Four UK nations agree new rules for the festive period

A broad set of UK-wide measures to help people come together with their loved ones during the festive period, in a way that is as safe as possible, have been agreed by the governments of the UK’s four nations.

Speaking after a meeting of the governments, the First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford said: “This has been a very long and difficult year for everyone. All our lives have been turned upside down by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Everyone has done so much to help control the spread of the virus and to save lives. But that has meant many sacrifices, including not seeing family and close friends. We are all looking forward to Christmas and a chance to spend some time with all those we hold dear.

“Today, I met the First Ministers of Scotland and Northern Ireland and Michael Gove, from the UK Government, and I’m pleased we were able to agree a common four-nation plan for the festive period.”

The text of a joint statement issued by the four UK governments is:

"As 2020 draws to a close, we recognise it has been an incredibly difficult year for us all. We have all had to make significant sacrifices in our everyday lives, and many religious and community groups have already had to change or forgo their customary celebrations to slow the spread of coronavirus and save lives.

"This cannot be a ‘normal’ Christmas. But as we approach the festive period, we have been working closely together to find a way for family and friends to see each other, even if it is for a short time, and recognising that it must be both limited and cautious.

"Even where it is within the rules, meeting with friends and family over Christmas will be a personal judgement for individuals to take, mindful of the risks to themselves and others, particularly those who are vulnerable. 

"We need everyone to think carefully about what they do during this period, balancing some increased social contact with the need to keep the risk of increased transmission of the virus as low as possible. 

"This is particularly important when considering those who are vulnerable, and before deciding to come together over the festive period we urge the consideration of alternative approaches such as the use of technology or meeting outside.

"In this context, the four administrations have reached agreement on a single set of UK-wide measures to help people come together with their loved ones in a way that is as safe as possible.

"Today we have agreed that:

• Travel restrictions across the four administrations and between tiers will be lifted to provide a window for households to come together between the 23rd and 27th of December.
• Up to three households can form an exclusive ‘bubble’ to meet at home during this period. When a bubble is formed it is fixed, and must not be changed or extended further at any point.
• Each Christmas bubble can meet at home, at a place of worship or an outdoor public place, but existing, more restrictive rules on hospitality and meeting in other venues will be maintained throughout this period.

"It is important that everyone respects and abides by the rules of each nation wherever they choose to spend the festive period. Where there are any variations in our approach, these will be communicated by each administration accordingly. Further guidance will be provided in due course.

"The winter holiday period is a time often spent with family and friends, with schools and offices closing and people travelling over the bank holidays. Many have already begun making their plans, and we are today providing clarity to help people make the right choices for them, and enjoy time with those closest to them while staying within the rules to protect us all."

Llyr Gruffydd to fight Clwyd South Senedd seat for Plaid

Plaid Cymru's current Member of the Senedd for North Wales has been chosen to fight to represent the Clwyd South constituency.

Llyr Gruffydd (pictured) has been the North Wales MS for the past nine years and is the party's shadow minister for Energy, the Environment and Rural Affairs.

The Clwyd South constituency has been represented since 2011 by Labour's Ken Skates, who is also the Welsh Government's Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales.

Mr Gruffydd, a father of four, has been at the forefront of campaigns to defend nurses facing extra unpaid shifts at Betsi Cadwaladr health board, plans to privatise dialysis services and also been a fierce critic of the over-use of management consultants by the NHS.

Mr Gruffydd said: "I'm grateful that the local party membership has chosen me. Clwyd South is a microcosm of Wales - rural communities, towns, urban villages and a very varied economy that is a mix of industry, public services, farming and tourism. It stretches from the border near Whitchurch to Llandrillo near Bala and includes Llangollen and the urban villages of Wrexham.

"This part of Wales desperately needs fresh vision for the coming five years, so that we can recover and succeed despite the full impact of the Covid pandemic and Brexit shambles hitting the local economy and hard-pressed local services.

