Spruce-up for city centre as shoppers set for big return Return to ice-cream and fairground rides
A STREET-CLEANSING team has been out and about sprucing up Cardiff’s city centre before shops finally reopentoday.
Non-essential shops have been shut since December due to the level four lockdown and the second wave of coronavirus.
Now that infection rates in the Welsh capital are at the lowest levels since September, Covid-19 restrictions lifting means bookshops, clothes shops and more can reopen today.
FOR Cardiff’s street-cleansing team have been jet-washing streets in the city centre, removing rubbish, washing away graffiti and repainting signs.
James Palmer, one of FOR Cardiff’s cleansing team, said: “Getting trade back up and running when the shops open is so important, and the work we do will really support this.
“We pride ourselves on making the streets look fresh and appealing for people coming into the city centre. Most of the work I do is when everyone is in bed.
“Then when people are in the centre and they see us, they often stop and say, ‘What a brilliant job you’ve done.’”
The street-cleansing team work seven days a week, starting at 5am, cleaning the areas of the city centre which see the most footfall like Queen Street, the Hayes and Hills Street.
Since 2018, the team has jet-washed 441,000 square metres of the city centre, removed 3,076 graffiti tags and almost 58,000 pieces of gum.
More than 750 businesses in the city centre fund FOR Cardiff, a business improvement district organisation. Business improvement districts are funded by levies charged to businesses in their area.
They also host Christmas events and provide night marshals.
Adrian Field, executive director of FOR Cardiff, said: “Nobody can deny how hard retailers have been hit over the last year.
“Even before the pandemic, high streets across the nation were facing challenges.
“Being able to offer this service to city-centre businesses is an essential part of the FOR Cardiff offering. Clean and tidy streets play a huge part in the high-street experience for shoppers, making it more enjoyable and comfortable.
“Our aim is to give visitors the best impression of the vibrant city centre and ensure Cardiff continues to build a positive reputation as a clean city.”
Local businesses vote in these groups for five-year terms. FOR Cardiff began its first five-year term in December 2016 – and is currently consulting businesses in Cardiff city centre about their priorities for the next five years, ahead of a second vote this June.
reopened to three to seven-year-olds after spring half-term and to older pupils for two weeks from March 15, today is the first day when all pupils can be back full-time for face-to-face teaching since before Christmas. Some schools are using the first day of term as an inset day for planning, with children back tomorrow.
In the disruption and lockdown of the last year some pupils have had to self-isolate, all have missed friends, clubs, sport and normal social interaction, and wellbeing issues have been a concern, Mr Owen said.
He said: “We need to help pupils as much as possible. There has been an increase in children needing play therapy, we have a play therapist coming in twice a week.”
He said the new curriculum was an opportunity for teachers to be more flexible but that academic work would not suffer.
“We already have in place effective structures for our pupils to develop, support and challenge their academic needs throughout our school, but we see our role as much more than that. We continually seek to provide wonderful learning and life experiences, placing pupil wellbeing at the heart of our school.
“Our staff decided that our summer term theme should be entitled ‘Childhood,’ to allow our pupils as much opportunity as possible to reconnect with their friends and engage in activities and experiences that they otherwise may go without.
“The quality of online teaching has been fantastic but I am concerned about the experiences children have lost.
“We can address any gaps in academic structure.
“Primary school should be about caring and our standards are really good. Reading, writing and maths is non-negotiable.
“We want our children to settle back in, re-acclimatise and reconnect. Their wellbeing as well as academic work is important.”