Author: Rhys Gregory

Phase one of the Welsh Gender Service will be seeing the first patients in September as the Clinic, based in Cardiff, open its doors. The Welsh Gender Team, run by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, has started to contact Welsh patients who are currently on the London Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) waiting list with the first clinic taking place on 20 September 2019. The Welsh Gender Service is commissioned by Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC) to provide a gender service for adults in Wales. Patients who meet the criteria for the new service and are currently on the…

Newport City Council has secured £1 million to support the redevelopment of empty or underused city centre properties. [aoa id=”1″] It successfully applied to the Welsh Government’s town centre repayable funding scheme that offers interest-free loans to enable buildings to be brought back into use. Developer and investors with well-developed project plans have until Friday 20 September to submit expressions of interests to the council. These projects must relate to a property within the defined city centre area; reduce vacant or underused premises and encourage more sustainable uses such as offices, residential, leisure or key services. [/aoa] More details of…

The north east Wales college paid for the cost of running all the charity’s UK call centres for 24 hours on GCSE results day Chief Executive David Jones was joined at Deeside Sixth Form Centre by staff from Childline’s Prestatyn base, as thousands of school pupils across the region picked up their GCSE results. Cambria donated £30,000 to the One Unforgettable Day appeal – having raised £115,000 for NSPCC Cymru/Wales last year – and chose the landmark date given its importance to teenagers and their families all over the country. Debs Davis, Childline Services Manager, praised the college for its…

On Thursday 15 August, train passengers between Swansea and Llandrindod Wells on the Heart of Wales line were provided with life-saving CPR and defibrillator training as part of a pan-Wales initiative. Passengers were informed of life-saving techniques to help someone in the event of an emergency as well as being given a chance to practice on a dummy within the carriages. The initiative between Welsh Hearts and Brecon Carreg aims to educate people throughout Wales about CPR training and fundraise for much-needed defibrillators for some of the most rural areas. Sharon Owen, director, Welsh Hearts said: “It’s our mission to…

World Mountain Biking Champion siblings Dan, Gee and Rachel Atherton, have today [Friday 23 August] opened Dyfi Bike Park after securing a £2 million commercial mortgage from HSBC UK. [aoa id=”1″] The 650-acre site falls from the 666m peak at Tarren y Gesail and was originally used as a practice track for the siblings. However, over the last four years, the Atherton’s, who have won eight World Championships and 49 World Cup competitions between them, have built four new tracks where young riders and enthusiasts can train alongside World Cup racers. After realising the huge potential at the site, the…

The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust has completed the training of eight new Community First Responders (CFR) who will carry out their duties while working from their office in central Cardiff. [aoa id=”1″] This initiative was launched by employees and strongly supported by management who see this as the way forward for individual organisations to train its staff with life-saving skills and support the wide NHS workforce. All eight volunteers are employed by the NHS Wales Informatics Service (NWIS) and were trained by the Welsh Ambulance Service CFR trainers directly at their central Cardiff office. The First Responders will always…

SPECIALIST advisors are wanted to help maximise the impact of the £1.3 billion Swansea Bay City Deal. [aoa id=”1″] Expressions of interest are now being sought from experts in digital innovation, skills, energy, manufacturing, young people, transport, local development, retail, food and beverages, tourism, heavy industry, and micro business. When needed, successful candidates will advise City Deal leaders including a private sector Economic Strategy Board and a decision-making Joint Committee. The appointment of the specialist advisors is among the recommendations of recent reviews into the Swansea Bay City Deal to help with its delivery. [/aoa] Cllr Rob Stewart, Joint Committee…

A television production company from Gwynedd has clocked up its first international sales for a hit children’s show about a pair of mischievous twins with magical powers. [aoa id=”1″] Caernarfon-based Cwmni Da has sold the first series of the award-winning Deian a Loli to four channels in Brittany after the original version proved hugely popular on S4C. The live action series has been bought by TV Rennes, Tébéo, TébeSud and Brezhoweb and will be broadcast next year after being dubbed in Breton and Gallo, a regional form of French in the border lands of Brittany and Normandy, centred on Le…

A visitor attraction in the historic mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog is on course to develop new trails and create jobs as it joins a campaign to encourage more families across Wales to spend summer holidays with social enterprises. [aoa id=”1″] A quarter of a million mountain bikers have visited Antur Stiniog’s Llechwedd Slate Mountain site in the past 12 months, with 15,000 visitors across the not-for-profit mountain biking centres other locations. Now the organisation has partnered with the Wales Co-Operative Centre to be part of its Social Summer 2019 campaign, which is encouraging families across Wales to make more…

A flower train beautifully decorated by Tywyn Gardening Club has made its popular, annual summer evening excursion on Talyllyn Railway, maintaining a tradition that began 30 years ago. The train ran to Abergynolwyn Station where refreshments were available and Côr Meibion Bro Dysynni (Bro Dysynni Male Voice Choir) provided the entertainment. The club, which made floral arrangements for the engine front and each carriage, ran a raffle to cover the choir’s costs. All profits from the excursion went to the club to help fund its various community activities.