Issue 1168 - Monday March 15

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rhifyn 1168 issue 1168

15 Mawrth 2021 15 March 2021

gair rhydd Cardiff University’s student paper | Established 1972

Inside: The problematic use of 'study' drugs for academic purpose at Universities (page 6) Cardiff University Student Support Fund confirmed Tirion Davies

Editor-in-Chief

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ardiff University announced at the end of February that a plan had been put in place to aid students affected by the ongoing pandemic.

In a message to students from Claire Morgan, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University, it was confirmed that there would be additional support for students.

Students living in Universityowned residences have been given information on how to access rent rebates through SIMS, though a wider support package has been confirmed.

Additional funding was made available through the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW), allocated through the Welsh Government.

The COVID-19 Student Support Fund is in aid of students struggling to meet essential expenses as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Students in need of this further support can access £350 from the Cardiff University support fund.

Funding will be available to undergraduate and postgraduate students, full-time home or international students, or a part-time student studying 60 credits or more during the 2020-21 academic year.

The Student Support Fund will be open to applications through SIMS from Monday 15 March 2021. There is, however, an application process required for the Student Support Fund.

The process will require students to list the expense(s) they are struggling to meet, such as rent or utility bills and give the main reason(s) for struggling to meet them, for example a loss of income or additional costs due to the pandemic.

There is also a requirement to confirm students have been impacted financially the COVID-19 pandemic and provide bank details.

If students have questions about the COVID-19 Student Support Fund, they are asked to contact covid19supportfund@cardiff.ac.uk.

Although the Student Support Fund is eligible for all students, there is further support from the

Welsh Government for students who have been more adversely impacted by the pandemic.

There are many students who could qualify for this additional funding from the Welsh Government. Students from lower income households are eligible for a top-up bursary from the University of an additional £350.

If the Student Loan Company have assessed your household income as £25,000 or lower, you may be eligible for this additional topup bursary. Students funded by the NHS or the NHS Bursary Awards who have a household income of £25,000 or lower will also be eligible for the top-up bursary.

Processing is currently happening for students who fall under this category, and the University will be in contact directly. This top-up bursary for low-income households is only applicable, however, for undergraduate students.

Care leavers, estranged students and carers should automatically receive a top-up bursary of £350 if they have not already, based on a household income assessment. Students who are care leavers, estranged from their family or carers should contact studentfundingadvice@cardiff.ac.uk to further discuss their options.

Cardiff University has noted that distribution of bursaries for these groups will take time to administer, and those who are eligible for topup bursaries should have received them by the end of June. This bursary is available to both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Students who are registered with the University as a student with a disability will receive specific learning support awards to help fund any changes they may have faced in their learning this past year. Students in need of further support will be contacted directly by the University.

Cardiff University have a Financial Assist Programme which will continue to run this year for students facing financial hardship. Thanks to further funding, more funding is available to the programme this year.

This support fund will be beneficial to many students at Cardiff University who have found the past year of the pandemic difficult.

COVID-19 lockdown: England have already announced their easing of lockdown measures, but many are still hoping Wales will follow the same path. Sources: CPMR - Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (via Flickr)

Lockdown measures in Wales to be slowly eased Zoe Kramer

Head of News

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irst Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, has announced changes to lockdown restrictions in Wales over the coming weeks, beginning with the message to 'stay local'.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in late February that lockdown measures in England

Independence support grows again Dewi Morris

Politics Editor

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upport for Welsh Independence has once again grown in Wales, reaching 39 percent in favour of Welsh Independence according to a new ITV poll.

This new, higher percentage stands at the highest rate of support for Welsh Independence since polling first began back in 2013.

As support for an independent Wales continues to grow, what does this mean for the Senedd elections expected on May 6?

To read more about the growing support for Welsh Independence in Wales and what this may mean, turn to page 12 12

would be entirely eased by June 21, and that the easing of measures would not be reversible.

The Welsh First Minister has been more reluctant to announce changes, having been advised by many experts that Wales may still see another wave of high COVID-19 cases.

Children aged 3 to 7 returned to school on February 22, but there is an expectations these measures will be eased to allow more pupils to return to school.

Services which are not able to remain socially distanced, such as hairdressers and tattoo artists are expected to soon be reopened.

Wales has surpassed the 1 million mark for COVID-19 vaccinations, and has seen a continued drop in COVID-19, though many have noted it is in the public's best interest to remain cautious.

To read more about the easing of restrictions in Wales and the drop in COVID-19 cases, turn to 3 page 3.

Edrych ar Cân Best combination i Gymru 2021 of 5-a-day revealed Catrin Lewis

Holly Giles

Golygydd Taf-od

Head of Science & Technology

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ydym ni gyd yng Nghymru yn edrych ymlaen i gystadleuaeth Cân i Gymru, ac eleni, er oedd y gystadleuaeth yn wahanol i'r arfer, yr oedd hi'r un mor gyffrous ag arfer.

Wedi'i gynnal ar Fawrth 5, cynhaliwyd y gystadleuaeth eleni ar-lein, ond gyda'r cystadleuwyr yn barhau i ddathlu'r cystadleuaeth yn y stiwdio - un arferiad nad yw COVID-19 wedi'i allu newid.

Yr wythnos hon, mae Catrin Lewis yn edrych nôl ar gystadleuaeth Cân i Gymru eleni, ac yn drafod y ddathliadau yn sgil y pandemig COVID-19.

I ddarllen yn fwy am Cân i Gymru 2021, trowch i dudalen 8.

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ew research from the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professional Follow-up Study has suggested the best combination for the intake of 5-a-day.

The study has since revealed that only 28 percent of adults are currently meeting this quota.

It was found that eating five servings of fruit and vegetables daily was associated with the lowest risk of death, proving that a healthy balance of 5-a-day really does work - just as we were always told as children.

To read more about the study, and what constitutes the beast and healthiest balance of 5-a-day, turn 20 to page 20.

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EDITORIAL

At Gair Rhydd we take seriously our responsibility to maintain the highest possible standards.

We may occasionally make mistakes, however if you believe we have fallen below the standards we seek to uphold, please email editor@gairrhydd.com.

Opinions expressed in editorials and opinion pieces are not reflective of Cardiff Student Media, who act as the publisher of Gair Rhydd in legal terms, and should not be considered official communications or the organisation’s stance.

Gair Rhydd is a Post Office registered newspaper.

THE TEAM Coordinator

Elaine Morgan

Editor-in-Chief Tirion Davies

Deputy Editors

Hallum Cowell Holly Giles Molly Govus

Head of Digital Media Tom Leaman

Head of Design

Lottie Draycott

Video Editors

Sophia Grace Scarlett Griffith Ellis Lloyd-Jones Daniel O’Callaghan

Graphics Editor

Ellie Hutchings

Copy Editors

Megan Newberry Amy Saunders Elle Speer

IN THIS ISSUE

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Worrying about weight gain in a pandemic

Disclaimer: this article discusses topics some may find disturbing. y March 23, we will have officially been in a year-long lockdown period. The word ‘unprecedented’ gets thrown around a lot, but it seems hard to describe this period in any other way; none of us quite saw a global pandemic coming.

This year has been hard on everyone, and the constant pressure and anxiety put on us all from this pandemic has meant fluctuations in weight. A joke we hear often now is “well, they’ve enjoyed their time off during the pandemic”. But the reality of the situation is that it’s a difficult time, and fluctuating weight isn’t the biggest issue we’re having to deal with.

Weight loss is seen as a ‘success’ and rarely do we check that someone is doing so healthily or why someone is losing weight. The constant talk about scales and sizing can cause an environment filled with obsession, which is no help in times like these.

It can be dangerous to consistently associate health with weight; they are often two separate factors and can cause distress when they are considered synonymous. One persons’ healthy weight can make another person underweight or overweight – it’s usually dependent on individuals and their lifestyle.

Since the beginning of the

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pandemic, eating disorder charity Beat said, according to the BBC, it had seen an 80 percent increase in Wales in the number of people contacting them via social media, and an additional 35 percent increase in calls.

Making jokes about having to lose weight to participate in ‘hot girl summer’ or saying ‘they’ve got a lockdown body’ isn’t helpful. Being healthy isn’t synonymous with being skinny, and someone’s clothing size doesn’t define them.

We worry a lot about the way other people look. Whether someone is overweight, has the ‘perfect’ body, or is underweight. Yet, we don’t know about people’s lives, whether they are doing regular exercise and if they are worried about their body image during the pandemic.

You have the right to feel confident in your body. Eating healthily is good for you, but make sure you are doing research on the subject; don’t restrict yourself – if you are feeling hungry it is because your body is telling you it wants food.

Everyone has gained weight during lockdown, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Gaining weight is never something to be ashamed of.

Try not, however hard that may be, to succumb to the voices and the people telling you how you should look or that you are not enough. You are not defined by your weight.

NEWS

Changes to Welsh lockdown rules (p.3)

TAF-OD

Diwrnod Rhyngwladol y Merch 2021 (t.10)

Poeni am y pwysau yng nghanol pandemig Rhybudd: Mae’r erthygl yma’n trafod materion gall bod yn drallodus i rhai. rbyn canol Mawrth, byddem wedi delio gyda blwyddyn o gyfnod clo. Mae’r gair ‘unprecedented’ yn cael ei ddefnyddio’n gyson, ond mae’n anodd defnyddio gair arall am y cyfnod yma; doedd neb yn disgwyl pandemig rhyngwladol.

Mae’r flwyddyn hon wedi bod hynod o anodd i bawb, ac mae’r pwysau cyson a’r pryder arnom ni gyd wedi achosi amrywiad pwysau.

Jôc mae nifer wedi clywed eleni yw “mae’r person yna wedi mwynhau’r cyfnod clo, do?”. Ond y gwirionedd yw, rydym ni gyd wedi gweld y cyfnod clo yn anodd, ac nid yw amrywedd pwysau’r broblem fwyaf mae’n rhaid i ni boeni amdano ar hyn o’r bryd.

Mae colli pwysau’n cael ei weld fel ‘llwyddiant’, ac yn anaml ydyn ni’n gwirio bod rhywun yn colli pwysau mewn ffordd iachus, neu’n gofyn pam bod rhywun yn penderfynu colli pwysau. Mae’r drafodaeth gyson am bwysau yn gallu achosi byd llawn obsesiwn, all ddim helpu yng nghyfnod fel hyn.

Peryglus yw hi i fod tro cysylltu pwysau gydag iechyd; maen nhw’n dwy ffactor mae’n rhaid i ni drafod ar wahân a gall achosi problemau pan eu bod yn cael ei drafod yn gyd-destun cyfystyr. Mae iachus i

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POLITICS

Welsh Independence sees growth in support (p.12)

COMMENT

The Meghan and Harry interview (p.17)

ADVICE

Challenging the view of others (p.19)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Research for 5-a-day (p.18)

@CAERDYDD

The Welsh language and the 2021 Census (p.24)

SPORT

European Athletics Championship review (p.26)

Pryderau pwysau yn pandemig: Mae gan y byd obsesiwn gyda pwysau, ond oes wir angen hynny yn ystod cyfnod pandemig?

Tarddiad: Daniell Langford (drwy Pixy.org)

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Weight worries and a pandemic: The world is obsessed with weight loss, but during a pandemic it doesn’t seem necessary.

Source: Daniell Langford (via Pixy.org)

un person yn gallu bod yn wahanol i eraill; gall meddwl ei bod danbwysau neu dros bwysau - mae’n dibynnu ar y person a’i bywyd.

Mae’r holl obsesiwn gyda phwysau wedi achosi problemau dros y cyfnod clo. I bobl yn delio gydag anhwylderau bwyta, mae trafodaethau ar-lein am ddietau’n gallu bod yn anffodus.

Ers dechrau’r cyfnod clo, yn ôl y BBC, mae’r cwmni Beat wedi gweld cynnydd 80 y cant yn y nifer o bobl yn dechrau trafodaeth gyda nhw ar gyfryngau cymdeithasol, gyda chynnydd yn ogystal o 35 y cant yn bobl yn ffonio Beat.

Nid yw gwneud jôc am golli pwysau i fod yn hardd dros yr haf, neu ddweud ‘mae ganddyn nhw gorff cyfnod clo’ yn helpu. Nid yw bod yn iachus yn gyfystyr â bod yn iachus, ac nid yw maint dillad rhywun yn golygu ei werth.

Rydym yn poeni lot am y ffordd bod eraill yn edrych. Os ydyn nhw dros bwysau, gyda’r corff ‘perffaith’, neu dan bwysau. Ond, nid ydym yn gwybod am fywydau eraill, os ydyn nhw’n wneud llawer o ymarfer corff, neu os ydynt yn poeni am ei edrychiad corfforol yng nghanol y pandemig.

Mae pawb wedi rhoi pwysau ymlaen dros y cyfnod clo. Ni ddylai bod rhoi pwysau ymlaen yn rhywbeth i boeni amdano.

Rydych werth mwy na chi’n pwyso.

NODYN GAN Y GOLYGYDD

NEWS

Lockdown restrictions to be lifted in Wales

Mark Drakeford has announced that some restrictions will be lifted Zoe Kramer

Head of News

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irst Minister Mark Drakeford has announced changes to lockdown.

The current Tier 4 lockdown has been in effect since Christmas, though these new regulations will come into effect over the next few weeks.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently announced his plan to end lockdown by stages in England, culminating in potentially few to no restrictions over the summer.

The Welsh plan is less drastic, incorporating a much slower and more gradual approach to lifting restrictions.

Up until now, the Welsh Government have not used the same system where specific dates are listed in a schedule for the lifting of COVID-19 regulations.

In the latest review, certain restrictions on the number of people allowed to meet outdoors were lifted, allowing for a greater number of people to gather.

Care homes will be open for indoor visits beginning on the 13th of March.

Lockdown adjustment: Mr Drakeford has set out a plan for reopening to happen gradually. Source: CPMR (via Flickr) Some of the regulations which not be done socially distanced, such as may change in the immediate future hairdressers and tattoo artists. Local are allowing primary and secondary travel is to be allowed, though only school students to return to in-person for four people from two households teaching. outdoors.

Children ages 3 to 7 have been able The hospitality sector, including pubs to return since February 22, but this and indoor dining will remain closed. is to be extended to other age groups, All non-essential shopping will be including years 10 and 12. Some non- available again from March 21, with essential retail will be reopened from non-essential aisles in supermarkets to March 15, as well as services which can be reopened beginning from Monday

March 15.

Overall, the restrictions put in place will prioritise caution in order to ensure that the R-rate remains under control, and that Wales does not see another wave of high COVID-19 restrictions.

Mr Drakeford spoke on BBC Radio Wales, saying “In Wales, [with caution] is how we are trying to approach the whole business - carefully, cautiously, step by step, not doing too many things at once - so that we can monitor the impact of changes, and then restore more freedoms to people and to the economy once we are confident it’s safe to do so.”

These changes come in the wake of some positive statistics regarding the transmission of COVID-19.

Recently, for the first time since September, no new deaths were reported, and Wales continues to see drops in COVID cases. Additionally, almost a million people have been vaccinated in Wales, reaching approximately 32% of the population.

Discussions will continue in order to ensure that Wales does not see another significant spike in cases.

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YOUR NEWS DESK

Zoe Kramer

COVID-19 vaccine rollout surpasses one million in Wales Iris Knapman Contributor

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s of Monday 8 March, 31.7 percent of the Welsh population, accounting for nearly one million of the population, have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Wales, with further 5.8 percent now being fully vaccinated against the virus – a higher percentage than is currently seen across the whole of the UK. These promising figures seem to validate claims made by the Welsh Government’s Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, Andrew Evans, that Wales has and will “continue to lead” the vaccine rollout in the UK. Evans has expressed beliefs this will lead to an improved delivery rate in Wales, with the potential for more than 30,000 doses to be administered each day. Not only that, but this could lead to the opening of more vaccination centres. The Cardiff and Vale Health board has already revealed plans to open another mass vaccination centre and are searching for an appropriate location.

With the present circumstances, it is

clear why Evans seems confident that Wales are on target to offer priority groups five to nine by mid-April.

These priority groups come from the Welsh Government’s rollout plans, comprising a nine-tier priority list by which they will issue the vaccines. The list ranks various groups, considering their age and whether they are considered at-risk of the virus.

Healthcare and social care workers also rank high due to the increased risk of exposure in their line of work.

The first top-priority group in the list includes elderly care-home residents the staff that care for them, followed by front-line healthcare and social care workers and individuals aged 80 years and over.

Succeeding group 2, group 3 includes those between 75 and 80, while group 4 covers both those 70 years and over and the clinically vulnerable between 16-69 years.

The fifth group to receive vaccination will be 65 years and over and then group 6 is for adults aged 16-69 considered atrisk as well as unpaid carers.

Finally, groups 7 to 9 span across various age groups of individuals without a risk condition.

Luthien Evans

Distribution: The vaccine’s delivery rate is expected to improve in the coming weeks. Source: Nick Youngson (via Picserver) Non-vulnerable individuals aged 16Although this pandemic is far from 49 will likely be the last to receive the over, it is reassuring to finally see these vaccine. victories in the fight against COVID-19.

On the topic of vaccine refusal, Evans The news of the success of the reported to the BBC that “very, very vaccine rollout comes after the few people [in Wales]” were refusing Welsh Government has begun the vaccine. announcements surrounding the He continued to tell BBC, “Our easing of lockdown measures, following uptake rate is in excess of 90% for the announcements made by UK Prime older groups, in excess of 85% has we Minister Boris Johnson that the full come down through those cohorts. easing of measures in England will be There is very little vaccine hesitancy.” lifted by June 21.

New vaccination centre to open in Cardiff Bay Luthien Evans News Editor

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new mass vaccination centre is opening in Cardiff Bay. It is set to open at the former Toys R Us site.

This has been confirmed by the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and has brought the total of vaccination centres in the region to four- with vaccination centres in Splott, Pentwyn and Barry.

It has been suggested that this newest addition to Cardiff and the Vales’s vaccination centres will boost the vaccine distribution numbers by up to 2,500 per day.

It has been stated that it should be ready to commence vaccinating from late March- with those living in Cardiff and the eastern part of Vale of Glamorgan being eligible to be vaccinated at this location.

The Council is proud to be playing an integral role in delivering the mass vaccination program alongside our Cardiff and Vale University health board.

Huw Thomas Cardiff Council Leader

Huw Thomas, leader of Cardiff Council, has stated to the BBC: “the council is proud to be playing an integral role in delivering the mass vaccination program alongside our Cardiff and Vale University health board and the Vale of Glamorgan Council partners.” Thomas has further welcomed the announcement

Vaccines “R” Us: The former site of the toy store will serve to administer the vaccines. Source: US Secretary of Defense (via Flickr) of using the former Toys “R” health board several months before a Us store, as it is Council owned vaccine was available, planning what property. He further commended a rollout might look like, the logistics the Cardiff Council staff for being involved, the types of buildings at the forefront of the pandemic. He required and traffic management”. said, “we worked closely with the Talking about all the vaccination

Sam Portillo

Dominic Williams news@gairrhydd.com sites, he told the BBC, “the increasing pace of the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine in Cardiff and the Vale brings further hope that the end of the crisis is in sight, and we can begin the process of recovery.”

The health board does not plan on stopping here however. With the western part of the Vale of Glamorgan having to travel to Cardiff Bay, there is hope for further opportunities to increase this access in the area, such as local access for those in the western parts of Vale of Glamorgan.

So far, the health board for Cardiff and Vale have vaccinated more than 133,000 People with the first jab, many have also received a second jab. Those next in line for the job of those in priority groups five through to seven. The health board have said that the first job will be completed for everyone over 50 by mid April, this will be greatly helped by the new vaccination centre in Cardiff Bay.

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NEWS

Developments Emergency fund created for Cardiff residents in crisis proposed for more than £100,000 that was used to Dominic Williams buy the emergency food and essential News Editor goods parcels the Council has Cardiff’s provided for people struggling to get new emergency fund has been provisions throughout the past year.

Atlantic Wharf put in place to support Cardiff Leader of the Council, Cllr Huw Sam Portillo News Editor

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evelopers are planning to build a ‘floating village’ on an obsolete dock in Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff – the first of its kind in the UK. The 150-year old industrial dock was closed in 1970, and is now surrounded by apartments.

Construction company Float8, however, which leads the way in ‘blue space’ development, wants to build homes, office blocks and retail space over the water.

“We can confirm Float8 is in ongoing exploratory discussions with the owners of a redundant dock in Cardiff regarding a first of its kind in the UK floating artisan village proposal at the Bute East Dock,” a spokesperson for the company told the BBC, “We are not [yet] in a position to disclose detailed information, other than our proposal includes a mixeduse floating scheme combining public realm space, floating homes, floating offices and retail space.”

Despite being optimistic about the project, the company is still in talks with the current owner of the port, and so far has not applied for planning permission.

The area first opened for business in the 1850s to facilitate exporting of coal and other commodities from the resource-rich South Wales Valleys, but now, it presents an opportunity to cater to a different kind of demand: places to live.

It would be the latest development in Atlantic Wharf and the surrounding areas of Cardiff, which have recently benefited from investments in an entertainment complex, high-rise apartments, and retail parks.

