bill of our sponsors and to enet rom the ards contact Mark George; mark.george@ mediaclash.co.uk cardiieaardscok
Get ready for another cracking Cardiff celebration
ZERO OR HERO
Savills and Cooke and Arkwright, on behalf of Kames Capital, have completed the letting of the third floor at omanby treet, Cardiff, to ero the zero-carbon homebuilder and sustainable energy service provider who have agreed a ve-year lease. omanby treet, previously known as estgate ouse, has been signicantly refurbished to provide contemporary, high-quality oces to suit modern day working practices and provides occupiers with space that inspires.
“Our business is growing fast as people are recognising the increasing importance of zero-carbon housing and sustainable energy in our lives, says Andy utton, co-founder of ero. omanby is a great refurbished, recycled space that gives us room to develop and it reflects our own values. It has great transport links allowing for an active, low-carbon route to work and it’s within easy reach of the park for our teams to get some well-earned headspace or we can visit our neighboour Tiny ebel rewing. For more: www.savills.co.uk
© WITH THANKS TO SAVILLS
© HANNAH TIMM PHOTOGRAPHY
JOIN THE CLUB
Our most recent Cardiff Life Business Club, which took place on Zoom, was a Professional Services special featuring disparate tales from companies – Marsh Commercial, NatWest and Howells Solicitors – navigating this new world. Tune into our next one, which is a NightTime Economy Special, on 28 October. For more, see www.linkedin.com/ company/mediaclash
© @WYBURNWAYNE
A NEW CHAPTER
Chapter Arts in Canton has unveiled a new artwork on the front of its building after a national call-out to artists.
Selected from nearly 150 applications from Welsh and Wales-based artists, ‘Y Canu Chalkydri’ – a commission by collaborative duo Malaphors was chosen to be displayed on the building. The team at Chapter says the artwork embraces the imminent reopening of Chapter; it’s a greeting and invitation for the people of Cardiff and ales to cross the threshold of the venue once more.
Chalkydri are angelic creatures who intone messages to the birds, signalling the beginning of the dawn chorus. The tableaux summons a rich world of magic-infused symbolism that references a new chapter in the way that we communicate and see our world, and others beyond; a focus on the hope of new beginnings.
The artwork is on display at the entrance to Chapter, and it will remain in place until January 2021. For more: www.chapter.org
© @WYBURNWAYNE
IN THE MAKING
A new 33m, -bed facility is to be built next to niversity ospital ales in Cardiff to help cope with a potential increase in coronavirus cases this winter. The site is being built to replace the ragon’s eart ospital a , -bed eld hospital that was built at the start of the pandemic at The Principality tadium. The ragon’s eart had a maximum of 6 patients being cared for at one time and it was decommissioned, but now tens of millions of funding for the new inpatient facility has been allocated. For more: www.cavuhb.nhs.wales
BEST OF THE QUEST
Techniquest’s ‘Science Capital’ project has been four years in planning and development, and its opening has been hugely anticipated promising new offerings and to engage with new audiences. The Science Capital includes an extension to the existing building – which is already Wales’s largest science and discovery centre adding 6 per cent more floor space and 3 brand-new, custom-made exhibits that span across ve key themes space, environment, biomedical science, chemistry and world issues. A rescheduled opening date is now in place for 14 November. For more: www.techniquest.org
HEART AND COAL
© @CRAIGEFFECT
Cardiff’s Coal Exchange otel in utetown is to reopen in October under new management. The iconic hotel was originally built in 3 and was once where the world price of coal was set and where the rst m cheque was signed. It closed in arch this year before the parent company, ignature Living, went into administration. Eden rove Properties Ltd has now acquired the operating management contract saving a number of jobs in the process. or more echanehotelcardiffcok
TOP THE BILL
Dealing with covid-19 has cost Cardiff Council £39m in the first four months of the financial year. The costs are revealed in a report to the Council’s Cabinet which will also hear projections for next year’s budget, which could see the council having to find ways to bridge a £25.5m budget gap in 2021/22 in order to balance the books. “Cardiff Council has reacted quickly to the crisis, changing the way we work, putting clear focus on maintaining essential services which deliver for our most vulnerable residents,” says cabinet member for finance, modernisation and performance, cllr Chris Weaver. “Welsh Government has also stepped up to the plate and is helping to cover these huge costs to the council. If Welsh Government didn’t step in I’d hate to think of the financial black hole we could be facing.” www.cardiff.gov.uk
IT’S ONLY NATURAL
Sites at Forest Farm, Pontcanna Fields and eath Park are benetting from a bloomin’ great new approach to mowing. eah yeah, we know grass-cutting sounds a bit dull, bit read on Cardiff has introduced more cutand-lift mowing to support biodiversity, and the technique is being rolled out across more areas of wildflower and grassland in and around the city. ew machinery recently purchased by the council means that cuttings from more areas of grassland can be collected and baled up to form hay bales. emoving grass cuttings reduces nutrient levels in the soil, allowing a much wider range of plant species to grow, which in turn can support an increased range of pollinators. aled grass can then be used to form grass piles which can provide
Counselling and wellbeing centre reathe in oath is offering free counselling to people anywhere in ales who have been affected by covid- .
