Community

Dinner lady retires after thirty-two years

Published

11 years ago

March 2, 2015

Tom Sinclair

Rose Phillips: Served over 2
million meals to the children of
Pembrokeshire during her career.

ROSE PHILLIPS has been cooking school dinners in our county for 32 years, and this week, Fenton CP School gave her a retirement send off fitting to the service she has given to so many people in Pembrokeshire.

The Herald was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the celebration of this cherished school worker. The whole of Fenton’s pupils turned out, along with its full teaching roster, as headteacher, Mr Mathew Harris, led the assembly. The head pointed out that he had calculated that Rose had served the county’s children over 2 million meals in her career as a school caterer. She was then thanked by the pupils, the staff and Chair of Governors, Cllr Peter Stock who presented her with a specially made Pembrokeshire scarf. She was then given various gifts, presented by two of Fenton’s pupils, and was serenaded with a performance from the school choir, who sang, appropriately, ‘Food Glorious Food.’

Cllr. Stock said to her: “On behalf of Pembrokeshire I’d like to thank you Rose. You have been dedicated to the children. I see teachers and staff come and go, but you Rose have done a first class job, you are loved by the parents and the children and staff, putting them, and this county, first. So I can’t speak more highly about you – just a big thank you.”

After the emotional send off The Herald spoke with Rose Phillips about her long career in this important role in education.

She started by telling The Herald what a typical day in the school kitchen entailed: “I am here by 7am ready for breakfast, after that then I immediately start preparing the meal for the day. It has to be ready by 11.50 when nursery come in, then it’s the infants, and at 12.30 the older ones are in. We serve anywhere between 160-170 meals – but it can go up to 200.”

The Herald wanted to know what changes she had seen in school meal provision in her 32 years in the job. Rose said: “Healthy eating is far more important than it used to be. I started at Taskers and you used to have to cook a lot of burgers back then. Now it’s all prepared here, fresh, as nothing comes in ready cooked. It’s all done from scratch with natural ingredients. The children haven’t changed though, they are still the same.”

After spending many years in Taskers school the Herald was interested to know what the differences were between catering in a secondary school and a local primary school, to which she said: “They have a more cafeteria based set up at Taskers. You had to make a bigger choice of meals, which is a lot harder, whereas here in Fenton everyone has the same.”

Finally we asked Rose what she would miss the most about leaving, but also what she was looking forward to in retirement: “I’ll miss the company with the girls (staff) and of course the children, but I am looking forward to not having to get up at 6am!”

The Herald wishes Rose a happy and long retirement.

Community

Duck race draws crowds to Cresswell Quay

Published

1 day ago

June 4, 2026

Tom Sinclair

AN ANNUAL Rotary duck race and pig roast brought crowds to Cresswell Quay on Friday (May 29), with organisers hailing the evening a success.

The event, organised by Narberth and Whitland Rotary, saw yellow ducks released onto the water as spectators gathered along the quay to watch the race unfold.

Perfect conditions

ORGANISERS said the tide and weather “could not have been better” for the popular community event.

Families enjoyed a relaxed evening of entertainment, food and fundraising, with Bat-A-Rat proving popular with youngsters while adults enjoyed a pig roast, with pork provided by Tom at Andrew Rees Butchers.

Live music from Jack Castle added to the atmosphere as people gathered at the riverside venue.

***Rotary fun: Crowds gathered at Cresswell Quay for the annual Narberth and Whitland Rotary Duck Race and Pig Roast***

Thanks to supporters

JOHN Sleigh, of Narberth and Whitland Rotary, thanked everyone who attended and helped make the evening such a success.

He said: “What a fantastic evening. The tide and weather could not have been better for the annual Rotary Duck Race and Pig Roast at Cresswell Quay.

“We thank you all for being there and making the event such a success.”

Community

Crisis response dogs launched to support people through trauma and distress

Published

1 day ago

June 4, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A NEW project using specially trained dogs to support people during moments of trauma, grief and crisis has been launched by Cariad Pet Therapy.

The volunteer-led Crisis Response Dogs project aims to provide comfort, emotional support and compassionate human contact to people experiencing distress, loss or heightened stress.

The dogs and their trained handlers will be able to support people in hospitals, schools, emergency response settings, wellbeing events, relief centres and community support environments.

Cariad Pet Therapy says the project is designed to offer a calm and non-judgmental presence at times when people may be struggling to cope.

Volunteers involved in the scheme have undertaken a bespoke training programme, including accredited Mental Health First Aid, Emotional First Aid, Trauma-Informed Practice, Safeguarding, Professional Boundaries, Dynamic Risk Assessment, Dog Welfare, Crisis Awareness, and training in psychological responses to trauma and distress.

The project is also working with emergency management and resilience partners, including the South Wales Local Resilience Forum, to support communities during emergencies, major incidents and recovery situations.

As part of its development, volunteers have attended specialist seminars on suicide prevention, the human-animal relationship, emergency planning and resilience.

Robert Thomas, Crisis Response Dogs lead for the project, said: “We have already witnessed the incredible impact these dogs can have on people facing difficult moments.

“Sometimes a calm presence, a conversation, or simply the comfort of a dog can make someone feel seen, supported, and less alone.”

The project has received funding from The National Lottery.

For more information about Crisis Response Dogs, or to request a deployment, contact Robert Thomas on 01437 609985 or visit www.crisisresponsedogs.co.uk.

Crisis response dogs: Cariad Pet Therapy has launched a new project to support people during trauma, grief and distress across Wales (Pics: Cariad Pet Therapy).

Community

Youth centre given colourful new look thanks to local firm

Published

2 days ago

June 3, 2026

Tom Sinclair

YOUNG people at a Haverfordwest youth centre have helped transform one of its rooms into a bright and welcoming space.

The Edge Youth Centre, Haverfordwest, has thanked W.B Griffiths & Son Ltd for supporting the painting and decorating project, which saw young people work alongside Chris, a painter and decorator from the company.

The project has given the room a colourful refresh, creating a cheerful space for young people using the centre.

Rabart Decorators Merchants, Pembroke Dock, also supported the work by supplying the colourful paints.

A spokesperson for The Edge Youth Centre said: “We’d like to extend a huge thank you to W.B Griffiths & Son Ltd for supporting us with the painting and decorating of one of the rooms at our Youth Centre.

“The young people were fortunate enough to work alongside Chris, a painter and decorator from W.B Griffiths & Son Ltd, to transform the room.

“Thanks to Chris and the young people’s hard work and enthusiasm, the space is now looking bright, welcoming, and cheerful.

“We’d also like to thank Rabart Decorators Merchants, Pembroke Dock, for generously supplying the colourful paints. Your support has helped create a vibrant room that young people can enjoy for years to come.”

The centre added: “Thank you both for your generosity and for helping us create such a positive space for our young people.”

Photo caption: Bright new look: Young people worked alongside W.B Griffiths & Son Ltd to refresh a room at The Edge Youth Centre, Haverfordwest.