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Make cancer facilities available for locals

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nhsCANCER can be one of the most devastating illnesses in the modern world. Writing as the husband of a wonderful young woman who was recently a victim of cancer, this freelancer knows first-hand the pain, destruction, anguish, loss, loneliness, helplessness and fears that cancer brings with it. As The Herald recently detailed, local charity Adam’s Bucketful of Hope is campaigning for a Cancer Day Unit to be installed in Withybush Hospital and thus provide local residents with nearby cancer facilities – a campaign The Herald itself is staunchly backing. Having had to face the battle against cancer head-on when my wife was diagnosed, I realise the importance of what they are campaigning for. Life with cancer is a life of appointments, time-frames and regimes; basically a life of routines – and having professional support and guidance in these kinds of scenarios is invaluable. And all aspects of the process come under this same umbrella of professional guidance and support; doctors, nurses, wards, beds, drugs, treatment facilities etc. these are all vital components in the fight against cancer. These days it is easy to have an apathetic attitude towards cancer and attribute it to being an illness that tends to only afflict the older generations in the twilight of their lives. My wife was 24 years young when she lost her battle. Cancer doesn’t care what age you are, where you come from, what your lifestyle is, it can affect anyone, at any time, of any age. Period. From rudimental experience I can honestly profess that were it not for the cancer services and facilities near to home whilst my wife was unwell, I seriously don’t think I could have coped. There is no manual, no ‘Idiot’s Guide’, no training seminars you can attend to make you an expert in dealing with this sort of thing. It’s different for everyone. It’s always different. But it is important to provide patients, as well as those on the periphery, with as much support as possible. Chemotherapy treatments, for example, can last a number of hours; blood tests must be run to check immune systems. Additionally there is any manner of drug concoctions that patients will need to be prescribed and as such they will require facilities close by. When my wife was ill we were fortunate that the hospital was pretty close (around a 20 drive). But eventually even this became a struggle as she was almost perpetually in a great deal of pain. For patients having to travel several hours from home to their nearest facilities this is untenable and can prove extremely traumatic. My wife at one point was taking between 9-15 tablets 4 times a day. These had to be done at specific timeframes, so sorting out meal times became a very regimental process. New drugs would need to be collected regularly, usually biweekly and a lot of the time we were reliant on the hospital to prescribe the right drugs, as we sometimes struggled to keep up with the number of different pills she required. There were further challenges as her illness wore on and she became less and less mobile. Moving around became cumbersome and stairs became a big problem. Eventually she had to use a wheelchair to get around, which provided more issues and yet more cost for her, myself and her family. Money was also a big worry – I wasn’t working whilst she was ill and eventually her mother decided to stop work as well to care for her daughter. I had a bit in savings and was supplementing this with sick pay from my job, but the well soon ran dry. Luckily the cancer unit assigned us a social worker who was responsible for sorting out grants for us, checks to cover transport costs and sorting my wife’s application for benefits (as she was unable to work) to save us the hassle of having to do it ourselves. It was difficult for those around her/us too – her parents and family were incredible and we would often takes turns comforting each other, updating each other on drug regime’s and appointment times and generally just being there for one another. Cancer can be an expensive illness, for patients, their families and for the health service. This is why facilities such as these are vital in the struggle – it is beneficial to everybody and helps with practical matters, such as money, that patients and their families don’t even consider until they become issues. But the health service sectors business is saving lives and without investing the necessary money in the fight against cancer the battle is going to be very one-sided. Facilities such as the ones proposed at Withybush Hospital are imperative to giving patients a fighting chance of survival, or at the very least helping to prolong their lives somewhat. My wife’s original survival prognosis was 4-5 months, due to the support and facilities she was given she fought for 11 months, and I will always be grateful that we had that extra time together. She deserved it. All patients do.

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Business

Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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Welsh Water has increased sewage discharges into waterways ‘by 40%’

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NEW figures released by the Environment Agency have shown that Dwr Cymru discharged sewage into waterways for a staggering 23,354 hours last year, a 40% increase on 2022. 

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are now calling for tougher action against sewage dumping in Welsh waterways.

The party has also called for a halt on bonuses for water company bosses whose firms have dumped sewage into waterways.

Conservative MPs have consistently voted against measures which would have helped to tackle the crisis.

The Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said: “It is a complete scandal that filthy sewage is being pumped into our nation’s rivers and waterways without consequence.

“It’s beggars’ belief that both the UK Conservative Government and the Welsh Labour government are allowing water firms to get away with this environmental vandalism.

