Author: Rhys Gregory

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.…

Bridgend County Borough Council will receive £50,000 from Welsh Government for repairs to the Rest Bay boardwalk in Porthcawl after it was damaged during Storm Dennis last year. It’s part of a package of more than £21.5m announced by Welsh Government to help local authorities across the country fix flood damage to roads, bridges and boardwalks. During Storm Dennis in February 2020, strong winds and rain in the area eroded a section of ground from underneath the boardwalk at Rest Bay in Porthcawl. The boardwalk has been safe to walk over but contractors are currently carrying out works nearby and…

RCT Council has given an update on the scheme to rectify river wall damage at Blaen-y-Cwm Road – with a significant length of the structure previously repaired and a contractor for the final works in the process of being appointed. Significant sections of the structure, which supports the road, were damaged by the unprecedented weather of Storm Dennis in February 2020. Damaged sections have been cordoned off and monitored closely, and traffic lights have remained in place with Blaen-y-Cwm Road operating with one lane at this location. The road is the only access for motorists into and out of Blaencwm.…

More accurate waiting time figures showing the real time it takes from suspicion of cancer through to treatment have been published. This is the first time the Suspected Cancer Pathway (SCP) figures are being reported from a new system which collects patient level data. As the SCP provides more accurate patient waits the old measures of Urgent Suspected Cancer (USC) and Non-Urgent Suspected Cancer (NUSC) are being retired. Wales is the first UK nation to report on cancer waiting times in this way. The pathway has been designed to cut waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment with the aim…

tay-at-home restrictions will remain in place in Wales for a further three weeks as the youngest children start returning to school from Monday, First Minister Mark Drakeford will announce today. The First Minister is expected to say thanks to Wales’ team effort, cases of coronavirus are at their lowest level since the end of September, while one in three adults in Wales has had a coronavirus vaccine. The First Minister will talk about encouraging green shoots of recovery and look ahead to the next review when the Welsh Government will be considering if all primary pupils and some older students…