Author: Rhys Gregory

Finance Minister Rebecca Evans has today welcomed the extension of the furlough scheme to March next year, but warns that the UK Government’s last minute U-turn has already caused irreparable damage to people’s lives. The Minister also urged the Chancellor to take action to backdate support for Welsh businesses and workers for the entirety of the 17 day firebreak so they were not disadvantaged. Finance Minister, Rebecca Evans said: “I am pleased that businesses and workers now have some much needed certainty, but it is unacceptable that the UK Government waited until a nationwide England lockdown before acting.  For many…

The Welsh Government has given the green light and a further £10m to a major new programme that will transform social housing across Wales, boost the economy and open the door to a new Welsh industry. Backed with almost £20m, the Optimised Retrofit Programme (ORP) is a key part of the Welsh Government’s plans for a green recovery – as set out in the recently-published Covid Reconstruction: Challenges and Priorities report. In the first year of the programme, ORP will bring together Housing Associations and councils on projects that will help upgrade at least 1,000 existing social homes through a…

The campaign to mark the achievements of Cardiff Bay’s Rugby Codebreakers has attracted public support from The Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP. Under the banner ‘One Team. One Race: Honouring the Cardiff Bay Rugby Codebreakers’ the campaign aims to immortalise some of the country’s greatest sporting heroes in a permanent artwork designed to ensure their stories – and the story of the proud and vibrant multi-cultural community which helped shape them – are never forgotten. In a letter to Stephen Doughty, MP for Cardiff South and Penarth, Sir Hoyle wrote: “I am delighted…

Caerphilly joins more than 20 leading public sector organisations across Gwent who have today (6th November), committed to the Healthy Travel Charter, a commitment which supports and encourages sustainable travel. The charter identifies 15 ambitious commitments, to promote walking, cycling, agile working and the use of public transport and ultra-low emission vehicles. The public sector in Gwent employs almost one in three working adults. By working together, public sector organisations across Gwent aim to increase sustainable journeys made to and from workplaces, reducing the impact on the environment and improving health in Gwent for current and future generations. Chair of…

As more people look for rewarding remote career opportunities, one industry that is being considered by many is IT. The sector requires professionals with a wide variety of skills, and many IT roles are currently in high demand. If you enjoy working with computers, here are six roles in IT for you to consider. Quality Assurance Tester The position of a quality assurance tester involves checking software products to make sure they do not have any problems and meet industry standards. Common software that requires quality assurance includes games and mobile applications. Although certifications are not always necessary, most people…

Today, at the end of the second decade of the 21st century, parents have a wide choice: state daycare centers that still operate, in which there is a long queue or a preschool Avenue U, where parents themselves determine how many children are in the group, what they will do during the day and what menu they will have. Also, there have appeared a lot of kid’s clubs with a program for early development, as well as childcare services based on various pedagogical directions that have received wide worldwide recognition. The decision about which of these options to choose is…

Wales will welcome the world’s best chefs next year as the country hosts the prestigious Worldchefs Global Chefs Challenge. The Culinary Association of Wales (CAW) and its partners, the International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales), the Celtic Manor Resort and the Welsh Government, have accepted an invitation to bring the event to Newport from October 23-26, 2021. The only major Worldchefs competition in 2021, the event will bring together the world’s top chefs to compete in the finals of three categories: the Global Chefs Challenge, the Global Pastry Chefs Challenge and the Global Young Chefs Challenge. The Global Chefs Challenge…

A Cardiff community food service has received a donation from Wales’ largest building society, to help it provide items to households who may be in financial difficulty. Principality Building Society’s Rumney branch has donated the funds for two large refrigeration units to the Llanrumney Hall Community Trust’s local pantry service, which provides food to those who may find it difficult to afford a weekly shop. For £5 a visit, members of the community can access at least 10 items from the pantry, usually worth up to £25, including freshly made meals, fresh fruit and vegetables and other household essentials. The…

Successful employers, inspirational learners and dedicated work-based learning practitioners across Wales have been given an extra two weeks to enter the prestigious Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2021. The closing date for entries has been extended to noon on Friday, November 13 by the Welsh Government and the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW), joint organisers of the awards. Application forms may be downloaded from gov.wales/apprenticeshipawardscymru. Highlight of the of the work-based learning calendar, the awards showcase businesses and individuals who have excelled on the Welsh Government’s Apprenticeship and Traineeship Programmes and gone the extra mile to achieve success during these unprecedented…

Expanding fintech company Currencycloud is the second company in a month to announce it is moving to the newly-refurbished Hodge House office building in Cardiff city centre. The company, which provides a global payments platform servicing banks, financial institutions and fintechs across the world, has taken a 10 year lease on a 6,586 sq ft office suite on the 5thFloor of the building.   It is moving from a number of serviced offices in Cardiff. Hodge House owner Legal & General was advised in the transaction by joint letting agents Knight Frank and Fletcher Morgan, and the new tenant was represented…