Author: Rhys Gregory

Two new legal duties to improve services, openness and transparency in the NHS have come into force, Health Minister Eluned Morgan announced today. The duty of candour is a legal requirement for all NHS organisations in Wales to be open and transparent with people if something goes wrong and they experience harm while receiving healthcare. Under the duty, health boards and NHS trusts must apologise and support people while an investigation into the incident happens and, importantly, ensure incidents are investigated through the Putting Things Right process and learning is shared to help prevent similar incidents from occurring again. The…

Welsh communities will be better supported to address high levels of second home ownership and empty properties as new local tax rules come into force this month. It marks another milestone in the implementation of a series of measures being introduced as part of the Welsh Government’s Co-operation Agreement commitment with Plaid Cymru to address the impact of second homes and empty homes on communities across the nation. The rules have become operational following national and local consultations, meaning that local authorities are now able to put their strengthened levers into practical effect. Measures are part of efforts to ensure…

Free school meal holiday provision will continue to be available to children from lower income families for the Easter and Whitsun school holidays. The funding is an agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru. During the easter holidays individual local authorities will decide how to administer the free meal provision, either by creating lunches or by providing vouchers or direct payments to eligible families. With the cost-of-living crisis continuing to have an impact on families across Wales, funding is being provided to offer eligible pupils a free school meal up until the end of May half term holiday, including…

Leading independent insurance brokers Towergate Insurance Brokers is supporting employee Dafydd Jonathan as he competes in the European Touch Rugby Championships this summer. Dafydd joined Towergate’s Cardiff office as head of legal indemnities in February 2022 having studied law at undergraduate and masters level and completing the Legal Practice Course at Cardiff University. He worked in the legal profession for a number of years before moving into the insurance world, where he now holds the title of director of transactional risks. Having played rugby union in his spare time throughout most of his life, Dafydd moved to touch rugby in…

Guarantee yourself a double dose of Christmas spirit this year with a trip to the North Pole to meet Santa himself! All aboard! Christmas might still be more than just a few months away, but the Churnet Valley Railway’s Polar Express Christmas Train experience already seems to be the gift this year as more and more people secure their tickets to the North Pole. Introduce your young ones to the magic of Christmas aboard our beautifully restored vintage steam train as we slowly meander through the Staffordshire Moorlands, taking in the magical sights while listening to the Polar Express story…

The Abergwaun is an independently and locally owned hotel in Fishguard with its very own award winning chef at its helm.  The JT Abergwaun Hotel can be found in the centre of town and is considered a local landmark, with the building itself originally a coaching inn with history dating back over 200 years. However, in recent years, it has been the talk of the town and not all for the right reasons. It was previously a Brains Brewery pub, it has been auctioned and even stood derelict for 10 years. Luckily, that’s all changed following the acquisition of the…

A wide variety of high-performing community and high-profile sports people and organisations have won prizes in the 2022 Swansea Sports Awards. They range from inspiring young people to clubs, schools and teams – and fromsportspeople with a disability to highly regarded coaches. Swansea Council is behind the scheme that returned after a three-year break, with the awards event taking place on Thursday, March 30. Council cabinet member Robert Francis-Davies said: “I applaud all athletes, coaches and teams who work so hard to help maintain Swansea’s status as a city of sport. “Our awards celebrate the commitment and effort put in…

Plans for a multi-million pound regeneration of Porthcawl’s waterfront moved a step closer today as Welsh Government confirmed the purchase of key pieces of land. Climate Change Minister Julie James today (Friday 31 March) confirmed that Welsh Government has secured the ownership on vital parcels of land within a 20 hectare site that is central to Bridgend County Borough Council’s regeneration plans. The land, which is located at Sandy Bay, will now be used as part of an exciting, mixed-use development featuring low carbon housing (up to half of which will be affordable) and all-new retail, commercial, recreational, and leisure…

Fourteen top chefs pledged to cook up a storm for Tŷ Hafan and last Saturday night (25th March) they did just that – helping to raise more than £1m for the iconic Welsh charity.  The chefs took over the kitchens of Cornerstone in Cardiff and each cooked four course meals for 140 members of South Wales’ business community to raise vital funds to support Tŷ Hafan’s work with children with life-shortening conditions and their families in Wales.  It is the seventh time that the event has taken place since the very first Chefs’ Night Out in 2011. This year’s event saw a whopping £265,000 raised on the night, taking…

Business confidence in Wales rose 25 points during March to 26%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank/Bank of Scotland Commercial Banking – conducted between the 1st – 15th March ahead of the Chancellor’s Spring Budget on Wednesday 15th March. Companies in Wales reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up 18 points at 33%.  When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up 32 points to 19%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 26%. Welsh businesses identified their top target areas for growth in the next six months as evolving their offer (35%), investing…