A DOCUMENTARY capturing ultrarunner Sanna Duthie’s record-breaking run along the full length of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path is now available to watch online.

Filmed and directed by Martin from Kelp and Fern, the film follows Sanna as she completed the 186-mile National Trail in 48 hours, 23 minutes and 49 seconds, setting a new Fastest Known Time.

From the physical demands of running almost non-stop to moments of quiet reflection among Pembrokeshire’s cliffs, coves and headlands, the documentary offers a close-up look at the determination, resilience and motivation behind one of the UK’s toughest solo endurance challenges.

The film premiered at Theatr Gwaun in Fishguard in November at an event hosted by the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust. The evening raised more than £500 through ticket sales and a raffle, adding to the £3,000 already raised through Sanna’s run. All proceeds are supporting conservation, heritage and engagement projects across the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

Sanna has since been named an official Ambassador for the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust, recognising her passion for the landscape and her ongoing support for the Trust’s work to protect and promote the Park for future generations.

The documentary is available to watch online via the Trust’s Fundraisers page:
https://pembrokeshirecoasttrust.wales/impact/our-fundraisers

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Sanna Duthie’s 186-mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path run is the subject of a new documentary now available to watch online.

Council says action plan is underway, with strengths identified alongside areas for improvement

MILFORD HAVEN SCHOOL will work with Pembrokeshire County Council to address recommendations made in a recent Estyn inspection, the authority has said.

The council said it accepted the report in full and is committed to driving improvements “at pace” to ensure better outcomes for pupils.

Council officers have welcomed visits from Estyn to support work on a draft post-inspection action plan, with work on that plan “well underway,” according to the statement. The authority said its teams are working with the school to ensure the necessary support is in place.

The council added it was confident improvements can be delivered effectively and said it looks forward to demonstrating progress during Estyn monitoring visits.

It said the work will include providing both support and appropriate challenge to the school’s leadership team and governing body, to ensure they have the right capacity and backing in place, while keeping a clear focus on sustained improvement in pupils’ outcomes.

Cabinet Member for Education and the Welsh Language, Cllr Guy Woodham, said: “Our priority is ensuring that all learners at the school have access to high quality teaching and learning and maintaining the wellbeing of every learner.”

Despite the challenges highlighted in the inspection, the council said Estyn also recognised strengths at Milford Haven School, including its caring and inclusive community, a broad and balanced curriculum, digital and wider skills opportunities across the curriculum, and the promotion of positive behaviour by school leaders.

The council said these strengths provide a platform for improvement and reflect the commitment of both the school and the local authority to support learners’ future success.

Parents, carers and the wider community will be kept informed through regular updates and engagement events, the council said.

Further details of the post-inspection action plan will be published on the Milford Haven School website once it has been approved by Estyn.

Watchdog says urgent joint action is needed — with only two of 61 habitats classed as favourable nationwide

NATURAL RESOURCES WALES has issued a stark warning about the state of the nation’s wildlife and landscapes after publishing the first full Wales-wide assessment of the conservation status of key habitats and species.

The report, released under embargo at 12:01am on Thursday (Jan 22), brings together evidence on habitats and non-bird species of international importance, alongside assessments for all birds in Wales. NRW said it provides the clearest national picture yet of how species and habitats are faring, the pressures driving decline, and what measures are most likely to support recovery.

The findings are intended to act as a baseline for efforts to halt biodiversity loss and will feed into Wales’ next State of Natural Resources Report (SoNaRR), which NRW said is due to be published on Thursday (Jan 29).

The assessment makes sobering reading.

Of the 61 habitats assessed, only two were found to be in favourable condition across Wales as a whole. Nearly 80% were classed as “unfavourable-bad”, underlining what NRW described as the scale of the challenge facing nature recovery in Wales.

Among 53 non-bird species, just 14 were assessed as being in favourable condition, while 16 were found to be in serious decline. NRW said these include Atlantic salmon, which has suffered steep falls in numbers in recent years.

For marine species — excluding seabirds — the report found only four were in favourable condition, while the conservation status of others remains poorly understood due to gaps in evidence.

The report also highlights steep declines in 16 species, including the Marsh fritillary butterfly and rare plants such as the fen orchid. But NRW said the overall picture is not entirely bleak, pointing to some bird species that have increased significantly in Wales over the past two decades, including the Atlantic puffin.

NRW said pressures vary between habitats and species, but the main drivers of decline include agriculture, climate change, pollution and urban development. It also highlights disease impacts on birds and water-related pressures affecting fish — factors which can combine and compound one another.

The assessment draws on evidence from long-running monitoring programmes, independent research and citizen science. It examines range, population trends, habitat condition and long-term prospects, alongside the pressures continuing to drive losses.

NRW said the complexity of the threats means solutions must be joined-up, long-term and delivered collectively — not as isolated projects — but argued that nature can recover where action is targeted and sustained.

It pointed to partnership work already underway, including peatland restoration and carbon protection, and programmes aimed at reversing bird declines, including the Wales Curlew Action Plan and the Welsh Seabird Conservation Strategy.

NRW also said several species have been successfully restored through reintroduction programmes and habitat management, including fen orchid, shore dock, natterjack toad and sand lizard. Work is also underway on freshwater pearl mussel recovery.

Other initiatives highlighted include the £26.6m Welsh Government-funded Nature Networks programme, aimed at improving and connecting habitats across Wales, and the Natur am Byth species recovery programme, described as a major partnership effort focused on preventing extinctions while engaging communities.

Mary Lewis, Head of Natural Resource Management Policy at NRW, said the report offers both a warning and a roadmap.

“This report paints a sobering picture of nature in Wales,” she said. “The scale of decline is concerning, but we cannot afford to see it as inevitable.

“What this assessment gives us is clarity: clarity on where nature is under the greatest pressure, and clarity on what needs to be done. It provides the evidence base we need to target our work, and to help others target theirs.”

She added that NRW is already working with a wide range of partners — including farmers, land managers, local authorities, communities, organisations and government — to restore habitats, improve river health, and support nature-friendly farming through the Sustainable Farming Scheme.

Lewis said the report will also help guide priorities linked to Wales’ commitment to protect and effectively manage 30% of land and sea by 2030.

“This baseline, taken together with the evidence highlighted in our SoNaRR report will guide our future priorities, and ensure that Wales’ response to the nature and climate emergencies is grounded in robust evidence,” she said.

“By acting together now, we can secure a nature-rich, climate-resilient Wales that supports the wellbeing of current and future generations.”

NRW said the data and learning from the assessment is already being used to shape its forthcoming State of Natural Resources Report, due to be launched next week on Thursday (Jan 29).