Author: Rhys Gregory

Welsh charity Safer Wales is launching a new feminist library to mark International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. The #femlibsaferwales campaign will see books and resources made available to people anywhere in Wales, free of charge. The project is part of the Champions of Wales programme, which Safer Wales delivers to young women engaged in its youth services. Champions of Wales is a girls’ rights movement working to change perceptions and attitudes towards girls so they can live free from gender inequality. Run in partnership with Plan International UK and three other organisations, the programme will support at least two hundred…

Welsh Government, Pfizer, Swansea University and Life Sciences Hub Wales have all signed a ground-breaking charter that reflects their shared beliefs in driving the adoption and delivery of Value-Based Health Care in Wales. As Founding Members, each party has confirmed the charter’s vision of embedding this transformational approach to health and social care in all relevant systems. The charter reflects the parties’ shared intent: to evolve models of healthcare traditionally based on volume of activity toward a person-centred approach that recognises the full value that healthcare brings to patients, society and sustainable industry; and to improve health outcomes for the…

A BOXING club which has produced a string of Welsh champions over 30 years will continue to pack a punch – thanks to cash confiscated from criminals. Clwyd Amateur Boxing Club in Rhyl was founded in 1989 by the late Johnny Ritchie, born John Richard Jones, who fought at both amateur and professional level and sparred with legendary world middleweight champion Randolph Turpin. Johnny’s son Darryl Jones and grandson Justin who have followed in his footsteps by running the club, also enjoyed successful boxing careers. The three generations of the boxing family have helped emerging boxing talent thrive at their…

A social care leader has warned the public in Wales not to become complacent and to “remain vigilant” as the number of Covid deaths in care homes continue fall. Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales, said new, more contagious and potentially more dangerous mutant strains of the virus could still throw a spanner in the works. It was vitally important, he stressed, the people adhered to sensible safeguards like social distancing, wearing masks and sanitising properly. The importance of doing the right thing was underlined by the catastrophic death toll in care homes since the onset of…

Vehicle theft throughout Wales remains among the lowest in the country, according to new analysis by Quotezone.co.uk using the latest data gathered by the Economic Policy Centre. Dyfed-Powys Police recorded the 3rd lowest crime rate of 43 forces nationwide, with 1.43 incidents per 1,000 residents in 2020. This was followed by North Wales in 5th place (1.86 / 1,000), Gwent in 13th position (3.72 / 1,000) and South Wales in 28th spot (5.68 / 1,000). All four forces recorded a yearly fall in reported thefts, with South Wales registering the smallest drop – 17% – and North Wales the highest…

Aberystwyth University has announced its intention to appoint a new Director/Animateur of Music to lead its reshaped and revitalised music provision into the future. For more than a century, Aberystwyth University has made a key contribution to Wales’s proud and long-standing tradition of music. With the global COVID-19 pandemic having necessitated a lull in the University’s musical activity, the University is delighted to announce the re-launch of Music at Aber, which will continue as a collaborative effort between the University, Aberystwyth Arts Centre and the wider community. Towards the end of last year, the University gathered the views of members…

RSPCA Cymru and the South Wales Fire & Rescue Service have teamed up to come to the aid of a cat stuck on the roof of a three-story building in the Adamsdown area of Cardiff. Inspector Gemma Black from the animal welfare charity enlisted the support of firefighters after the cat – known as Meuzza – was spotted atop the towering building on Cecil Street in the Welsh capital. Firefighters used a hydraulic platform to reach the cat and showed “great perseverance” before bringing the cat to the ground safely in a carrier. The rescue took place on Friday (26…

The Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething has today confirmed a further £16m to extend a scheme to speed up access to new medicines in Wales. The New Treatment Fund has enabled quicker access to over 265 medicines to treat more than 100 health conditions since it was established by the Welsh Government in 2017. It has cut the average time it takes for newly-recommended medicines to become available to patients by 85 per cent, from 90 to 13 days. The Fund has sped up access to medicines recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)…

A new £20m fund is being created by Swansea Council to help the city’s businesses and its communities emerge stronger from the Covid pandemic. The stimulus package will be targeted towards four key areas – the local economy, people and jobs people’s well-being and communities. It will help create and protect 10,000 jobs, provide grants for businesses, improve transport links and reward key workers who served their communities during the pandemic. Rob Stewart, Leader of Swansea Council, said the aim was to pump financial support into areas where it was most needed and help drive the city forward as it…

Covid-19 community testing will be available for residents in Evanstown and Gilfach Goch. The testing facility at Gilfach Goch Day Centre is for people without any coronavirus symptoms who live, work or study in the area local to Evanstown and Gilfach Goch. Statistics from Public Health Wales confirm that one in three people may not display any symptoms when infected with Covid-19, and may unknowingly be passing the virus on to others. A number of local testing centres have been set up across the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board region with residents aged 11 and over being encouraged to come…