Microbes involved in cement production, art, environmental remediation, building damage, corrosion and kidney stone formation will be the focus for a public lecture at Aberystwyth University on Wednesday 6 June 2018.

‘Rock-Forming Microbes – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ will be delivered by Robin Gerlach, Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the Centre for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University-Bozeman, USA.

In his lecture Professor Gerlach will provide insights into the actions and results of mineral-precipitating and mineral-dissolving microbes.

“These microbes happen to be all around and within us”, said Professor Gerlach, “and depending on the circumstances they can be used for benefit or cause damage.”

Professor Gerlach and collaborators are trying to harness the beauty of, and control the beast within these diverse microbes.

“Controlling the actions of these microbes provides an opportunity to develop novel building materials, stabilize building foundations and dams, seal leaking wells, control radioactive wastes, create pieces of art, and improve the treatment and prevention of kidney stones”, he added.

The lecture takes place in the Llandinam Lecture Theatre A6 on Penglais Campus at 5:30pm on Wednesday 6 June 2018. The lecture will be preceded by a drinks reception at 5:00 pm in the Llandinam concourse. All welcome.

Professor Paul Brewer, Head of the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University said: “We are delighted to host the latest Sêr Cymru National Research Network for Low Carbon, Energy and Environment (NRN-LCEE) public lecture at the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, which this is year is celebrating its centenary. We look forward to hearing Professor Gerlach’s lecture which promises to provide a fascinating insight into the world of microbes, and how they affect our lives in ways most people would never have imagined.”

The lecture is part of the Sêr Cymru National Research Network for Low Carbon, Energy and Environment (NRN-LCEE) public lecture series.

Photo:Robin Gerlach, Professor Chemical and Biological Engineering from the Centre for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University-Bozeman, USA.

Links:

Department of Geography and Earth Science
https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/dges/

Sêr Cymru National Research Network for Low Carbon, Energy and Environment (NRN-LCEE)
http://www.nrn-lcee.ac.uk/

Public lecture: Rock-Forming Microbes – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
http://www.nrn-lcee.ac.uk/events/public-lecture-rock-forming-microbes-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-36839

The latest podcast from Phil and Robert Lloyd has just been released.

The Big Cwtsh: Episode 18 is now on Soundcloud.

The annual Carmarthen Boys’ Grammar School reunion dinner takes place next month.

It is being held at the Ivy Bush Royal Hotel on Saturday 7th July 2018 at 5.00 for 5.30pm. Dress code is lounge suit or blazer.

All former pupils and staff are invited to the event, organised by the Old Maridunians Association, the old boys of the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School for Boys.

The guest speaker is Adrian “Harry” Wray (pictured above, marked in blue, in an old Carmarthen Quins rugby photo from 1979).

Here is Adrian’s pen picture in his own words:

I attended Queen Elizabeth Grammar School from 1970/71 to 1977/78.  As you can see, I enjoyed it so much I stayed that extra year.

During this time, I had the pleasure of experiencing three headmasters.

I had the honour of captaining the First XV for the final two seasons 1976/77 and 1977/78. During our final season we achieved the title of Welsh Sevens Champions, and we also defeated Christ College Brecon on their home soil.

My academic education finished when leaving the Gram, whereupon I took up employment with a local decorating firm.  Within four years I became self-employed and to this day I am still painting and decorating in and around Carmarthenshire.

I look forward to reminiscing with guests about my Gram years.

Hundreds of pensioners from across Wales will gather at the Grand Pavillion in Porthcawl for the Active Wales annual conference and rally on Wednesday 6 June.

Guest speakers at the morning session include Vaughan Gething AM, the Cabinet Minister for Health and Social Services, Baroness Gale of Blaenrhondda, the president of Active Wales, and a representative from Community Pharmacy Wales.

Active Wales, formerly known as the National Old Age Pensioners’ Association of Wales, has a broad aim of improving the quality of life for older people in Wales through campaigning.

At the same time, it organises lots of informal activities to help combat loneliness and isolation amongst older people.

Therefore, after the formal business in the morning, Active Wales welcomes members of the public to join them at their rally in the afternoon that includes a wide variety of entertainment and usually, lots of laughter.

It takes place between 2.30pm and 5.00pm, and costs £2.50 with a free raffle prize draw.

For more information about the conference contact Active Wales’ chair John Davies on 01685 812130.

Visit www.activewales.org.uk for further details about Active Wales.

