Author: Rhys Gregory

As Wales considers the future of lockdown, Deputy Minister and Chief Whip Jane Hutt has praised Wales’ volunteers, and urged others to get involved as their services will be needed more than ever in the months to come. The call comes after more than 360 people came forward to help Carmarthenshire County Council set up furniture and equipment at the county’s four field hospitals. This was just 24 hours after the appeal for volunteers went live through the Carmarthenshire Association of Volunteering Services (CAVS) Volunteering Wales website and the connect2carmarthenshire.org.uk platform. Connect2Carmarthenshire, has been established to connect people offering help…

Thousands of small charities within the retail, leisure and hospitality sector will receive a £10,000 business support grant to help them respond to the financial challenges of Covid-19, the Welsh Government has announced. This new £26m package – an extension to the existing Covid-19 grants scheme announced last month – will support an additional 2,600 properties with a rateable value of £12,000 or below. This includes charity run shops, sports premises and community centres which, until now, have not been eligible for this type of support. Finance Minister, Rebecca Evans said: “We recognise and applaud the huge contribution charities make…

A consumer marketing campaign to increase the demand for liquid milk across the UK to support the dairy sector impacted by Covid19, is set to get underway. The impact of the global pandemic has had an immediate impact on the dairy sector with the closure of the food service and hospitality sectors leaving some processors without a viable outlet for their milk and milk products. The new consumer campaign will help balance the oversupply of milk from the closure of the food service sector. AHDB estimate sales by liquid milk processors servicing foodservice or wholesale markets have dropped by 50-60%.…

A Cardiff textiles teacher is putting her expertise to use during the coronavirus lockdown by helping co-ordinate the production of thousands of much needed medical scrubs for Wales’ healthcare heroes in the NHS by volunteers. Nia Clements, who is head of design and technology at Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr, in Fairwater, Cardiff, has helped set up production hubs throughout communities in South and West Wales, with support from the Welsh Government. In total, more than 100 volunteers are donating their time and energy to aid the national effort against coronavirus by using fabric secured by the Welsh Government from UK…

Mid Wales’ only open-air theatre made of living willow is to broadcast a live online version of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Stream’ on Saturday (May 9).  The Willow Globe theatre, located at Penlanole, near Llandrindod Wells, will be empty due to Covid-19 restrictions but actors from The Wet Mariners are set to overcome the challenge of lockdown with their customary verve. Using the Internet as their shared platform, the actors will perform their parts at home, alone, to create a vibrant and original production of Shakespeare’s leading comedy for everyone to enjoy. The Wet Mariners is a company of professional actors who visit…

South Wales Police has charged a 29 year-old woman from Porth with the murder of John Rees, 88, from Trealaw and the attempted murder of three others following an incident in Penygraig in the Rhondda. Zara Anne Radcliffe will appear before Cardiff Magistrates Court this morning (Thursday 7th May). Shortly after 1.45pm Tuesday, police officers were called to the incident at a convenience store on Tylacelyn Road in Penygraig in the Rhondda. Officers are continuing to appeal to any witnesses who have not yet come forward to contact them on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting reference 2000153856.…

RSPCA Cymru has launched an appeal to the people of Prestatyn for information after concerns of multiple gull shootings in the same area.  Three gulls have been found shot dead in the area of Marion Road, with the incidents spread out across late April and early May. An RSPCA officer responded to the most recent incident on 3 May – with an examination of the gull’s dead body sadly confirming pellet gun injuries to the neck. The bird had fallen dead into a member of the public’s garden. Further enquiries have revealed a further two similar incidents in the local…

A former headteacher who won a Pride of Britain Award for her services to teaching has been doing a weekly video blog designed to help parents and children grappling with home schooling during the Coronavirus lockdown. Pepe Hart, who lives in Bristol, was the head teacher of The Academy of Trinity Primary School in Radstock for 10 years. During that time, she achieved four outstanding OFSTEDs, won a ‘Diana, Anti-Bullying’ award in recognition of the school’s zero tolerance to bullying and Pepe personally won a Pride of Britain Award for her work at the school. Now an Adviser to the…

The entertainment industry, like many in the country, has ground to a virtual shut down. Bars and restaurants remain closed, as do some of Wales’ other attractions. Residents are unable to follow their usual pastimes, with a traditional game of bingo one of the industries suffering badly. Wales has some wonderful bingo halls, from converted cinemas to brand new buildings, catering for the older generation at lunchtimes, through to a younger audience late into the evening. Whilst the doors are not open at present, once things return to normal, they’ll be looking to attract people to their games. Bingo is…

Bingo has always been the favourite pastime for Brits because of its interactive and delightful vibes. Anyone with some free time on hands would love working with these cards and chanting Bingo at the end. According to a recent study published in Mirror Online, there are around 3.5 million bingo players in the UK; 4 out of every 5 players are stay-at-home moms. The UK has 650 licensed bingo places, and this number is continuously increasing. The shift from traditional bingo places to online platforms has made this game more manageable for everyone as they don’t have to “make time” to visit…