A FISHGUARD RNLI volunteer has become the first crew member at the station to clock 200 hours at sea in 2024, the RNLI’s bicentenary year.

Jessica Rogers, who joined the crew in September 2021, serves on Fishguard’s Trent-class all-weather lifeboat Blue Peter VII and the D-Class inshore lifeboat Edward Arthur Richardson.

This year has been a milestone for Fishguard RNLI, with over 30 service launches, the addition of a full-time coxswain, and the introduction of a tiered training scheme. Jessica’s achievement highlights the station’s commitment during this historic year, which marks 200 years since Sir William Hillary founded the RNLI.

Jessica has excelled in her training, achieving Tier One and Tier Two crew qualifications for both lifeboats, enabling her to operate as a fully competent crew member on either vessel. She is now advancing her skills as a helm and navigator. Her dedication has resulted in over 200 recorded hours at sea—the highest seen at the station in eight years.

These hours include 35 hours responding to 15 rescue shouts, with the remainder dedicated to training, including supporting other crew members during exercises. Beyond her sea hours, Jessica contributes as the station’s Lifeboat Training Coordinator, ensuring all crew training is up to date.

Professionally, Jessica is a self-employed podiatrist in Fishguard. Her clients are familiar with her RNLI commitment, with lifeboat news often a topic of conversation during appointments. On occasion, her pager has gone off mid-treatment, requiring her professional judgement to prioritize her clients’ safety before responding to a shout.

Jessica’s milestone coincides with the RNLI’s 200th year, showcasing the dedication of volunteers who have supported the lifesaving charity for two centuries. While Jessica is the first to surpass 200 hours at Fishguard in 2024, a handful of other crew members are expected to achieve this milestone by year-end.

Earlier this year, Jessica, her husband Cedwyn Rogers, Florian Caroff, and Jake Thomson were recognized for completing 100 hours at sea, each receiving commemorative glassware crafted by full-time coxswain Gemma Gill. Gemma is now creating a special memento to mark Jessica’s 200-hour achievement.

Gemma Gill, full-time coxswain at Fishguard RNLI, said: “I am incredibly proud of our team, especially Jess for reaching this significant milestone during the RNLI’s bicentenary. Jess’s 200 hours afloat are just part of her contribution—she’s also dedicated countless hours to training, fundraising, and community events. Thank you, Jess, and all our Fishguard crew, for your unwavering commitment.”

Jessica Rogers reflected on her achievement: “I was surprised to learn I’ve spent so much time at sea this year! I love being part of the Fishguard crew, and as they say, time flies when you’re having fun.

This milestone isn’t just my achievement—it’s thanks to the hard work of RNLI staff and volunteers, as well as the generous support of our donors. I look forward to continuing my training and becoming an even more valuable crew member in the years ahead.”

Fishguard RNLI’s year of milestones underscores the dedication of its volunteers and the enduring legacy of the RNLI in saving lives at sea.

A NEWPORT man who accidentally discarded a hard drive containing Bitcoin now valued at over £500m is suing Newport City Council after years of denied access to the landfill where he believes it was buried.

James Howells, 39, says the drive, which reportedly holds 8,000 Bitcoins, was worth about £4m when it was thrown away in 2013. However, the cryptocurrency’s recent surge in value has propelled its worth to more than £569m, and Mr. Howells speculates it could reach £1bn next year.

James Howells’ hard drive, containing the private key needed to access the cryptocurrency, was stored in a desk drawer until it was mistakenly discarded while upgrading his computer. He has been lobbying the council for a decade to allow an excavation of Docksway Landfill, claiming he has identified its location within a 100,000-tonne section of the site.

However, Newport City Council has repeatedly refused his requests, citing environmental concerns and licensing restrictions. A spokesperson for the council said: “Mr. Howells has brought a civil claim against the council for a sum in the region of £0.5bn. The claim has no merit, and the council is vigorously resisting it.”

Meanwhile, Tom Sinclair, editor of The Pembrokeshire Herald, is in a similar situation, though on a smaller scale. He lost access to 175 Bitcoins now worth approximately £12.7m.

In 2009, Sinclair spent £50 buying 175 Bitcoins, initially to fund a transaction that was never completed. The Bitcoin remained unspent, and after the cryptocurrency’s meteoric rise in value, Mr. Sinclair began searching for the missing hard drive.

“The computer I used to buy the Bitcoin years ago developed a fault with the graphics card, and I stopped using it,” said Mr. Sinclair. “I suspect the parts were cannibalised to keep other computers going at our offices. I never throw anything away, so the hard drive is bound to be somewhere—we are currently conducting a hunt to find it.”

He added: “To be honest, I had completely forgotten about the Bitcoins. It was only recently when going through my bank statements that I saw the purchase back in 2009 and remembered that I had not spent the £50. After asking colleagues in the office to check the value of the 175 coins I purchased, I nearly fell off my chair when I realised they are now worth so much—it’s simply unbelievable!”

The value of Bitcoin recently hit an all-time high, exceeding $80,000 (£62,000) per unit following Donald Trump’s recent election victory. The cryptocurrency’s turbulent history continues to captivate public interest, with the stories of James Howells and Tom Sinclair adding local twists to its legend

THE Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is inviting members of the public to its fifth annual Open Board meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, 26 November 2024. The meeting will be held via Zoom, running from 10:30am to 12:30pm, and is open to everyone interested in attending.

How to join the meeting

To participate, you will need a device such as a desktop computer, laptop, smartphone, or tablet with access to the Zoom platform. The Zoom application can be downloaded for free online by searching for “Zoom app.” A stable internet connection is recommended.

To join the meeting, use the following link shortly before 10:30am on the day:

Join the zoom meeting
Passcode: 034573

For any technical difficulties, please email: [email protected]

Meeting agenda

The agenda for the meeting is available here. Minutes from the session will be published on the CCRC’s website after the event.

Submitting questions

While questions cannot be addressed during the meeting, the CCRC will respond to inquiries related to the agenda items discussed. Questions should be submitted via email to [email protected] by 12:00pm on Tuesday, 3 December. Responses will be provided by email and may also be published on the CCRC website.

Please note that questions about individual cases will not be addressed.

For further details, visit the CCRC website.