Author: Rhys Gregory

Cardiff Council is taking over accommodation in the city to help the most vulnerable in our society. The OYO Hotel in Clare Street, Riverside – previously known as the Wynford Hotel – has been taken over by the Council to ensure that self-contained accommodation is available for rough sleepers living in Cardiff. The shipping containers in both Ely and Butetown, which were fitted out for use by homeless families, are also now being used for those homeless people who are showing symptoms of the virus and need to self-isolate. The Council’s current emergency accommodation for the homeless has a number…

Pwllheli-based videographers Kelp & Fern have created a three minute film showing the peace and tranquility of Snowdon after unprecedented levels of visitors at the weekend. The video was shot on Monday before the UK-wide lockdown. Film maker Martin Toole said: “Silent Snowdon was filmed pre lockdown in the UK when exercise and outdoor walks was recommended by the government. “Living nearby I swapped my running trainers for my camera and decided to document the peace and tranquillity of the mountain. “I adhered to the government and mountain rescue advice of social distancing and that being outdoors on walks and…

The Welsh Government is contacting people in Wales who have been identified as being at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus. Each person will be given specific advice about how they can protect themselves, based on their individual medical history and health needs. The letters, which are currently being sent out, will include clear advice to stay at home for 12 weeks, and will list the medical, practical and emotional support available. Wales’ 22 local authorities and the Welsh Government have been working closely with the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) to ensure everyone who receives the…

With an increasing number of people working from home or at home following the Government’s latest advice, it’s not surprising that BT’s Openreach has already seen a 20% surge in demand. Openreach, the UK’s bigger provider of broadband connections, has said they ‘confident’ that their networks can ‘deal with a big increase in people working from home’. That said, home broadband users may still see a drop in their broadband performance. There are many factors that can affect your broadband connection. The distance between your home and the telephone exchange is one, as well as the time of day that…

The West Wales region opened the doors to their Parc y Scarlets home to tackle expected overspill from hospitals dealing with the Covid-19 health crisis. The decision to hand over their stadium to help relieve the strain on services was reached discussions with the Carmarthen County Council and the Hywel Dda University Health Board. Scarlets general manager of rugby Jon Daniels said: “Community has always been a huge part of what the Scarlets is about and in unprecedented times like these communities stick together. “The health service and workers are doing an incredible job in challenging circumstances and we are…

The Red Dragon Centre will be offering free parking spaces for key workers across Cardiff Bay during the lockdown period with immediate effect. Following Government guidelines, the Centre has closed its doors to keep its staff and visitors safe. During this time, the Centre wanted to offer its car parking facilities free of charge to key workers who are working in Cardiff Bay, including supermarket workers, NHS and medical staff, and staff at the schools and nurseries nearby who have to stay open. Emma Constantinou, Marketing and Tenant Liaison Manager at The Red Dragon Centre, said: “At the Red Dragon…

NAT Group is offering free travel to all NHS workers as well as implementing a new cashless policy

A new, online platform designed to support startup and early-stage entrepreneurs has launched, providing free, daily lunch-time workshops. As more people than ever are now having to work from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many early-stage founders are struggling to balance the need to develop and grow their business alongside their day-to-day operations. StartupClub, run by small business experts TownSq, will provide daily, virtual workshops across the UK to help founders address such concerns and give them the guidance and support to stay on track and prepare for the future. Starting Wednesday (25 March) the workshops are open to…

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ordered a lockdown of the UK, amid the rapid growing spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) across the country. The announcement comes as the UK death toll has reached 335 yesterday, with 16 of those in Wales. The total number of confirmed cases in the UK rose to 6,650, with 418 in Wales. In his statement, the Prime Minister has announced the immediate closure of non-essential businesses and limit people from leaving their homes. The Government has promised to review these measures in three weeks times, and will relax them if they can. The following businesses and…

Swansea Building Society celebrated new record‐breaking highs in terms of its total assets, mortgage and savings balances in 2019, when it produced its largest year of balance sheet growth in the Society’s history. The Society’s total assets increased by £61.0m to £370.4m, a growth rate of 20%. Its mortgage balances increased by £40.1m to £273.4m, a growth rate of 17.1%. All of the growth in net mortgage lending was funded by a £59.2m increase in retail savings balances from personal customers. Gross mortgage lending hit a new high at £74.3m in 2019, up from £62.2m in 2018. Despite the increased…