Author: Rhys Gregory

People aged over 50 in Wales are being encouraged to plan for their future through a series of free Mid-Career Review webinars, delivered by Business in the Community (BITC) Cymru with Age Cymru. The webinars, which form part of the Age at Work Programme, provide an opportunity for individuals to reflect and take stock of their career, health and wellbeing, finances and their work-life balance.  They also help participants to make informed choices and plan for a positive future. By supporting people to return or remain in work they will have a better chance of having enough income and stay…

An extensively refurbished Corwen Leisure Centre will reopen after lockdown with a brand new name in honour of much-loved Councillor, Huw ‘Chick’ Jones. Denbighshire Leisure Ltd and Denbighshire County Council are proud to announce the renaming of Corwen Leisure Centre to Canolfan Hamdden Huw Jones, in tribute for the popular local and County Councillor who sadly passed away in February 2020. The exciting refurbishment of Corwen Leisure Centre, delivered in partnership with Denbighshire County Council, is now complete and includes a new pool hall, changing areas, viewing area and new state-of-the-art fitness equipment. Councillor Jones was a very well respected,…

A new report published by the Mental Health Foundation and Cochrane Common Mental Disorders warns that rising unemployment and job uncertainty during the Covid-19 pandemic will have a profound effect on mental health at a country-wide level, and that sustained government action is needed in the Budget next week to help protect people from these effects. With the UK unemployment rate rising according to the latest figures from the ONS, the Mental Health Foundation is calling on all UK governments to put practical and emotional support in place for the hundreds of thousands of people struggling with unemployment. The report, ‘State of…

COLEG CAMBRIA has been awarded the gold standard in cyber security teaching. The north east Wales college received the accolade as part of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) CyberFirst Schools initiative, focused on inspiring the next generation of cyber security experts and addressing the UK’s cyber skills gap. Cambria’s Principal Sue Price said: “We are delighted to have achieved the CyberFirst Gold Award in conjunction with the National Cyber Security Centre. “This is a significant achievement for Coleg Cambria, recognising the great work the team are doing in a critical area that is growing in strategic significance and importance…

Powys County Council has recently completed the purchase of the Grade II* listed Automobile Palace in Llandrindod Wells. Situated in a prominent town centre location, the art deco building was built in the early 1900’s on the direction of one of Wales’ earliest motoring pioneers Mr Tom Norton. Norton introduced aviation to Mid Wales and the building housed the first Ford and Austin agencies in Wales. The building closed as a garage in the early 1990’s before being converted to business units.  Over recent years however the number of tenants has dwindled, and the building has fallen into decline. Funding…

Newport City Council’s cabinet has agreed a new leisure and well-being centre should be created in the city centre. A new purpose-built centre, with modern facilities, would be located on a key riverfront site and would replace the ageing Newport Centre. Cabinet also approved the disposal of the Newport Centre site to Coleg Gwent to further its ambition to have a campus in the heart of the city centre in new buildings providing a first class learning environment. A public consultation on the proposals received more than 1,000 responses with the overwhelming majority supporting the proposed new developments. Councillor Jane…

Cardiff Council’s ‘No Going Back’ approach to the delivery of homelessness services in the city will take another stride forward next week if plans to buy a new facility are agreed. At its next meeting on Thursday, February 25, Cabinet will consider a proposal to purchase the YHA hostel on East Tyndall Street, accommodation the Council has been using since last Spring when extra spaces were need to keep clients safe during the pandemic. The facility provided 80 of the182 additional units of supported accommodation that were established across a number of sites to address homelessness during the health crisis,…

As Wales continues to navigate the many challenges of coronavirus, the Welsh Government is setting out how it will work to reconstruct and rebuild Wales’ economy so it is more prosperous, equal and green than ever before. This includes making available an additional £270m to support business through the Development Bank of Wales. Operating alongside other Development Bank support, this represents a major investment in accessible finance for business and will help Welsh firms focus on their long term success. The Welsh Government will today publish its Economic Resilience and Reconstruction Mission which sets out how it will work to…

Brexit had wide-ranging logistical implications in different sectors of the UK economy. After all, it would take a concerted effort to rewrite trade agreements that had lasted decades. These issues affected both institutions and individual traders. For the past five years, investors have deployed various risk management strategies as they followed Brexit developments. The decision by British voters to leave the Union was decisive. However, it would take the government half a decade to complete the transition. Such is the complicated nature of modern markets and trade alliances. Brexit saw the departure of David Cameron and Theresa May as Prime…

Macmillan Cancer Support is warning that coronavirus is exacerbating the already devastating financial impact of a cancer diagnosis on an individual’s quality of life and mental wellbeing. New figures from the charity show that around 10,000 people with cancer in Wales (6%) are struggling to pay for basic essentials such as food, bills, rent or their mortgage as a result of Covid-19. Across the UK, more than two in three (70%) people with cancer who are struggling with these basic living costs have experienced stress, anxiety or depression as a result of Covid-19. A shocking one in four (24%) of…