Author: Rhys Gregory

Staff at a care organisation will have a starring role in a new film about life under lockdown. The documentary is being produced by Wrexham Museum to chronicle how local people coped with the coronavirus crisis. Among those being featured are staff at Pendine Park who are on the frontline in protecting their much-loved residents. They told how locking down early and extensive training had been at the heart of their approach to tackling the pandemic. Residents are getting creative to keep their spirits, with arts and music being used to counter the emotional and practical impacts of dealing with…

Chapter Arts Centre has announced a special virtual event of stand-up comedy, by Robin Morgan and some of his best comedy friends, to take place on Friday 3 July. In 2010, Robin Morgan (BBC Radio 4, Sky One, CBBC and BBC One) performed his first stand-up gig at Drones Comedy Club. This year, to celebrate a decade of doing stand-up, Robin was due to perform at Chapter with a one-off special comedy gig. Although Chapter is unable to host the celebration as originally planned, they are delighted to welcome back Robin for this online virtual comedy gig, featuring: Angela Barnes…

THE one-stop shop for health information and advice in Wales is celebrating its 20th birthday. NHS Direct Wales, which is hosted by the Welsh Ambulance Service, is available to call 24 hours a day, every day for people who are feeling ill and are unsure what to do. It manages an average 46,000 calls per month, while its website allows the public to check their symptoms online and search for their nearest dentist, minor injuries unit, pharmacy, GP, sexual health clinic and other services. NHS Direct Wales is the backbone of the new NHS 111 Wales service, which is live…

Today over 280 restaurants in towns and city centres will open their doors for walk-in takeaway service, including Cardiff and Swansea. With restaurant teams adjusting to new procedures to enable safe working and social distancing, McDonal’s has said stores will look a little different and things may take a little longer. Cardiff’s Queen Street restaurant and the one on Swansea’s Oxford Street will reopen for walk-ins, but others in the area remain open for drive-thru only. McDonald’s has said that the safety and wellbeing of their employees, customers and delivery partner couriers is their priority, so they have introduced the…

A Welsh technology entrepreneur has launched an online learning community to help close the growing digital skills gap. Stryve, founded by Dan Lewis, is a space for people of all levels of experience to learn new tech skills from their peers and share learning content that they feel was really useful to them. The platform, which is focused solely on digital and technology, has been designed to help raise awareness of different learning and career opportunities out there. Its ethos is to ‘share, learn and progress’. People can access and share content like courses, podcasts, blogs and events; review, rate…

The Conveyancing Association (CA), the leading trade body for the conveyancing industry, has today urged the Welsh Government to go ‘further’ and ‘faster’ in opening up its housing market, suggesting that it now needs to follow the same approach and protocols which have been in place in the English market since mid-May. Last Friday, the Welsh Government announced a partial reopening of the housing market in Wales from the 22nd June meaning: All house moves can go ahead where the residential property has been unoccupied i.e. vacant for at least 72 hours.   House moves can take place where a sale…

No playdough, sandpits, or water games, but plenty of cuddles and outdoor play in smaller groups, and NO floor markings, face masks or timed toilet breaks. That’s the life after lockdown plan for the UK’s biggest childcare provider, which has already reopened nurseries in countries first affected by Covid-19, including Singapore and Malaysia, and over 300 centres across England Busy Bees, which has three centres in Wales, has confirmed that its health and safety plans for its Welsh nurseries won’t require children to play in hoops and bubbles as some schools have suggested. Instead, it will focus on dividing children…

NORTH Wales Economic Ambition Board is recruiting to help deliver the region’s transformative £1bn Growth Deal. The Ambition Board’s Programme Office is looking to fill seven key positions that will drive forward the programmes that make up the Deal – part of the Growth Vision for North Wales. Led by director Alwen Williams, the team currently consists of Digital Programme Manager Stuart Whitfield, Energy Programme Manager Henry Aron, Land and Property Manager David Matthews and Operations Manager Hedd Vaughan-Evans. Based at Conwy Business Centre in Llandudno Junction – and remotely – they are seeking a Programme Manager to lead on…

The recent impact of COVID-19 on the small food and drink producing businesses has been significant. As a positive, more people have sought to support local businesses, realising the worth of ‘Buy Local’.  As part of the buy local movement Cwm a Mynydd, the rural development programme for Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent are offering food and drink producers an opportunity to become a part of a soon to be launched local food map for Caerphilly and Blaenau Gwent providing a visual directory of local food and drink.  The food map and website will give residents an easy way to see…

Vulnerable young people across the Caerphilly county borough will receive care boxes, as part of a new initiative launched to coincide with Youth Work Week 2020; taking place from 22nd – 30th June. The ‘Because We Care’ box initiative has been developed by The Basement and HPAD (Homelessness, Prevention, Awareness, Diversion) teams, who both form part of Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Youth Service. Through the scheme, Youth Workers are delivering boxes to vulnerable young people that they work with to let them know that they care and a reminder that support is still available to them throughout the pandemic. An…