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Community

National Lottery Community Fund projects making waves across West Wales

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DR SIMONE Lowthe-Thomas, Chair of Wales Committee, The National Lottery Community Fund Wales, visited several National Lottery-funded projects in Pembrokeshire this week (Oct 21) to see first-hand the difference that National Lottery funding is making in helping people live healthier lives and become more environmentally sustainable.

In the last five years, The National Lottery Community Fund has awarded 181 grants worth £7 million in Pembrokeshire. This includes £4 million for health and wellbeing projects, over £400,000 for environment-related activities, £600,000 for children and young people’s projects, and over £400,000 for projects supporting people with disabilities.

Dr Lowthe-Thomas, joined by members of the Wales Committee, began her tour at the Preseli Rural Transport Association, which received £348,802 for its Green Dragon Wellbeing Connections project. This initiative provides accessible, low-carbon travel solutions, offering a wheelchair-accessible minibus and MPV car for low-cost transport to groups and individuals.

TOGETHER FOR CHANGE

The next stop was Solva Care, where the Committee learned about its Together for Change project, supported by a five-year grant of £309,961. The funding allows Solva Care to expand services that boost social interaction and promote green wellbeing models across Pembrokeshire communities.

Dr Lowthe-Thomas said: “It has been a real pleasure seeing and hearing more about the fantastic work happening in Pembrokeshire, thanks to money raised by National Lottery players. I’d like to thank Preseli Rural Transport Association, Solva Care, Blue Horizons, and Cariad Pet Therapy for their warm welcome.”

“The National Lottery Community Fund’s strategy, ‘It starts with community,’ focuses on four key missions: supporting communities to come together, promoting environmental sustainability, helping children and young people thrive, and enabling healthier living.”

“It’s fantastic that our Wales Committee has had the opportunity to visit groups that are helping us deliver on our missions through their incredible work.”

SURFING FOR ALL

The tour also included a visit to Blue Horizons and its Surfing for All project, which received a one-year grant of £16,603. This initiative provides accessible surfing and surf therapy for people with disabilities and additional needs across South West Wales.

CARIAD PET THERAPY

To conclude their visit, the Committee met with Cariad Pet Therapy. With a three-year grant of £222,420, the organisation is expanding its pet therapy services across South and West Wales, reaching isolated individuals in the community and in care settings, hospitals, mental health units, schools, and workplaces. The grant also supports training new volunteers and expanding the Robot Pet Service and Pet Food Bank service, which was established during the Covid-19 pandemic to meet rising demand.

This year marks 30 years since the first National Lottery draw in 1994, with £30 million raised each week for good causes. More than £1 billion has been awarded to communities across Wales through 23,096 grants over this period.

Community

Bishop Joins Street Pastors on Pembroke Outreach

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PEMBROKE’S Street Pastors received a visit from Bishop Dorrien over the weekend as he joined their outreach efforts to witness their work within the local community.

The Street Pastors, active in both Pembroke and Haverfordwest, provide pastoral and practical support to people using the town’s pubs and clubs. Their assistance ranges from offering water to the dehydrated, tissues to those in distress, and even flat shoes to help patrons make a safe journey home. Most importantly, they offer a compassionate ear, comfort, and prayers to those in need.

Supported by a dedicated prayer team, the Street Pastors take breaks to pray and gather strength, reflecting on their encounters with the community. Bishop Dorrien praised their work, describing it as a witness to Christ’s command to love our neighbours.

The Bishop noted the warm reception the team received during their rounds and the affection the community holds for their ministry. He blessed their ongoing service, acknowledging its positive impact on the lives of many.

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Community

Calls for ‘dangerous’ speed limit in Pembrokeshire village to be lowered

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A PETITION calling for the speed limit to be reduced through a north Pembrokeshire village to address “a serious safety concern for the community” is to be heard by councillors later this week.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee, meeting on November 15, are to consider a petition, entitled Reduce the Speed Limit at Square and Compass, calling for a reduction of the current 50mph limit on that section of the A487 Fishguard-St Davids road.

