Author: Rhys Gregory

The Welsh Government’s unique Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) is providing vital support to a global technology business based in Conwy county borough, Minister Economy, Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, has announced. Robertson Geologging Limited, headquartered in Deganwy, has received £51,000 from the ERF which is helping safeguard 40 jobs at the company and protect it from the severe impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The ERF, which is part of the Welsh Government’s £1.7bn support package for businesses, is providing thousands of companies across Wales with significant financial support and complements the help provided by the UK Government. To date, more…

Eight people in Newport were celebrating over the weekend after winning £1,000 each thanks to their lucky postcode. The  neighbours netted the windfall when NP10 9FE was announced as a Daily Prize winner with People’s Postcode Lottery on Tuesday 1st September 2020. People’s Postcode Lottery ambassador Danyl Johnson sent his well-wishes to the winners. He said: “What a fantastic way to start the month! Congratulations to our winners, I hope they enjoy their winnings.” A minimum of 32% of ticket sales goes directly to charities and players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised over £600 million to date for thousands…

Adventurer and writer Will Millard (Go Fish with Will Millard, My Year with the Tribe, Hidden Cardiff) with a second series of Hidden Wales that sees him explore the country’s quirky, secret and forgotten history. The new series starts next Friday (September 4) on BBC One Wales at 7.30pm and over six episodes, Will gets unprecedented access to long-forgotten and off-limits locations, secret spots and decaying industrial sites that are on the verge of being lost forever. Through these discoveries, Will provides new insights into how the Welsh landscape, architecture and culture has evolved over the centuries. Will Millard said:…

An Aberdare music venue is staging Covaid, an online, streamed concert to raise funds for the Cwm Taf Morgannwg NHS Trust. Jacs Aberdare has organised eight hours of original music and entertainment on September 5. Most of the artists are local to the Cynon Valley, while others come from the wider Valleys music scene. The event’s sponsors include digital media business Tantrwm Limited, Penderyn Distillery, Taylormade Facades, and Mountain Ash Embroidery. The concert is free, but Jacs is asking for donations on Just Giving to the Cwm Taf NHS Trust. You can watch it by tuning in to the Jacs…

Face mask artwork has been added to two Cardiff Bus vehicles to highlight the importance of wearing face coverings while using public transport. The operator, which is reintroducing services and increasing frequencies from 1st September, has added the artwork to the buses to remind passengers to wear face masks when they travel. Face coverings across all public transport in Wales have been made compulsory, except for exemptions on health grounds. Passengers are required to ensure they adhere to health and safety guidelines, including using hand sanitiser and social distancing where possible, when travelling with Cardiff Bus. Earlier this month the…

The Bank of Mum and Dad will be a driving force behind the recovery of Britain’s housing market as buyers struggle with the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis, new research from Legal & General and Cebr shows. Nearly one in four housing transactions (23%) will be backed by ‘BoMaD’ in 2020, with a quarter (24%) of borrowers now more reliant on financial support from family and friends. A year of two halves Mirroring the impact of the lockdown on the UK housing market, the Bank of Mum and Dad will lend just £3.5bn to loved ones this year –…

Millions of pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) delivered to frontline NHS staff, 25,000 antigen tests administered to the public, more than 100 care homes visited, four ambulance decontamination units established and two field hospitals built. Just some of the work in which Armed Forces personnel drafted in to support Swansea Bay NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic have played a crucial role. But at a special event to celebrate the historic collaboration, it was stressed that despite the haste of their deployment, they very quickly became part of one team. “To be able to work with the military during this…

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has contributed to a UK-wide study that has given new insight into common symptoms and prevalence of COVID-19 in children. The health board’s Children and Young Adult’s Research Unit (CYARU) has been implementing the Rapid-19 study, which aims to assess the number of children who have had COVID-19, the symptomatology of infection and whether those children have antibodies that may be able to fight off the infection. To conduct the study, which has been running since May and is ongoing, researchers are measuring children’s COVID-19 antibodies. More than 1,000 children across the UK have…

A new walking tour designed for locals and tourists promises to take you up-close and personal with the town’s exciting and interesting past has been launched. Set up by Caerphilly resident, Suzie Rees, ‘Caerphilly Audio Tours’ provides individual tours via a downloadable app. The app, costing less than £5, will be available all year round and can either be used to listen at home, or on a self-guided walking tour through the history and legends of Caerphilly. Listen to the stories of days gone by from this historic town. There will be rebels and philanthropists, poets and musicians, murder and…

From Tuesday, 1 September organisations in the culture and heritage sector can find out if they are eligible to apply for financial support from the Welsh Government’s £53m Cultural Recovery Fund. The new fund will see music venues; recording and rehearsal studios; Heritage organisations and historic attractions; accredited museums and archive services; libraries; events and their technical support suppliers; independent cinemas and the publishing sector being able to bid for a share of £18.5m. The latest funding is part of the Welsh Government’s £53m package to support the culture and arts sectors which are coping with a dramatic loss of…