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Business Argus

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Out & About

Rugby great Duckham
ENGLAND, British Lion and Barbarian legend David Duckham, MBE, was the guest speaker at a capacity gathering at the annual Lloyds TSB Rugby Lunch at Newports Celtic Manor Resort, which was held in aid of St Davids Hospice Care and The Wooden Spoon charities. The event was compered by BBC Wales Scrum V rugby expert and journalist Rick OShea. This was the 10th anniversary of the lunch which has raised more than 100,00 for charity in that time.

Essential skills on the menu for food workers

By Jo Barnes

01633 777240 jba@gwent-wales.co.uk Twitter @SWABusiness

CWMFELINFACH-BASED Bar Foods, a growing food manufacturer which supplies soups, sauces and recipe dishes to the UKs bar and restaurant sector and food manufacturing industries, has benefited from the Welsh Governments Essential Skills in the Workplace programme. The company has enjoyed significant growth over the last eight years, including an 11 per cent rise in annual turnover to 27m and a five per cent staff increase since the training began last February . Bar Foods now employs more than 250 people from the local community at its site in Cwmfelinfach. The Essential Skills in the Workplace programme was carefully tailored to the companys specific needs by Cardiff-based Fix Training Ltd, one of the training providers contracted by Welsh Government to deliver the programme, which is part-funded by the European Social Fund. Aisling Kemp, Bar Foods managing director, said: The last year has seen some great achievements and personal development for employees. There has been significant commitment from all involved to deliver the programme. The programme has entailed running workshops between 6am and 2am to ensure that all shift workers were able to

Emilie Criddle, Robert Davies, Derek Holder, Samantha Strong

David Duckham, Dick Bowen, John Price

Ken Skates with (from left) Aisling Kemp, production worker Sally Willis, one of those who received the qualications, and Fix Trainings director Helen Jones try lamb shank, on a taste panel during his visit participate. The company released staff for a series of six workshops, each lasting four hours, equating to an investment of more than 4,800 staff hours to achieve the successful outcomes. To ensure that the training had the greatest impact, Fix Training helped the company to integrate and update its policies, procedures and work instructions. Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology Ken Skates visited the company to present some of the 203 workers with their certificates. He said: Developing the essential skills of a workforce helps to create a successful, sustainable and competitive business. The Essential Skills in the Workplace programme had helped people across Wales to feel more confident in the way they use their essential skills in the workplace.

Dave Bevan, Haydn Thomas, Chris Klinkert, David Pugsley, Gary Parker

Its party time as Principality branch celebrates a year on

Hal Luscombe, Neil Phillips, Liz Hutchings

Guest speaker David Duckham MBE, presenter and TV personality Rick OShea and Adrian Hadley, of St Davids Hospice Care

David Hamar-Davis, Andy Green, Vanessa Thomas To see more pictures from this event visit www. facebook.com/SWABusiness

WALES largest building society is celebrating a year on the Cwmbran high street with a community party next month. It has been 12 months since Principality Building Society opened the doors of its 53rd branch at Cwmbran Shopping Centre, along with a branch of its estate agency business Peter Alan. To thank the community for welcoming the branch, Principality is inviting customers and members of the public to join them for birthday celebrations on February 1. Ceri Thomas, Principalitys Cwmbran branch manager, said: We are proud to be at the heart of Cwmbran and have been astounded by the response of the local community during the last 12 months and would like to thank everyone for their support. This branch opened after Principalitys customers called for a branch in the area and we are thrilled to be celebrating our first

Principality is celebrating one year in Cwmbran year of business in the Cwmbran community . We look forward to many more years of working together. Visitors to Cwmbran branch will also be able to take advantage of the exclusive Cwmbran Birthday Regular Saver Bond.

At the party on February 1, there will also be a range of activities, refreshments and competitions taking place during the day, including an opportunity to win two tickets for the Wales v France match at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on February 21. Only Boys Aloud will be making a special morning performance at the branch for customers and members of Cwmbran Park Bowling Club, which the branch sponsored earlier in the year. Damian Thompson, Principalitys director of distribution, said: We are committed to Wales and strongly believe that the people of Wales deserve choice, diversity and excellent customer service in the financial marketplace. Our Cwmbran branch has helped to increase competition in the town centre and bring further financial choice to the people of Cwmbran.

Company reaches milestone

PHARMACEUTICAL manufacturer Penn Pharma has reached a significant safety milestone this month, operating for three years without experiencing a reportable accident at its plant in Gwent. The new manufacturing facility at Tredegar, which opened in September last year, along with the original one have both been operating safely for a length of time that equates to 1.75 million hours worked by the 300 staff. Penn Pharma chief operating officer Mark Dean-Netscher said: With a background of an 18 million expansion programme and significant construction activity on site, this is a fantastic achievement on our continued journey for operational excellence in Penn. We have superb engagement from all of our staff with a very active near miss system and safety-focussed culture in place.

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