Author: Rhys Gregory

A new Welcome Ticket will provide refugees and people from Ukraine with free bus travel and they will also receive free entry to Cadw sites across Wales. The two schemes, which are announced today, underline Wales’ commitment to be a Nation of Sanctuary to people fleeing conflict and abuse around the world. The Welcome Ticket, which will be available to refugees and people arriving from Ukraine, will cover the majority of bus services running in Wales and builds on the free six-month rail travel pilot, which was announced a few weeks ago. It provides all eligible people free, unlimited travel…

On International Day of the Midwife (5th May), Chief Nursing Officer for Wales Sue Tranka joined with midwifery teams in Cardiff University and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to celebrate midwives across Wales and announce the latest winners of her new excellence awards. Sue visited the WHO Collaborating Centre for Midwifery Development and University Hospital Wales. Recipients of the Chief Nursing Officer’s excellence awards are: Donna James from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. The first digital midwife in the health board, Donna has transformed services and increased safety for families by enhancing communication between them and the service. Donna…

The headline NatWest Wales PMI® Business Activity Index – a seasonally adjusted index that measures the month-on-month change in the combined output of the region’s manufacturing and service sectors – registered 56.2 in April, down from 58.0 in March, to signal a sharp upturn in business activity. Although the slowest for three months, output growth was linked to greater client demand and a further uptick in new business. The rate of growth was steeper than the series average but slower than that seen across the UK as a whole. Private sector firms in Wales signalled a steep upturn in new…

Raising costs and household expenses have been pushed to new extremes this year, but international travel has returned to full thrust with the relaxation of many global restrictions. This article will show you the best money-saving tips for your holiday money. Tip 1: Never buy your holiday money at the airport. Many holidaymakers leave getting their foreign currency until they arrive at the airport, proving to be a costly mistake. The airport bureau knows they have you as a captive audience ready to spend money; this, together with the inherent operating cost of running a bureau in a prime location,…

Your company can collect huge amounts of data to help with efficiency at every point of your customers’ purchasing journeys. The data is collected across multiple channels, such as mobile apps, website clicks, engagement, social media platform interactions. Despite the varying channels, every piece of information collected is always unique to the customer in question before being analyzed. Data analytics is the process through which all raw data collected is processed and studied to help drive positive outcomes for customers and your business. Below, we’ll look at some of the benefits organizations receive from data and analytics. It helps streamline…

After delighting audiences as The Ghost of Christmas Present in A Christmas Carol last year, Seiriol Davies returns to the stage with his ferocious new musical comedy Milky Peaks. If the title Milky Peaks sounds familiar, then you’re not wrong. Back in 2020 the show was in its final rehearsals when the pandemic hit, and the venue was forced to close. So, it’s great to see it not to go to waste and return to where it should be. The show is set in the foothills of Snowdonia and that’s where you’ll find the Welsh town of Milky Peaks. A charming Welsh…

A WHIRLWIND six months will culminate in an appearance at the Miss Wales finals for a talented apprentice engineer. Since being shortlisted for the competition – to be held in Newport over three days from this Friday – Jess Downes has visited schools, held charity events, and taken on numerous challenges. All this while juggling her academic studies at Coleg Cambria and placement at Toyota’s Deeside plant. The 23 year-old is now putting the final touches to preparations and looks forward to flying the flag for Conwy county in an attempt to bring the title up north. “We have not…

National Theatre Wales has announced its latest production, Circle of Fifths, an immersive theatre experience directed by Butetown film and theatre-maker Gavin Porter. Devised with a collective of musicians and artists, including Cardiff musical legend Anthony ‘Drumtan’ Ward, the production will combine film, music and theatre to create a live documentary. Featuring real-life stories from people across Wales, the show hopes to explore how music and stories can connect us in times of grief and loss – allowing us a moment of collective reflection and celebration to process some of what we have all been through over the past two…

Cambria Business School unveiled a raft of innovative new funded courses to meet industry demand. The Coronavirus pandemic has transformed the way the private sector operates, including flexible working hours and conditions, sustainable, ‘green’ initiatives, and future proofing. The Northop-based Business School – part of Coleg Cambria – has designed professional programmes (funding subject to eligibility) in partnership with leading organisations such as IOSH, NEBOSH, the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), CIPD, Prince2, Highfield, and the ILM (Institute of Learning and Management). Among them are qualifications on the themes of People Management, Organisational Learning and Development, Leadership and Management, Project…

As the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) begins its latest triennial funding valuation (as at 31 March 2022), Quantum Advisory has explored the key issues likely to unfold in 2022 and beyond, warning employers who use the LGPS to provide pensions for their employees to review its strategy to avoid potential problems in the future. The LGPS has over 6 million members and 18,000 participating employers across the 80+ different LGPS Funds. Each individual Fund will see differences in their 2022 valuation results. Ahead of the results being published later this year, Michael Welford, a senior member of Quantum Advisory’s…