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The number of Welsh speakers has fallen in the past decade as fewer children are speaking the language, new figures show.

The Minister for the Welsh language has said that he remains “committed” to the Welsh Government’s target of 1m Welsh speakers after a second census in a row showed a fall in numbers.

The number of Welsh speakers has fallen in the past decade as fewer children are speaking the language, new figures show.

In 2021 an estimated 538,000 people in Wales aged three years and over (17.8%) reported being able to speak Welsh.

New research reveals negative impact of caring responsibilities on young carers education

A new study, published by Public Health Wales has highlighted the negative impact that caring responsibilities have on educational participation in those aged 16-22, and the disproportionate impact it has on those living in the most deprived areas of the country.

The research brings together National Survey for Wales data over three years

New research showing how people across Wales have been affected by the coronavirus crisis has been published for the first time today.

The new monthly telephone version of the National Survey for Wales asked 3,000 people from across Wales questions on wellbeing and loneliness, employment, finances, food poverty, GP appointments, social care, and education to find out the how the pandemic has affected their lives.

WELSH people and those living in Wales are more satisfied with the quality of their GP care than they were last year.

In the National Survey For Wales 2018-19, 93 per cent of the 12,000 spoken to said they were happy with their GP care, an increase of seven per cent from the 2017-2018 data.

The same percentage were also happy with their care at their last NHS hospital appointment, an increase of three per cent.

The Minister for the Welsh language has said that he remains “committed” to the Welsh Government’s target of 1m Welsh speakers after a second census in a row showed a fall in numbers.

A Welsh Government programme that exists to reduce digital exclusion in Wales has been extended for another three years until 2025.

Delivered by the Wales Co-operative Centre in partnership with the Good Things Foundation and Swansea University, Digital Communities Wales: Digital Confidence, Health and Well-being (DCW) commenced in July 2019 and provides support for any organisation to help develop digital inclusion projects and to increase the digital skills and confidence of the people they work with. It is a key programme in helping to deliver the vision, aims and objectives of Welsh Government’s Digital Strategy for Wales.

Bridgend County Borough Council has published a new Welsh Language Strategy for 2021-2026.

The new strategy was implemented earlier this week as part of the council’s requirements under the Welsh Language Standards.

The local authority has to produce a five-year strategy and an annual report to outline how it has complied with the standards, progress made towards objectives, and how, in collaboration with partners, it has promoted and facilitated the use of the Welsh language more widely in the county borough.

Of the estimated 147,049 living in the county borough, a September 2020 National Survey for Wales identified 17.5 per cent could speak Welsh – an increase of 3.1 per cent from the same survey in 2005.

If one thing the past year has taught us, it’s that technology is an integral part of our lives. The need for digital skills has never been greater as we work, socialise, and access core services through our electronic devices.
At the start of lockdown there was an immediate need to get the most essential services running effectively with only remote support. IT teams worked overtime, helping to transfer almost everything to the online environment and supporting staff, some of whom were neither prepared for, nor confident in, online working.

From festival-inspired flower crown making to open-mic nights, Cadw has today (30 May 2019) launched a brand-new events programme aimed at attracting a growing number of millennial visitors to Wales’s spectacular collection of historic sites.

After recent studies found that more millennials (adults aged between 22 – 38) are visiting Wales’s medieval castles, abbeys and historic houses than ever before, Cadw designed the unique Medieval meets Modern events series to offer an abundance of new and exciting ways to further discover Welsh heritage.

The Welsh health secretary has announced a £3 million investment to help improve staff and patient access to technology.

Vaughan Gething said the money would form part of the new, three-year Digital Inclusion and Health programme, which will help staff and patients engage with technology as well as access and manage their medical information online.

Speaking at the Digital Health and Care Conference in Cardiff earlier this month, Gething said: “Having the skills and motivation to access digital health services can help people better manage their conditions, whilst helping to reduce the burden on under pressure NHS services.

Many students will have had an experience where they said they wouldn’t go on a night out, and then two hours later ended up in a club fairly drunk. But recent research from the Office for National Statistics is showing that the binge drinking culture of university is on the decline with one in five students saying they don’t drink.

The reasons for this are believed to be a wider range of cultural beliefs among university students, financial troubles faced by students and awareness of the health risks of binge drinking.