FISHGUARD RNLI volunteers are celebrating what some have jokingly dubbed a “triple crown” after winning three friendly competitions in just eight days.

The latest victory came during a North Pembrokeshire tri-station Bake Off held at Fishguard Lifeboat Station on Sunday morning (Mar 8), where crews from Fishguard, RNLI Cardigan Lifeboat and RNLI St Davids Lifeboat gathered for a morning of baking, training and camaraderie.

The event was a slimmed-down version of last year’s competition and saw volunteers submit their homemade cakes to be judged by fellow crew members. Entries were scored on appearance and taste before the totals were combined to decide the overall winner.

Third place went to Paul from Cardigan with a “tingly Coconut, Chilli and Lime cake”, while second place was awarded to Libby from Fishguard for her “incredibly chocolaty Easter Eggstravaganza”.

Taking the top prize was Fishguard crew member Ced with his imaginative “Wonky Welly Lemon Cake”, securing another victory for the station.

The bake off marked the third success for the Fishguard volunteers in just over a week. The station previously triumphed at the Round Table Fishguard & District Great Welshcake Off and also beat RNLI St Davids Lifeboat in a friendly darts match.

Despite the competitive spirit, the event was primarily about strengthening ties between neighbouring stations. After enjoying the cakes, crews from Fishguard and RNLI Cardigan Lifeboat headed out to sea to carry out a joint towing exercise as part of routine training.

RNLI volunteers said it was great to see crews from the three stations come together for a relaxed morning of friendly competition, tea and conversation before returning to operational duties.

Events like the bake off highlight the strong community spirit among the charity’s volunteers, who regularly train together while raising funds and awareness for the RNLI’s lifesaving work along the west Wales coast.

Language activists warn proposal could undermine long-term support for Welsh

CAMPAIGNERS have warned that proposals by the Nigel Farage-led Reform UK to scrap Wales’ target of one million Welsh speakers by 2050 could place the language at risk.

The comments came during the launch of Reform’s Welsh manifesto in Newport on Thursday (Mar 5), where Farage and the party’s Welsh leader Dan Thomas set out their plans for the language.

The party says it would remove what it describes as “arbitrary” targets for the number of Welsh speakers, arguing that the language is already growing naturally.

Farage told supporters that Welsh appeared to be “thriving” in parts of the country and said younger generations were increasingly learning and using the language.

He argued that Welsh culture and language should be allowed to develop organically rather than being driven by official targets or public bodies.

Questions were also raised at the event about the future of the Welsh Language Commissioner. Farage suggested there was no clear need for additional “quangos” if the language continued to grow through public interest.

However, campaign group Cymdeithas yr Iaith said the proposals demonstrate a misunderstanding of the current challenges facing the language.

Chairman Owain Meirion said it was wrong to describe Welsh as thriving when the proportion of speakers has fallen in recent census results.

According to campaigners, around 17.8 per cent of people in Wales currently report being able to speak Welsh, with the overall proportion declining over the past two censuses.

They warned that removing the 2050 target of one million speakers could weaken long-term support for the language and the communities where it is most widely spoken.

Campaigners also pointed out that the manifesto includes relatively few references to Welsh beyond cultural pledges.

Reform has said it would continue supporting events such as the National Eisteddfod and would press the UK Government to maintain funding for the Welsh-language broadcaster S4C.

Despite this, Cymdeithas yr Iaith warned that the wider approach set out in the manifesto could weaken existing structures designed to protect and promote the language.

Farage also used the Newport event to claim that Reform could challenge the long-standing dominance of the Welsh Labour in Welsh politics.

The party says its manifesto represents a plan for significant political change ahead of the next Welsh election.

Language campaigners, however, say the debate highlights continuing tensions over how best to protect the future of Welsh while ensuring policies reflect the realities facing communities across Wales.

Jury convicts Pendine man after court hears he raped intoxicated teenager in caravan during family holiday

A MAN who raped a teenage girl in a caravan while she was on holiday with her family in west Wales has been jailed for ten years.

Leon Kidner, aged 34, attacked the 15-year-old at a caravan site in Pendine, Carmarthenshire, after giving her cannabis while knowing she had also consumed alcohol.

Swansea Crown Court heard that in the early hours of the morning Kidner sexually assaulted the girl before raping her inside the caravan.

Prosecutor Christopher Rees KC told the court that the victim was in an intoxicated state at the time of the attack.

A forensic examination later confirmed that Kidner had ejaculated inside the victim.

After the attack was reported to police, Kidner claimed during interview that the girl had initiated the sexual activity and that it had been consensual.

He repeated that account during the trial, but a jury rejected his version of events. He was convicted of two counts of sexual assault by penetration and one count of rape.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said the rape had left her feeling “violated” and “like something was taken away from me”.

She said she now struggles to sleep and suffers from nightmares, and that her schoolwork has suffered as a result of what happened.

The girl said she had found it difficult to talk to anyone about the attack because “nobody truly understands what I have been through”.

She added: “I feel hollow and unstable. Every day feels like a struggle to feel normal again.”

The victim said the assault in the caravan had affected every part of her life, including her relationships, her education, her wellbeing and how she sees herself.

Kidner, of Castell Toch Caravan Park, Pendine, has 34 previous convictions for 71 offences including violence and robbery, although none were sexual offences.

His barrister, Lowri Wyn Morgan, told the court that her client was “deeply sorry” for the pain and suffering he had caused. She said that during childhood he had been “passed between family members”, had left school at 14, and that drink and drugs had affected much of his adult life.

The court heard that Kidner now accepts his guilt and described what happened in Pendine as “one huge huge mistake”. Judge Geraint Walters told the defendant that the “wickedness” of this type of offending was that it “leaves a life-long scar” on victims, and leaves them feeling violated. Kidner was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life and was made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order to manage his access to girls.

Speaking after sentencing, investigating officer Detective Constable Katie Rees of Dyfed-Powys Police said: “I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the victim in this case who showed profound courage from the very outset of the investigation, despite her young age.

“The victim showed immense strength, character and resilience and should be proud of how she has conducted herself throughout the investigation. It is thanks to her bravery that Leon Kidner will now spend a significant period in prison.

“I welcome the sentence passed today, which highlights the seriousness of the offences. While it cannot undo the harm caused, it will hopefully provide the victim with a degree of closure.”