Connect with us
Advertisement
Advertisement

Community

First Minister highlights importance of childcare

Published

on

First Minister Carwyn Jones: Chatting with some of the children at the centre

First Minister Carwyn Jones: Chatting with some of the children at the centre

WELSH LABOUR LEADER Carwyn Jones today visited a Flying Start centre in Pembrokeshire to highlight Labour’s pledge to introduce 10 extra hours of free childcare for working parents of three and four year olds if Labour wins May’s General Election.
Labour investment contrasts with the Tories who have slashed funding for Sure Start provision in England resulting in the loss of 40,000 childcare places and the closure of 720 Sure Start centres.
Welsh Labour leader and First Minister, Carwyn Jones AM, said: “These are difficult times for many families in Wales, with parents working hard in order to make ends meet. Labour’s plans to introduce 10 extra hours of free childcare for working parents of three and four year olds will be a huge relief to those struggling to balance family time and work. We know too that the lack of affordable childcare can be a barrier to mums returning to work. In Wales we have recognised this and have invested in Foundation Phase scheme which will help transform the futures of children across Wales. The number of children benefitting from Flying Start provision under Labour has increased from 18,000 to 33,000 in this Assembly. Contrasting with harsh cuts by the Tories to Sure Start in England which has seen 720 centres close and the loss of 40,000 childcare places. This election is a choice between a Labour government that boost childcare provision and help parents back to work, or a Tory government with extreme spending plans and a commitment to slash education funding.”
He added: “I’m here to emphasise the importance of childcare, we’re in a childcare setting, and also the benefits from Flying Start, the Welsh Government scheme. We know that one of the major obstacles people will have to overcome to get back to work is what they do with children and being able to provide affordable childcare is really important to help people earn money and get back to work. We’ve already doubled the number of children who are entitled to Flying Start which is one of the schemes we run. It has been extremely successful and I have heard today how successful that has been where children development mentally a way ahead of where they should be which is great news and the pleasure to be made in terms of increasing access to childcare. When our children were young, having childcare was a really important issue and it’s that way for many people. What we want to do is make sure that where people have the opportunity to work, we know that work is the best way out of poverty, and people have that opportunity to work and that we do as much as we can for them to remove any barriers that prevent them from working. We want to make sure that we (Wales) have the same offer as is in place in England. We don’t want our children to be in a different position. We are already ahead of England in that sense. One of the things we did of course was to introduce Flying Start. In England they did it the other way, getting rid of sure start, and that meant that many families didn’t have the extra help that children needed. We take the view we want to give the best start in life to our kids.”
Labour candidate for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Delyth Evans, said: “Families across the constituency tell me that the cost of childcare is a huge issue for them. Labour’s plan to double free childcare will be a real help to families who are working hard and still struggling to make ends meet. It shows that Labour is listening to families and taking action to tackle the issues that matter to them.”

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Community

Mayor of Bergen visits Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Community

Wonderful night at Haverfordwest Library for special Poet Laureate event

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Charity

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

Published

on

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.

Continue Reading

Business10 hours ago

Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that...

News21 hours ago

Police ask motorists to avoid A44 trunk road due to heavy snowfall

DYFED-POWYS POLICE have issued an appeal to motorists to avoid a 25 mile section of the A44 trunk road between...

Crime2 days ago

Woman will quit the booze after seeing shocking drunken video in court

A HAVERFORDWEST woman this week vowed to undertake ‘a complete alcohol abstinence’ after being shown court video footage of her...

News3 days ago

Family heartbroken by loss of ‘larger than life character’ in M4 crash

THE FAMILY of the man who died in a collision on the M4 motorway say ‘he will be greatly missed...

Business3 days ago

Victory for WASPI women but the fight goes on

A LANDMARK ruling by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman could benefit around 5,000 women in Ceredigion born in the...

Entertainment5 days ago

A night to remember: Symphonica Tywi’s ‘Film Fantastics’ was a triumph

ON SATURDAY (Mar 23), Haverfordwest High School was ablaze with the soaring melodies and dramatic scores of some of cinema’s...

News5 days ago

Memorial for all those affected by Covid-19 unveiled at County Hall

A LASTING tribute for Pembrokeshire loved ones lost during the Covid-19 pandemic and those working on the frontline has been...

Top News6 days ago

Princess of Wales announces cancer diagnosis and treatment

CATHERINE, the Princess of Wales, has shared her recent health struggles with the public, revealing a diagnosis that has sent...

Charity7 days ago

RNLI lifeguards back on patrol in Pembrokeshire for the Easter Holidays

RNLI lifeguards will be on patrol once again in Pembrokeshire ahead of the Easter holidays. This Saturday, 23 March 2024,...

Community7 days ago

Neglected Pembrokeshire poodles find their forever homes 

THIRTY poodle type dogs were in total rescued after they were found in an unsuitable environment where their owner also...

Popular This Week