Cardiff Council has plans to facilitate more residential living in the area as the housing market struggles to keep pace with growing demand.

The Council plans to permit over 1,000 new homes, a 15,000-capacity indoor arena, hotels and a public square, providing future residents not just with accommodation but also a vibrant local community.

A spokesperson for Associated British Ports said the company is working with Cardiff Council to assess the options for developments on and around the Bute East Dock.

The Council has also released long-term plans that, if realised, could see County Hall demolished, as well as the popular Red Dragon entertainment complex which contains a cinema, a bowling and arcade complex, and multiple restaurants.

Private sector developers would be responsible for building the proposed replacements, with a separate bidding process for each site.

The 15,000-capacity arena will be among the first proposals to be realised, and will become the sixth largest in Wales when it opens in early 2024.

The Red Dragon Centre would make way for a new complex which would feature a multi-storey car park, additional restaurants and bars, and a virtual reality tourist attraction, preliminarily titled ‘This is Wales’.

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residents in crisis.

Due to many people facing financial hardship during the pandemic, a new emergency fund has been put in place to support Cardiff residents in crisis.

The Together for Cardiff Discretionary Emergency Fund has immediately received a £10,000 boost, thanks to Cardiff-born international business leader, Alan Peterson as Cardiff Council seeks to provide help to some of the most vulnerable people in need across the city, who are experiencing hardship.

Since the start of the crisis, the authority established a volunteering initative, together for Cardiff, to harness the community spirit and strong desire for residents to help each other in a time of need.

At the start of the crisis, the authority established a volunteering initiative, Together for This was quickly followed by the creation of the Cardiff Food Appeal which saw local businesses and individuals, including Mr Peterson, donating funds totalling

Thomas said, “The tremendous generosity shown by businesses and individuals in the city at the start of the emergency last year, both in terms of financial contributions to the food appeal and people selflessly giving their time to volunteer to support others in their time of need, was outstanding. People really pulled Together for Cardiff.

“This money, as well as goods that were donated by businesses and Cardiff Foodbank, was used to buy emergency food and essential goods parcels for almost 8,500 people struggling to get provisions throughout the past year.

“Sadly, the crisis and the difficulties it has brought are still with us and many low income households in the city continue to struggle so, this emergency fund has been established to support those in crisis.”

Thomas praised volunteers noting, “We are extremely grateful to The Peterson Family for their generous contribution once again, which has

helped get the fund off the ground.

We hope that others who want to help residents in difficulty will also come forward to, from some of the city’s businesses to individuals in the community who want to support their neighbours.

“My thanks go to everyone who is able to help. Your support will provide a real lifeline to Cardiff people in need. Diolch yn fawr iawn.”

Applicants to the fund will be supported by the Council’s Money

Cardiff Council, Cardiff University and Grange Pavillion. Its said the intention of the project is to increase safe areas for children as well as improving community cohesion.

This is said to be done through enabling children to be able to ‘play safely near their own homes meaning they can enjoy the outdoors, see friends and be near their family’, as stated by Sarah Merry, Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills. This has been seen as especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Merry further claims that this may help reduce antisocial behaviours, such as fly tipping from happening within the area and within these lanes. She also wants to uphold the commitment record of the coming of a safe child friendly city, as described by the UK committee for UNICEF. The UNICEF branch has suggested that the council submits the city of Cardiff for Child Friendly City recognition, for work such as this initiative.

Refurbishment: Certain alleyways in Grangetown will receive a much-needed tranformation. Source: Mick Lobb (via Wikimedia Commons) Further comments by Lynne of this used and in the spaces across Thomas, Community Gateway Grangetown and are keen to explore Project Manager, follow as such: additional funding and partnership “[the collaborative project] draws opportunities. “ and principles of co production, On the subject of the project she we look forward to supporting stated “twenty lanes in total were residents develop and implement nominated by Grangetown residents their ambitions to create bright, as a result of the open calls.” She welcoming, safe, green spaces for states the support for the project play and hyper localised community from the community has been interaction. blessed and has asked businesses “We would love this project to be and locals to get behind the funding a catalyst for wider transformation of such projects.

Emergency: Those who have been most heavily impacted by the COVID-19 economy will receive support. Source: Images Money (via Flickr) Advice team, who will discuss the household’s circumstances and explore ways to maximise their income by accessing grants, discounts and benefits, help to deal with any debts they have, and provide guidance to apply for the fund, if all other options have been exhausted.

Applications will be assessed by an independent panel of Council officers and if successful, any necessary purchases or payments will be made on the applicant’s behalf.

Child-friendly green spaces to be developed in Grangetown Luthien Evans News Editor

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anes and alleyways in Grangetown will be transformed into safe spaces for children to play, as well as becoming more green, this month.

The initiative has been coined the Safe Play Lanes Project. It is to be delivered through to All Wales Play Opportunities Grant, which financially supports the increase of play opportunities for children.

The initiative claims to have the community at the forefront of the operation, and are currently in the local consultation stage where they are asking local residents of Grangetown to help design the upgrade of the lanes. It has been suggested if this initiative is successful and supported by the community, has the potential to be expanded further parts of Cardiff.

This initiative was pioneered and formed collaboratively between

Cardiff could be host to the tallest building in Wales Dominic Williams News Editor

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ardiff city centre could potentially be home to the tallest building in Wales if planning permission is granted.

The plan to build the tallest building in Wales, focuses on knocking down Porter’s bar which staged live theatre, comedy nights and live music until COVID-19 forced its temporary closure.

Porter’s is part of Harlech Court in Cardiff, which developers want to build the 35-storey tower.

While in 2019 the nearby Gwdihw music venue and two restaurants om Guildford Crescent were demolished by other developers who plan on building a 29-storey apartment tower there.

The Draycott Group bought the building back in May 2018, and according to their website want to build 350 apartments there.

However, as mentioned earlier the

Cityscape: The Cardiff skyline could look very different in a few years. Source: Richard Williams (via Flickr) plans are still in an early stage, and running until October 2022 and developers are yet to applying for hoped that “between us we can planning permission. find a new building to call home”.

The company is behind several It urged Cardiff Council to recent developments in Cardiff, “join with us in helping to find a including Luxury townhouses suitable empty building that does in Pontcanna and student not sit under the cloud of possible accommodation in Cathays and demolition or redevelopment”.

Roath.

On a recent Cardiff Skyscraper The venue said it had a lease forum, someone commented on the

potential for a 35-storey building, saying: “I would love to see a building of 150m (so it qualifies as a skyscraper!) constructed in the city centre with an observation platform, bar or restaurant at the top. A mixed-use tower perhaps offices, apartments, or a hotel.

“I’m sure this would be a very welcome addition to our city centre. A centrepiece to the capital city of Wales skyline, a welcome message to visitors that we are a forward-thinking city!

“The views on offer at this height would be superb in every direction, to the North, up to the Brecon Beacons, to the south. views over Cardiff Bay, the Bristol channel and over to South West England and all above the castle, the stadium, civic centre, Bute Park and a decent number of high-rise buildings.’’

Currently, the tallest building or skyscraper in Wales is the Meridian Tower in Swansea, which boasts 29 storeys.

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Providing a range of certified courses aimed at building your confidence and increasing your employability potential.

6

FEATURES

FEATURES The use of ‘study’ drugs at Universities Rhydd examines the use of drugs for academic TEAM Gair purpose amongst students at universities across the UK Disclaimer: This article covers substance abuse and subjects which some reads may find disturbing.

If you have been affected by any of the topics in this article please don’t hesitate to contact student support on studentconnect@cardiff. ac.uk

Theo Tadros

Tehreem Sultan

Tom Kingsbury

Dominic Williams features@gairrhydd.com

Contributor

I

n this month’s Feature, Gair Rhydd looks into the use of different types of drugs amongst students.

The prevalence of study-enhancing drugs at universities across the UK is a topic so rarely talked about, but is an issue gaining popularity amongst students.

Students use ‘study’ drugs for a variety of reasons including helping with work load, cramming revision for exams and essays, and to simply get through a long day of lectures.

Recreational drug use amongst students has been getting progressively worse for the last few decades, but more so than ever, a number of students are turning to harder substances for help with their studies.

Amphetamine, colloquially referred to as “speed”, has become increasingly popular amongst students eager to excel.

Amphetamine is a central nervous stimulant with a Class B UK legal status, meaning a maximum of up to 5 years in prison for possession and 14 years with intent to supply. It is also the primary constituent of

Adderall, which is commonly prescribed for ADHD (although not available under the NHS).

Amphetamine is the main active chemical in Adderall and when first prescribed to children with ADHD in America; it was noted that substantial improvements in academic performance were observed, with an average improvement of 4.5 IQ points in the patients’ cases. Research on Amphetamine was done on normal healthy adults and it was found that in low doses, Amphetamine elicits modest, yet unequivocal improvements in cognition, working memory, alertness, and memory consolidation.

As well as improvements in motivation to work.

It’s as a result of this that Speed and Adderall have become increasingly popular amongst university students who use these drugs in order to work uninterrupted for extended periods of time.

The susbtance improves recall as well as understanding, which, in isolation, has been shown to have a positive long-term impact on revision amongst university students.

A student at Cardiff University spoke to Gair Rhydd about the increased popularity of these ‘study drugs’ amongst themselves and other students.

The student’s identity has been concealed in order to protect their privacy.

“The thing is you have to be ready to work and with the drug you get this amazing level of focus and everything you read makes sense on a whole other level,

Academic Stress: Students have found that specific drugs boost their academic performance and concentration. Source: HaticeEROL (via Pixabay) but if you aren’t in the right mindset you just end up procrastinating even more: once I just ended up sorting all the loose change in my room by year”

It’s not a choice for a lot of students, 30 years ago only 1 in 10 people went to university: now it’s nearly half. The status of university has gone down, with joke degrees and accessible courses making it easy for anyone to get into university. Most half decent grad jobs these days require a 2:1, whereas before, just the fact that you went to university would have been enough to

So, if these drugs are able increase the amount

of productive work that a student gets done, why are they still illegal in the UK? Amphetamine can have fatal repercussions, claiming the lives of 99 people in the UK throughout 2020.

The drug is also highly addictive and can be a gateway to more serious, and life threatening, narcotics.

Gair Rhydd asked the student to address the risk they perceieved Amphetamine to be on students at universities from across the UK. They noted, “Yes, it is definitely a real risk with using this drug, the key is moderation: you don’t want to be using it every day, I’m using it once or twice a week and in pretty small doses.

“I know people who are totally dependent on it to work now because they’ve got used to how it helps you study” Gair Rhydd then implored whether using Amphetamine

to fuel their revision may be considered cheating. They replied, “If a marathon runner was using Amphetamine to improve their athletic performance, they would be disqualified” “It’s moral grey area for sure, arguably you would see the same benefits to a lesser degree from something like caffeine; but no one’s saying you’re cheating for drinking coffee. Paul Erdos is one of the most influential mathematicians of the 20th century and openly talked about taking speed every day to help him work and he accepts the advantages it has and boosts his performance”.

The drug Amphetamine has affected thousands of students from across the UK. Though the drug, despite being addictive and dangerous is, for the most part, still being sold amongst students, despite being a Class A drug.

Gair Rhydd spoke to a student at University of Manchester who discussed the impact of drugs in academics. The name of the individual has been changed to maintain their privacy.

Disclaimer: This article covers substance abuse and subjects which some reads may find disturbing.

If you have been affected by any of the topics in this article please don’t hesitate to contact student support on studentconnect@cardiff. ac.uk

G

Universities around the UK: ‘Use of ‘Speed’ drugs is common around students in the UK. Source: Mike Peel [mikepeel.net] (via Wikimedia Commons)

air Rhydd learnt about the experience of a student from Manchester about their own experience with Amphetamine.

The student noted that Manchester University has seen a number of incidents of substance abuse of this socalled ‘study drug’ amongst students.

The student told Gair Rhydd, “My first encounter with drugs was when one of my mutual friends had Adderall in February of 2020, just before the coronavirus

[pandemic] started to kick off. He offered me some to try to help with my revision.”

The student said they were curious about the offer, having heard from many other students that it helped them to be hyper-focused on their studies, stating, “It gives you an almost superhuman ability to work for hours on end. I think I got about 7 or 8 hours of non-stop textbook reading from it the day before one of my mock exams. A few of my friends would use Adderall [an American drug often used to aid those with ADHD or ADD in need of aids to help them focus] a few times a day to get through the week for the positive impact it had on the ability to concentrate.”

Yet, the drug continues to be a Class A drug in the UK, and Amphetamine can become incredible addictive - especially to those believe taking Amphetamine is

having a positive effect on their productivity, such as students.

Although often prescribed therapeuticially for some patients, addiction is a strong possibility in Amphetamine users, and very high doses can result in psychosis, which is said to rarely occur in therapeutic use. The drug is accessible to students online, and the increasing stress students feel they are under is pushing more and more students to seek out these drugs illegally to boost their productivity.

Yet, although many students see a benefit to drugs like Amphetamine, it can lead to substance abuse, and becoming addicted to substances from a young age can have a severe effect.

According to the Manchester University student, “Drugs are given to students from a pre-teen age and can become these deadly weapons of destruction”

Your Wellbeing Activities, information and advice to help your wellbeing

cardiffstudents.com/wellbeing

8

TAF-OD

taf od

Barn y Bobol

Oherwydd cyfyngiadau COVID-19 roedd cystadleuaeth Cân i Gymru eleni bach yn wahanol, ond roedd y bwrlwm dal yr un peth.. Gwelwyd lawer o drydariadau ar hyd y noson yn sylwadu ar y cyflwyno, y caneuon a llawer mwy. Ond beth roedd myfyrwyr Prifysgol Caerdydd yn meddwl o’r gystadleuaeth?

Dyma farn Alaw, Dafydd a Martha.

Alaw Mair

Myfyrwraig yr ail flwyddyn, Cymraeg a’r gweithle Proffesiynol Profiad gwahanol iawn oedd Cân i Gymru’r flwyddyn hon, dim teulu yn gwylio i gefnogi’r cystadleuwyr a dim cynulleidfa fyw. Er hyn, roedd yr awyrgylch wrth wylio ar y teledu yn dal i fod yn un hwyliog wrth weld cynulleidfa rithiol yn y cefndir.

Roedd yn dda eu bod nhw’n sgwrsio gydag ambell wyliwr i weld eu barn nhw ar y gwahanol ganeuon. Roeddwn i’n meddwl fod safon y caneuon y flwyddyn yma wedi bod yn un o’r goreuon ers blynyddoedd a’r trydariadau i gyd yn ofnadwy o ddifyr i ddarllen. Felly, er gwaetha’r sefyllfa roedd Cân i Gymru yn ffordd o godi ysbryd y genedl.

Dafydd Orritt

Myfyriwr y drydydd flwyddyn, Cymraeg a Newyddiaduraeth Er yr awyrgylch lletchwith rhwng y cyflwynwyr â’r gynulleidfa rithiol, roedd hi’n braf gweld un o’n theatrau fwyaf arwyddocaol yn cael defnydd, ar ôl flwyddyn cyfa (bron) o fod ar gau. Roedd hi’n well fyth gweld pobl yn defnyddio trydar i fod yn ddoniol ac yn glên eleni. Yn ogystal â hynny, braf oedd cael arlwy o ganeuon, o reggae i roc ar lwyfan y gystadleuaeth.

Roedd arlwy Cân i Gymru eleni yn un addas i bawb!

Chwaraeon: Cymru yn ennill Coron Driphlyg yn y Chwe Gwlad (tudalen 10)

NEWYDDION

Galw ar Gymry i ymuno gydag Awr Ddaear 2021 Bydd pobl y diffodd eu golau rhwng 8:30 a 9:30 yn hwyr ar Mawrth 27 Alaw Fflur Jones Golygydd Taf-od

P

ob blwyddyn cynhelir ddiwrnod Awr Ddaear fel ymgyrch amgylcheddol ar draws y byd.

Cynhelir ddiwrnod Awr Ddaear 2021 ar ddydd Sadwrn, Mawrth 27, rhwng 8:30yh a 9:30yh. Mae’n awr lle mae miliynau o bobl yn dod at ei gilydd er mwyn dangos eu gwerthfawrogiad at natur, pobl a’r blaned. Mae’n cael ei ystyried fel awr amgylcheddol y byd! A dyma beth sydd yn digwydd yn ystor yd awr yma.

Yn ystod yr Awr Ddaear, bydd miliynau o gartrefi ar draws y byd yn diffodd eu goleuadau, ffonau, cyfrifiaduron, setiau teledu neu yn dewis treulio’r awr gyda theulu a thrigolion. Pwrpas yr Awr Ddaear yw ailgysylltu â’r hyn sy’n bwysig, gan weithredu i ddiogelu ein natur, bobl a’n planed. Dyma gyfle i bobl gwneud eu rhan nhw yn yr ymgyrch i achub y blaned, ac ond am awr mae angen iddynt wneud.

Ymgyrch WWF Cymru Eleni mae mudiad WWF Cymru eisiau gweld mwy o bobl yng Nghymru nag y gwelwyd erioed o’r blaen yn cymryd rhan yn niwrnod Awr Ddaear. Mae WWF Cymru wedi penderfynu cynnig grantiau cymunedol o hyd at £500 er mwyn cynorthwyo unigolion i wneud yr awr

yn ymdrech gymunedol, p’un ai arlein, neu gyda theulu a ffrindiau agos.

Yn ôl WWF Cymru, ‘Yn ystod yr amseroedd anodd yma, mwy nag erioed, mae angen cysylltu â’n gilydd ac ysbrydoli gobaith am y dyfodol.

Mae ein hiechyd, hapusrwydd a’n dyfodol yn dibynnu ar naturfelly eleni, edrychwch ar ôl eich hun, eich gilydd a’n planed.’

Fel rhan o’i hymgyrch, mae WWF Cymru eisiau i bawb ymuno â’r sgwrs dros y cyfryngau cymdeithasol i gael ysbrydoliaeth ac i rannu’r eu cynlluniau ar gyfer Awr Ddaear drwy ddefnyddio’r hashnod #EarthHour, #AwrDdaear.

Y pethau bychain Fel myfyriwr, o’r drydedd flwyddyn sy’n astudio Daearyddiaeth ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd, mae Miles Herman yn poeni am y blaned, ac yn gweld yr angen am ymdrechion amgylcheddol er mwyn codi ymwybyddiaeth newid hinsawdd a phwysigrwydd byw’n gynaliadwy.

Mae Miles yn ystyried ymgyrch Awr Ddaear fel cyfle ‘i ymhyfrydu yn y byd o’n cwmpas a gwir gwerthfawrogi’r pethau bychain.’

‘Rydym yn ddibynnol iawn ar drydan ar hyn o bryd gyda COVID-19. Rydym yn ei ddefnyddio bob awr o bod dydd er mwyn cysylltu gyda ffrindiau, gweithio o adref, gwylio teledu, coginio bwyd a.y.b.. Ond, mae Awr Ddaear yn

gyfle i’n hatgoffa’n hunain o’r broblem fyd-eang rydym yn ei wynebu.

Mae newid hinsawdd yn broblem amgylcheddol mawr ac yn broblem rydym yn dal i ymladd i’w frwydro.’

Er mwyn cefnogi’r ymgyrch mae Miles yn bwriadu treulio’r awr ddaear tu allan yn cerdded.

‘Bydd y dydd wedi ymestyn erbyn hynny, ac felly gobeithiaf fynd am wâc hir er mwyn atgoffa fy hun o natur a’i phwysigrwydd. Ar y funud, rwy’n cofnodi pob wâc ar Strava drwy fy ffôn.

Ond ar ddiwrnod Awr Ddaear byddaf yn gadael y ffôn ac yn ei ddiffodd am yr awr gyfan er mwyn arbed egni.’

Pwysleisia Miles ar bwysigrwydd gwneud y pethau bychain. ‘Mae’r awr o ddiffodd yn weithred fach, ond petai pawb yn cymryd rhan, mae’n weithred sydd â grym i wneud gwahaniaeth amgylchedol mawr.’

Felly os ydych chi gallu, diffodwch eich goleuadau, ffonau a mwy yn ystod Awr Ddaear, er mwyn gwneud eich rhan chi.

Edrych yn ôl ar gystadleuaeth Cân i Gymru 2021 Catrin Lewis

Golygydd Taf-od

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yn gwneud eu ffordd i Lwyfan Theatr Donald Gordon. Bu Melda Lois Griffiths yn llwyddiannus gyda dwy gân sef Hwyliau Llonydd a Siarad yn fy Nghwsg. Ymysg rhai o’r cyfansoddwyr eraill oedd Huw Ynyr gyda Fel Hyn Mae Byw, Roger Llywelyn Henderson a Sian Charlton gyda Dwy Lath ar Wahân a Mari Elen Mathias gyda’i chân Y Goleuni. Hefyd yn llwyddiannus oedd Steve Williams, cyfansoddwr Yr Arlywydd a Daniel Williams gyda’r gân Y Bobl.

Fodd bynnag, Morgan Elwy Williams oedd ar y brig gyda’r gân Bach o Hwne ar ôl derbyn y mwyaf o bleidleisiau gan y gynulleidfa.