"These communities have had it hard - Brymbo for example lost a steelworks in 1990 and it's taken decades to recover. Many others have suffered a decade of cuts and austerity only to find that the Tories have belatedly found a magic money tree when it comes to dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. That's come too late for many self-employed and small businesses that have fallen through the net and also many workers who have sadly lost their jobs as a result of the situation. My priority is to work with my Plaid Cymru colleagues to build a stronger Welsh economy that will offer people fresh hope after so many setbacks and uncertainty."

Mr Gruffydd added: "I'm passionate about ensuring a better future for our children. That means a greener, cleaner future for Wales and the world. The growth in renewable energy - much of it community owned such as Corwen Hydro - points in the right direction and Wales can lead the way on this.

"The environment also impacts our health and well-being - the fires earlier this year at Kronospan and the Hafod tip have both been wake-up calls about ensuring our health is at the heart of our priorities.

"That's why I've also been campaigning with local residents to improve healthcare in the rural South Maelor area around Hanmer, where a cross-party campaign seems to be bearing fruit after years of neglect."

Until recently, Clwyd South had been a Labour stronghold both in Cardiff and Westminster.

But Welsh Conservative Simon Baynes was elected as the area's MP in 2019 bringing to an end 22 years under Labour.

The Senedd Election is due to take place on May 6, 2021.

Health board taken out of special measures

This afternoon, Health Minister Vaughan Gething announced that the Health Board would be de-escalated from Special Measures with immediate effect.  

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Chairman Mark Polin and Acting Chief Executive Gill Harris said in a joint statement:

“We welcome this significant announcement and continued support from Welsh Government.  We are encouraged by the growing confidence in our plans to make strategic longer term improvements while acknowledging that there is much more to do.

“The package of support recently announced by Welsh Government will help us to build on work to develop transformational and sustainable solutions to long term challenges in unscheduled care, diagnostics, planned care and mental health services.

“We are confident that our ambitious plans for the future will improve patient experience and waiting times. These include the establishment of Diagnostic and Treatment Centres and driving forward the business case for a North Wales Medical and Health Science School.

“We are hugely proud that colleagues across the organisation have risen to the challenge of COVID-19 and have displayed positivity, resilience and a commitment to patients in the most difficult of circumstances. We thank them for everything they have done to care for patients and keep our communities safe.

“There is a lot more work ahead but we are confident that with the support of our staff, partners, and public, the much-needed transformation of health services across North Wales will be achieved.”

In a joint statement Welsh Labour elected members said:

“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, NHS staff in North Wales have worked heroically to help protect people.

“Today’s welcome news that BCUHB has come out of special measures is recognition of how the health board has managed the pandemic and implemented significant improvements.

“The work of improving health services in North Wales will continue and today’s announcement will provide very welcome assurance to patients and staff that Betsi Cadwaladr is heading in the right direction.”

Hannah Blythyn MS, Lesley Griffiths MS, Ann Jones MS, Eluned Morgan MS, Jack Sargeant MS, Ken Skates MS, Mark Tami MP and Joyce Watson MS

Fundraising campaign gets special car for life-saving Effie

* Effie Cadwallader with a car similar to the dedicated first responder one she is to have. 

A fund-raising campaign to provide a Community First Responder with a dedicated car to attend life-threatening medical emergencies in this area has exceeded its £10,000 target only two months after being launched.

Welsh Ambulance Service volunteer Effie Cadwallader is preparing to take delivery of the rapid response vehicle which will be used to answer calls along the Wrexham-Shropshire border.

Effie began her campaign in September with an online crowd-funding appeal. She has since received a massive boost when the Welsh Lottery fund decided to give her a grant for the whole £10,000.

As a result, the Wrexham Rural CFR group has been able to purchase a Skoda Fabia estate car, meet the first year of annual running costs including tax and insurance, and pay for the car to be emblazoned with high-viz markings to ensure it can be seen easily when responders are out on a 999 alert.

