Steve Duffy
@steveduffy99.bsky.social
Ex-journalist at BBC in Wales. Interests: Data, nature, books, history, culture, sports. Other: Aston Villa season ticket holder, beer, slow walks and slower cycling. steveduffy99@yahoo.co.uk
A record high mortality rate for #drug deaths in #Wales (2022-24), up to 12.6 per 100,000. It was around 7 per 100,000 just over a decade ago. Swansea and Merthyr by far the highest. NE England has the highest rate regionally across Eng & Wales ONS figs. public.flourish.studio/visualisatio...
October 19, 2025 at 10:43 AM
A record high mortality rate for #drug deaths in #Wales (2022-24), up to 12.6 per 100,000. It was around 7 per 100,000 just over a decade ago. Swansea and Merthyr by far the highest. NE England has the highest rate regionally across Eng & Wales ONS figs. public.flourish.studio/visualisatio...
Two thirds of the longest hospital waiting lists in Wales are in north Wales. Despite a drop in Betsi Cadwaldr, numbers stubbornly high at nearly 5,400. In west Wales, no-one is waiting 2yrs+ in Swansea at all and fewer than 200 in Hywel Dda health board. #health #Wales #NHS
September 19, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Childhood vaccination uptake has slumped to its lowest in 15 years. How did we get here? This looks at England but similar issues in Wales too. Online disinformation, ignorance and cultural differences all contributing www.thetimes.com/article/0ed4...
August 29, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Childhood vaccination uptake has slumped to its lowest in 15 years. How did we get here? This looks at England but similar issues in Wales too. Online disinformation, ignorance and cultural differences all contributing www.thetimes.com/article/0ed4...
A new way of measuring Welsh #ambulance performance - for around 15% of the most urgent calls - published earlier. Response to those having cardiac or respiratory arrest was within target range. Meanwhile 'lost hours' handover delays lowest for 4yrs.
August 21, 2025 at 7:05 PM
A new way of measuring Welsh #ambulance performance - for around 15% of the most urgent calls - published earlier. Response to those having cardiac or respiratory arrest was within target range. Meanwhile 'lost hours' handover delays lowest for 4yrs.
International net migration into #Wales estimated to be 22,700 in year to mid-2024. This is down by nearly a quarter but still driving rise in overall population to 3.187m. Figs from #ONS www.gov.wales/mid-year-est...
July 30, 2025 at 10:50 AM
International net migration into #Wales estimated to be 22,700 in year to mid-2024. This is down by nearly a quarter but still driving rise in overall population to 3.187m. Figs from #ONS www.gov.wales/mid-year-est...
Latest traffic monitoring since default #20mph came into force in #Wales offers more encouragement - drivers are cutting speed and only a couple of minutes on avg added to journeys. Even longest journey monitored (61km) added only 4mins. No results yet on air quality tfw.wales/national-mon...
July 17, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Latest traffic monitoring since default #20mph came into force in #Wales offers more encouragement - drivers are cutting speed and only a couple of minutes on avg added to journeys. Even longest journey monitored (61km) added only 4mins. No results yet on air quality tfw.wales/national-mon...
A first visit in many years to Dyffryn Gardens in the Vale of Glamorgan. Bees and dragon fly everywhere. A perfect afternoon for sensory overload.
July 2, 2025 at 7:10 AM
A first visit in many years to Dyffryn Gardens in the Vale of Glamorgan. Bees and dragon fly everywhere. A perfect afternoon for sensory overload.
Similar experience in Wales, with latest quarter (to March 2025) also showing continuation of downward MMR uptake trend for 5-year-olds seen since 2021. 2/2
June 16, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Similar experience in Wales, with latest quarter (to March 2025) also showing continuation of downward MMR uptake trend for 5-year-olds seen since 2021. 2/2
Plenty of worthy tributes to #BrianWilson, in The Guardian alone, but a gobbet from Alexis Petridis on one wonderful song sums him up. ( Lucky enough to have seen him on his Pet Sounds and Smile tours with his magnificent band. Lots of ❤️) www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...
June 13, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Plenty of worthy tributes to #BrianWilson, in The Guardian alone, but a gobbet from Alexis Petridis on one wonderful song sums him up. ( Lucky enough to have seen him on his Pet Sounds and Smile tours with his magnificent band. Lots of ❤️) www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...
Before Prince there was Sly. Loved those psych-funk jams with Larry Graham especially #SlyStone youtu.be/DyQenDEmhe4?...
