A 12th century church has gone up for sale and the historical building has permission to be converted into a home.

The former St Mary’s Church, found in Whitson on the Gwent Levels, is going under the hammer with Paul Fosh Auctions next month.

Being sold for a private vendor, the former place of worship needs a bit of work but has planning for conversion into a residential dwelling, so would make an ideal project.

It has a guide price of £110,000 , a figure that falls below the average house price in Wales (which is currently £176,316).

The auction , which includes the church, is taking place on Thursday, May 3 at the Park Inn Hotel, Llanedeyrn, Cardiff. It kicks off at 5pm.

Original parts of the building (noted for its fine tower and memorable ‘pinnacle’ in local history records), date back as far as the 12th century with later additions including a 15th century tower.

Steeped in history, it’s a Grade II-listed property and inside, the building is currently derelict while much of its roof is missing.

The planning includes the development of a residential dwelling, with an open-plan living area, a kitchen on the ground floor, two bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor, along with more accommodation within the tower.

“The church is in the village of Whitson which is situated on the Caldicot Levels where there are a number of farmsteads and houses,” said Sean Roper, of Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions.

“The unique property is close to the sea wall and the Severn Estuary.”

On the grounds, you’ll find a new driveway and work has already commenced on the installation of a small bridge over the reen (or stream).

The adjoining graveyard is not included in the sale but there is an area near the building which the vendors say could be used for a garden.

Sean added: “The city of Newport is approximately seven kilometres away with its wide range of amenities and shopping facilities including the Friars Walk Shopping Centre.

“The M4 motorway is easily accessible, offering easy access for commuters to both Cardiff and Bristol especially with the abolition of tolls on the Severn Bridges.”

For more information visit the Paul Fosh Auctions website.

NEARLY 700 cyclists took part in the St David’s Hospice Care Tour De Gwent to help raise £50,000 for the charity, writes Alice Rose and Iwan Gabe Davies.

The successful fundraising event, now in its fourth year, has become a popular one, and offers six routes of varying lengths and difficulty, taking in much of Gwent.

The toughest challenge was won by rising cycling star Zach Bridges, 17, a pupil at Newport’s Rougemont School.

He led the pack to win the 93-mile platinum route for hardcore riders, taking in climbs with a total height of 7,352 feet.

The five other courses were the 78-mile gold route, 52-mile silver route, 35-mile bronze route, 20-mile midi route and three-mile kids’ route.

Franca Nigro, events/community fundraising coordinator for St David’s Hospice Care, said: “The majority of riders took on the platinum, gold and silver routes. We had elite cyclists like Zach.

“There was ex-rugby player Alix Popham and a few other serious cyclists.”

For more information on the Tour de Gwent, visit http://tourdegwent.org/

NEWPORT is set to host a new, family-friendly music festival in August.

Portstock 2018 – to be held at Tredegar Park – is a new fundraising event for St David’s Hospice Care, and promises two stages of live music ranging from acoustic artists to rock bands.

Eight acts will be playing on the day. The headline act and two others will be announced at a later date, but those confirmed so far are The Ed Sheeran Encounter, Big Mac’s Wholly Soul Band, Barracwda, The Apple Tree Theory and The Sisterhood.

Tickets cost £22 for adults and 314 for children, and a family ticket – two adults, two children under 16 – is also available at £55.

For more information, and to book tickets, contact St David’s hospice Care fundraising on 01633 851051, e-mail portstock@stdavidshospicecare.org or visit http://stdavidshospicecare.org/event-details/portstock-2018/ or Twitter @portstockfest

Details and updates can also be found at https://www.facebook.com/portstockfestival/

LEADING Wales brewer Tiny Rebel are not just backing the Three Peak of Wales charity challenge in aid of St David’s Hospice Care but it is entering a team to take part in the gruelling event.

The Newport-based brewer, which has its brewery and headquarters in Rogerstone, is the main sponsor of the event and is entering at least one team into the event which takes place on Saturday, June 23.

The challenge Tiny Rebel is preparing to support and enter involves teams of climbers scaling three of Wales’ tallest peaks: Mount Snowdon, at 1,085m (3,560ft), Cadair Idris, 893m (2, 927 ft) and Pen-y-fan, 886m (2, 907ft), all in a single day.

