Happy 60th birthday Pembrokeshire Coast!

The UK’s only mainly coastal National Park is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Designated on February 29th 1952, primarily for the breathtaking beauty of its coastline, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park remains a spectacular place 60 years on, is fast becoming one of the most talked about places on the planet.

Accolades for the landscape – and in particular the 186-mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail – continue to roll in, and the duty of the National Park Authority in caring for the Park amid its ever-increasing popularity is as challenging as ever.

The Park was hailed the second best coastal destination in the world by National Geographic Traveller magazine in 2010, while the Coast Path was ranked alongside the Inca Trail and Mount Kilimanjaro as among the top ten hiking trails in the world by online travel adviser Cheapflights in 2011.

National Park Authority Chairman Cllr Tony Brinsden said: “Over the years, the public face of the National Park will have meant different things to different people.

“Our visitors may have met a Warden or a Ranger while out walking on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path, or chatted to an artist at Oriel y Parc Gallery and Visitor Centre in St Davids. You might have had a holiday in a listed building, submitted a planning application or seen ponies grazing on the coastal slopes under the Park Authority’s Conserving the Park project. Or perhaps you’ve enjoyed a guided seal walk or a visit to Carew Castle or Castell Henllys Iron Age Fort.

“In short, we are a small public authority with a wide-ranging remit and we are challenged to be many things to many people. As we celebrate our 60thanniversary this year, we will continue to meet these challenges – by conserving the Park’s outstanding features and ensuring that the special qualities which we all value about it can be enjoyed by everyone, now and in the future.”

The Authority is hosting events throughout the year to celebrate the diamond anniversary, beginning with a charity concert on March 20th in Pembroke Dock where the Authority is based. Tickets for the concert, featuring Pembroke and District Male Voice Choir, which also celebrates its 60th birthday this year, and The Band of the Welsh Guards, are now sold out.

Vale resort in Wales in the running for industry Oscar

Wales’ largest spa has become the only spa in the country to be shortlisted for a national beauty industry accolade at this year’s Professional Beauty Awards, making it the perfect destination.

The Vale Spa, at the Vale Resort near Hensol, has gone through a rigorous inspection and mystery shopper experience in order to be in the running to win the title of Elemis Residential Spa of the Year (11 rooms or more) at a glittering award ceremony in the London Hilton on Park Lane, Mayfair, on 4 March.

It now faces competition from the most luxurious spa venues across the UK, including The Spa at Rockliffe Hall, in Darlington, County Durham, Oceo Spa at Seafield Golf & Spa Hotel, in Gorey, County Wexford, The Spa at Oulton Hall, in Leeds and Kallima Spa at London Syon Park, Brentford.

This recognition comes hot on the heels of its £250,000 refurbishment, which saw the Vale Resort become the only spa in Wales to achieve a five-bubble rating from the Good Spa Guide, the highest rating of its kind.

The quarter-of-a-million pound refresh enabled the Vale Spa to launch a number of exclusive new features, such as its four relaxation zones, which are designed specifically to extend the spa experience to make treatments more beneficial and create a stress-free environment, all perfect for a relaxing Welsh break.

Stephen Leeke, managing director of the Vale Resort, said: “We’re delighted to have come this far in the Professional Beauty Awards, and are thrilled to be up against some of the biggest names in the spa industry.

Medicines in May at the National Botanic Garden of Wales

A month long festival of plants and health at the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

Plants have been used for thousands of years to treat illnesses. But how relevant are they to 21st century medicine? The National Botanic Garden of Wales will help you decide. To do this, they are hosting a series of talks, courses, exhibitions and fun activities throughout May 2012.

Every Wednesday visitors will get the chance to make their own herbal concoction and hear a fascinating lecture about plant-derived medicines. Weekend visitors will get the chance to learn about healthy food and ask a pirate what spices from his ship will protect them from the plague.

But come any day in May, and you’ll discover some extraordinary images about the medieval Physicians of Myddfai in our Art Gallery whilst in our Great Glasshouse, you can use your smartphone to locate some of the world’s most amazing medicinal plants.

The National Botanic Garden of Wales (NBGW) is situated near Llanarthney in the Towy Valley, Carmarthenshire, Wales. The garden is both a visitor attraction and a centre for botanical research and conservation, and features the world's largest single-span glasshouse measuring 110 m (360 ft) long by 60 m (200 ft) wide.

