Author: Rhys Gregory

The number of older people in Wales providing unpaid support to family and friends more than doubled during the pandemic, finds a series of Age Cymru surveys undertaken in 2020, 2021 and 2022 and released by the charity’s Carers Project.  The surveys found that in 2020, 14% of respondents were providing unpaid care, which rose to 19% in 2021 and an astonishing 33% in 2022.    Nearly half of the unpaid carers (45%) said it was one of their most challenging experiences during lockdown. While, more than half of the unpaid carers surveyed said their responsibilities had increased during the…

Robots from steampunk to submarines are to return to Aberystwyth seafront for the first time in three years as BeachLab makes a welcome return to the town centre. The popular yearly celebration of all things robotic attracts thousands of people from across the country to play with and learn about the use of robots in different fields. It showcases the creativity of the field, with robots covering the land, sea and air. The parade of automatons, which takes place at Aberystwyth Bandstand on 18 June, also includes the Doctor Who inspired creations from father and son team Stephen and Tomos…

Motorsport UK, the national governing body, has launched StreetCar to encourage more people to get behind the wheel and enjoy the sport; overturning the age-old perception that it is out of reach for most people. StreetCar will showcase the existing vibrant grassroots motorsport scene, and demonstrate that the sport is affordable, fun and accessible whilst acting as the enabler to drive participation in the club community. A wide range of low-cost ‘grassroots’ disciplines are available for new and existing members of the community, comprising 12 StreetCar disciplines that provide a wide variety of format and challenge. Segmented into Autotest, Trials…

A newspaper advert has mistakenly claimed that the council plans to sell off an entire park area in Cardiff. The advert was placed last week by Cardiff Council, which outlined plans to sell off 59,000 square metres of land at Harley Park in Cardiff, when it should have said 1,500 metres. The council plan on leasing the land to allow a sport club or community group to takeover the changing rooms and designated area. A council spokesperson said: “An advert was placed in the Western Mail on 27th May 2022 by Cardiff Council under s.123 of the Local Government Act…

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council becoming one of the first Local Authorities in Wales to establish an Armed Forces Covenant, formerly named the Armed Forces Community Covenant. A decade on, and the Council continues to support its Armed Forces Community, Past and Present, and their families. Councillor Maureen Webber, Deputy Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, said: “We all owe such a huge debt to all those service men and women who have fought and served both at home and overseas. “Many lost their lives during battle, but we continue to remember…

They may be the tiniest teachers in Caerphilly County Borough schools’ system, but the impact they are making in young students’ lives is huge. Babies and their mums are visiting primary schools in Caerphilly County Borough bringing the Roots of Empathy program to primary pupils with the idea that they, in turn, will become more empathic, caring people because of it. Hendredenny Primary is one of the Caerphilly County Borough schools taking part in the programme and they were recently visited by Lynne Neagle, Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing to see first-hand the impact of the Roots of…

Pupils at Merthyr Tydfil’s Coed Y Dderwen Primary School have been fully embracing post-lockdown classroom­­­­ time using polytunnels and forests in their personal war against climate change. With the leadership of the school’s ‘RFS Junior Forester Awarded’ eco committee, pupils develop strong practical sustainability skills such as growing vegetables, fruits, and plants in the large polytunnel ecosystem. They also care for insects and birds within the school grounds, take on forest conservation activities and regularly learn and practice the importance of recycling, waste reduction and water conservation. The pupils follow through on an eco-strategy throughout the year where they learn…

A new flagship Welsh Government programme, which will provide personalised support to people who are not currently in education, training or employment to find and stay in work has been launched today by Economy Minister Vaughan Gething. As the Welsh labour market recovers from the initial shock of Brexit and the pandemic – Wales is experiencing a near-record low rate of unemployment – some people in Wales still face difficulties and barriers to securing work. And the current social and economic situation means some people, who were already experiencing barriers to employment are now at an even greater disadvantage. To…

The Welsh Government is taking action to make Wales an Anti-racist nation. Today, Ministers will publish the ‘Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan’ to tackle systemic and institutionalised racism. Drawing on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities’ experiences of racism, and race inequality, the Plan sets out a series of actions from across Government to make a real difference to the lives of people. The actions are focused on the next two years, set against the vision of a Wales which is anti-racist in 2030. The Plan adopts an anti-racist approach which means looking at the ways in which racism is built…

In this article, we discuss the top nine warning signs you should look out for when renting to prospective tenants… Whilst the process of letting out properties can be a rewarding one, finding the right tenants can sometimes be a challenging task if you don’t have the right procedures in place. Finding tenants that look after the property and pay their rent on time is crucial to your business and time. Without having a checklist of things to look out for, you could find yourself dealing with difficult tenants who neglect to look after the property or don’t pay their…