Colleagues formerly based at the NSPCC Capital Tower and Parade offices in Cardiff resumed work today (14 December) at their new premises, a purpose built centre in Cardiff.

Named after a major NSPCC donor, Diane Engelhardt House is now home to: therapeutic and domestic violence teams, the communications team, fundraising administration team, policy and public affairs team, executive support team, Child Protection in Sport Unit, finance and an education advisor.

Although plans for the centre began before the strategy planning, the purpose built centre fulfils a lot of the criteria for NSPCC buildings going forward. The centre is being funded by the Building Brighter Futures Appeal, which aims to raise £4.5 million by March 2012. The funds will also cover the cost of all NSPCC’s direct services delivered from the centre up to March 2012.

Bringing together NSPCC services, supporters, staff, partners and people from across Wales, the new centre will be a powerful force in improving the lives of our most vulnerable young people.

There will be an official launch of Diane Engelhardt House on Tuesday 22 December. This event will be attended by local celebrities including former model Danielle Lineker, as well as major donors and local supporters. The media will also be invited. Children and young people will be the focus of the event, with local school children performing songs among other activities.

The full address of the centre:
NSPCC Cymru/Wales
Diane Engelhardt House
Treglown Court
Dowlais Road
CARDIFF
CF24 5LQ

For more info on NSPCC http://www.charities-direct.co.uk/charities/nspcc.htm

Tags: Cardiff, Diane Engelhardt, Diane Engelhardt house, NSPCC, Wales

Press release
13 September 2009

The NSPCC issued the following statement on Sunday, 13 September 2009 in response to media articles which did not adequately explain the Society’s views on the new Vetting and Barring Scheme being introduced in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

“The NSPCC supports the introduction of new vetting and barring procedures and we recognise the government’s commitment to enhancing the safety of our children.

All parents want their children to be safe when in the care of another body such as a school or a voluntary group. The new scheme introduced by the government can provide useful checks that no-one working or volunteering with the group is an offender.

It is reported that 11 million people volunteer and work with children and we need to be sure that the introduction of this scheme will not lead to the withering of this wonderful resource.

However, child sex offenders and other abusers are cunning, manipulative and often deceptively charming. They throw out a smokescreen of lies and deceit to cover up their abuse and they can target child-facing organisations to gain easier access to children.

The current system of criminal record checks is inadequate and can only ever catch those who have already offended. Such checks only provide information at a single point in time and many who abuse have no prior criminal record. Improvement is essential.

We encourage all those who volunteer or work with children to recognise that such checks are necessary and that they are not intended to cast suspicion over the many who give up their time to help children but to weed out the few seeking to abuse them.

The NSPCC has always been clear that this new scheme must be introduced carefully, in a way that does not inadvertently penalise children, weaken community relationships, or provide parents with a false sense of security. The government must now provide clearer and more detailed information about the scheme and how it will work in practice.”

Tags: Charities, Child Safety, criminal record checks, England, Government, Northern Ireland, NSPCC, Press release, Safety, sex offenders, Vetting and Barring Scheme, Wales

British Gas Wales trades under the name of Nwy Prydain.

And although Cardiff-based Nwy Prydain provides exactly the same service as British Gas, there are some interesting variations.

These include no standing charge, so customers have the advantage of only paying for what they use. This innovation was first introduced by Nwy Prydain and has proved very popular with customers. They also offer a significant discount if you take both electricity and gas from them.

A further bonus is their Free Bill Payment Cover which offers to clear your energy bills in case of accidental death – something not to be sniffed at these days.

And British Gas Wales, under the guise of Nwy Prydain, has a Welsh language service, meaning that Welsh language speakers can get the best from the company and its various offers.

Nwy Prydain is a one-stop energy company.

It not only provides an extensive range of competitive tariffs for gas, electricity, or duel fuel (gas and electricity), it covers your home maintenance and repair needs. This includes anything from installing a complete new central heating system, to providing hassle-free maintenance over its long life. For existing systems, it also provides a comprehensive repair service, meaning that most parts of your system, including your boiler and radiators, can be repaired quickly and cost-effectively.

But Nwy Prydain is not only about energy and central heating systems. It can effectively cover all your home repair and maintenance needs, including most plumbing and drains; electrical appliances; gas appliances; and, kitchen appliances.

It also sets out to help its customers by offering advice and tips on all the major issues connected with running a home. These include understanding how your bill is calculated; how to pay your bill; suggesting ways that your bill could be reduced by sensible practices around the home; tips on basic maintenance to help avoid future problems; what to do in the event of a breakdown; and, take some of the mystery away from central heating systems in general.

Nwy Prydain also promotes active energy efficiency, with reports and advice available on general energy savings; energy efficient products (including light bulbs); how to save energy and help your wallet; and, the introduction of new technologies and grants that are being made available for domestic use.

All in all, Nwy Prydain is one of the most pro-active energy companies operating today.

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For more Information on British Gas or their Products visit http://www.britishgasboilers.co.uk/

Tags: British Gas, Electricty, Energy Bills, Fuel, Gas, Nwy Prydain, Wales