A number of fully-funded counselling sessions, up to eight per person, are available online or over the phone, as well as limited face-to-face sessions for people in Cardiff.
important habitats for invertebrates and other wildlife. A beautful idea. e already look after 33. hectares of pollinator-friendly and informal grasslands, says cabinet member for culture and leisure, cllr Peter radbury. Investing in this new machinery means that at some of the sites we are able to make life even easier for nature and maximise our positive impact on biodiversity.
JUST BREATHE
or more cardiffo k
e’re thrilled to have received funding which allows us to help even more people who are facing challenges, says the counselling manager at reathe. e continue to work with people to overcome the issues they face, from managing stress and anxiety to developing condence. or more reathekcom
FIND ME IN THE HUB
Whitchurch Library has now reopened as a wellbeing hub. With funding secured from the elsh overnment, Cardiff Council embarked upon a major project to refurbish and extend the library to introduce a range of new services, including a community room, to meet the needs of the communities it serves and secure the ongoing sustainability of this valuable facility. Activities and events planned with local groups are in the making at the hub. or more cardiffo k
ARTS AND MINDS
Recently published book rt or ales, he eacy o erek illiams explores the extraordinary bequest to Wales made by chartered surveyor and art collector erek illiams. e collected a remarkable body of work, including pieces by Lucian Freud, Joseph Herman, Augustus ohn, avid ones, en Nicholson, John Piper, Graham Sutherland, and yn illiams.
Founded in 1992 to advance public education in the arts, and enhance the public’s appreciation of artworks in general, the erek illiams Trust now works in close co-operation with ational useum ales, collecting post- th century ne and applied art.
In the book, published by Cardiff ay-based raffeg, avid oore surveys how erek’s bequest has acted as a catalyst in the display of modern art in Wales, and has enabled the funding and development of a collection of real signicance for residents and visitors to appreciate. or more raffecom
Championing Art for Wales: author David Moore with supporters of the book
FOR RENT
ugh ames, a law rm with oces in Cardiff, has assisted the elsh overnment in developing an innovative new loan scheme to prevent homelessness. Head of the Hugh James banking and nance team ominic arshall advised the Welsh Government on the provision of nance for the scheme, which launched on October, which will ensure that nancial support is given to tenants struggling with rent payments due to coronavirus, by providing funds directly to their landlord.
“We’re genuinely delighted to work with the Welsh Government’s housing policy division to help get this innovative scheme off the ground, he says. “It demonstrates the Government’s practical commitment to helping those who are at greatest need at such a critical time. A lot of people will be made homeless unless they get urgent help with their rent. Through this loan scheme, effective safeguards are put in place so that the money ends up in the right destination to ensure that it makes a real difference to people’s lives. or more hhamescom
Solicitor Rebecca McCarthy at Loosemores
BITESIZE BITS
Of law firms recognised as ‘Top Tier’ in The Legal 500, 2021 edition, Loosemores Solicitors and Blake Morgan, both in Cardiff, have been named. www.legal500.com
Thornhill, in Cardiff, has been named Cemetery of the Year for the second year running in UK-wide awards which are organised and promoted by the Memorial Awareness Board. www.cardiffbereavement.co.uk
Pretty scenes at Thornhill
A new chief executive has taken the helm at Cardiff-based financial services company Hodge Congratulations to David Landen, one of Hodge’s longest serving staff members, having joined the bank in 2002. www.hodgebank.co.uk
NHS Wales Informatics Service has signed a £13m contract with ASCOM, a global healthcare business. The contract award follows a pledge by health minister Vaughan Gething to accelerate digital improvements for critical care. www.ascom.com
Spill the tea: Charlie and Amy love a good, juicy, feminist chat
Warrior Women Collective
Charlie Morgan and Amy Holland are transforming Cardiff’s female networking scene one event at a time
Cardiff -based Charlie and Amy have set out to transform the standard women’s networking event to make them more engaging, empowering, and inspiring for real women across the country. espite being busy mothers with full time jobs, the duo, who rst met while studying at university, dedicated their free time to researching and organising their events, and arrior omen began to take shape in . The events are all focused around a panel of inspirational female speakers who share their knowledge and journeys around a chosen subject. ere, the friends tell us more
Tell us about the Warrior Women Collective… Charlie: Traditional networking events didn’t really bene t either of us, and certainly didn’t delve into issues that impact women, so we thought what if we could do things diff erently hat we kept nding was that traditional networking events are often suitable for one type of person and role.
What sort of issues did you want to hear/talk about? Charlie: enuine issues which impact women, such as gender equality, gender pay gap, climbing the career ladder, juggling childcare, maternity leave, imposter syndrome, post-natal depression and more. e were coming across incredible women, who all had their own experiences, and we thought, wouldn’t it be incredible if we got these women in a room, with a whole load of other women
So where did you go from there? Charlie: Our mission was to overhaul the traditional women’s networking model, and create a strong, united tribe of women who celebrated their achievements. e devoted ourselves to establishing a series of thought-provoking, engaging, positive, femalefocused networking events, which incorporated some of ales’s most talented female leaders.
