Author: Rhys Gregory

THE Welsh Ambulance Service has launched its annual ‘Defibuary’ campaign. The month-long Twitter campaign is designed to educate the public about the importance of bystander CPR and defibrillation in cases of cardiac arrest. This year, a plea to ensure all public defibrillators are registered on a national defibrillator network, The Circuit, is being issued. Fiona Maclean, Patient Experience and Community Involvement (PECI) Manager for the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “Ideally, every community with a defibrillator has a guardian who regularly checks the defibrillator to ensure it is rescue ready. “We are aware that there are many defibrillators across Wales that…

Yellow and Blue (YAB Group Ltd) is a social enterprise which has been operating in Wrexham for the past three years. Its aim is to support the community of Wrexham including the vulnerable and anyone facing short term or long-term hardship, illness, disability or struggling physically and mentally and the pandemic has sadly meant that its work has increased significantly. Pete Humphreys founded Yellow and Blue (YAB) in 2017 following the death of his father along with a close friend, to bowel cancer. He started YAB as an online charity but had the goal of setting up a community hub…

Welsh property developer, Rob Lloyd, is set to take on a series of incredible challenges over the next 12 months to raise funds to support specialist disability services in Wales, run by the national charity Sense. The 57-year-old, who featured on Channel 4’s ‘The Secret Millionaire’, will begin ‘Rob’s Sense-less Challenge’ with the first challenge taking place in March at Skydive in Tilstock Cheshire where he will jump out of a plane. The challenges that follow will see Rob take on a 26-mile marathon around Colwyn Bay, a 3 peaks challenge and SAS training in the Brecon Beacons, with more…

Over the course of the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed nearly every facet of our daily lives. The way we work, commute, socialise with our friends, study, and move about the world has changed significantly. Although it has been a difficult time of upheaval, it has also shown that human ingenuity will always find a way to innovate and come up with solutions to new problems. Rather than retreating into isolation, many people have turned to technology to help stay connected with others, while staying physically apart. While there is still uncertainty about what 2021 will bring, one…

Denbighshire County Council has secured £71,000 of funding for a community project in Pengwern. The Rural Futures Lottery funding, which is being match funded by the Council, will focus on making a positive impact within the community of Llangollen by increasing opportunities to raise skills and aspirations, provide additional space at a community centre as well as resources to deliver activities and services to support people. The funding will allow the Council, working with partners South Denbighshire Community Partnership, Friends of Pengwern and Severn Wye, to create three bespoke units to provide a confidential meeting space and a community workshop…

The Farmers’ Union of Wales is urging members to be aware of scams and cold callers, as recent incidents have seen an increase. FUW Carmarthen County Executive Officer David Waters said: “We have received a few reports from members recently that they have been targeted by cold callers and scammers, frequently regarding new utility contracts. “These phone calls and emails, which often end up with the person agreeing to a new contract, are legally binding in many cases and very difficult to get out of. I urge members to remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it…

Every resident and staff member in care homes across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan has received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination. Just 23 days after Cardiff and Vale University Health Board started their vaccination programme for care homes, a total of 3,485 employees and 1,609 residents received their first dose of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. The Health Board’s Mobile Vaccination teams visited 123 homes across both counties to administer the vaccine for this priority cohort, in line with the guidance from the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Fiona Kinghorn, Executive Director of Public Health at…

Year 7 pupils in two local schools have been encouraged to read and boost their literacy during lockdown, thanks to a Swansea University project. The South West Wales Reaching Wider Partnership is running two book clubs with two schools to encourage young people to read and engage with books while also boosting literacy. The Reaching Wider Partnership, whose members include Swansea University, works with pupils, families and adults from deprived areas in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire along with care-experienced young people and carers across the region. Dylan Thomas Community School pupils are part of a book club…

Construction work has finished on a £14m flood protection scheme in Newport, with more than 660 homes protected from the risk of increased flooding. Work on the Crindau Flood Management scheme – backed by Welsh Government funding and led by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) – was carried out to defend homes in the Crindau area of Newport from the flood risk from the Crindau Pill and the nearby River Usk. The Crindau area has a long history of flooding, with the area susceptible to tidal floods. Earlier temporary defences were in a poor condition, and in 2014, the Welsh Government…

A new initiative is encouraging teenagers across Swansea and Neath Port Talbot to get creative and better understand the effects of the pandemic. The Find Your Words competition invites those aged 13-16 to submit their own poetry based on their reflections on 2020. It’s being organised by mental health charity Platfform and Swansea Council’s Dylan Thomas Service. Robert Francis-Davies, the council’s cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said: “This is a great chance for young people to have their voices heard. “It’s a positive initiative for them to get involved with and I encourage young people to get creative.…