Community

Claire wins Inspire! Award

Published

10 years ago

June 25, 2015

Tom Sinclair

Inspirational adult learner: Claire Arnold

A PEMBROKESHIRE mum-of-three who helped adults in her community get back into education has been crowned overall winner at a major learning award ceremony.
Claire Arnold was presented with the Learner of the Year award for Wales at the Inspire! Awards as part of Adult Learners’ Week 2015.
The 39-year-old, who left school at age 15 with no qualifications, went on to set up a community-based degree course for people in one of the most deprived areas of Wales.
Adult Learners’ Week runs from June 13 to 19 and celebrates lifelong learning, whether work-based, as part of a community education course, at college, university or online.
Now in its 24th year, it aims to promote the range of courses available to adult learners, from languages to computing and childcare to finance.
The Inspire! Awards are hosted each year ahead of Adult Learners’ Week to celebrate the achievements of outstanding learners in Wales who have shown exceptional passion, commitment and drive for learning, often in the face of difficult circumstances.
“I struggled at school, I was never a high flyer,” said Claire, who also won the Learning Progression award. “I wanted to be a teacher. I was always making work sheets for my class mates on wet weather days. But I never thought I was good enough.”
Claire, who lives in St Twynnells in Pembroke, found work at an old people’s home, spending the next few years working as a care assistant.
“It wasn’t what I wanted to do but I’d messed around at secondary school and didn’t think there was any way of me following my ambition to be a teacher,” said Claire, who lives with husband Matthew and daughter Cara, 17; son Euan, 14, and daughter Amelia, three.
Ten years after leaving school, Claire found out about a learning support assistant job at her former primary school, Monkton Community Primary.
“I got the job and I loved it,” she said. “I loved working with children and found education had changed so much. I watched the teachers and learned from them and thought, maybe I can do that.”
Claire’s head teacher suggested she enrol on a new project set up to provide adult education in the community and, along with 15 others, she completed a Foundation Degree for Learning Support Assistants.
“We were travelling to the University of Wales Trinity St David, an hour away, and I realised it meant not everybody could have access to education,” she said. “So when more funding became available, I asked whether there was anything that could be done to help those who wanted to learn but struggled with childcare and transport.”
Claire, who has worked closely with the area’s gypsy families, arranged for a maths GCSE course to be run at Monkton Community Primary with Learning Pembrokeshire.
“It started at 5pm and we had a kids’ club, which meant childcare wasn’t an issue,” said Claire. “The year after, we started doing GCSE English, and science the year after that.”
Claire, who had by then also completed a BA Joint Honours Degree in Education and Social Inclusion, also arranged, with the school’s head Shelley Morris, for the University of Wales Trinity St David to run the same degrees at the school in Monkton.
While helping others, she was completing her own degree while living out of a static caravan with no internet access.
“We were building a house so we lived in the caravan for four years,” she said.
“I used to go to my sister-in-law’s every night to use their computer when the children were in bed.”
“I stay in touch with what’s going on at the degree courses at Monkton,” added Claire, who is now preparing to graduate with a teaching degree, in Primary Education with QTS.
“We have all ages and I’m really proud of what the scheme has achieved – it has around 20 students a year. I never want to stop learning. It’s never too late to learn.”
Adult Learners’ Week is organised by NIACE Cymru with the support of the Welsh Government and European Social Fund.
Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Julie James, said: “Adult Learners’ Week gives everybody the opportunity to learn something new, whether you learn from home, in the workplace or in your local community.
“The Inspire! Awards recognise the people who have taken that step, and their examples should encourage anybody who thinks it’s either too late or too difficult to learn a new skill.
“We hope Adult Learners’ Week will encourage adults across Wales to find out more about their skills and career options by going along to events in their area. Adults can also access the Skills Gateway to get careers advice and guidance, whether they want to improve their skills and employability or get back into work.”
Cerys Furlong, Director of NIACE Cymru, said: “The Inspire! Awards remind us of the power of learning and every story is a testament to the hard work of the learners and the tutors. “Each winner has come such a long way and shown real determination and passion for learning and we wish each one every success for the future. Everyone can get involved with Adult Learners’ Week by joining a free learners’ event in their area on anything from first aid to digital photography.”
For more information on Adult Learners’ Week, go to www. careerswales.com/skillsgateway, call 0800 028 4844 or follow @ skillsgatewaycw

Charity

Welsh opticians raise £1,600 for people experiencing homelessness

Published

4 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Tom Sinclair

SPECSAVERS Pembroke Dock has helped raise £1,600 to support people experiencing homelessness this winter, with all funds going to The Wallich’s winter appeal.

Thirteen stores from North, South and West Wales donated £1 for every customer feedback form completed during November to help The Wallich, Wales’ largest homelessness and rough sleeping charity, continue its vital work.

Supporting more than 8,000 people experiencing or at risk of homelessness across the nation each year, The Wallich runs around 100 diverse projects across 20 local authorities to provide hope, support and solutions to end homelessness.

Funds raised by Specsavers will go directly to the Wallich’s Flexible Assistance Fund, which provides small but vital emergency grants. The grants support people at crucial turning points, helping cover essential costs such as phone credit, rent or food shops.

This initiative is a continuation of Specsavers’ wider homelessness programme, which sees over a hundred Specsavers stores and Home Visits services hold out-of-hours or pop-up clinics and invite people affected by forms of homelessness to use their services for free.

Specsavers’ North Wales regional relationship manager, Martin Lawrence, who helped organise the fundraiser, says: ‘We’re really proud to be supporting The Wallich’s winter appeal at a time when support is needed most.

