Author: Rhys Gregory

Nature in Cardiff will receive a boost this year as more ‘one-cut’ mowing regimes, where the grass is not cut until September are introduced. New sites are being introduced in parks and safe highway locations, as part of the Council’s One Planet response to the climate and biodiversity crisis and cover an area of 3.8 hectares. These additional areas take the amount of council owned land managed in this way to 87 hectares (the equivalent of approximately 161 football pitches). More than 9 of these 87 hectares are being managed with additional ‘cut and lift’ procedures, to remove the grass…

The Deputy Minister and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt has announced funding of £1,946,849 for improvements to community-based facilities right across Wales through the Community Facilities Programme (CFP). This programme, which funds projects up to a maximum of £250,000, or up to £25,000 for smaller grants, helps well-used community facilities to improve their financial and/ or environmental sustainability, providing opportunities for local people to improve their day to day lives. Since the CFP opened in 2015, the Welsh Government has funded 222 grants across Wales totalling £35.4 million. Each project represents a well-used community facility which brings people together. Some of these…

Locations across Wales are being made available for remote working, giving people an alternative to working from home or working in a traditional office environment. The Welsh Government is encouraging an increase in remote working and has set a long-term ambition for 30% of the Welsh workforce to work away from a traditional office, to be achieved by giving people more options and choice on their workplace. This ambition is intended to help town centres, reduce congestion and cut carbon emissions. In Haverfordwest HaverHub’s new coworking space offers a space to work in the community, while TownSq’s latest hub Costigan’s…

Major restoration work on the Newport Transporter Bridge has been given the green light today thanks to Welsh Government funding. Finance Minister Rebecca Evans has confirmed that the Welsh Government will provide a £1.5m shortfall in capital funding, as part of the 2021-22 Budget, to help the planned work to get underway. The £11.9m project is being delivered in conjunction with Newport City Council and the National Heritage Lottery Fund. It will fund the major renovation work of the bridge and the development of a new visitor centre in south east Wales. The multi-million pound makeover is forecast to attract…

The Welsh Government will fund a bonus payment for NHS and social care staff to recognise their extraordinary contribution during the covid-19 pandemic, the Health Minister has announced. The one-off payment for NHS and social care staff is equivalent to £735 per person, to cover the basic rate of tax and national insurance contributions incurred. After deductions most people will receive £500. It is estimated the payment will benefit 221,945 people in Wales including 103,600 social care staff, 90,000 NHS Wales staff, 2,345 deployed students and 26,000 primary care staff (including pharmacy, GP, dental and optometry staff). Minister for Health…

One year has passed since the coronavirus pandemic started and turned our lives upside down. A lot has happened over the course of the last 12 months, and in this article, we’ll go over the main events in the UK that have marked the year that we leave behind. Self-isolation: Causes and Consequences In March 2020, the World Health Organisation declared the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on what they knew about the virus at that moment, they pointed to the importance of: Maintaining social distance. Using face masks. Disinfection of hands and works space. People were asked to stay isolated as…

Calm down, let’s open your mind and clarify the main points. Good reading! The cryptocurrency market is being one of the main players this year. However, Meghan Shue, an analyst at WilmingtonTrust and a leading bitcoin strategist, has warned that she sees a worrying trend as capital flows into the cryptocurrencyhit record highs. Shue says she worries that retail investors are rushing to invest in stocks and cryptocurrencies that arehigh risk and offer little return most of the time. “It’s a bit of chasing returns in the wrong areas. It’s also a bit of chasingwhat has already happened. One thing…

The initial list of speakers for a ‘once in a generation’ conference has been revealed by the Urdd. Ni Bia’r Dewis (The Choice is Ours) will be held virtually at 7pm on Thursday the 15th of April, and arranged by the Urdd’s Votes for 16/17 Project Officer, Grug Muse. For the first time, 16- and 17-year-olds across Wales will be able to vote in the Senedd Elections on 6 May. As a result, Grug was appointed to work on behalf of the Urdd to ensure that the young people of Wales take the opportunity to vote. Co-presenting the conference will…

Life science experts from Swansea University are looking forward to playing a key role in plans to forge even closer links between Wales and Ireland. Celtic Advanced Life Sciences Network (CALIN), led by the University, is an Ireland-Wales Interreg operation which was set up to support research and development in life science small-medium enterprises in West Wales and East and South Ireland. It was singled out for mention in a formal shared statement designed to increase cooperation and collaboration between the Welsh and Irish governments and their partners in the business, arts, sporting and community sectors. The document, co-signed by…

Coastal communities and town centres will receive a £6 million boost thanks to the Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government Hannah Blythyn and the Welsh Government’s £110m Transforming Towns Programme. Delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund, Welsh Government has stepped in to provide this vital support after the UK Government decided not to continue with the Coastal Communities Fund in England. This decision meant that the Welsh Government would no longer receive a share of Crown Estate marine revenue that has been used since 2011 to support the Coastal Community Fund in Wales. The £6 million fund is…