Mae Morgan yn wreiddiol o Dan-

Myfyrwraig yr ail flwyddyn, Seicoleg

r y 5 o Fawrth cynhaliwyd cystadleuaeth flynyddol Cân i Gymru yng Nghanolfan y Mileniwm, Caerdydd.

Cafodd y cyfansoddwyr eu dewis gan banel o bedwar o feirniaid eleni sef Osian Williams o’r band Candelas, Angharad Jenkins o’r band gwerin Calan, y gantores, actores a chyflwynwraig Tara Bethan a Huw Chiswell, cyfansoddwr Y Cwm sef cân fuddugol Cân i Gymru 1984.

Eleni bu wyth o gyfansoddwyr yn llwyddiannus gyda’u caneuon

Roedd Cân i Gymru flwyddyn yma, er yn wahanol i’r arfer, yn rhoi ryw deimlad cyfarwydd o amseroedd cyn Covid. Pawb yn uno am un noson gydag Elin a Trystan ar ein sgrîns, a memes twitter yn llenwi ein ffonau. Er fod cynulleidfa’r flwyddyn yma dros Zoom, roedden ni dal yn gallu cael y cyffro o chwilio am wynebau cyfarwydd. Roedd caneuon flwyddyn yma yn dda ar y cyfan, ond doedd dim un yn dod yn agos i’r bangar ‘Bach o Hwna’ gan Morgan Elwy enillydd clir i mi – tiwn fydd ar ripît yn yr Haf yn bendant (mewn ‘beer garden’ gobeithio!).

Llwyfan wag: Morgan Elwy Williams bu’n fuddugol yng nghystadleuaeth Cân i Gymru eleni. Tarddiad: Ryan Brownell (trwy Wikimedia Commons).

Martha Owen

Cymru du: Mae’r WWF yn galw ar Gymru i gymryd rhan eleni.

Tarddiad: wwf.org.uk

y-fron ger Llansannan ond mae’r cyfansoddwr wedi bod yn byw yn Llundain ers ei fod yn 19 mlwydd oed. Erbyn hyn mae’n 25 ac wedi bod adref gyda’i deulu ers y Nadolig er mwyn rhoi aren i’w chwaer sydd wedi bod yn aros am drawsblaniad ers cryn amser bellach.

Dywedodd Morgan ei fod wedi bod yn defnyddio’r cyfnod clo er mwyn recordio ei albwm diweddaraf ac mae’n gobeithio ei ryddhau yn ystod mis Ebrill eleni. Dywedodd ei fod “wedi bod yn ffodus o gael yr holl amser yn y cyfnod clo i recordio ei albwm newydd”.

Mewn ymateb i ennill y gystadleuaeth eleni dywedodd Morgan, “Mae hyn yn golygu’r byd i mi, a diolch i bawb am gefnogi.

A diolch i’r band hefyd - mae hyn yn anhygoel yn enwedig ar ôl blwyddyn fel llynedd”.

Disgrifiodd Elin Fflur, sy’n cydgyflwyno’r rhaglen gyda Trystan Ellis-Morris, y gystadleuaeth fel un “mwy sbeshal eleni” a dywedodd, “Dwi wrth fy modd fod Cân i Gymru yn ôl unwaith eto eleni.

Mae’r gystadleuaeth hon wedi bod yn agos at fy nghalon erioed, ond mae gallu ei chynnal eleni yn fwy sbeshal ryw ffordd a hithau wedi bod yn gyfnod mor anodd i gyfansoddwyr ac pherfformwyr”.

Cipiodd Morgan wobr ariannol o £5,000 ynghyd a thlws Cân i

Gymru 2021 ar ôl dod yn fuddugol yn y gystadleuaeth. Daeth Huw Ynyr yn ail gyda’i gân Fel Hyn Mae Byw a derbyniodd £2,000 fel gwobr. Yn drydydd oedd Melda Lois Griffith gyda’r gân Siarad yn fy Nhwsg a gwobr o £1,000.

Mae’r gystadleuaeth yn boblogaidd ymysg y Cymry Cymraeg bob blwyddyn ac yn derbyn llawer o ymatebion byw ar Twitter gan y rheiny sy’n gwylio.

Fodd bynnag, rhannodd S4C rybudd ar eu tudalen Twitter cyn y gystadleuaeth yn dweud, “Rydym yn falch iawn o bawb sy’n cystadlu ar Cân i Gymru heno. Dydyn ni ddim yn derbyn ymddygiad amhriodol a byddwn yn cymryd camau yn erbyn rheiny sy’n postio negeseuon sarhaus ar ein cyfrif, gan gynnwys blocio pan fydd hynny’n briodol”.

Yn wahanol i flynyddoedd blaenorol, cynulleidfa ddigidol oedd gan Cân i Gymru eleni gyda phobl yn gwylio o’u cartrefi. Fel sawl un arall yn y maes adloniant, roedd yn rhaid i’r cynhyrchwyr addasu er mwyn sicrhau bod y gystadleuaeth yn gallu mynd yn ei flaen yn ystod y cyfnod clo. Ond fe aeth y gystadleuaeth yn ei blaen a gwelwyd un o gystadleuaeth gorau Cân i Gymru yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Gobeithio blwyddyn nesaf bydd torf llawn yn bresennol i gymeradwyo’r cystadleuwyr.

TAF-OD

Pryd o Daf-od: Ifan Price Myfyriwr yn ei ail flwyddyn, Ifan Price sydd yn Pryd o Dafod yr wythnos hon.

Wythnos yma, mae Ifan Price yn trafod ei brofiad ef fel aelod o Senedd Ieuenctid Cymru.

Sefydlwyd y Senedd Ieuenctid yn Rhagfyr 2018, gyda’r pwrpas o awdurdodi pobl ifanc i wneud penderfyniadau, a’u darparu gyda gwybodaeth am wleidyddiaeth Cymru.

Darllenwch wrth i Ifan trafod ei brofiadau ef yn y swydd, o’r broses ymgeisio, beth trafodwyd yn y Senedd a’i gyrraeddiadau fel aelod o’r Senedd Ifanc.

gynrychioli ieuenctid Cymru yn y Senedd Ieuenctid cyntaf erioed.

Cynhaliwyd cyfarfod llawn cyntaf Senedd Ieuenctid Cymru ym mis Chwefror 2019.

Penderfynwyd blaenoriaethu 3 phwnc dros dymor y Senedd Ieuenctid: 1. Cymorth Iechyd Emosiynol a Iechyd Meddwl 2. Sbwriel a Gwastraff plastic 3. Sgiliau Bywyd yn y Cwricilwm.

Canolbwyntiais i yn benodol ar ein gwaith ar Gymorth Iechyd Emosiynol ac Iechyd Meddwl gan holi cyfoedion am eu profiadau ac edrych ar y ddarpariaeth sydd ar gael.

Cynhaliwyd holiadur a atebwyd gan 1600 o bobl ifanc Cymru am ei brofiadau o les ac iechyd meddwl.

Hefyd cydweithiwn yn agos iawn efo’r Aelodau Seneddol ac aelodau’r Llywodraeth i weld y darlun cyfan o’r broblem iechyd meddwl yng Nghymru.

Yn dilyn hyn, ym mis Hydref 2020 cyhoeddwyd ein hadroddiad terfynol, “Gadewch i Ni Siarad am Iechyd Meddwl” oedd yn dangos cynddrwg ydi problem iechyd meddwl pobl ifanc yng Nghymru.

Lluniwyd cyfres o argymhellion i’w cyflwyno i Lywodraeth Cymru yn y gobaith o wella’r sefyllfa yn fuan, yn enwedig o ystyried effaith y pandemig ar les meddyliol ieuenctid Cymru.

A

r ôl dros ddwy flynedd o hanner, mae fy nghyfnod fel Aelod Senedd Ieuenctid Cymru dros Ddwyfor Meirionnydd wedi dod i ben.

Dyma oedd tymor cyntaf y Senedd Ieuenctid ar ôl cael ei sefydlu yn 2018 ac roedd yn fraint enfawr fod yn rhan o’r sefydliad democrataidd newydd yma.

Nol yn niwedd 2018, fe ymgeisiodd 500 o bobl ifanc Cymru yn yr etholiad i gynrychioli eu hetholaeth.

Mi bleidleisiodd 13,000 o bobl ifanc ledled Cymru i ddewis eu cynrychiolydd lleol a hefyd aelodau o sefydliadau partner.

Ar ddiwedd yr etholiad, roedd 60 o bobl ifanc wedi’u hethol i

Ynghyd a hyn, cyhoeddwyd ni fel aelodau Senedd Ieuenctid adroddiadau ar bynciau megis Sbwriel a Gwastraff Plastic a hefyd Sgiliau Bywyd yn y Cwricwlwm, a oedd yn hefyd yn rhoi argymhellion i Lywodraeth Cymru ac yn rhoi pwysau arnynt i flaenoriaethu’r problemau mae pobl ifanc Cymru yn blaenoriaethu.

Ar nodyn personol, mae fy nghyfnod fel Aelod o Senedd Ieuenctid Cymru wedi bod yn wych.

Rwyf wedi cael y fraint o gynrychioli fy ardal ar lwyfan cenedlaethol gan drafod materion sy’n bwysig i mi.

Un o’r uchafbwyntiau oedd siarad ar lawr Siambr y Senedd ym Mae Caerdydd.

2. Beth yw’r digwyddiad sy’n codi’r mwyaf o embaras arnat?

Hugio rywyn random yn Tesco yn meddwl ma fy mam i oddi.

3. Beth oedd dy air cyntaf?

Mam. 4. Pe fyddet ti ar yr X-Factor, pa gân byddet ti’n ei chanu a pham?

Unrhyw beth o albwm ‘21’ Adele achos ma’n iconig.

taf-od

Alaw Fflur Jones

Heb rili drio champagne felly prosecco.

9. Beth oedd y diwrnod gorau iti ei gael erioed?

Gwylio crwbanod yn dodwy ar draeth yn Barbados.

Catrin Lewis

10. Beth yw dy gas beth?

Jam a madarch.

11. Beth fyddet ti’n gwneud yn ystod dy noson ddelfrydol?

Yfed mojitos a seiclo i’r bae efo fy ffrindiau.

12. Pe taset ti’n gallu bod yn unrhyw anifail am ddiwrnod, pa un fyddet ti’n dewis, a pham?

Basic ond korma a popadoms.

Cath i gael diogi drwy’r dydd.

6. Pwy oeddet ti’n ffansio pan oeddet ti’n iau?

13. Disgrifia dy hun mewn 3 gair.

Dylan O’Brien neu Chad Michael Murray - ti di gweld A Cinderella Story?!

14. Pwy fydd yn trafod ‘da’r Taf-od wythnos nesaf?

Imagine Dragons.

Trafod gyda’r

8. Prosecco neu champagne?

5. Beth fyddet ti’n ei archebu o’r bwyty Indiaidd lleol?

7. Pwy yw dy hoff fand/artist?

Aled Biston

Y Senedd Ieuenctid: Tarddiad: technodean2000 (drwy flickr)

Elliw Lois Williams

Enw fi ‘di Elliw a dwi’n astudio Cymraeg a Hanes.

EICH TÎM TAF-OD

Annell Dyfri

Yn Trafod gyda’r Taf-od wythnos yma mae...

1. Pwy wyt ti a beth wyt ti’n astudio?

Cefais gyfle hefyd i ddod i nabod a chyd-weithio efo gwleidyddion etholedig o wahanol bleidiau ac roedd eu cefnogaeth i ni fel Senedd Ieuenctid yn arbennig.

Mae’n drist fod y cyfnod yma wedi dod i ben a bo’r pandemig wedi amharu rhywfaint ar ein profiadau wyneb yn wyneb.

Ond rwyf yn hynod ddiolchgar o’r profiad a gefais yn ystod y cyfnod ac yn ystyried hi’n fraint gallu dweud fy mod yn rhan o Senedd Ieuenctid cyntaf Cymru.

Dymunaf bob lwc i’r criw newydd fydd yn cael eu hethol yn yr etholiad Senedd Ieuenctid Cymru bydd yn dod yn fuan, a hefyd i fy nghydaelodau yn y dyfodol.

7

Obsessed efo crisps.

taf od Nel Richards

Crwydro Caerdydd: Elliw o flaen y Senedd ac yn mwynhau yn Deptot. Credyd: Elliw Lois Williams

Medi Morgan.

tafod@gairrhydd.com www.gairrhydd.com/tafod

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TAF-OD

Y Seintiau Newydd yn diswyddo’i hyfforddwr Aled Biston

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edi tair blynedd fel rheolwr Y Seintiau Newydd, mae Scott Ruscoe wedi cael ei diswyddo.

Daw’r cyhoeddiad wedi i’r Seintiau Newydd gael gêm gyfartal gyda’r Bala wrth i’r sgôr diweddu 0-0. Roedd y diswyddiad wedi dod fel sioc i lawer, gyda’r Seintiau ar frig y gynghrair ar hyn o bryd, ond mae Cei Connah yn ail, ond un pwynt tu ôl iddynt a gyda gêm i’w chwarae. Bydd Pennaeth Hyfforddi’r Seintiau, Chris Seargeant yn cymryd rôl hyfforddwr dros dro yn y cyfamser.

Felly pam ymddiswyddo Ruscoe? O ystyried safonau uchel Y Seintiau, mae’n glir gweld pam fod Ruscoe wedi colli’i swydd.

Mae’r Seintiau wedi ennill y gynghrair pob blwyddyn ers tymor 2011/12 (ac eithrio tymor 2019/20), a disgwylir i unrhyw hyfforddwr Y Seintiau Newydd ennill y gynghrair. Gallai Scott Ruscoe cyfri’i hun yn lwcus nad oedd wedi colli ei swydd llynedd wedi i Cei Connah ennill y gynghrair. Mae’n edrych yn debygol bydd Cei Connah yn ennill y gynghrair eleni hefyd, os ydynt yn ennill ei gêm i’w chwarae ac yn curo’r Seintiau eto.

Wrth ddweud hynny, gall Ruscoe edrych nôl ar ei yrfa gyda’r Seintiau â balchder. Cymerodd drosodd fel rheolwr dros dro ym mis Mai 2017, cyn cynigwyd y swydd iddo’n barhaol ym mis Medi’r un flwyddyn. Enillodd wobr Hyfforddwr y Mis dwywaith yn ei dymor gyntaf, ac arweiniodd ef Y Seintiau at y bencampwriaeth hefyd. Hwn oedd y cyntaf o’i ddwy bencampwriaeth fel hyfforddwr Y Seintiau, ac enillodd Cwpan y Gynghrair a Chwpan Cymru dwywaith hefyd. Tipyn o gamp mewn ond dros dair blynedd fel hyfforddwr.

Llynedd oedd y tro cyntaf mewn wyth mlynedd i’r Seintiau peidio ennill y gynghrair, ac roedd hynny’n syndod i lawer o bobl. Ond efallai dyma yw’r cyfnod lle mae dominyddiaeth Y Seintiau Newydd o’r JD Cymru Premier yn dod i ben ac mae’r gynghrair yn fwy cystadleuol o ganlyniad.

Dominyddiaeth Y Seintiau yw beth sydd wedi gwneud y JD Cymru Premier yn flêr i nifer o gefnogwyr dros y blynyddoedd, ac wedi ategu at statws isel y gynghrair yn safonau cynghreiriau FIFA. Ond, gyda Cei Connah a’r Bala yn dechrau herio am y gynghrair, efallai bydd modd i statws y gynghrair codi.

Pwy a ŵyr beth fydd yn digwydd i’r Seintiau nesaf. Pwy fydd y rheolwr newydd? Ydy eu cyfnod y dominyddiaeth wedi do di ben?

Amser a ddengys.

Diswyddo: Ruseo yn ei ddyddiau chwarae. Tarddiad: Wan Rosli Wan Othman (drwy flickr)

DIWYLLIANT

Dathlu Diwrnod Rhyngwladol y Menywod 2021

Nel Richards sydd yn trafod hanes y diwrnod pwysig hwn eleni Nel Richards

Golygydd Taf-od

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edi diwrnod Rhyngwladol y Merched wythnos diwethaf, Nel Richards sydd yn edrych ar hanes y diwrnd a pam dylwn dathlu menywod ar draws y byd.

Ddydd Llun, 8 o Fawrth dethlir pobl ar draws y byd Ddiwrnod Rhyngwladol y Menywod i gydnabod cyflawniadau merched, i godi ymwybyddiaeth yn erbyn rhagfarn, ac i weithredu dros gydraddoldeb.

Ond, dydy heddiw ddim yn ddiwrnod sy’n cwmpasu prynu blodau, neu prynu mug ‘Girl Boss’, nac y chwaith yn ddiwrnod ble mae pawb yn rhoi cydnabyddiaeth i ferched yn unig- wrth gwrs mae hyn yn wir, ond mae’n fwy na hynny. Mae’n golygu deall yr anghydraddoldebau a’r caledi y mae menywod o hyd yn wynebu bob dydd. Mae’n golygu ymrwymo i gymryd camau a fydd yn gwneud y byd yn le fwy diogel a gweld i bob merch. Mae’n golygu i alw pobl allan pan maent yn gwrthrychioli neu’n rhywioli menywod. Mae’n golygu dewis i herio safonau rhywedd yn ogystal â’r ystrydebau gwahanol.

Ers dechrau’r 1900au mae mwy a mwy o wledydd wedi dod at ei gilydd i ddathlu gwaith menywod, yn benodol yn y gweithle; gan ei wneud yn ŵyl i hyrwyddo cydraddoldeb ym mhob ffordd. Ym 1975, a adnabyddir fel Blwyddyn Rhyngwladol y Merched, dechreuodd Cynulliad Cyffredinol

y Cenhedloedd Unedig ddathlu Mawrth 8 fel Diwrnod Rhyngwladol y Menywod. Erbyn 2014, roedd yn cael ei ddathlu mewn mwy na 100 o wledydd, gan gynnwys Cymru ac wedi cael ei wneud yn wyliau swyddogol mewn mwy na 25, megis Ciwba ac Affganistan.

Diwrnod o brotest a brwydro mewn un gwlad, a dathlu benyweiddra i wlad arall yw Mawrth yr 8fed.

Thema’r diwrnod blwyddyn yma yw “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”.

I ddathlu ymdrechion aruthrol menywod a merched ledled y byd, i lunio dyfodol mwy cyfartal ac adferiad o’r pandemig COVID-19 ac hefyd i dynnu sylw at y bylchau sy’n weddill.

Pam dathlu?

Mae menywod wedi dod yn bell ers 1918, lle nad oedd ganddynt yr hawl i fwrw pleidlais hyd yn oed; ond mae yna o hyd wendidau.

Er bod mwy o fenywod yn graddio o brifysgolion, maent yn ennill 16% yn llai ar gyfartaledd nag y mae dynion yn ei wneud; a dim ond 8% o Brif Weithredwyr (CEOs) o gwmnïau mwyaf yr Undeb Ewropeaidd sy’n fenywod. Mae’n amlwg fod hyn yn broblem eisoes ymysg prifysgolion Prydain (UCU), gan taw un o’r rhesymau buant yn streicio yn ddiweddar yw i gael cyflog cyfartal rhwng dynion a menywod yn y gweithle. Yn ychwanegol, yn 2017, roedd 3.1% o fenywod (510,000) a 0.8% o ddynion (138,000) rhwng 16 a 59 oed wedi profi ymosodiad

Dathlu menywod y byd: Tarddiad: Hansuan_Fabregas (drwy Pixabay) rhywiol yng Nghymru a Lloegr.

Dwy lyfr sy’n ddylanwadol iawn, yw ‘What a Time To Be Alone’ gan The Slumflower a ‘Women Don’t Owe You Pretty’ gan Florence Given- rhai sy’n dysgu’r gynulleidfa am haenau gwahanol o ffeministiaeth, ac sy’n ymdrin â sawl pwnc, o r anghyfiawnder cymdeithasol, i rym personol, ac hunan-gariad.

Heddiw, ceir fwy o bwyslais o fod yn gynhwysol ac eang, gan sicrhau bod pob menyw yn gallu lleisio eu barn, neu yn cael eu clywed.

Ac y mae Ffeministiaeth Cyd-

gyfeiriol, yn ceisio gwthio am hwn.

Yn ôl Fforwm Economaidd y Byd, ni fydd y bwlch cyflog rhwng y rhywiau yn cau tan 2186.

Ar Ddydd Rhynglwadol y Menywod, mae menywod, a dynion ledled y byd yn dod ynghyd i orfodi’r byd i gydnabod yr anghydraddoldebau hyn - tra hefyd yn dathlu cyflawniadau menywod sydd wedi goresgyn y rhwystrau yma.

Gwnewch yr hyn a allwch i wneud gwahaniaeth cadarnhaol i fenywod ym mhobman.

Diwrnod Rhyngwladol y Menywod Hapus!

Zammit mewn rheolaeth o’r bêl cyn iddi gwympo ar y llawr ac felly roedd yn drawiad ymlaen (knock on). Ni ddylai cais Liam Williams cyfri felly, gan ei fod wedi meddiannu’r bêl o’r sefyllfa hynny. Cymru’n lwcus?

