Author: Rhys Gregory

Indoor visits to care homes will be allowed in Wales from Saturday 29 August, subject to the strict controls set out in the guidance and conditions remaining favourable, First Minister Mark Drakeford will confirm later today (Friday 21 August). The First Minister will also say that from Saturday, August 22, extended households can expand to include up to four households in an exclusive, extended arrangement. Weddings and funerals will also be able to include a meal for up to 30 people, in suitably socially distant settings. However, he will also warn that despite the latest easing of lockdown restrictions in…

Following a hiatus lasting more than one hundred days, the English Premier League made a return to action on June 17th. 20 teams returned to action as they resumed from where the league closed down in mid-March. The question of the title was quickly decided as Liverpool romped home to their first top-flight trophy in 30 years and their fans duly celebrated the news. Liverpool supporters were relieved to see the EPL’s Project Restart come to fruition as a proposed abandonment of the division would have potentially robbed them of that title. It was a welcome return for the red…

Welsh Government and councils must prioritise supporting Tata Steel Port Talbot and Toyota Deeside, according to a far reaching report prepared for the Welsh Automotive Forum. The report by Ian Henry, head of Autoanalysis, follows similar studies he has carried out for WAF in recent years but his final conclusions have been published against a background of a global economic downturn, the Coronavirus and impending British exit from the EU along with the move to more electrified vehicles. He says supporting the steel plant which supplies products for vehicles bodywork and the Japanese engine plant which feeds into UK and…

For this class of 2020, picking up their GCSE results occurred with strict social distancing measures in place, a very different experience to the hustle and bustle of the usual GCSE results day. A government-backed algorithm used to award grades has been withdrawn after thousands of A level students were downgraded to the predicted grades given by teachers. This morning Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, released a statement and said: “I want to send my very best wishes to everyone who receives their results today. “Due to the many changes we’ve had to make this year in exceptional circumstances, you’ve had…

People in Wales can be treated closer to home for treatment that can minimise the risk of oesophageal cancer, thanks to the introduction of the South Wales Barrett’s Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) Service. The South Wales Barrett’s RFA service, which started in May 2020 and is housed within Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, has already seen 30 referrals to date; all of which have developed consequences of long term Barrett’s oesophagus. Barrett’s oesophagus is a condition where the lining of the lower part of the oesophagus changes to a lining similar to the stomach. The cause of the pre-cancerous condition…

A Welsh football fanatic from Bala whose business keeps alive the memories of the country’s one World Cup Finals appearance has raised £2,500 for NHS charities across Wales. Tim Williams runs website and Bala High Street shop Spirit of 58, which commemorates Wales’s appearance at the 1958 Finals in Sweden when they reached the quarter-finals before losing to a goal from the 17-year-old Pele. He also helped design Wrexham Football Club’s newly-unveiled kits with the green away shirt a nod to the club’s history and based on the colour worn by the club from 1904 to 1921. He has raised…

The Taff’s Well Inn is set to take its place at the heart of the community once more as it prepares to open its doors again after five months of closure. The pub became a focal point for locals following extensive flooding in the area earlier this year, with the Coronavirus outbreak closing its doors not long after. Now, five months and an extensive refurbishment project later, the Taff’s Well Inn is ready to welcome the community it has supported – and which has supported it in return – back after what has been a difficult few months for all…

Swansea University is delighted to announce that it will be the new front of shirt sponsor for Swansea City ahead of the forthcoming 2020-21 season. The University will sit on the front of the first-team’s new home and away shirts for the duration of the upcoming Championship campaign. The logo will also feature on the home and away shirts of the club’s under-23 and ladies teams, while the club’s young supporters will now be able to wear the same replica shirt. To further support the sponsorship, Swansea University will also retain its status as Swansea City’s Exclusive Higher Education Partner.…

Snowdonia National Park Authority is introducing further improvements, including the ability for visitors to pre-book parking at the Pen-y-Pass. The pre-booking system at Pen-y-Pass car park will operate on weekends and bank holidays for the remainder of the summer. This short term pilot, which has been agreed with by Gwynedd Council and North Wales police, will be implemented as a way to assess possible new management models which are aligned with the long term plans for a new and innovative parking and transport system in the Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and Ogwen areas. Access to the car park will be reserved…

Tesco is to hold an extra summer food collection to support the Trussell Trust and FareShare as they respond to an increased demand for food in the wake of the pandemic, and stores in South Wales are taking part. From August 20 to 22 special donation points will be put up at every Tesco Superstore and Extra store, with customers being asked to donate essential items of long-life food. Tesco will top up all customer donations with an additional 20% donation in cash to the two charities. The collection has been organised in direct response to the extra pressures placed…