Author: Rhys Gregory

University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) senior lecturers Gaynor Thomas and Beverley Holland are making scrubs for healthcare staff at Swansea Bay University Health Board as part of the “For The Love of Scrubs” project. Gaynor and Beverley from the University’s Wales Institute of Science and Art who both teach computing at UWTSD’s SA1 Swansea Waterfront campus, decided to act to support healthcare workers at local hospitals and care homes tackling the coronavirus crisis after seeing a Facebook support group online. The pair, working independently from their own homes, used their Easter break to make scrubs tops, trousers, caps,…

Award-winning entrepreneur Peter Webber is seeking Welsh Government support to manufacturehyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers that could be used to treat COVID-19 patients. Mr Webber, founder of Newtown-based, multi-award-winning cancer diagnosis equipment specialist CellPath Ltd, is applying for support from the Welsh Government’s Covid-19 Resilience Innovation Project to make the HBOT chambers. The company has also entered the £20 million Innovate UK fast-track competition to develop new ways to tackle global disruption such as that caused by Covid-19. He has set up a new company, XXO2Cell Ltd, In partnership with Mike Mills, a former operations director of a Newtown manufacturer. The company…

National Trust gardeners caring for some of Wales’ most-loved green spaces have shared an insight into the essential maintenance, conservation tasks, wildlife surprises and seasonal sights taking place during lockdown. From weeding and watering to bold birdlife and beautiful blooms, here’s a glimpse into the Trust’s gardens this spring and the team keeping them in good condition ready for when visitors can return. Spring has sprung With spring well underway, the conservation charity’s gardens across the country are bursting into flower. From delicate magnolias and camellias at Dyffryn Gardens in the Vale of Glamorgan to national collections of rhododendrons at…

A COMMUNITY project hit by the Coronavirus pandemic has been given a welcome boost from The National Lottery Community Fund. Meliden’s Y Shed project had been open for just nine months when the country went into lockdown. The Grade II listed building, which had undergone a £1.2 million revamp after standing empty for years, is home to a café and four start-up businesses. All were forced to close, impacting the businesses, the project, and the community surrounding Y Shed. Spearheaded by charitable housing association Grŵp Cynefin and Meliden Residents Action group, Y Shed had become a valuable part of village…

These are challenging, unprecedented times. Covid-19 is causing significant uncertainty for UK organisations of every shape and size. One of the most pressing, and most complex, problems is the relationship between commercial landlords and their tenants. Both are under severe pressure right now and are desperately searching for solutions. I believe the key theme in this current crisis is collaboration. Stand-offs, threats and a refusal to compromise will only end up damaging both parties. So here goes. This is what we know so far. The Government has instructed all non-essential businesses to close for at least three weeks and, in…

People suffering heart attacks during the coronavirus outbreak may be putting their lives at risk by delaying seeking medical help, according to the British Heart Foundation Cymru (BHF Cymru). Cardiologists believe there has been a drop of at least 20% in the number of people seen in hospitals across Wales with a suspected heart attack since the UK-wide lockdown, a BHF survey has found. One Wales cardiologist said they believed their hospital had experienced a drastic drop in hospital admissions. The leading heart research charity is warning that hundreds of local people may be at greater risk of suffering long…

The Welsh Conservatives’ Shadow Minister for Children and Young People – Janet Finch Saunders AM – has this week (21 April) urged the Welsh Government to do more to support Welsh foster carers who may be struggling with their finances as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic.  Many foster carers report increasing financial insecurity as a result of the current coronavirus outbreak. Leading fostering organisations have now called for foster carers, who are unable to foster because of COVID-19 restrictions, to be paid a retainer. Charities also say that foster families are being put under increasing pressure as respite sessions are cancelled, in line with the advice to stay at home. The Shadow Minister has now said that she believes extra financial…

A music teacher will reveal an unusual talent on a new TV show by playing three instruments at the same time – a cornet and two trombones with his feet all at the same time. Osian Davies, 26, from Llanerfyl, near Welshpool, will take centre stage as part of a wacky oompah band in a new programme, Sioe Fach Fawr (Big Little Show) on S4C. The aim of the six-part series is to unearth and showcase local talent in communities across Wales, with each episode culminating in a variety-style concert. It’s described as a cross between a traditional Welsh noson…

Governments need to give ‘urgent consideration’ to their public health response to prevent any   possible impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the number of suicides, experts warn. There’s growing concern about the far-reaching impact COVID-19 may have on people’s mental health across the globe, with the consequences likely to be present for longer and peak later than the actual pandemic. Forty-two researchers from around the world, including Professor Ann John, Deputy Head of Swansea University Medical School, have formed the International COVID-19 Suicide Prevention Research Collaboration. Writing in The Lancet Psychiatry, they say an increase in suicides is not inevitable…

Wine lovers are being urged to support their local vineyards and discover award-winning Welsh wines by joining Welsh Wine Night, a live virtual event which aims to encourage consumers to place orders directly with producers. A partnership between the Welsh Vineyard Association and the WineGB organisation, Welsh Wine Night will go live on YouTube and Instagram Live (Black Book Winery followed by Wine Time London) at 7pm this Friday (24thApril) and will allow viewers to be guided through a series of acclaimed Welsh wines that can be ordered directly from Welsh vineyards. In advance of the event, consumers are being…