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8th Annual Scuba Santa Event ‘SCUBA SANTAS’ is a charity

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Scuba Santa: Raising money for charity and lots of fun!

Scuba Santa: Raising money for charity and lots of fun!

‘SCUBA SANTAS’ is a charity event, encouraging as many scuba divers as possible to dress in a Santa Claus costume and enjoy the fun of a festive dive, whilst raising money for charity. The event aims to gather as many Scuba Santas together as possible, to try and break their previous record of 158.

This year we are trying to encourage 100 to 200 Scuba Santas to dress up and raise over £2,000. The event is being held on Sunday December 14,at the National Diving & Activity Centre (NDAC), a popular inland quarry dive site near Chepstow. Since 2007 Scuba Santas has raised over £20,000 for charity, which is incredible. Money raised is given to two charities; the RNLI and from 2013 also to DDRC Healthcare (a hyperbaric medical facility and specialists in diving health).

Scuba Santas was originally organised by Lloyd Watkin who set up the event with a team of others from Yorkshire Divers. From 2013, the charity DDRC Healthcare has joined Lloyd as co-organiser, or Scuba Santa’s Little Helper!

DDRC Healthcare Marketing & Fundraising Manager, Louise Walsh said: “We are delighted to be helping to organise this fantastic annual event and very grateful for the support of our hosts, the National Diving & Activity Centre, as well as all those raising money for the RNLI and DDRC Healthcare. It certainly isn’t every day you get to see over one hundred Santas take to the water for a dive!”

Fantastic raffle prizes have been donated including a dive holiday for 6 to the Costa Brava in Spain worth £1,800 by Fleet Dive. Details of all the prizes, supporters and sponsors can be viewed at www.scuba-santas.co.uk together with up to date information and booking form for this year’s event. This event is a true visual spectacle and lots of fun!

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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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