Notes:

1. News Release issued by Age Cymru on behalf of Active Wales.
2. Active Wales, formerly the National Old Age Pensioners Association of Wales, is the oldest and largest wholly voluntary pensioners’ organisation in Wales and was founded in 1939.
3. All individuals and groups of retired pensioners are invited to join the Association in our campaign to remove the stigma of pensioner poverty for all time, improving the life of all pensioners.

The Active Wales Charter:

• The Government are expected to provide an adequate weekly State Retirement Pension directly related to, and to be annually increased in line with average earnings, from The National Insurance Fund.
• The Association demands the Government implement to the full the recommendations of the 1999 Royal Commission, Care of the Elderly.
• Demand that discrimination on the grounds of age be illegal.
• Ensure the development of free day care facilities to address the companionship and social needs of the elderly.
• Press the Government and others to take positive action on crime prevention and detection, to alleviate the FEAR OF CRIME amongst pensioners.
• To press for the creation of ways and means to enable older people to participate in the development of policies and legislation which affect them.

NHS staff in Hywel Dda University Health Board were thanked by Board members today for their efforts, whether frontline or support, to maintain services where there are significant workforce challenges.

Board members received a report at their latest Health Board meeting, held in Carmarthen on Thursday 31 May, detailing the difficulties in maintaining services in some areas, including accident and emergency services, medical and surgical rotas, paediatric services, mental health and learning disability out-of-hours services and GP out-of-hours services.

The problem is caused by not having the sufficient number of staff to cover all rotas across the health board’s four main hospitals and three counties, with particular pressure at certain times like overnight and weekends. This results in the health board having to seek additional hours from internal staff and agency, as well as more expensive external agency staff for hard to fill posts.

On occasions these shifts are filled at the last hour and it is an increasing risk that contingency measurers and alternatives will need to be put in place for temporary periods if sufficient staffing cannot be found and would compromise patient safety.

This has already been the case in some areas. For example GP Out-of-Hours services in Carmarthenshire, which has necessitated support from neighbouring county GPs, or directing people to minor injury and accident and emergency departments. Also there have been occasions where staffing problems in paediatric services in Pembrokeshire has meant diverts to Glangwili Hospital have needed to be made early than usual in-hours.

Medical Director and Director of Clinical Services Dr Philip Kloer said: “Despite our best efforts and some positive impact from our ongoing recruitment drive, the fragility in some of our rotas remain. We have particular problems because we run rotas across four main hospital sites, which is a struggle when we are trying to attract doctors from the same pool as other health boards in Wales who have more attractive rotas.

“We are also not attracting the number of medical trainees from the Wales Deanery that we need and due to issues with Visas affecting the NHS across the country, the solution of using overseas doctors that we have used in previous years, may not be so successful this year if we cannot get them in place in time.”

Several Board members noted the hard work of staff is assisting to fill the gaps.

Chairman Bernardine Rees said: “Our staff are working really hard, right up to the last moment and we are really grateful.” Director of Workforce and Organisational Development Lisa Gostling added: “The well-being of our staff is really important and we rely on individuals and managers to ensure safe working hours and to monitor this.”

Contingency measures for areas of concern are in place and include continuation of recruitment efforts, the formation of clinical advisory groups to tackle specific issues in relation to take up of shifts and flexibility, and the use of advanced nurse practitioners where appropriate.

In the longer term, the health board’s strategy is to re-organise its service models to provide more care in the community and to re-organise hospital services. It is currently consulting with the public on proposals which include provide a new emergency care hospital in the south of Hywel Dda, which the health board believes would provide more attractive rotas for clinicians, improve facilities for staff and patients and improve the attractiveness of training opportunities.

Chief Executive Steve Moore said: “We do not want the fragility of services to be normalised and we want to create hope for the future. I see it as a signal of strength that our clinicians are at the forefront of our current consultation on the future of our local health services – they do not believe that what we have now is the best for our patients and they want to see change to improve things in the future.”

If you want to read more about the proposals out for public consultation on future health and care provision in the Hywel Dda area, please visit www.hywelddahb.wales.nhs.uk/hddchange or call 01554 899056.

The full report on the continuity of services is available here: http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/documents/862/Item%206.9%20Risk%20to%20Continuity%20of%20Emergency%20Out%20of%20Hours%20Service%20Provision%20across%20Hywel%20Dda%20University%20Health%20Board.pdf

By Mark Jones, director of Carmarthen-based Clay Shaw Butler chartered accountants and business consultants.

Electric and hybrid ‘plug-in’ vehicles are very much in the news nowadays, with some towns and cities having long term aims to make their areas ‘diesel and petrol free’.

