Author: Rhys Gregory

A former care home owner whose husband tragically took his own life because of the unbearable strain of Covid is demanding answers from the Welsh Government on their handling of the crisis. Louise Hough, who until recently owned Gwastad Hall Care Home in Cefn-y-Bedd, near Wrexham, said her husband Vernon’s suicide might have been prevented if he had been able to do more to help his beloved residents instead of watching them die helplessly. The 63-year-old grandmother was speaking out after Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) released new data on Covid deaths for individual care homes in Wales – statistics she…

Towns and villages across North East Wales are being challenged to come up with innovative green projects to earn a slice of a £1.3 million fund aimed at boosting the local environment. The Green Communities Fund aims to provide money to kick-start sustainable community-led projects and is being launched this month across the rural areas of Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham. Up to 30 towns and villages across the region can benefit and are being invited to submit their proposals for schemes which can range from creating bee gardens to bio-diversity corridors and bicycle networks. It is being administered by…

Tŷ Hafan is delighted to announce that acclaimed film, TV and stage actor Michael Sheen has joined us as our newest celebrity Ambassador. Multiple award-winner Michael joins journalists and TV presenters Lucy and Rhodri Owen, and, Welsh International rugby player Leigh Halfpenny as our celebrity Ambassador team. Their role includes advocating for Tŷ Hafan, helping to share our key messages, celebrate the achievements of our community and encourage new supporters. Michael, father of Lily, 22, and two-year-old Lyra, made his first visit to our hospice in Sully on the South Wales coast on Thursday 7 October when he met some…

CGI has announced a five year partnership with Volkswagen Group entities in the UK to provide them with managed IT services to support their transformation journey and sustainable mobility strategy.  The new managed IT services contract will prioritise customer services and address both business and IT priorities, providing a service to adapt to changes in the business environment and evolving consumer demands. Donna Kelly, Senior Vice President, South & Midlands at CGI, said, “We are delighted to announce our five-year partnership with Volkswagen Group UK. We are excited to support them on their digital journey and help them offer an…

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding Self Assessment customers that on Sunday 24 October, they have one week left to submit paper tax returns and 100 days to go for online tax returns. The Self Assessment tax return deadlines for 2020/21 tax year are 31 October 2021 for paper returns and 31 January 2022 if customers complete their tax return online. More than 10.7 million customers completed a tax return by 31 January 2021, of those 96% submitted it online. Completing it online is the quickest method and with around 100 days to go, customers have plenty of time…

A centre named after one of Britain’s best-loved celebrities has helped Swansea Bay maintain a vital service during the pandemic. The specialist Stammering Service provides support to all age ranges, from pre-school children right the way through to adults. It involves assessment and, when appropriate, therapy, based on a variety of award-winning intervention packages. Before the pandemic, this was all completed face-to-face, with adults seen in a clinic in Singleton Hospital and youngsters in the Hafan Y Mor children’s Centre, which is part of the Singleton site. But as Covid-19 spread to the UK, the service continued to meet their…

A £1.7 billion project creating thousands of well-paid jobs and placing Wales at the forefront of renewable energy innovation has been announced by an international consortium. The ground-breaking project proposed for Swansea’s waterfront will include a newly-designed tidal lagoon, featuring state-of-the-art underwater turbines generating 320 megawatts of renewable energy from the 9.5km structure. The lagoon is part of the larger proposed Blue Eden project that’s being led by Bridgend-based DST Innovations and a number of business partners, with support from Swansea Council and Associated British Ports. Made possible by funding from the private sector, the innovative and economy-boosting Blue Eden…

Plans for the new business park in north Powys will shortly come to fruition, with work beginning on site from next week, Powys County Council have confirmed. Local Powys company, SWG Construction, have been appointed to develop the units at the new Abermule Business Park, with construction due to start from 25 October 2021. Once complete, the new business park will provide flexible options for start-up businesses and local companies, with an excellent opportunity to boost economic development in the area and improve local employment prospects. “Seeing the plans for the Abermule Business Park come to life is excellent. As…

A footpath on Castle Drive, Cimla – which suffered a major road collapse due to torrential rainfall earlier this month – has been restored for pedestrian use. However, the roadway itself is likely to remain closed to through traffic for several months due to the complex and serious nature of the collapse. It happened on October 4th this year when emergency services across South West Wales were “inundated” with calls for help due to widespread flooding. During the day of very heavy rain, a culvert in Castle Drive became blocked causing rain water to overtop the road and wash away…

Bridgend County Borough Council has issued a series of compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to safeguard the future delivery of the next phases in Porthcawl’s ongoing regeneration. The CPOs follow efforts made earlier in the year to identify and confirm ownership details on several small parcels of land located in and around Sandy Bay and Coney Beach. Full details on the locations of the land the council is purchasing has been made available and can be accessed online at the council website and also in hardcopy at Porthcawl Library in Church Place, Porthcawl (CF36 3AG). The hard copies at Porthcawl Library…