During 15 years of volunteering as an unpaid Community First Responder, Effie has answered more than three thousand calls from her home in St Martin’s, responding to emergencies such as strokes, heart attacks and domestic accidents.

Though still based in St Martin’s, she switched earlier this year from a neighbouring ambulance service to become part of the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Wrexham Rural CFR team which covers the border area including Chirk and the Ceiriog Valley, and extending to Llangollen, Overton, Penley, and as far as Bettisfield and the outskirts of Ellesmere.

The move to the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust meant that she had to find a replacement vehicle, because although CFRs are given specialist training and supplied with medical essentials by the ambulance service, the volunteers still have to self-fund the cost of transport, uniforms, kit bags and equipment such as a defibrillator.

More than 100 donors contributed to Effie’s crowd-funding appeal, raising well over £2,000. Other donations were also received from Ellesmere Probus Club, The Keys, St Martins, Stan’s Superstore, and Selattyn Community Group.

The car itself has been generously supplied by the Mitchells Group at Cheshire Oaks, and extra help has been given by Perrys of Gobowen and Ifton Garage.

“I’m enormously grateful to everyone who has made this possible,” said Effie. “I hadn’t expected to reach the target so quickly, let alone exceed it. The Lottery grant was an unexpected bonus and I’m deeply touched by the extremely generous response I’ve had from the community. Many people clearly realise the value of this service.

“The Covid lockdowns in Wales and England have meant a delay in putting the car on the road, but we in the Wrexham Rural team have been responding throughout the pandemic, using our own cars. Hopefully, the new car will be ready soon and it will make such a difference.

“As the first dedicated CFR car in Wales, it will enable a faster and more efficient response to calls because it can be loaded, packed and ready to go with all essential equipment, without having to transfer things from car to car, and running the risk of leaving something vital behind.

“Once the Covid crisis is over, the car will also be used when we are delivering CPR and Defibrillator Awareness courses in communities on both sides of the border once again.”

* More information about Wrexham Rural CFRs can be found at https://www.wrexhamruralcfr.co.uk/

 

Vitara - an unsung hero of the car industry

Suzuki Vitara road test by Steve Rogers

The pandemic has brought untold misery, but lockdown in England has thrown a small crumb of comfort my way.

Test drives normally last a week but as the Suzuki press team delivered a Vitara just before the latest lockdown, and then went into forced hibernation, the SUV is with me for a month and that, to my surprise, has caused me to challenge how I go about reviewing cars.

More often than not my first thought is to look for a negative. Car companies might believe they reach perfection, but they don't, there will always be some niggle or imperfection. 

In the case of Suzuki it is usually quality of materials, their cars were at the budget end and that is where corners were cut. But that has changed dramatically with improvements across the board yet my eyes still homed in on hard, shiny plastic on the door trim and lower down the dashboard so it still dips below many of its rivals. 

Soon after taking to the road I decided the steering was too light, all minor complaints in the scheme of things yet they could be deal breakers in the car selection process.

Move on three weeks and the Vitara's steering is still light and the trim hasn't changed but neither bother me in the slightest. I am used to the steering and take no notice of the trim.

It prompted a discussion with my wife who had no interest in the state of the door trim (neither did her sister) but was rather taken by the broad designer insert along the dashboard which does catch the eye. 

Her beef was with the speedometer which has no 30mph numerical marking and suggested a digital readout in the driver's binnacle. I'm with her all the way on that and would go further - what about a head-up display?

The upshot is we have grown to like Vitara because it ticks most of our boxes, high driving position, so easy for getting in and out, roomy for its size, economical (will come to that later) well off for those nice things we like in cars, and a good fist of safety features. Good value then.

Vitara was knocked down and rebuilt for 2015 just as the shift to SUVs was in overdrive. Rebranding the off-roader after nearly 30 years was a brave move that paid off. Not as cute as a Renault Captur or as funky as a Jeep Renegade or Citroen C3 Aircross, it looks the part and the  new jazzed up grille and light signature have given it more kerb appeal.

