By Mark Jones, director of Carmarthen-based Clay Shaw Butler chartered accountants and business consultants. This column appears in the Pembrokeshire Herald, Carmarthen Herald and Llanelli Herald.

The Government is reminding ‘stressed out parents’ that help may be available for childcare costs during the summer holidays.

According to a YouGov poll, 31% of parents feel stressed trying to arrange childcare for the school holidays.

The poll, for HMRC, also found that around 30% of parents worried about balancing their job and school holiday childcare.

A total of 54% admitted they look forward to their children returning to school in September.

HMRC is reminding working parents with summer childcare costs, that they can use Tax-Free Childcare (TFC), which is worth up to £2,000 per child per year, to pay for regulated holiday clubs during the school holidays.

Parents are advised that it is possible to pay into their account regularly and ‘save up’ their TFC allowance and use it for childcare during school holidays.

The money can go towards a whole range of regulated childcare including nurseries, childminders, before and after school clubs, or holiday clubs.

More than 58,000 registered childcare providers including school, football, art and tennis clubs have signed up across the UK.

Parents can apply for Tax-Free Childcare and 30 hours free childcare at the same time and are encouraged to do so before the end of June in time for next term.

They can then both be used together, with Tax-Free Childcare payments applying to any additional childcare costs over and above the 30 hours support, throughout the year.

Both offers are available to self-employed parents.

Parents can find out what government help is available and apply online by visiting the Childcare Choices website.

This is at – https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

The Childcare Choices website includes a Childcare Calculator that compares all the government’s childcare offers to check what works best for individual families.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss, said:

“Organising childcare for school holidays is important for parents.

“Tax-Free Childcare and 30 hours free childcare help make things easier by cuttings thousands of pounds from the childcare bills of working parents.’

“So, I hope families across the country visit the Childcare Choices website to take advantage of the offer available from the Government, and enjoy the holidays.”

The Children and Families Minister, Nadhim Zahawi, added:

“We are spending more than any other government on childcare because we want every child to get the best start in life.

“We are supporting as many families as possible with access to high-quality, affordable childcare helping to put more money in their pockets and balancing work and family lives.”

How Tax-Free Childcare works:

Working parents can apply, through the childcare service, to open an online childcare account.

For every £8 that families pay in, the government will make a top-up payment of an additional £2, up to a maximum of £2,000 per child per year (or £4,000 for disabled children).

This top up is added instantly and parents can then send electronic payments directly to their childcare providers.

The maximum government top-up is £500 per quarter for each child, or £1,000 if the child is disabled.

All registered childcare providers – whether nannies, nurseries, childminders or after school clubs – can sign up online now to receive parents’ payments through Tax-Free Childcare.

Parents need to sign back in every three months and confirm their details are up to date, to keep getting government top-ups.

Tax-Free Childcare is replacing ‘childcare vouchers’, which is only available to parents if their employer offers it.

Employer-Supported Childcare will be closing to new entrants on 4 October 2018, but parents who are already a member of a scheme will be able to remain in it as long as they remain with their employer and their employer continues to offer it.

The tax and National Insurance exemption for workplace nurseries will remain in place.

Parents moving from Employer-Supported Childcare to Tax-Free Childcare can still use childcare vouchers they’ve previously accrued.

In 2019/20, the Government will spend around £6 billion on childcare support.

Internet link –

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/take-the-stress-out-the-school-holidays-with-tax-free-childcare

There is a short film showing Childcare Choices available on YouTube –

https://youtu.be/f_4M-4eo7jM

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

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Scarlets are delighted to announce that Maori All Black Blade Thomson will join the region in time for the 2018-19 season.

A Junior World Championship winner, international and seasoned pro in Super Rugby, 27-year-old Thomson currently plays for the Hurricanes.

He was a member of the New Zealand Under 20s team that won the Junior World Championship in 2010. He was first called in to the Maori All Blacks in 2013.

His versatility as a loose forward means he play at number 8, six and in the second row. His impressive 198cm (6’ 5”) frame will add another lineout option to Scarlets’ pack.

Thomson made his Super Rugby debut in 2013, where he played alongside Scarlets centre and Wales international Hadleigh Parkes, and has proved himself to be a dynamic, quick and skilful loose forward scoring seven tries.

Commenting on the news Head Coach Wayne Pivac said; “Blade’s Super Rugby experience will a welcome addition to the pack and the squad as a whole. He is a very athletic, no-nonsense player with a big engine who will be an effective ball carrier both in the wide channels as well as in the middle of the park.

“Blade is highly regarded in New Zealand whilst an untimely injury impacted on his rugby in the last six months but he’s certainly a physical player who possess the skillset to play the Scarlets way.”

Jon Daniels, Scarlets General Manager of Rugby, said; “We have ambitions of competing in the knockout stages of the Guinness PRO14 and European Rugby Champions Cup season to season where strength in depth in the squad plays a huge part. Blade will bring a wealth of experience and will bring an additional physical edge to the pack. We very much look forward to welcoming him to Parc y Scarlets.”