June 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Before Prince there was Sly. Loved those psych-funk jams with Larry Graham especially #SlyStone youtu.be/DyQenDEmhe4?...
Target to cut two-year hospital waiting lists in #Wales to 8,000 nearly met. But Betsi Cadwaldr still has more than two thirds of 2yr list while eliminated in Hywel Dda and Swansea Bay. Gen surgery waits highest in north Wales and it has all the dermatology long waits in Wales + most 2yr ENT waits.
May 22, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Target to cut two-year hospital waiting lists in #Wales to 8,000 nearly met. But Betsi Cadwaldr still has more than two thirds of 2yr list while eliminated in Hywel Dda and Swansea Bay. Gen surgery waits highest in north Wales and it has all the dermatology long waits in Wales + most 2yr ENT waits.
One of the great pop-rock-soul singer-songwriters #DarylHall taking us on a 40-year musical journey in #Birmingham. He pretty deftly (IMO) adjusted his voice when necessary to tough demands he set long ago. Still a terrific show/band. Sara Smile simply beautiful. Added bonus of Glenn Tilbrook.
May 21, 2025 at 11:45 PM
One of the great pop-rock-soul singer-songwriters #DarylHall taking us on a 40-year musical journey in #Birmingham. He pretty deftly (IMO) adjusted his voice when necessary to tough demands he set long ago. Still a terrific show/band. Sara Smile simply beautiful. Added bonus of Glenn Tilbrook.
Road casualties continue their downward trend in Wales and are lowest on record. For serious/fatal casualties on combined 20-30mph roads, these are down 16% in 2024 - since new default 20mph limit came in - compared to 2023. Good news! www.gov.wales/police-recor...
May 21, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Road casualties continue their downward trend in Wales and are lowest on record. For serious/fatal casualties on combined 20-30mph roads, these are down 16% in 2024 - since new default 20mph limit came in - compared to 2023. Good news! www.gov.wales/police-recor...
Can't remember a book that's made me laugh out loud and also at least once genuinely moved me to tears. Belatedly got around to reading John Niven's O Brother: a memoir of growing up, grief, suicide and regret. As funny as it's honest.
May 13, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Can't remember a book that's made me laugh out loud and also at least once genuinely moved me to tears. Belatedly got around to reading John Niven's O Brother: a memoir of growing up, grief, suicide and regret. As funny as it's honest.
Good to be back at BBC Wales News to talk about the #Cardiff Blitz and #VEDay80 on #BBCWalesBreakfast. This
Glamorgan Archives pic is repairs to houses in Brook St, Riverside in 1941. (Book out later this year!) #WW2 #history
Glamorgan Archives pic is repairs to houses in Brook St, Riverside in 1941. (Book out later this year!) #WW2 #history
May 7, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Good to be back at BBC Wales News to talk about the #Cardiff Blitz and #VEDay80 on #BBCWalesBreakfast. This
Glamorgan Archives pic is repairs to houses in Brook St, Riverside in 1941. (Book out later this year!) #WW2 #history
Glamorgan Archives pic is repairs to houses in Brook St, Riverside in 1941. (Book out later this year!) #WW2 #history
Blaenau Gwent (perhaps not surprisingly) is the most affordable county in Wales for house buying. Neighbouring Monmouthshire least affordable. Based on prices & avg incomes. B-G more affordable than any Eng county public.flourish.studio/visualisatio... and more here www.ons.gov.uk/releases/hou...
March 26, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Blaenau Gwent (perhaps not surprisingly) is the most affordable county in Wales for house buying. Neighbouring Monmouthshire least affordable. Based on prices & avg incomes. B-G more affordable than any Eng county public.flourish.studio/visualisatio... and more here www.ons.gov.uk/releases/hou...
Persistent absence rates from school in Wales improved slightly in the last academic year but are still way above (double) pre-Covid levels in Wales. 30.4% still missing too many lessons. Slightly worse girls v boys. These new figs pull together primary & secondary ages.
March 5, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Persistent absence rates from school in Wales improved slightly in the last academic year but are still way above (double) pre-Covid levels in Wales. 30.4% still missing too many lessons. Slightly worse girls v boys. These new figs pull together primary & secondary ages.
A wonderfully told story of the relationship between two very different men - Graham Taylor and Elton John - and how they saved #Watford #football club and each other. John Preston shares great anecdotes and memories of hardened pros who shared the journey. Heart-warming. Would be a terrific film.
February 25, 2025 at 10:45 AM
