4 NEWS
The ‘bench of happiness’ goes viral Anna Dutton News Editor
O
ne of the great things about the customary British reserve is that it justifies the silence when you sit on a train for your morning commute or ride the bus, or even as you go for a walk, to be a normal social situation. It’s assumed that everyone has somewhere they need to be so why bother asking what they had for dinner last night? As useful as this custom is for the morning commute, loneliness is becoming an increasing problem in society affecting 17% of older people (according to a report by Age UK). However, Allison Owen Jones, a 53-year-old from Cardiff, has taken an innovative approach to solving the problem by creating small signs and sticking them on benches to encourage people to feel more connected. Loneliness affects not only a person’s livelihood, but also their memory and even their physical health and it has become an increasing cause of exploitation amongst the elderly. Although the idea was primarily aimed at tackling loneliness in the elderly, the emphasis placed on taking time out of your day to have a chat can benefit many in society who may be feeling isolated. It could help new mothers who have been unable to leave the house to chat to someone that day; those who may not be feeling themselves; or provide relief from a busy working day during someone’s lunch break. Allison’s signs are thought to reassure passers-by as the message reads: “Happy to chat bench. Sit here if you don’t mind someone stopping to say hello”, inviting someone to sit down if they feel like it. Such a simple idea seems to have really taken off with the “happy to chat benches” cropping up all over Wales. The Senior Citizen Liaison Team reportedly liked the idea so much that they decided they wanted to help it go further. With the help of social media, word has spread with similar benches appearing all over the world in places like Australia, Canada, as well as a little closer to home in places like Somerset and wider Wales. Cardiff Council has confirmed that it will have three permanent “happy to chat benches” implemented in parks across the capital; there are already benches in other areas of Wales like Barry, Tenby, and Newport to name a few. There are also benches in Devon and Greater Manchester. It’s amazing how such a simple idea has made such a difference to people’s lives and really shows how despite the fact many of us lead a very busy dayto-day life, taking time out for a little chat can benefit us just as much -if not more than the dreaded 30-minute spin class.
The bench: Happy to chat! Source: Rhiannon James
Students speak out after spiking experiences
Gair Rhydd spoke to students who claim to have been spiked and provides some clarity on how students can protect themselves Charlotte King Head of News Continued from front page.
T
he Union elaborated further to say that “Whilst there have been no confirmed incidences of spiking within venues, we would encourage any student that witnesses concerning behaviour report immediately to security and remain vigilant when consuming alcohol.” There are multiple initiatives organised by institutions across the city to ensure students stay safe when out partying at night. One such initiative is the Student Safety Bus Partnership, a scheme organised by South Wales Police in conjunction with Cardiff University and Student Volunteering Cardiff. The Safety Bus is a vehicle which runs on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings to ensure those who are in “vulnerable positions” around Cardiff get home safely from a night out. Cardiff University has also recently launched a new application called SafeZone in further efforts to ensure students stay safe on and off campus. This app works by allowing students to send their location to the university’s Security Services team and then enables one to message security through providing students with three options: first aid assistance, emergy assistance or non-emergency
Stay safe: You might get spiked when you least expect it so it’s important you know what to do. Source: Cardiff University Students’ Union assistance. Speaking about the new app, a Cardiff University spokesperson told Gair Rhydd, “The SafeZone app is just one of the many ways that we encourage students to think about their safety”, emphasising that other universities across the UK are already using the application. Additionally, Gair Rhydd has been told that students can collect a “free personal attack alarm” from Security Services. The Students’ Union also runs a number of initiatives to keep students safe on club nights in the Union and beyond, Gair Rhydd has been in-
