Author: Rhys Gregory

This year, CITB has paid out over £5m more in grants and supported nearly 700 more employers compared to the same period in 2021. As we draw closer to the end of 2022, CITB data reveals that almost 12,500 businesses have been supported in the form of grants, with £54.6m paid out to date (Apr – Nov 2022), and more than half paid to small or micro businesses. The CITB Grants Scheme provides grants for employers in the construction industry that deliver day-to-day training for their workforce. There are several areas whereby businesses can apply for grant, including apprenticeships, short…

Welsh homelessness charity Llamau is ensuring that the young people, women and children it supports will all receive gifts this holiday season. In some cases, this may be the only Christmas gift they receive. Over 10,000 young people, women and children were supported by Llamau in 2021-22, and the festive season can be a reminder of everything they have lost or are missing out on. Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, Llamau ensures that the people it supports enjoy a holiday season including Christmas gifts. Llamau’s vital support to young people and women who are facing homelessness helps them…

A new recruitment initiative aimed at encouraging future dental trainees to take up opportunities across rural Wales has been launched by Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW). Most new dental graduates choose to complete their Dental Foundation Training (DFT) year in a general dental practice. However, many dental graduates prefer to complete their DFT year in more urban areas, leaving some practices in rural parts of Wales under resourced with empty training positions. In 2021/22, 6% of vacancies were left unfilled. This meant that support packages had to be rapidly put in place for these practices, and unfortunately access to…

Two Swansea-based organisations have joined forces to save a classic set of 12 modernist church windows and relocate them to a church in Mold, Flintshire The windows were created in 1968 by Jonah Jones, who was a leading figure on the Welsh arts scene in the second half of the 20th century. Best known for his sculpture and watercolours, Jones was also part of a group of pioneering artists in Europe in the 1960s using the new technique of dalle de verre – slab glass supported in a concrete or resin matrix – who learned as they worked, creating daringly innovative work…

Over 40 young entrepreneurs from across Wales have come together to spend a weekend at an intensive three-day residential bootcamp to equip them with the entrepreneurial expertise needed to turn their budding business ideas into thriving realities. This year’s Big Ideas Wales residential ‘Bootcamp to Business’ event was hosted at Kilvrough Manor in Gower, the first face-to-face bootcamp post-pandemic, following two years of virtual events. Aimed at business-minded people aged 18-25, Bootcamp to business aims to strengthen the support system offered to young people seeking self-employment by developing young entrepreneurs’ budding business ideas through a series of workshops over a…

More people than ever will have access to their health records with a huge expansion of a digital service that Swansea Bay pioneered in Wales. The Swansea Bay Patient Portal (SBPP) is a secure online record that allows people to view their blood test results and clinical documents, as well as being able to tap into a library of information and resources. They can do this via their mobile phone, tablet, or other devices. They can also update their health data and sync with wearable tech like Fitbits. Blood results and clinical documents can be viewed and shared not only…

Bridgend County Borough Council’s Cabinet has approved a consultation on proposals to establish a Welsh-medium seedling school and childcare provision on land at Porthcawl Primary School. An options appraisal found that land on the existing Porthcawl Primary School site was the most suitable location to accommodate both a seedling school and childcare facility. To compensate for the land which will be used for the new facility, an all-weather pitch would be provided at Porthcawl Primary School. The proposed seedling school is a ‘starter class’ with 30 full-time equivalent nursery places, and 30 Reception places. It is planned that the seedling…

Proposals for two new visitor attractions aimed at further enhancing Cardiff Bay as a leading UK destination for leisure, culture and tourism have been discussed by Cardiff Council’s Cabinet last week (December 15th) and a decision has been taken to enter into lease agreements with both companies, subject to agreed conditions. The first, from Finnish company Nordic Urban, could see an outdoor, floating swimming pool and sauna facility, similar to their facility in Helsinki, brought to the graving docks near Techniquest. The second, a proposal from Skyview, is to build a 90-metre-high balloon ride with a rotating viewing platform on…

Residents in Swansea can grab a bargain for Christmas at the city’s main Recycling Centre. Swansea Council’s successful ‘Tip Treasures’ shop – the onsite store at Llansamlet Recycling Centre, is brimming with household items donated by residents. Everything from furniture, bicycles, televisions, ornaments, clothing, CDs and DVDs can be purchased at the shop. The Council developed the shop several years ago to divert items from landfill and enable them to go to families that need them. Since then, thousands of everyday household items have passed through the shop and sold to families in the city. The shop has also been…

Pembrokeshire County Council has been deeply saddened to learn of the deaths of two long-serving and respected senior former Councillors. Maurice Hughes and John Allen-Mirehouse served as Leader and Deputy Leader of Pembrokeshire County Council respectively. Maurice represented Merlins Bridge as Pembrokeshire County Councillor from 1995 – 2004. A former Chairman of the Highways Committee, he went on to serve as Leader of the Council from May 1999 to May 2004. It was under his leadership that the Leader and Cabinet model still used by the Authority came into being. John, from Angle, was a Member of Council from 1995…