You’re both mums, yes? Amy: e are. e juggled setting up the events alongside our fulltime jobs Charlie was pregnant, and I had two young boys. It was a challenging time, but we knew this was totally worth the time and eff ort, and we really wanted to make a diff erence.
Why did you launch the networking sessions in Cardiff? Amy: This is where we both grew up the talent on our door step here in ales is incredible.
Tell us about the most recent event... Charlie: omen isrupting, in October. The event explored women who are disrupting in their respective elds from being the rst female to commentate on men’s football for
C adio ales, to climbing the ranks of the re service, to shaking up the music industry.
Warrior Women Events, now known as Warrior Women Collective, has evolved signifi cantly, hasn’t it? Amy: es, and it attracts over women to its online events every month. The events have featured over female speakers including some of ales’s leading businesswomen and entrepreneurs, including ophie owe, uture
enerations Commissioner for ales, and annah Pycroft, co-founder of pectrum Collections, while also shining a light on thriving female-run businesses and advertising their products during a marketplace at the events. Charlie: Our events have evolved in lots of ways over the years, and we’re really proud of how far we’ve come. ut our purpose is the same. e think our blend of honest stories and experiences from our panel allow women to relate to them, and leave you feeling inspired, empowered, and really connected to others.
Have you had to re-evaluate your event offering due to the pandemic? Charlie: It led us to diversify the events overnight, and we launched online events for women across the country. espite worries the format wouldn’t translate over oom, the online events have exceeded expectations, and they not only attract a wider audience from across the , but also cater to women who may have not been able to attend before. Amy: e were determined to keep reaching out to and supporting our community of women who needed each other now more than ever. e’ve seen up to women dialling in, and these will de nitely be a part of our off ering going forward.
What’s new and coming up? Charlie: eyond the events, we’ve also launched our website, podcast, newsletter and developed our blog. Through these we provide relevant and useful content to educate and champion women. e have such exciting plans for arrior omen Collective in the future we are launching our Crowdfunding campaign so that we can grow and expand our off ering, such as hosting our events in more locations, grow our online event programme with more events and more topics, and even host workshops.
www.warriorwomencollective.co.uk
Fancy a quick insight into the property market during a pandemic? Here, a couple of local experts give us their views...
CHRIS J BIRCH HAUS ESTATE AGENCY 02920 100742 www.agency.haus
Tell us about the company in a nutshell? Haus looks after and grows a landlord’s portfolio of properties, maximising their rental yield through rental, sale or holiday home management.
What is the property market like at the moment during these strange times? It’s a mixed bag. One moment, we’re inundated with viewing requests for homes to be sold and the next, it’s incredibly quiet. Thankfully the silence doesn’t last too long! It’s offset by an incredible surge in rental requests. Rentals have seen a larger than average growth period with us, especially over the last three months. We’re attributing that to post-graduate students not wanting to be in traditional student accommodation with lots of other students and potentially being in quarantine for an extended period.
How has the pandemic changed people’s outlook when it comes to what they want from a property? Searching for a space that includes a home office or a workspace is the top of everyone’s priorities right now. Initially, we were asked for properties with outdoor spaces or near outdoor spaces, and that trend is still strong.
What’s the biggest positive that is coming out of the property sector right now? There’s been a surge in our holiday homes across South and West Wales. People just want to get away and have a break. We’re seeing an upturn of more than 60 per cent in some properties compared to 2019. Independent holiday homes seem to be doing better than traditional holiday parks too as people want to be distant from others but see new places at the same time. That’s translating into great figures for our home owners who’ve taken a hit during the lockdown. It’s really positive to see! CLAIRE TURNER SAVILLS 02920 368923 www.savills.com
Tell us about the company in a nutshell? Since opening in 2007, Savills Cardiff has built a strong local reputation for providing full, integrated property services to local businesses and individuals. The Cardiff office has the largest property services team in South Wales, with over 50 experts on hand.
What is the property market like at the moment during these strange times? We experienced a huge surge in activity post-lockdown which intensified over the summer with our busiest June and July on record in New Homes. The level of activity was pleasantly surprising and continues to be driven by people reviewing their housing needs after the experience of lockdown.
How has the pandemic changed people’s outlook when it comes to what they want from a property? We have certainly seen a shift in priorities on buyer wish lists, with desire for an additional room, or simply an area that offers the ability to create a home office now a major factor as people expect to work from home for at least part of the week on an ongoing basis. This also means I now know far more than I used to about broadband speeds! Virtual connectivity has become as important, if not more so, than transport links with the reduction of the daily commute. The appeal of more rural and lifestyle driven locations has risen and the requirement for a garden or access to outside space continues to grow in Cardiff.
What tips can you give our readers about buying/selling right now? Pent up demand is strong and that is driving values upward, but keeping buyer and seller expectations on pricing aligned will be key to maintaining the summer momentum through the autumn and beyond.
