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Hair-raising charity effort raises a grand

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kevin

Fundraiser Kevin Holmes

WHEN a couple of his friends at Rosemarket Golf Club were diagnosed with prostate cancer, local electrician Kevin Holmes was not prepared to let the grass grow under his feet before doing something.

Kevin decided to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK, the charity behind the Men United campaign to raise awareness of and fund research into a disease that affects over 40,000 new sufferers each year and which – in 2012 – claimed the lives of 10,800, thirty a day, across the UK. The way in which he chose to do so brought amusement to his friends, his family, and a touch of Christmas magic for children.

Deciding to do without cutting his hair or shaving his beard for an entire year, Kevin had no idea what he was letting himself in for: “I must’ve spent more on shampoo and conditioner in the last twelve months than I have spent on razor blades in my entire life!” He joked.

“My aim was to raise about £800 for Prostate Cancer UK, but now I am up around £1,000 and my JustGiving page is still there to get extra money in. Sophie Cole sorted out a Facebook page for me and it really helped get things going.”

Speaking about his friends John McLean and Kelvin Townsend, whose diagnoses started him off on his hair raising challenge, Kevin told us: “The fact I was raising money for charity did not stop me getting a fair amount of stick as the year went on. I can safely say that my wife, Rachel, was glad to see the back of all that hair and beard. So was I. The thing with beards is that either you like them or you don’t. It was annoying catching food in my beard and in the summer heat it was unbearable.”

On Saturday (Jan 17), Kevin said goodbye to the beard and the hair in a grand shearing at The Oak Inn, Haverfordwest: “It took about an hour to get my hair cut and the beard trimmed and I am glad that it was Sophie Stanmore from Van Dyk’s Hairdressers who had the job of removing it all safely and not me! It was a really good event, there were about forty of us in The Oak and a raffle raised another £200 to put into the charity pot.”

Kevin continued: “While the wife and I are delighted the beard and hair have gone, while I had it I was able to visit a couple of children’s parties in December and play Father Christmas. Mind you, that was a painful experience. The kids were convinced my beard was a fake and pulled on it to check.”

We asked Kevin whether he had any plans for more charity fundraising in the future and he told us: “This year has been a trying time but a rewarding one. I stuck to it and the money is going to a great cause. John and Kelvin are going okay with their treatment and things look positive, but I am thinking of doing some more fundraising. Next time, however, I will do something which involves more people. I was thinking of a bike ride, but my missus seems keen on me jumping out of an aeroplane. I am not a fan of heights and not entirely clear if she wants me to jump with or without a parachute!”

Concluding, Kevin said: “I would like to say a HUGE thank you to those who came from near and far to watch me being ‘sheared’ and gave so generously. Thank you to The Oak for hosting the event & organising a raffle! Thank you to those who donated prizes – thank you to Sophie Stanmore for giving up her time, putting up with the banter! & doing a brilliant job ‘shearing’ me – also thank you to Van Dyk’s hairdressing salon for their donation. I would also like to say thank you to Dawn ’til Dusk golf club, The Oak, Johnston Country Club & The Windsor who have been collecting donations for me. I am extremely grateful to all if you for all your support. Now where is that bobble hat?”

Herald readers can make a donation on Kevin’s Just Giving page at: www. justgiving.com/Kevin-Holmes1

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Community

Mayor of Bergen visits Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre

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IT was a Mayoral gathering when the Burgermeisterin of Bergen, in Germany, paid a visit to Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre in the company of Councillor Aden Brinn, the Mayor of Bergen’s twin town, Pembroke.

There to meet Burgermeisterin Claudia Dettmar-Muller and her colleague Silvia Bothe were two former Mayors of Pembroke Dock, Councillors Pam George and Maureen Colgan, and trustees and volunteers who run the Centre. Joining them was Pembroke’s Deputy Mayor, Councillor Ann Mortenson.

Trustee Peter Mitchell and colleagues gave a guided town of the Centre which has extensive displays on Pembroke Dock’s rich maritime and military history spanning just over two centuries, and its connections with RAF flying boats.

Pic By Martin Cavaney.

