Author: Rhys Gregory

Swansea Council is launching the parking offer in the run up to Christmas and in response to the recent firebreak which has seen many city centre businesses having to close under the Welsh government regulations. Motorists visiting the city centre from Monday (Nov 9) will be able to park for £1 for the first two hours and all-day parking will be just £2. The offer covers all city centre car parks including multi-storey and pay and display car parks. The new scheme will initially run for one month from Nov 9 – Dec 9 and a report will be presented…

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Licensing Team is advising businesses and residents of new measures for the hospitality industry, that will come into place when the current ‘firebreak’ lockdown ends. The new measures, set out by the First Minster, will be introduced on Monday 9th November 2020 and will be reviewed after two weeks. Hospitality premises, including pubs, clubs and restaurants will be required to put the following measures in place: A Maximum of 4 people (not including children under 11 years), from different households, will be able to socialise, every effort should still be made by the business and the…

As the firebreak ends in Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford today asked everyone to think about how they can protect their families from the virus. A new set of national measures will come into force today, replacing the firebreak regime. But people’s actions will be more important in controlling the spread of the virus than rules and regulations in the weeks and months ahead. The First Minister is urging everyone to reduce the number of people they see and the time they spend with them to help reduce their risk of catching and passing on the virus. Mark Drakeford said:…

Travel between Wales and England will continue to be restricted as Wales’ firebreak ends and England’s month-long lockdown gets underway, Minister for Economy and North Wales Ken Skates today said There will be no restrictions on travel within Wales from 9 November but the new national measures, which will come into force will mean travel will only be possible across the Wales-England border with a reasonable excuse. Examples of a reasonable excuse include travelling for work, education, a medical appointment, legal requirement or compassionate grounds. The English lockdown also means cross-border travel is not allowed unless one of the exceptions…

The Welsh Government’s business support grant scheme has provided vital support to thousands of small charities in the retail, leisure and hospitality sector, Finance Minister Rebecca Evans has announced. Since its introduction in May, the scheme has awarded grants worth £10k to thousands of charity run shops, sports premises and community centres across Wales to help them respond to the financial challenges of the coronavirus crisis. Abertillery RFC, a community sports club in Blaenau Gwent, was one of the many clubs to welcome this much-needed financial support. At the start of lockdown Abertillery RFC was facing a very uncertain future.…

The Welsh Government has confirmed it will be introducing stricter isolation requirements for people travelling from Denmark to Wales from 4am (Saturday 7 November). Anyone arriving in the UK from Denmark overnight will be legally required to isolate for 14 days. This will not only apply to individuals, but to their households too. This coincides with the UK Government’s implementation of immigration powers, which mean all non-British national or resident travellers who’ve been in or transited through Denmark in the last 14  days will be denied entry into the UK. Urgent action has been taken following reports from health authorities…

Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart announced funding for the £200,000 project at the town’s comprehensive school at a meeting of full council. The pitch will replace the former tennis courts within the school grounds that have fallen into disrepair. The school will use the pitch during the day, and it will be available for wider community use out of school hours. As well as funding from the council the two local ward members will use their share of the council’s newly launched £1m play fund. A share of this pot is available to all councillors in Swansea to improve play…

A main road through Gower has reopened to motorists following the completion of emergency repairs to a large sinkhole. Swansea Council closed a section of the A4118 between Penmaen and the turn-off to Oxwich at the beginning of October after discovering part of the road surface had subsided. Contractors and specialist geotechnical consultants have been on site since, in an effort to repair the road and get it reopened as quickly as possible. The cause of the subsidence was found to have been caused by surface water running off the adjacent farmland and was complicated by the presence of voids…

In light of post-COVID syndrome being confirmed as a recognised condition, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is encouraging people who are struggling in their recovery from COVID-19 to visit its new Keeping Me Well online rehabilitation resource. The condition, also known as ‘Long COVID’, will be defined as signs and symptoms that develop during or following an infection consistent with COVID-19, which continue for more than 12 weeks, in guidelines that will be published by Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), NICE and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). Launched in June to support the by Cardiff and Vale UHB COVID-19…

Over 100 drinks producers in Wales are coming together to create the first ever ‘Make It A Welsh Drinks Christmas’ event to showcase the quality and diversity of Welsh drinks produced across the country ahead of the festive season. Make It A Welsh Drinks Christmas is being co-ordinated by the Welsh Drinks Cluster and consumers will see an abundance of activity across the campaign – from events to competitions – all hosted by Welsh drinks producers from every sector, including wine, beer, cider, spirits, water, soft drinks, health drinks, tea and coffee. The campaign’s website is set to launch on…