Blade Thomson added; “I’m really looking forward to heading north to join the Scarlets for the 2018-19 season. They play an exciting brand of rugby, finished last season as champions and are continuing to push for silverware in both competitions. I’m excited to join such a world-renowned club but my focus is fully on finishing the current season on a high with the Hurricanes and hopefully lifting some silverware.”

Justin Tipuric will lead the Ospreys this season after he was today confirmed as the Region’s new skipper.

The 29-year old Lions and Wales flanker takes over the role from Alun Wyn Jones, who has held the post since August 2010, making a record 115 appearances as captain – more than double the number of any other Ospreys captain.

Since making his Ospreys debut in November 2009 as a second half replacement in a Liberty Stadium Anglo-Welsh tie against Northampton Saints, Tipuric has gone on to make 155 regional appearances, his tally of 25 tries the highest by an Ospreys forward.

Capped 57 times by Wales and a double Six Nations champion, including two appearances in the 2012 Grand Slam success, the openside from Trebanos has also been on the last two British & Irish Lions tours, making one Test appearance.

Although only confirmed as skipper today, Tipuric has a wealth of leadership experience having already led the side 27 times across the last seven years, since he became the second youngest ever Ospreys captain in January 2011, aged 21, when the Ospreys faced Leinster in Dublin in the Magners League.

Speaking about the appointment, Ospreys Head Coach, Allen Clarke, said: 

“Alun Wyn is a proud Osprey who has led the team with great honour from the front since 2010 both as a player and as an ambassador. In Justin we have another world-class player who leads by example on and off the field.

“It’s important to remember that Al is still a major player and significant leader within our environment, but having discussed the position with him it was clear he believed the time was right for the Ospreys to have a fresh voice as a captain. An Osprey through and through, Justin is the right man for the job.

 “A deep student of the game Tips has a wonderful understanding of rugby, with a steely determination and skill set to match. He epitomises the past and what we aspire to be again. I’ve no doubt he will receive the full backing of players, staff and supporters alike.

“We are fortunate to have a number of players in the environment who are leaders and captains. As well as Alun Wyn, who remains Wales captain, Dan Lydiate, Bradley Davies and Scott Williams have all captained their country, and Giorgi Nemsadze is the captain of Georgia, so Justin has plenty of experience to support him throughout this season and beyond.”

Ospreys Captains

Alun Wyn Jones – 115 games

Barry Williams – 51

Ryan Jones – 47

Duncan Jones – 33

Paul James – 31

Justin Tipuric – 27

Filo Tiatia – 16

Jerry Collins – 14

Tom Habberfield – 14

Rhys Webb – 12

Scott Gibbs – 12

Jonathan Spratt – 12

Aberystwyth University has been awarded five new fellowships under the Rutherford Fund Strategic Partner Grants scheme administered by Universities UK International (UUKi).

The short-term fellowships are funded by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)through the Rutherford Fund, with the aim of attracting global talent and strengthening the UK’s research base.

Aberystwyth is one of only 19 universities in the UK to be selected for the prestigious research fellowships.

Professor Chris Thomas, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, said: “The Rutherford Fund opens up exciting new opportunities for international and interdisciplinary collaboration with strategic overseas partners, especially in the Global South. The development of these new research networks will further strengthen our links with the global research community and enhance our reputation as an international research institution that has an impact on real lives.”

Two of the five Rutherford Fellows have been based in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth during the summer of 2018.

Dr Benjamin van der Waal from Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa, and Dr Peyton Lisenby from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, have both been workingwith Aberystwyth’s Professor Stephen Tooth on the science and management of wetlands in arid environments.

Dr Paul Harvey from Macquarie Universitywill join the research project as a Rutherford Fellow on 25 August 2018.

Professor Stephen Tooth of the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, said: “The first three Rutherford Fellows are working with us to try and embed scientific understanding of water and sediment transport processes into wetland rehabilitation and conservation strategies. These wetlands play an important role in terms of supporting people’s livelihoods as well as biodiversity but many are being damaged or destroyed through poor land management or are vulnerable to future climate changes. Through collaborative international research, our aim is to inform the work of policy makers and landowners as we respond to what is increasingly becoming a global challenge.”

In November 2018, a further two Rutherford Fellows from the University of Namibia will arrive at Aberystwyth University. They will spend five months working on research projects related to the management of water resources in arid environments alongside staff from the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences and the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS).

Photo: Rutherford Fellows Dr Benjamin van der Waal and Dr Peyton Lisenby visiting the Elan Valley wetlands, rivers and dams as part of their research programme at Aberystwyth University.

Links:

Rutherford Fund Strategic Partner Grants: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/International/funding-and-opportunities/Pages/rutherford-fund-fellowships-scheme.aspx

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

Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences: www.aber.ac.uk/en/ibers

Aberystwyth University is involved in a multi-million pound initiative aimed at improving equality, diversity and inclusion in engineering and physical sciences.

A total of 11 different projects have been launched at universities across the UK, funded with £5.5 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

The projects were selected under the EPSRC’s Inclusion Matters call, the first initiative of its kind launched as part of a collective approach by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to promote equality, diversity and inclusion.

Aberystwyth University is a partner on the ‘Challenging Different Forms of Bias in Physical Sciences and Engineering Research’ project, led by the University of Birmingham.

