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Volunteering champ Sam keeps his feet on the ground

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Young achiever: Sam at the awards ceremony with his family.

Young achiever: Sam at the awards ceremony with his family.

HE may be the winner of Radio Pembrokeshire’s Volunteering Award but young Sam Davies has his feet well and truly on the ground. He is keen to attribute so much of his success to the St John’s Ambulance Service he has come to love and serve. 17 year-old Sam, who is currently a pupil at Pembroke School, hopes to join the Navy as a student nurse and is convinced that his volunteer work with St John’s is a marvellous stepping stone to success on that journey. “Medicine makes me tick” he says “which is why I first got involved with St John’s. I’ve always had a keen interest in and passion for the emergency services and their work confirmed to me that I want to work on the caring side of things. It is an amazing organisation.

They protect and take care of me as well as train me. I really do feel part of a family.” According to Sam the local division currently has some 15 cadets and a similar number of adults but things were not as healthy a few years ago when he first joined. He explained: “I was nominated by the Divisional Officer Victoria Stevens. There was a time when we were down to three members and she feels that I have done so much to get things off the ground by promoting it especially in school. We are so much stronger now and she has said she could not have done it without me.

She is delighted with what is happening and we seem to be getting so much better known locally which is good.” In nominating Sam Divisional Office Stevens wrote: “He was very quiet at first, but started training in First Aid skills, absorbing the skills and information like a sponge. By the time our busy season for duties started, he was a qualified First aider looking forward to helping his community. In that first season, he completed 234 duty hours and assisted dozens of sick and injured people in Pembrokeshire.He also noted that as a small division we needed help with fundraising.

That year he raised over £600 by doing bag packs in Asda and Tesco. He has performed duties at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, at the National Eisteddfod in Llanelli and regularly helps out at Parc Y Scarlets. He has travelled to Hungary with other cadets from St John Cymru to take part in First Aid simulations and competitions, where he was also roped into teaching local people First Aid there!’’

Sam is nothing if not an enthusiastic supporter of St John’s. “It has been amazing” he continued. “I go to meetings twice a week for training and personal development and then get to work with them over weekends. The amount will depend on the events and the season. We have great fun and all this has allowed me to gain lots of qualifications in youth leadership and personal development as well as first aid.” Sam has had already had a varied experience of health and emergency issues but he has also discovered the importance of sensitivity and compassion: “I have to admit that I have been surprised to see just how important the social side of the work is – comforting and consoling people in the hour of need” he explained.

“It really helps if you are a good talker. I’ve discovered just how important it is to deal with people as people and not just as statistics or numbers.” And through his encounters with role models such as Divisional Office Stevens, Sam Davies has come to see that he could be a link in an inspirational chain too: “My nomination came as a big surprise” he observed. “I had asked Victoria to nominate someone else but she told me that they already had someone in mind. I didn’t exactly guess but I had a suspicion it was me and I hoped I was wrong because I hate being embarrassed and fight shy of the limelight.

I was a bit gobsmacked when my mum told me and I really did not know what to say. But this has given me a big boost and has shown me that if you get stuck into something you can really achieve something. I would really encourage other young people to find something they can enjoy and get stuck into instead of being sat at home doing nothing it’s far better being out there doing something worthwhile I’ve seen the difference it can make when people come up and thank you. You meet so many inspiring people and you simply want to follow them in being an example.”

Divisional Officer Stevens would clearly agree given her nomination. Sam, she wrote: “Has now qualified as a Cadet Trainer – passing on his skills to the other cadets. I have watched him grow from a quiet, shy boy to a confident, self-assured young man who is always willing to assist others, putting them first before himself. I am nominating him for the volunteering award as I firmly believe that he deserves recognition for himself and the things that he has achieved. He is a role model to other young people – a true inspiration.’’

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Community

Mayor of Bergen visits Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre

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IT was a Mayoral gathering when the Burgermeisterin of Bergen, in Germany, paid a visit to Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre in the company of Councillor Aden Brinn, the Mayor of Bergen’s twin town, Pembroke.

There to meet Burgermeisterin Claudia Dettmar-Muller and her colleague Silvia Bothe were two former Mayors of Pembroke Dock, Councillors Pam George and Maureen Colgan, and trustees and volunteers who run the Centre. Joining them was Pembroke’s Deputy Mayor, Councillor Ann Mortenson.

Trustee Peter Mitchell and colleagues gave a guided town of the Centre which has extensive displays on Pembroke Dock’s rich maritime and military history spanning just over two centuries, and its connections with RAF flying boats.

Pic By Martin Cavaney.

