News

What next for Withybush?

Published

12 years ago

December 5, 2013

THURSDAY, November 21 saw a packed Picton Centre host a public meeting regarding the future of Withybush Hospital.

Members of Save Withybush Action Team (SWAT) and the Facebook group Save Essential Services at Withybush and other worried Pembrokeshire residents jammed into the Centre to discuss their concerns about the future of Withybush General Hospital.

Consultant Obstetrician Chris Overton told the meeting:

“I’ve been doing this for nine years: I stood outside Withybush on December 27, 2004 handing out leaflets warning you that they were going to take away your services.

“We’re planning to have demonstrations every Saturday at 11am outside the hospital from January 4 because we want them to know we are still here, we want them to know we still care and we want them to know we’re not going to go away. We want a big event every Saturday all the way through January, February, March – as long as it takes.

He also spoke about the possibilities of what might happen if Withybush was to close and added: “If they close us down, if they transfer services to Glangwilli, If Glangwilli can’t cope there is a scenario where a woman might go into labour and get sent to other hospitals where they might be full.

County councillor speaks

Cllr David Howlett was the only County Councillor to attend the meeting. He said:

“Earlier in the week we tabled an urgent question to the health minister but that had to be agreed by the presiding officer. Unfortunately the presiding officer for the national assembly of Wales declined that, which we thought was terrible.

“The Welsh Conservative group have a 60 minute debate next week (Wednesday 27, 4pm) they’ve chosen the topic of Withybush hospital and the Welsh minister will have to respond and they will give indication of what is going to happen.”

No confidence in Health Board

The meeting was told that a number of services are threatened with closure but nothing has been decided yet. The meeting considered the possible scenarios if services were cut as feared. One member discussed the possibility of going to the Welsh Assembly when they are meeting the health minister to get the best impact and to make the AM’s sit up and take note of what they are doing.

Another member proposed a vote of no confidence in the chief executive and the board of the health authority. This motion was met with applause and was unanimously carried.

Public anger

While many members of the public gave heart-warming stories about their current situations, each highlighting a number of problems that would come to fruition should some services at Withybush close, others at the meeting expressed anger at the Health Board’s plans. Chris Overton told the meeting:

“The Health Board has been told it cannot make any announcements with regards to where services are going. A final decision will be made by the health minister on Tuesday January 21.

“We investigated the possibility of issuing proceedings in January of this year when the Health Board’s plans first became public. We now have a new opportunity because the health minister has made an announcement on September 24 and he’s referred it back to the health board. We must have that judicial review permission request in by December 24.

“There is only one way for the people of Pembrokeshire and that is to demand Withybush stays open as a fully functioning hospital.

“The Health Board senior management have been playing their cards very close to their chest and if it hadn’t been for the local press revealing what they are planning I doubt that we would be having this discussion.

“We all need to consider the safety of the people of Pembrokeshire.

“I have been begging our GPs to contact the Welsh government and the BMA secretary. If you can get your GP behind this campaign, we’ve got a significant chance of success”.

From the floor, it was suggested:

“We could look at when the Welsh Assembly are meeting with the health minister when we’ve got the most impact as many AM’s as possible making sure we have a demonstration in Cardiff when we’ve got the biggest impact towards the AM’s.”

Another member of the public asked:

“Can I point out that Mark Drakeford tweeted on Tuesday to the effect that the Welsh NHS has got to change and Hywel Dda is no exception? That rather suggests it doesn’t matter what we do he’s already made his mind up.”

Threat to tourism

Thinking about Pembrokeshire’s status as a tourist destination, considerable unease was also expressed at the potential loss of services:

“It’s very easy to make decisions which don’t affect you in any way shape or form.

“In the time I’ve been in Pembrokeshire there have been an awful lot of industrial accidents, none of these large industrial accidents produced huge amounts of casualties. The powers that be should realise that with what we have in the Haven, not to mention the thousands of people who come here in the summer, where roads are totally inadequate for that number of people if there is an emergency. We want an A & E service that can cope with accidents on an industrial scale.

“Pembrokeshire relies heavily on tourism. No one is going to come here because, quite simply put, it’s too dangerous to come to Pembrokeshire.”