Efallai yn y ddwy cais, ond nid yn eu rheolaeth o’r gêm. Kieran Hardy cymerodd mantais o gic cosb ildiwyd gan Jonny Hill wrth iddo gymryd tap-and-go cloi i sgorio. Wrth i’r gêm ddod i’r munudau olaf, roedd tri cic gan Sheedy a cais prin gan Cory Hill wedi sicrhau buddugoliaeth campus i Gymru. Roedd yn diwrnod i gofio, George North yn ennill ei ganfed cap, Cymru’n ennill y Goron Driphlyg ac wrth gwrs, Cymru yn curo Lloegr.

Yr hyn oedd yn drawiadol am berfformiad Cymru oedd sut oeddent wedi rheoli’r gêm. Ers i Eddie Jones dod yn rheolwr, mae Lloegr wedi sgorio llawer o’u ceisiau o sefyllfa tafliadau. O ganlyniad, nid oedd Cymru wedi rhoi unrhyw gyfleoedd i Loegr cael tafliadau hawdd yn ystod y gêm. Pan giciwyd Cymru, roeddent bob tro yn cicio i ganol y cae yn hytrach nag allan am dafliad. Golyga hyn bod angen i Loegr darganfod ffordd arall o sgorio, yn hytrach nag eu ffordd arferol o sgorio. Ar y llaw arall, roedd camgymeriadau llac Lloegr yn golygu bod Cymru gallu sgorio cesiau a bod Biggar a Sheedy gallu cicio pwyntiau hawdd. Roedd camgymeriadau Maro Itoje ac Owen Farrell wedi galluogi i Gymru sgorio eu cais gyntaf.

Beth mae cefnogwyr Cymru yn meddwl o ennill y Goron Driphlyg felly? Dyma ddywedodd Owain ap Myrddin. ‘Gwych oedd gweld Cymru’n curo’r Goron Driphlyg eleni, yn enwedig ar ôl blwyddyn galed i’r tîm cenedlaethol ac i’r wlad

gyfan yn 2020. Er bod posib dadlau fod lwc wedi bod ar ochr Cymru yn y gystadleuaeth eleni, mae’r hen ddweud dal i fod yn wir yn fy marn i sef eich bod chi’n creu eich lwc eich hun mewn rygbi rhyngwladol.

Pivac â sawl chwaraewr newydd a rhai hŷn sy’n haeddu clod enfawr am brofi sawl un yn anghywir hefyd.

Anhygoel’. Mae Bethan Biston yn meddwl bod hwn yn newydd wedd yn rygbi cenedlaethol Cymru, ‘Oni wir yn meddwl mai cyfnod Gatland oedd y gorau byddai rygbi rhyngwladol Cymru erioed yn ei weld, ond mae Pivac yn fy mhrofi’n anghywir ar hyn o bryd. Hawdd dweud yw bod lwc wedi bod ar ein hochr, ond chi ddim yn ennill y Goron Driphlyg ar lwc. Dwi wir yn credu bod hyn yn gyfnod newydd yn rygbi Cymru.’ Dywedodd Rhys Gittins, ‘credaf bod Cymru yn haeddiannol iawn yn ennill y Goron Driphlyg. Roeddem wedi cymryd mantais o wendidau Lloegr, ac roeddem wedi gwneud y gorau o’r sefyllfaoedd yn erbyn Yr Alban a’r Iwerddon. Mae disgyblaeth Cymru wedi bod yn anhygoel yn ystod y bencampwriareth, ac wedi ategu at pam bod Cymru wedi ennill eu gemau. Yn sicr gobeithiaf bydd Cymru yn ennill y Gamp Lawn hefyd’.

Efallai’r siom mwyaf Bencampwriaeth y Chwe Gwlad eleni yw bod cefnogwyr Cymru ddim yno i’w gweld. Byddai gweld canol tref Caerdydd wedi’i liwio’n goch, llawn bwrlwm a chanu wedi gwneud y Bencampwriaeth llawer yn well.

Gobeithiaf, a dwi’n siŵr bod pawb arall yn hefyd, ein bod ni gallu cefnogi’r bois blwyddyn nesaf. Felly’r un safon o chwarae blwyddyn nesaf plîs, Pivac.

Cymru yn cipio Coron Driphlyg y Chwe Gwlad Aled Biston

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yn i Bencampwriaeth y Chwe Gwlad cychwyn eleni, nid oedd gan gefnogwyr Cymru llawer o hyder bod tîm Wayne Pivac mynd i wneud yn dda o gwbl. Ond, er y diffyg gobaith, mae Cymru wedi beiddio’r disgwyliadau i gyd gan ennill eu gemau i gyd hyd at hyn. O ganlyniad, enillodd Cymru y Goron Driphlyg am yr 22ain tro, a hynny mewn gêm ddadleuol yn erbyn Lloegr.

Dwi’n siŵr fy mod yn siarad ar ran pawb pan ddywedaf fod yn nerfus iawn cyn gêm Cymru yn erbyn Lloegr. Er i dîm Eddie Jones colli yn erbyn Yr Alban, nid oedd Cymru gallu cymryd y fuddugoliaeth yn ganiataol, ac nid oeddent wedi gwneud hynny. Bydd y cyfarfod hwn rhwng Cymru a Lloegr yn un bydd yn mynd lawr yn hanes y Bencampwriaeth am nifer o resymau gwahanol. Yn gyntaf,

roedd llawer o ddadlau ymysg ddwy o geisiau Cymru, y cyntaf sgoriwyd gan Josh Adams. Wrth i’r dyfarnwr Pascal Gaüzère danfon Owen Farrell nôl at ei dîm, ailgychwynodd y cloc a chymerodd Biggar y gic gosb yn glo gyda chic i ochr arall y cae, a dyna lle oedd Josh Adams yn aros wrth iddo neidio i’r awyr i gasglu’r bêl a sgorio’r cais. Dadl Farrell oedd bod angen i’r dyfarnwr rhoi amser i’w dîm setio, ond nid oedd unrhyw un o dîm Cymru wedi pwyntio at y pyst, felly roedd hawl gan Biggar i gicio ar draws y cae.

Roedd cais Liam Williams hefyd yn destun trafod yn y gêm hon. Wrth i Gymru ymosod, ciciodd Adams y bêl heibio amddiffyn Lloegr i ReesZammit rhedeg ar ei ôl. Nid oedd Rees-Zammit wedi dal y bêl, ond yn hytrach gollyngwyd hi gan fwrw ei goes ac yna’i droed cyn bwrw’r llawr. Yn ôl y rheolau, mae angen i’r chwaraewr angen cael rheolaeth o’r bêl, ail-gydio yn y meddiant cyn iddo gicio’r bêl neu i’r bêl bwrw’r llawr.

Dywed Nigel Owens nad oedd Ress-

Y Grorn Driphlyg: Y Goron Driphlyg yng nghwmni y Gamp Lawn.

Tarddiad: Andrew Mawby (drwy Flickr)

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12

POLITICS

YOUR Further support for Indepence sees it’s highest rate of support for independence among POLITICS Wales adults since polling began in 2013 according to new ITV poll DESK Dewi Morris

Politics Editor

T Hallum Cowell

hat’s the latest percentage of adults that would vote for Welsh independence if a referendum was held tomorrow (excluding those that would not vote or answered don’t know) according to a poll conducted by Savanta ComRes for ITV. The figure puts support for independence at its highest and follows a trend suggesting that support is rising.

With the poll showing 43%

in support of Northern Ireland unifying with the Republic of Ireland, a string of consecutive polls which show a majority for Scottish independence, and a projected landslide SNP win in Holyrood’s May election, the future of the union appears in turmoil.

Following the record poll, released on March 4, weighing in on the independence debate was on the cards for the main parties in Wales last week. Here’s a breakdown of where they stand and comments that were made following the poll: The Welsh Labour party are

Tom Kingsbury

[Mark Drakeford] regrettably flirted with divisive n a t i o n a l i s m throughout his short time in post

Dewi Morris

Morgan Perry politics@gairrhydd.com

against independence, however, they call for a “reformed, fairer Union.”

On March 4, Mark Drakeford warned that the current UK union “is over”. He called for a new union that would reflect a “voluntary association of four nations”. A new “entrenched form of devolution which cannot be unilaterally rolled back by any one party”, and “could not be interfered with in the way we have seen so vividly in recent months.” The First Minister’s words may be a reference to the Internal Market Act, pushed by the UK Government which he called an “enormous power grab”. The Welsh Government are planning to take the UK Government to court over the act which was passed despite the Welsh and Scottish Governments refusing to give consent.

In the party’s Spring conference on February 26, Drakeford called for “a more powerful devolution settlement” and “home rule for Wales - in a successful United Kingdom. Internationalist, not nationalist. Outward facing, not inward looking.”

The Welsh Conservative and Unionist party are also against independence, as the party’s full title would suggest. On March 4, Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives accused Drakeford of having “regrettably flirted with divisive nationalism throughout his short time in post.” In a similar sentiment, the Conservative Welsh Secretary Simon Hart accused Drakeford of “an overt act of flirtation with Plaid Cymru” over the First Minister’s call for a reformed union.

An independent Wales: Support for Wales to leave the UK has been increasing over the last decade, with this most recent poll placing that support at its highest level yet. Source: Llywelyn2000 (via. Wikimedia Commons)

Andrew RT Davies Leader of the Welsh Conservatives While the Conservatives are prodevolution, this hasn’t been without controversy. In November Boris

Johnson remarked that devolution in Scotland had been a “disaster”. In January it was revealed that three Welsh Conservative candidates wish to abolish the Senedd.

Plaid Cymru are in favour of Welsh independence, and have promised to offer Wales a referendum for independence if they win the Senedd election in May. On March 5, Plaid Cymru held its Spring Conference during which the party’s leader Adam Price stated: “The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the reality of modern Britain: a state defined by crushing poverty, ruled by a corrupt elite that gives contracts to its friends and denies furlough to its neighbours. It’s no surprise, is it, that this week saw the highest level of support for independence ever.”

Price also criticised Drakeford over his calls for home rule within the UK, saying: “Whether it’s ‘Home Rule’ or ‘Tory Rule’ the result is the same for our nation, a party at the helm that puts London before Wales.”

Whether it’s ‘Home Rule’ or ‘Tory Rule’ the result is the same for our nation, a party at the helm that puts London before Wales.

Adam Price Leader of Plaid Cymru The Lib Dems oppose independence but support a reformed union within the UK. In the Welsh Liberal Democrat conference on March 7, the party’s leader Jane Dodds, warned independence would be “ten times more painful than Brexit”, she said Wales should be “strong, equal and confident in a federal United Kingdom”.

The UK Liberal Democrat leader, Ed Davey warned the conference that “the same forces that brought us Brexit are working to reverse the decades of progress that devolution has delivered for Wales”.

Neath Port Talbot councillor suspended over Sexist comments.

Hallum Cowell Head of Politics

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ob Jones has been suspended from the Welsh Labour Party after a recording of him allegedly calling Plaid Cymru MS, Bethan Sayed, a “cow” was revealed.

The recording was allegedly made at a council meeting in 2019.

Jones has said that the recording is edited to produce “a damning a commentary on me” and has asked the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales to investigate the matter further.

Sayed who is the MS for South West Wales said that the former council member’s choice of words was “despicable” and that Adam

Price, leader of Plaid Cymru, has written to Mark Drakeford demanding action on the matter.

The recording was taken during a two-hour private Labour Party meeting in 2019, held in the Pontardawe area.

Jones claims that the recording was taken without his consent or knowledge. The rest of the recording covers issues like school’s reorganisation, selection of candidates, the distribution of Party literature, political tactics as well as opposition party individuals.

In response to the recording Jones said that “The contents of the recording do not reflect the values I hold as an individual or those of the Labour Party, nor do they meet the standards of accountability required

of a public representative.

The contents of the recording do not reflect the values I hold as an individual or those of the Labour Party Rob Jones Neath Port Talbot Councillor “During the conversation it can be heard that I made a derogatory remark about a serving MS. I have

written to that individual offering an unreserved apology for the statement that I made during this private meeting.”

Jones has said stepped down from his role as council leader until the Welsh ombudsman inquiry has been finished.

Sayed, the alleged target of the comments, said in response that, “I find the choice of words on the recording, and the tone used by Councillor Rob Jones in his criticism of me, other councillors and community members, to be despicable.

“Many comments made in this recording suggest worrying and deeply improper practices at the top of Neath Port Talbot Labour-run council, and I call for a full investigation into this issue, as a matter of

urgency.”

A Welsh Labour official told the BBC that Jones had been suspended from the party pending further investigation.

Many comments made in this recording suggest worrying and deeply improper practices at the top of Neath Port Talbot

Bethan Sayed Plaid Cymru MS for South West Wales

GWLEIDYDDIAETH

Sunak unveils 2021 budget for UK as pandemic’s end looms Hallum Cowell Head of Politics

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K Government Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled 2021’s budget in early March.

The new budget will have an impact on all those living within the UK and comes at a time when many are hoping that the COVID-19 pandemic is coming to an end.

The UK economy has been hit hard by COVID-19, shrinking by 10% in 2020, with the UK entering a recession late in the year.

Experts have predicted however that the economy is set to grow four percent in 2021 and return to its pre COVID-19 level by 2022.

While this is certainly good news for economists, it does mean that the economy would have seen no growth in nearly three years which impacts a number of long-term projections and budgetary plans.

Over 700,000 people are estimated to have lost their jobs during the pandemic and unemployment is set to rise to 6.5 percent by 2022.

The UK has also stepped-up borrowing. The government debt is currently at £355bn and the government is aiming to bring that figure down to £234bn in 2022.

Just under a year after the UK’s first lockdown began, on 16 March 2020, the 2021 budget outlined a number of measures designed to continue to support people affected.

Furlough, the scheme wherein the government will continue to pay 80 percent of employees’ wages while their working hours are affected by COVID-19 closures, will continue until September this year.

The minimum wage is also set to increase to £8.91 an hour from April this year.

Those receiving welfare and income support will also see a num-

ber of measures extended, including the £20 a week increase to Universal Credit.

This means that those on the Government’s new welfare system will receive an extra £1,000 a year. More self-employed people are also being promised further support and those claiming Working Tax Credit will be eligible for a £500 one off payment.

As part of the budget, Sunak has said that taxes will have to rise as the government continues to spend on COVID-19 measures and while the economy recovers.

Tax-free personal allowance and higher rate income tax will be frozen from April 2021 until 2026. Corporation tax is set to rise from 19%, one of the lowest rates in Europe, to 25% in 2023, bringing the UK in line with countries such as the Netherlands and Spain who currently also have 25% corporation tax.

Inheritance tax thresholds, pensions lifetime allowances and annual capital gains tax exemptions are also set to be frozen until at least 2025.

The “Stamp Duty Holiday” is also set to be extended until June 30.

Health and Education are set to get funding for specific programs. £1.65bn is being allocated for vaccine rollout while £50m is being assigned to improve vaccine testing. £19m is being given to domestic violence programmes with the aim of funding respite rooms for homeless women.

An additional £40m is being assigned to the lifetime support guarantee for victims of the thalidomide scandal, while groups supporting veterans’ mental health needs are being given £10m. With the restrictions placed upon the sport and arts industries during the pandemic, many venues have been forced to close their doors permanently.

At the very least many of these

places would have seen significant decreases in their revenue. In response to this the government have assigned £400m for art venues in England to help them reopen.

For sport, a £300m recovery package for professional sport has been announced along with £25m for grassroots football.

The Government has also assigned £1.2m to help begin the delayed Women’s Euro’s football tournament, which is to be held in England in 2022.

The new budget outlines a number of new measures for transport and housing.

A UK infrastructure bank is to be established in Leeds with £12bn capital. The hope is that this bank can fund £40bn worth of public and private projects both for housing and transport.

The government also outlined £15bn worth of “green bonds” which it argues will help finance the government’s planned move to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The 2021 budget has a myriad of new business policies. £20bn worth of business investments and tax breaks are to be given tobusinesses, as well as firms being able to deduct investment costs from their tax bills.

Businesses are being incentivised to take on more apprentices and VAT is being lowered for the hospitality sector by five percent until September.

In a similar policy to the arts industry, £6,000 per premises is being given to re-opening non-essential businesses while gyms, personal care providers, the hospitality industry and leisure businesses are getting £18,000 per premises.

As part of the budget extra funding has been promised to the devolved nations and regions of the UK. These include an extra £740m for Wales, £1.2bn for Scotland and

£410m for Northern Ireland.

As with every budget many have been keen to critique the government’s decisions.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), an economic think tank, said that the spending cuts within the budget “isn’t really levelling with people.”

Paul Johnson of the IFS said that “Santa Sunak” was starting to look more like “Scrooge Sunak” and that the tax increases included in the budget were, in his opinion, “screeching U-turns.”

Keir Starmer, Leader of the Labour Party, made a speech in the House of Commons following the budget announcement saying that “I’m sure this budget will look better on Instagram. In fact, this week’s PR video cost the taxpayer so much, I was half expecting to see a line in the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast for it.”

He added that “After the decisions of the last year and the decade of neglect, we need a budget to fix the foundations of our economy, to reward our key workers, to protect the NHS.” Criticism was also levelled against the chancellor for his 1% pay increase for NHS workers. The Shadow Health Secretary Jonathon Ashworth said that “The head of the NHS has confirmed what we already knew: the Conservatives have broken their promise to the NHS and are cutting nurses’ pay”, after Sir Simon Stevens, head of NHS England, said they had budgeted for a 2.1% pay increase.

Some Conservative MPs have also been calling for a one-off bonus for NHS staff, similar to what has already been offered in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A Government Health Minister responded that “nurses are well-paid for the job.”

Budget 2021: The key numbers

Rishi Sunak: Within the 2021 budget is a myriad of policies that impact eveyone in the UK from the freeezing and increaasing of taxes to pay rises and spending cuts. .Source: HM Treasury (via Flickr)

£740m For Wales

Minimum wage up to £8.91/h

£400m For art venues in England

1% pay rise for NHS staff

£355bn UK Government debt

Corporation tax to rise to 25% in 2023

The economy shrunk by 10% in 2020

700,000 lost their jobs during the pandemic

Source: The UK Government website

13

Fixed Term Parliament Act to be repealed Alex Daud Briggs Contributor

B

oris Johnson’s government is soon planning to remove the Fix Term Parliament Act. This will allow the Prime Minister to call a general election early if he wants to.

The Fixed Term Parliament Act was established in 2011 by the Conservative/Liberal Democrats Coalition. It set general elections to take place every 5 years and transferred the power to call an early election from the Prime Minister to the MPs. Then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said, “For the first time in our history the timing of general elections will not be a plaything of governments.” When he introduced the act in 2010.

The law was also developed at least in part as insurance for the Liberal Democrats to make sure that the Conservative Prime Minister, at the time, David Cameron could not hold a snap election to dismantle the coalition if it suited his party.

It was meant to be the first in a series of government reforms by the coalition only for these later stages to never form.

According to Professor Meg Russel, director of University College London’s Constitution Unit, the legislation was “rushed”.

He told the BBC, “The government took out a whole chunk of the bill while it was in the Lords and replaced it with whole new measures, which therefore didn’t have full time for scrutiny, and I think that may be where some of the problems come from.”

Russel further states that the Fixed Term Parliament Act was a “misnomer” as despite the promise of fixed election terms, there was always provisions to allow for earlier snap elections, which is exactly what Teresa May used to call the 2017 elections. Johnson has attempted to ask MPs to back an early general election three times using the provisions of the act and has been rejected with each request.

Several MPs have criticised the Acting Former Conservative MP Alan Duncan who said it was only useful to keep the coalition together but now “Its effect is now to trammel this government and our prime minister in a very Kafkaesque trap.

He is finding it very difficult to govern but is unable to call a general election”.

Others are weary of the repeal. In an editorial the Guardian says the act “stopped a prime minister abrogating the crown for partisan ends.

Mr Johnson wants that weapon restored to his arsenal, with only his word as guarantee that it would not be abused. His word is a flimsy thing.”

Both the Conservative and Labour party manifestos have stated that they will repeal the Fixed Parliament Act, likely spelling its end.

Meg Russel however states that such a repeal would not see the end of the debate over who should be able to call general elections; the Prime Minister or Parliament.

14 POLITICS In other news

Inquiry into sale of Amazon rainforest plots via Facebook Tom Kingsbury

The “patriots governing Hong Kong” resolution has been passed

by China’s legislature, giving China increased control over Hong Kong.

It reduces democratic representation in Hong Kong and will establish the vetting and election of candidates by a panel in favour of Chinese rule. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab responded: “This is the latest step by Beijing to hollow out the space for democratic debate in Hong Kong, contrary to the promises made by China itself.” He added: “This can only further undermine confidence and trust in China living up to its international responsibilities and legal obligations, as a leading member of the international community.”

Following the military coup d’etat in Myanmar miltiary leaders have accused the nation’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi of stealing $600,000 and 11kg of gold. The military now running the country have yet to provide evidence of these claims. Myanmar’s military took over Myanmar Febuary 1 with the country having been rocked by protests since. Amnesty international have accused the military forces of using battlefield weapons on unarmed protestors and having carried out planned killings.

