Author: Rhys Gregory

A Powys care homeowner is so disillusioned with the unfair postcode lottery system of residential care funding in Wales that he’s calling for an urgent investigation. After spending 14 years battling for change, Doug Leach, who runs the Bryngwy care home in Rhayader says he is fed up with the chronic underfunding of social care. Mr Leach wants an  inquiry into the way residential homes receive widely differing fees from local authorities and says sweeping changes are needed. He spoke out after Care Forum Wales, which represents nearly 500 social care providers, presented a “terrible ten” local authorities with Cheapskate…

Business confidence in Wales fell five points during June to -40%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank. Companies in Wales reported that confidence in their business prospects had fallen month-on-month to -32%. When taken alongside their views on the economy overall, this gives a headline confidence reading of -40%. The Business Barometer questions 1,200 businesses monthly and provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide. When asked about the impact of coronavirus on their business, more than a third (37%)  said they expect to be operating at more than 50% of capacity by the…

Cardiff solicitor Molly Fensome-Lush has been named a finalist in the Rising Star of the Year category in the prestigious Wales Legal Awards 2020. Molly, 25, who joined Clarke Willmott LLP as the first member of the private capital team in their office in Pierhead Street in November 2019, specialises in health and welfare matters in the Court of Protection. She regularly advises vulnerable adults (who may lack capacity) and their representatives, or family members in health and welfare matters and complex deprivation of liberty cases. Molly said: “It was so exciting when I discovered I was a finalist. It’s…

Tesco has donated 3.3 million meals of surplus food across South Wales, the supermarket revealed today, as it hit a milestone of 50 million meals being donated across the UK. Enough food to give everyone in Wales a meal, the food has been donated through the Community Food Connection scheme it operates with food redistribution charity FareShare. Every Tesco store in the UK participates in the scheme, which is celebrating five years of helping communities across the country, and sees more than a million meals donated every month. Since the start of the pandemic almost 700 new groups have signed up…

A graduate programme created in response to the last recession is warning Welsh businesses to learn from the lessons of 2008 or risk weakening their recovery. With concerns a generation of graduates could be lost to the market, the organiser of Graduate Programmes Wales is cautioning that businesses who overlook graduate recruitment will be denying themselves the opportunity for new talent to support their Covid-19 recovery. First launched as a pilot scheme in 2013, the Graduate Programme Wales (then known as the Welsh Financial Services Graduate Programme) was itself initially created following the 2008 financial crisis as a strategy to…

An EIGHT-YEAR-OLD cancer survivor from Rhiwbina re-opened the Cancer Research UK superstore in Cardiff this week, as the charity urges people in the city to shop to save lives. Darcy Stone who originally opened the store in February last year, cut the ribbon again alongside mum Ruth, her dad, Ian, and her older brother Dylan. They also came armed with donations of books, toys and clothes which Darcy had helped to collect. Three months on from the shops’ closure in March, staff and volunteers at the Cardiff superstore, are now getting back to business to tackle a shortfall in funding,…

It’s feared some pre-school children may not be receiving their routine vaccinations on time due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Health professionals working in the community say they’ve had reports of parents and carers turning down invitations to attend their GP surgery due to concerns about potential infection. This could lead to a resurgence in preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough in future. A campaign has now been launched by Swansea Bay University Health Board and colleagues in Public Health Wales to offer reassurance over safety and address a range of other concerns, including immunisations for families who are…

On Thursday 25 June, Pearson celebrated the tenth anniversary of their National BTEC Awards online, announcing Coleg Gwent learner, Georgia Kenvin from the Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone, as winner of the prestigious bronze award for Uniformed Public Services. Georgia, aged 20, from Tredegar – South Wales, was recognised by teachers and peers for succeeding in her career ambition of joining the police force by demonstrating her passion, tenacity and willingness to learn during her time on the Uniformed Public Service course. In response to her exceptional achievement, Georgia commented: “I’ve loved the past two years of the course. It has introduced me to new…

A company based in Wales is helping in the fight against coronavirus after its clinical laboratory diagnostic equipment has been shown to have a key use for medical teams treating Covid-19 patients. Benson Viscometers, based in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, designs and manufactures clinical viscometers which are used in the NHS and in the USA to test the viscosity (or thickness) of bodily fluids, notably blood plasma, serum, whole blood and synovial fluid. The plasma viscosity test is an important diagnostic aid for a range of conditions and has now been identified by scientists as important in monitoring critically ill Covid-19 patients.…

A British bulldog has been pulled from the River Taff, prompting the RSPCA to remind people not to dump pets who may sadly have died.  The tan and white female adult dog was found in a sleeping bag liner inside a navy blue, 60-litre rucksack in Troedyrhiw. RSPCA Cymru has confirmed there were no visible injuries or signs of trauma on the dog. The canine was microchipped – but the chip was not linked to an owner’s details. She was found in the river on Thursday 11 June – but veterinary examinations suggest the dog had been dead for some…