John Osmond stood in the 2007 election for Plaid Cymru:

“I have a personal experience of how valuable Withybush is as during that campaign I was fishing off the rock at Martins Haven and slipped and dislocated my elbow and I wouldn’t have wanted to go much further than Haverfordwest on that occasion.

“We’re very fortunate in this campaign to have it lead by the consultants. This Mr Purt (the Health Board’s Chief Executive) is a man in a grey suit. A man or a woman in a white suit is worth a hundred men in grey suits.”

The Pembrokeshire Herald invited Hywel Dda LHB to comment on specific issues raised by the meeting and by the leaflet we reported upon last week. A spokesperson from the Health Board said:
“The health board was instructed by the Health Minister in September to clarify the delivery model for obstetric and paediatric services that would be provided to support a Level 2 neo-natal unit before a final Ministerial decision is made in relation to newborn services.

“The health board continues to discuss potential service models with staff and so meetings are taking place at a hospital, county and health board-wide level.

“We intend to respond to Welsh Government in the next few weeks.

“A&E remains open 24/7 at Withybush Hospital and no decision has been taken to reduce these hours of service.”

“A gap of trust”

Simon Hart MP spoke to The Pembrokeshire Herald:

“I am enormously frustrated by the Local Health Board. It seems to have enormous difficulty communicating with and generating trust among either members of its staff or the Pembrokeshire public.

“Every time an announcement is due it is trailed by rumour and counter-rumour. Months of uncertainty seem to be followed by baffling decisions that are hard to understand.

“I speak often to members of Hywel Dda staff who express their deep personal concerns about the future while the rumour mill does its work

“Staff members are doing a difficult job in impossible circumstances. There is a real gap of trust and it is up to the Health Board to sort that out; it needs to stop being secretive and start being open and transparent, not only with its employees but also with Pembrokeshire.”

international news

Pembrokeshire women conquer Atlantic in epic 3,000-mile row

Published

50 seconds ago

February 5, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE’S all-female rowing crew Merched y Mor have completed one of the hardest endurance challenges on the planet after crossing the Atlantic Ocean in just over fifty days.

Denise Leonard, Helen Heaton, Liz Collyer and Heledd Williams arrived at Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua on Monday (Feb 2) after rowing roughly 3,000 miles from La Gomera in the Canary Islands as part of the World’s Toughest Row.

Their official crossing time was 50 days, 14 hours and 43 minutes.

The team becomes the first all-Wales female crew ever to finish the transatlantic race, joining a small global community of ocean rowers who have successfully crossed the Atlantic under human power alone. Organisers frequently note that fewer people have completed the crossing than have travelled into space.

Life at sea

For seven weeks, the four women lived aboard their boat Cariad, rowing in pairs around the clock in two-hour shifts, day and night.

They battled steep Atlantic swells, equipment issues and relentless fatigue, with waves reported at up to twenty feet. Temperatures swung from chilly nights to intense daytime heat, while flying fish, salt sores and sleep deprivation became part of daily life.

There were no days off. Christmas, New Year and birthdays were marked mid-ocean.

Communication with home was limited to satellite messages and brief calls, making morale and teamwork critical.

The crew said their strategy was simple: break the challenge into small pieces.

“We just took one day at a time and looked after each other,” they said after stepping ashore. “Kindness and teamwork got us through.”

Months of preparation

The race, widely described as the world’s toughest endurance row, demands far more than fitness.

Teams must be fully self-sufficient, carrying their own food, water makers, safety gear and navigation equipment. Crews train for months in open water, learning survival skills, first aid, and how to repair equipment at sea.

For Merched y Mor, much of that preparation happened along the Pembrokeshire coast, building strength and sea confidence in conditions not unlike the Atlantic’s winter swells.

Each member came with a different personal motivation, from setting an example to their children and grandchildren to proving that age and background are no barriers to big ambitions.

Before departure, Denise Leonard said she wanted to show “that if you take a chance and are brave enough to try, extraordinary things are possible.”

Warm welcome in Antigua

Their final approach into Antigua was emotional, with families waiting on the quayside.

