THE PEMBROKESHIRE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 30 2015
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£20m investment in Welsh housing
THE WELSH GOVERNMENT
is investing a further £20 million to improve the Welsh housing stock and bring thousands of derelict and inhabitable properties back into use, in a move which could see opportunities for contractors. Communities and
Tackling
Poverty Minister, Lesley Griffiths, this week launched the Home Improvement Loans scheme, which will offer loans to home owners and landlords to improve poor quality housing across Wales.
Funding of £10 million will be
provided over two years to offer interest-free loans of up to £25,000 per property, which will be recycled by local authorities and provided to homeowners across Wales to maximise the funding and improve the standard of Welsh housing. The
Minister announcement while made visiting
the the
Old Town Hall in Aberdare – a formerly disused building which was transformed into affordable homes thanks to £80,000 of House into Homes funding. The Minister also today announced
a further £10 million for the Houses into Homes scheme, bringing the total investment in the programme to £30 million. The additional funding will expand the programme which provides re-usable, interest-free loans to owners of
empty run-down properties, to
bring them back into use for sale or rent. To date, 4471 empty and run- down properties have been turned into homes so far this Assembly term, only 529 short of the Welsh Government’s ambitious 5,000 target for the whole term.
Lesley Griffiths said: “One of the biggest issues facing the housing
sector at the moment is the lack of homes for sale or for rent. Empty homes are not only a wasted resource, but they can also attract vandalism and anti-social behaviour and can spoil the appearance of our neighbourhoods. “I am delighted
to announce
our Home Improvement Loan programme is now open for business. This innovative scheme will improve poor quality housing across Wales – eliminating hazards which can cause harm to residents and health issues such as damp and cold. “The success of our flagship
Houses into Homes scheme must also be acknowledged. As well as bringing 4471 properties back into use, the scheme is also creating jobs in our construction industry. I hope this additional funding will build on this progress and give more families in Wales to opportunity to find a home. “Today’s funding announcements
clearly demonstrate our commitment to meeting Wales’ housing need.” Councillor
Rhondda Cynon
Keiron Montague, Taf Council’s
Cabinet Member for Service Delivery, Communities and Housing added: “Good quality housing is so important as it can positively impact on health and prosperity and I welcome the Minister’s announcement today that significant funding is to be made available to support the development of poor quality housing across Wales. “We were delighted to welcome
the Minister to Aberdare, which has recently
undergone a £7.7million
regeneration, for the launch of the scheme and to see first hand the positive impact the Houses into Home scheme has had transforming the disused former Town Hall into a vibrant cafe and affordable homes.”
Locally produced food on display at free event
EXCELLENT locally produced
foods will be promoted to food and hospitality businesses of all kinds at the seventh annual Meet the Producer event organised by, and to be held at, Food Centre Wales, Horeb, Llandysul on Monday, March 9.
Producers will be selected from
within a 40 mile radius of Horeb, and will be on show at this free event,
exhibiting products such as hand crafted chocolates, finely sourced meats and poultry, exquisite deserts, and all kinds of unique drinks, to name but a few.
If you are a food retailer or hospitality business and would like to attend, please contact: gen@
foodcentrewales.org.uk or telephone 01559 362230.
Food and drink champions THE DEPUTY MINISTER for
Farming and Food Rebecca Evans has hosted an event to celebrate the Great Taste Award Winners of 2014. The Awards, held annually and
organised by the Guild of Fine Food, has involved 400 judges judging more than 10,000 products. The Minister congratulated
the award-winning Welsh food and drink companies, and
invited buyers to meet with producers and sample their produce. Deputy Minister Rebecca Evans “With
said: 120 award-winning
products, it is only right we should celebrate our success, and I am very proud to support our food and drink producers in showcasing their world class products.”
29 Business News
Trampoline company springing to success!
Simon Hart MP: With Glen Smith and Mark Plews of Atlantic Trampolines. SIMON HART MP has visited
local business success story Atlantic Trampolines based in Pembroke Dock.
The company has sold 50,000
trampolines in the past 10 years from its London Road Industrial Estate warehouse and has shipped them all over the UK and Europe.
Director Jon Edwards set up the business with a former colleague in 2005 and at one time they were one of the busiest traders on eBay. Mr Edwards explained: “It started as a hobby for us in 2005, bringing
in the product, doing the storage and distribution and marketing it online. Because trampolines are bulky and you can’t really display them in shops we sold them on eBay and were one of their heaviest sellers for three years.” Now the company sells via its own website and is starting to branch out into other play equipment. “We find that accessories are
selling well such as a dome tent that turns your trampoline
into a tent,
or a roof tent that goes on the top of the netting to keep it dry, we also sell bounce boards and are doing swings
and slides as well,” added Mr Edwards. All the trampolines are made in the Far East and shipped into Southampton before going to the Pembroke Dock warehouse from where they are sold all over the UK and Europe – with one even going all the way back to Hong Kong! Mr Hart added: “It was great to
hear the Atlantic Trampolines story; what started out as two colleagues having a bright idea and taking a risk has turned into
a 10-year success
selling 50,000 units and employing four people.”
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