Rob's Weekly Round Up

27 June 2025

Helo Bawb,

Dydd Gwener Hapus! As we bring another week to an end, I’d like to share some of the great things that have been happening in the Vale recently.

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who attended the flag raising event at the Civic Offices in Barry to mark Armed Forces Week.

It was a chance to recognise the dedication and sacrifice of service members, veterans, and their families in the Vale and further afield.

While we always take the opportunity to mark Armed Forces Week, many of our colleagues work hard to support the Armed Forces Community all year round – and as signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant – we are committed to ensure that no member of the Armed Forces community faces disadvantage in the Vale.

The Learning Links team work closely with Vale schools to support children from service families – with a number of our schools being recognised with Armed Forces Friendly School Awards – and our Veteran Advice Service helps those that have served to access support with housing, finances, employment and adult social care.

As we reflect on the values of service and community this week, learners from St David’s Church in Wales Primary School in Colwinston also took the opportunity to think about the ways we can all take care of one another to mark Refugee Week.

The school – who are proudly working towards becoming a School of Sanctuary - embraced this year’s theme – ‘Community is a Superpower’. 

Every year group took part in meaningful activities that celebrated empathy, creativity, and belonging - which culminated in a special community coffee morning last week where pupils shared their learning through poetry, artwork, and personal reflections. 

Guests at the event were welcomed by a heartwarming piece of artwork created by Year 5 learners and developed in partnership with Arts Council Wales as part of the Creative Schools programme.

Beccie Morteo, Headteacher at St David’s said: “Our Diversity Dynamos pupil group have been at the heart of this project, taking a lead in organising everything.  They spoke passionately to guests about their efforts to make St David’s a place where everyone feels valued, respected, and included. It was a meaningful and memorable event that celebrated the strength of community and the power of kindness.”

As a County of Sanctuary, it is vitally important that we all work together to ensure that everyone feels safe, welcome, and included in the Vale - especially those seeking refuge – and it is wonderful to see how our youngest residents are leading the way! Gwaith arbennig!

On a similar note, I also had the opportunity to drop into the Anti-Racist Action Research Day at St Cyres School this week.

Colleagues from schools across the Vale of Glamorgan took part in the day to present their findings to fellow cohort members after participating in an Anti-Racist Action Research Project over the last 6 months. The feedback I have received from the event has been extremely positive and I only regret that I was not able to stay for the whole morning.

This was the third cohort of schools in the Vale to participate in the project where the sessions are run by Rachel Clarke from the anti-racism consultancy Apex Educate.

The project is intended to help schools take the necessary actions to become actively anti-racist. 

Anti-racism is about calling out and challenging racism, discrimination and negative stereotypes, respecting and valuing diverse and unique identities and working to break down systems that facilitate inequality.

Schemes like the Anti-Racist Action Research Project intend to not only spark vital conversations within our own organisation, but also drives change across our communities too.

If you are interested in starting your own anti-racist journey, the Council’s Diverse Staff Network is open to all members of staff including allies.

On the subject of recognising the excellent work that is happening to make our communities great places for everyone in the Vale, I am thrilled to share that the Tai ar y Cyd project has won a prestigious award at the Constructing Excellence in Wales (CEW) Awards 2025! 

At a ceremony held on 20th June at the Celtic Manor, the project was honoured with an award in the ‘Integration & Collaborative Working’ category - a well-deserved recognition of its innovative and unified approach in tackling housing challenges in Wales.

The Tai ar y Cyd project is a unique collaboration between social landlords - including the Vale of Glamorgan Council - Welsh Government and industry experts and is driven by a shared mission to address both the housing and climate crises by delivering affordable, sustainable, and high-quality homes.

Tai ar y Cyd homes are designed to meet the highest standards of low-carbon performance and are guided by a standardised pattern book of homes that embrace cutting-edge building techniques and prioritises the use of UK and Welsh timber which further reduces emissions and helps tenants save money on energy bills. 

