Latest news with #AmandaHughes
North Wales Live
05-07-2025
- Business
- North Wales Live
Conwy council conducts official investigation over 'inaccurate' Llandudno library figures
Conwy is conducting an official investigation after '£126K savings' presented to back the closure of Llandudno 's Mostyn Street library were labelled inaccurate. At a special meeting on Wednesday, Conwy 's head of finance claimed closing Llandudno's library and moving the service to Venue Cymru would save £126K a year. Head of finance Ms Amanda Hughes had claimed Conwy was paying around £46,000 a year in electricity bills to Npower at the current site – a sum referenced as a future saving if the move went ahead. But this was before Cllr Louise Emery produced a letterheaded bill at the Coed Pella scrutiny committee. Cllr Emery said Conwy only owed 38% of the £46,000. This was, Cllr Emery claimed, because the rest was legally payable by other tenants of the library building's owners Mostyn Estates, who occupied other floors. But part of Conwy's argument for moving was the £126K-a-year saving, which was included in a report presented to strengthen the council's case. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox. This led to Ms Hughes revealing she was 'concerned', 'disappointed', and 'dismayed' as she was only now aware Conwy had paid the full £46,000 on behalf of the whole building, throwing the '£126K' savings into doubt. The figures being questioned also led to Cllr Emery raising doubts that other savings could be incorrect. The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked the council to clarify the situation and if the authority had recovered payments it had made on behalf of Mostyn Estates' tenants. A spokeswoman for Conwy County Council commented: 'Strategic director of finance and resources is investigating the issues raised at economy and place scrutiny committee on Wednesday so that the details can be clarified before cabinet consider the report on Tuesday.' As the statement suggests, Conwy's cabinet is expected to vote in favour of the Mostyn Street library's closure on Tuesday, with the service moving to Venue Cymru as part of a UK Government-funded £10m 'arts centre' revamp. Cllr Emery, who raised the issue - as well as fears about a lack of a business plan for the revamp of the theatre - said she had serious concerns. 'I'm glad they are taking my concerns seriously with the information that I had on Wednesday, and it is good to see they are doing an investigation, but I'm quite surprised that they needed to do that considering the chief financial officer said the information she had was accurate,' she said. 'I'm very concerned that the costs, which they say are with the library, and particularly the new costs relating to moving the library, that they really don't have those drilled down in any sort of detail, and we really can't make a decision until we have exact costings of the move.' She added: 'I don't think they've (the council) got the figures right on the rates. I don't think they've got the figures right on the future maintenance of the building. I think we are going into this blind, and I'm really concerned about the cost of moving the library and the ongoing costs if it does go into Venue Cymru.' Mostyn Estates wouldn't comment on the situation regarding the £46,000 electricity bill but did raise fears that moving the library would affect footfall on the high street. Jon Merrick is the business development manager for Mostyn Estates. 'We are unable to comment on any matters regarding a tenant/landlord arrangement at the current library in Mostyn Street, but our position on the proposed move of the library to Venue Cymru is that we are opposed to this suggestion,' he said. 'We are totally supportive of Venue Cymru and their efforts to upgrade and refurbish the building. We believe Venue Cymru has a strong and positive story to tell, that they should aim to base their business plan for the grant funding solely on the theatre, arts, and conferencing rather than bringing in key services such as the library and Tourism Information Centre, which alienates a large proportion of local businesses and community, as well as jeopardising the town centre by removing a 200,000 footfall from Mostyn Street. This is not helpful to small independent businesses trading on the high street.' The results of a public consultation conducted by Conwy revealed 76% of 999 residents were worried about access to the new library service at Venue Cymru. A petition of around 1,100 signatures also backed a campaign to keep the library at its current location. Conwy's leader Cllr Charlie McCoubrey was unavailable for comment. Conwy's cabinet is set to vote on Tuesday 8 July.
