Author: Rhys Gregory

THE Welsh Ambulance Service has re-enlisted the support of the military as it contends with a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 90 soldiers will once again assist the Trust’s Covid-19 effort by driving ambulance vehicles from tomorrow (Wednesday). Among them will be soldiers from 9 Regiment Royal Logistics Corps. On Sunday, Chief Executive Jason Killens visited their headquarters in Chippenham, where soldiers were undergoing training ahead of deployment. Jason said: “The extreme pressure on our ambulance service in the last couple of weeks has been well documented, and it’s why we’ve taken the decision to re-enlist the military,…

BT has announced it will continue its support and investment into club rugby after agreeing a new three-year sponsorship deal with the four Welsh regions – Cardiff Blues, Scarlets, Dragons and Ospreys. BT signed a ground-breaking three-year sponsorship deal with the Welsh regions in 2014. The sponsorship was extended in 2017. The new deal will run until 2023, at the end of which BT will have sponsored the four regions for nine consecutive seasons. BT also announced last year that it had signed an agreement with FA Wales to become the exclusive lead partner of Welsh national football until 2024.…

A new project set up to study the best way to care for patients with long-standing eye conditions in the community has secured a major research grant. Dr Pippa Anderson and Dr Mari Jones, of Swansea University’s Centre for Health Economics (SCHE), are part of a multidisciplinary team which has just been awarded a substantial Research for Patient and Public Benefit (RfPPB) grant from Health and Care Research Wales (HCRW). The cross-professional collaboration is investigating how chronic sight-threatening conditions could be managed and monitored in a community setting. Dr Anderson, the SCHE’s head, said: “In recent years the workload on…

Regional Prisons Intelligence Unit of the Wales Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit (WECTU) and Tarian has been working in close collaboration with South Wales prisons to step up enforcement on the illegal supply of drugs into prisons. Most recently, a series of pre-planned intelligence led operations between HMP Parc and the police have resulted in 13 people being arrested in connection with supplying psychoactive substances and conspiracy to supply cannabis and other prohibited articles into prison. One significant intervention took place after intelligence shared by staff at HMP Parc led to the arrest of visitors attempting to pass drugs to…

The Men’s National Team will face Mexico in their first home game of 2021 in an international friendly at Cardiff City Stadium which will kick off at 8pm on Saturday, 27 March. Cymru will return to action in the spring, kicking off with the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign. The match against Mexico will be one of two additional international matches scheduled as triple headers in March and September. In keeping with current Government guidelines, this fixture is scheduled to be played behind-closed-doors. The match against Mexico will be the 5th time both countries have faced each other and…

The Farmers’ Union of Wales has welcomed the Welsh Government’s announcement of a direct payment ceiling that will ensure Basic Payments Scheme (BPS) payments in 2021 remain at the same level as in 2020. Lesley Griffiths, Welsh Government Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, announced on Monday (21 December) a total direct payment ceiling of £238 million for the 2021 BPS. Speaking after the announcement, FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “We very much welcome the Minister’s confirmation that she intends to provide financial security for farming families and the tens of thousands of rural businesses they support at a…

Following the announcement that the Welsh Government has introduced the highest alert measures in order to protect people during the coronavirus pandemic, leading sight loss charity RNIB Cymru is highlighting the support available to blind and partially sighted people to combat isolation and loneliness over the Christmas period. The charity is offering a range of telephone and online options to those who might be struggling, including an emergency mental health service, longer-term counselling and telephone groups. Ongoing research by RNIB has found that the coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately impacted blind and partially sighted people, leading to a sharp rise in…

A bar found serving alcohol to customers late in the evening on the day Welsh Government rules came in restricting alcohol sales and shutting pubs early, has been fined £1,000. Around seven to eight people were drinking at the Sports Bar 98 in Herbert Street, Pontardawe, after 9.00pm on  December 4th , 2020, when under Welsh Government rules it should have shut more than three hours earlier at 6pm. The £1,000 fixed penalty notice was issued to the responsible person at the premises after a visit by the Joint Enforcement Team consisting of Neath Port Talbot Council licensing officers and…

Ynysangharad War Memorial Park is set to undergo a significant improvement programme, after the Council received confirmation that the Stage 2 application to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Heritage or Communities project has been approved. The funding awarded will improve and rejuvenate the heritage features of the Grade II listed Ynysangharad War Memorial Park (YWMP), help to develop audiences, and provide much-needed opportunities for community participation, learning and engagement. A combined total of £1.9 million has been awarded – consisting of funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Welsh Government, along with further contributions from the…

The organisers of a ‘car meet’ which attracted around 170 vehicles to Merthyr Tydfil have been traced and fined for breaching coronavirus restrictions. The Cwm Taf Morgannwg Joint Enforcement Team (JET), which is made up of South Wales Police officers and Merthyr Tydfil Council enforcement officers, has been working to take retrospective action following the large gathering outside Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Village on November 29. Officers were called to the site – one of the locations being used for mass coronavirus testing – at around 6.30pm on the night, and were met with hundreds of car enthusiasts, who were all…