Prestigious prizes celebrate Pembrokeshire’s bluestone heritage as National Eisteddfod marks 850 years

THE Crown and Chair for this year’s National Eisteddfod have been officially unveiled at a special ceremony in St Davids, launching celebrations to mark the festival’s 850th anniversary.

The two prestigious prizes, which will be awarded during Eisteddfod y Garreg Las in August, draw heavily on the landscape, culture and history of west Wales, with Preseli bluestone featuring prominently in both designs.

The Crown, awarded for a free-verse poem or collection of poems on the theme Adnabod (Knowing), was created by husband-and-wife jewellers Elen and Dylan Bowen of Bowen Jewellery, based in Newcastle Emlyn.

Inspired by the traditional farming proverb, “Gold beneath the bracken, silver beneath the gorse, hunger beneath the heather,” the design reflects the varied landscapes of the Eisteddfod catchment area, from the Pembrokeshire coast to the Preseli Hills.

The Crown incorporates pieces of Preseli bluestone in its central emblem, known as the Nod Cyfrin, while a gold line running across the front represents the ancient Golden Road through the Preseli Mountains. Specially woven fabric created in Llandovery forms part of the design, using colours inspired by the local landscape.

Elen Bowen said the couple wanted the Crown to capture the character of the area.

“We have tried to reflect the rolling landscape of the Preseli Hills, where individual stones stand proudly on the skyline. The bluestone sits at the heart of the design and helps tell the story of this remarkable part of Wales,” she said.

This is the first time the couple have designed an Eisteddfod Crown.

Chair rooted in local history

The Eisteddfod Chair, awarded for a poem in strict metre on the theme Llinell | Llinellau (Line | Lines), has been designed and crafted by Tomos Lewis, a Design and Technology teacher at Ysgol Caer Elen in Haverfordwest and owner of woodcraft business Dail Pren.

Commissioned by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, the Chair combines locally sourced oak, Preseli bluestone and fabric produced at Melin Tregwynt.

Its design incorporates references to the historic chair of Lord Rhys at Cardigan Castle, the Preseli Mountains, the Rebecca Riots and the shared heritage of Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.

Tomos said the Chair was intended to reflect both the landscape and the communities that make up the Eisteddfod catchment area.

“The back of the Chair brings together three pieces of wood to represent the three counties, while other elements draw inspiration from the area’s history, agriculture and landmarks,” he said.

The oak used in its construction came from a tree grown within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and will be finished with beeswax.

Symbol of Welsh culture

Accepting the Crown and Chair on behalf of the local organising committee, executive committee chairman John Davies described the occasion as a proud moment.

“We are launching celebrations marking 850 years since the first Eisteddfod and it is a tremendous honour to receive these beautiful symbols of Welsh culture and creativity,” he said.

“Bluestone lies at the heart of both the Crown and Chair, just as this area has inspired everyone involved in bringing this year’s festival together.”

The Crown and Chair will be displayed at Cardigan Castle until the end of July before being moved to the Eisteddfod Maes.

Eisteddfod y Garreg Las will be held at Llantwd from August 1 to August 8. The Crowning Ceremony will take place on Monday, August 3, at 4:00pm, while the Chairing Ceremony will be held on Friday, August 7, at 4:00pm.

Photo caption:

Preseli pride: The Crown and Chair for Eisteddfod y Garreg Las draw inspiration from Pembrokeshire’s bluestone heritage and local landscape (Pic: National Eisteddfod).

NEW NHS funding must be matched by proper workforce planning if it is to cut waiting lists and improve patient care, nursing leaders have warned.

The Royal College of Nursing Wales has responded to a Welsh Government announcement of an additional £145 million investment in NHS Wales.

The package includes £100 million in revenue funding to reduce waiting times, £25 million capital funding for new surgical and diagnostic hubs, and £20 million for essential maintenance across the NHS estate.

The Welsh Government says the investment is intended to increase capacity, speed up diagnosis and help more patients receive planned treatment more quickly.

Up to ten surgical and diagnostic hubs are expected to be developed across Wales over the next four years. These facilities are designed to carry out high-volume planned treatment and tests away from the day-to-day pressure of emergency hospital care.

But RCN Wales said the success of the plan would depend not only on buildings and equipment, but on having enough trained staff to run the services safely.

Nicola Williams, Executive Director of RCN Wales, said: “RCN Wales welcomes this additional investment in NHS Wales and the Welsh Government’s commitment to reducing waiting times and improving patient care and outcomes.

