News

Four drive-through coronavirus testing centres are to be opened in Wales. The first began operation on Tuesday at Cardiff City stadium.

People have been stockpiling food, supermarket online delivery slots are full, items are restricted in stores and vulnerable people are being sent food parcels by the government. So what is being done to make sure people can get food?

Health Minister, Vaughan Gething, responds to the new UK-wide PPE guidelines published today.

Up to 7,000 extra hospital beds are being created by NHS Wales as it prepares for an increase in coronavirus cases, Health Minister Vaughan Gething today revealed.

Health Minister says GP video calls key in continuing healthcare services while fighting COVID-19. All GP practices in Wales can now access a new system, which allows people to have online appointments with their doctor and other healthcare professionals.

All of the workouts are designed to be done at home, including workouts with items found in every household. Videos range from beginner to advanced, with short technique videos as well as longer exercise sessions. The Elderfit team are on hand to offer help with questions or queries.

The Charity Commission has updated its COVID-19 guidance to include information for charities considering whether they need to change their objects to help in the effort to tackle the pandemic.

Many voluntary organisations may need to furlough employees and use the UK Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The scheme has been introduced to support organisations, that are severely affected by the outbreak, to retain staff wherever possible.

We find ourselves in an unprecedented situation for the UK in modern times, as communities, voluntary organisations and funders navigate their ways through social-distancing, self-isolating and home working to a scale few people are used to. Below is a summary of the statements being made by key funders for Wales.

Focus On... Keeping Well and Social Distancing Human beings are social creatures but the spread and shockwaves of COVID-19 has impacted far and wide.

This is a fast track application process for small one-off grants. It could be particularly useful for funding small projects or to cover unexpected costs. The value of the grant awarded could be up to a maximum of £3,000.

Welsh Government will provide new funding for voluntary organisations, both at the forefront of the Coronavirus support efforts, and for the many that will be hit financially by the crisis. Welsh Government have announced two new funding streams available to charities, community groups and social enterprises in Wales.

Motion Control Dance started the year going strong but now the studio is empty due to the Covid-19 outbreak. These are sad times for many of us as we had to close our studio doors after just getting our new floor installed and building our participants up to 274 weekly members.

For people living in the Vale of Glamorgan here are some tips to keep you busy.

Local opportunities for employment and volunteering at Innovate Trust and Skills and Volunteering Cymru (SVC)

COVID-19 PLEASE KEEP YOUR DISTANCE To protect everyone: Stay 2 metres (6ft) AWAY from other people at all times

Could you be someone’s hero? Are you looking for help from a hero? Vale Heroes is bringing together voluntary groups and businesses across the Vale of Glamorgan who are working to help residents affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.

The Vale of Glamorgan Council has made £2000 available for a small grants scheme to help voluntary groups in the Vale of Glamorgan who are actively working in response to the COVID 19 outbreak. The scheme is being administered by Glamorgan Voluntary Services (GVS). Small grants are available up to a maximum of £50 for new groups that are not constituted and up to £100 for constituted groups. The grant can be used to purchase equipment for your group, to go towards printing leaflets and flyers or for any activity relating to benefit or support your community during this crisis.

Welsh Government and Sport Wales have announced that they are making £400,000 immediately available to provide support to not-for-profit sports clubs.

More than £18m will support the creative industries, culture and sport sectors, which are feeling the immediate impact of COVID-19.

Children, young people, and the professionals who work with them can still access vital information, advice and advocacy from Meic Cymru, the bilingual, Welsh Government-funded helpline during the COVID-19 crisis.

Welsh Government made an announcement recently saying that emergency legislation will ‘ease’ rules on Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Welcome to our next instalment of the Digital Communities Wales (DCW) newsletter which is designed to help people stay connected, find reliable information and stay healthy during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Financial Impact on organisations is also causing a great deal of concern. The questionnaire also asks about the likely financial impact on your organisation. This information is necessary so we can provide evidence to Welsh Government for emergency funding for our local Third Sector.

FREE webinars for unpaid carers. We are running two webinars about supporting carers within our communities, completely free of charge!

A number of people and organisations have been gathering, producing and curating lists or collections of resources on particular elements of the novel coronavirus as they might apply to the charity sector. Here is UK Fundraising’s collection of these collections.

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) has launched a £5m emergency grant programme to support small charities during the Covid-19 crisis.

All National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) funding decisions in the next six months will be devoted to responding to the Covid-19 crisis. This involves up to £300m of funding. NLCF said it will accelerate the cash part of this funding as much as possible.

We’re getting in touch to let you know about help and information on the coronavirus pandemic for people in Wales.

During the current COVID 19 pandemic and for the foreseeable future there will be no face-to-face WaterAid talks. Applicants will be asked to complete the Speakers ONLINE training course but they must stay at home and comply with COVID19 containment requirements until the crisis is over.

Learning Disability Wales have gathered together the latest useful resources about Coronavirus (COVID-19), including some good easy read guides, for people with a learning disability in Wales.

A new gateway service will act as the first point of contact for anyone with an unpaid caring responsibility in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. A carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.

GVS has produced guidance for new and emerging support groups working in the community. GVS has also produced a Directory of Third Sector Services for the Vale of Glamorgan COVID-19. This Directory provides information detailing third sector front line services, and helplines, which can support people during the Covid-19 crisis. It also includes information about other services and community hubs.

The Staff team at GVS are currently fielding many responses and queries

We are here to provide free of charge clothing, food Items, toiletries, cleaning and household products so the most vulnerable people in our communities can stay safe and well.

Information from Home Instead Senior Care

The Welsh Government is contacting people in Wales who have been identified as being at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus.

As the coronavirus pandemic continue to progress, pressure on all our NHS services will increase. We have put together 7 simple steps to help you get the right healthcare and support, while also helping your local GP practice.

Grants available for registered charities working within early years, 0-3 years old, with a particular emphasis on support during the current coronavirus situation. Closing date for applications is 28th April 2020.

Grants of £5,000 are available to organisations in the community to deliver effective fire prevention measures at local level aimed at tackling the causes of fires in homes. Closing date for applications is 3rd April 2020.

Up to £10,000 is available to projects across the UK that help young people support each other through bereavement. Closing date noon 3rd April 2020.

The Arts & Culture Impact Fund offers repayable finance between £150,000 and £1,000,000 for the UK’s arts, culture and heritage social enterprises.

Organisations supporting women and girls can apply for a share of £15m from the Tampon Tax Fund. The grants will be given to fund projects which directly benefit disadvantaged women and girls, tackle violence and support their mental health and wellbeing. The deadline for applications is 31 May 2020.

Between £1,000 - £7,000 is available to start up and scale social enterprises, charities, community projects and impact-led organisations. Applications close 30th April 2020.

Funding is available to charities and not-for-profit organisations applying for grants over £10,000 per year for up to three years.

Wales’ first Nurse-Led Adrenal Incidentaloma (AI) service has been awarded first prize by the UK Society for Endocrinology for reducing waiting times by a quarter, reducing costs and unnecessary tests and resulting in earlier discharges for patients of the service.

Following the Welsh Government’s announcement of plans to suspend non-urgent outpatient appointments and non-urgent surgical admissions and procedures in order to redirect staff and resources to support the response to Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), the Welsh Government have agreed the recommendations of Public Health Wales to temporarily pause some of the population based screening programmes.

Updated: 12:00 Wednesday 25 March

Important information for parents employed in key worker roles (from Vale of Glamorgan Council website)