Author: Rhys Gregory

Endangered birds are continuing to flock in their thousands to National Trust farmland in Pembrokeshire, according to the latest data from the conservation charity.  Results from the Trust’s biggest winter farmland bird survey in Wales suggest that more than 28,000 birds are now benefitting from its nature-friendly farming approach, with 13 red and 12 amber list species of conservation concern sighted. Nationally, farmland birds are one of the fastest declining groups of birds in the UK, with a 54 per cent loss since 1970, largely due to modern intensive agriculture, fewer hay meadows and the removal of hedgerows. This is…

Washable three-layer face masks are available for the public to purchase from a local Bridgend charity to help ensure PPE is not taken away from healthcare and frontline workers. Homelessness charity Emmaus South Wales is making sustainable face masks using donated clothing and fabrics. The charity is aiming to produce 100 masks per a week and orders can be placed by email while the Emmaus shops are temporarily closed. The masks will cost £3 each and all funds generated from sales will go towards the charity’s work helping people to rebuild their lives following homelessness. Emmaus, which has five shops…

The Swansea Council team that organises the annual Wales Airshow is planning to celebrate the event in an alternative way this year. Unfortunately, this hugely popular event in the Swansea events calendar won’t be taking place this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. However, rather than having a gap in the calendar, the team has developed a digital celebration of the Wales Airshow on Saturday, July 4, from 11am-5pm. Wales Airshow – A digital celebration #AtHome is a virtual event that will showcase the very best highlights from some of the many display teams that have attended and…

Sara Rosser of Hope Recue, Llanharan, has been shortlisted for Animal Charity Employee of the Year in the Petplan & ADCH Animal Charity Awards 2020. Now in their eighth year, the awards recognise the remarkable work carried out by animal charities and not-for-profit organisations across the UK, Ireland and Channel Islands. In light of the current situation the awards ceremony will take place virtually with well-known actor, and avid animal charity supporter Anthony Head hosting the proceedings on Facebook @PetplanUK. Commenting on her nomination Sara said:  “I was thrilled to be told I was a finalist, it is so lovely…

The current COVID-19 crisis has impacted severely on all sectors but businesses are also considering how they will adapt in the future in an ever changing world. The food and drink manufacturing sector is no different and a new jobs site has been launched with the aim of matching vacant posts with relevant job seekers. The new service is launched by Food Skills Cymru, a programme delivered by Lantra which supports businesses of all sizes within the Welsh food and drink sector, ensuring employees have the right skills and training for their business and the wider industry as a whole.…

UWTSD’s Assistive Technologies Innovation Centre (ATiC) together with a team of Swansea University doctors and engineers have designed a new ventilator that can be built quickly from local parts and – crucially – used even for patients with severe coronavirus. Until now, ventilator designs could either be one or the other, but not both. The new design, called CoronaVent-One, can be built easily from generic parts and plastic panels. As well as saving lives, the new design can help create jobs and boost economic recovery because global demand for ventilators is likely to remain high as the pandemic continues. Professor…

South Wales Police Roads Policing teams have carried out targeted operational activity to enforce speed limits and respond to anti-social vehicle behaviour, based on specific locations provided by communities across South Wales from 8th May – 31st May 2020. The Force have worked in partnership with Go Safe to target areas of concern that the public highlighted to them via social media, interactions with local policing teams, and through their Public Service Centre. These areas were then patrolled by roads policing officers as part of Operation Surbiton. Within this time period, officers dealt with over 400 offences of speeding, issued…

An award-winning Welsh brewery is hoping that online sales and home deliveries will help to mitigate the devastating impact that COVID-19 has had on their business. Nestled in the beautiful foothills of Snowdonia, Purple Moose Brewery is based in the historic harbour town of Porthmadog and has built up a UK-wide reputation for producing multi-award winning beers. Normally, this time of year would see their sales rise as drinkers flock to pubs, bars, restaurants and festivals across the UK. But with social distancing measures now in place for the second month in Wales, this hasn’t been the case. Purple Moose…

Small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) will struggle to trade if social distancing measures continue, finds the latest results from the ACCA UK and The Corporate Finance Network (The CFN) SME Health Tracker. Accessing a survey pool of accountants representing nearly 9,000 SMEs across the UK, the findings show that on average 16% of SMEs said they think social distancing will make it impossible or unviable to reopen their business – equaling around 1,500 SMEs represented across this research pool. Alarmingly, only 27% of SMEs have written financial forecasts or business plans that have been reviewed as a result of…

As we enter the second stage of the Economic Resilience Grant Fund, Mike Fenwick of Verde Corporate Finance brings us the latest information on the business support being made available. The Welsh Government has made a significant amount of funding available to support businesses in Wales during the Covid 19 pandemic as set out below: £1.4 billion of funding through the Non-Domestic Rates Grant £500 million of funding through the Economic Resilience Fund The Non-Domestic Rates grant, which is being administered by the Local Authorities in Wales, is closing to new applications on 30 June 2020. Grants of up to…