Best in Wales, best in UK

South Wales venue retains Gold at Meetings & Incentive Travel Awards as The Celtic Manor Resort scoops another top prize of the UK’s Best Hotel.

The five-star resort in South Wales, which hosted golf’s prestigious Ryder Cup in 2010, retained the Gold Award by beating off strong competition from Cheshire’s Peckforton Castle (Silver) and Chewton Glen in the New Forest (Bronze).

The award cements Celtic Manor’s position as the leading destination for events in the UK. In October, it was voted the UK’s Top Conference Hotel for the fifth year running by Conference & Incentive Travel magazine.

The latest prestigious accolade, voted for by readers of Meetings & Incentive Travel magazine, came at a gala dinner on the eve of this month’s International Confex, the UK’s leading exhibition for event organisers where Celtic Manor caught the eye with its prominent stand.

Celtic Manor Chief Operating Officer Ian Edwards said: “We are delighted to receive this prestigious award again, confirming our position as the best hotel in the UK for staging business events and incentive travel.

“Eighteen months on from hosting a Ryder Cup described as the greatest ever, it is very pleasing to keep getting this recognition and know that we remain in the public eye for staging wonderful events and exceeding our clients’ expectations.”

With 400 bedrooms in two hotels, an additional country inn, a large and versatile convention centre, three championship golf courses, six restaurants, two luxurious spas and health clubs, The Celtic Manor Resort occupies a unique position in the marketplace.

In 2011 the resort created a new Monmouth Lounge break-out area for lunch and refreshments, installed digital signage throughout the convention centre and placed flat screens in meeting rooms. New team building attractions were also added in the shape of adventure mini-golf courses and a treetop high ropes course.

Set in 1,400 acres of beautiful Usk Valley parkland and ideally located on the M4 motorway just two hours from London, Celtic Manor also offers an abundance of leisure incentives including three championship golf courses and the luxurious Forum Spa.

Meirionnydd - a world-class outdoor activity destination

Plans to develop Meirionnydd as a world-class centre of excellence for adventure tourism will be highlighted in April as part of a £4 million project to support the area’s economy, businesses and communities. This will make Meirionydd a great destination.

Businesses from Snowdonia are being invited to a series of events to launch the ‘Snowdonia - one big adventure’ project where they will be able to learn how they can directly benefit.

The EU-backed project will develop the area’s outdoor adventure sector with the aim of spreading economic and social opportunities to surrounding businesses and communities through enhanced facilities and business opportunities.

The four key sites taking part in the project are Antur Stiniog, Blaenau Ffestiniog; Forestry Commission Wales Coed-y-Brenin, Dolgellau; Prysor Angling Association, Trawsfynydd; and Gwersyll yr Urdd Glan-llyn, Bala.

During March businesses – from accommodation providers to retailers - will be able to visit each site to learn about new projects being launched as part of the project and understand how they can add value to their own businesses.UK activity holidays.

“It is a great opportunity for businesses to see how they can tap into the opportunities and develop,” said Councillor John Wynn Jones who is Economy and Community Portfolio Leader for Gwynedd Council, one of the partners involved in the project.

“We want businesses from the area - from accommodation providers to local retailers - to attend one or all of the events to see what is happening on their doorsteps and understand how they can tap into this exciting new venture.”

He added: “Tourists and day visitors are always looking for ways to enhance their experience, and if local businesses can provide that then it’s a win for all involved.

“It could be anything from providing facilities for mountain bikers to clean and repair their bikes at a bed and breakfast after a day out, to offering special packages and deals in tandem with the main project centres taking part. There are a huge range of opportunities that can bring new economic opportunities.”

Chance to be part of the Wales Coast Path opening celebrations

Following the announcement by Environment Minister, John Griffiths AM; Cardiff, Aberystwyth and Flint are preparing to host three events to mark the official opening of the Wales Coast Path.

Each celebration will showcase the very best of the Welsh coast – giving visitors on their UK short break and local people an opportunity to explore what’s on offer along the stunning coastline of Wales.

The organisers of the events, which take place in Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff Bay, Aberystwyth Promenade and Flint Castle, are calling local businesses, food producers, community groups and volunteers to come forward and take part in these public events.