“We as a party are calling for tougher action to stop sewage being dumped in local waterways. We have also called for a halt on bonuses for water company fat cats whose firms have pumped filth into our waterways.”

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New bus services announced by Pembrokeshire County Council

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A NUMBER of changes to local bus services will be introduced in the coming weeks as a result of a shake up to bus funding. 

From April 2024, the funding which has been provided directly to bus operators by the Welsh Government to keep services going in the wake of the Covid pandemic will cease. 

Additional funding will instead be provided to Local Authorities to support their local bus network.

In total, Pembrokeshire County Council and the Welsh Government will provide over £3million in support for bus services in Pembrokeshire during the coming year.

As part of this process, all Pembrokeshire’s local bus services have been re-tendered. 

A public consultation, receiving over 300 responses, helped to inform decisions about which services should be prioritised. 

Councillor Rhys Sinnett, Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services said: “I am delighted to be able to report that we are able to maintain the whole of Pembrokeshire’s current local bus network in the coming year.

“We have also secured key improvements such as reinstating an hourly service on the 349 route between Haverfordwest and Tenby via Pembroke Dock, and the popular Strumble Shuttle and Puffin Shuttle coastal bus services during the summer.”

The changes will also see two key services, the 302 Haverfordwest to Milford Haven and 349 Haverfordwest to Tenby via Pembroke Dock, brought under Council oversight for the first time. 

This will give the Council greater oversight of service operations and fares.  Pembrokeshire residents will also benefit from a new fare structure on all First Cymru services, due to be introduced from 1 April 2024. 

This will use Tap On Tap Off to allow passengers to pay the cheapest fare depending on the number of journeys they make or distance travelled, and will cap the maximum adult fare at £3 single and £5.40 return. 

More information about these fares can be found on the First Cymru website

A number of additional service changes and improvements are being considered for introduction during the course of the coming year in response to feedback received from the public consultation.  

The following bus service changes have been confirmed:

From 23 March 2024:

  • The Celtic Coaster (403) on the St Davids peninsular will restart for the 2024 season on Saturday 23 March and will run until Sunday 29 September. This is an hourly service, increasing to half-hourly during the whitsun half term and school summer holidays. There will be no service departing Caerfai Road at 13.00 and 13.30.
  • The 351 (Tenby to Pendine via Amroth) will return to its summer timetable.

From 1 April 2024

  • An hourly service will return on the 349 (Haverfordwest to Tenby via Pembroke Dock) service (April to September only).
  • The 356 (Milford Haven to Monkton) service will no longer call at Waterston and Hazelbeach due to operational issues caused by the narrow lanes in this area. The Fflecsi service will still be available.
  • A Saturday service, between 07:30 and 18:30, will be reintroduced in the Fflecsi Mid Pembrokeshire zone (formerly known as Bwcabus). This zone covers the area between Letterston, Crymych, Clunderwen and Wiston.  Passengers can also travel from this zone to Fishguard and Haverfordwest. 
  • The 302 (Haverfordwest to Milford Haven) and 349 (Haverfordwest to Tenby via Pembroke Dock) services operated by First Cymru will come under Pembrokeshire County Council control, giving the Council greater oversight of service operations and fares.
  • The 322 (Haverfordwest to Carmarthen) and 381 (Haverfordwest to Tenby via Narberth) services will be run by First Cymru. The 322 timetable will remain the same. The 381 timetable will remain the same from Haverfordwest to Tenby but journeys from Tenby to Haverfordwest will depart slightly earlier (37 past the hour instead of 45).
  • The X22 and X61 services which provided journeys at the start and end of the day between Pembroke Dock and Kilgetty, and Pembroke Dock and Haverfordwest will be withdrawn.
  • The 410 (Fishguard Town) and T11 (Haverfordwest to Fishguard via St Davids) services will be operated on a commercial (T11 part commercial) basis by Richards Bros. An improved connection with the ferry at Fishguard Harbour will be provided at 12.30.

From 19 May 2024

  • The Tenby Coaster service between Tenby and Saundersfoot will return for the summer season.

From 25 May 2024

  • The 400 Puffin Shuttle and 404 Strumble Shuttle services will return to the coast between Marloes and St Davids, and St Davids and Fishguard. These services will operate 7 days a week until 29 September 2024.  The Fflecsi service is also available in this area throughout the year.
  • The 387/388 Coastal Cruiser service around the Angle Peninsula will also return to its summer timetable, operating 7 days a week until 29th September 2024.

Further information about all Pembrokeshire bus services can be found on the Council’s website.

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