France has eased restrictions for travelers that were in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Since January 31 travel from France to Australia, Israel, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand and Britain has been banned. Those traveling to France still have to give evidence of a negative COVID-19 test issued within the last 72 hours.

The French Tourism Minister JeanBaptiste Lemoyne said that the choice to change the restrictions was made because of the reduction of risk from the pandemic as more countries commence vaccination projects.

Mexico saw mass protests on International Women’s Day over the nation’s poor record on the murder of women and gender based violecence, refered to by protestors as “femicide”. Mexican Government figures report that at least 939 women were victims of these crimes in 2020.

Politics Editor

T

he Supreme Federal Court of Brazil has ordered an inquiry after the BBC reported plots of land in protected areas of the Amazon rainforest were being sold via the Facebook marketplace.

A Justice of the court, Luís Roberto Barroso, has ordered Brazil’s attorney general and Ministry of Justice to investigate.

He has extended a case he was already overseeing to include the illegal activity reported by the BBC. The lawsuit accuses the Brazilian Government of failing to do enough to prevent the impact of COVID-19 on indigenous communities.

The BBC began to look into the issue after finding that plots of land in the Amazon rainforest were being sold on Facebook, often with no legal basis to do so.

Many of the plots were sold with no documentation of ownership, and some were in protected areas of the rainforest – for example one seller offered land from within the Uru Eu Wau Wau indigenous reserve.

Some listings also included satellite images and co-ordinates.

The images are often outdated though, as more and more of the

Amazon is deforested.

Those selling the land often cut down the trees and sell them illegally, then burn anything left to clear the land, which is sold for farming and cattle ranching purposes.

One logger told the BBC he was caught illegally felling trees in the rainforest twice by authorities, but was only cautioned.

The Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) enforces antideforestation law in Brazil. However, its inspections budget has been cut by 40% under Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Deforestation in the Amazon is at a 12-year high, and has accelerated since Bolsonaro took office in January 2019.

Some are trying to prevent the illegal deforestation of the Amazon, though they have been met with violence; in 2019, 24 environmental activists were killed over land disputes.

Ivaneide Bandeira, who has been working to prevent deforestation for decades, said: “I think this is a very hard battle. It is really painful to see the forest being destroyed and shrinking more and more”.

“Never, in any other moment in history, has it been so hard to keep the forest standing.”

Facebook told the BBC: “Our

commerce policies require buyers and sellers to comply with laws and regulations”, adding that it was willing to work with local authorities, but would not be taking down the illegal sales itself.

Nilto Tatto, a member of the environmental commission of the Chamber of Deputies, Brazil’s lower House of Congress, asked, according to the BBC: “What is the difference between selling stolen land with violence against indigenous rights on Facebook and selling narcotics through the platform?”

The head of the Brazilian Senate’s

faces calls for resignation, with activists accusing the right-wing government of failing to effectively deal with the crisis.

The crucial care units in hospitals are filled up, with doctors runing out of basic drugs amid a spike in coronavirus cases. The government is also accused of widespread corruption.

Lawmakers and opposition figures have called for Abdo to be impeached, though at present he appears to have enough support to

remain in office.

Heathcare workers and relatives of COVID-19 patients, along with thousands of other protestors, took to the streets in the capital, Asuncion, and other cities to protest.

The government has been accused of misusing millions of guaraníes, which could have been used to curb the health emergency.

The protests turned violent in the capital as some of the protestors clashed with the police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Shops were ransacked, cars were put on fire and roads blockaded following the clash between the police and protestors. One person died while 20 were reported injured.

Abdo called on his cabinet to resign following demonstrations and wide scale public outrage. Briefing on the issue, Communications Minister Juan Manuel Brunetti told the journalists: “He has asked all the members to give up their positions”.

A reshuffle of the cabinet was later announced, with three - the ministers for education, women’s affairs and civil affairs - losing their jobs.

The move was an attempt to calm the public outrage, however the calls for his resignation continued to echo.

Announcing the reappointment of new ministers, President Abdo said, “I am sure that men and women named will do their utmost to confront this moment of crisis that the country is enduring”.

A day earlier, Health Minister Julio Mazzoleni resigned after fierce criticism from lawmakers and Health Service Unions.

Commission on the Environment, Jaques Wagner, called the sales “criminal”, and said his commission would demand that Facebook “review its policy so that this practice is curbed”.

Requesting the inquiry, the Federal Supreme Court asked the government to “take the appropriate civil and criminal measures” regarding the illegal activity.

The Minister for Environment, Ricardo Salles, said: “President Jair Bolsonaro’s government has always made it clear that his is a zero-tolerance government for any crime,

The Amazon rainforest: The Amazon rainforst, a key part in keeping carbon from building up in the atmosphere, has been under threat from deforestation as the land is cleared for livestock and other crops. Source: CIFOR (via. Flickr)

Protests continue in Paraguay Shivika Singh Contributor

I

n anger over the government’s handling of covid-19 crisis, protesters in Paraguay have taken to the streets.

The protestors expressed their frustration over the collapse of the healthcare system in the country, with some protesters turning to violence.

President Mario Abdo Benitez

Asunción: The capitol city of Paraguay, as well as other areas of the nation, have been rocked by protests over the Government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Source: skycrapercity paraguay (via. Wikimedia Commons)

Covid-19 infections have surged in Paraguay in the recent weeks.

The WHO’s data suggests that from January 3 2020 to March 10 2021, there have been 169,860 confirmed cases of Covid-19 with 3343 deaths.

COVID-19 cases are soaring, while the response from the government has been slow. As of March 2021, only a total of 1,725 vaccine doses have been administered. This is just 0.1 percent of Paraguay’s population.

During the beginning of the pandemic, Paraguay was able to keep the infection rates low, despite the neighbouring countries like Brazil and Argentina facing huge outbreaks. This was possible as strict lockdown was imposed in early months of coronavirus outbreak and national borders were sealed.

However, COVID-19 cases jumped since the month of September as activities resumed and quickly reached a record number of infection cases.

According to lawmaker Efrain Alegre, the head of the Liberal Party, “Paraguayans have already paid for drugs and vaccines that aren’t here. It is not the fault of the Paraguayan people - it’s a serious corruption problem”.

The outcry began on Wednesday when medical professionals held a protest in the capital city to call attention to the scarcity of basic medical supplies. The health care workers mentioned that they had run out of drugs for chemotherapy treatment and sedatives for patients who need to be intubated.

The health ministers of three other countries in South America Argentina, Ecuador and Peru - have

f ff ff f

If you ran the University, what would you keep and what would you change?

16

COMMENT The 93% club: changing the NHS 1% pay rise: where do the UK’s priorities lie? working class perception

YOUR COMMENT DESK T

he UK Government has become subject to scrutiny consequent to a proposal which suggests a 1% pay increase for the staff of the NHS, of whom have heroically adapted to the challenging coronavirus climate.

The Department of Health and Social Care has been under considerable pressure to reconsider its pay proposal since its announcement last week when the government officially recommended a 1% pay rise to the independent panel that advises the government on NHS salaries.

The suggested pay increase which is currently being considered by the independent panel would cover most hospital staff but would exclude GPs and Dentists. Ministers will reach a determining verdict in May after the independent panel suggests its own pay recommendations.

The Labour party states that the proposal fails to meet the government’s promise made last year which stated that it would aim to provide NHS workers with a 2.1% pay rise when a long-term spending plan for the health service passed through the House of Commons in January 2020.

Commenting about the proposed pay rise, the shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth from the Labour Party states: “Not only was it promised, it was budgeted for and it was legislated for - this is the law of the land,” he said.

“That should be the basis for which negotiations and discussions are now entered into with the trade unions.”

The Department of Health asserts that the assumption of a 2.1% pay rise was not enshrined in law and that the financial pressures caused by the pandemic could not have been foreseen.

Ashworth condemned a 1% rise as “a disgrace”, but stated that Labour would “honour whatever that review body recommends”.

Nurses have described the proposed pay rise as “insulting”, with unions threatening strike action. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) called this a “pitiful” proposal, arguing that its members should receive an increase of 12.5% instead.

In an interview with Times Radio, Patricia Marquis from the RCN union stated that the proposed pay rise made staff in England feel that they were undervalued, which may result in NHS recruitment issues. She stated: “This slap in the face from the government really has just reinforced

their belief that they are not valued by either the government or perhaps some of the public in the way they would want to be”.

British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, defended the suggested plan whilst on a visit to a coronavirus vaccination centre in North London in response to warnings that nurses may potentially leave their front-line roles.

When questioned regarding the proposed 1% pay rise, he responded: “What we have done is try to give them as much as we can at the present time. Don’t forget that there has been a public sector pay freeze, we’re in pretty tough times”. To which he followed with words of gratitude for the healthcare service, stating that he was: “massively grateful” to the “heroic” health and social care workers throughout the pandemic.

Professor Dame Donna Kinnair, General Secretary and Chief executive for the RCN union, stated in response: “More of these warm words for nurses are not going to cut it”.

With little government appreciation as exemplified through the suggested salary proposal, NHS staff are continuing to navigate through a period of uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic. Consequent to the proposal, many nurses have been made to feel undervalued in their profession, despite risking their lives continuously to contain COVID-19.

When interviewed by the BBC, Nurse Susan Graham from Kent said that the proposed salary increase was a “disgrace” after the NHS staff had worked “crazy hours” during the COVID-19 crisis. Nurse John Anderson from East Sussex stated that he had taken colleagues to intensive care after they had contracted the virus, and called the proposal a “kick in the teeth” for them and their families. He followed: “It feels like the government are happy to have us risk our lives - or even die in this pandemic - but not pay us properly for our jobs”.

Better recognition and reward should be provided to all healthcare workers by the government consequent to the continuous sacrifices made by all staff for the sake of public health.

It is not enough to verbally praise the NHS for their constant hard work during this period of national difficulty.

The government must rethink the pay proposal with full consideration of the strain and constraints that the NHS has worked through throughout the pandemic, which warrants more than an insulting 1% salary increase.

commented that “There are around 975 festivals in the UK, and last summer, almost all were cancelled due to the pandemic,” so Monday’s announcement had given a lot of hope to many avid festival goers.

As soon as the announcement came through representatives for Reading and Leeds festival on Twitter sent out a tweet Reading: “LET’S GO” confirming their hope to go ahead this summer. Boomtown also released a handful more tickets for those who hadn’t bought them the year before and rolled over, stating: “Of course, there are still bumps in the road ahead but rest assured we’re doing absolutely everything we can to make sure our incredible community can dance together again this August,” acknowledging the chance that the UK may not be exactly where it needs

to be in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic by August but Johnson’s announcement suggests some hope.

There are questions, however, about whether this excitement is all premature? Although so many of us have been restricted or put our life on hold surrounding the pandemic and lockdown restrictions, there is quite a jump from what feels like now till June, to go from not even being able to hug our friends to being sat on their shoulders singing in a crowd of thousands. With all the warnings of false negative and positive tests and any age dying from COVID-19 will we be able to take the risk by the time festival season comes around?

Whilst the UK Government has predicted that all adults will have had the first vaccine by July 2021, it begs the questions as to how this

Cerys Ann Jones Comment Editor

Molly Govus

Sian Hopkins

Cerys Ann Jones

Izzy Morgan comment@gairrhydd.com

Molly Govus

Head of Comment

W

hen going to University for the first time, our worries as students often surround which outfits, we’ll wear on a night out, or if the rest of your house have the same Freshers wristband as you. These worries are trivial in comparison to the worries that Sophie Pender once had, and these are all worries that we should be educated on, whether we can relate to them or not.

As a second-year student at Bristol University, Pender realised that there was a much more sinister problem at play whilst at University. Upon arriving, Sophie discovered that her background created judgements from her peers, despite her brilliant academic achievements that allowed her to get into a brilliant University.

From this, the 93% club was formed: an old boys’ network in reverse, creating a significant impact against the 7% of pupils in the UK attending private schools. It is important to note that this club is not an ‘us vs. them’ argument, but instead, a support network where state-educated students can have a voice that will be heard amid the so-called elites.

I specifically remember attending a Cardiff University open day and being asked where I’m from by another prospective student’s parent. I answered that I’m from Essex, a county riddled

with comical stereotype, and I was met with a judgemental stare and a laugh and one line that I have never forgotten for the rest of my undergraduate education: ‘Girls from Essex don’t go to University’.

These kinds of comments filled Pender’s first year at Bristol. She arrived at University from a broken childhood, where her father’s death from substance abuse threw her head-first into her education. She stated: ‘Education was something that I felt I could control and was a way of alleviating my circumstances.

By working hard at school, I could achieve anything’.

How many times have you had your accent mocked? How many times have you seen students comically dressed as ‘Chavs’, parodying their perception of the workingclass? These are difficult questions to consider, especially when I come from the place where TOWIE is filmed.

Pender stated: ‘I wanted to even things out a bit, so that those who didn’t come from privileged backgrounds could help each other get on in life. And I didn’t see why people from working-class families should feel ashamed of their upbringing’.The 93% club has grown from two clubs at the beginning of 2020 to 36 particpating universities and a reach of over 10,000 students.

There is a lot more to be done to close the gap between private anfd state-educated students, but this is a brilliant, growing starting point.

Changing the tide: the club sees a new university joining each week.

Source: marcela_net (via. Pixabay)

Has festival season come around too soon for 2021?

Sian Hopkins

Comment Editor

A

s soon as Boris Johnson revealed his proposed road map of lifting lockdown restrictions in England, many festivals took to social media to announce their hopes to go ahead this summer, opening up ticket sales for summer 2021.

Monday’s announcement triggered a 600% rise in traffic to Ticketmaster according to the managing director of the site’s UK wing, Andrew Parsons, and there was no sign of it declining.

Within minutes, some of the biggest UK festivals like Reading and Leeds, Boomtown and Love Saves the Day, had sold out. The Higgpost

might affect the age range that attend British music festivals this year.

Whilst most people are over 18 attending music festivals every year there are also a handful of young people and even more so this year with the social restrictions brought about by lockdown that may not have had access to the vaccine.

This will be a problem for any who have bought their tickets but not had their vaccine in time, as two of the leading music directors of top festivals believe that musicians and their fans need to be told by the government that they must be vaccinated in order to attend music festivals this summer.

With the inability to know whether the pandemic’s effects will have regressed in time for festival season, many festivals are not confirming

their dates in case they find themselves in the same situation as last year.

This is a bigger issue for festivals and their directors than last year, because if they cannot gain insurance from the government it could bring about a huge dent in the music industry, many being unable to continue by 2022.

Without the assurance of a national vaccine entry standard, festival organisers who still hope to win government insurance cover for cancellations may not be able to access recovery grants without the proper Government insurance.

Whilst the UK Government’s announcement created a bit of light at the end of the tunnel there is still a lot of paperwork to get through to make festival season possible this summer.

SYLWADAU

17

The media’s obsession with Meghan Markle

Back to school: Since 2018, the Duchess has dominated our headlines, but the question is: why? what’s changed for our students?

Tirion Davies Editor-In-Chief

Adam Brown Contributor

I

t was previously announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will lose their patronages and officially cease working as senior members of the Royal Family.

The news was preceded by the announcement that the pair were expecting their second child.

But amongst this news, a trend appeared; people on social media were noting they believed the British media were generally showing unfavourable bias against Meghan Markle.

These allegations are not new, however.

Since it was announced that Meghan Markle was engaged to Prince Harry, there appears to have been distaste for the Duchess.

There is the possibility that this has to do with the Duchess of Sussex winning a privacy lawsuit against British tabloid The Mail on Sunday, after it was found that they had breached her privacy by publishing extracts of a letter written by the Duchess to her father, Thomas Markle.

It has been speculated that the letters were given to The Mail on Sunday by Thomas Markle, though Mr Justice Mark Warby noted that “taken as a whole, the disclosures [meaning the extracts from the letters between the Duchess and her father] were manifestly excessive

A

A sense of bias: Meghan has been subject to the judgement of the British media since 2018. Source: Anthony Mason (via. flickr)

and hence unlawful”.

There remains a debate, however, about the Duchess’ own involvement in the letter, and it was found that an electronic draft of the letter had been shared with Jason Knauf, a member of Buckingham Palace’s communications team.

The Duchess of Sussex’s lawsuit is not the only lawsuit against the media by the Royal Family but it is the most spoken of within the media.

Prince Charles, the Queen, and even the Duchess of Cambridge have all taken actions against publications in the past; in most

Double standard: Meghan is continuously compared to Kate Middleton.

Source: Genevieve (via. wikimedia.commons)

instances, they have won their cases. Yet, it’s unlikely we’ll hear much about them and their legal pursuits – but why?

Meghan Markle was scrutinised by the British media before marrying into the Royal Family. The Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine Middleton, faced a similar fate before she married Prince William, but not quite to the same extent.

The Duchess of Cambridge has received little negative press since she married into royalty.

During the Duchess of Sussex’s first pregnancy, she revealed she enjoyed avocado on toast and was craving it during her pregnancy.

A headline in the Daily Express claimed “Meghan Markle’s beloved avocado linked to human rights abuse and drought, millennial shame”.

However, during the Duchess of Cambridge’s third pregnancy, the Duke of Cambridge was offered an avocado by a young boy during an engagement who had noted it had helped his mother when she had morning sickness. At the time, the Daily Express stated “Kate’s morning sickness cure? Prince William gifted with an avocado for pregnant Duchess”.

Some have put forward explanations for why there appears to exist a gulf between the reporting of the two duchesses, although it seems unlikely we’ll ever be given an answer.

But we can speculate as to why the media have been obsessed with the Duchess of Sussex in recent years since her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

The Royal Family has an agreement with British tabloids called ‘The Royal Rota’, whereby a group of journalists from British media get exclusive access to Royal engagements and events.

Some of these media outlets include The Daily Mail, The Daily Express, The Daily Mirror, The Evening Standard, The Telegraph, and The Sun. It’s possible that due to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex deciding to step back from Royal duties, they were saying they no longer wanted any part in the Royal Rota.

We will, of course, never know if this is in fact the case, but there is a possibility that being denied access that would usually be offered freely as part of this agreement could cause a rift between the Royal Family and the British press.

The media do seem to scrutinise Markle’s every move, to the point it seems unfair. I’m sure if most of us were in a similar situation, we, too, would have followed Harry and Meghan’s lead and left the spotlight.

In a week with more pressing news such as the fact English Health Secretary Matt Hancock was found to have acted unlawfully over pandemic contracts, focusing on the Duchess of Sussex seems trivial.

Change the view: modern mental health What kind of monarchy do we want?

Kat Wheeler Contributor

I

n the last five years, there’s been a shift in how we talk about mental health.

Maybe it’s the political purgatory we’ve been sent to that’s driving us all to finally talk about our feelings. ‘Have a cuppa with your friend, be kind to your body, treat yourself ’- I love it!

I love being able to say that I’m not okay.

It’s spectacular to sit down and just talk about how I feel…but there’s something missing.

Mindfulness doesn’t work.

Let me rephrase that: mindfulness doesn’t work for everyone.

The now multi-billion-pound industry of rest, relaxation and body positivity is a force for good but its glitzy, branded ve-

neer simply isn’t the truth for so many people.

Truly bad mental health doesn’t have the option of looking presentable. Severe mental illnesses aren’t pretty; they’re seizures and psychosis and lying in the gutter at 3am because you can’t bear the thought of going back inside.

For some sufferers, medication is the only stabiliser. Yet we still aren’t ready to have that conversation.

Moving to University has taught me a lot of things like how to draw a syntax tree, but also how to hide symptoms of mental illness lest anyone call security.

The conversation needs a reboot. Being ashamed of suffering is a killer. Maybe we should be asking a different question: what works for you?

Shivika Singh Contributor

D

uchess Megan Markle and Prince Harry recently appeared in an interview with Oprah Winfrey to address questions and concerns surrounding their personal life, relations with the royal family and shared many more deeply emotional and private revelations.

Megan made some important statements about her life in the royal palace, her relations with family members, and discussed her life within the institution of the monarchy. Seeing the seriousness of claims of racial discrimination and deteriorating mental health, it is not an overstatement to say that this interview has rocked the British royal family to its core. It is not only affecting the prestige of the

institution but also puts in question the core values of monarchy - inclusion, unity, stability. In a modern democracy, the future of the royal family rests on how people perceive its presence and access what it represents, therefore public faith is of vital importance.

The question for Britain is not direct - whether it wants monarchy or not but is rather - what kind of monarchy does it want? Does it need to align with 21st-century institutions which are transparent, are confessional about their flaws, and vocal about issues like racial discrimination and mental health?

Whatever fate it brings for the royal family or the institution as a whole, this interview has definitely given a very shocking insight into the glamorous portrayal of life as a royal.

fter a year of schools being affected by the ongoing pandemic, there has been mention of the possibility to elongate the regular school day ‘to make up for lost time’.

This could be a lot more of a challenge than it seems.

This week, The Department of Education announced a £720 million package to help students catch up due to the pandemic’s disturbance. This sum of money is to be distributed to schools across England, but there has been concerns raised by teachers’ unions however, believing that the amount of money is not enough and “more is needed”. This could apply a lot of pressure on the government, considering the financial investment that has been made into other areas, such as testing for the virus on students.

