Author: Rhys Gregory

Many people including us are finding ourselves working from home for the foreseeable future. It means, we’ve had to create a mini office at home, which doubles as a classroom. These days everything is digital, we all use laptops in our house and our daughter has been using an iPad since she was two years old. We almost never have to print anything, unless it’s a legal document that needs signing or using a small portable photo printer on special occasions. However, working (and learning) from home has presented us with a challenge. We’re finding that we’re having to print off…

Childcare provision for Cardiff’s key workers doing essential work through the COVID-19 outbreak is changing to a hub-based system from Monday 30, March. To reduce the chances of COVID-19 spreading throughout the school community Cardiff Council will be keeping 12 schools open as childcare hubs while the rest will close. This will also enable the Council to concentrate on its cleaning, safe practice and social distancing protocols within the schools which remain open. In order to ensure the transmission of COVID-19 is slowed or halted, key workers and the families of vulnerable learners are being told that school provision is…

What Stores, along with a small number of other retailers have vowed to remain open during the Government lockdown. The store sells household items in addition to other home and outdoor products, and will remain open to provide customers with essential items. In a post on Facebook today, What Stores have said: “Like many local businesses in this difficult time, we have decided to remain open in line with government advisement to continue providing household essentials to the customers that need them. “Our staff have been fantastic and are working very hard to keep our shelves stocked and our customers…

Bus operator First Cymru will be implementing a revised timetable from Sunday 29 March in response to reduced demand and the government to advise against all but essential travel. The changes include frequency and route alterations, as well as service cancellations. Selected services calling at hospitals and medical staff accommodation have been revised to help key workers travel to and from their place of work. The service change is the second in as many weeks and comes after Government outlined strict new measures to tackle the spread of coronavirus, including a requirement for people to stay at home, except for…

The Royal Mint is mass manufacturing medical visors for the NHS next week– providing critical protection for frontline staff. The Royal Mint has announced that it will begin manufacturing medical visors for the NHS after developing a successful prototype to help protect frontline care workers. The first batch of visors are already in use at The Royal Glamorgan Hospital in South Wales. The Royal Mint, usually known for making coins, bullion and gifts, has a state of the art manufacturing facility in Llantrisant. Engineers at the site were keen to support NHS workers, and began searching for medical equipment which…

A huge amount of work has taken place to help the health board face the unprecedented challenges posed by the Coronavirus pandemic. The number of confirmed new cases rose by 180 today in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 921. There has also been six further deaths of people who had tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The total number of deaths in Wales is now 34. There have been sweeping changes across hospitals, while staff have taken on extra duties, additional training and even different roles to ensure the best possible patient care is provided. Everyone…

The Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, has announced how current Year 10 and 12 learners in Wales will be assessed, as alternative arrangements are introduced following the outbreak of the coronavirus and the cancellation of summer exams. The Minister has decided that Year 10 and 12 students who were due to sit exams this summer will not be required to sit these exams at a later date. The Minister’s decision was based on detailed consideration of the options available and advice from Qualifications Wales and the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC). AS levels In Wales, as well as being stand-alone qualifications,…

Rapid progress is being made converting three sites in Carmarthenshire into temporary medical provision. Carmarthenshire County Council has commissioned its framework contractors to prepare Carmarthen Leisure Centre, and the Selwyn Samuel Centre and Parc y Scarlets barn in Llanelli, to provide additional bed space for the NHS. It is hoped the sites will be ready within weeks, in time for an anticipated peak demand for beds in May. Carmarthenshire County Council’s Leader, Cllr Emlyn Dole, and Deputy Chief Executive Jake Morgan, visited the sites today to check progress and thank contractors and operational staff for working tirelessly to prepare the…

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has revealed plans to use Principality Stadium as a field hospital to help tackle Covid-19. This comes as 180 new cases have tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 921. There has also been six further deaths of people who had tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The total number of deaths in Wales is now 34. Len Richards, Chief Executive of Cardiff and Vale UHB said: “Cardiff and Vale University Health Board has been planning and making preparations based upon the modelling and predictions…

Today, the WeCare Wales campaign has launched a new jobs portal, to help social care employers advertise their high number of vacancies, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The social care sector is under increasing pressure to provide vital services to the most vulnerable people in our communities as more staff follow self-isolating guidelines. To address these urgent shortages, employers have been taking to social media to recruit more people in a range of roles such as carers, chefs and drivers. The WeCare Wales campaign is working with employers to share their job vacancies on Twitter using the hashtag #WeCareWalesJobs.…