Author: Rhys Gregory

The First Minister will today confirm alert level four lockdown restrictions will remain in place in Wales for the next three weeks. While the situation in Wales is improving, lockdown restrictions must continue for another three weeks to allow the NHS to recover. He will also indicate that the youngest learners in primary school could begin returning to school after the February half term, if rates of coronavirus continue to fall. The Welsh Government will work with schools and education partners on a phased and flexible return to school after 22 February, if the public health situation continues to improve.…

A recurring theme throughout the past year has been that many popular forms of entertainment that had been enjoyed in an offline environment had found renewed interest in the online space as the pandemic continued and lockdown effects remained in place – the return of sporting events brought around the increasing interest in online betting services once against as bookmakers were able to offer many betting promotions in UK. Online gaming has seen huge growth as many platforms recorded the highest numbers seen, and online streaming for video and music has managed to break previous subscription records and grow. Where…

People in Blaenau Gwent have been invited to share their views and solutions for tackling the climate crisis in what will be Wales’ first climate assembly to discuss climate change. The Blaenau Gwent Climate Assembly will be held online during two weekends in March bringing residents together from across the borough to address the question: “What should we do in Blaenau Gwent to tackle the climate crisis in a way that is fair and improves living standards for everyone?” 10,000 households in Blaenau Gwent have received written invitations to register their interest in participating. From those who apply to be…

Patients who are putting off important heart scans until they get a Covid-19 vaccination risk damaging their health or worse, a worried clinician has warned. Since the new vaccines became available, a worryingly high number of patients are cancelling or failing to turn up for their ultrasound cardiac scans, said Swansea Bay UHB Head of Clinical Physiology Services, Suzanne Churchill. So far around 200 patients have cancelled since the vaccines were announced, with many explaining they wanted to avoid hospital, and the perceived risk of contracting Covid-19, until they got their vaccination. However, Suzanne said that while she understood their…

A 76-year-old ex-detective from Caernarfon thanks passers-by for bringing him back to life following a cardiac arrest. Gwyn Roberts’s heart stopped for eight minutes while local people performed CPR, saving his life. Now he wants others to learn the life-saving act of CPR and defibrillation, so that more lives can be saved, just as his was. On Thursday 27 February 2020, Gwyn was in Llandudno taking his car for a service. He said: “I was on my way to collect my car when I came to a pedestrian crossing. As I crossed the road, my vision blurred, and I felt…

An iconic Pembrokeshire pub has been granted critical financial support, after Senedd member Joyce Watson stepped in to help. The Swan Inn, which overlooks Little Haven beach, received coronavirus business support during the first national lockdown – but had not qualified for further assistance since last September, when the owners took over from the previous tenants. After undertaking an extensive renovation of the 200 year-old listed building, landlord Paul Morris applied to Pembrokeshire Council for new money from the Welsh Government’s COVID-19 Economic Resilience Fund. The claim was initially rejected because he did not receive the property back from his…

Staff and students at Coleg Cambria Llysfasi have put centenary plans on hold due to the Coronavirus pandemic but look forward to celebrating when it is safe to do so. Currently operating online and serving small groups of learners at the Denbighshire site – with strict social-distancing measures in place – the college is currently limited to sharing memories and photos online to honour the occasion. They are also holding virtual ‘talk and tour’ events this weekend for prospective students to find out more on the wide range of courses available, meet tutors, take part in Q&A sessions and view…

Health Minister Vaughan Gething will today (Thursday 28th January) publish the Welsh Government’s updated testing strategy. The new strategy will describe the expansion of our testing approach to include more regular testing for NHS staff, care home staff and patients in hospitals. Since the last strategy was published, new testing technologies have demonstrated it is possible to test at far greater scale, frequency and speed than ever before. The strategy also takes into account our greater understanding of the virus and the roll-out of our vaccination programme.

Welsh Government Ministers have announced £6.5million to support local authorities and people affected by flooding during the Alert Level 4 lockdown. The funding will allow local authorities to claim for the costs of responding to flooding including support to residents to address the immediate cost of water damage and replacing necessary belongings. Welsh Government has already announced it will support households who have suffered flooding in their homes or were evacuated with payments of £500 and £1,000, similar to the support provided during storms Ciara and Dennis last year. Housing and Local Government Minister Julie James said: “Dealing with the…

The Chief Veterinary Officer for Wales has confirmed Avian Influenza H5N8 in pheasants on Anglesey. A temporary control zone (TCZ) has been immediately imposed around the infected premises, to limit the risk of the disease spreading and as part of the wider surveillance and disease control measures. Further laboratory results to determine if virus is a Highly Pathogenic type are expected in the next 48 hours.  If so, the TCZ will be replaced by 3 km protection and 10 km surveillance zones. Mortality of birds on the premises is high and all those surviving in the affected group will be…