Author: Rhys Gregory

The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales has called on the Welsh Government to launch a shorter working week trial. Sophie Howe, whose role is to protect the interests of future generations under Wales’ Well-being of Future Generations Act, said the Welsh public sector could lead the way with a pioneering trial, with people re-evaluating their life priorities following the pandemic. A new report by the Commissioner and think-tank, Autonomy, shows major appetite for a working time reduction in Wales, with the move also creating potentially 38,000 jobs in Wales. It found: 76% of the Welsh public would support the sharing out of work so that everyone can have a good…

Employers anticipate making pay awards of 3% in 2022 as they look to combat increasing recruitment and retention difficulties. This is the headline finding from the CIPD’s latest quarterly Labour Market Outlook, which highlights the scale of the growing challenge facing organisations in finding and keeping staff, and how they are responding. This quarter’s pay award figure is the highest since the survey was conducted using its current methods in the winter 2012/13 report. The Labour Market Outlook surveyed more than 1,000 employers in January 2022 about their hiring, pay and redundancy intentions for the first quarter of the year.…

Unconscious bias and systematic inequalities in healthcare in Wales are leaving women at a disadvantage at every stage of the heart disease journey, according to British Heart Foundation (BHF) Cymru. Wales’ leading heart charity says the pandemic has highlighted health inequalities and the urgency of getting cardiovascular care right. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of heart attacks, and Wales has the second highest CHD female death rate of the UK’s four nations with around 1,300 women dying every year – double the number of deaths caused by breast cancer. Research funded by the BHF suggests that the…

Married couples and people in civil partnerships could receive extra cash this Valentine’s Day as HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) encourages those eligible to sign up for Marriage Allowance to reduce their tax bill. Marriage Allowance allows married couples or those in civil partnerships to share their personal tax allowances if one partner earns an income under their Personal Allowance threshold of £12,570, and the other is a basic rate taxpayer. Eligible couples can transfer 10% of their tax-free allowance to their partner, which is £1,260 in 2021/22. It means couples can reduce the tax they pay by up to…

TWO leading cancer scientists opened Swansea’s largest charity shop which will support pioneering research like theirs. Professor Paul Dyson, a microbiologist at Swansea University, and Dr Lee Parry cut the ribbon at the new Cancer Research UK superstore in the Pontarddulais Road Retail Park yesterday. A local choir from Cadle Primary School in Swansea also sang for shoppers before the doors opened. The 8,000 sq. ft store will sell everything from furniture to electrical items, as well as toys, clothing and homeware. The scientists were chosen as the charity’s special guests after receiving a £514,000 grant from Cancer Research UK…

This Valentine’s Day will be the Red Dragon Centre’s 25th Valentine’s Day and to celebrate, the Centre’s team has been speaking to some of the customers who have found love there over the last quarter of a century. Tara Beverstock (34) and her husband David (36) went on their first date to the Centre back in 2002 while still pupils at Cardiff’s Llanedeyrn High School. The couple went bowling and for a meal and must have struck it lucky because 20 years and four children later, they’re still together. Tara said, “Even though it’s a while ago, I remember that…

Communities across Wales are being urged to join Spring Clean Cymru 2022 to help protect the environment and show that even small acts on your doorstep make a big difference. Keep Wales Tidy is teaming up with every local authority for this year’s Spring Clean Cymru. Together they are calling on individuals, households, schools and community groups to join forces to collect and safely dispose of litter from our streets, green spaces and beaches between 25 March and 10 April. Not only does litter cost Wales roughly £70 million to remove each year, but it also has devastating effects on…

An unemployed young man from the Vale of Clwyd has been given the chance to build a career in the world of construction thanks to a partnership between a leading developer and Denbighshire County Council. Kieran Rowlands, 23, is spending three months working with fast-growing Brenig Construction on their ground-breaking new environmentally-friendly development on Henllan Street, in Denbigh. The local firm is building 22 sophisticated new Passivhaus homes at Llwyn Eirin for Denbighshire Housing, the first council house project in the county for over 30 years. Kieran, from nearby Accar y Forwyn in the town, was taken on by Brenig…

When the team at Thrive Women’s Aid in Neath Port Talbot first partnered with major building contractor Bouygues UK in 2016 to supply cleaners to their school building sites in Port Talbot, they had no idea it would lead to the establishment of a Thrive Group Wales, a social enterprise which now turns over circa £400,000. Bouygues UK puts social value at the heart of its projects and so when it built Ysgol Bro Brombil and Ysgol Bae Baglan in Margam in 2016 it worked with Thrive Women’s Aid to help women who had experienced domestic abuse get back into…

A £1MILLION grant support scheme will help entrepreneurs overcome barriers to business success. Funded by Welsh Government, the Barriers to Start-Up Grant is targeting people across Wales who are unemployed or economically inactive. Hwb Menter/Enterprise Hub – based at M-SParc on Anglesey – will be hosting a live virtual event to support potential applicants on Wednesday February 16 from 10am-4.30pm. The Hub’s Miwtini programme will lead the online webinar, which includes themes on building confidence, marketing advice and the fundamentals of starting a business. Guest speakers include Anglesey-based illustrator Heledd Owen, who herself benefited from the guidance and support of…