It lost some of its ruggedness to fit into the mainstream clan yet still offers all wheel drive which is one up on the majority of its rivals. Just a pity it is only available at the top of the range.

The other bold decision was to ditch diesel and offer two small turbocharged petrol engines, the smallest just one litre that will leave drivers wide eyed with its performance, refinement and economy, but I would still opt for the 1.4 boosterjet with its mild hybrid technology. I know, more baffling jargon so this is it in a nutshell.

A 48-valve lithium-ion battery, integrated starter generator and converter provides power for low voltage elements like lights, audio and air conditioning. Engine emissions are reduced and off the line acceleration is beefed up. Think of it as having a tiny extra turbo charger.

Compared to the old 1.6 litre petrol this engine is heaps quicker, cleaner and more economical. Shading 50mpg on a run is no problem, and so far Vitara has never dropped below 43mpg, so we can tick the economy box.

Suzuki knows its onions when it comes to all wheel drive and this system is on demand so engages only when wheel spin is detected. The nearest this Vitara got to off road was two wheels on a grass verge but knowing Suzuki it will be effective and offers three other modes, sport to help cornering stability, snow, which speaks for itself, and lock should the going get really tough. It also has hill descent control which could be a life saver on a snow or ice covered road.

The safety package includes radar brake support in case you drift off into another world and fail to hit the brake pedal with trouble looming, adaptive cruise control, blind spot alert and cross traffic alert which is a godsend when reversing out of parking spaces.

I see Suzuki as one of the unsung heroes of the car industry and have friends who swear by them. I wouldn't mind a Vitara but it won't pull my caravan because the towing capacity is a meagre 1200kg. That will disappoint a few farmers as well.

Need to know

Vitara SZ5 Allgrip

£26,799 (range starts £21,999)

1.4 Boosterjet; 127bhp

0-62mph 10.2secs; 118mph

45.4mpg combined

140g/km. 1st tax £205 then £205

Insurance group 19

Temporary "pods" to be provided for care homes

Temporary ‘pods’ are being provided to care homes across Wales to better facilitate visits over Christmas and the winter months, the Health Minister has announced today (Monday).

The £3million pilot will cover the procurement, installation and lease of 100 units, with an initial 30 being installed and ready to use before Christmas.

The semi-permanent units will be available for a period of six months, whilst longer-term solutions are sourced and put in place.

This also includes £1million for plans to support providers who prefer to make their own arrangements on a similar basis.

Expanding capacity within care homes, says the Government, will help to better support risk-assessed visiting during the winter months as some care providers have found it difficult to support socially distanced visits due to a lack of internal visiting space.

Visiting restrictions for care homes were eased as wider lockdown restrictions were lifted in the summer, and again following the fire-break. 

Since August, guidance has supported the reintroduction of indoor visits where possible with a designated indoor visitor.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “We all know how difficult recent months have been for people living in care homes and their loved ones, however ensuring the safety of our most vulnerable has always been paramount.

“We recognise both the distress and sadness that has been experienced since March, but also the desire from care homes to facilitate visits before and during Christmas as well as throughout the winter. Having engaged with key stakeholders, we are confident these units are a way to enable meaningful visits to take place.

“The pilot scheme will help us to understand whether visiting pods are an effective and practical way of supporting meaningful visits. We will use this learning to determine whether we should consider commissioning a bespoke Wales-based solution in future if the course of the pandemic means this is required.”

Work starts on 'pocket park' at old tip site

Work has started on the new "pocket park" being built on the former council refuse tip at Wenffrwd off the A539 on the approach road to Llangollen.

David Shiel, area manager for the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty of which the land is part, said: "This first phase will see the development of a small car park and new access road which we would hope to finish by end of February next year.

"We will then develop some trails around the site and hopefully onto the canal.  

"We are also working towards a link back to the Health Centre along part of the old railway line."

He added: "There are some lovely walks around the site with great views along the Dee Valley and up towards the Panorama.

"I think it is going to be a great additional area to explore in the valley."