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Community

Wonderful night at Haverfordwest Library for special Poet Laureate event

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HAVERFORDWEST Library was delighted to be part of the prestigious Poet Laureate Library Tour for 2024 with a special event on Friday, March 8.
Pembrokeshire County Council Chairman, Cllr Thomas Tudor extended a special welcome to the guests of honour: Poet Laureate Simon Armitage; his guests Owen Sheers and Bethany Handley; plus the winners of the recent library Poetry Competition.
The poetry began with writer, poet and disabled activist, Bethany Handley. Bethany campaigns for better access to nature for disabled people, and her work explores nature and disability, challenging the barriers that disabled people experience.
Bethany’s first poem was heartfelt and humorous about her experience of visiting a beach in her wheelchair. Her final poem also drew on her experiences, being a compilation poem of many well-intentioned, yet impractical or inappropriate, advice that she has received as a wheelchair user.
Owen Sheers is an award winning Welsh poet, author and playwright. He has twice won the Wales Book of the Year as well as the Hay Festival Poetry Medal.
His film-poem, the Green Hollow, about the Aberfan disaster, was BAFTA and Grierson nominated and won three BAFTA Cymru awards, including best writer.
Owen read an extract from the Green Hollow, bringing the horror of the disaster to life. He also read poems about parenthood and his experiences as a son and as a father.
The Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry.
Simon launched into a poem about humanity, the universe and working as one. He then used his back catalogue of poems written for music. His poems covered some unusually random themes, particularly those he crafted during the Covid pandemic.
He said that he’d even written a poem inspired by a Velux window and read a beautiful poem about laying in a hammock watching a pair of newly-weds sail overhead in a hot air balloon.
His performances were engaging, humorous and moving and he brought the words to life.
Simon also spoke warmly about the importance of libraries as a child but also as an adult travelling about the country, with libraries always offering a warm welcome.
Ashok Ahir, President of the National Library of Wales thanked the three poets and introduced the new exhibition in the gallery, Dylan: The Lyrical Life of Dylan Thomas.
The exhibition is open to the public until 14th September 2024. Further information can be seen online.
The event drew to a close as Cllr Tudor issued the prizes to the winners of the recent poetry eisteddfod competition. The competition celebrated the language, culture, heritage and literature of Wales.
The theme was Dylan Thomas. Entries could draw inspiration from any of his works or seek inspiration from a specific quote: “from where you are, you can hear their dreams”.
Entries received were of a high standard and were judged by Wendy Morse (leader of the Haverfordwest Library Poetry Group, who would welcome new members, contact Haverfordwest Library for more information); representatives from the Library staff and the National Library of Wales staff. The poems will be on display at Haverfordwest Library until the end of the Easter Holidays.

Prizes have been awarded to:
• Sian Davies: Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, adult written poem category
• James Purchase: I Shall go Gentle into that Good Night, adult written poem category
• Philippa Davies: Dylan is in the Library, adult spoken word category
• Tony Potts: Windfall, adult illustrated poem category
• John Matthews: Dylan Cwmdonkin, adult Welsh language category
• Ellie McGrath: It was all a Dream, 11-14 age category
• Skye-Lea Jones: Are you Listening?,11-14 age category
Thanks to the judges of the poetry competition and to Faber & Faber, who donated the book prizes in support of the Poet Laureate’s Library Tour.
Cllr Thomas Tudor said: “The Riverside opened its doors in December 2018 and has enjoyed many fascinating exhibitions since thanks to the continued partnership with the National Library of Wales.
“The Riverside was one of just six libraries to host this Poet Laureate Library Tour for 2024.
“It is a fantastic achievement for Haverfordwest Library to be a part of these significant events, helping to raise the profile and regeneration of the County Town and I thank everyone who has worked hard to make the event a success.”
The event would not have been possible without the continued support from The National Library of Wales and Haverfordwest Town Council. The President of the National Library of Wales and the Mayor, Sheriff and Clerk of Haverfordwest Town Council were all present.

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Charity

Bags of Books returns to Milford Haven and surrounding areas this Easter

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THE INFAMOUS Bags of Books is set to return to Milford Haven and surrounding areas over the Easter holidays.

Milford Haven School who launched the project with Milford Youth Matters over 3 years ago are continuing in their bid to improve literacy skills and encourage a love of reading for pleasure by giving away over 700 books.

Thanks to funding from the South Hook LNG Community grant they have purchased books for young people of all ages and reading abilities and will be hanging them on the fences of the schools in their catchment area.

The community are invited to come and choose a book from the following locations over the Easter holidays:

  • Neyland Community Primary School – Monday 25th March
  • Johnston Community Primary School – Tuesday 26th March
  • Coastlands Primary School – Wednesday 27th March
  • Gelliswick Primary School – Tuesday 2nd April
  • Milford Haven Community Primary – Wednesday 3rd April
  • St Francis Community Primary – Wednesday 3rd April

Milford Haven Secondary School will also hang over 150 books on their fence after the Easter Holidays on Wednesday 10th April for those in our community who cannot attend the other locations.

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