Author: Rhys Gregory

The Welsh Government is today announcing a package of support worth more than £200m for small businesses to help them during the Coronavirus outbreak.  This announcement follows confirmation yesterday by the UK Government that Wales will receive £475m in funding to help with its response to Coronavirus. The total number of people in Wales who have tested positive for Coronavirus currently stand at 124, after a further 30 people were diagnosed. It has also been announced that a 68 year old man has become the first patient in Wales known to have died from Coronavirus. Shops, leisure and hospitality businesses with…

An app that simplifies text for students with dyslexia and learning difficulties and a robot friend for those with anxiety and autism are just two of the final ideas in the running to win the £25,000 Longitude Explorer Prize. The prize calls on the UK’s young people to put their ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit to the test and use technology – such as artificial intelligence (AI) – for social good. They have been challenged to create and develop solutions to some of the world’s biggest issues, including climate change, living healthier lives, and an ageing population. Other game-changing ideas hoping…

Anna-Louise Bates, 44, and Zachary Stubbings, 41, are encouraging family and friends to support two good causes very close to their hearts as they celebrate their marriage at Castell Coch at the end of May. Believe Organ Donation Support was created by Anna-Louise from Thornhill in Cardiff, in memory of her late husband Stuart and their son Fraser, who both died in a road accident in December 2015.  Zachary met Anna-Louise when he came to collect a Fraser Bear, the charity’s mascot, after having a stem cell transplant as part of his treatment for blood cancer. The couple got chatting,…

Plans for a groundbreaking Swansea city centre building allowing tech and creative businesses to grow have been submitted for planning permission. The planning application shows a glass-fronted structure rising six stories on the site of The Kingsway’s former Oceana nightclub. More than 600 people could work there. The plans, assisted by feedback in a public consultation last year and further feedback this year, feature two underground levels and a roof terrace with trees. Other greenery, including a green roof, is part of the plans for the building, reflecting Swansea Council’s commitment to green infrastructure. The building’s working title is 71…

Welsh aluminium fabricator Dudley’s Aluminium have secured three new contracts for builds in the south west to benefit their local communities. The first of the three builds is Bath Quays South, an office building with a total of 45,000sqft over five open plan floors. The building will include basement parking, cycle storage, showers, and lockers and has been designed to be flexible with the ability to subdivide floors in accordance with occupier requirements. Dudley’s will be working with BAM Construction Ltd on the build and will be installing a range of Kawneer products including curtain walling and windows, both with…

The Child of Wales Awards, an event that celebrates the inspirational achievements of children across Wales, due to take place in the Celtic Manor on April 3, has been postponed because of concerns overCoronavirus (COVID-19). Some 750 guests including a number of celebrities were due to attend the event hosted by Carol VordermanMBE and Ian Gough. The organisers said that the difficult decision was taken in the best interests of the guests and the young award winners. A new date will be announced for the event once there is greater clarity over managing the Coronavirus. Blanche Sainsbury, the founder of…

After more than 10 years of award-winning wine production, the Ferguson family has sold Kerry Vale Vineyard, located on the England-Wales border near Montgomery. The vineyard, set up by Geoff and June Ferguson as a family business in 2010, has won multiple national and international awards for its wine, its excellent customer service and its café’s locally sourced food and homemade cakes. It has even featured on BBC1, BBC2 and ITV, bringing the border area’s wine scene into the spotlight. Last month, a decade after it was established, Mr Ferguson decided to pass over the baton to wine enthusiasts Russell…

A leading Welsh respiratory consultant is urging smokers to quit now or risk suffering more serious complications if they develop Covid-19. Keir Lewis, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Swansea University, warns that smokers could be at greater risk of going on to develop the Covid-19 lung illness from the coronavirus. This is because they already have weakened lung defences as a result of their smoking which has damaged the cells protecting their nose and upper and lower airways. Meanwhile many smokers will also have existing lung conditions which we know from other countries makes them much more vulnerable to the…

Big city gangs armed with guns and running heroin and crack cocaine into North Wales are being targeted in a ground-breaking campaign led by the region’s policing boss North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones has made the fight against Serious and Organised Crime one of his key policing priorities and his Force are leading the way in tackling the gangs. Heroin and crack cocaine are the stock in trade of the 27 gangs active in the area and they are ready to back up their threats with violence with one in five serious assaults in North Wales down…

A patient diagnosed with Coronavirus in Wales has died after contracting the virus, Public Health Wales has confirmed. The patient, a 68 year old man was being treated at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital and is understood to have underlying health conditions. The total number of people who have tested positive for Coronavirus currently stand at 124, after a further 30 people have been diagnosed in 24 hours. The Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr Frank Atherton said: “It is with regret that today I am confirming a patient in Wales has sadly died after contracting COVID-19. I offer my sincere…