Local dance groups, poets, choirs, entertainers and community groups are all encouraged to come along to an event closest to them, to perform and be a part of this special day. Members of the public are also being urged to volunteer and lend their support to their local event.

Local food and drink producers from across the country can take a stand in the events’ marquees to provide samples of their produce, sell local goods and give visitors a real ‘Taste of the Coast'.

Also present at each event will be a special ‘Coast Showcase’ - an opportunity for the groups and organisations that provide services and facilities along the Wales Coast Path to highlight their work, without many of whom the project to complete the Wales Coast Path may not have been possible.

People who are interested in getting involved in their local event are invited to contact event organisers Stephanie Francis or Rhiannon Jenkins at Quadrant: 02920 694888 or get in touch via email stephanie.francis@quadrant.co and rhiannon.jenkins@quadrant.co

Prints back at Gregynog Hall

A set of prints from valuable art works owned by famous sisters Margaret and Gwendoline Davies has returned to its former home at Gregynog Hall, near Newtown and Mid Wales.

The 23 prints of works by artists, including Rembrandt, Durer, Whistler and Augustus John, have been lent by the National Library of Wales and will be displayed on the refurbished third floor at Gregynog Hall together information on the collection’s history. The original works remain safely in the National Library.

The historic conference and event venue, which nestles in glorious parkland, already has a fine collection of art, some of which is on loan from the National Museum of Wales, where the main Davies Collection is housed.

To support its bid for museum accreditation, Gregynog Hall has installed a state of the art, museum quality, intruder alarm system together with UV filters on windows and environmental monitoring equipment, which measures temperature and humidity. All this plus the amazing art on show makes for part of a very good holiday indeed!

“We are very grateful for the support of the National Library of Wales and hope in the future to pursue further such loans,” said Karen Armstrong, Gregynog Hall’s director.

The Davies sisters, granddaughters of Victorian tycoon David Davies of Llandinam, were passionate collectors of art from around 1908 onwards. By 1924, they had amassed the largest collection of French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works in Britain.

Between 1951 and 1963, the sisters bequeathed 260 works to the National Museums and Galleries of Wales, completely transforming its art collection with works such as famous Renoir's famous Blue Lady, Monet's Rouen Cathedral and Rodin's The Kiss.

Last November, a collectors’ presentation set - ‘An Artist’s Life in Wales’ - including a book based on the journals of late Welsh artist Jonah Jones during his year as Gregynog Arts Fellow in 1981-’82, was also presented to Gregynog Hall by his family.

Water lot of fun in the countryside at St Davids

Britain's smallest city goes wet as well as wild in July, when its annual celebration of the great outdoors stages its own water-themed games to mark the Olympics, so why not pop along as part of your Welsh holiday.

Now in its eighth year, The Really Wild Food and Countryside Festival in St Davids has become renowned for its friendly atmosphere, food and drink, wacky entertainment and hands-on madness for every member of this family.

And as the opening day of the two-day event, on July 27th, coincides with the opening ceremony of the Olympics, the festival will be splashing out with the Really Wild Eaulimpic Games.

Teams will be challenged to take part in a crazy contest to collect as much water as possible to win the coveted Geauld medal.

If you'd like to stay dry but still have fun, then why not try your hand at Bowling with Veg and wellie-wanging, or cheer on the racing pigs and ferrets?

It's all about the festival's theme of championing rural life, said festival founder Julia Horton-Powdrill. "It's all about what goes into the countryside, what comes out of it, and how we can benefit from what nature offers us," she said.

More than 80 exhibitors and producers will be showcasing what Pembrokeshire and Wales does best, whether it's serving up delicious tastes or offering a chance to try traditional rural crafts. A great addition to your holiday.

Chefs - including Anthony Evans and Fraser Christian - will be cooking up a storm with locally-foraged ingredients, while new this year will be the Really Wild Welsh Bake-Off to challenge the more amateur culinary talents.

So if you fancy spending a wild couple of days, head for Festival Fields, Whitesands Road, St Davids between 10am and 5pm on Friday July 27th and Saturday July 28th.

Wales’ past and present, a new exhibition

New exhibition of photographs depicting Cardiff’s past and present comes to Wales Millennium Centre this April, making a great Welsh day out for the whole family.