‘Homelessness affects people in every community and as locally owned and run businesses, Specsavers stores are committed to raising awareness of the issue and supporting people through their toughest moments.

‘We’re excited to build on the success of this fundraiser and strengthen our partnership with The Wallich in the new year.’

Louisa Turner, head of fundraising at The Wallich, adds: ‘Winter can be an incredibly difficult time for people experiencing homelessness and this support from Specsavers will make a real difference.

‘The funds raised will help provide emergency grants at critical moments – whether that’s putting food on the table, helping someone stay connected with their loved ones or preventing someone from losing a safe place to live.

‘This kind of support creates vital turning points and helps people move towards a safer, more secure future.’

Specsavers works year-round with homelessness charities including Crisis, Vision Care and The Big Issue, to improve access to healthcare and advocate for policy change – ensuring people experiencing homelessness can receive free eye tests, glasses and hearing checks.

To find out more about Specsavers or to book an appointment at your local store, visit: https://www.specsavers.co.uk/stores.

Business

Community council objections to Tenby Lidl store scheme

Published

15 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS for a new store on the edge of Tenby by retail giant Lidl, which has seen objections from the local community council, are likely to be heard next year.

In an application recently lodged with Pembrokeshire County Council back in October, Lidl GB Ltd, through agent CarneySweeney, seeks permission for a new 1,969sqm store on land at Park House Court, Narberth Road, New Hedges/Tenby, to the north of the Park Court Nursing Home.

The proposals for the latest specification Lidl store, which includes 103 parking spaces, would create 40 jobs, the applicants say.

The application follows draft proposals submitted in 2024 and public consultations on the scheme, with a leaflet drop delivered to 8,605 local properties; an information website, with online feedback form; and a public exhibition, held last December at the De Valence Pavillion in Tenby, with a follow-up community event held at New Hedges Village Hall, close to the site, publicised through an additional postcard issued to 2,060 properties.

Some 1,365 responses have been received, with 89 per cent of respondents expressing support for the proposals, the applicants say.

A supporting statement says: “Lidl is now exceptionally well established in the UK with the Company operating c.980 stores from sites and premises both within and outside town centres. Its market share continues to increase substantially, and the company is expanding its store network considerably. The UK operational model is based firmly on the success of Lidl’s operations abroad with more than 10,800 stores trading across Europe.

It adds: “The granting of planning permission for the erection of a new Lidl food store would increase the retail offer and boost the local economy. The new Lidl food store would create up to 40 employment opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds, providing opportunities for training and career development. This in turn will create an upward spiral of economic benefits.”

Local community council St Mary Out Liberty Community Council has formally objected to the scheme, saying that, while it supports the scheme for a Lidl store in principle, recognising “the economic benefits a new retail store could bring,” it says the proposed location “is unsuitable, conflicts with planning policy, and cannot be supported in its current form”.

Its objections add: “The A478 is heavily congested in peak tourist months. A supermarket would worsen congestion, increase turning movements, and heighten risks to pedestrians, cyclists, and emergency access.”

It also raises concerns on the potential impact through “noise, lighting, traffic disturbance, and loss of quiet amenity” on a neighbouring residential care home.

An initial assessment by Pembrokeshire County Council, highlighted concerns about the visual impact, with the authority’s landscape officer commenting that the store would introduce “an intense urban function into an otherwise rural context”.

The report added: “It is not considered to be compatible with the character of the site and the area within which it is located; and furthermore, will lead to a harmful visual impact on the setting of the National Park.”

The application will be considered by county planners at a later date.

Community

Craig Flannery appointed as new Chief Fire Officer

Published

20 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Tom Sinclair

MID AND WEST WALES FIRE SERVICE LEADERSHIP CHANGE

MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has announced the appointment of Craig Flannery as its new Chief Fire Officer, with effect from Monday, December 15, 2025.

Mr Flannery has served with the Service for more than twenty years, progressing through a wide range of middle management and senior leadership roles across both operational and non-operational departments.

During his career, he has been closely involved in strengthening operational delivery, risk management and organisational development. His work has included leading innovation in learning and development, overseeing the Service’s On-Call Improvement Programme, and driving investment in key enabling functions such as workforce development and information and communication technology.

The appointment followed a rigorous, multi-stage recruitment process led by Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority. Candidates were assessed through structured interviews, strategic leadership exercises and scenario-based assessments designed to test operational judgement, organisational vision and the ability to lead a modern fire and rescue service.

External professional assessors were also engaged to provide independent scrutiny, ensuring the process met high standards of fairness, transparency and challenge.

Mr Flannery emerged as the strongest candidate, demonstrating clear strategic leadership capability, detailed organisational knowledge and a strong commitment to community safety and service improvement.

Councillor John Davies, Chair of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, said: “Craig brings a deep understanding of our Service and a clear vision for its future. His appointment will strengthen our ability to innovate, support our workforce and deliver high-quality protection for the communities we serve.

“As we navigate a rapidly changing landscape, Craig’s experience in driving innovation and organisational development will be invaluable in helping us adapt and transform for the future.”

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Flannery said: “It is a privilege to lead this outstanding Service. I am committed to supporting our people, strengthening partnerships and building on the strong foundations already in place.

“As the challenges facing fire and rescue services continue to evolve, we must modernise and innovate, ensuring we have the skills, technology and capability needed to meet the needs of our communities. I look forward to working with colleagues and partners across Mid and West Wales to deliver a resilient, progressive Service that keeps people safe and places our staff at the heart of everything we do.”