THE PRINCE OF WALES has praised the lifesaving work of Wales Air Ambulance as the charity marked its 25th anniversary with a gala fundraiser.

The charity’s Royal Patron attended the special dinner at Celtic Manor, Newport, on Friday, June 26, joining volunteers, former patients, crew members, partners and supporters to celebrate a quarter of a century of emergency critical care across Wales.

Hosted by television and radio presenter Jason Mohammed, the event raised £180,000 for the charity, including more than £85,000 in sponsorship from corporate supporters.

Since its launch on St David’s Day in 2001, Wales Air Ambulance has grown from a single aircraft operating limited hours into a nationwide, 24-hour service. Its crews now have access to four aircraft and a fleet of rapid response vehicles, delivering advanced hospital-standard care at roadsides, homes, mountainsides, coastlines and other emergency scenes.

The charity has attended more than 57,000 missions since it was founded.

Speaking at the event, the Prince paid tribute to the crews and supporters who have helped build the service.

He said: “For 25 years, Wales Air Ambulance has provided a vital service to people and communities across Wales. In life-threatening moments, its crews have brought advanced critical care directly to those in greatest need, offering help and hope.”

He also praised the charity’s international reputation and its focus on evidence-based care.

The Prince said: “Wales Air Ambulance has earned an international reputation for the service it delivers, and for its commitment to evidence-based decision-making that helps ensure the best possible care for the people of Wales.”

The evening also featured powerful patient stories, including an address from former patient Alan Owen, who suffered a cardiac arrest while playing walking football in April 2022.

Alan was without a heartbeat for eight minutes before being revived by those around him. Wales Air Ambulance clinicians then provided advanced critical care at the scene, stabilising him and helping coordinate the onward treatment that saved his life.

Reflecting on his experience, Alan told guests: “There is no doubt in my mind that without the Wales Air Ambulance, I would not be standing here today.”

He also spoke about the lasting impact on families, describing loved ones as “co-survivors” whose trauma is different but no less real.

He added: “I have been given more time. Time with my family. Time that I would not have had without this charity.”

Wales Air Ambulance chief executive Dr Sue Barnes said the milestone was a moment to reflect on how far the service had come.

She said: “When the service launched in 2001, it was one aircraft. Today, it is a truly national service, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is a transformation that has helped save countless lives and touched not just patients but their families.”

Dr Barnes said the charity’s development had only been possible because of public support across Wales.

She added: “The charity’s evolution is all the more remarkable because it is powered by a nation of just over three million people. A small country, with a huge heart. So, as we mark this milestone, we do so with pride and gratitude.

“For everyone who has given their time, expertise, commitment and support, thank you.

“This service belongs to the people of Wales. We are your air ambulance, and we exist because of you.”

The gala included fundraising activities and a live auction, with exclusive experiences and prizes donated in support of the charity.

The event was sponsored by Ascona Group, Gama Aviation, Bibado and Redkite Solicitors.

Wales Air Ambulance said the anniversary was not only a celebration of the past 25 years, but also a reminder of the continued need for support to ensure crews can reach more patients across Wales when they need help most.

YOUNG people from Pembrokeshire and Neath Port Talbot will gather in Carmarthen next week for a Welsh education project aimed at tackling what organisers describe as a growing crisis in youth confidence.

Cymbrogi Futures will hold its fourth annual Tomorrow’s Changemakers Hackathon at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David on Friday, July 10, bringing together five finalist teams of 12 and 13-year-olds to pitch ideas linked to tourism, hospitality and the built environment.

The event comes against a stark national backdrop. Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show more than one million young people aged 16 to 24 across the UK are not in education, employment or training. In Wales, Welsh Government data shows the proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds classed as NEET rose to 17.0% in the year ending December 2025.

A recent report by the Institute for Public Policy Research has also warned that many young people are losing faith in their futures, with only one in four 16 to 29-year-olds believing that people have a fair chance to succeed through talent and hard work.

Cymbrogi Futures says its programme is designed as a practical response to those concerns, giving pupils the chance to work with employers, community organisations and mentors on real-world sustainability challenges.

The Tomorrow’s Changemakers programme is rooted in the Curriculum for Wales and inspired by the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act. It asks learners to act as researchers, designers, communicators and problem-solvers, rather than simply studying climate and economic issues from a distance.

This year’s programme has reached around 1,000 learners across three counties, with five teams making it through to the Carmarthen final. Since 2022, Cymbrogi says the programme has worked with thousands of learners across Wales, with further expansion planned into Swansea, Powys and Bridgend from September 2026 and Bristol in 2027.

Ian Chriswick, Director of Cymbrogi Futures, said Wales already had the foundations for a more hopeful approach to education.

He said: “Wales has a ground-breaking curriculum that asks us to truly teach the future. But at a time when we should be celebrating its successes, we hear instead of record teacher burnout and falling learner morale.

“Tomorrow’s Changemakers is a direct, practical response to that, and to the question of why so many young people are losing faith in their own futures.”

The programme is backed by a range of Welsh and UK partners, including Milford Haven Port Authority, Cwm Environmental, Morgan Sindall Construction, Tai Tarian Housing Association and Admiral Insurance.