formed. These include the Safe Taxi Scheme, a partnership between the Union and Dragon Taxis which allows Cardiff University students to use a taxi to get home and then pay the fare within the next few days in the Students’ Union. Two other programmes coordinated by the Students’ Union are the Student Safety Walk and Drinkaware Crew. The Student Safety Walk is another project in partnership with South Wales Police which sees volunteers sitting in and around the Union to provide security and advice to individuals who feel uncomfortable making it home alone. As for the Drinka-
ware Crew, this scheme has seen the Students’ Union training student staff members to work on Union club nights and provide support to those who need it. Sadly, it’s not always easy or possible for individuals to protect themselves from being spiked. PC Mike Neate, the Comunity Safety Student Liaison Officer, acknowledges that whilst drink spiking is “extremely rare”, it is easy for students to “let [their] guard down” when partying and encourages students to stay safe by “[avoiding] drinks you haven’t seen being poured, never [leaving] drinks unattended, [staying] with friends and arranging] transport home in advance.” The NHS encourages people to stay alert on nights out and look out for particular symptoms, including difficulty concentrating or speaking; memory loss; confusion or disorientation; and paranoia, and promotes that people never leave their drinks unattended nor do they accept drinks from strangers, and stick to bottled drinks that they can cap easily. Whilst drink spiking is cited as being a rare occurrence, there are students who believe they have had their drinks spiked on Students’ Union club nights and it does not hurt to keep yourself safe. Ultimately, a spokesperson for Cardiff University told Gair Rhydd that “The wellbeing of our students is a priority.” *Names have been changed.
Record number of national museum attendees across Wales
1.9 million people enjoyed exhibitions across the country
Mustakim Hasnath Features Editor
T
he seven national museums of Wales saw a record rise in visitor numbers in the past year. A stark 65% increase on the total number of visitors in the Amgueddfa Cymru family, the museums opened their doors to nearly 1.9 million people. The Amgueddfa Cymru family of museums showcases Wales’ national collections of art, history and environmental science exhibitions. One of the major contributions that has enabled the group to achieve the record number of visitors it has was the £30m redevelopment of the St Fagans National Museum of History, which also won the category of ‘most prestigious museum in the world’, in the Art Fund Museum of the Year 2019 Awards. The National Museum for Wales (NMW) includes five hundred years of paintings, drawings, sculptures, silver and ceramics from Wales and across the world, including what many claim is some of Europe’s best collections of Impressionist art. NMW statistics highlight that in the last ten years, Amgueddfa Cymru have discovered over 400 new
species of living and extinct species, spanning across 65 countries of origin. With over 1,000 volunteers, it adds an extra £83m to the Welsh economy and constitutes as the largest provider of learning outside the classroom in Wales. Due to the support it receives from the Welsh Government, all of the sites are free to enter. The statistics also reveal that the museums have reached 208,388 schoolchildren and students with five million objects from Wales’ collections of art, history and science. The NMW’s Director General, David Anderson, said in a statement that the NMW would be developing a ten year strategy, aiming to set out how it will work with partners across Wales to achieve its goals as part of the Welsh Government’s Wellbeing of Future Generations Act. It was through projects such as this award, which allowed Amgueddfa Cymru to, as a spokesperson from the group told Gair Rhydd, “create a museum where history is made with rather than for, people, and which celebrates the cultures of everyone who lives in Wales”. Roger Lewis, President of Amgueddfa Cymru, said in a state-
ment, “Our aim is to enable as many people as possible to enjoy and engage with all of our museums across Wales. Social inclusion and cultural democracy are our watch words.” Earlier in October, it was revealed that an additional £50m per year will be invested in regional museums and galleries in England over the next five years, by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Whilst this funding was provisionally for English museums, the
Museum Association’s director Sharon Heal said, “the MA would continue to work with policy-makers in the devolved nations to advocate for similar levels of investment in museums in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.” This increase in the number of visitors highlights how there is a continued interest in the wide array of collections Wales has to offer and will hopefully continue to educate and inspire more visitors in the future.
Bilingual programming: Candelas performing at the National Slate Museum in partnership with Kids in Museums. Source: Amgueddfa Cymru