Author: Rhys Gregory

Nationwide, the UK’s biggest building society, is making £250,000 available to help make a difference in communities across Wales. Now the Society is urging its members to vote for which projects should receive a grant of up to £50,000, with polling due to close on 20 July 2018. The Society invited applications for grants for housing projects that have the potential to strengthen communities and help make a difference in local areas, ranging from preventing people from being homeless, helping people into a home and supporting people to remain in their homes. It comes as new research for Nationwide Building…

Growing media interest about the environmental impact of packaging, new government policy and plastic-free packaging strategies adopted by leading retailers have pushed packaging to the forefront of consumers’ minds. In response to growing consumer concern about packaging, exclusive new research suggests the UK’s interest in recycling is at an all-time high. The research on behalf of Beyond the Box surveyed more than 2,000 adults across the UK, revealing a surge of interest in packaging and recycling. Almost two thirds (63%) of those in Wales claim to be worried about packaging and the types of materials used to package their favourite…

A Marie Curie fundraising group had a surprise visitor to their Blooming Great Tea Party last week – when Russell Grant showed up to support the event. The Meirion and Dwyfor Fundraising Group, who raise money for the terminal illness charity, would like to say a big thank you to Russel Grant, who visited them and their supporters at the Glaslyn Leisure Centre in Porthmadog on June 27. Marie Curie provides care and support to people living with a terminal illness, and their families. Russell chatted to Marie Curie volunteers, and posed for a picture with school children from Tremadog…

A pioneering teacher training progamme at Aberystwyth University has been granted accreditation for five years by the Education Workforce Council. From September 2019, the University’s School of Education will be delivering a new Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) offering two pathways to Qualified Teaching Status (QTS). Student teachers can choose to follow either a Primary Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with Secondary Enrichment, or a Secondary PGCE with Primary Enrichment. Professor Malcolm Thomas, Director of the School of Education at Aberystwyth University, said: “This is a pioneering, integrated programme which responds to the needs of teacher education in the 21st…

As universities approach the end of term, TV Licensing is reminding cash-strapped students in Wales that they may be entitled to a refund worth over £50. Since 1 April 2017, TV Licensing has changed the way refunds are calculated meaning that over 111,355 students in Wales packing up and moving home for the summer could be entitled to a refund just in time to celebrate the end of their exams. Students can claim for any full months left on their licence; so if they bought their licence last October and moved out in May, they could receive a refund worth…

A public consultation on the future of adult thoracic surgery in south Wales has been launched this week. The Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee, on behalf of six affected health boards, is asking for views on a proposal to locate adult thoracic surgery for patients from south Wales at a single centre based at Morriston Hospital in Swansea. Thoracic surgery involves operations on all parts of the chest, including the chest wall, the contents of the chest, and the lungs, however it does not include heart surgery. The services are currently spread across two sites, the University Hospital of Wales…

A Cardiff-based construction firm has won a leading industry award for the third year in a row for a new development in the Welsh capital at the same time as revenue exceeds £14M for the first time. Atkin Trade Specialists, based in Cardiff docks, has received a Gold award at the annual Finishes and Interior Sector (FIS) Awards for the development of 85 private apartments on Schooner Way in the city. The awards ceremony was held at the Dorchester Hotel in London. The development, which occupies the site previously belonging to the Wharf pub, is the brainchild of primary developer…

As the UK prepares to leave the EU, the Welsh NHS Confederation’s Policy Forum has identified 10 key outcomes needed for health and social care in Wales following Brexit. Vanessa Young, Director of the Welsh NHS Confederation said: “Brexit brings uncertainty in a number of important areas across the health and social care sector in Wales. Our Policy Forum has considered the possibilities post-Brexit and produced 10 outcomes for health and social care we need to see from UK Government’s negotiations and beyond. “From a workforce perspective we need to continue to attract high calibre professionals and trainees to our…

Preliminary plans for new engineering works on the world’s first preserved railway in Mid Wales have been described as “a once in a generation opportunity”. Talyllyn Railway Company Board and Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society Council have both endorsed a working group report which recommends acquiring land adjacent to the railway on Tywyn Pendre Enterprise Park to build the new works. Both organisations have stressed that the plans are at an early stage and that many challenges must be overcome to deliver the project. The new facility would be the railway’s engineering base for all major locomotive and rolling stock work…

Conwy County Council will launch the Grade-II listed Bodlondeb building for weddings on Wednesday (July 11). Following the success of its inaugural wedding fair in May, organisers are welcoming partner organisations and the public to Conway Road from 2pm to 7pm, where they can witness firsthand the stunning ceremony room, picturesque gardens and marquee. Delyth Jones, Conwy’s Head of Law and Governance, says they have already received bookings from couples eager to tie the knot at the popular 140-year old landmark, home to the local authority. “Since announcing we were planning to conduct weddings at Bodlondeb the reaction has been…