Tiny Rebel’s Bradley Cummings said: “We’re delighted to sponsor the event and also to enter at least one team to take on the momentous challenge to scale Wales’ tallest peaks and all in just 24 hours

“The excellent work of St David’s Hospice Care is very highly regarded. The Three Peaks of Wales challenge is a really worthwhile event which not only encourages people to enjoy the outdoors but is brilliant for team building, great fun and all for such a great cause.”

Event organiser Franca Nigro, of St David’s Hospice Care, said: “We’re thrilled that Tiny Rebel are not just sponsors of the event but also have staff members prepared to take part in what is recognised as being quite a challenging event. I’m looking forward to seeing them all at the start and again at the finish-perhaps toasting them with a can of Tiny Rebel!.”

To enter a team please visit www.stdavidshospicecare.org or call Franca Nigro on 01633 851051.

Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions has retained its position as the premier auction house after once again coming top of the property sales charts in Wales.

The property auction firm is at number one in the national auction league after selling 462 properties out of 612 offered at a total value of £30,245,278 at 11 auctions in 2017.

 

The leading property business has maintained its dominance in the intensely competitive auction sales industry in Wales and also notched up a strong position in the UK rankings, at number 25.

 

It sold two-and-a-half times the value of properties sold by second in the Wales chart, Carmarthen-based John Francis, with £12,220,000 from 120 lots sold out of 143 offered at its five auctions in the year.

The reputable annual auction sales chart, a highly-regarded guide within the industry, is compiled by UK industry experts the Essential Information Group (EIG) and published in association with industry ‘Bible’ Estates Gazette.

Paul Fosh Auctions managing director Paul Fosh, who again played host to BBC’s hugely popular Homes Under the Hammer TV show at some of the sales during 2017, said: “The past 12 months were tough but our team worked tirelessly as always and I am once more delighted with the excellent results it has delivered.

“The team worked hard first to assemble a vast range of commercial and domestic stock into the catalogue and then to do their utmost to get these lots sold at auction. The team also had to contend with an office move, from Church Road to Lower Dock Street, during the year which I’m delighted to say, they took in their stride.”

 

Mr Fosh said: “Our new office marks a step change in the way we do business. It’s a milestone for the business our loyal staff and also our customers. Excellent customer care and service is at the heart of all that we do.

“We have been able to offer a mind boggling array of properties of all types throughout the year and I am pleased to say we are bringing through an increased volume of commercial lots. We have had an array of commercial property alongside, residential, land, churches, pubs, heraldic titles and also public toilets and have welcomed an increasingly diverse range of customers to our regular sales.

“We’ve performed extremely well over the past decade securing the top position for property sales in Wales and we intend to keep out eye on the ball to ensure we do all we can to retain that position over the next ten years.”

The next Paul Fosh Auction is on Thursday, March 22, at the Park Inn Hotel, Cardiff, starting at 5pm.

For more details visit www.paulfoshauctions.com/

A DAIRY farming couple from the outskirts of Newport are in the running for a prestigious farming “Oscar”.

Mead Farm Foods, based on a 190-acre farm outside the village of Redwick, have been shortlisted for a Rural Oscar in the Countryside Alliance Awards.

Husband and wife Lawrence and Izabela Hembrow have received recognition for using expertise gained in the food manufacturing industry to process their own milk from their herd of Holstein Friesian cattle.

The Hembrows, who have two young children, say they are “privileged” to be nominated by their customers for the award.

 

“Mead Farm Foods has only been established for one year and it’s fantastic to hear that our business has been recognised for contributing to the local community.

“It’s wonderful to hear that others appreciate our efforts and feel that there is a value in what we are doing, especially at this early stage of a start-up venture. It’s really encouraging to have that support.”

Mead Farm Foods will be up against three other farms in the Wales Local Food and Drink category of the Wales Rural Oscars.

The awards, now in their 30th year, are the Countryside Alliance’s annual celebration of British food & farming, enterprise, and heritage.

Sarah Lee, direct of the Countryside Alliance Awards, said: ““We have been overwhelmed by nominations this year.

“The secret to the Rural Oscars’ popularity is that they honour the people involved in these businesses and not just their produce or services. They exist to sing the praises of those who work hard to keep our communities and rural economy ticking, but don’t seek the spotlight.