A critical consideration within the plan is how efficiently the money is spent by the government and what areas, specifically, the £720 million budget should be invested. I think that a healthy portion of the funding should be invested into academic resources, making sure the students and teaching staff have what is needed to catchup at an efficient, yet effective pace.

This could include textbooks, technology, and stationary, giving strong justification for students to engage with the work that is set. Another crucial factor that needs to be considered, is the teacher’s salary. Are they expected to work longer days, with intensified teaching, but not receive a raise in their salary?

A lot of weight is being put on teachers’ shoulders, with mention of summer school seeming like a viable option, that could put a time stamp on what teachers need to deliver in a shortened period.

Another effective area that the funding could be used, is human resources.

Taking into consideration that it will be a huge lifestyle change to the youth, in comparison to what they have experienced this past year. It is vital that when introducing the students back into education, especially with an increased workload, that an outlet is an option for those in need. Referring in particular to school counselors, extending counselor’s hours could come effective, especially to those, as mentioned, who need it most.

These points mentioned could be beneficial to a lot of people involved, not only students but academic staff.

There is always going a be percentage of the fund that will not be used efficiently. There will be students that will not want to follow these ambitious new plans, but it is important to take into consideration those who want to learn and have academic aspirations that they are hoping to achieve one day.

The question of whether students should “just get back to it” is a controversial one. There will be people that believe young students have had an easy ride this past year, and should be put back into school, being practically over-loaded with work. As I have mentioned prior, these students have not only been away from the norm in education, but in general life. It is going to take some time for the pupils to not only adapt academically, but socially.

So even though I think, eventually, extending school hours is a valid suggestion, easing them into the process would be a more organic route for the students.

18

ADVICE

How to deal with controversial discussion YOUR Coping with talking to people who’s views are different to your own ADVICE DESK S Vicky Witts

Head of Advice

Vicky Witts

Megan Evans advice@gairrhydd.com

pending time with people who share similar interests and views to you can often feel very satisfying and rewarding, as conversation usually seems easy, and you can say almost whatever you want, without fear of argument or dispute.

However, it is almost impossible to see eye-to-eye on everything, and so, even in the closest of friend groups it seems almost inevitable that you will have disagreements, even on a very small scale. Such disagreements may usually only be points of bickering and nothing more, however, there are some issues which you may feel are important to be agreed upon, whether because disagreement would cause you offence, or because you are afraid that their beliefs may have a negative impact on them, or those around them, for example, matters of race, vaccinations, sexuality and gender.

It may therefore be important to learn how to challenge the views of those around you if you feel that it is a particular matter

of importance, whilst also being aware that you cannot change everybody’s views overnight.

Do some research In order to encourage those around you to question what they believe to be right, it is important to ensure that you can present them with information that will support what you are saying, otherwise your arguments may seem less convincing and baseless. This will be particularly useful to do in cases where what you are disputing has got facts to support it.

For example, if you are concerned that someone in your family is apprehensive to take the coronavirus vaccine, it may be useful to show them statistics on websites such as those run by the government and show them the statistics about the decrease in hospitalisations. This may help to reassure them that the reality of the situation is perhaps different to what they initially thought or read about on social media.

This may also encourage them to go away and do their own research, which can help them to realise that there are other ways of thinking than just their own.

However, with the large number of fake-news sources on the internet, which are frequently being shared across social media platforms, it is important if those around you have taken the

steps to reconsider their ways of thinking that they are using sources for information that are considered to be accurate and reputable.

Encourage discussions If you feel that the beliefs of someone you know may be harmful to you or them, it is important that you learn how to be open and encourage discussions with them, without it becoming a heated argument. Whilst having unnecessary arguments on small disagreements may not be the best idea, if you are truly passionate about wanting to challenge the views of those around you, it is important to do so in a way that allows you both to share your opinions, without ending up stuck in a shouting match.

In order to do this, it is important to allow everyone involved in the dispute to be able to have their say on the issue, and respect everyone’s beliefs initially, as simply insulting what they are saying will not help you to challenge what they are thinking. If you are intending to start a discourse with the intention to challenge someone else’s views, it may be helpful to ensure that they are aware that you are not simply telling them what to think or how to act, but rather that you want them to consider how the beliefs that they

have may be negatively impacting those around them.

Share your own experiences One may reason that harmful beliefs occur in the first place is due to ignorance and a lack of knowledge, whether intentional or unintentional, which can make it difficult to make people see faults in their thinking.

Consequently, sharing your own experiences and reasons for your own beliefs may help to personalise the issues that you are discussing, and make them seem less distanced than simply reading things on the internet or seeing things on tv.

In the case of topics such as vaccinations, giving real-life examples of people that you know who have had one may help to reassure anyone with doubts about them that they are not having the effects on people which may be being suggested via unreliable sources such as some online media outlets.

Similarly, in terms of more prejudice views such as racism or homophobia, giving examples of people that you both know and like may help to challenge generalised views towards specific groups of people and convince whoever it is that holds these views that what their beliefs may not have the factual basis that they originally thought that they had.

The best life lessons everyone ought to learn at school Megan Evans Advice Editor

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chool was such an interesting time. It really amazes me how long ago it was that I was sat in that classroom, absolutely terrified about what was going to happen in the next stages of my life from university to socialising, jobs and relationships.

What I do remember fondly, is the hours that teachers had spent planning lessons, sticking to a rigid curriculum and teaching us how photosynthesis occurs in plants, to studying closely Of Mice and Men

by John Steinbeck.

There are definitely elements to school that I wish were taught better, or that I had to discover myself in years to come, and not only would that become a great deal of shock, but it could’ve saved me a lot of aggravation and energy.

What you choose to study at university does not define you, neither does not going to university.

I feel like there is a lot of pressure on our generation to have their lives figured out as soon as we leave school.

There are always conversations you will have with fellow classmates and teachers about specific subjects you are keen to learn on further study, but that has absolutely nothing to do with career choices further down the line. Official figures show that 50.2 percent of 17-30 year olds are now participating in higher education (in 2017-18).

That shows that there is still a demand for committing to studying degrees - but at what cost? There are still people who drop out of courses that aren’t right for them, and there

Life Lessons I learned at school: As one of the most crucial times for development, there are many vital lessons I have learnt outside the textbook. Source: Bruce Matsunga (via Flickr) is never always that ‘you’ll get your dream job’ prospect, when you do study.

Even someone who is closer to finishing their degree than starting it, I still am unsure of where I want to go with my life. I chose to study Literature as I enjoy reading and the art of craft, but that still doesn’t mean I know what job will suit me for the next however many years.

What you learn outside the classroom can be a lot more valuable than inside the classroom A structured lesson will never be able to teach you how to handle life as soon as you leave those gates or the last time. It is all down to you and what you want to do.

At the end of the day, school is there to equip you with as much knowledge as you can soak in to better your chances of achieving high grades, but you can’t be taught how you’ll cope with changes.

You can’t learn how to deal with things, until it physically happens.

You can spend hours and hours

studying, and it won’t be until you are in that moment experiencing it, until you can really understand. That can be anything from dealing with heartache, to dealing with negative people, or grieving.

These pivotal moments and how you grow from them will be the building blocks to your life and your successes and failures.

Some of the biggest failures are the biggest achievers I remember getting low marks in tests I had barely revised for, and felt utterly disappointed and distraught with myself. There is nothing I hated more than knowing that I could’ve gotten a higher grade if I had learnt that one case study in more detail, or spent the last 5 minutes of an exam proof-reading instead of staring aimlessly at the clock.

School seems to teach you that to be successful, you need to always do well. Some of the highest achieving people have failed so many times before they were able to be at their ‘best’. Big names such as Jeremy

Clarkson, Lord Sugar, Benedict Cumberbatch, just to name a few, were extremely unsuccessful as teenagers, but spent their adult lives working hard to achieve their utmost best.

It is a little clique to compare failures to successes, as that isn’t always a true representation of life.

But to be honest, all of the failures that I have embedded into me, have altered the way I am today, and the fight I have to pursue my ambitions, is still within me, and if the road had been easier, maybe I wouldn’t be trying as hard, which would have altered the reality I am living in right now. Everything happens exactly as it should, even if you do feel hard done by.

Something great could happen because of the poor decisions you have made in that moment.

Being the ‘popular’ kid is so overrated Most schools, and those portrayed on television and film, show just how sad it can be to be constantly in

fear and judgement of those around you. There is so much pressure built on you as a child, to dress and act a particular way, in order to get people to like and respect you.

I wouldn’t be lying if I said I would have rather been popular over being nice during school, just to fit in with my peer groups. But this doesn’t last.

The cliques formed in school, won’t make you more likely to achieve success.

The lasting friendships with those who support you and are kind to you is so much more important and rewarding than having five seconds of gratification at school with the groups you desperately tried to impress and give you the nod of approval.

If you can’t love yourself, how can you love someone else?

From the words of RuPaul himself, this is something that I feel many need to refer to. It is hard to feel fully comfortable and at ease with yourself, in the judgements of others.

Whether you are too scared to out your hand up to answer a question, or you don’t have the guts to ask out someone you like, confidence is hard to come by.

Even at 20, I am still nervous to make a phone call. The truth is, I have learnt you always need to back your gut, even if it different to everyone else. Embrace you exactly as you are, even if you don’t fit the categories of ‘normal’ in the textbook.

And before seeking approval from your counterparts, make sure you understand your own needs.

Don’t be afraid to push boundaries, but also be kind to what you know and love. This will really aid you in the future in becoming the person you always wanted to be.

Got questions about Academic We Issues? visited Student Advice cardiffstudents.com/advice

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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

research shows best combination of 5-a-day YOUR New despite only 28% of adults meeting the quota goal SCIENCE DESK 5 Holly Giles

Head of Science & Technology

Holly Giles

Rowenna Hoskin

Mili Jayadeep

-a-day is a slogan that many of us will have grown up with hearing and know that it is the recommended daily fruit and vegetable intake for optimum health.

However, researchers at the American Heart Association have been diving deeper into the phrase and finding out if some vegetables are better than others.

The study analysed data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professional Follow-Up Study, including more than 100,000 adults and their dietary intakes for up to 30 years. They repeatedly collected information about the intake of these individuals every 2-4 years for 30 years to see their dietary intake and health changes over time. The study also pooled health and disease data from 26 studies to increase the data set further.

They found that eating five servings of fruit and vegetables daily was associated with the lowest risk of death, showing 5-a-day is the recipe for success we were always told. Interestingly the study showed no additional disease benefits for eating more than 5 portions a day.

Compared to individuals who only ate two portions a day, those with a full five had a 13% lower risk of death overall. THis was broken down into a 12% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, 10% lower risk of death from cancer and a 35% lower risk of death from respiratory diseases, showing the many systems affected by this intake.

They also looked at the ideal composition of the five portions and showed that two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables was associated with the greatest benefits.

This research provides strong evidence for the lifelong benefits of eating fruits and vegetables and suggests a goal amount to consume daily for ideal health. Fruits and vegetables... are essential for keeping our hearts and bodies healthy” Anne Throndike

Jack Robert Stacey science@gairrhydd.com Disclaimer: This article covers subjects that some readers may find disturbing. If you have been affected by any of the topics in this article please don’t hesitate to contact student support on studentconnect@cardiff.ac.uk

Shivika Singh Contributor

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he coronavirus pandemic has affected millions of people worldwide and pregnant women were no exception. The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic put pregnant women in the vulnerable population group, meaning they had to shield throughout lockdown. This was because it was assumed they had a higher risk of suffering from severe illness and high morbidity rates if they contracted COVID-19.

Chair of American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee

An apple a day: The research shows 2 portions of fruit and 3 portion of vegetables each day is associated with the most health benefits. Source: Gary Knight (via Flickr) Finally, the study found that not all fruits and vegetables have the same benefits. Starchy vegetables, such as peas, corn and potatoes, were not associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes and were more disease-specific. Conversely, green leafy vegetables s uch as spinach and lettuce, and food rich in beta carotene and vitamin C, like citrus and berries, showed additional benefits. This highlights the importance of a balanced diet of fruit and vegetables in order to get the most benefits to our health.

Reflecting on these findings, lead author Dong Wang, an epidemiologist and nutritionist from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said: “This amount [5-a-day] likely offers the most benefit in terms of prevention of major chronic disease and is a relatively achievable intake for the general public,” he said.

“We also found that not all fruits and vegetables offer the same de-

gree of benefit, even though current dietary recommendations generally treat all types of fruits and vegetables, including starchy vegetables, fruit juices and potatoes, the same.”

This was continued by Anne Throndike, Chair of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee: “This research provides strong evidence for the lifelong benefits of eating fruits and vegetables and suggests a goal amount to consume daily for ideal health. Fruits and vegetables are naturally packaged sources of nutrients that can be included in most meals and snacks, and they are essential for keeping our hearts and bodies healthy.”

Variety was also the key message of Public Health England in their Q&A about the 5-a-day campaign, urging people to have a “variety of fresh, frozen, tinned, dried and juiced fruit and vegetables every day to ensure you get all the different nutrients needed.”

The study highlights the impor-

tance of eating fruit and vegetables daily but a health survey for England estimates that only 28% of adults are reaching this daily quota.

This decreases further with young people with an estimated 18% of children aged 5-15 reaching the five-portion marker.

With increasing knowledge about the importance of this, it is hoped this figure will increase in the upcoming years.

There is mixed evidence about the effect of eating fruit and vegetables on COVID-19 and while it is not a miracle-cure, eating fruit and vegetables boost the immune system and may help you fight off infections.

Whilst the study does not paint a complete picture, as it is not possible to know the activity levels of the participants which would also have had an effect on health, it does show a clear picture of the importance of eating your daily fruit and veg.

The study suggests an apple (or two!) a day really does seem to keep the doctor away.

Cardiff Uni shows COVID-19 not linked to miscarriage

Assumptions were made that it could be fatal for the foetus and cases of stillbirth or miscarriages may rise.

However, these assumptions have been challenged by new research.

A study led by Imperial College and supported by Cardiff University, looked at the effect of COVID-19 on pregnant mothers and confirmed that no babies, examined in the study, died due to COVID-19 between January and August 2020. They also found there was no increase in the risk of stillbirth or low birth weight as a result of the mother’s having the virus during pregnancy.

This latest research looked at data from the USA and UK and included more than 4000 pregnant women with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

Despite these promising conclusions that it does not affect stillbirth or low birth weight risk, it was con-

cluded that women who had a positive test had a higher risk of premature birth. In the UK data, 12% of women with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 had a pre-term delivery which is 60% higher than the national average rate of 7.5%. While In the US data, 15.7% of women had a preterm birth which is 57% higher than the US national average of 10%.

Cardiff University’s Centre for Trials Research (CTR) built the online database of women and also managed data and statistical analyses in the study.

Reflecting on the findings, Julia Townson, Senior Research Fellow responsible for delivery of the research at the CTR, said: “I am delighted that the Centre for Trials Research has been able to collaborate with Imperial College London on this important research. It has been a mammoth undertaking by the team, requiring a

rapid build of the database and web page, as well as cleaning and analysing the data”.

At the same time, the proportion of babies born to mothers with confirmed COVID-19, and who subsequently tested positive for the SARSCov-2 virus was 2% in the UK study, and 1.8% in the US study. This suggests there is a very low risk of transmission from mother to child during development, suggesting the child is near-unaffected by the infection.

COVID-19 is never without risks.

They reported that eight women participating in the UK study and four women in the US study died.

It is important to note, the majority of women in the study had no preexisting conditions such as diabetes or respiratory conditions such as asthma. Addressing this point, the study team said although these rates are higher than expected for women

giving birth, they are similar to the expected death rates seen among adults with a confirmed COVID-19 infection. This suggests that pregnant women are not at a higher risk of death from COVID-19 than nonpregnant women.

As we come close to the return of normal life this research is hoped to calm many expecting mothers that they are of no higher risk to COVID-19 as a result of their pregnancy.

I am delighted that the Centre for Trials Research has been able to collaborate with Imperial College London on this important research. It has been a mammoth undertaking” Julia Townson

Senior Research Fellow

GWYDDONIAETH A THECHNOLEG

Thirteen more species confirmed extinct in Australia Rachel Louise Iliffe Contributor

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ustralia’s Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley announced on the 2nd of March that 13 more animal species will be added to the list of extinct species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, which now totals 67.

The updated list, released on World wildlife day, saw the Desert Bettong, Great Hopping-mouse and South-eastern Striped Bandicoot join species such as the Tasmanian Tiger, as officially extinct species.

Many of the ‘new’ extinctions, recognised by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), were historic, occurring between 1850 and 1950, yet this should not undermine their importance.

The reasoning for the extinctions is complicated. Direct human impacts through hunting and population growth leading to habitat destruction have impacted wildlife populations for decades. Modern threats such as climate change leading to increased droughts and bushfires are also emerging. The

bushfire season of 2019-20 affected nearly 3 billion animals, including the vulnerable Koala. In total, since 1788, 10% of the 386 known Australian mammals have been lost.

Australian environmental laws including those listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation act 1999 (EPBC) have been unable to stem the crisis and reduce the causes of extinction.

Professor Graeme Samuel completed an independent review of the EPBC which is blamed for the extinction crisis due to its abundance of failures and loopholes.

Samuel has deemed the EPBC “ineffective”, “duplicative, inefficient and costly for the environment”.

He recommended a “fundamental reform” and an “immediate” “comprehensive redrafting of the Act”, which involves establishing national environmental standards.

The lack of allocated resources may be emphasising the failures of the legislation. In terms of pay-out, a 2019 study found that Australia spends a mere $122 million dollars per year on its threatened species conservation, which is trumped by the USA’s annual spending of $2.1 billion.

T Australia’s Striped Bandicoot: Officials announced that 13 species have now become extinct. Source: JJ Harrison (via Wikimedia Commons)

Rachel Lowry, WWFAustralia’s Chief Conservation Officer, commented on the report’s release. The “report places our current government’s environmental legacy at a precipice.

They can choose to cherry pick recommendations and weaken our laws further, or follow the recommendations in full and lead Australia through to genuine reform.”

She added that, “This is the ultimate test for the government. Any changes to our nature laws should

come as an integrated package - a piecemeal approach is a risky and potentially damaging way forward,”.

She also highlighted that “Australia is marching mammal species towards extinction faster than any other nation” with populations of threatened species declining at a rate of 1 percent per year.

“If we are to turn this around, we must have strong environmental standards and an ‘independent cop on the beat’ to ensure our laws are finally enforced”.

Rowenna Hoskin Science Editor

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• • • •

Vast carbon stores: Scientists extimate that the UK has 92% of its former seagrass meadows, a figure which is likely to continue rising. Source: Dimitris Poursanidis (via Flickr)

meadows across the UK,” said Alix Green at University College London (UCL), who pioneered the work. “ Seagrass could be revolutionary for the fight against climate change as meadows can store carbon 35 times faster than tropical rainforests and provide 40 times more habitat to marine life than bare seabeds.

“Seagrass is the most amazing habitat that no one has ever heard of,” Green said. “If they are left undisturbed, seagrass soils will persist for thousands of years, and act as permanent carbon storage. Seagrass meadows can rebound, if allowed to, and it used to be everywhere, so there are limitless opportunities to build it back.”

In an effort to reestablish the UK’s seagrass meadows, the Seagrass Ocean Rescue project is already planting millions of seeds on the seafloor in Dale Bay, Pembrokeshire.

Peter Jones from UCL said: “The next decade is a crucial window of opportunity to address the inter-

EU court finds UK guilty of breaching air pollution limits for over a decade Emilie Collins Contributor

The UK has lost 90% of its carbon-absorbing seagrass meadows hen you think of the sea bed you may picture sand and rocks, perhaps some seaweed or some fish - but do you think of seagrass meadows?

The answer is probably no. It is not surprising, as scientists say that the UK has lost 90% of its seagrass meadows.

This decline has been labelled catastrophic by scientists, but the report published in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science, also provided readers with hope. The latest analysis shows that these flowering plants could be restored, which would in turn provide hope for the planet as these meadows would rapidly absorb carbon dioxide and provide a habitat for hundreds of millions of fish - from seahorses to cod.

Seagrass can grow upto 2m long in clearwater that permits sunlight to pass through and they once covered the majority of sand and mudflats.

Scientists have identified suitable habitats for seagrasses; they subsequently concluded that 92% of past meadows had been lost in the last two centuries. Pollution from industry, mining, farming, dredging and bottom trawling are considered to have caused the destruction.

Almost half of the losses are believed to have been in the past three decades which is significantly worse than the estimated global average, according to the study. Some areas, such as Lindisfarne, Studland Bay in Dorset, parts of Devon and the Scilly Isles have managed to retain healthy meadows.

However, areas such as south Wales and the Humbr and Tyne estuaries have been completely destroyed.

“The catastrophic losses documented in this research are alarming, but offer a snapshot of the potential of this habitat if efforts are made to protect and restore seagrass

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related crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. The restoration of seagrass meadows would be an important contribution to this.

This will involve restrictions such as reduced boat anchor damage, restricting damaging fishing methods and reducing coastal pollution.”