A vibrant selection of photographs depicting Cardiff’s history will be on display at Wales Millennium Centre from 5 April 2012. The new exhibition, titled Cardiff Before Cardiff, promises a fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day lives of the city’s residents past and present.

Cardiff-based freelance photographer Jon Pountney discovered more than a thousand photography negatives and three hundred prints whilst renovating Warwick Hall in Gabalfa, Cardiff in late 2010. They were taken by Cardiff photographer Keith S. Robertson during the late 1970s and early 1980s, and predominantly depict the city’s areas of Splott, Butetown and Adamsdown. Although only 30 years old, the scenes in Keith’s photographs seem a world away from the Cardiff that we know today.

Unaware of who Keith was, or why the photographs had been left in the building, Jon launched an internet campaign through social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr to find the names of the people and places in the photographs. He received an overwhelming response, and since has been re-photographing as many of the subjects and locations as possible.

Jon speaks of just one of the heart-warming and melancholic stories that he has uncovered since beginning the project: “One man contacted me to say he had seen one of the pictures and that the woman in it was him mum. He had never seen the picture – it was hidden away for 25 years. Now she has Alzheimer’s and it reminded him of a happier time.”

Jon has since found Keith and re-united him with his lost work; Jon says: “I feel very privileged to have finally met the man behind the photographs, and someone who has been such a great inspiration for my own work. To have Keith’s approval for the project is brilliant, and really makes all of the hard work seem worthwhile”.

The exhibition comprises of nearly 100 photographs, and Keith’s unseen pictures will be displayed alongside Jon’s pictures of Cardiff today, giving the viewer an insight into how the city has changed over the past 30 years and making a great day out. To stay true to Keith’s work,

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Welsh Government Announces Radical Reform Of Social Services

New proposals to reform social services, including giving people more control over the care they receive and increased rights to assessments of their needs, were today announced by the Welsh Government.

Gwenda Thomas, Deputy Minister for Social Services and Children, launched a public consultation on the Social Services (Wales) Bill, a major piece of legislation that is set to transform the delivery of social services in Wales.

The proposed Bill aims to give people greater freedom to decide which services they need while offering consistent, high-quality services across the country.

The proposed legislation would:
allow Welsh Ministers to consider extending the range of services available by direct payments, meaning people will have more control over the services they use;
introduce national eligibility criteria and ensure people are assessed on what they need, rather than just on what services are available locally;
introduce portable assessments, which means people will be entitled to similar services if they move from one part of Wales to another without having their needs re-assessed if they haven't changed;
require local authorities to provide information to carers on their rights and the services available to them in their local areas;
create a national adoption service to improve the outcomes of child placements.

Steps will also be taken to reinforce the role of the Public Services Ombudsman to complement the changes already announced to modernise the social services complaints system.

The Deputy Minister made the announcement during a visit to Dewis Centre for Independent Living (CIL) in Pontypridd, a voluntary organisation which supports disabled people's rights to develop their own independent lifestyle. Like the provisions in the new Bill, their services aim to support people to achieve the outcomes they want.

The Deputy Minister said: "This Bill is an excellent example of how we are using the new powers of the National Assembly to make a real difference to the lives of the people of Wales.

"This Bill is about giving people a stronger voice and real control over the social care services they use, and to help meet their changing needs.

"We are not prepared to sit by as fewer and fewer people receive the support they need. The Bill will drive the development of new models of service that maintain and improve the wellbeing of people in need.

"There will be a stronger focus through the Bill on preventative and early intervention services, based on greater partnership working and integration of services between local authorities and partners.

"Service users and their carers must be involved. This means assessments must be about the outcomes that are important to them, not just about eligibility for a particular service.

"This Bill will help us all tackle the many challenges facing social services in Wales but will also allow us all to seize the opportunities before us".

The consultation will last for three months, running from the 12 March to the 1 June 2012.

Lansio gweledigaeth ynni Cymru

Rhyddhau’r ynni yn ein moroedd, gwneud yn siwr bod y biliynau rydyn ni’n ei fuddsoddi yn creu swyddi, helpu busnesau i wneud y mwyaf o gyfleoedd a gofalu bod cymunedau yn elwa ar ddatblygiadau ynni. Dyma rai o’r ymrwymiadau yng ngweledigaeth ynni Llywodraeth Cymru.
Dydd Mercher 14 Mawrth 2012

Wrth lansio ‘Ynni Cymru’, dywedodd Carwyn Jones, Prif Weinidog Cymru, y gallai maes ynni fod yn gyfle euraid i Gymru.

