Author: Rhys Gregory

Swansea Council staff are being retrained and redirected to support thousands of vulnerable people who’ll be told by the NHS to shield themselves from Coronavirus. Letters will be dropping through letterboxes to those identified by the NHS as being most at risk which will call on them to self-isolate for 12 weeks. An initial 3,000 letters will be going out across Swansea in the coming days with others receiving them over the coming weeks. Anyone who thinks they might be at risk should stay at home. It’s anticipated that many of those affected will have friends and family to take…

Furious care home staff are calling for a boycott of Tesco after they refused to allow them to shop there during the special NHS time slots. Disgusted Senior care practitioner Ria Roberts, a 34-year-single mum who works for the Pendine Park care organisation in Wrexham, blasted the “lack of respect” shown to them by the giant supermarket chains. Ria says she and  team are on the front line of the coronavirus crisis and are putting themselves at risk just like NHS workers. It’s understood Morrisons have imposed a similar ban but she praised Sainsbury’s who have confirmed that care home…

Wales Arts Review to launch digital arts festival this weekend, Friday 27 March to Sunday 29 March, to raise emergency funds for artists and freelancers who have had their income impacted by efforts to stem the spread of Covid-19. Headline acts announced so far include Sarah Waters, Amy Wadge, Georgia Ruth, and No Fit State. Line-up also to include Wales Book of the Year winner Ailbhe Darcy, Welsh Music Prize winners Adwaith, and Keeping Faith star Eve Myles. The Wales Arts Review Digithon is a three-day online digital arts festival featuring content from some of Wales’ top musicians, actors, artists, writers,…

The hugely popular streaming service has just announced all of the latest shows and films coming to UK devices this week. Some of the notable highlights of course include, the latest season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Coffee & Kareem and the adventures of TinTin. There are so many repeat classics returning to the platform. With UK in lockdown, Brits are turning to video streaming such as Netflix and Prime. Last week, it was reported that the services plan to low the stream quality in Europe as they keep up with the daily demand. Here are all of the shows coming to…

Millions of self-employed individuals will receive direct cash grants though a ground-breaking UK-wide scheme to help them during the coronavirus outbreak, the Chancellor has announced. In the latest step to protect individuals and businesses, Rishi Sunak has set out plans that will see the self-employed receive up to £2,500 per month in grants for at least 3 months. Millions of people across the UK could benefit from the new Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, with those eligible receiving a cash grant worth 80% of their average monthly trading profit over the last three years. This covers 95% of people who receive…

A social care leader has warned that more elderly and vulnerable care home residents will die because they are being treated like “collateral damage” in the war against the coronavirus. Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales which represents nearly 500 independent social care providers, is calling for “vision and leadership” from the Westminster and Cardiff Bay governments because more could and should be done to shield the residents and the staff. According to Mr Kreft, the authorities were “throwing the kitchen sink” at the NHS but the vital role of the social care sector in propping up…

A state-of-the-art Macmillan and the National Garden Scheme palliative care unit has been shortlisted for a social impact building award. The £7.25m Y Bwthyn NGS Macmillan Specialist Palliative Care Unit at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital is on the shortlist for a RICS Social Impact Award 2020 in Wales in the healthcare category. The eight-bed unit was funded in a partnership between Macmillan Cancer Support and their longest-standing charity partner the National Garden Scheme, as well as Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and the Welsh Government. It opened its doors in September, offering inpatient, outpatient and day palliative care to…

SWANSEA Council is transforming the way it works to support local communities during the unprecedented Coronavirus crisis.  Critical front-line services like recycling, social services, child care, burials and emergency highways and council house repairs will continue while hundreds of support staff are working from home to keep the council operating. But staff working in non-essential services are being re-trained and re-directed to help provide critical services. Large numbers of staff are stepping up to the plate and transforming what they do to help their communities during this crisis. Rob Stewart, Leader of the Council, said: “We are facing unprecedented challenges…

113 new cases have tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 741, although the true number of cases is likely to be higher. The number of deaths from coronavirus have now reached 28 in Wales. Dr Robin Howe, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “113 new cases have tested positive for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 741, although the true number of cases is likely to be higher.    “Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is now circulating…

A group of independent food & drink businesses from around Cardiff is working together to donate meals to local NHS staff working through the Coronavirus crisis. A collective of more than twenty of the city’s best-loved independents  – from bakers to cheesemongers to pizza makers – will be delivering weekly food parcels to workers who are likely to be rushed off their feet in the coming weeks. But to guarantee that deliveries can continue for the duration of the crisis, a Just Giving page has been set up to cover the ongoing cost of ingredients and deliveries. Kevin McGuckian is the…