“Beyond their beauty, they are useful for a number of other reasons,” said Green. “They protect the shoreline from coastal erosion, by absorbing the impact of storms. One of the biggest impacts for the UK from climate change is rising sea levels and more severe storms and having these sort of buffer habitats is a lot cheaper and better environmentally than building a bunch of sea walls.”

Considering the effects carbon dioxide has on the planet and our future as a species, the harnessing of the carbon-storing power of the seagrass is imperative.

Seagrass covers about 0.1% of the ocean globally at the moment, but

Word of the week: Carbon Stores

provides 10% of it’s carbon storage.

If the percentage of land covered could be increased, the carbon storing capability of the oceans would rise significantly. A 2020 UN report said that 7% of this key marine habitat was being lost worldwide each year, equivalent to a football field of seagrass vanishing every 30 minutes. Currently, we are directly destroying our chances of surviving climate change.

“They store so much carbon that these ecosystems become sources of CO2 emissions when they are degraded or destroyed,” said the lead author, Prof Carlos Duarte. “Protection and restoration of these ecosystems present a unique opportunity to mitigate climate change.”

The capabilities of seagrass are major, it has the potential to majorly help countries live up to their Paris Climate agreement promises.

If all nations planted seagrass meadows rather than continuing to destroy them, we may actually have a

Plants absorb atmospheric carbon to use in photosynthesis and growth processes.

Carbon that is not used is exhaled as oxygen.

When plants die they decompose and lock the carbon they used to grow stems and leaves into the detritus.

Unless the detritus (fossil-fuels and wood) is burnt this carbon is permanently removed from the atmosphere.

he European Court of Justice ruled last week that the UK has “systematically and persistently” surpassed legal limits on nitrogen dioxide emissions for over a decade, with the court arguing that the government has failed to adequately put in place measures to reduce the levels. The government’s own data reveals that emissions of NO2, a toxic gas predominantly emitted by diesel vehicles and gas heating boilers, are being exceeded in 33 out of 43 air quality assessment zones The ruling has not been met without protest from the UK government, putting forward the argument that a UK High Court judge found the government’s actions to tackle emissions in 2017 to be “sensible, rational and lawful”.

A government spokesperson from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs gave the following statement: “Air pollution at a national level has reduced significantly since 2010, and now we are out of the EU, we are continuing to deliver our £3.8bn air quality plan to tackle nitrogen dioxide exceedances in the shortest possible time.”

Ministers have also claimed unfair treatment by the Court, highlighting that other nations have equally breached the limits.

Whether or not the UK has been singled out, the government may face financial penalties if it fails to comply with limits and has already been ordered by the court to pay the legal costs of the trial, with the amount potentially coming to millions of pounds.

However, so far, only one “clean air zone” has been put in place, in London, despite the fact that UK government’s own findings have deduced these as the most effective measures to reduce NO2 emissions.

Not only will the government’s inaction have a detrimental longterm effect on the climate, but the nation’s immediate health is being put at major risk, with 40,000 early deaths each year being attributed to long-term exposure to high air pollution levels.

However, the coroner’s inquest into the 2013 death of Ella AdooKissi-Debrah, shed new light on the urgency and seriousness of the emissions crisis, with the coroner concluding that, despite being merely 9 years old, she “died of asthma contributed to by exposure to excessive air pollution”.

The government’s future action will be overseen by a proposed new UK Office for Environmental Protection. However, the accountability potential of this internal watchdog is already being scrutinised by environmental campaigners with Katie Nield, of environmental law firm ClientEarth arguing that, “there are big question marks as to whether the OEP will have the independence, authority and resources [it needs]”.

As our national infrastructure continues to rely on fossil-fuel consuming methods of generating electricity, the UK’s air pollution statistics are expected to become increasingly hazardous until a comprehensive plan for the gradual transfer over to less polluting methods can be enacted and fulfilled by the government.

22

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Unmanned drones to locate tidal

energy sites in

Scotland and Wales Jack Robert Stacey Technology Editor

S

cientists from the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHL) will begin trialling a drone-based measurement system that could potentially locate new sites for tidal energy sites.

As part of their twelve-month-long project alongside fellows from Swansea University and Bangor University, the researchers will use the aerial drones to capture video footage from several offshore sites across Scotland and Wales. Once the team have successfully collected the stored footage, they plan to employ sophisticated algorithms in order to precisely measure the velocity of the water and, therefore, evaluate whether a marine energy installation would be viable at the site – The initial tests of this system will be conducted at Pentland Firth (Scotland), and Ramsey Sound (Wales).

Tidal power stations essentially function in a similar way to wind turbines, generating electricity as movements in the tidal currents turn an underwater turbine. Whilst, these installations are usually able to generate more electricity than air turbines (due to water being over 832 times denser than air), tidal power stations cannot be located anywhere along the coastline and, in fact, need to be built in a very specific area to maximise efficiency and safety.

Dr. Benjamin Williamson, Lead Scientist on the upcoming trial, spoke on the complexities in “measuring the flow speed and movement of water” and noted that, although collecting “measurements is typically high-cost and high-risk”, there are still fundamental in planning the placement of new tidal energy turbines. Elaborating on the use of the drones “in remote locations and developing countries”, Dr. Williamson raised the importance of adopting “community-based approaches” in order to “address the climate emergency by advancing our ability to generate reliable, clean energy”.

Currently, the methods used to find and examine tidal streams have usually involved creating a high-tech network of sensors on the seabed which, over extended periods of time, are able to collect valuable data on the tidal activity that a specific stretch of coastline experiences. This method, along with the use of manned survey vessels to map areas by hand, are often too cost-intensive to be used regularly and, as such, the viability of tidal power stations on the UK’s coastlines has yet to be fully understood.

Dr Alan Owen, a Senior Engineering lecturer at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, highlighted that, although “the UK has more resources than it needs” to create new tidal power developments across its coastlines, the government has yet to act on the importance of investing in renewable energy sources.

Whilst UHL has yet to announce when the trial will begin, this revolutionary use of drones has the potential to speed up the UK’s transfer over to renewable energy sources.

Our aerial technique offers a cost-effective way to support environmentally-sustainable development,” Dr. Bejamin Williamson Lead Scientist at UHL

Amazon announces opening of the UK’s first ‘Amazon Fresh’ checkout-free store in London Harriet Lowbridge Contributor

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mazon has recently opened the first supermarket in the UK to utilize “Just Walk Out Technology”, revolutionizing the way we will do our weekly shopping.

Customers scan their Amazon Fresh App as they enter the store to identify themselves and can simply fill their baskets and bags as they shop. Once finished, customers can simply walk straight out without the need of visiting a cashier or queue at tills.

Through a blend of computer vision, deep learning algorithms and sensor fusion the store itself tracks what items you pick up, put down, and take out of the store, automatically charging your Amazon account as you leave.

Cameras and computers are placed around the store, tracking the movement of your smartphone to keep a record of what items you are taking. Meanwhile, sensors on the shelves monitor which items are being moved or taken. Once you have left, your receipt is emailed straight to you.

Amazon fresh contains many of the brands we know and love, such as Heinz and Kellogg’s, as well as some of Morrison’s own brands.

Amazon’s own in-store brand has been created for items such as pastries, sandwiches, and more.

Amazon also claims that some of their own-brand products will The creep towards chekout-free grocery stores is therefore proving gradual, with Amazon’s innovations in the market another spur for conventional stores to compete” Deborah Weinswig CEO and Founder of Coresight Research Inc.

Walk out technology: London’s Amazon Fresh store aims to revolutionise grocery shopping in the UK and could change the experience forever. Credit: Amazon. be locally sourced to support British farms, providing British eggs, milk, and vegetables.

The store also features selfserving coffee machines, and a click and collect service for regular amazon delivery parcels, as well as a help desk for anything we may need.

The new Amazon Fresh store promises to be one of many in the greater London area, and potentially across the country.

Some rumors also claim that Amazon may look to expand by purchasing one of the current large supermarkets, or otherwise selling the technologies to the existing stores on the high-street.

Amazon Fresh is an attempt to make our weekly shopping “as convenient as possible” with the removal of tills and queues.

Something much appreciated in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as the person-to-person contact is much more limited.

Though this is something that many people are raising concerns about, considering the lack of human interactions and the loss of cashier jobs within the stores.

While customers will not need to interact with any staff during the visit, each store will look to hire around 30 staff members for tasks such as restocking shelves, preparing food, and handling any questions at the help desks.

Concerns have also been raised around personal privacy and have likened the technologies used to a “dystopian surveillance”.

Many people are wondering how our information may be used,

as it is likely that the smart technology on display at the Amazon store will collect data on customer habits to better improve the in-store experience.

It still cannot be denied that the introduction of contactless shopping will have a huge impact on the high-street market, and that Amazon has the potential to completely revolutionize the grocery industry. This is something Clive Black, a market analysist from Shore Captial, has noticed and marked as a “seminal moment in the history of the UK grocery market”.

The new store does not seem to pose an immediate threat to British supermarkets, yet the long-term consequences of this technology being on our highstreets could have the potential to dramatically change

between Argentina and Sweden – For reference, it was reported that Bitcoin “mining” operations used around 0.1% of the world’s total power back in 2018.

Whilst average computers are unable to acquire this valuable currency, numerous companies and countries have already established their own “mining” operations using hundreds of specialised computers. China, most notably, is currently estimated to operate 60% of worldwide mining operations which, due to the country’s reliance on using fossil fuels to produce electricity, has released a substantial amount of carbon into the Earth’s atmosphere.

Charles Hoskinson, CEO of cryptocurrency engineering and research company IOHK, suggested that, as bitcoin continues to see annual growth, its “carbon footprint will get exponentially worse because the more its price rises, the more competition there is for the currency and thus the more energy it consumes.” Speaking on the environmental impacts of bitcoin mining operations, Hoskinson raised that the currency’s “energy consumption has more than quadrupled since the beginning of its last peak in 2017” and that, due to bitcoin’s dependence on using large amounts of electricity, these effects are “set to get worse” over time.

Created by an anonymous indi-

vidual or group under the pseudonym ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’, Bitcoin was created back in 2009 as an independent and decentralised digital currency that would be more difficult to trace than more conventional financial transactions. Transactions between accounts are carried out on a worldwide, open-source network (or ‘blockchain’) which, in addition to meaning that the value of bitcoin can be turbulent, prevents authorities and individuals from interfering with the market.

As Bitcoin (alongside other digital currencies like ‘Ethereum’) become increasingly accessible, several major companies have begun accepting cryptocurrencies as payment for goods and services. This list currently includes: Microsoft, the Miami Dolphins American Football Team and KFC Canada, amongst others.

Regardless of this though, many key figures in the industry have highlighted that Bitcoin’s future success is dependent on the wider transition to renewable energy sources.

Some financial and environmentalist groups actually argue in favour of the change to cryptocurrency and highlight that, providing that the Bitcoin “mining” industry becomes exclusively powered by clean sources of electricity, these opera-

tions would have a considerably less severe impact on the environment.

Don Wyper, the Chief Operating Officer at Blockchain company DigitalMint, asserts that, although bitcoin’s current infrastructure “cannot be sustained”, Bitcoin’s “incentive structure will force miners to adopt the cheapest form of electricity, which in the near future will be renewable energy”.

Wyper contends that, by comparing cryptocurrency mining to physical mining operations (like gold), the result reached by Cambridge University is “misguided” and declares that “bitcoin is actually acting as an accelerant to helping our environment”.

The environmental impact of Bitcoin “mining” operations around the world, as outlined by Cambridge University’s research, continues to place the prominent cryptocurrency in an uncertain position and, therefore, may shape the industry’s future development.

The more [electrisity’s] price rises, the more competition there is for the currency and thus the more energy it consumes”

Unsustainable bitcoin mining could threaten hopes for a “zero-emission future” according to new data Jack Robert Stacey Technology Editor

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ith the continued growth of Bitcoin across the world, new data suggests that the “mining” of this cryptocurrency could have adverse effects on the environment.

Bitcoin “mining”, a process where a computer is able to generate this decentralised digital currency through solving a series of complicated algorithms, has emerged as an increasingly lucrative business in the past few years. As a result of the practice’s requirement for computers with significant processing power and high-energy consumption, however, many environmentalist groups are questioning the currency’s future viability and the extent of its environmental impacts over the next few decades.

According to an ongoing analysis conducted by Cambridge University’s Centre for Alternative Finance, worldwide Bitcoin mining operations consume over 121 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity annually.

These new findings identify the cryptocurrency as one of the largest energy consumers in the world which, if it were a country, places it

Charles Hoskinson CEO of IHOK and Co-Founder of Etherium

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@CAERDYDD

2021 Census and Welsh language recognition YOUR Should the questions on the Census be changed to better reflect Welsh? @CAERDYDD DESK T Tirion Davies

Editor in Chief

Natalie Graham

Fflur Trevor caerdydd@gairrhydd.com

Plans unveiled for Cardiff Bay Sport Village Tirion Davies

Editor in Chief

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new velodrome, zip wire tower and one-kilometer closedlooped circuit for runners have been announced as part of the plans for the development on Cardiff Bay’s Sport Village.

These developments were announced by Cardiff Council last week as new plans are unveilved for a Cardiff Bay Sports Village in the area which once stood Cardiff’s Toys R Us store.

The development area spans the last century, including building Cardiff International Swimming Pool, the White Water Rafting Centre, and the Ice Arena Wales.

Cardiff Council hopes to quickly move along with developments, in order to create a state-of-the-art Sports Village, to go along with their plans to transform the nearby Atlantic Wharf area in Cardiff Bay. The Atlantic Wharf transformation was announced by Cardiff Council in December, and will boast more than 1,000 new homes, entertainment and cultural attractions.

Hotels, offices, and a public square were also announced for the Atlantic Wharf plans.

The changes announced for the Sports Village and Atlantic Wharf, come in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly in attempt to boost tourism in Cardiff, an industry which has no doubt been hit hard since March 2020.

Currently attempts are being made to open Cardiff’s velodrome in 2022, with the further Sports Village developments to be opened over the next few years.

he Welsh language has seen an increasing rise since the beginning of the 21st century, with hundreds of people across Wales choosing more and more to educate their children through Welsh and learn the language themselves.

By 2021, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, predominantly Anglicised areas of Wales since the Industrial Revolution, have four Welsh-medium secondary schools.

There is also a fervent call that all new schools to be opened across Cardiff be Welsh-medium, to preserve the language.

Welsh has come a long way since Saunders Lewis’ famous ‘Tynged yr Iaith’ speech in 1962, condemning a lack of interest in the Welsh language. Welsh is going from strength to strength, and thanks to the Welsh Government’s aim to have a million Welsh speakers by 2050, changes are being made outside of the classroom.

But historically, we’ve seen an under-representation of the Welsh language on the Census. Completed every ten years and mandatory for all, the Census gathers information on all aspects of life – including language.

Though, the number of Welsh speakers on the Census haven’t always reflected the way Welsh is used in everyday life. Although some may not believe they can speak Welsh, being able to carry a conversation in Welsh, even with hesitation, counts as speaking the language!

But why exactly do we see less Welsh speakers on the Census than we believe exist in Wales?

Welsh in the Census: Is the language under-represented in the Census?

Source: Leo Reynolds (via Flickr)

Questions often found on the Census surrounding the Welsh language can lead to members of the public thinking they know less Welsh than they do in reality.

Think about it – if someone asked you “do you speak Welsh?” but you only know a few sentences, or could only understand Welsh when it was spoken to you, you’d automatically say no.

There is a belief that if you can’t speak Welsh fluently that you can’t call yourself a Welsh speaker, but this isn’t true! Understanding Welsh makes you a Welsh speaker - even if you don’t quite know how to use Welsh to respond!

As we’re taught in Welsh-medium schools, “gwell Cymraeg slac na Saesneg slic” (it’s better to be able to speak incorrect Welsh than to only be able to speak English perfectly at least, in Wales).

So what if there were more questions, and they were phrased as “do you have an understanding of spoken Welsh?”, can you speak a little bit of Welsh?” “are you learning Welsh?”? We’d all have very different answers, and we’d have a very different and possibly more apt representation of the Welsh language in Wales today.

In 2011, following the last Census, 19 percent of Welsh residents said they were able to speak Welsh.

What was found in the 2011 Census was that overall, the younger generation were more likely to be Welsh speakers, due to Welsh-medium education, and a requirement for Welsh lessons in English-medium education.

As the ages grew, there was a significant trend downward of Welsh speakers.

As many people get older, they’re

more likely to lose their language, or perceive Welsh to be a language only spoken in school.

It’s unlikely many will lose their Welsh completely, but there is a strong chance that without enough practice, they can feel inexperienced in the language after some time.

Yet, one concern many have in respect to the 2011 census, and its predecessor in 2001, is that the questions about the Welsh language were not open enough for learners and those less confident.

Although there is a rise in the projected number of Welsh speakers from recent Welsh Government statistics, many academics believe the percentage of Welsh speakers may have been higher in previous years if questions were more advanced.

Questions regarding the Welsh language could be changed in future to better reflect the use of Welsh in today’s Wales.

The Office for National Statistics has changed this somewhat, however. The 2021 Census now asks if you understand spoken Welsh or can read and write in Welsh. An improvement in some capacity, though there’s still a long way to go when it comes to questions asked.

Based on projection statistics from the Welsh Government’s 2050 million Welsh-speakers goal, there is evidence to show that it’s likely the number of Welsh speakers will be on the rise, regardless of the questions asked.

Questions will soon be answered, as residents are expected to complete the 2021 Census by March 21.

Students are expected to complete the Census twice, both at home, and also as though they are at university. All students can access their individual code through the Census website.

More celebrities learn Welsh as Iaith ar daith returns Fflur Trevor

@Caerdydd Editor

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aith ar daith is back for another series in which six more celebrities will learn Welsh with their mentor.

Iaith ar daith first aired in 2020 and included celebrities such as actress Ruth Jones, presenter Carol Vorderman and ex-Olympian Colin Jackson who travelled the length and breadth of the country while learning Welsh.

Actress Ruth Jones, who is best known for portraying the character of Nessa on Gavin and Stacey was set a task to learn and perform a script for long running Welsh soap, Pobl y Cwm. Ruth Jones commented, “Oh my God I was so nervous – partly, obviously because of the Welsh – acting in a new language which I had never done before, but also because Pobl y Cwm is such an institution, a national Welsh televisual treasure!”

The series was very successful and was renewed for a second series, which began on March 7.

In the series, the celebrities and their mentor travel to different areas of Wales in order to learn a little bit more of the language and culture, and complete some challenges on the way.

In the first episode of the new series, TV presenter, Steve Backshall best known for his programme, Deadly 60 joined naturalist Iola Williams in order to learn Welsh.

Steve Backhsall already had a long

Steve Backshall: The presenter is one of the new celebrities taking part in Iaith ar daith. Source: Darren Wilkinson (via Wikimedia Commons) standing connection to Wales by being a guest lecturer at University of Wales, Bangor.

Steve Backshall said, “Since I was knee-high, I’ve been smitten with Wales.

“It has wildness, it has history, it has wildlife, it has incredible coastlines.

“Wales has been such a huge part of my life but I don’t speak a single word of the language and that’s wrong.

“Now is my opportunity to set that straight.”

The celebrities following Steve

Backshall are: Joanna Scanlan – Actress, best known for her roles in The Thick of It, No Offence, Bridget Jones’s Baby and Welsh series Stella.

Joanna Scanlan commented, “I have been wanting to get back to learning Welsh for a long time and that’s partly because I spend a lot of time in Wales.

“I really want to be able to converse in the language but I also want to be able to read the language.

“I have got more and more

interested in Welsh culture and great cultural people and a lot of them write in Welsh.

“So I’d like to be able to read some of the language not just from now but all the way back through to the past.”

James Hook – Former Wales International rugby player, who has expressed his interest in learning Welsh in the past.

Kiri Pritchard McLean – Comedian and writer who has been a panelist on shows including Have I Got News for You and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

Kiri Pritchard McLean often notes her interest in the Welsh language Chris Coleman – Former Manager of the Wales International Football team.

Chris Coleman does, allegedly, speak a little Welsh, though joined Iaith ar daith to learn more Welsh and feel confident speaking the language.

Rakie Ayola – An actor whose work includes Holby City, Silent Witness and Shetland.

Welsh is now the fastest growing language being learned in the UK on apps like Duolingo, and is now even more popular to learn that Chinese in most places.

During the first lockdown, almost a year ago now in March 2020, 1.3 million people were learning Welsh worldwide after thousands signed u to Duolingo and other language education sites.

The series will be aired every Sunday at 8pm and will be available on S4C, S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer.

FOR CARDIFF STUDENTS NOT FOR PROFIT OWNED AND RUN BY CARDIFF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ UNION cardiffstudentletting.com 029 2078 1525

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SPORT

YOUR European Athletics Indoor Championship Review After a succesful championship for Team GB, Ella Fenwick takes a look at the highlights SPORT DESK A Ella Fenwick Sport Editor

Tom Walker

Freddie Bennett

Ella Fenwick

Ben Lovell-Smith sport@gairrhydd.com

fter a disjointing year for the sporting world it finally looks like things are getting back on track. With elite sporting events and leagues making a comeback for the 2021 season, athletes are positive about heading towards some kind of normality, even if it does mean competing behind closed doors.

