Author: Rhys Gregory

First Cymru will be operating a temporary reduced service during the national ‘firebreak’ lockdown period, from Sunday 25thOctober until the start of Monday 9th November. The bus operator will revert services to their current service levels after the firebreak period ends. The company has made the arrangements after the government asked bus and train operators to reduce services during the firebreak to highlight the government’s ‘stay at home’ message. Jane Reakes-Davies, First Cymru’s Managing Director said: “We ask that customers use our services during the firebreak lockdown for essential travel only. We are prioritising our services to ensure that key…

Representatives from Swansea Council, development partner Fusion Students and construction specialist ISG, celebrated the successful topping out of the latest regeneration project at the small ceremony – in accordance with social distancing measures. Previously the location of the Mariner Street carpark site, the new tower stands at 62 metres tall making it central Swansea’s second tallest building and among the tallest in Wales. Included in the development is the £39.8m student accommodation. The striking 21-storey tower, with distinctive cladding, will house 244 students, with a further 531 accommodated within the surrounding six to eight storey brick-clad structures. It will provide…

Two innovative projects from UWTSD’s Assistive Technologies Innovation Centre (ATiC) have been shortlisted for the UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards 2020. Both projects aim to improve patients’ lives with the use of technology. Established in 2004, the Green Gown Awards recognise the exceptional sustainability initiatives being undertaken by universities and colleges. ATiC’s two shortlisted projects, ‘Reducing the Impact of 3D Scanning Methods for Bespoke Helmets for Children’ and ‘The Surgical Journey: Transforming patient outcomes’ incorporate environmental considerations set out to address user needs by making research accessible to different user groups. The projects are part of Accelerate, a pioneering…

NatWest has announced that it will set this year’s National Enterprise Challenge  – the largest enterprise and employability challenge for secondary schools in the UK. The high street lender has set 14 and 15 year olds from around the UK the challenge to create their own social enterprise to address a common issue affecting their daily life, school, family or local community. Pupils will create their own social enterprise solution, considering how it would operate, and market and promote their products and services to their target audience, before pitching their business proposal to the judging panel. The winning team from…

Sony UK TEC colleagues and friends have paid tribute to its inspirational founder, Mr. Tetsuo Tokita OBE, following his passing on 7th October 2020. Mr Tokita was the founding Managing Director for Sony in Wales, establishing the Bridgend factory in 1974. He played a crucial role in rooting Sony UK TEC not only as a major employer in South Wales, but also as an outstanding supporter of community initiatives. Mr Tokita brought to Sony UK TEC a commitment to the importance of staff relations, placing particular emphasis on the nurturing of team spirit and value, which is ever present in…

Some of Swansea’s leading cultural services plan to make sure that residents are stimulated through the firebreak. Although the latest coronavirus restrictions mean that venues will be temporarily closed to the public, Swansea Council staff will be reaching out online and in other ways. Those aiming to publish engaging fresh material on the web include the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, local libraries and the West Glamorgan Archive Service. Meanwhile, the city’s open spaces will remain available for residents to exercise locally and in line with restrictions through the firebreak that runs from October 23-November 9. Robert Francis-Davies, the council’s cabinet…

The firebreak will see more work carried out as Swansea’s Kingsway project moves closer to completion. Construction work can continue in line with the latest Welsh Government restrictions and this will apply to the £12m Kingsway scheme that has progressed throughout the pandemic. Work due to be carried out in the two weeks after the October 23 firebreak start will include more landscaping and the repair of defects left by failed former main contractor Dawnus. Swansea Council is behind the project, main contractor is Welsh firm Griffiths and greenery contractor is Wales’ Afan Landscapes. Mark Thomas, the council’s cabinet member…

A Wrexham hospice is appealing to the public to help them continue to provide free patient care for cancer patients and those with other life-limiting illnesses living in North East Wales and border counties. Nightingale House Wrexham is encouraging more people to come forward and join their hospice lottery to inject much-needed cash into providing vital services for patients with chronic diseases including cancer, motor neurone disease and heart failure, who need support and advice to enhance their quality of life, from holistic treatments to pain management and on-going assessments. The hospice continues to improve its’ services and introduced a…

Swansea University Medical School’s Professor Steve Conlan has taken up a key role helping to highlight UK nanomedicine research. He has been appointed Chair of the British Society for Nanomedicine (BSNM), the UKs leading organisation which seeks to give industry, academia, clinicians and the public access to news of ongoing nanomedicine research throughout the UK. Professor Conlan, who is the Medical School’s head of enterprise and innovation, explained that the field of nanomedicine – the application of nanotechnology to healthcare –  is still relatively new, but its global benefits are multiplying every year, with 50 nanomedicines already in clinical trials.…

Denbighshire County Council will resume its wellbeing checks to vulnerable residents during the ‘firebreak’ lockdown. The Council will contact people on the shielding patient’s list from Monday, October 26. Staff from the library service will be making calls to check on people’s wellbeing, to see if they need any help, and to check that they will be keeping warm over the winter. Any residents who are concerned about the legitimacy of these calls should hang up and call the Council back direct on 01824 706000. Cllr Bobby Feeley, the Council’s Lead Member for Well-being and Independence, said: “We want to…