News
NHS COVID-19 app launches across Wales
People are being urged to download the NHS COVID-19 app to help stop the spread of coronavirus and protect themselves and their loved ones as case numbers rise.
The app launches today [Thursday 24] after positive trials and will be a useful tool when used alongside Wales’ successful manual contact tracing system.
It will be available to those aged 16 and over, and forms a central part of the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect programme identifying contacts of those who have tested positive for coronavirus.
The roll-out of the app in Wales coincides with a national campaign around how people in Wales can best support the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect programme, including only getting a test if they are showing symptoms; self-isolating when required; and working with local contact tracers if they are contacted.
Wales’ contact tracing system – which is a publicly-run service and locally delivered – is working well and has seen a very high contract and trace rate. Latest stats show 94% of cases are being successfully contacted.
The app works by logging the amount of time you spend near other app users, and the distance between you, so it can alert you if someone you have been close to later tests positive for COVID-19 – even if you don’t know each other.
The app will advise you to self-isolate if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case. It will also enable you to check symptoms, book a test if needed and get your test results.
Wales’ Health Minister Vaughan Gething said:
“The launch of the NHS COVID-19 app is an important part of Wales’ coronavirus response, supporting the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect programme. The more people who download and use this app, the more it will help us to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We have worked closely with the app development team to ensure it works seamlessly across Wales and England, providing people with the right advice based on where they live. In Wales, the app will complement our existing contact tracing and testing services and will further support our co-ordinated response to COVID-19 at both a local and national level.
“I strongly encourage everyone in Wales to download and use the app to keep Wales safe.”
The app has been designed with user privacy in mind, so it tracks the virus, not people and uses the latest in data security technology to protect privacy. The system generates a random ID for an individual’s device, which can be exchanged between devices via Bluetooth. These unique random IDs regenerate frequently to add an extra layer of security and preserve anonymity.
The app does not hold personal information such as your name, address or date of birth, and only requires the first half of your postcode to ensure local outbreaks can be managed.
Today the UK’s major mobile network operators, including Vodafone, Three, EE and O2, Sky and Virgin, have confirmed that all in-app activity will not come out of customers’ data allowance.
In a joint statement Apple and Google said:
“We built the exposure notifications system to enable public health authorities in their efforts to develop apps to help reduce the spread of the virus while ensuring people can trust in the privacy-preserving design. We are committed to supporting the government’s effort to launch an app based on this technology.”
Whilst the app will be a major support for the contact tracing system, Welsh residents are being reminded to continue to keep Wales safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19 by:
• Always keeping a distance
• Washing hands regularly
• Working from home wherever possible
• Following local restrictions
• Following the rules about meeting people
• Staying at home if you or anyone in your extended household has symptoms.
Community
Artist explores memory, community and changing rural life in new Cardigan exhibition
A NEW exhibition exploring memory, belonging and the changing face of rural life is opening in Cardigan.
West Wales artist Sue Dewhurst will present From the Outside Looking In at Oriel Cardi Bach, with the exhibition running from June 27 to July 30.
The collection brings together several new series of work reflecting on the people, places and traditions that shaped Dewhurst’s childhood in the 1970s.
At the heart of the exhibition are the Chapel Girls, a group of paintings focusing on women who might once have filled the chapels that dominated Welsh village life. In Dewhurst’s work, they are now seen finding new forms of belonging through shopping trips, bingo halls, dating apps, bottomless brunches and everyday rituals, while redundant chapels stand silent around them.
The exhibition also includes A Bit of a Do, a series inspired by weddings, family parties and village hall celebrations.
Among the familiar characters are the mysterious woman in her best hat who appears at every gathering, the accountant calculating buffet logistics, the retired nurse dancing barefoot long after everyone else has gone home, and Harry, a grumpy gent with a mysteriously missing fingertip that nobody dares ask about.
Dewhurst’s Ghost Town series will also feature, exploring the changing landscapes of northern mill towns and communities transformed beyond recognition. These works sit alongside expressive coastal paintings inspired by New Quay and the Ceredigion coast.
A further installation of miniature “party paintings” will be presented like treasured relics rescued from a forgotten village hall or working men’s club. Wrapped with handwritten stories and nostalgic memorabilia, the pieces invite visitors to remember people and moments that might otherwise disappear.