Ymhlith yr ymrwymiadau mae:

Gweithio i wneud i bob punt a fuddsoddir mewn ynni gyfrannu at economi a chyfoeth hirdymor Cymru.
Gwella’r gyfundrefn cynllunio a chydsynio.
Gweithio i sefydlu gwell seilwaith ynni.
Canolbwyntio ar gael y gwerth mwyaf posibl o’r prosiectau ynni mwyaf proffidiol megis effeithlonrwydd ynni a rhaglen Ynys Ynni Môn, sy’n cynnwys yr orsaf pŵer niwclear newydd.
Helpu busnesau Cymru i allu cystadlu am gontractau ynni i sicrhau’r nifer mwyaf o swyddi a’r manteision economaidd mwyaf.
Datblygu gweithlu Cymru i ddiwallu angenion y diwydiant drwy fynediad i brentisiaethau o ansawdd uchel, rhaglenni Sgiliau Twf Cymru a Twf Swyddi Cymru a thrwy wyddoniaeth, technoleg, peirianneg a mathemateg yn ein hysgolion.
Sicrhau y gall cymunedau gael gafael ar gyngor, arbenigedd ac arian er mwyn iddynt ddefnyddio ynni adnewyddadwy.
Tynnu ynghyd yr arbenigedd sylweddol yng Nghymru i sicrhau bod Cymru ar flaen y gad o ran gweithgarwch arloesi, ymchwil a datblygu i ryddhau’r ynni yn ein moroedd ac arwain y ffordd at fyw’n ddoeth.

Dywedodd y Prif Weinidog: "Mae ynni yn faes sy’n diffinio ein cenhedlaeth; mae’n faes yr wyf am inni arwain arno fel Llywodraeth. Ein nod yw creu economi carbon isel sy’n ein harwain i ddyfodol llewyrchus yng Nghymru. Ar bob cam o’r ffordd, mae’n rhaid inni ofalu bod Cymru yn manteisio i’r eithaf ar y potensial o ran swyddi a datblygiadau economaidd hirdymor. Mae hwn yn amcan arbennig o bwysig yn yr hinsawdd economaidd bresennol.

"Does dim dwywaith bod newid hinsawdd a diogelu ffynonellau ynni yn mynd i fod yn her. Ond mae’r heriau hyn hefyd yn gyfle euraid i Gymru i arwain y ffordd i greu economi carbon isel a gosod y sylfeini ar gyfer dyfodol gwell a gwneud y gorau o’r manteision hirdymor i Gymru bob cam o’r ffordd.

"Y llynedd, roedd y sectorau ynni adnewyddadwy a charbon isel yn cynnal 29,000 o swyddi yng Nghymru. Dw i am weld y ffigur hwn yn cynyddu a gweld cymaint â phosibl o’r 250,000 o swyddi ychwanegol sy’n cael eu rhagweld yn sector ynni’r DU yn dod i Gymru yn y blynyddoedd nesaf. Mae busnes yn hanfodol i’n hynni ac i’n dyfodol economaidd. Ein nod fydd adeiladu ar enw da Cymru – a gweithio mewn partneriaeth â diwydiant – i sicrhau ein bod nid yn unig yn croesawu cydweithio, ond ein bod yn cael ein cydnabod unwaith yn rhagor fel canolfan ynni fyd-eang. Rydyn ni’n gwybod bod yn rhaid inni greu amgylchedd sefydlog ar gyfer buddsoddiad hirdymor yn ogystal â helpu ein diwydiannau ynni-ddwys hanfodol yn y cyfnod hwn o newid."

Dywedodd John Griffiths, Gweinidog yr Amgylchedd: "Mae Cymru, fel gweddill y byd, yn gweithio’n galed i gymryd y cam tuag at ynni carbon isel, mwy cynaliadwy. Mae’n hanfodol ein bod ni’n gwneud hyn mewn ffordd sy’n sensitif i anghenion ein cymunedau, yn creu swyddi lleol a chynaliadwy, ac yn cefnogi economi ehangach Cymru. Fel llywodraeth rydyn ni wedi ymrwymo i weithio mewn partneriaeth – gyda sectorau preifat, cyhoeddus a chymdeithasol – i wneud hyn yn realiti."

