Community

Local author storming up Amazon book charts

Published

10 years ago

November 27, 2014

Tom Sinclair

No wreck: Storming book charts.

A PEMBROKESHIRE author has seen his first book go straight to the number one spot on an Amazon best sellers chart. James Hedley Phillips’ debut book, ‘Pembrokeshire Trilogy, Tales of the Sea’, contains many stories and facts collected by Mr Hedley in his, near half century, of diving experiences. The writer has found more than 30 wrecks in his diving career, including a 15th century trading ship and coal freighter, but he believes there are over 3000 known wrecks off the Pembrokeshire coast. His career in diving began in 1968 and he has dived in many waters, including those off of North Carolina, Florida, Israel, Greece, France and Sri Lanka, but states that none compare to the ‘unforgiving’ seas in West Wales, of which he said: “Pembrokeshire has always been infamous for the variety of its sea and wind patterns, so in previous centuries sail ships were utterly at the mercy of the elements.

But when you add in dangerous rocks then even modern vessels are vulnerable to a combination of features which you don’t quite find anywhere else in the world.” The Herald spoke exclusively with ‘Jim’ Hedley Phillips at his Pembrokeshire home, starting by asking him what had first inspired him to dive and how diving has changed over the years: “I am an outdoor person and my family are all from maritime areas, so i fancied scuba diving.To breath underwater, it’s fascinating. The equipment has improved tremendously, we used to use wet suits, which are cold, but now we use dry suits so you stay dry and don’t get cold and can stay diving for much longer.

The safety is much better and we don’t use twin hoses anymore and we have decompression computers that we wear.” The Herald asked what his most memorable finds were and what are the main dangers of diving: “Probably Entering a room in wreck that had sunk in the 30’s. The door had rotted and on the floor were the hinges, locks and handles. We found knives and forks on the floor where the table had rotted away and these were left. In Pembrokeshire, if I narrowed it down, I would say the ‘Langton Grange’ on Bell Rock, We went 150 foot down and there was row after row of dinner plates – the galley had disappeared but the plates were all in a row. If it was gold we had found, everybody would be coming out of the woodwork – you don’t get the problems if you don’t find treasure.

There is supposed to be the ‘Santa Cruz’ which was apparently sunk off Pembrokeshire with millions of pounds worth of gold on board. I looked at the archives, but there is no actual record of anything expensive sinking around here really.” “I have never found human remains diving, everything is recycled, it is a normal process. You don’t find bones but we have found buttons, on the ‘Nimrod, that sunk in 1860, buttons from the uniforms of the 45th regiment. Half a dozen soldiers went down – next to the cabinet where the booze was kept.” “The main risk is getting stuck.

You always dive with someone you have confidence in so if a problem occurs they can get you out of it. We don’t get a decompression problem because of the amount of slack water, so a diver can only go down for 20 minutes before the current starts up. The deeper you go go, though, the harder it is to concentrate, it’s called ‘nitrogen narcosis’. The nitrogen becomes like an alcohol and you can feel it coming on – but with years of experience you can push it away.” “There are no problems being attacked by a shark around here, seal pups, however, will pull your fins – they are just playing though! I have only seen sharks in Sri Lanka – they circled us but they didn’t come that close to us, fortunately.”

“It’s not just about shipwrecks – it’s looked at the pirates from Pembrokeshire – it’s more about stories and the people and characters. It’s worth a read just for the history of Skomer – 90% of the book will be about stuff of which people don’t know. Like the ‘Vendome’, it took 4 minutes to find the wreck, but just off it was a cave, I saw the biggest Conga eel I have ever seen, it was as thick as a telegraph pole. It had teeth the size of a Sabre Tooth tiger – I gallantly backed away! Finally, we asked if there were more volumes planned: “This first book took ten months, working some 12 hours a day, sorting it out, explaining the stories and getting it all together, but you get so involved that time means nothing. I have done 40 years of research, the book was very thick so I thought I would do it as a trilogy – all together it would be thicker than ‘War and Peace!’ I self published the book, paid for everything.”

Community

Landfill odour sparks calls for inquiry and legal action

Published

17 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

RESIDENTS near Withyhedge landfill in Haverfordwest are demanding a public inquiry and considering legal action after foul odours returned just weeks after the site reopened on 6 January.

The landfill, closed last May to address odour issues, was declared fit to reopen by operator RML, which claimed its improvements would protect nearby communities. However, Colin Barnett, of campaign group Stop the Stink, said: “People in Crundale, Haverfordwest, and Spittal are being subjected to horrendous smells again.”

Describing the site as a “stink bomb on steroids,” Barnett supported Conservative MS Paul Davies’ calls for a public inquiry. “We’ve been flanneled by NRW, public health, and Pembrokeshire council. It’s disgraceful,” he said, adding that delays in resolving the issue had left litigation as the only option.

RML, part of Dauson Environmental Group, is owned by businessman David Neal, who has previous convictions for environmental crimes in 2013 and 2017. Last year, another of Neal’s companies pleaded guilty to environmental offences.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) reported receiving 34 complaints since 6 January, with a rise in recent days coinciding with the end of a slurry-spreading ban. However, NRW stated no odours attributable to the landfill were detected and plans to inspect the site with Pembrokeshire council on 29 January.

