Author: Rhys Gregory

This St David’s Day Hywel Dda Health Charities is celebrating one of our fantastic NHS colleagues. Donna Reed from Pembroke Dock works in the Communications Team Hywel Dda University Health Board and was inspired to raise money to support her local Special Care Baby Unit Glangwili Hospital as they nursed her niece Layla for several weeks when she arrived very early in 2012. Donna says, “Born at just 3lbs, Layla is now a beautiful, bubbly and full of beans eight-year-old. As a family we’d like to give something back to the staff who cared for Layla when she was so…

Two artworks from the ground-breaking ‘Young Welsh Artists’ exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in Machynlleth are the latest additions to the National Art Collection at The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. In partnership with MOMA, the library plans to purchase such works of art annually to support this very important exhibition and the careers of young Welsh artists. ‘A Search for a Contemporary Figure IV’ by Tomos Sparnon and ‘I Use(d) to Hurt Myself’ by Jasmine Sheckleford are powerful pieces from the new annual exhibition at MOMA. Launched last November, the exhibition was curated by Mari Elin Jones and Lloyd Roderick and showcases the…

Sculptor Andrew Logan has created a sculptural cross, Remember Me, for St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, just in time for St David’s Day. Andrew has been working on the piece for several months in his studio by the Andrew Logan Museum of Sculpture in Berriew, near Welshpool, and will loan the cross to St Davids Cathedral. Remember Me includes Andrew’s eclectic mix of objects, many collected from his travels, and has a distinctly Welsh theme, representing nature and his interpretation of humanity’s treatment of the planet. The cross features a resin casting of the Green Man’s face at its centre,…

A police boss has hit out after “extremely disappointing news” that frontline officers won’t be given priority for Covid  jabs. North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones spoke out after it was revealed that people aged 40 to 49 will be the next group to receive a the vaccine when the over 50s have been given the jab – currently expected to be by mid April. The UK scientific advisors whose recommendations have been used by all the governments in the UK – including Wales – have ruled against giving priority to police officers and teachers in the next…

The Welsh flag was seen projected onto a remote Hungarian castle for St David’s Day, as locals celebrated their growing friendship with Wales.A video released this morning by Welsh-Hungarian cultural initiative Magyar Cymru shows the picturesque Bréda Castle in southeast Hungary lit up in the colours of ‘Y Draig Goch’, as the sound of the Welsh national anthem fills the nearby woodlands.While COVID-19 restrictions meant no audience could be present to see their beloved castle basking in Welsh colours for the first time, the historic Bréda Castle was keen to send a message to their far-away friends as they prepared…

Mid and West Wales residents are being urged to take up the offer of a virtual consultation, over the phone or video call with their GP, to help Keep Wales Safe during the current lockdown ‘stay at home’ restrictions. The way we access local NHS services is changing, with more ways in which you can consult your doctor or nurse.  Most surgeries now offer telephone as well as electronic advice consultations in the first instance.  Following your advice call, a face to face appointment may be organised, but video consultations are also available. You can now speak to a doctor…

Help is available to elderly, vulnerable and disabled residents of Rhondda Cynon Taf to adapt their homes, and to provide specialist aids and equipment, to help keep them safe from injury and maintain their independence in their home. Some minor aids and adaptations, including the provision of internal and external handrails and grab rails can be provided free of charge, and a Disabled Facilities Grant is available to fund major adaptations subject to a financial ‘means test’. Who is eligible to apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant and what does it include? Disabled Facilities Grants are available to owners and…

In his message Mark Drakeford says: I want to wish you all a Happy St David’s Day – Dydd Gwyl Ddewi hapus i chi. Over the last twelve months Coronavirus has turned all our lives upside down. Families across Wales have lost loved ones and many have fallen ill. Children and young people have had to stay away from schools, colleges and Universities. They have missed out on spending time with their friends. Businesses and employees have worked extremely hard to adapt to a quick changing environment. St David told us to do the small things – gwnewch y pethau…

Smoke-free legislation making it illegal to smoke on hospital grounds comes into force in Wales today (1 March). The landmark law, the first in the UK, means that all hospital grounds, school grounds, public playgrounds and the outdoor areas of day-care and child minding settings in Wales will be required to be smoke-free. Mental Health and Wellbeing Minister Eluned Morgan said it was a ‘proud day for Wales’ and would ‘benefit the health of future generations’. The law is being introduced to protect the public’s health, both by aiming to discourage people from starting smoking in the first place and…

The Welsh Government has today announced an additional £50m towards improvements to school buildings across Wales. The capital funding will allow local authorities to focus on large-scale maintenance projects, such as replacement roofs, new window systems or heating and ventilation works, rather than small scale routine repairs. The funding is in addition to the Welsh Government’s 21st century Schools and Colleges programme, which has seen 170 new schools or colleges built in its first phase, with a further 43 projects already approved for its second phase. Further Education colleges have already been allocated an extra £10m for maintenance and small…