“Investment in surgical and diagnostic hubs, alongside funding for essential maintenance, has the potential to significantly improve our population’s health, reduce delays, improve experiences and increase NHS capacity.

“However, buildings and equipment alone will not reduce waiting lists. Delivering sustainable improvements depends on having the right, appropriately trained and skilled workforce in place, and nurses will play a pivotal role in the provision of safe, effective and efficient care.”

She said robust workforce modelling and planning would be “critically important” if the hubs were to achieve their ambitions.

The announcement comes as RCN Wales joins healthcare leaders, employers and government representatives at a Graduate Summit to discuss employment opportunities for this year’s nursing graduates.

RCN Wales said it welcomed the Welsh Government’s focus on the issue, but warned that newly qualified nurses had faced uncertainty about securing permanent employment despite continuing pressure across NHS services.

Ms Williams said: “Nursing staff are telling us consistently and across Wales that, despite there being no vacancies, there is insufficient staff to meet increasing patient complexity and demand.

“Nurses are going without breaks and feel most shifts that they are unable to give the care that patients need.

“It is therefore deeply concerning that newly qualified nurses have faced uncertainty about securing substantive employment.

“Wales cannot afford to lose the talent, skills and commitment of a generation of nursing graduates that our health and care services desperately need.”

RCN Wales said retaining newly qualified nurses was essential for the future sustainability of NHS and social care services.

The union also welcomed the Welsh Government’s commitment to strengthening primary and community care, but said any shift towards treating people closer to home must be matched by investment in the nursing workforce.

Ms Williams added: “Nurses are central to delivering care closer to home and helping people stay healthier for longer.

“Any shift in resources towards primary care must be matched by investment in the nursing workforce needed to deliver these ambitions.”

The key question for west Wales is whether any of the proposed surgical or diagnostic hubs will be located in the Hywel Dda area, and whether Pembrokeshire patients will see a direct benefit from the new funding.

No specific locations have yet been confirmed.

RCN Wales said it looked forward to working with the Welsh Government and health service partners to ensure the investment delivered lasting improvements for patients and supported the nursing workforce on which those improvements depend.

Party calls for UK to rejoin Single Market as Brexit anniversary approaches

THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS have called for Britain to rebuild closer links with Europe, saying a return to the Single Market and Customs Union could help businesses, exporters and major energy projects in Pembrokeshire.

The party says its proposed “Growth and Defence Partnership” with the European Union would cut trade barriers, strengthen national security and help repair what it describes as the economic damage caused by Brexit.

The announcement comes ahead of the tenth anniversary of the 2016 referendum, which saw the UK vote to leave the EU.

For Pembrokeshire, the debate has particular relevance. The county’s economy is closely tied to agriculture, food production, tourism, ports, energy and international trade. Businesses exporting goods into Europe have faced additional paperwork and costs since Brexit, while major projects around Milford Haven, the Celtic Freeport and offshore wind are expected to depend heavily on international investment and cooperation.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is expected to use a speech to the European Movement to call for immediate talks with the EU on a new deal.

The party wants the UK to join the Single Market through the European Economic Area, alongside countries such as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. It is also calling for a new customs union with the EU.

The Liberal Democrats say this would remove many of the barriers currently faced by businesses trading with Europe.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster spokesperson David Chadwick MP said Wales had been badly affected by Brexit.

He said: “Wales was one of the hardest hit parts of the UK by the failed Brexit experiment that was masterminded by the likes of Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson.

“We shouldn’t have to live with the bad deal they’ve lumped us with. People deserve far better than that.

“That’s why we are calling for a bold new deal with Europe to boost growth, create jobs and keep our country safe.”

The party is also calling for closer defence cooperation with European allies, including a new European Security Council and greater joint procurement.

Sir Ed is expected to argue that the threat from Vladimir Putin’s Russia, together with uncertainty over American foreign policy under Donald Trump, makes closer UK-European defence cooperation essential.

The proposals are likely to reopen political arguments over Brexit. Labour has so far ruled out rejoining the Single Market or Customs Union, while the Conservatives and Reform UK remain opposed to reversing Brexit.

But the Liberal Democrats say the economic case for closer European ties is now impossible to ignore.

For Pembrokeshire, the question is not only ideological. Farmers, food producers, hauliers, tourism businesses, port operators and energy companies all depend on smooth trading links, investment confidence and international cooperation.

Ten years after the referendum, the party says Britain must stop treating closer European cooperation as a taboo and start focusing on what would help communities, businesses and public services.