First Minister Eluned Morgan said: “I’ll keep a very close eye on this, and if concerns persist, we’ll discuss further steps with NRW.”

RML and the Welsh Government declined to comment.

Community

Public transport users urged to ‘check before travelling’ due to storm

Published

18 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

TRANSPORT FOR WALES and Network Rail are urging all customers to check before they travel on Friday morning and into the weekend with weather warnings in place across the country.

With Storm Eowyn set to hit Wales and winds reaching 90mph on Friday morning, customers should expect disruptions and are strongly urged to check before they travel.

There will be alterations to rail services, replacement road transport on certain routes and blanket speed restrictions at some locations, meaning journeys could take longer than usual.

Stand by buses are being planned at key locations around the network in preparation for travel disruption.

Across Wales and the Borders, Network Rail have positioned response teams to address any storm related problems to keep disruption to a minimum.

TfW Operations Director Sarah Higgins said: “It’s so important for our customers to plan ahead when looking to travel this Friday.

“While we’ve made a number of changes to our services based on detailed forecasts, storms can still be unpredictable.

“We’ve seen the impact storms can have, with damage to trains and infrastructure sometimes taking weeks or months to repair, so our cross-industry approach will hopefully limit that and keep our colleagues and customers safe. We apologise to customers for any disruption to their journeys as a result.”

Network Rail Wales & Borders Operations Director Rachel Heath added: “Our priority is always keeping safe everyone who travels and works on the railway.

“Unfortunately, there will be some delays and cancellations on Friday, as trains will not run on some lines and there will speed restrictions on other parts of the route.

“We are working closely with our train operator colleagues to ensure we can safely reopen affected lines as quickly as possible and urge passengers to check before they travel.”

Rail service changes:

No services to run on the Conwy Valley Line all day, with replacement road transport in place.
No services to run on the Heart of Wales line all day, with replacement road transport in place.
Speed restrictions at various locations around the network, meaning some journeys will take longer than usual. These include:

  50mph speed restrictions imposed from 0200 to 1500 Friday on the North Wales Coast – Bodorgan to Llandudno Junction.
  50mph restrictions from 0200 to 1200 between Carmarthen to Kidwelly.
  50mph restrictions from 0200 to 1200 between Neath and Swansea.
  50mph restrictions from 0100 – 0800 between Newport and Llanwern.

Customers who have connecting tickets for the following operators who have suspended services due to the adverse weather conditions, we’ll honour tickets dated 24 January on either Thursday 23 January or up to and including Tuesday 28 January.

       London Northeastern Railway
       LUMO
       TransPennine Express
       Northern
       Grand Central
       Avanti

Community

Mid and West Wales Fire Service launches recruitment drive

Published

19 hours ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE MID AND WEST WALES FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE has announced it is halfway through its recruitment window for Wholetime Firefighters. The service is actively seeking individuals from diverse backgrounds to join their ranks and contribute to the safety and well-being of communities across Mid and West Wales.

Chief Fire Officer Roger Thomas KFSM emphasised the evolving nature of the firefighter’s role, stating, “The role of a Wholetime Firefighter goes far beyond tackling fires, road traffic collisions and water rescues. Modern-day firefighters play a crucial part in educating the public and working to prevent risks to life and the environment.”

The MAWWFRS is keen to attract applicants with a wide range of skills and experiences, recognising the diverse challenges faced by today’s fire service. “We encourage people from a variety of backgrounds to apply, emphasising the diverse skill set needed for this challenging yet rewarding career,” added Thomas.

This recruitment initiative is seen as a vital step in ensuring the service has the necessary personnel to respond effectively to emergencies and maintain safety standards across the region. The MAWWFRS covers a vast area, encompassing nearly two-thirds of Wales, making it the third largest Fire and Rescue Service in the United Kingdom.

Prospective candidates are encouraged to visit the MAWWFRS website for detailed information on fitness requirements, the application process, and how to apply. The online registration window closes at 12pm on Monday, 27th January 2025.

As the service continues its mission to create safer communities, this recruitment drive offers an opportunity for individuals to become part of a team that makes a real difference in people’s lives.

Citations:
[1] http://eastwoodacademy.co.uk/docs/How%20to%20write%20a%20newspaper%20article.pdf
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid_and_West_Wales_Fire_and_Rescue_Service
[3] https://midwestwalesfire.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s5689/HR%20People%20and%20Well-Being%20Update%20Report.pdf
[4] https://nickdale.me/2023/05/31/how-to-write-a-newspaper-article/
[5] https://www.gov.wales/find-your-local-fire-and-rescue-service
[6] https://www.mawwfire.gov.uk/eng/join-us/current-vacancies/
[7] https://www.superprof.co.uk/resources/questions/english/broadsheet-articles.html
[8] https://www.mawwfire.gov.uk
[9] https://www.mawwfire.gov.uk/eng/join-us/
[10] https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/body/mid_and_west_wales_fire_and_rescue_service