Community

Big day for Youth Opportunities Competitions

Published

11 years ago

December 30, 2014

LAST week saw the start of the annual programme of Youth Opportunities Competitions run by the Rotary Club of Narberth & Whitland with the first rounds of both the Young Chef and Youth Speaks competitions being held. The first was the Young Chef Competition held at Ysgol Dyffryn Taf by kind permission of the Headmaster Mr Robert Newsome, during the afternoon. The second was the first round of the Youth Speaks Competition, which is a debating and public speaking competition run for pupils at secondary schools, which was held at the Plas Hyfryd Hotel, Narberth.

The two secondary schools in the Narberth & Whitland Rotarty Club’s catchment area are Ysgol Dyffryn Taf, Whitland; and Ysgol Preseli, Crymych,. The two judges for the Young Chef Competition, Mr Bill Cotton and Mr Bruce Guy commented that over the fourteen years that they had been judging this competition, that this one was by far of the highest standard and that they had found it very difficult indeed to pick a winner from such talented young chefs. The cooking, presentation and taste of all the wonderful dishes produced was superb.

After some very difficult judging they announced that the winner was Eleri Bunn from Ysgol Preseli. The other participants, who all received high praise from the judges were – Rhian Cook, Nia James from Ysgol PreselI, and Katie Reynolds from Dyffryn Taf. The Rotary Club is very grateful to all those taking part, and particularly to the sponsors Lolfa Cynin of Lleti Cynin Leisure Centre at St Clears represented by Hari Stephenson.

Mr Rob Elward is the organiser of all the Rotary Club Youth Opportunies Competitions throughout the year. Eleri will now compete at the next round of the competition which includes all secondary schools from Pembrokeshire. If she is successful there she will have the opportunity to compete in the South Wales District Final, and then hopefully onwards to a UK Regional Final; and eventually to the big one which is the UK final which includes Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Youth Speaks competition was held in the evening of the same day at the Plas Hyfryd Hotel in Narberth. This competition is split into two halves; one for younger pupils, the Intermediate Age Group for pupils under 14; and the other the Senior Age Group for pupils under 18. There were two teams taking part in each category. The Rotary Club are extremely grateful to the three judges for giving of their valuable time and expertise.

They were Richard Cole, Nan Llewellin and Merion Morse. Once again the standard of debate was very high giving the judges a very difficult task in reaching a decision. After giving some valuable feedback to each individual participant the judges announced that the winning team for the Intermediate Category were Team 2 from Ysgol Dyffryn Taf, Whitland; and the winners of the Senior Age Group Category were Team 1, also from Ysgol Dyffryn Taf. The next two Youth Opportunities Competitions, for Young Photographer and Young Writer, will be held early next year.

Community

Bike challenge in memory of Samantha to raise funds for St David’s Hospice

Published

5 hours ago

December 8, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A MILFORD HAVEN man will take on an eight-hour stationary bike ride early in the new year to raise money for the hospice that cared for his sister-in-law during her final months.

Ian Hobbs will complete the challenge at Inner Tiger Fitness on Friday, 3 January, in support of St David’s Hospice, Newport, which provided end-of-life care for Samantha, who died from bowel cancer earlier this year at the age of 44.

Ian and his wife Steph say the fundraiser is a way to thank the hospice for the “tremendous care and support” Samantha received during her illness. Ian set an initial target of £500, which has already been met, and has now increased the goal to £1,000.

The effort is also offering an opportunity for local businesses to sponsor Ian’s challenge. He will be wearing a T-shirt displaying the hospice logo, with space for additional business logos to be added ahead of the event.

Steph said the family hope the community will get behind the fundraiser to help raise as much as possible for the hospice, which relies heavily on donations to continue its work.

The JustGiving page for the challenge can be found here:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/ian-hobbs-1

Community

Scouts plant 1,000 purple crocuses to support the global push to end polio

Published

5 hours ago

December 8, 2025

Tom Sinclair

YOUNG people from 1st Johnston Scout Group spent their Saturday morning making a positive difference in their community by planting around 1,000 purple crocus corms in Withybush Woods, Haverfordwest, as part of a global movement to help eradicate polio.

The planting session contributes towards the Group’s Community Impact work and for many of those taking part, it offered the chance to take local action linked to a global cause.

The purple crocuses carry an important message. They represent a worldwide effort to end polio, a virus that mainly affects children under the age of five. Polio can lead to paralysis, breathing difficulties and in some cases, death. Routine vaccinations mean young people in the UK are protected, but the virus remains present in parts of the world. Until polio is eliminated everywhere, children everywhere remain at risk.

The colour choice is deeply symbolic. During mass vaccination campaigns in some parts of the world, children’s fingers are marked with purple ink once they receive the vaccine. This is an easy visual way for health workers to track progress. When the crocuses bloom in spring, they will stand as a reminder of the children still waiting for the vaccine.

This planting was delivered in partnership with the Rotary Club of Haverfordwest who supplied the corms through a national initiative, where donations support vaccination programmes backed by the World Health Organisation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary International and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Simon Preddy, Group Lead Volunteer said: “As we head into Christmas, the Scouts wanted to do something that gives back. Planting these corms is a small act, but the message behind it is powerful. When the flowers appear, they’ll remind us that even local efforts can support children across the world.”

Now tucked safely beneath winter soil, the crocus corms will wait for spring, ready to bloom into a field of purple hope. A simple gesture of care, community, and the belief that every child deserves the chance to grow up healthy and a meaningful way to mark the season of giving.

Community

Santa to tour Neyland before festive grotto opens at Community Hub

Published

23 hours ago

December 8, 2025

Tom Sinclair

NEYLAND will welcome Father Christmas on Friday 19 December as the town’s annual sleigh tour and Christmas grotto return, organised by Neyland Town Council with support from Gareth Hughes Motors.

The Christmas Fairy announced the event on social media with the seasonal message: “It’s tiiiiiiimmmmmmeeee! I hope you’ve all been good… come and meet the big man himself. You might even get a little treat if you’re on Santa’s good list. We can’t wait to see you all there.”

Santa will begin his sleigh ride around Neyland at 5:30pm, with the elves from Gareth Hughes Motors escorting him through several of the town’s residential streets. The planned route will take in Rose and Willow at 5:30pm, Springfield Avenue, the entrance to Gordon Parry, the Forresters, Policeman’s Bank, the Yacht Club area, and Riverside Avenue by the cenotaph.

The sleigh will then arrive at Neyland Community Hub at 6:30pm, where Santa’s Grotto will open for families to visit. Hot festive food will be available to buy from The Hub’s kitchen throughout the evening.

The event is free to attend, with the Town Council encouraging as many families as possible to come along and enjoy the festivities.