Make it a true goodwill gift-giving season - do it the #supportsmallbusiness way 🤗 #planahead in plenty of time with UK indies & creatives to bring peace of mind too! Start to #shopindie for original #giftideas with #UKGiftHour #UKGiftAM this weekend🎁 #CWordSeptember #EarlyBiz

Unbelievable how the time has flown! Be sure and check out all the wonderful locally made gifts and treats. Final session pre #Christmas. @visitcardiff @VisitWales Whats on in Cardiff? Princess Katharine @YPierhead

Not long until Precious as a Pearl will be at the St Fagan’s Makers Market in the large dry and airy atrium at Sain Ffagan | St Fagans along with local artisans. I will be there on Monday & Tues 12 & 13 February during #halfterm #Cardiff #LocalMakers #freshwaterpearls #madeinWales

The South Wales Makers' Market will be back on 10-17 February. More info 👇 museum.wales/stfagans/whats…

#shopindie on #StDavidsDay with Welsh creatives Sarah Lou Shabbywonder Cake Of The Art Natalina Logan Kelebekstyles LB Wedding Veils DragonsofWales 🇪🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Kim Williams @kellythepoet Kass Molle 🇺🇦 Jane Paice ARCA Rachael Blakeway Pointy Faces Precious as a Pearl

But the travesty is how loans are managed and the interest rates. Interest rates are between RPI and RPI+3% but capped at ‘prevailing market rates’ for post 2012 loans - which is a huge 7.3% interest rate currently! The current Bank of England base rate is 5.25%.

So students are being sidled with huge debts and then charged massive interest rates that most would never agree to in the free market. For students with longer courses (like medicine) their debts can be over 100k and they’re accruing nearly 10k of debt PER YEAR.

That cost is being especially born by women. Repayment has a 27k threshold and is income related meaning women take longer to pay and accrue more interest due to maternity leave, LTFT working and poorer pay in general! My wife who qualified at the same time still has a 20k debt.

Compare this to our parents generation who had their tuition fees paid and maintenance grants whilst at Uni paid for by the state. Instead we’ve now shifted that burden to young people AND are making money off those who pay back their loan in full via sky high interest rates.

This burden on younger people is one of the reasons (i think) for the current unhappiness within the junior doctor community: Sky high interest rates for huge debts that we can’t get out of. This manifests itself in unhappiness, strike action and longer waiting lists.

Benvuto in Galles! Vieni a visitare la chiesa norvegese nella baia di Cardiff. Bella vista, caffè delizioso e regali di produzione locale! #GallesVItalia #WalesvItaly

Turning in to a scorcher of a day. Perfect for Cardiff Bay & a visit to the Norwegian Church Arts Centre / Eglwys Norwyaidd & a pop into the accessible Dahl Gallery for gifts galore all locally made. Sue from The Sand Sea and Me is your host today. Just four weeks left of Spring residency. #Cardiff

Here for the #BruceSpringsteen concert? Be sure and call into the Norwegian Church Arts Centre / Eglwys Norwyaidd Arts Centre and check out their wide collection of local handmade gift ideas. Open til 4.30 today and Jane maker of this glass is your host. #MadeinWales #Madebyhand 12 local makers #Cardiff

Thursday 18th July Open til 6pm Looking for a gift for the teacher? Or something for the new graduate in your life? You will be spoilt for choice. Lots of gift ideas made by hand by local artists and artisans. Buy something unique. #teachersgift #graduationtreat

Going to see mcfly tonight in #Cardiff #CardiffBay. Be sure and call into the Norwegian Church Arts Centre / Eglwys Norwyaidd for beer or a coffee and pop upstairs to the gallerygiftshopNC for some unique #locallymade #gifts Open til 7pm.

Small Welsh businesses are the reason I do what I do, my remit has changed over the last three years but I’ve been able to support some of the brilliant people I’ve met through this account by putting on events, some are now even stocked on the highstreets I manage ❤️❤️

Last weekend for this year at the Dahl gallery for the makers. Tomorrow Ben hosts and Pauline from Precious as a Pearl hosts on the final day - Sunday. #cardiff #Crafts #Gifts #MadeinWales #MadebyHand I Loves The ‘Diff Princess Katharine

This weekend Precious as a Pearl will be at the Mid Wales Autumn Fair at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society ground in Builthwellsonline Looking forward to it. Come along. midwalesautumnfayre.co.uk/home

Chrystal is missing in Cardiff.