Community

Amazing turn out for Palestine evening

Published

6 years ago

January 5, 2015

Delicious: The audience participated in making a group Palestinian meal.

EARLIER this month, a fund raising and awareness evening was held in Newport for Palestine, where the audience lived the lives of people in a different part of the world. Dasa, a film-maker from the Czech republic organised the audience to help with the cooking of a traditional Palestinian dish. Participants got into large groups, washing, whisking, and chopping together for a group meal, as it is the norm in Eastern countries. The full hall then watched films with a food and farming theme.

In Palestine trouble is a part of everyday life. One film showed men arguing light-heartedly and cooking the same dish we had just prepared, but unfortunately they were taken away by the Israeli forces before they had a chance to eat it. The people were left to eat, still debating the best recipe. The next film showed how groups of women are forming cooperatives to get Palestinian produce back on the shelves and in the markets, organically grown. There were some great characters with powerful stories to tell.

Men are now asking to join the women’s coops, and offering double membership to get in. Much of the land they are growing on is now being seized by Israel against international law. At other times olive trees are cut down and livestock killed. Inevitably people asked what they could do. Opportunities for boycotts and letter writing were among the answers. Attendees who had visited Palestine recalled their experiences. A young woman from Narberth was part of a circus group formed to bring joy and laughter into troubled lives.

They had all been held for hours or days by the security forces before they could get into Palestine. They said that the enormous warmth and welcome made it an unforgettable experience, everyone in Palestine speaks English! The day before our meeting there was a passionate back-bench debate in Westminster and the day of our event France voted to recognise Palestine as a nation. There is no doubt this is the hottest international topic not just in the world but in Wales too.

Community

Fishguard and Goodwick Mural project turns to Crowdfunder to raise money

Published

2 days ago

June 14, 2021

Andy Chandler

PLANS to put up a few bright and decorative murals around the twin towns of Fishguard & Goodwick have turned to Crowdfunder to raise the money needed for their vision.

Andrew Harries, found of the Fishguard Future Projects, wants to place 12 murals around Fishguard and Goodwick “to help brighten up the town and showcase its culture and history”.

Andrew said: “Having been born and raised in Fishguard, I have seen the town’s highs and lows.

“Fishguard and Goodwick has a lot of potential with the tourism trade growing every year and the popular events such as the Music Festivals, The New Years Eve Street Party, The Carnival, The Soapbox Derby and many more helping attract even more visitors.”

The murals, which were initially turned down for funding when a grant application was refused, will focus on the two towns “interesting but lesser known history” that Andrew feels needs to be highlighted.

Andrew told The Herald: “Each design will be 8 x 6ft and mounted professionally on buildings around the area. Having spoken to a few business owners around the town, this project has received a lot of positive feedback.”

“The murals will unfortunately need to be fully funded via Crowdfunder, after a grant application was turned down.

“I have explored the option of having them traditionally painted on, but this would be more cost effective and would need to be maintained every 5 – 8 years. With this in mind, the designs will be created digitally and then professionally mounted on aluminium composite.”

If you want to help, you can find the link to Andrew’s Crowdfunder here.

Community

Drive for new recruits as Army Cadets re-open

Published

6 days ago

June 10, 2021

Andy Chandler

DYFED AND GLAMORGAN ARMY CADET FORCE are now able to accept new joiners aged 12 (and in Year 8 at School) to 17 years old.

Joining the Army Cadets will give access to a wide range of exciting activities, from adventurous training (AT) such as kayaking, mountain biking and abseiling and Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme to military-themed activities including shooting, fieldcraft and skill at arms, as well as training in first aid, young adults get the chance to discover lots of new experiences and make new friends.

There is no obligation to join the Forces at all, but they can give some guidance if you are interested.

There are no subscription charges, uniform is issued free on a loan basis; the only thing you need to supply yourselves is Boots.

The Cadet Force are also looking for adult volunteers, both uniformed and non-uniformed to assist as well.

They have Detachments located in Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Narberth, Tenby, Milford Haven, Neyland, Pembroke Dock, Tenby, St Clears, Llanelli, Trimsarren and Burry Port.

Most Detachments parade twice a week in the evenings 1900 – 2100hrs on a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday (Depending on Location) and try to get away for a weekend every month as well as organising summer camps.

Further Information is available at :- www.armycadets.com or call them on 01656 657593 (Option 1) to find out where your local detachment is and what nights they Parade.

Community

Food Waste Heroes needed in Pembrokeshire

Published

1 week ago

June 7, 2021

Carli Newell

TESCO’S Pembroke Dock Superstore has joined forces with food sharing app and social enterprise OLIO which is encouraging people across Pembrokeshire to become Food Waste Heroes.

The OLIO app allows anyone who signs up to tackle the issue of food waste at a local level.

OLIO Food Waste Heroes collect surplus food that might otherwise go to waste from supermarkets and other food businesses and share it with others locally for free via a contact-free pick-up.

Food Waste Heroes will be collecting surplus food from Tesco local stores taking part in the scheme, including the Tesco Pembroke Dock Superstore, and take it home ready to upload it to the app and share it with their community.

To reward them for taking part Food Waste Heroes are allowed to keep 10% of anything they collect to enjoy at home.

Saasha Celestial-One, co-founder of OLIO, said: “People become a Food Waste Hero for many different reasons but they each share a commitment to reducing food waste at scale. It is extremely rewarding because distributing large quantities of surplus food via the app means you get to see exactly what food you are preventing from going to waste.

“In the process of sharing our FWHs also get to meet a lot of new people in their neighbourhood, people from all walks of life. Finally, FWHs are able to keep up to 10% of their haul for themselves, so they can enjoy some of the delicious rescued food too!”

OLIO is registered with the Food Standards Agency, which ensures that all food collected is safe for human consumption.

Paul Johns, Store Manager at Tesco Pembroke Dock encouraged people to get involved.

“At Tesco we are committed to tackling food waste and we already donate our store’s surplus food to local charities and community groups through our Community Food Connection scheme with FareShare,” he said.

“But on some days local charities and community groups are unable to collect from us, and that is why we are supporting OLIO in the hunt for Food Waste Heroes across Pembrokeshire so that even more of our surplus food is eaten rather than wasted.”

To become a Food Waste Hero or find out more, visit https://olioex.com/get-involved/volunteer/