Andrew Freegard, Operational Manager for Housing Development at the Vale of Glamorgan Council and Chair of the Tai ar y Cyd Project Steering Group said: “I was extremely proud and honoured to have accepted the award on behalf of everybody involved in the Tai ar y Cyd project and is a testament to all the hard work of housing partners, designers and project staff.  

“This is a remarkable achievement having 24 social landlords collaborating and working towards a common outcome – a pattern book of standardised, highly energy efficient house types to improve the scale and pace of affordable housing provision in Wales”.

This award is a powerful testament to what can be achieved when we come together with our partners to devise innovative ways to tackle some of our most pressing challenges – llongyfarchiadau mawr Andrew and to everyone who has been involved in Tai ar y Cyd.

From construction awards to teaching awards next, as Gemma Roderick has won the Teacher of the Year at the 2025 Bro Radio Awards.

Gemma is a teacher with the Pupil Engagement Service as part of the EOTAS provision - which means education other than at school - and works with primary and secondary school children who are either permanently excluded, in transition from one education setting to another or who have been referred to the service.

Upon learning of her nomination for the award earlier in the year, Gemma said: “A lot of the children come to us with a really negative relationship with education so I am really passionate that every child has a right to an education and we work really hard in building great relationships with pupils in order for them to not only have a great relationship with education but to thrive and achieve what they need to achieve out of education.

“Just to be nominated for Teacher of the Year just makes me so proud that these children are finally getting the recognition they deserve within the community, it's lovely to see.”

Congratulations Gemma on this well-deserved recognition – it is wonderful to see that your hard work and passion for helping our learners is celebrated in this way.

In other news, I’d also like to express my gratitude to everyone who took the time to complete the recent 2025 Employee Engagement Survey. 

Your honest views and experiences are truly valued and it’s only through your feedback that we can continue to learn, improve, and grow together as a Council.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be reviewing the results and sharing a summary of what we’ve heard. This will be followed by targeted action plans at both corporate and directorate levels, so we can ensure your voices lead to meaningful change.

This week also marked Shared Lives Week – a week that recognises and celebrates carers who go above and beyond every day to support vulnerable adults in the Vale.

Shared Lives is a county-wide scheme that has been running for over 20 years and helps adults with varying needs within a safe home environment.

On Thursday, a celebration event was held at Hen Goleg in Barry, with Shared Lives carers being presented with certificates in recognition of everything they do to care for those supported by the scheme.

Shared Lives helps those being supported to live their best life, their way, in their own communities whilst also promoting independence and gaining new skills – and it’s all made possible thanks to the compassion and dedication of our Shared Lives carers.

For more information on Shared Lives or for ways to get involved in the scheme, click here.

Finally, following the news that the Social Care Information Team have achieved Dementia Friendly Status, they have been very active in raising awareness across the organisation on what we can all do to care for people who are living with dementia in our communities.

The team recently shared a link with colleagues to a very informative blog on the Alzheimer’s Society website explaining what to do if we meet a member of the public in need of help who may also have dementia or memory problems.

The blog explained some of the reasons that people with dementia may get lost out and about in the community and what to do to help them.

When approaching someone you believe is living with dementia and needs help, consider the following: 

1. Get close enough that you’re able to hear each other and make eye contact, but not so close that you’re in their personal space.

2. Make sure your body language is relaxed and open. Be mindful of the other person’s body language and try to gauge how they are feeling.

3. Speak calmly and slowly. Take your time to explain and listen to their answers. If the person doesn’t understand what you’re saying, rephrase rather than repeat the sentence.

4. Use short, simple sentences and avoid complicated questions. Use simple language and ask one question at a time. 

If you find that you have a couple of minutes spare, I’d encourage everyone to take the time to read the full blog.

It’s a small action that could make a big difference in the lives of our residents - and one that helps us all feel more confident in supporting people living with dementia.

As always, thank you for your contributions this week – they are always very much appreciated by myself and the Strategic Leadership Team (SLT).

For those not in work this weekend, enjoy a restful and relaxing couple of days off.

Diolch yn fawr iawn,

Rob