Author: Rhys Gregory

Bridgend County Borough Council has placed a banner thanking NHS and key workers within a community where offensive graffiti appeared earlier this month. Council workers acted swiftly to remove an offensive swear word which had been added to a message saying ‘Thank you NHS and key workers’ on a wall in Sarn. Now, a new tribute has been placed at the Sarn Life Centre to honour those staff and unsung heroes who have worked tirelessly throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. I’m pleased to see that this new banner has been placed to recognise the hard work of our key workers over…

An eight-year-old boy from the Caerphilly county borough has written a book about his two pet cats during lockdown. Joseph Smith, a pupil from Risca Primary School, kept himself busy during lockdown by telling stories all about what he imagined his two pet cats, Chester and Jeff, would get up to at night when he and his family were asleep. Joseph would spend hours with his family talking about these imagined cat adventures. With help from his Mum, he wrote down these stories, and they decided that they wanted to share this positivity with other families by putting them in…

Morphe will open its first store in Wales, at St. David’s Cardiff. The store is set to open in Summer 2021. The Morphe store at St. David’s, will feature many exciting aspects including curated picks of featured best-sellers, influencer product picks and collaborations. Customers will also be able to get expert advice from Morphe’s certified Beauty Artists. Kahla Broussard, Vice President, Retail Sales and Operations at FORMA Brands, said: “Cardiff is a key UK city for Morphe due to its high student population and strong visitor numbers it attracts each year. We are looking forward to bringing our increasingly popular…

COLEG CAMBRIA is to pilot a dance programme for people with Parkinson’s disease. Led by National Dance Company Wales (NDCWales) the free virtual classes will be for those living with the condition, as well as carers, family, and friends. As part of an affiliated hub of English National Ballet’s Dance for Parkinson’s programme, the initiative was launched in 2015 in South Wales and moved online following the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, with the support of Digital Communities Wales, giving all participants the confidence and skills to use their laptops and tablets to access the sessions. Now targeting new members…

Insurance broker Gallagher has donated £2,000 to St David’s Hospice Care to support the delivery of vital care services to patients in their homes during the pandemic, following a surge in demand.   The donation, by the Gallagher team based in Llantrisant, was made through the firm’s Gallagher Community Fund scheme, a nationwide initiative which invites colleagues to nominate charities to receive funding. St David’s Hospice Care, founded in 1979, provides cares for over 3,200 patients facing progressive, life-limiting illnesses and their families every year throughout Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport, Torfaen and within South and Mid Powys. The funding will go…

A new frozen and fresh meal delivery service ‘Meals by Caffi Cwtch’ is being launched by Nightingale House Hospice next week. Unable to open during lockdown due to Covid restrictions, the hospice’s Caffi Cwtch, with the help of volunteers, started delivering freshly made delicious meals locally. Their current service ‘Meals Matter’ was such a success that it has now expanded its mouth-watering menu and been given a new name – Meals by Caffi Cwtch. Meals can be collected or delivered and the venture will provide much needed funds for hospice patient care. A wide range of fresh and frozen meals…

ITV’s latest television drama Finding Alice has been a necessary diversion during these endless winter weeks of lockdown, but it has also provided a useful warning about the far-reaching consequences of a person’s sudden death, particularly when a will has not been put in place. Following the story of Alice, played by Keeley Hawes, who finds herself in difficulty when her partner of 20-years Harry dies suddenly, the drama brings into sharp focus issues around inheritance tax, intestacy rules and rights for unmarried couples. Lawyers are hoping the circumstances depicted on the programme will act as a wake-up call to…

A pioneering optometry scheme is reducing hospital referrals and allowing patients to be treated closer to home during the pandemic. Patients in RCT, Merthyr and Bridgend are benefitting from the Optometry Independent Prescribing scheme which has allowed seven optometrists across the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board area to utilise their skills as qualified Independent Prescribers. This additional training and qualification allows Optometrists to provide a higher level of eye care, enabling them to prescribe medication directly to patients without needing to refer them on to hospital or GP services. Timothy Palmer, Independent Optometry Advisor at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University…

The Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF) is opening for grant applications of up to £10,000 on Thursday 18th February thanks to support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery and the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust. Established in 2010 by HRH The Prince of Wales, the PCF aims to ensure that the UK has thriving family farms and rural communities, encouraged and recognised for their role in creating a sustainable future for the countryside and our whole nation. The PCF is seeking innovative projects that build resilience through community-led solutions, from groups and organisations who are working in villages and hamlets with populations…

A new share, repair and reuse network is to be developed in Pembrokeshire, creating not only a green, circular economy but also social, community and employment benefits. The network is being led by Pembrokeshire County Council through Norman Industries working alongside the Regeneration Department with Paul Sartori, Pembrokeshire College, Clynfyw Care Farm, TYF St Davids, Grwp Resilience, Scolton Manor, Pembrokeshire’s Social Activity Centres and a range of local charities and social enterprises. The scheme is supported by a £605,000 grant from the Welsh Government under its circular economy programme ‘Repair and Reuse’ to promote green recovery in Welsh town centres.…