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Community

Wonderful night at Haverfordwest Library for special Poet Laureate event

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HAVERFORDWEST Library was delighted to be part of the prestigious Poet Laureate Library Tour for 2024 with a special event on Friday, March 8.
Pembrokeshire County Council Chairman, Cllr Thomas Tudor extended a special welcome to the guests of honour: Poet Laureate Simon Armitage; his guests Owen Sheers and Bethany Handley; plus the winners of the recent library Poetry Competition.
The poetry began with writer, poet and disabled activist, Bethany Handley. Bethany campaigns for better access to nature for disabled people, and her work explores nature and disability, challenging the barriers that disabled people experience.
Bethany’s first poem was heartfelt and humorous about her experience of visiting a beach in her wheelchair. Her final poem also drew on her experiences, being a compilation poem of many well-intentioned, yet impractical or inappropriate, advice that she has received as a wheelchair user.
Owen Sheers is an award winning Welsh poet, author and playwright. He has twice won the Wales Book of the Year as well as the Hay Festival Poetry Medal.
His film-poem, the Green Hollow, about the Aberfan disaster, was BAFTA and Grierson nominated and won three BAFTA Cymru awards, including best writer.
Owen read an extract from the Green Hollow, bringing the horror of the disaster to life. He also read poems about parenthood and his experiences as a son and as a father.
The Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry.
Simon launched into a poem about humanity, the universe and working as one. He then used his back catalogue of poems written for music. His poems covered some unusually random themes, particularly those he crafted during the Covid pandemic.
He said that he’d even written a poem inspired by a Velux window and read a beautiful poem about laying in a hammock watching a pair of newly-weds sail overhead in a hot air balloon.
His performances were engaging, humorous and moving and he brought the words to life.
Simon also spoke warmly about the importance of libraries as a child but also as an adult travelling about the country, with libraries always offering a warm welcome.
Ashok Ahir, President of the National Library of Wales thanked the three poets and introduced the new exhibition in the gallery, Dylan: The Lyrical Life of Dylan Thomas.
The exhibition is open to the public until 14th September 2024. Further information can be seen online.
The event drew to a close as Cllr Tudor issued the prizes to the winners of the recent poetry eisteddfod competition. The competition celebrated the language, culture, heritage and literature of Wales.
The theme was Dylan Thomas. Entries could draw inspiration from any of his works or seek inspiration from a specific quote: “from where you are, you can hear their dreams”.
Entries received were of a high standard and were judged by Wendy Morse (leader of the Haverfordwest Library Poetry Group, who would welcome new members, contact Haverfordwest Library for more information); representatives from the Library staff and the National Library of Wales staff. The poems will be on display at Haverfordwest Library until the end of the Easter Holidays.

Prizes have been awarded to:
• Sian Davies: Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, adult written poem category
• James Purchase: I Shall go Gentle into that Good Night, adult written poem category
• Philippa Davies: Dylan is in the Library, adult spoken word category
• Tony Potts: Windfall, adult illustrated poem category
• John Matthews: Dylan Cwmdonkin, adult Welsh language category
• Ellie McGrath: It was all a Dream, 11-14 age category
• Skye-Lea Jones: Are you Listening?,11-14 age category
Thanks to the judges of the poetry competition and to Faber & Faber, who donated the book prizes in support of the Poet Laureate’s Library Tour.
Cllr Thomas Tudor said: “The Riverside opened its doors in December 2018 and has enjoyed many fascinating exhibitions since thanks to the continued partnership with the National Library of Wales.
“The Riverside was one of just six libraries to host this Poet Laureate Library Tour for 2024.
“It is a fantastic achievement for Haverfordwest Library to be a part of these significant events, helping to raise the profile and regeneration of the County Town and I thank everyone who has worked hard to make the event a success.”
The event would not have been possible without the continued support from The National Library of Wales and Haverfordwest Town Council. The President of the National Library of Wales and the Mayor, Sheriff and Clerk of Haverfordwest Town Council were all present.

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Charity

Bags of Books returns to Milford Haven and surrounding areas this Easter

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THE INFAMOUS Bags of Books is set to return to Milford Haven and surrounding areas over the Easter holidays.

Milford Haven School who launched the project with Milford Youth Matters over 3 years ago are continuing in their bid to improve literacy skills and encourage a love of reading for pleasure by giving away over 700 books.

Thanks to funding from the South Hook LNG Community grant they have purchased books for young people of all ages and reading abilities and will be hanging them on the fences of the schools in their catchment area.

The community are invited to come and choose a book from the following locations over the Easter holidays:

  • Neyland Community Primary School – Monday 25th March
  • Johnston Community Primary School – Tuesday 26th March
  • Coastlands Primary School – Wednesday 27th March
  • Gelliswick Primary School – Tuesday 2nd April
  • Milford Haven Community Primary – Wednesday 3rd April
  • St Francis Community Primary – Wednesday 3rd April

Milford Haven Secondary School will also hang over 150 books on their fence after the Easter Holidays on Wednesday 10th April for those in our community who cannot attend the other locations.

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