Sue said music also plays an important role in the exhibition.
She said: “Music is so evocative for me and can instantly transport me back to a certain point in time.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the lives we don’t usually celebrate – the women who held communities together, the odd characters who turned up at every family occasion, the places that shaped us and the memories that linger long after buildings and traditions have changed.
“This exhibition is really about looking back with affection and humour, while recognising that we are all, in one way or another, trying to find where we belong.”
Originally from Lancashire and now based near Llandysul, Dewhurst has spent more than thirty years working in the arts. She previously ran Oriel Haywire in Llandysul before its closure around eighteen months ago.
From the Outside Looking In opens at Oriel Cardi Bach, Cardigan, on June 27 and runs until July 30.
Visitors are invited to rediscover familiar faces, forgotten stories and the beauty found in ordinary lives.
.
Entertainment
Filming begins on new Welsh BBC comedy starring Ruth Jones and Steve Speirs
A HEARTWARMING new Welsh BBC comedy co-written by Ruth Jones and Steve Speirs has started filming in South Wales.
Better Later, a six-part series for BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC One Wales, will explore the unexpected joys of an unlikely friendship.
The comedy stars Jones and Speirs as two people who meet at a knee trauma clinic. Retired teacher Clive, played by Speirs, is 60, widowed and facing a new chapter in life. Shelley Anne, played by Jones, is a 55-year-old environmental health officer going through a bitter divorce.
The series is being filmed in and around South Wales, including the Brecon Beacons, and is set in the fictional village of Brynfach.
Ruth Jones said: “In a funny way this show has been 35 years in the making, which is when I first met Steve. It’s not that we’re slow writers, it’s just that we’ve been up to other things. It’s fantastic to be back in front of the camera with him again.”
Steve Speirs said: “Our first time acting together for quite a long time. Ruth makes me laugh more than anyone and I’m a terrible giggler. This could be a long shoot.”
Better Later has been commissioned by BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Comedy and is being made by Tidy Productions in association with BBC Studios Comedy, with support from Creative Wales.
The series was commissioned by Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning at BBC Cymru Wales, and Jon Petrie, Director of Comedy at the BBC. The commissioning editors are Emma Lawson and Paul Forde.
Executive producers are Sarah Fraser for Tidy Productions and Josh Cole for BBC Studios Comedy. The producer is Owen Bell and the director is Simon Massey.
Transmission details will be announced in due course.
Local Government
Milford Haven civic service marks start of mayoral year
Mayor’s charities named as civic leaders gather at St Katharine and St Peter’s Church
THE CIVIC SERVICE of the Mayor of Milford Haven, Cllr Mark Woodward, took place at St Katharine and St Peter’s Church on Saturday (June 20).
The service marked Cllr Woodward’s election as Mayor and First Citizen of Milford Haven.
It was conducted by Rev Dr Adrian Furse and Canon John Cecil, with music from church organist Richard Stephens, Gelliswick Community Choir and Milford Haven Town Band.
Guides and Brownies, Milford Haven Sea Cadets and Royal Marines Cadets were also among those taking part, with councillors Colin Sharp and Yvonne Southwell acting as ushers.
Refreshments followed at Milford Haven Bowling Club.
Local MS Paul Davies was among those attending the service and wished the new mayor all the best for his term in office.
Cllr Woodward’s chosen charities for the year are Patch Charity and Greenacres Rescue.
Photo caption:
Civic guests attended the Mayor of Milford Haven’s service at St Katharine and St Peter’s Church on Saturday (Pic: Supplied)
-
Community7 days agoPembrokeshire Chess Club crowned Welsh champions
-
Crime3 days agoMilford Haven man jailed for breaching domestic violence protection order
-
Local Government5 days agoSecurity privately arranged by Mayor at Beating of the Bounds
-
News3 days agoCrash on Freeman’s Way causes school-run chaos across Haverfordwest
-
Crime5 days agoMan wanted by court after failing to attend hearing over alleged shop thefts
-
Crime5 days agoMan banned from roads after drink-driving offence
-
Crime5 days agoMan jailed after admitting strangulation and assaults
-
Crime5 days agoMan sentenced over stalking campaign and lock knife offence