The petition, which attracted 127 signatures on the council’s own website, was started by Emma Tannahill, and has met the threshold for committee debate.

It reads: “We call on Pembrokeshire County Council to reduce the current speed limit of 50 miles per hour on the main road (A487) through Square and Compass as it is a serious safety concern for the community. This road is home to many families with young children.

“A school bus from Croes Goch Primary School has a drop-off point on this stretch of road which further exacerbates the risk of accidents. In addition, there are young families that cycle to and from Croes Goch primary school along this road.

“This section of road also serves as a thoroughfare for traffic to and from Croes Goch petrol station and Torbant caravan-site. Both of which see a high volume of traffic and pedestrian activity. The high speeds of traffic on the main road is a risk to those coming in and out of these sites.

“In addition to the petrol station and caravan-site there is also a pub and public bus stop, both of which are adjacent to this 50 mile per hour section of road. Reducing the speed limit would significantly improve safety for pedestrians and cyclist.”

Committee members will hear the petition at their November meeting.

A further speed reduction call petition, by Emma Pritchard of Broadway Community Group, for the Pembrokeshire village of Broadway will also be heard by the committee.

That petition reads: “We call on Pembrokeshire County Council to reduce the speed limit through the community of Broadway.

“The road is shared with pedestrians, children, dogs, horses and cyclists. It is the ‘pavement’ through Broadway. The current speed limit is dangerous to those sharing the road with vehicles.”

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Community

Angry locals fight ‘cash grab’ Porthgain parking charge plan

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A CALL to stop national park-approved council “cash grab” parking and traffic changes in a rural north Pembrokeshire seaside village will be heard by councillors later this week.

Pembrokeshire County Council, in an application before the September meeting of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s development management committee, was granted approval for a long list of changes to Porthgain Harbour, Porthgain.

It includes highway and environmental improvements, including new parking bays, a realignment of the existing Llanrhian Road carriageway, resurfacing of existing parking areas, designated pedestrian footways and crossings, and traffic calming features.

The National Park owns the land subject to the application, historically a quarry port prosperous in the early 1900s; the scheme recommended for conditional approval.

The village of 260 residents is dominated by the village green and informal car parking area and high visitor numbers during peak months cause traffic congestion, parking problems, and safety issues for pedestrians and emergency vehicles, a report for planners at that meeting said.

Local concerns raised in the report said the proposal would “change the ‘feral and free’ nature of Porthgain,” and is “a complete urbanisation of a very rural historic working harbour village” and the “natural charm of village will be ruined”.

Speaking at the September meeting, local county councillor Cllr Neil Prior said there had been much local division over the proposals, and he had been to “numerous meetings trying to smooth things out,” adding: “There have been some strong objections, there have been village tensions, which I regret; what started as harmonious and collegiate has been quite divisive.

“There’s been a number of strong objections but a number in quiet support, who perhaps haven’t made their views because of the tensions.”

Since then, a 517-strong e-petition was received on the council’s own website, started by Andrew Harries, which will now be heard at the November 15 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The petition reads: “We call on Pembrokeshire County Council to stop Porthgain changing.

“We are all dead against the proposals to change Porthgain. The village has been trapped in time since the quarry closed in the 1930s. The original houses, foundations, grounds and landscape have all remained the same since that day all of the workers lost their jobs.

“The proposed plans for Porthgain were drawn up by PCC and The National Parks. The plans would add dedicated parking spaces around the village, zebra crossings, pavements and more.

“To replace the grounds of where the workers and its buildings once stood with pavements and car parks is absolutely disgraceful.

“This is nothing more than a cash grab by PCC and National Parks. The new car park will most likely charge visitors, which will also affect the businesses as well as decrease the villages footfall.”

Committee members will now consider the petition at their November meeting.

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