Author: Rhys Gregory

For common ailments such as back pain or in-growing toenails Mid and West Wales residents are being told to visit their local pharmacist for advice and treatment rather than contacting their GP or attending A&E to help Keep Wales Safe. The way we access local NHS services has changed to help take the strain off our hospitals, A&E departments and GP surgeries. The Common Ailments Scheme allows pharmacists to assess and treat up to 26 minor conditions, with all medicines being given free of charge without the need for a prescription. The scheme is available at almost 100 community pharmacies…

A ‘cold and dangerous’ man has been jailed for life following a stranger attack on a young woman in Cardiff. Craig Walters, who also goes by Craig Watts and Craig Whites, was identified by using Facial Recognition on a CCTV image taken from a bus he had been travelling on. The 39-year-old was arrested within 48 hours of the attack and last month pleaded guilty to false imprisonment with intent to commit a sexual offence. On Friday, he has been sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court. Officer in the case, Detective Constable Dave Simmons, from Cardiff CID, said: “At around 10.50pm…

A report which recommends plans are progressed to relocate and rebuild a replacement Willows High School will go to Cardiff Council’s Cabinet when it meets on Thursday 25, February. Thereport outlines proposals which could see the new school relocated to Lewis Road, Splott. Italso requests that a non-statutory public engagement on the relocation of the school will take place in Spring, giving members of the public the opportunity to find out more about the proposals for the scheme. In December 2017, the Cabinet approved plans to address those schools in poor condition. Willows High School was identified as a category…

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…