Organisers say the aim is not only to inspire pupils, but also to connect them directly with sectors that will need new skills as Wales moves towards a lower-carbon economy.

Milford Haven Port Authority, one of the UK’s major energy hubs, is involved as Pembrokeshire looks to position itself at the centre of floating offshore wind, green hydrogen and future energy infrastructure. Other partners bring links to construction, housing, insurance, the circular economy and community resilience.

Owen Stacey, Senior Social Value Manager, said: “For any business that cares about investing in the skills of the future or demonstrating social impact in their communities, this programme delivers on both counts.

“This is our third year and it’s exactly what the industry needs.”

The event will include a welcome lunch, keynote addresses, team pitches, collaborative judging and an awards ceremony. Organisers describe the format as friendly and informal, with adult participants asked to act as “cheerleaders first, judges second.”

Representatives from the Future Generations Commission, Welsh Government, local education authorities and academic partners are also expected to attend.

The wider policy context is significant. The new Plaid Cymru-led Welsh Government has placed education, skills, climate action and the green economy at the centre of its programme. Cefin Campbell MS, who represents Sir Gaerfyrddin, is now Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education, while Anna Brychan MS is Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language.

However, the scale of the challenge remains substantial. A single school programme cannot solve youth unemployment, poor mental health, transport barriers, poverty or the shortage of secure entry-level jobs. Those issues require sustained action from government, councils, colleges, employers and the voluntary sector.

There are also questions about how projects such as Tomorrow’s Changemakers can be scaled up without adding pressure to already stretched schools and teachers.

But supporters argue that the model offers something often missing from the national debate: a route from classroom learning into practical confidence, workplace awareness and civic purpose.

For west Wales, where young people often face limited transport, fewer local opportunities and pressure to leave their communities to build careers, that connection matters.

The Carmarthen hackathon will not by itself reverse the rise in young people falling out of education and work. But it offers a glimpse of a different approach, one where pupils are treated not as a problem to be solved, but as people with ideas, agency and a stake in Wales’s future.

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL’S Deputy Leader has launched a major bid to halt controversial plans to close Stepaside School.

Cllr Paul Miller, who took over responsibility for education on May 15, has submitted a motion asking councillors to rescind two previous decisions which authorised officers to begin statutory consultation on closing Saundersfoot and Stepaside schools and replacing them with a single 3-11 primary school on the Saundersfoot site.

The proposal, backed by council in December 2025 and reaffirmed in March 2026, would have seen consultation begin in September.

But in a significant change of direction, Cllr Miller has now told members he no longer believes the proposal to discontinue Stepaside School is “the right one”.

In an email sent to all county councillors, he said he had reviewed the council’s school modernisation and reorganisation plans since taking on the education portfolio.

He said the authority’s work to date had focused mainly on surplus places, which he described as an “interesting estates and facilities metric” but one which “tells us very little about the educational experience of the children inside those buildings”.

Cllr Miller said he accepted that very small schools could become unviable, not only financially but educationally, because of pressures on leadership, staff capacity, mixed-age classes, peer groups and pupil wellbeing.

However, he said Stepaside was in a “materially different position” from schools with exceptionally low pupil numbers.

With around 100 pupils on roll, he said the school was “substantially larger than schools previously deemed unviable”.

He added that decisions affecting larger schools required a broader assessment of educational sustainability, leadership capacity, workforce resilience and pupil experience before closure could be justified.

Cllr Miller also raised the possibility of alternatives, including shared leadership arrangements or formal federation, which he said could strengthen the sustainability of both schools.

He further noted that the planned temporary full decant of Tenby VC School may use a significant proportion of existing surplus places at Saundersfoot School, potentially weakening the case for closing Stepaside as a response to surplus capacity in the Tenby cluster.

His motion asks council to rescind its decisions of December 12, 2025 and March 5, 2026 and to discontinue the proposed statutory consultation process relating to the closure of Saundersfoot and Stepaside schools.

He has asked for the motion to be dealt with at July’s full council meeting, describing it as the final ordinary meeting before the planned September consultation.

The move is likely to be welcomed by campaigners and parents who have opposed the closure of Stepaside School, but it also raises fresh questions about the future of the wider Saundersfoot proposal and the council’s school modernisation programme.

The Herald has previously reported strong local concern over the plans, with parents and residents arguing that Stepaside remains a viable village school and plays an important role in the community.

Pembrokeshire County Council has consistently said school reorganisation must take account of pupil numbers, surplus places, Welsh Government guidance, building condition, long-term sustainability and the need to provide high-quality education.

If accepted onto the agenda, Cllr Miller’s motion could force councillors to revisit one of the most sensitive education decisions currently facing the authority.

South Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell welcomed the development, describing it as “absolutely fantastic news” and “a massive victory for our community”.

He said the council had listened following serious concerns raised by local parents, residents and community representatives.

Mr Tufnell added: “When a community stands together, raises its voice, and refuses to be ignored, this is exactly what can be achieved.”

He also thanked those who attended meetings, backed the campaign and spoke up for the future of local children.