Other partners on the £531,287 project are the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, and Vitae, a global leader in supporting the professional development of researchers.

The academics from Aberystwyth University involved in the research include Dr Christine Zarges from the Department of Computer Science, and Dr Sarah Riley and Saffron Passam from the Department of Psychology.

Speaking after the project launch on 9 August 2018, Dr Christine Zarges said: “We are proud to be part of this important research project which will investigate the underlying causes surrounding career progression among women academics and academics from ethnic minority backgrounds working in engineering and physical sciences. Best practice and successful initiatives will be identified and shared across the sector as we tackle together the issues of equality and diversity in engineering and the physical sciences.”

Dr Alison Wall, EPSRC’s Associate Director for Building Leadership, said: “The Inclusion Matters call projects display ambition, creativity and a commitment to addressing the pressing equality and diversity issues facing engineering and the physical sciences. Through new research, innovative approaches and a broadening of activities, they will inform and shape significant cultural change across institutions and share their learning with the whole sector.”

Programme Director Professor Jon Rowe, Director of Research at the University of Birmingham’s College of Engineering and Physical Science, said: “Activities will include looking at how the quality and value of academics’ work is assessed in promotion processes and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) to understand where sources of bias arise. Questions such as ‘Is there a bias when the gender of the academic is known?’ ‘Is it the result of the group dynamic of a panel of assessors?’ and ‘Are women encouraged to work in particular research areas, perhaps those outside of STEM subjects’ will also be addressed.”

Photo: The award winning Physical Sciences Building at Aberystwyth University

Links:

EPSRC https://epsrc.ukri.org

Physical Sciences at Aberystwyth University www.aber.ac.uk/en/impacs

Department of Computer Science www.aber.ac.uk/cs

Department of Psychology www.aber.ac.uk/psychology

About EPSRC epsrc.ukri.org

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid from the UK government. EPSRC is the main funding body for engineering and physical sciences research in the UK. By investing in research and postgraduate training, it is building the knowledge and skills base needed to address the scientific and technological challenges facing the nation. Its portfolio covers a vast range of fields from healthcare technologies to structural engineering, manufacturing to mathematics, advanced materials to chemistry. The research funded by the EPSRC has impact across all sectors. It provides a platform for future UK prosperity by contributing to a healthy, connected, resilient, productive nation.

The South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership is to receive funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) over eight years to deliver postgraduate supervision, training and skills development from 2019.

The Consortium – a collaboration between Aberystwyth University and eight other universities Bath Spa, Bristol, Cardiff, Cranfield, Exeter, Reading, Southampton and UWE – is one of 10 Doctoral Training Partnership to have been awarded a total of £170 million funding from the AHRC.

The South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership was originally established in 2014 and has adapted and expanded to form a strategic regional partnership which will offer greater opportunities for staff and students alike.

In addition to new members, Cranfield University and the University of the West of England, the consortium has formalised membership with an Independent Research Organisation, the Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum of Wales.

The Consortium will offer postgraduate studentships, Collaborative Doctoral Awards, and training and development opportunities across the full range of the AHRC’s disciplines, with a strong emphasis on collaboration between the members of the consortium and 23 cultural, arts, heritage and industry partners including Aardman Animations, Arts Council South West, Cornwall Museum Partnerships and Historic England.

The South, West and Wales consortium is committed to developing creative approaches across disciplinary and interdisciplinary research that will facilitate the building of a new communities of scholars, researchers and professionals who are flexible and able to respond to both fast-moving research and industry environments.

The funding will allow for the development of a diverse pool of highly trained, skilled and professional researchers who will contribute to the UK’s cultural, economic and social wellbeing.

Professor Chris Thomas, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Aberystwyth University, said: “As a research-led institution, Aberystwyth University is committed to supporting and developing early career researchers to undertake world-leading research with impact. This latest funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council builds on interdisciplinary collaboration across a range of universities as well as external partners and professional practitioners, with the aim of delivering excellence in all aspects of research supervision and training. This high quality training programme is a further enhancement to Aberystwyth’s thriving postgraduate community and we look forward to working with our partners as we develop the research talent of the future.”

Professor Edward Harcourt, the AHRC’s Director of Research, Strategy and Innovation, said: “The AHRC is delighted to announce its renewed commitment to the Doctoral Training Partnerships model. Our support for the next generation of arts and humanities researchers is critical to securing the future of the UK arts and humanities sector, which accounts for nearly a third of all UK academic staff, is renowned the world over for its outstanding quality, and which plays a vital part in our higher education ecosystem as a whole.

“We were extremely pleased with the response to our call, which saw high-quality applications from across the UK from a variety of diverse and innovative consortia, each with a clear strategy and vision for the future support of their doctoral students.”

Links:
Postgraduate Study at Aberystwyth University
https://www.aber.ac.uk/en/postgrad/

Arts and Humanities Research Council
https://ahrc.ukri.org/

AHRC commits to postgraduate research through new Doctoral Training Partnerships
https://ahrc.ukri.org/newsevents/news/ahrc-commits-to-postgraduate-research-through-new-doctoral-training-partnerships/