As you would expect, there are some tax implications around electric and hybrid ‘plug-in’ vehicles.

HMRC are consulting on the tax exemption which will apply from 6 April 2018 on workplace electric charging facilities used by employees.

It was announced in the Autumn Budget 2017 that the government intends to implement an exemption for the benefit of electricity provided by an employer, at the workplace, to charge electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The necessary legislation will be included in the Finance Bill later this year and its effect will be made retrospective to 6 April 2018.

This means that there is no need for employers to report the value of electricity provided for the workplace charging of employees’ vehicles from that date.

This consultation seeks comments on workplace charging tax exemptions for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

This guidance will be of interest to employers that pay taxable benefits to employees and provide electric charging points for employee use and the provision of workplace charging facilities, which vehicles the exemption covers and the qualifying conditions of the exemption.

Internet link: GOV.UK consultations/draft guidance –

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/draft-guidance-reform-to-workplace-charging-tax-exemptions

Meanwhile, keeping up with tax deadlines can be hard work.

But, here at Clay Shaw Butler, we have taken some of the pain out of the problem by working on a handy tax calendar.

Here are some up and coming tax dates for you to note . . .

June 2018

Friday 1- Advisory Fuel Rates.

Tuesday 19 – PAYE, Student loan and CIS deductions are due for the month to 5th June 2018.

July 2018

Thursday 5 – Deadline for reaching a PAYE Settlement Agreement for 2017/18.

Friday 6 – Deadline for forms P11D and P11D(b) for 2017/18 to be submitted to HMRC and copies to be issued to employees concerned.

Friday 6 – Deadline for employers to report share incentives for 2017/18.

Thursday 19 – Class 1A NIC due for 2017/18.

Thursday 19 – PAYE Student loan and CIS deductions due for the month to 5th July 2018.

Thursday 19 – PAYE quarterly payments are due for small employers for the pay periods 6th April 2018 to 5th July 2018.

Tuesday 31 – Second payment on account 2017/18 due.

August 2018

Thursday 2 – Deadline for submitting P46 (car) for employees whose car/fuel benefits changed during the quarter to 5th July 2018.

Sunday 19 – PAYE, Student loan and CIS deductions are due for the month to 5th August 2018.

September 2018

Saturday 1 – Advisory Fuel Rates.

Wednesday 19 – PAYE, Student loan and CIS deductions are due for month to 5th September 2018.

October 2018

Friday 5 – Deadline for notifying HMRC of new sources of taxable income or gains or liability to the High Income Child Benefit Charge for 2017/18 if no tax return has been issued.

Friday 19 – Tax and NI due under a 2017/18 PAYE Settlement Agreement.

Friday 19 – PAYE, Student loan and CIS deductions are due for the month to 5th October 2018.

Friday 19 – PAYE quarterly payments are due for small employers for the pay periods 6th July 2018 to 5th October 2018.

Wednesday 31 – Deadline for submitting ‘paper’ 2017/18 self assessment returns.

Wednesday 31 – Deadline for submission of 2017/18 self assessment returns if you require HMRC to compute your tax liability and/or if tax underpaid is to be collected by adjustment to your 2019/20 PAYE code.

November 2018

Friday 2 – Deadline for submitting P46(car) for employees whose car/fuel benefits changed during the quarter to 5th October 2018.

Monday 19 – PAYE, Student loan and CIS deductions are due for the month to 5th November 2018.

December 2018

Saturday 1 – Advisory Fuel Rates.

Wednesday 19 – PAYE, Student loan and CIS deductions are due for the month to 5th December 2018.

Sunday 30 – Online filing deadline for submitting 2017/18 self assessment return if you require HMRC to collect any underpaid tax by making an adjustment to your 2019/20 tax code.

You an access our calendar on our website at – https://www.clayshawbutler.com/resources/tax-calendar

You can find out more about money matters on the Clay Shaw Butler website (under our news for business section) –

http://www.clayshawbutler.com/news/latest-news-for-business

We have a strong and experienced team with great local knowledge all geared-up to helping you get the very best from your finances – whether that is as an individual or as a business.

We stay ahead of the game by putting great store by continual professional development for our staff.

With Investors In People status at Clay Shaw Butler, we care passionately about making sure our staff have all the tools they need to serve you, our customers.

Weblink – http://www.clayshawbutler.com

The team at Clay Shaw Butler can be contacted on 01267 228500.

The team at Clay Shaw Butler are on Twitter. Look for @clayshawbutler.