Inclusive Crafts Business with Mental Wellbeing Focus Set for Expansion
An entrepreneur running mindfulness craft workshops is expanding into larger premises at Ffos Caerffili after a successful first year at the town's container market.
Joy House Creations, managed by Bethan Davies, 29, has been a staple of creativity at Ffos Caerffili since it opened its doors in April 2024.
Through guided workshops featuring activities such as pottery painting, knitting, or needle felting, Bethan encourages her guests to slow down, have conversations, and take a break from the busy world.
During its first year in a permanent home at Ffos Caerffili, Bethan has welcomed hundreds of people into Joy House Creations and is now ready to make the move into a larger unit to accommodate her growing list of regular customers.
'Our pottery classes and our paint and sip sessions are the most popular,' Bethan said.
'I love working with the community and the buzz of excitement when hosting workshops is fantastic. There's something for everyone, and I've had so much positive feedback from people in Caerphilly since I set up here.'
Joy House Creations was among the group of inaugural businesses at Ffos Caerffili and has built its popularity with regular weekly workshops and special events, often working in collaboration with other traders in the market.
After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Fine Art, Bethan's love for creativity motivated her to begin hosting spoon carving workshops around Cardiff. She believes that the Covid-19 pandemic sparked a newfound interest in mental health and wellbeing.
'I have always enjoyed the process of slowing down. After Covid, I wanted to pass that on to others. Art is what I love but it's equally important to encourage conversation and community,' she said.
Joy House Creations opened for business in 2020 initially operating in rented spaces around the capital, but soon Bethan realised that she wanted her own space. Crucially, she wanted to set up in an area where there is a need for greater access to affordable creativity. When an opportunity came to set up in Ffos Caerffili, she jumped at the chance.
Her success in the area has given her the confidence to look ambitiously ahead to expanding the store in the market. Bethan said a more spacious unit will open new opportunities to host larger groups for workshops and act as an affordable space for local creatives to rent.
'I couldn't think of a better place to set up for the future, which is why I have ambitions to move to a bigger unit in the market,' Bethan said.
'Ffos is the perfect spot for Joy House and I want to continue working with the people here.'
Joy House Creations is set to make her move into a larger unit at Ffos Caerffili in June 2025.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
16 hours ago
- Reuters
Miami legal market grows again with Orrick launch
July 21 (Reuters) - U.S. law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe has hired a trio of corporate partners and opened an office in Miami, growing Florida's legal market again after a wave of new entrants receded following the pandemic. San Francisco-founded Orrick said on Monday that it hired Ken Wiggins, Santiago Assalini and Sam Ramos, who advise companies and private equity funds, from law firm Akerman to open the office. Wiggins was co-head of Akerman's M&A and private equity group. Miami attracted prominent out-of-state law firms during the COVID-19 pandemic, as tech companies and executives, bankers and fund managers moved into the state from New York and elsewhere. Some lawyers also relocated amid the remote-work era. Kirkland & Ellis, King & Spalding, Winston & Strawn, Sidley and Venable are among the large firms that flocked to Miami in 2022. Quinn Emanuel, Cooley, Mintz and others have also opened up offices there in recent years, though the momentum has slowed since 2023. Florida has also long been home to a few large firms and has served as a bridge for U.S. lawyers working with Latin American clients. Legal recruiters said that while other firms have remained interested in the Miami market since the pandemic-era boom, the historically limited pool of lawyers has made it challenging for some firms to find the right opportunity to launch and recruit local talent. That could change as partners who joined newcomer firms a few years ago could seek to change employers after the clock runs out on any compensation guarantees, said Dareth Finn, a legal recruiter at VOYLegal. Finn said she has heard from firms that are still eyeing the market, with interest in areas such as corporate, litigation, real estate and construction work. A difference in billing rate expectations has also traditionally been a barrier for some out-of-state firms looking to expand in Miami, legal recruiters said. Overall lawyer headcount in Miami among the top 200 U.S. firms by revenue increased by nearly 27% over the past five years, according to figures that Leopard Solutions, which tracks law firm hiring, provided to Reuters on Monday. That includes the firms that opened new offices in that time period. Orrick chairman Mitch Zuklie told Reuters that clients in the technology, energy and infrastructure, finance and life sciences sectors have been "gravitating toward South Florida." Other Orrick lawyers will also be part of the new office, including venture capital partner Andrew Erskine, who previously helped the firm launch an office in Santa Monica, California, in 2017.
