SEABIRDS, BATS AND CREATIVITY

ORIEL Y PARC in St Davids will celebrate the wildlife, art and character of the Pembrokeshire coast this May half-term with a packed programme of family events, guided walks, expert talks and local markets.

The National Park Discovery Centre will host a week of activities inspired by the landscape, giving families the chance to explore the natural world through birdsong, creativity and coastal discovery.

Throughout the holiday week, A Trail of Birds and Song will run through the centre’s woodland, courtyard and grounds, inviting young adventurers to search for hidden nests.

Children will also be able to take part in two drop-in Make & Take sessions, creating woodland window art on Wednesday (May 27) and clay seabirds on Thursday (May 28).

The highlight of the week will be Seabirds Discovery Day on Thursday (May 28), bringing the wildlife of the Pembrokeshire coast to Oriel y Parc through expert talks, demonstrations, guided walking and family-friendly discovery.

A courtyard market will run from 10:00am to 3:00pm, alongside a series of expert-led events.

Greg Morgan, RSPB Cymru Detection Dog Handler for the Biosecurity for Wales project, will speak about the role specially trained dogs play in protecting Wales’s seabird islands. This will be followed by free demonstrations from Jinx, the biosecurity detection dog.

The Discovery Day will also include a guided walk and talk from Caerfai to St Non’s, led by National Park Authority Ranger Libby, a former Seabird Island Ranger.

National Park Authority Ranger Chris, a former Skomer Warden, will also give visitors an insight into life on the island, its internationally important seabird populations and the pressures they face in a changing climate.

As dusk falls, attention will turn from the coastline to the night sky, with a guided Brilliant Bats walk around St Davids.

Some Seabirds Discovery Day events have limited numbers and booking is essential. Further information is available at www.orielyparc.co.uk.

Alongside the events, visitors can explore a range of exhibitions, including Garry Fabian Miller’s light-filled Môrwelion / The Sea Horizon, Dafydd Wyn Richards’ new paintings of the Pembrokeshire coast, and locally inspired work by Jo Thomas of Pembrokeshire Craft Makers.

In the Tower, Celebrating the Mischief of Rooks by Jackie Morris and Elly Morgan focuses on the noise, movement and character of the rooks around Oriel y Parc, with paintings and ceramics inspired by the birds that gather in the surrounding trees.

The half-term programme also includes two courtyard markets featuring local stallholders, handmade crafts and produce. Makers Bizarre returns on Tuesday (May 26), followed by the May Craft Market on Saturday (May 30), with free entry to both.

The Manager of Oriel y Parc, Rachel Perkins said: “Pembrokeshire is a landscape of constant discovery. This May we are peeling back the layers of the coast to reveal the vital work and wild secrets that make this National Park unique.

“From the dogs guarding our islands to the bats of the Cathedral, it is an invitation to see this world-class environment through fresh eyes.”

Town council objected over highway safety and parking, but PCC says policy issues are not part of the certificate process

CONCERNS raised by Fishguard and Goodwick Town Council over a proposed children’s home at Bryn Delyn, Y Fraich, may not be considered in the same way as objections to a normal planning application, Pembrokeshire County Council has confirmed.

The town council’s planning committee discussed application 25/0948/CL on Monday (Apr 20), relating to the proposed use of Bryn Delyn as a children’s home.

Members are understood to have objected on highway safety and parking grounds, amid concerns about the suitability of the site and surrounding roads.

However, Pembrokeshire County Council has clarified that the application has been submitted under section 192 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

This means the applicant is seeking a Certificate of Lawfulness to determine whether the proposed use of the property would be lawful and would not require planning permission.

A council spokesperson said the purpose of the submission was to determine whether the proposed use of Bryn Delyn, as described in the documents, would be lawful.

They said: “The onus lies with the applicant to provide sufficient evidence for the Local Planning Authority to determine the application on the balance of probabilities.

“Adopted planning policy and the planning merits of the proposed use/development are not for consideration by the LPA.”

The council also confirmed that, unlike ordinary planning applications, there is no statutory duty for the Local Planning Authority to publicise or consult on submissions made under section 192.

No formal consultation has been carried out with the council’s Highways Department.

However, the council said it had used its discretion to advertise the certificate of lawful development submission by displaying a site notice.

The spokesperson added that this was done in case members of the public had their own evidence to present which could be of value when determining the submission.

The clarification means the council’s decision will focus on the legal position and the facts of the proposed use, rather than wider planning policy, parking concerns or highway safety issues in the usual planning sense.

The application remains under consideration.

Cover image is a rough artists impression created by The Pembrokeshire Herald

Father and son Gareth and Daniel Willington honoured by fishing and rugby communities

A DECADE has passed since the Harvester fishing tragedy claimed the lives of father and son Gareth and Daniel Willington.

The pair, remembered as skilled fishermen, much-loved family members and cherished friends, remain deeply missed across the Welsh fishing community.

Gareth, 59, and Daniel, 32, left Milford Haven Docks in the early hours of Thursday (Apr 28), 2016, aboard the fishing vessel Harvester.

They were fishing for crab and lobster when the vessel got into difficulty off the north Pembrokeshire coast, near St Davids Head and Abereiddy.

The alarm was raised at around 2:30pm after reports of a fishing boat in trouble. A major search operation was launched involving the Coastguard, RNLI lifeboats and emergency services.

Gareth was recovered from the sea later that day and taken to Withybush Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Daniel was never found, despite extensive searches by rescue teams and local fishing vessels.

A later Marine Accident Investigation Branch report concluded that the most likely scenario was that Daniel became caught in rope while working on deck, and that Gareth went to help him, resulting in both men going overboard.

Neither man was wearing a personal flotation device at the time. The tragedy later led to renewed calls for stronger safety measures for fishermen working at sea.

The Fishermen’s Mission marked the anniversary today, saying Gareth and Daniel’s loved ones remain in their thoughts as the charity honoured the legacy they left behind in Welsh fishing — pysgota Cymru.

Their memory is also kept alive each year through the Willington Slate Trophy, contested by Pembroke Rugby Club and St Davids Rugby Club over two league matches.

The annual tradition not only remembers Gareth and Daniel, but also raises vital funds for The Fishermen’s Mission and the RNLI.

Supporters are being encouraged to look out for upcoming fixtures later in the year and to join the rugby and fishing communities in commemorating the Willingtons and their lives at sea.

Photo caption: Remembered at sea: Gareth and Daniel Willington, whose loss is still felt ten years after the Harvester fishing tragedy (Pic: The Willington family).