Author: Rhys Gregory

A group of organisations, artists and young people in Pontypridd have come together to support older residents shielding or living in isolation by bringing them a crafted Window Box, packed with creative ideas to keep them busy and connected to their community during lockdown. Window Boxes for Wellbeing is an initiative by Rhondda Ward Old Age Welfare & Citrus Arts, which aims to support residents of Pontypridd who are shielding or may be suffering due to isolation during the COVID-19 crisis. Supported by the Lottery Community Fund, Rhondda Cynon Taff Covid Community Activities grant, Interlink ICF Older persons grant &…

The coronavirus pandemic has driven huge change in people’s travel habits, with many more of us walking and cycling to work, shops and for recreation than before. Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport, is determined to grasp this opportunity for change and make sure people continue to ditch the car in favour of cycling or walking when the coronavirus pandemic is over. Today, the Welsh Government has announced £38 million to make Wales a safer place to cycle, scoot and walk. Together with the £15.4m announced last month, this is the largest ever investment in local active travel…

Playgrounds, funfairs and community centres in Wales will reopen today, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced on Friday. Outdoor gyms will also be able to operate as part of the latest measures to lift Wales’ coronavirus restrictions. This is the second of a three-week package of measures to re-open large parts of Wales’ tourism, hospitality and leisure sectors, which was announced as part of the latest 21-day review of the coronavirus regulations last week. First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “We continue to look carefully at the latest medical and scientific evidence and the current state of the virus as we make…

30 children’s play areas in Cardiff will be re-opened on Monday (20thJuly) following the removal of Welsh Government restrictions on their use. All nine of the city’s outdoor gyms will also re-open on Monday. Play areas are being opened on phased basis, following a safety first approach and with a view to ensuring that children across the city have some play provision in their local area asquickly as possible. Prior to re-opening, equipment and safety surfaces have been checked, and changes have been made to help maintain social distancing and minimise risk of transmitting Covid-19 – for example, some swing…

Max Polyakov is no stranger to the space industry. He is the founder and managing partner at Noosphere Ventures. Noosphere Venture is a space-based company that invests in projects promoting space technology. Polyakov is a Ph.D. graduate in International Economics. He is a co-author of philosophical and scientific works on noospherology, semiotics, and innovation in economics. He is also a prolific writer and has published over 20 scientific papers on a wide range of topics. In 2019, Max Polyakov became a Doctor of Economic Science. But, Max is not only an academician. He is also an entrepreneur with footprints in…

Modern life cannot be imagined without creative technology. We are used to finding what we need quickly and don’t agree to revert to outmoded practices. We can scold technology and say it takes up a lot of our time, but here are a few reasons we love technology and can’t do without it. Technology Makes It Easy to Find Information How did people choose a restaurant 10 years ago? They called friends or asked local people. Today, you can find an answer to any question on the Internet. How reliable the information you find is another question. For example, if…

A Welsh charity that provides second-hand furniture and electrical goods to those in need is readying itself for a huge spike in demand due to domestic abuse during lockdown. toogoodtowaste – which operates across Rhondda Cynon Taf – has secured a grant of more than £31,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund. The charity’s Chief Executive is Shaun England. He explains: “We’re hearing from people who are in very difficult situations and they’re really struggling. As the restrictions on social distancing and travel begin to ease across Wales, we are expecting to see more demand on our services due to…

Nineteen graduates from the University of South Wales (USW) have been working on TV shows that have been nominated for British Academy Television Craft Awards. The alumni from the Film and TV School Wales, at the heart of Cardiff’s creative industry, worked in the teams being recognised across two categories: Production Design and Special, Visual & Graphic Effects. The Bafta Craft Awards recognise behind-the-scenes production talent like writers, editors and sound mixers. The ceremony takes place in the month before the main Bafta TV Awards, which generally reward on-screen talent. USW holds strong links with major film and TV industry…

Hay Festival has launched two free new ways for book lovers to engage with writers digitally with Hay Festival Book of the Month Live Q&As and Hay Festival Podcast Series Two. Designed to expand the Festival’s mission to inspire, examine and entertain, the new platforms are supported by Baillie Gifford Investment Managers. Series two of the Hay podcast series launched yesterday, with award-winning writers and thinkers tackling some of the biggest contemporary questions in a deep-dive of the Festival archive. Episode one of the new series looks at Global Health with expert contributions from Devi Sridhar, Jeremy Farrar, Sally Davies, Thomas Bollyky and…

A team of boys with autism from Gowerton School in West Glamorgan has beaten teams from across the UK to be named the Longitude Explorer People’s Choice Award winner in a public vote, winning £5,000 for their school. The team’s winning solution, Theo the Therapy Dog, is a robotic therapy dog that supports other autistic people who want to become more independent. Ben, Ethan, Reuben and Charlie, the members of Team STF Gowerton were named the People’s Choice Award winners at a virtual awards ceremony introduced by Science Minister, Amanda Solloway. More than 13,000 votes were cast by the public…