“These awards provide a cause for celebration in a time of great uncertainty in the countryside. Our local produce is second to none and there are many community heroes and businesses worthy of national recognition.”

 

They also taking orders from local shops, cafes and restaurants.

For more details on Mead Farm Foods click here

 

By Ollie Barnes, of David Barnes Public Relations, Newport

Published in The Business

 

The way we see news is ever changing.
You may have heard this many times by now, but that’s because it’s true. Finding out about what is going on in the world is no longer just about reading the newspapers once a day, or turning on the TV at six o’clock.
Yes, these are both platforms which remain very important in the industry, but the likes of internet news and social media have become just as, if not more, important.
That is why, if you are a business owner, you need to make sure you are reaching all of your potential clients through the most efficient use of public relations.
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations, the national body which oversees the industry, describes the practice as: ‘… the discipline which looks after reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behaviour. It is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and
its public’.

‘If I was down to my
last dollar, I would
spend it on public relations’
Bill Gates
(Microsoft)

 

Therefore, it is important to make sure that the reputation of a business or
individual is shown to be a good one on all platforms – most notably, these days, being the internet and social media platforms.
Anything published on the internet is more or less there for ever so, as a PR
agent, you must ensure a good reputation is maintained come what may.
The popularity of the internet as a source of news is only increasing. In an
Ofcom survey published in June 2017, it was found that 48 per cent of
adults in the UK said they use the internet as their source of news. That was an increase from the previous year, when it was 41 per cent.
Additionally, three in ten adults in the UK said they now use a mobile phone for news.
That tells us that more and more people are getting news wherever they go, instantly, through the use of all forms of digital media.
The most successful PR agencies will use this changing news environment to their advantage. Through the utilisation of social media especially, they will help to make sure that the public will see what you, as a business owner, organisation or individual, want them to see.
This will ultimately increase your audience, further your business goals and visibility in one way or another.
Now, this is not to say that ‘older’, more traditional sources of news should be phased out as a place for PR agencies to promote businesses. On the contrary, in fact. In order to have the most successful strategy, all media platforms must be utilised. After all, you are trying to reach the largest amount of people you can.
Another thing to mention is that each story for each business is different, so you can’t necessarily put the same stories in the same place every time and expect the same results.
It’s important to know exactly what you are trying to say in a story, who you want to see it, and what platform they are most likely to be using for news.
A common misconception is that PR and advertising are the same thing.
The two disciplines may hold certain similarities, but they are still rather different.
Advertising is creating paid advertisements to be shown and promoted via various types of media. However, PR is more of a communication between businesses and the public that helps to build mutually beneficial relationships while, as mentioned earlier, upholding the reputation of said business,
organisation or individual.

LEADING Wales property business Johnsey Estates has appointed Isabelle Bateman as its lettings and development surveyor.

Known as Izzy, the 24-year-old property professional is charged with handling the Pontypool-based company’s varied estates portfolio at Mamhilad Park Estate, Pontypool.

Originally from Warwickshire and now living in Newport, Izzy graduated in international fashion marketing from Manchester Metropolitan University before gaining masters degrees at The Royal Agricultural University; one in real estate and a second in business management.

Izzy said: “I started working as a graduate surveyor in Canary Wharf, London, for a small restructuring company. This was followed by a short amount of time working in Surrey for a property consultancy firm.

“I am delighted to have started working for Johnsey Estates which is great as I’ve always wanted to work in a development company. I’m very much focused on obtaining my chartership and becoming a chartered surveyor.

“I am really enjoying my new position. I feel I have joined at a very exciting time and I am looking forward to being part of Johnsey Estates growth.”

The keen horsewoman and home baker said she has had an interest in property from a young age.

She said: “My interest in the property industry started from a young age as my father and my grandparents both had small development companies. I think the property industry is a very exciting industry and I enjoy working with so many different people which range from our tenants to the local authorities.”

James Crawford, chief executive of Johnsey Estates which owns Mamhilad Park Estate, said: “We’re thrilled to have been able to appoint Izzy, who is such a talented property professional with such great potential, to the position of lettings and development surveyor at this pivotal time in the development and progression of Johnsey Estates. “

Mamhilad Park Estate, Pontypool, where Johnsey Estates has headquarters, covers some 43 acres with 500,000 sq ft of offices and industrial space. Various government organisations and blue chip private companies are located on the estate.