May 2022 News and Blogs

From 2 to 5 June 2022 communities will be coming together to enjoy the extended bank holiday weekend. It is likely that this occasion will be the first time many communities get together since before the outbreak of COVID-19. The Food Standards Agency has created tailored guidance to support those holding parties and serving food, with the aim of minimising risk and ensuring food is safe to eat for all - so everyone can fully...

Check a list of recent letters from HMRC to help you decide if a letter you've received is a scam. Contents: Letter OCA300 — repayment of Student Loan deductions Overpaid Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grants Research about employee experience of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Research about the digitisation of Child Benefit Refund of Income Tax from changes to your Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant Other letters you should check If your letter...

Getting people out of cars and on to bikes is the aim of a £50 million investment announced by Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters. As part of the investment announced, all local authorities will receive a minimum of £500,000 with additional allocations having been awarded based on the outcome of a competitive application process. A list of local authorities and amounts awarded can be found on the Welsh Government website: Active travel fund and...

Decarbonising the packaging industry: Improving circularity in the plastics sector This webinar will explore how the plastic sector can decarbonise going forward and which tools can help facilitate this change. During this webinar, Carbon Trust experts will: Discuss how the plastic sector can decarbonise going forward and how pioneering tools can help facilitate this change Present the efficacy that increasing recycled content, lowering emissions in manufacture and a stable recycling infrastructure can have on carbon...

The Welsh Government has reached agreement with the UK Government on the establishment of freeports in Wales, Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething, has confirmed. Welsh Ministers have agreed to support freeport policies in Wales following the UK Government’s agreement to meet the Welsh Government’s demands that UK Ministers provide at least £26 million of non-repayable starter funding for any freeport established in Wales, which represents a parity with the deals offered to English freeports. The UK...

The Ashley Family Foundation offers grants below £10,000 and is a fantastic source of potential funding for rural groups and community organisations. The next funding round will be in July 2022. Applications are accepted all year round and funding awards are made three times per year following the meeting of the Board of Trustees: Who they are What they fund How to apply The organisation supports 5 main themes: Wales Rural Arts Community Small Charities...

The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) alongside Innovate UK, Innovate UK KTN and ZENZIC invite you to join them in an industry engagement event on 24 May 2022, online and at the National Digital Exploitation Centre in Ebbw Vale, Wales. This event contains an important update from CCAV on their plans for the coming years relating to connected and automated mobility. CCAV will give a broad update on plans for commercial deployments of...

The announcement by the UK government on a new approach to import controls confirms that the remaining import controls on EU goods will no longer be introduced this year. Instead, traders will continue to move their goods from the EU to Great Britain as they do now. The UK government will now review how to implement these remaining controls in an improved way that harnesses innovative new technologies, with further details to be published in...

Volunteering holiday opportunities in Wales Volunteering as part of a holiday can help you learn new skills, reduce trip costs, and give something back to the place you’re visiting, or a charity close to your heart. For the uninitiated, volunteer holidays (also known as voluntourism) involve tourists undertaking some form of work as part of their trip. In exchange, visitors can gain hands-on experience in a craft that interests them, or receive benefits, like free...

The occupancy survey provide trend information on the demand for tourism accommodation in Wales for 2021. The key objectives of the occupancy survey are to monitor and evaluate accommodation performance trends and to inform national and regional tourism planning and development for Visit Wales and other tourism stakeholders. Furthermore, the survey provides business intelligence for accommodation providers and other tourism businesses to assist with their growth and development. Benchmarking reports showing comparisons with other accommodation...