Daily Mirror
17 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Sizewell C nuclear plant gets green light but cost doubles to £38billion
Labour has agreed a deal to build the UK's second new nuclear power in the hope of bringing down power bills - but questions remain over the final cost The Government has struck a £38billion deal to build a new nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast - nearly double its original forecast. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the Sizewell C project would supply power to six million homes, support 10,000 jobs and 'bring bills down for good.' But all households will help foot the construction work through another £12 a year on bills. And questions remain about whether the power plant can be built to budget, with the £38billion estimate way above the £20billion that French energy giant EDF - one of the key investors - forecast five years ago. Insiders insist the big increase reflects higher costs in the wake of the Covid crisis and a buffer for overruns. The deal also includes contingencies for if the costs spiral still higher. If it gets to just over £40billion then investors, as well as taxpayers, will take a joint hit. And were construction costs to rocket to almost £48billion, the government could pull the plug. On the flipside, if the project comes in under budget then the savings will be shared. Labour is backing nuclear - and green energy- to reduce Britain's reliance on imported gas and electricity. It was this exposure to imports that was one reason household energy bills leapt in the wake of Russia 's invasion of Ukraine. The Government will become the biggest equity shareholder in Sizewell C, with a 44.9% stake. New investors include Canadian investment fund La Caisse with 20%, British Gas owner Centrica with 15%, and Amber Infrastructure with an initial 7.6%. It comes alongside EDF announcing earlier this month it was taking a 12.5% stake - lower than its previously stated 16.2% ownership. The government insisted the estimated £38billion cost is about 20% cheaper than the development of the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Somerset, which is under construction and projected to open in 2031. Mr Miliband said: 'It is time to do big things and build big projects in this country again - and today we announce an investment that will provide clean, homegrown power to millions of homes for generations to come. This government is making the investment needed to deliver a new golden age of nuclear, so we can end delays and free us from the ravages of the global fossil fuel markets to bring bills down for good.' Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the development would reduce the UK's reliance on 'foreign dictators' for energy. 'This is a public-private consortium. We as a Government are putting in money but that means that government - taxpayers - will get a return on that investment,' she said. Ms Reeves added: 'La Caisse, Centrica and Amber's multibillion-pound investment is a powerful endorsement of the UK as the best place to do business and as a global hub for nuclear energy. Delivering next generation, publicly owned clean power is vital to our energy security and growth, which is why we backed Sizewell C.' Nuclear plants are seen as increasingly important electricity sources as the Government tries to decarbonise Britain's grid by 2030, replacing fossil fuels with green power. However, the last time Britain completed one was in 1987, which was the Sizewell B plant. Chris O'Shea, Centrica's chief executive, said Sizewell C was a 'compelling investment for our shareholders and the country as a whole'. 'This isn't just an investment in a new power station - it's an investment in Britain's energy independence, our net zero journey, and thousands of high-quality jobs across the country,' he added. But the Stop Sizewell C campaign said: 'This much-delayed Final Investment Decision has only crawled over the line thanks to guarantees that the public purse, not private investors, will carry the can for the inevitable cost overruns. Even so, UK households will soon be hit with a new Sizewell C construction tax on their energy bills. "It is astounding that it is only now, as contracts are being signed, that the government has confessed that Sizewell C's cost has almost doubled to an eye watering £38billion - a figure that will only go up. Given that Ministers claimed not to recognise the cost was close to £40 billion is there any wonder there is so little trust in this project?'
Belfast Telegraph
20 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
The £5 latte cannot be far away: hedge funds and iced drinks are driving change in the coffee market
Prices have fallen back a little in recent months — but right now, the green coffee beans that are the basic raw material for your flat white are 47% more expensive than they were a year ago, says Sheila Dowling, commercial director at Bewley's, the Republic of Ireland's best-known bean roaster. That means Bewley's is paying €1.7m (£1.5m) more this year for its usual order of green beans — and coffee consumers have been hit with price rises of as much as 30% a cup. The nightmare scenario for everyone in the sector is to see the price of a cup of coffee rise above €5 (£4.30) — a level that would be hard for consumers to swallow and businesses to sustain, says Ms Dowling. But when, earlier this year, the price of beans on the market rose towards $5 (£3.70) a pound, that looked set to become a reality. 'Coffee was always around $1.20 a pound, maybe $1.40. But after Covid, things really started to change. We had Ukraine. Then we had the Suez Canal, then the Red Sea. It was the perfect storm — and by February of this year, it had risen to over $4.20.' Earlier this month it was reported that the boss of coffee giant Lavazza blamed hedge fund speculation for the volatility. Ms Dowling agrees, but believes that a huge amount of supply that has been bought by speculators will at some point be released into the market and help moderate the price. But the EU's new Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which comes into force in January and aims to curb deforestation linked to the production of commodities such as coffee, could push prices back up. In recent months, the price of coffee has fallen slowly, and by last week it was back at $3 a pound. 'But when you think of the weeks ahead, with Trump and tariffs and exchange rates, you just don't know where it's going to go,' she says. Despite the price of coffee soaring to global highs this year, Ms Dowling suggests coffee may be an affordable luxury for younger people. 'Where people have disposable income is in colleges and universities — they are more likely to spend income than save for a rainy day.' And that generation, she says, is driving another massive sea-change — the cold brew. Coffee lovers under 35 are driving an explosion of iced beverages, a new report by UK-based coffee syrup manufacturer Beyond the Bean has found. Iced beverage consumption in the UK has surged by 26.7% since 2023, driven mainly by millennial/Gen Z consumers. 'There is speculation that younger people will eventually revert to hot coffee, but I don't think that will be the case. If we look at sales data on Starbucks in the US, 80% of their coffee is now served cold.' The trend could have big implications, both for coffee shops and for producers such as Bewley's. Cold brew is produced differently than traditional coffee and is supplied as a concentrate. To meet the expected demand for cold brew here, Bewley's has spent 18 months sourcing a cold brew product to bring to the Irish coffee market. The Bewley's Columbian Fairtrade Cold Brew process involves coffee grounds being slowly steeped in cool water, which extracts a less acidic flavour from the bean, says Ms Dowling. 'It's moving fast from a low base, and 50% of Gen Z are now saying they will drink cold all year round,' she says. 'We're working with a partner right now, but it is our ambition to invest in our own business to produce a cold brew. But it's a very different process and it'd be like setting up a whole new factory.'