After weeks without physical contact, the first hugs brought tears from both crew and supporters.

“It didn’t feel real until we saw them,” the team said. “Those first hugs were just the best.”

Rowing for good causes

The challenge was not just personal.

The crew are raising funds for several charities close to their hearts, including the RNLI, Sea Trust Wales, Action for Children and Popham Kidney Support. Proceeds from sponsorship and the planned sale of their boat will be shared between the causes.

A proud moment for Pembrokeshire

Back home, messages of congratulations poured in from across the county, with supporters tracking the boat’s progress online throughout the crossing.

Their achievement places Pembrokeshire firmly on the international endurance-sport map and offers an inspiring story of resilience, teamwork and determination.

After fifty days alone with the ocean, Merched y Mor have returned not just as finishers, but as record-makers — proof that a small Welsh crew can take on the Atlantic and win.

Community

Angle RNLI assist medical incident in Neyland

Published

22 minutes ago

February 5, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Volunteers diverted mid-exercise to help casualty at slipway

CREW from Angle RNLI were called into action yesterday afternoon after being diverted from a training exercise to assist with a medical emergency at Neyland Slipway.

The all-weather lifeboat was afloat on an extended navigation exercise when the request for assistance came in at 2:44pm. At the time, the crew were operating off Milford Shelf and immediately made best speed towards Neyland.

On arrival, the lifeboat’s inflatable Y-boat was launched, allowing casualty care-trained volunteers to reach the shore quickly. Crew members assessed the casualty and provided immediate assistance while coordinating with emergency services.

Working alongside Dale Coastguard Rescue Team and the Welsh Ambulance Service, the volunteers helped safely extract the casualty from the slipway and transfer them for further treatment.

Once the incident was concluded, the lifeboat was stood down and returned to station, where it was cleaned, refuelled and readied for service again by 4:30pm.

A spokesperson said the call-out highlighted how quickly routine training can turn into a real-life rescue, with crews ready to respond at a moment’s notice.

Charity

Angle RNLI launch to stricken yacht in 42-knot gale as skipper swept overboard

Published

23 minutes ago

February 5, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Lifeboat crew battle six-metre seas after lone sailor loses engine, sail and takes on water west of Skokholm

ANGLE RNLI lifeboat volunteers carried out a dramatic rescue after responding to a broken Pan Pan call from a 28ft yacht in severe conditions, with winds gusting to 42 knots and waves reaching up to six metres.

At 10:56am on Tuesday (Feb 3), the crew were already afloat on a navigation pass-out exercise in Dale Roads when they overheard the distress transmission from a yacht west of Skokholm Island. Moments later, HM Coastguard tasked the lifeboat to respond while further information was gathered.

While making best speed to the scene, the crew were told the yacht, carrying one person, had suffered engine failure, blown out its sail and was taking on water from an unknown source.

The casualty vessel was located around three miles west of the island. After assessing the situation, the crew decided conditions were too dangerous to place a lifeboat volunteer aboard, and the safest option was to establish a tow.

With a south-easterly gale and a very rough sea state, the tow was rigged and the yacht began a slow passage towards Milford Haven.

However, shortly after the tow commenced, a large wave threw the skipper overboard. Although tethered to the yacht by his safety harness, he was dragged alongside the vessel in the heavy swell.

The lifeboat crew immediately released the tow and began recovery operations. With the towline fouling access on one side and the casualty trapped on the other, a crew member was eventually placed aboard the yacht over its bow. The skipper’s harness was cut, allowing him to drift clear, before he was safely recovered from the water by the lifeboat.

With the priority now the sailor’s welfare, and the risks of re-establishing the tow judged too great, the crew member was brought back aboard and the lifeboat returned to harbour.

On arrival, volunteers from the Dale Coastguard Rescue Team assisted with casualty care and gathered the necessary details.

The lifeboat was stood down and made ready for further service by 2:30pm.

The station also thanked the The Lord Nelson Hotel for accommodating the sailor at short notice.

A spokesperson for Angle RNLI said the incident highlighted both the speed at which conditions can deteriorate at sea and the importance of safety equipment such as harnesses and tethers.