Community

Pupils chosen in worldwide competition

Published

9 years ago

June 22, 2016

Dylan’s ‘Great Poem’: Eight Johnston School pupils’ words chosen out
of hundreds worldwide to be part of bilingual epic poem

JOHNSTON Primary School’s last-minute entry for a poetry competition has been heralded as a success, and has even yielded a prize.

The worldwide competition which was entered by the Year Five and Year Six pupils, who are taught by Mr Tim Pounder, saw the children contributing towards ‘Dylan’s Great Poem’.

The poem is a bilingual piece of work which has been completely written by young people aged between seven and 25 to celebrate International Dylan Thomas Day.

To enter the competition, budding young poets had to submit four lines of poetry, with no more than eight words per line based around Dylan Thomas’ famous poem ‘The Hand That Signed the Paper’.

The best 100 lines which were received in the worldwide competition were then combined to create the ‘Great Poem’.

The poem, which was a combined effort uniting a variety of different countries around the world, was recited live at Cardiff Library on International Dylan Thomas Day (Saturday May 14).

From the hundreds of submissions received, an incredible eight pupils from Johnston C.P. had their lines chosen for the final poem.

Mr Pounder said that having so many children from the school contributing to the final poem was a wonderful surprise. He said the competition result was a bonus, because the way in which all the children within the class embraced the task was what really impressed him.

He said: “I only decided to enter the competition at the eleventh hour and thought we had left it too late, so to have so many lines be included in the poem is an unexpected bonus.

“We just did some classwork based on it and asked them to think about how they could contribute to the ‘Great Poem’

“We put a lot of emphasis on writing for a purpose in school and this helped focus their thoughts. It shows what can be achieved by our pupils.

“Once the children started talking about what ‘The Hand That Signed the Paper’ was about, they really got into it and the quality of their work was incredible.

“In my day, we didn’t touch poetry at this level until we were in secondary school, but if you don’t give children opportunity you don’t know what they are capable of and the pupils have created something inspirational.

“I’m extremely proud of them. Firstly, for showing such enthusiasm for poetry and secondly for creating such brilliant work.”

Mr Pounder’s words were echoed by Eva John, Challenge Adviser for English and Literacy.

She said: “The children responded very strongly to Dylan Thomas’s poem, ‘The Hand That Signed the Paper’.

“Their own writing on the subject of hands, using the poem as a stimulus, reflects their clarity of observation, sensitivity and individuality.

“It is a wonderful achievement to have their words selected as part of an international bilingual poem in celebration of a great Welsh poet.”

Dylan’s Great Poem can be viewed on the Literature Wales website.

Community

Narbelles WI support Food Bank with festive donation

Published

7 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Group marks December meeting with charity collection and Christmas celebrations

NARBELLES WI rounded off the year with a festive December meeting featuring a bring-and-share buffet, party games and a Secret Santa gift exchange.

Members also used the occasion to support families in need across the county, collecting food items and presenting a £120 cheque to Ann Watling from Pembrokeshire Food Bank. The donation represents the proceeds of the group’s bucket collection during Narberth Civic Week 2024.

A spokesperson for the WI said the group was delighted to finish the year “with fun, friendship and a chance to give something back to the community.”

(Photo: Narbelles WI members presenting the cheque to Ann Watling, Pembrokeshire Food Bank.)

Community

Annual charity carol service raises funds for good causes

Published

1 day ago

December 13, 2025

Tom Sinclair

MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service held its annual Charity Carol Service on Wednesday (Dec 10) at Ebeneser Baptist Chapel in Crymych.

The event brought together members of the local community alongside Fire Service staff for an evening of carols, readings and festive refreshments, marking the Christmas season in a warm and inclusive atmosphere.

This year’s service supported two important charities — the Fire Fighters Charity and Cancer Research Wales — with all proceeds going directly towards their ongoing work.

A total of £597 was raised on the night, which will be shared equally between the two charities.

The Service thanked the congregation at Ebeneser Baptist Chapel for hosting the event, as well as everyone who gave their time, support and generosity to make the evening such a success.

Community

3 Amigos toy bike run under way across Pembrokeshire

Published

1 day ago

December 13, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Castle Inn fun runners back festive charity event

THE ANNUAL 3 Amigos Christmas toy bike run is under way this afternoon (Saturday), with hundreds of motorcyclists setting off from Pembroke to raise funds for children’s services.

Riders gathered at The Commons car park in Pembroke from around midday before departing shortly after 1:00pm. The festive convoy is travelling along its traditional route, taking in Pembroke Dock and continuing through parts of the county including Neyland, Milford Haven and Haverfordwest.

The event is organised by the 3 Amigos and Dollies Motorcycle Group and has become a much-anticipated Christmas tradition in west Wales, with toys and donations collected for children receiving care within the Hywel Dda University Health Board area.

Also supporting the event are fun runners from the Castle Inn in Pembroke, who have been fundraising in aid of the 3 Amigos. The group are pictured alongside participants from today’s run.

The 3 Amigos have been raising funds for children’s wards and health charities for more than twenty-five years, with their Easter and Christmas events continuing to make a positive difference to young patients and their families.

Organisers have thanked the public for their support and asked road users to be mindful of the large convoy as it passes through towns and villages this afternoon.

Photo caption:
Festive fundraising: Fun runners from the Castle Inn, Pembroke, pictured supporting the 3 Amigos Christmas toy bike run (Pic: Martin Cavaney/Herald)