Author: Rhys Gregory

A team of chemists from the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science are working together to make hand sanitiser during the coronavirus pandemic. Emily Wood, Gareth Williams, David Noakes, and Stacey Huish have been busy in the laboratory making the hand sanitiser with surplus alcohol (ethanol and propanol), following recipes on the World Health Organisation’s website. An essential tool in the prevention of transmitting coronavirus, the team have produced 30 litres so far. The sanitiser has been bottled up and distributed toPrincess of Wales Intensive Care unit, Nuffield Health hospital, Aberdare police station, Merthyr local school hub, Pontypridd local school…

Principality Building Society has teamed up with the UK’s leading enterprise charity Young Enterprise to bring an entrepreneurial challenge to students at home in Wales. The Fiver from Home initiative asks students aged 5-11 years to create, research and plan a business with just £5. As the sponsor of Fiver from Home in Wales, Principality has provided funding allowing Young Enterprise to bring the challenge to Wales on a larger scale and in the Welsh language. Fiver from Home has been created in response to the coronavirus pandemic in place of the Fiver Challenge which would have usually been run…

A business leader with a severely autistic son has set up a social enterprise to help companies tap into the £249 billion of spending power of disabled people in the UK. Davina Carey-Evans, who runs the Anglesey-based event and marketing company Sbarc, set up Piws (Welsh for purple) as a Community Interest Company to help businesses make venues more accessible to everyone. The aim is to  reduce isolation and encourage access so everyone, including those with hidden disabilities, can enjoy community lifestyle activities across North Wales. Mum-of-three Davina, who hails from Criccieth, has first-hand knowledge of the difficulties faced by…

A supergran who lost her son to cancer is inspiring people to Race for Life at Home and carry on the fight against the disease in these unprecedented times. Constance Fouracre, 89, will take on a 5K walk in a playing field near her home in Cwmafan, Port Talbot to raise vital funds for Cancer Research UK. She’s vowed to complete the challenge in honour of her son Christopher Fouracre who was just 63 when he died from oesophageal cancer in October 2018. Constance, who has eight grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren, was hoping to take part in the Cancer…

Swansea’s popular leisure centres, including the LC, are in good hands during the lockdown. The facilities, managed by Freedom Leisure for Swansea Council, are being kept in prime condition thanks to ongoing work by Freedom staff. They include facilities at Bishopston, Cefn Hengoed, Elba, Morriston, Penlan and Penyrheol. All, like the LC, are temporarily closed in line with government restrictions.  Nic Beggs, area manager for Freedom Leisure, said: “We’re keeping the LC and other Swansea leisure centres in excellent condition in readiness for the future when it’s safe to reopen to the public. “We’ve made great strides with the facilities that we’ve…

A charity which help support teenagers and young people through non-contact boxing courses has offered five top tips to help teenagers cope with lockdown and post-lockdown anxiety. For teens the Covid-19 outbreak has been particularly stressful as, at an age where they would normally be spreading their wings and spending more time with friends, they have been confined to four walls, without even having school as an escape.  Though some restrictions have been eased, it is far from the norm for an average British teenager. Empire Fighting Chance was founded by Martin Bisp and Jamie Sanigar and is based in…

Following reports of anti-social behaviour and concerns for the safety of young people at Swansea Beach front and dunes areas, Swansea Neighbourhood Policing Team will be using of section 35 dispersal orders to help deal with the issues. These orders under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 aims to ensure the safety of the public, and reduce the risk of any anti-social behaviour or disorder within this area. The order gives a Police Constable in uniform the power to exclude a person from an area for a period of up to 48 hours by the issuing of a…

FOR Cardiff is launching a campaign to celebrate the city’s unsung heroes during the coronavirus pandemic with internationally recognised artist, Nathan Wyburn. They are asking the public to nominate individuals who have gone above and beyond to help people in their communities in these difficult times. Ten nominees will be carefully chosen by FOR Cardiff’s judging panel to receive their very own portrait, painted by Nathan. Non-essential retail businesses could be allowed to open in Wales in a little over two weeks’ time. FOR Cardiff will be displaying the portraits in store windows across Cardiff city centre to give people…

Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre has announced the re-release of all monologues in its celebrated TEN/DEG series, and will be uploading all ten short plays for FESTIVAL TEN from 5 – 12 June. To give audiences an opportunity to celebrate the much-loved performances and experience all monologues in the series, the Olivier-award winning theatre will be bringing back all of the plays for the week-long digital event. Originally launched on 1 May, the TEN/DEG series invited Welsh or Wales-based writers to submit a paragraph-long pitch for a one to five minute monologue to be hosted on the Sherman Theatre website for one…

A coalition of charities are campaigning to ensure that new temporary transport measures consider the long-term impact on the blind and partially sighted community in Wales. RNIB Cymru and Guide Dogs Cymru are leading the charge to raise public awareness of the issues people with sight loss and mobility issues face when trying to get around safely. The charities are calling for Welsh Government to back a Coronavirus Courtesy Code that aims to promote safe social distancing for all pedestrians, road and public transport users. As coronavirus lockdown measures are slowly eased, Governments across the UK have signalled intentions to…