Storytellers from Wales, Scotland and Ireland have teamed up to broadcast a series of online events that celebrate the Celtic calendar of festivities through stories, songs and traditions from their homelands. The third event in the series, Spring Awakening, will be broadcast on Monday, February 1 from 8pm to 9.30pm and celebrates the arrival of spring, the Goddess and Saint Brigid and the feminine life, death, life cycle. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/137632589781 The storytellers are Kama Roberts, who works for the Willow Globe theatre near Llandrindod Wells, Maria Gillen from Ireland and Shona Cowie from Scotland. Kama explained that she had been collaborating…
Author: Rhys Gregory
Rhys Gregory
Editor of Wales247.co.uk
Across Wales, NHS charities perform a valuable role ensuring that the generous donations made by members of the public, often in recognition of the healthcare they and their loved ones have received, are distributed where they can make a real difference to NHS patients and staff. The money doesn’t replace NHS funding, but is used to provide services and activities above and beyondcore NHS expenditure. In west Wales, Hywel Dda Health Charities is thanking the public for their support of the charity’s annual Christmas appeal, which in 2020 focused on adult mental health services. Fundraising Manager Tara Nickerson said, “2020…
RSPCA Cymru have given a cautious welcome to new regulations laid by the Welsh Government which aim to end third party selling of young puppies and kittens in Wales. Under the proposals, anyone who wants to sell pets in Wales has to meet minimum animal welfare standards for the first time, with a new licensing scheme introduced for pet sellers. This establishes that puppies or kittens under six months of age not bred by the licence holder cannot be sold. The law also states that puppies, kittens, ferrets or rabbits cannot be sold until they are at least eight weeks…
The RSPCA today launches its new strategy – which will have a huge and exciting impact on animal welfare in Wales; as the charity pledges to reduce neglect, abuse and cruelty to pets by 50% and ensure a significant increase in the number of farm animals reared to top standards. Rescuing and caring for animals will continue to be central to the RSPCA’s work in Wales – with the animal welfare charity continuing to call for statutory powers for its frontline rescuers to enable them to reach animals most in need more quickly, as part of its new ‘Together for…
The people of Swansea are being urged to tell the stories of those who died tragically in the Three Nights’ Blitz. Their recollections will help mark next month’s 80th anniversary of the intensive World War Two bombing that destroyed much of the town centre. The stories will be preserved for future generations by the West Glamorgan Archive Service, a joint service for the councils of the City and County of Swansea and Neath Port Talbot County Borough. Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s cabinet member for investment, regeneration and tourism, said: “The Three Nights’ Blitz destroyed 41 acres of the town centre;…
Following the results of independent surveys and after a delay caused by the coronavirus pandemic which required the planned repairs to be rescheduled, Bridgend County Borough Council has commissioned essential building work at the pavilions, both of which are based at Newbridge Fields. The New Pavilion will benefit from all-new wall cladding, full external decoration and improved shower room facilities, including new tiled floors, while the Bandstand Pavilion is set to receive an enhanced new roof which will be carefully installed so that it does not disturb a colony of bats which has taken up residence in the upper parts…
A landmark Merthyr Tydfil building is to be converted and its site extended into an ‘exciting’ development providing 70 much-needed homes. The former St Tydfil’s Hospital site in Upper Thomas Street will have its Grade II listed entrance block converted and extended to provide seven apartments and a house. The remainder of the site will be developed to provide a mixture of apartments, bungalows, terraced properties, and semi-detached and detached houses. St Tydfil’s Developments has been given planning permission for the development, which will be constructed as a joint venture with Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association and provide 39 open market…
A local testing site (LTS) opened in Newport on Thursday 28 January as part of the government’s drive to improve access to Covid-19 tests. Duffryn residents will be able to book a test at the LTS in the car park of the Duffryn Arms on Duffryn Drive. From Saturday, it will operate from 8am to 8pm. The testing site serves the local community so those attending can walk to it and do not have to drive to get a test. If you have any symptoms of Coronavirus (Covid-19) – a new continuous cough, high temperature or loss of taste and/or…
Nobody loves dogs more than the team at Cardiff Dogs Home, so when they heard that people are being advised in some social media groups, to ignore their legal obligation to contact them if they find a stray, for reasons that simply aren’t true, they wanted to put the record straight. Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Michael Michael said: “It’s disappointing that a minority of people are choosing to spread false information about Cardiff Dogs Home at a time when, with the help of a fundraising drive led by Welsh rugby legend Sam Warburton and the recently formed Rescue Hotel…
A revised and updated coronavirus testing strategy has been published by Health Minister Vaughan Gething. The original testing strategy was published in July 2020 and has been revised in light of our greater understanding of the virus, the development of new testing technology and the roll-out of our vaccination programme. The new strategy also expands our testing approach to include more regular testing for NHS and care home staff and patients in hospitals. A community testing framework has also been published which builds on the pilot schemes in Merthyr Tydfil and Lower Cynon to test asymptomatic people to stop the…