Author: Rhys Gregory

The AMRC Cymru is one of several key sites set to host the rapid manufacturing of ventilators as part of a consortium of businesses united under the VentilatorChallengeUK initiative. Building on a UK-wide effort, manufacturing will begin in early April at the Welsh Government-owned facility at Broughton, which is managed by the University of Sheffield’s renowned Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). The VentilatorChallengeUK consortium includes AMRC Cymru anchor tenant Airbus, along with BAE systems, Rolls Royce, GKN Aerospace and Siemens UK among others, who have taken many of their best people from key projects and dedicated significant resources to serve…

The number of confirmed new Coronavirus cases have risen by 284 in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2,121, a marginal increase on yesterday’s figure. There has also been 19 further deaths of people who had tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of deaths in Wales to 117. Dr Robin Howe, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “284 new cases have tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 2,121, although the true number of cases is…

Industry experts discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 virus and subsequent government measures on businesses.

AROUND 1,500 small businesses in Swansea are set to share in £21m of grants this week to help see them through the Coronavirus crisis. Swansea Council staff have pulled out all the stops to make the Welsh Government funding available as quickly as possible to help keep business afloat in these difficult times. The effort is just the first stage of business support being administered by Swansea Council on behalf of the Welsh Government. More payments will be made over the coming weeks as applications are processed. Rob Stewart, Leader of the Council, said: “These are difficult times and we…

Results from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) first Covid-19 Business Impact Tracker paints a concerning, if unsurprising, picture for business communities affected by Coronavirus. The BCC’s new tracker will serve as a barometer of business’ response to the government’s measures and changes to business’ working practices over the next few months. It will also track how quickly new government interventions, introduced to deal with the real-world impact of this crisis, are getting to the businesses at the front line. The first set of polling was conducted from 25-27 March with responses from over 600 businesses. It revealed that a…

A children’s hospice has thanked big-hearted bakers who made a special consignment of bread to help them keep going. The Village Bakery  delivered a special batch of honey and spelt bread to Hope House in Morda, near Oswestry, which also provides a service for families in North East Wales. Among the other recipients of the 800gm sliced loaves were the The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, in Gobowen, near Oswestry, Nightingale House Hospice in Wrexham and staff  at  the Pendine Park care organisation which  has eight care homes in Wrexham and Caernarfon. The family owned bakery is planning…

On International Children’s Books Day (April 2nd), the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) in partnership with the Books Council of Wales are delighted to announce that they have awarded a PhD scholarship in the internationalisation of children’s literature to Megan Farr from Penarth. Over the next three years, Megan Farr will develop a strategy for the internationalisation of children’s stories for the publishing sector in Wales. Megan will explore the appropriate strategies that the publishing sector in Wales needs to develop in order to strengthen its operations at an international level in the field of children’s literature. The…

With a huge percentage of the population now at home, it is vital that we continue to keep fit or indeed use this time to improve our health and fitness.  Many of those at home are over 70 and if they don’t already exercise and are particularly inactive, the benefits of exercise could be felt within a couple of weeks. Here, Dr Peter Herbert, a Physiologist at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and a leading authority on fitness in the older generation offers some advice on ways people can exercise at home in order to improve their overall…

An Anglesey woman who survived a horrific cycling accident, tuberculosis and meningitis in her younger days celebrated her 102nd birthday under a Coronavirus lockdown at the care home where she now lives. But thanks to technology Doris Hughes was able to see her son and other family members as they joined the birthday party via a social media platform shown on a big screen at the Gwyddfor Residential Home in Bodedern, near Holyhead. Doris’s son, Ken Hughes, a retired teacher who now spends time composing and recording music, who lives near Wrexham says while it was disappointing, he couldn’t physically…

Tata Steel has donated vital personal protective equipment (PPE) for Swansea Bay’s NHS staff who are on the frontline treating patients with Coronavirus.  Workers at the steel plant in Port Talbot have been working around the clock to source the equipment from all over the UK. The equipment will now be put straight into action where it is needed the most. Richard Williams, Stores Manager for Tata at Port Talbot, said:  “We have made a very special delivery on behalf of the company to a destination, a few weeks ago, I could never have imagined we would be delivering to.”…