Scotsman
02-07-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Ayrshire mentor named Social Media Marketing Specialist of the Year
Amanda Hughes, a social media mentor based in North Ayrshire, has been awarded Social Media Marketing Specialist of the Year at the Scotland Prestige Awards 2025/26. Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Amanda supports small business owners in a variety of ways, offering support via her online membership group, a purpose-built content planner, and her popular podcast and was recognised for her accessible, down-to-earth approach to digital marketing and content creation. The award highlights her commitment to making social media fun, easy and profitable for small business owners. 'So many small business owners are out there pouring time into social media and seeing zero return,' said Amanda. 'My mission is to help them show up with confidence and strategy so that the time they spend actually leads to visibility and sales.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Amanda launched her mentoring business following a PTSD diagnosis following the traumatic health challenges faced by her young son. Now, she combines lived experience with marketing expertise to support entrepreneurs across the UK through her online community. Amanda Hughes, The Growth Addicts Podcast
UPI
09-06-2025
- General
- UPI
Clerk helps Michigan woman pick out $500,000 lottery ticket
Michigan resident Amanda Hughes said she bought a scratch-off lottery ticket suggested by a store clerk and scored a $500,000 prize. Photo courtesy of the Michigan Lottery June 9 (UPI) -- A Michigan woman took a store clerk's suggestion and bought a scratch-off lottery ticket that earned her a $500,000 prize. Amanda Hughes, 42, who lives in the unincorporated community of Gwinn in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, told Michigan Lottery officials she visited the Kwik Trip on M-553 in Marquette to buy a scratch-off ticket that turned out to be out of stock. "I don't play scratch off tickets a lot, but I do buy one every once in a while," Hughes said. "When I was at the store, I asked for the $20 Wild Time game, but they had sold out of it, so the clerk suggested 50X Wild Time." Hughes took the clerk's suggestion -- and discovered it was a lucky move. "When I scratched the ticket off and saw the prize of $500,000, I wasn't sure if it was real at first," she said. "I thought I must not have read the instructions correctly, so I reread them and then went back into the store to scan the ticket and have the clerk look at it. It was surreal when I realized I really had just won $500,000!" Hughes said her prize money will go toward buying a house and saving for her children. "I still can't believe this is real! This money is going to be life changing for my family," she said.
CBS News
06-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Michigan woman wins $500K scratch-off jackpot after store clerk's suggestion
An Upper Peninsula woman won a $500,000 lottery jackpot thanks to a suggestion from a store clerk. Amanda Hughes, 42, of Gwinn, bought her winning Wild Time 50X instant ticket at Kwik Trip, located at 301 M-553 in Marquette. "I don't play scratch-off tickets a lot, but I do buy one every once in a while," said Hughes in a news release. "When I was at the store, I asked for the $20 Wild Time game, but they had sold out of it, so the clerk suggested 50X Wild Time. "When I scratched the ticket off and saw the prize of $500,000, I wasn't sure if it was real at first. I thought I must not have read the instructions correctly, so I reread them and then went back into the store to scan the ticket and have the clerk look at it. It was surreal when I realized I really had just won $500,000!" With her winnings, Hughes plans to buy a house and then save the rest for her children. "I still can't believe this is real! This money is going to be life-changing for my family," said Hughes. Since the game launched in February 2024, players have won more than $67 million playing 50X Wild Time, according to the Michigan Lottery. Each $10 ticket gives players the chance to win prizes ranging from $10 up to $500,000. More than $24 million in prizes remain up for grabs, including 52 $10,000 prizes.
Scotsman
23-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Scotland's first charting podcast for small business owners Launches from Ayrshire spare room
I'm Amanda Hughes, an Ayrshire-based entrepreneur and mentor, and in February last year—on my 40th birthday—I launched The Growth Addicts Podcast from my spare room in Stevenston, Ayrshire. It recently reached the Top 30 on Apple's Entrepreneurial Charts—and is the first Scottish podcast of its kind to do so. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... What makes it unique isn't just where it's recorded—it's who it's for. This show gives a worldwide platform to small business owners who rarely get media coverage: women juggling childcare and side hustles, self-employed founders working from kitchen tables, and community-rooted businesses trying to grow with purpose. Recent Scottish small business guests include: Lauren Young (Instagram: @ (Instagram: @ Trona Freeman (@trona_freeman) (@trona_freeman) Sarah Thomson (@sarahthomsonstyle) Amanda Hughes small business owner turned podcaster taking the Apple entrepreneurial charts by storm