For track and field athletes in particular it all became solidified at the European Athletics Indoor Championships hosted in Poland on March 4-7. The event was the first multidiscipline championship since the outbreak of the coronavirus, where Team GB alongside 22 other nations went head to head at the biennial competition.

Although athletes from Team GB might have had three lockdowns standing in the way of their regular training regimes, every competitor was far from shy when bringing their A-game to the table, with their performances proving nothing could hinder their passion for success.

The scores on the medal table were close with a one gold medal difference between each. The Netherlands sat in the top spot and Portugal were close behind, with Team GB taking home third place.

Team GB had a brilliant start to the European Athletics Indoor Championships with their first medals anchored down in the women’s 3000m on the Friday. AmyEloise Markovc dominated the race winning gold with a time of eight minutes and 46.43 seconds, shortly after fellow British athlete Verity Ockenden crossed the finish line at third place, both athletes scored new personal bests.

The previous successful day was just the kickstart Team GB needed as the athletes continued to win medal after medal. On March 6, Holly Bradshaw competed in the women’s pole vault final, despite failing the three attempts at the 4.70m, she still went onto to place joint third with Iryna Zhuk from Belarus. After slight deliberation at the association and eventually a successful appeal against an initial disqualification, Holly Archer was awarded second place for GB in the women’s 1500m final. Team captain Jodie Williams not only achieved two personal bests over the weekend but she also finished third in

On track for success: Team GB finished third in the medals table in Torun.

Source: Una Đorđević (via Wikimedia Commons) the women’s 400m final, securing yet another medal for Team GB. Starting off the successes for Team GB on the Sunday was reigning world indoor champion, Andrew Pozzi who had his sights set for gold. Unfortunately, the athlete came in second place in the men’s 60m hurdles, having found himself fallen short to French competitor Wilhem Belocian, with a time of 7.43 seconds equalling his personal best. Despite this Pozzi greeted the disappointment with a respectful sportsman attitude saying in a post run interview; “The better man won today. I’m a bit disappointed.”

Next up to continue thriving in the successes of Team GB were sisters, Cindy Sember and Tiffany Porter in the women’s 60m hurdles final. Sember was out for a year with a ruptured Achilles and Porter hadn’t won a medal since the birth of her daughter in 2019, leaving both uncertain about whether they would be able to replicate the high standards. These complications just sounded like nothing more than a slight hurdle for the two athletes after their incredible performance, as Sember crossed the line just point seconds before Porter adding

a further silver and bronze medal to the table.

This looks like the start of a very exciting year to watch Team GB on the athletics track Ella Fenwick Sport Editor

Turning 19 years old the same week of the championships and coming home with a gold medal is not something Keely Hodgkinson had in mind as a 19th birthday present. Hodgkinson stormed the competition with a time of two minutes and 03.88 seconds winning the women’s 800m final, making her Britain’s youngest European indoors champion since 1970. “You never understand the shock of when it actually happens - you picture it in your head so many times but when the reality comes through it’s very different,” said Hodgkinson.

Ellie Barker and Isabelle Boffey also

qualified for the women’s 800m final finishing in fourth and sixth place.

After winning the semi-finals in the men’s 800m Jamie Webb had a strong entry to the competition and soon enough secured a bronze in the final with a time of one minute and 46.95 seconds after being overhauled by two Polish competitors in the final stretch.

Another bronze medal was added soon after to that compiled by Team GB, in the men’s 4x400m final the team was made up of Joe Brier, Owen Smith, Lee Thompson and James Williams who were incredibly close in the scoreboard behind the Netherlands and Czech Republic.

The final event of the weekend had Team GB leaving the competition on a high after a last silver medal was won by the British women’s relay team; Jessie Knight, Zoey Clark, Jodie Williams and Ama Pipi bringing home the last medal of the weekend in the 4x400m final.

12 medals later, third in the medal table and with some incredible achievements across the board from all athletes it should be noted that this looks like the start of a very exciting year to watch Team GB on the athletics track.

Over the hill: Murray’s career rolling to a standstill as Wimbledon looms Freddie Bennett Sport Editor

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fter a disappointing display in the Rotterdam Open, the future of Andy Murray’s tennis career looks close to its inevitable end as even the man himself claims ‘’I’m playing for my career every time I step on court’’.

The former Scottish number one got off to a tetchy start in this most recent tournament in Rotterdam.

On Monday, March 1 he faced off against Dutchman Robin Haase, this being his first tour-level match since August and came out on top after losing the first set 6-2. Ranked 123rd in the world, Murray could have benefited from this boost of confidence. Perhaps the former Wimbledon champion just needed a

platform to reboot his career from.

However this did not last long, two days later Murray succumbed to the throwback flowing locks of the Russian Andrey Rublev in the second round. The fourth seed Rublev secured his win in just over an hour and a half, comfortably knocking Murray out of the competition. A severe blow to the Murray comeback train.

The 33-year old Murray has not been without his woes in recent times, with the two-time Wimbledon champion having to compete with a metal hip following a distressing injury. It must be far from an easy feat to compete in top tier tennis with a metal hip, but due to this setback his best days of tennis look to be behind him.

One cannot doubt that Murray

has been and always will be a British sporting legend within tennis, having broken countless records and achieved feats that no other British athlete has accomplished. It is without doubt he has legendary domestic status on lock. Unfortunately, one thing that every professional sportsman has to deal with is knowing when to end their career.

In his opening set against Rublev he was unable to convert two break points, before Rublev looked to run away with the second. In fact, the young Russian won five successive games which successfully booked his place in a quarter -final either against David Goffin or Jeremy Chardy.

These do not look to be the isolated mistakes of an athlete out of form but look as if they could be the

final moments of an illustrious tennis career. At these key stages of the match, Murray was not able to convert which lost him the match.

Any professional sports environment comes with an incredible amount of pressure, and especially those individual sports such as tennis. Yet, at the moment the 33-yearold does not look to be coping with this pressure in ways he might have done some years ago, succumbing to several moments of frustration in his most recent tie, that undoubtedly have been part of his game before, but now resonate in a whole different manner.

In all sports there are narratives whereby the younger athletes or teams will face up against the veterans. Sometimes we observe a passing of the torch or others we witness

the more experienced counterpart using their mastery to put them back in their place, similar to Tom Brady’s handling of Patrick Mahommes in this year’s SuperBowl.

But this particular affair looked like the previous if anything. In tennis this is especially relevant as the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal continue to find success at the ages of 39 and 34 respectively.

Andy Murray shares the same birth month and year with world number one Novak Djokovic too.

If there is a route back to the top tiers of tennis for Andy Murray, one hopes it would come soon. He plans to compete in Dubai and Miami throughout this month so hopefully he can find his feet and get back to his winning ways in the upcoming tournaments.

CHWARAEON

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England hit for six in India but positives can BLUES COLUMN be taken ahead of big year for English cricket Freddie Bennett Sport Editor

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fter a fantastic start to the test match winter, the England cricket team faltered to a resounding test series loss to India.

With an Ashes series approaching next year, and a busy summer, can England bounce back in time?

The winter tests got off to a brilliant start, beating Sri Lanka comfortably with Joe Root back in the runs and the spin bowlers back in the wickets. Going into the India series soon after looked set to be an epic competition between two very strong sides.

England got off to the perfect start, beating India by 227 runs in the first test match in Chennai with India struggling in their own backyard. There were echoes of the famous England series win in India in 2012 under Sir Alastair Cook, and joyful anticipation about what this young test side could do under the leadership of Joe Root.

However, this anticipation soon dissipated as England went on to lose the following three tests by resounding margins. Much had been said in the media about the poor state of the pitches. Consequently, the going was very tough for both sets of batsmen as the equation between bat and ball was skewed toward the ball.

Nevertheless, the conditions were the same for both sides and England seemed to struggle with the psychological aspect of the Test Cricket battleground. The young side looked shaken and visibly nervous when facing up to Indian spin

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bowlers Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin, who tore through the English batting lineup.

That is not to say this series was all doom and gloom for England.

For one, it was excellent to see spinners Dominic Bess and Jack Leach impress with the ball. With a busy year of Cricket ahead with a return home series against India, as well as a series against New Zealand before heading Down Under for the Ashes, having spin bowlers who can cause major problems with batsmen is very reassuring.

I think we have to cut the side some slack. In this day and age, we are all too aware of mental health and I think it is a positive step to prioritize it through selection.

Freddie Bennett Sport Editor Another glimmer of light from this fairly dark series for the visitors came from the incredible work of James Anderson. His efforts with the ball throughout the series in difficult conditions for pace bowling really highlighted his timeless excellence.

Hopefully he can continue his form into the home Summer and into 2022 against Australia.

In terms of batsmen there was not a lot to write home about. However,

Difficult to field: Selection policies have been questioned following a tough series in India. Source: Yorkspotter (via Wikimedia Commons) the efforts of Dan Lawrence and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes should be noted. The two inexperienced test batsmen looked to take the fight to India throughout the series and with more time could be fine English batsmen.

Going into this busy year of Cricket, the England camp made it clear that a rotation policy would be used throughout. In such a difficult environment for sportsmen with Covid regulations and bio-secure bubbles, they felt rotating players throughout each series would be beneficial for their mental as well as physical health, keeping everybody fresh.

A lot has been said about this policy throughout the series, and doubtless will continue to be said for the foreseeable future, but I think we have to cut the side some

slack. In this day and age, we are all too aware of mental health and so I think it is a positive step to prioritize that, especially in such a difficult period for everyone.

As could be argued throughout the India series, they may not always get the selection right. Picking three pace bowlers for the day/night match in Ahmedabad when the home side picked three spinners can be considered an unorthodox selection at the least. However, the intention to keep the players as fresh as they can be and their minds ready for Test Cricket must be a priority within the current climate. This is an exciting year for English Cricket and hopefully the players can stay fresh and guide England to a successful Summer and Ashes series beyond.

How important is title competition in domestic leagues?

Adam Brown Sport Editor

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his weekend, Scottish giants Rangers F.C. won their 55th league title, ending a decade of being second best to fellow Scottish giants Celtic F.C. Large herds of fans surrounded the entrance to the stadium this weekend to welcome and support their team on what would be their title winning weekend, depending on the result Celtic were to get away to Dundee United, that game ending in a frustrating 0-0 draw, whilst Rangers cruised to victory in a comfortable 3-0 win over St. Mirren.

A common question that is asked, does one team domination actually damage football overall? Especially when analysing the recent events of the SPL, witnessing Celtic dominate for the best part of a decade.

Looking from a vague standpoint, the answer could be given in a range of ways. To elaborate, when seeing a team consistently dominate such as Manchester City this season, it can seem that other teams’ seasons are already over, as their targets for the year start to seem more, and more unrealistic to what they originally seemed.

On the other hand, each team has their own, minimised, individual battles. Teams at the beginning of the season set their own personal targets, whether that is to challenge for a title, aim for cup success, finish in the top half of the league table, or

even to avoid relegation. Achieving any those for some teams can be seen as a strong, successful, and rewarding season. In reality, success can come from outside the league, also.

There are arguments for both sides, being that one team’s domination does and doesn’t have a harmful effect on football as a whole. A reason as to why it doesn’t damage football as a whole is that domination always comes to an end eventually.

As we have seen this season, current Premier League champions, Liverpool F.C, are currently 8th in the league table, trailing league leaders, Manchester City, by a stunning 22 points. This being a huge shock for footballing fans, especially due to the sheer dominance that was displayed by the league champions last season. This is a strong case of ‘dominance doesn’t last forever’, giving teams that are competing for the same position a huge boost in confidence and motivation.

Another reason is that dominant sides can bring a solid stream of income to those who lack financial support, comfortably selling out the smaller stadiums in a very short period of time, filling the stadium with fans.

What can be a hurtful truth about dominance of a team, is that those teams who are trailing can begin to lose vital players who are the core of that team but wish to move on and strive for success. A strong example of this is Welshman Gareth Bale, who moved for a world record

End of an era: Rangers recently ended Celtic’s decade of dominance of Scottish football. Source: Celticfcuk (via Wikimedia Commons)

transfer fee back in 2013 from North London side, Tottenham Hotspur, to Spanish giants, Real Madrid. Bale went on to win nearly everything that could be won whilst playing for the Spanish side, winning a total of 16 trophies, including 2 league titles and 4 Champions Leagues. When Bale left the London side, it was evident the following season that the non-existent presence of the Welsh international left a huge dent in the premier league side.

In this day and age, ‘domination’ in football may become more accepted as time progresses. There are aspects to certain clubs that allow their

dominance to proceed, such as the financial welfare of the club, that can give a club a strong advantage over their peers. There has been a clear correlation between the clubs who have been successful, with money, and those who haven’t, without the financial backing over the last decade. Over time, more teams are going to be more, and more financially funded by incredibly wealthy people.

These wealthy people are also now beginning to invest in lower rated sides, could lower placed sides start to compete with teams that have been at the top for years?

he new year has been a mixed bag for Cardiff Blues, both on the field and off it. Nevertheless, the prospect of a coaching shake up, new signings and an off field rebrand point to a promising future for Cardiff Rugby.

January 1st marked a sixth defeat in 11 games since the start of the season and coincided with the immediate departure of head coach John Mulvihill in advance of his contract expiration this summer. Subsequently, former Cardiff head coach and player Dai Young has stepped into the fold as interim head coach until the end of the season.

Following Young’s arrival, the Blues achieved back to back victories against the Scarlets before defeating the Ospreys on return to the Arms Park.

However, subsequent results soured in the face of tougher Irish opponents Connacht and Munster and with the absence of a number of Welsh internationals from the side. This has left the Blues holding onto a European Rugby Champions Cup qualification spot but relying on Edinburgh, who have two games in hand, to drop points. The last of the Blues’ two remaining domestic fixtures is at home to Edinburgh, a match which could become season defining.

Meanwhile, the Blues’ successful December qualification for the European Rugby Challenge Cup knockout stages has drawn them against an inform London Irish side for an away from home last-sixteen match.

It is possible that Young’s stay may be extended into the following season to accompany the arrival of Former Wales and British and Irish Lions scrum-half Dwayne Peel, who will join the Blues coaching staff as attack coach next summer from Ulster.

Also arriving next season is 34 year old and 50 cap Welsh international Rhys Priestland, who was reportedly in line for a Wales recall for this year’s Six Nations before Wayne Pivac’s request was turned down by the regions. Priestland has been in good form for Bath, having recently broken the English Premiership record of 28 consecutive successful kicks at goal.

At Cardiff, he will compete with Jarrod Evans and Jason Tovey for the number 10 jersey at the Arms Park, and should prove a valuable mentor in the development of the likes of Ben Thomas, Luke Scully and Ben Burnell.

In other news, Shane Lewis-Hughes faces a long six months on the sidelines after a successful shoulder operation.

Whilst Cardiff University’s own Theo Bevacqua made his first team debut in the match against Munster as his stock continues to rise within the region.

The region has also announced that the Cardiff Blues will be rebranded as Cardiff Rugby from the 2021/22 season onwards. The decision was taken with both a view to the future and in homage to the past glories of Cardiff RFC. The ‘Blues’ will once again become ‘the Blue and Blacks’, and adopt the famous colours as well as a new logo design that acknowledges the club’s existence for more than 145 years. It was felt that the ‘Blues’ moniker was overused among sporting circles and that ‘Cardiff ’ alone would be a better title as it is recognised so widely as a rugby stronghold as well as the commercial powerhouse of Wales and as one of the fastest growing cities in Europe.

It is all change for the Blues, but newfound vision at board level and experienced arrivals on and off the field leave plenty to be excited about going forwards at Cardiff.

Reporting by Ben Lovell-Smith

European Indoor Championships:

We take a look at how Team GB and the Welsh contingent shaped up in Torun page 26

SPORT CHWARAEON

Blues Column: Major changes shifts focus to future Rugby

Ben Lovell-Smith Sport Editor

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espite struggling form in the Pro14, and the departure of former DoR John Mulvihill in early January, Cardiff Blues are in the last sixteen of the Challenge Cup and still with an outside chance of Champions Cup qualification.

Dai Young has taken interim charge in what has become very much a season of transition for the Blues.

The Blues have announced that they will officially become ‘Cardiff Rugby’ from the beginning of the new season in a bid to forge a new direction for a side that has struggled to return to its former glory for well over a decade. Exciting times at the Arms Park.Continued on page 27

Interesting tests puts England backs to the wall CRICKET Star Power: Joe Brier competing in the relay for Great Britain at the Indoor Internationals in Glasglow, 2019. Source: filip bossuyt (via Flickr)

Freddie Bennett Sport Editor

Podium finish in Poland is only the A beginning for Welshman Joe Brier Tom Walker

Head of Sport

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he weekend of March 5 saw a select group of Team Great Britain (GB) head to the city of Torun, Poland to compete in the 2021 European Indoor Championships. The biennial indoor track and field competition was the first the first major multi-event competition for over a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ahead of the Olympics in the summer, it was a chance for many to get some much-needed competitive competition under their belt before Tokyo.

One of those involved was the 21-year-old Welsh runner Joe Brier, who along with his team picked up the Bronze medal at the 4x400m event, helping Great Britain equal their record of 12 medals at a European Indoor Championships, set in Glasgow two years ago.

“It was amazing when Lee [Thompson] crossed the line and we realised we had the Bronze medal.”

Brier explained, “It was a great feeling medalling alongside those guys who all work as hard as I do”.

The race was won by the Netherlands with a European lead time of 3:06.06, followed by the Czech Republic, with Britain finishing with a superb time of 3:06.70 to secure

third.

Alongside Brier was fellow Welshman Owen Smith. “I have been training with him for around three and a half years now but had never ran a competitive 4x400m with him before which is pretty weird.” Said Brier on Smith. “I was a lot more confident having Owen in the second leg because I know he would deliver and give it his all.”

Brier was given the duties of opening the team up in the first stretch, a seemingly daunting task, but one that he embraced. “There was definitely a bit of pressure starting” the Welshman explained, “I spoke to Christian Malcolm beforehand who said to bring the same energy as the heats and try to get as close to the front as possible. I was running in lane three which is always quite difficult to do indoors, especially as those in [lanes] four, five, and six had a lot easier routes to get into the pack.”

“I got chopped up a few times, but that is just part of the parcel with indoor running and is what makes it so fun.”

Alongside running, Brier is studying a Masters in Sports Broadcasting at Cardiff Metropolitan. “It is about finding a good balance between work and training.” Said Brier, “I usually train in the morning and leave my work until the afternoon. It is just about finding a routine that works

for you.”

The preparation for his first major Championship was probably not as plane sailing as the 21-year-old would have hoped for, with many facilities across the country closed to the masses and many athletes. However, Brier was dubbed elite exemption during his preparation, meaning he could gain access to some facilities, a feat he explained he did not take for granted given many other Welsh athletes’ situation.

Heading into the European Indoor Championships Brier set sights on the 4x400 and the individual 400m.

“Me and my coach targeted the 4x400 from the start, but as training progressed, I realised I was getting closer to the standard for individual running which is when we considered the individual event too.”

“Unfortunately, the individual 400m did not quite go to plan, but it allowed me to focus more on the 4x400.”

Brier’s coach, Matt Elias, was himself a former Wales and Great Britain international runner, finding success in the 400m and Hurdles.

“He definitely holds a lot of experience with Championship running and specifically the 4x400 event itself.” Brier said on his coach’s influence. “His Commonwealth Games 4x400 performance is one of the best anyone has ever run, and he has also

run quite quickly indoors as well, so I have full confidence in him and what he talks about; I find it incredibly helpful.”

As the curtain drew on his first major Championship, Brier reflected on his breakout performance: “It was very eye opening.” He explained, “I gained a lot of experience in terms of running championship rounds and how to respect guys like Pavel Maslák who I had in my individual 400m heat. When you line up next to someone like that who is a threetime World champion, and four-time European champion, it makes you realise where you are, and that you can be just as good as they are.

“There is a sense of deserving and you want to give everything you can to beat them.”

Like many athletes, 2021 looks set to be a huge year for Brier, with the Tokyo Olympics on the horizon, and before that the Under-23’s European Championships. “I am focused on the Under-23’s European Championships at the moment and looking to hopefully medal there in the 4x400, and as an individual athlete and if that goes to plan, maybe looking at being part of the team for Great Britain in Tokyo.”

“There are a lot of opportunities for me this year, so I really want to make the most of it and nail it on the head.”

For more breaking sports news, visit www.gairhydd.com/sport

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An initially perfect start in Chennai led to three successive losses by large margins. It was not all doom and gloom as spinners Dom Bess and Jack Leach put in valuable performances.

Hopefully in the upcoming home test series against New Zealand and India, England can claw back some success before heading Down Under later this year for the Ashes series against Australia. Continued on page 27

How important is competition in domestic leagues?

FOOTBALL

Adam Brown Sport Editor

R

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The discussion of whether dominance in football can cause issues across football is an ongoing debate, with relevant arguments on both side of the coin. Do we accept that a team’s dominance will eventually comes to an end, as we have seen this season with Liverpool, or is the pursuit of dominance leave other clubs shorthanded, like when Welshman Gareth Bale left Tottenham for Real Madrid back in 2013. Is dominance in football a factor we will begin to accept as time goes on?

Continued on page 27