Minister Visits Medical Device Testing Centre Of Excellence

Health Minister Lesley Griffiths yesterday (Wednesday 14 March) visited a Welsh Government-funded laboratory in Bridgend which is unique in the UK.

The Surgical Materials Testing Laboratory (SMTL), based at the Princess of Wales Hospital, tests a range of medical devices for the Welsh NHS, which includes checking the performance of wound dressings, testing gloves for holes, and providing technical advice to Welsh NHS staff about these devices.

The SMTL not only tests and investigates defective devices brought to its attention by the Welsh NHS, but carries out random checks on devices in use to ensure compliance with safety standards.

Health Minister Lesley Griffiths said: "The Surgical Materials Testing Laboratory (SMTL) has an international reputation for its expertise in testing disposable medical devices, and is the only NHS facility of its kind in the UK, working hand in hand with procurement to ensure devices bought for the Wales NHS meet patient and clinician's requirements and offer value for money.

"While the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regulates the safety, quality and performance of medical devices at the point they are first placed on the UK market, there is little formal proactive testing of devices beyond what is done in Bridgend for the Wales NHS.

"I have called on the UK government to address this shortfall in regulation of products, so patient safety can be assured.

"The important role of testing medical devices was highlighted most recently during discussions about PIP breast implants. I wrote to the Secretary of State for Health earlier this year, drawing attention to the excellent work being done here at the laboratory in Bridgend. I suggested the UK government, along with other Devolved Administrations, might wish to provide funding to enhance and use the services of the SMTL and thereby take a more proactive approach to the issue of patient safety."

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Welsh Government Announces Radical Reform Of Social Services

New proposals to reform social services, including giving people more control over the care they receive and increased rights to assessments of their needs, were today announced by the Welsh Government.

Gwenda Thomas, Deputy Minister for Social Services and Children, launched a public consultation on the Social Services (Wales) Bill, a major piece of legislation that is set to transform the delivery of social services in Wales.

The proposed Bill aims to give people greater freedom to decide which services they need while offering consistent, high-quality services across the country.

The proposed legislation would:
allow Welsh Ministers to consider extending the range of services available by direct payments, meaning people will have more control over the services they use;
introduce national eligibility criteria and ensure people are assessed on what they need, rather than just on what services are available locally;
introduce portable assessments, which means people will be entitled to similar services if they move from one part of Wales to another without having their needs re-assessed if they haven't changed;
require local authorities to provide information to carers on their rights and the services available to them in their local areas;
create a national adoption service to improve the outcomes of child placements.

Steps will also be taken to reinforce the role of the Public Services Ombudsman to complement the changes already announced to modernise the social services complaints system.

The Deputy Minister made the announcement during a visit to Dewis Centre for Independent Living (CIL) in Pontypridd, a voluntary organisation which supports disabled people's rights to develop their own independent lifestyle. Like the provisions in the new Bill, their services aim to support people to achieve the outcomes they want.

The Deputy Minister said: "This Bill is an excellent example of how we are using the new powers of the National Assembly to make a real difference to the lives of the people of Wales.

"This Bill is about giving people a stronger voice and real control over the social care services they use, and to help meet their changing needs.

"We are not prepared to sit by as fewer and fewer people receive the support they need. The Bill will drive the development of new models of service that maintain and improve the wellbeing of people in need.

"There will be a stronger focus through the Bill on preventative and early intervention services, based on greater partnership working and integration of services between local authorities and partners.

"Service users and their carers must be involved. This means assessments must be about the outcomes that are important to them, not just about eligibility for a particular service.

"This Bill will help us all tackle the many challenges facing social services in Wales but will also allow us all to seize the opportunities before us".

The consultation will last for three months, running from the 12 March to the 1 June 2012.

The consultation will be available on the Welsh Government website from Monday morning: http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/?lang=en

The Bill will implement the programme of change outlined in the White Paper, 'Sustainable Social Services for Wales: A Framework for Action' and simplify the current legislation in areas where no new powers are required.

During the consultation period there will be three events to discuss the proposals: Cardiff (22 March), Llanelli (27 March) and Llandudno (29 March).

DEWIS website: www.dewiscil.org.uk/