Latest news with #MidWales
BBC News
03-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Shrewsbury charity shops given 'used plates' it cannot resell
A hospice with 32 shops in Shropshire and Mid Wales says it is getting "more and more donations" it cannot always Severn Hospice said that last year it sold about two million items, but it costs the organisation to recycle donations of "not so good quality".The charity stated it had "incredible supporters", although it was seeing an increasing number of single shoes and said it could not resell items such as rusty bikes. Head of retail Carla Siswick said: "Some of the things that have been coming through recently are washing up bowls that are still filled with last night's dinner plates." "We might be able to reuse the plates, [but] that's not nice for our team to deal with." Damp clothes, tops with armpit stains and dirty nappies are some of the problematic donations faced by charity shops. The BBC has spoken to 50 charity shops across Bristol, Gloucester, Taunton, Bath and Swindon, with staff in almost all saying they felt their shops were being used as a bin. 'Push the narrative' Ms Siswick said: "We have some incredible supporters who also give some very good, high quality donations and we're eternally grateful."But... we are getting more and more donations that we can't always resell."The organisation, which has hospices in Newtown in Powys, Shrewsbury and Telford, has hundreds of head of retail stated it was trying to "push the narrative of being as sustainable as we can"."We're encouraging people to cycle more, but we can't sell bikes that are rusty and haven't been serviced. "That's something that would cost us to dispose of."Ms Siswick added it tries "upcycling items" where it can and added some items were used for "household rags and pet bedding".But, she added, that eventually those items need to be dispersed which can involve using a waste company," she added"We ultimately say to people 'if this isn't something that you would be willing to regift to somebody, then it's probably something that we can't take', because ultimately it will end up costing us in the long run to either move it about, reuse or repurpose it."The hospice asked anybody unsure about what it could take to visit its website. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The carbon footprint of this big pension fund is shrinking year by year
A multi-billion pound public sector pension fund is exceeding a greenhouse gas reduction target year on year, a meeting heard. Dyfed Pension Fund, whose members includes council and other public sector employees in Mid and West Wales, was valued at £3.46bn in March 2024. Around 65-70% of this portfolio is invested in equities - or stocks and shares - and a decision was taken years ago to reduce equity exposure to carbon-intensive companies by 7% per year compared to the fund's baseline figure in September 2020. Stay informed on Carms news by signing up to our newsletter here READ MORE: Popular Welsh holiday park goes into administration READ MORE: Layla was raped at a house party by the 'joker' from school. This is her story, in her own words, and it will break your heart Anthony Parnell, treasury and pension investments manager at Carmarthenshire Council - host authority of Dyfed Pension Fund - told a meeting that exposure to carbon-intensive companies had fallen by an average of 13.9% per year between September 2020 and March 31, 2025. This figure factors in a lower fall of 10.7% during the 2024-25 financial year. "It's going in the right direction," Mr Parnell told the Dyfed Pension Fund committee, which helps oversee the fund. Referring to the 7% per annum target Mr Parnell said: "So we have overshot that and we continue to work to reduce that further going forward." The pension fund, like many others, has faced pressure from campaigners in recent years to reduce investment in high greenhouse gas-emitting sectors. It has also has a fidicuary duty to act in the best interest of its beneficiaries. The Dyfed Pension Fund committee meeting went on to hear about ongoing work to encourage "responsible investment" by an umbrella group called Wales Pension Partnership (WPP), which pools together investments of eight public sector pension funds including Dyfed's. WPP employs a firm to do this engagement work on its behalf, such as encouraging more responsible production of palm oil, which a committee report said was linked to deforestation and biodiversity loss. The firm - Robeco - has engaged with household names such as BP, Shell, Starbucks, Samsung Electronics and Tesla on various topics. The Dyfed Pension Fund committee report said Robeco wrote a letter to the chairman of BP along with other investors with a reminder that the company had passed a "binding resolution" in 2019 that called for alignment with the goals of the Paris climate agreement of 2015. The resolution, said the letter, was supported by 99% of BP's shareholders. Robeco also requested a say on climate at BP's annual general meeting this year.
BBC News
07-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Shropshire hospice hosts open days across two gardens
A hospice is set to welcome visitors to two gardens across its sites as part of an open day to support their Hospice's garden in Apley, Shropshire, will be open between 10:00 - 16:00 BST on Sunday and their second site at Bicton on 22 June, with both gardens totalling 6.5 hectares (16 acres) in size. Head gardener Joel Richards said that after recent rain, "the weeds have all decided to rear their heads, so we're weeding frantically" ahead of the open will also be a plant sale, Mr Richards added, with proceeds going towards supporting the charity's work. The hospice provides free support to families across Shropshire and Mid Wales who are living with an incurable gardens are mainly used as a "sanctuary" for patients and families receiving care, Mr Richards said. "I love being able to contribute to the welfare of our users, patients and families," he said. Managing the gardens during the summer months is "always busy" but preparing for the open day was a "special occasion, so we're doing a bit of extra polishing".Mr Richards is supported by about 60 volunteers, who he said were the "backbone" of the operation. "A lot of them have had experience of the care that we give," he to the gardens costs £3.50 and organisers will also be laying on entertainment, stalls and a barbecue.
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Shropshire hospital trust launches dedicated home birth team
A dedicated home birth service has been launched by a Shropshire NHS trust. Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) announced that a team of seven midwives will provide 24-hour care to women and their families in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and Mid Wales who choose to give birth at who opt to use the service will have a named midwife who will provide their antenatal and postnatal care. Tasha Simmons from SaTh said although the trust already offered home births, the dedicated team meant "greater personalised care" could be provided. "Families will get to know our team throughout pregnancy, and their experience will centre on collaborative decision-making and on birth preferences being safely supported."The trust said two midwives, including at least one from the new team wherever possible, would attend during labour. Paula Gardener, interim chief nursing officer, added: "Having a dedicated team of midwives ready to support the birth preferences of families in our communities means continuity of care and an opportunity for strong and trusting relationships to be forged". Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
