Author: Rhys Gregory

Young people are launching the second phase of their campaign to beat the stigma of youth loneliness this week, as new research from the Co-op Foundation finds the Spring lockdown made even more young people feel lonely.  Lonely Not Alone asks everyone to show they care about youth loneliness by wearing yellow socks and sharing their ‘Outfit of the Day’ on social media with #OOTDYellowSocks. Young people who made the campaign say yellow socks are their symbol of solidarity when they feel lonely and look to the floor. The campaign was made by a group of 12 to 22-year-olds working…

Older people in Wales who may be struggling to get the services and entitlements they need to live a fulfilled and dignified later life because their voices are often unheard, or they simply don’t know what are their options, are set to benefit from a new project being launched by Age Cymru on 6 October 2020. The project, called HOPE (Helping others participate and engage), will recruit and train community based volunteers throughout Wales to provide independent advocacy support to local older people and carers so they can help shape the key decisions affecting their own lives and thereby avoid…

The Learning Tree Day Nursery, which provides dedicated childcare to more than 50 children in Cardiff City Centre, has opened its newly landscaped garden. It is the first nursery in Wales to be awarded a grant for such work.   The Government Capital Grant was approved at the end of 2019 to enable the children to enjoy being outdoors in a safe environment, where they can learn new skills, help plants grow and even plant their own fruit and vegetables.   Penarth and Wenvoe based company, Eden Landscapes, undertook the refurbishment project, their team having gained a reputation for providing…

When Swansea University nursing student Matt Townsend was given the opportunity to join the NHS frontline at the height of coronavirus crisis, he knew just what he had to do. The severity of the pandemic led to an appeal to student nurses like Matt to opt to take up clinical placements that would help strengthen the healthcare workforce. Matt, who is in the second year of the Adult Nursing course at the College of Human and Health Sciences, said to consider anything other than opting in was not an option for him. However, it still wasn’t an easy decision –…

CRUMLIN-BASED BBI Solutions, a leading manufacturer of biological reagents and finished test platforms for the in-vitro diagnostics market, notes the press release issued by the UK Rapid Test Consortium (“UK-RTC”), of which BBI Solutions is a partner, on the UK Government’s first order for one million COVID-19 lateral flow antibody tests (the “AbC-19™ Rapid test”). This first order is part of the UK Government’s plans to roll-out COVID-19 surveillance studies to help build a picture of how the virus has spread across the country. The AbC-19™ Rapid test uses a small drop of blood from a finger-prick, and shows results…

With the coronavirus pandemic resulting in millions of UK employees having to work from home, there has been much speculation about the future of the physical office space environment. However, space in Cardiff city centre’s Creative Quarter is continuing to prove attractive to small and growing companies, with four more businesses signing leases there within the past few months. When moving into a new space, you should make it your own by getting engraved desk signs from The Engraving People. Ongoing investment by asset managers LaSalle Investment Management has seen a steady influx of arrivals from companies looking for high quality character…

A boost to employee ownership in the wake of the coronavirus crisis is being predicted by some of the leading experts in the field as firms throughout Wales look to build back better and ensure greater resilience in the wake of the pandemic.  With the long-term repercussions of the Covid-19 crisis still playing out in our boardrooms, on our high streets and in our regional economies, it is clear that firms in Wales are bruised. However, the Employee Ownership Wales team at Social Business Wales, which has advised over 50 companies in Wales on ownership transition, says that Employee Ownership…

South East Wales’ largest independent accountancy firm is urging all business that have utilised the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) to thoroughly check their claims for inaccuracies before the cut-off date, to avoid the risk of fines or even prosecution. Newport-based Kilsby Williams is issuing this warning following a growing number of businesses recently receiving a letter from HMRC, informing them of potential errors and reminding them that all claims must be wholly accurate. Common errors that employers have been making when submitting these claims include claiming for an employee that was not actually eligible for the scheme and…

A multi-million pound investment is on the way to boost digital connectivity across the Swansea Bay City Region. The £55 million Digital Infrastructure project is among those due to be part-funded by the Swansea Bay City Deal that will together help accelerate regional economic recovery from Covid-19. Led by Carmarthenshire County Council, the project is aimed at benefitting residents and businesses in all parts of the City Region, which also includes Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea. The Digital Infrastructure project – which is estimated to be worth £318 million to the regional economy in the next 15 years –…

Leading bike share firm nextbike is encouraging people to cycle around Cardiff on Clean Air Day by offering free rides to its customers.  Registered nextbike customers will be offered two hours of free cycling on Clean Air Day, (Thursday October 8), to remind people to do their bit to keep air pollution levels down. Every year, air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK. Led by Global Action Plan, Clean Air Day brings together communities, businesses, schools and the health sector to improve public understanding of air pollution, how it can affect us and what we can do to tackle the…