News

An exciting year for Ysgol Glannau Gwaun

Published

8 years ago

August 16, 2016

Sports Day: At Ysgol Glannau Gwaun

IT’S BEEN an exciting year for Ysgol Glannau Gwaun.

The school is proud to have won the Pembrokeshire Eco Bronze and Silver Awards for its work carried out in the essential area of environmental awareness.

These awards follow the school’s achievement of the Silver Sustainable Schools certificate in 2015, thanks to the staff and pupils’ dedication to Eco-based areas.

These areas include transport, healthy living, littering, and the local environment and community. The pupils and staff also looked at the school and its uses.

They have undertaken thorough investigations and utilised IT to research their findings. With Mr Tim Owen as Co-ordinator, an Eco club was set up under the tuition of Mrs Bethan Homer.

Thanks go to Tom Latter, Deputy Chairman of the Governing Body, who has greatly helped the school and given an invaluable input. The school would also like to thank Mrs Janie Pridham and Mr Tim Brew for their support over the last two years.

The children were presented with the Pembrokeshire Eco Awards by Miss Kiri Howell, The Education Officer for Keep Wales Tidy. Ysgol Glannau Gwaun will now progress to the next stage in the Eco process, to try and achieve the Eco Green Flag.

Two sports days were held recently; one for the Foundation Phase and one for pupils in Key Stage Two. Support from the parents was fantastic during both events. A fun and friendly atmosphere was complemented by dry weather and a touch of competitiveness. Special thanks go to Mrs Helen McLoughlin, PE teacher and specialist, for her dedication to training the pupils for the events, and also to Mr Steffan Davies for his input as well.

The school would like to thank the Friends of Glannau Gwaun, who kindly provided refreshments for participants and spectators.

Congratulations to Huw Davies and Nia Jones for winning the Victor and Victrix Ludorum 2016.

Celebrating academic success is Holly Sinnot-Cleary from Year Six, who was recently awarded the Ysgol Glannau Gwaun Shield for maintaining a high standard of written and spoken Welsh. Her work carried out through the medium of Welsh has been fantastic. The school would like to wish Holly the best of luck at Ysgol Bro Gwaun.

As part of the school’s links with the community, WPC Helen Llewellyn had a lengthy discussion with senior pupils regarding the need to stay aware when faced with new and different scenarios and situations.

The pupils worked together in small groups with Mrs Bethan Homer following an IT presentation from Helen.

A night out under the stars was enjoyed this year by 84 pupils, accompanied by a large group of staff, including the Headteacher and Deputy.

The camp was set up in the school’s gated and fenced off playing field, to ensure complete safety for the children. The children and staff were unphased by the less than nice weather, and a singalong around the campfire with Mr Williams playing his guitar made the night one to remember for everyone involved.

A number of exciting trips also took place at Ysgol Glannau Gwaun this year.

Pupils were invited to see a famous reminder of 1979’s Last Invasion of Britain as part of their study of the local area.

Raymond and Valerie Llewlin are the owners of Bristgarn Farm, which is home to a peculiar grandfather clock.

During the invasion, one of the French soldiers became alarmed by the clock’s ticking noise, and fired his musket into it. The two bullet holes in the clock are still visible to this day.

Years One and Two of Reception enjoyed a very warm welcome from Folly Farm during their recent trip to the Welsh attraction, and the weather was fantastic too!

Thanks must go to the staff at Folly Farm for providing the children with wonderful memories of meeting all of the wonderful animals and wildlife.

A recent visit to Fishguard Harbor was also thoroughly enjoyed by pupils from Years One and Two.

The keen children had fun meeting the Lifeboat crew and trying on their rescue clothes.

This was followed by an interesting tour around the Stena ship and Captain’s Bridge.

The school would like to thank the Harbour staff for the patience and kindness. On the last day of term, Year Six pupils demonstrated a number of talents in front of a captivated audience, consisting of pupils, staff, parents and families.

Some of the exciting demonstrations included dancing, singing, playing the piano, martial arts skills and even a pet chicken!

Each pupil leaving was then presented with a personalised leaver’s hoodie and notebook from the Friends of Ysgol Glannau Gwaun. As a retirement gift, Mr Tim Owen was also given his own hoodie, which he greatly appreciated.

Finally, the pupils were thanked for their contributions to the school by the Headmaster, who wished them the best of luck in their futures.

The following staff left Glannau Gwaun at the end of term: Mrs Mari Jones, Deputy Headteacher; Mr Tim Owen, Teacher; Mrs Hefina Evans, LSA; Miss Helen Evans, LSA; Mr Paul Thomas, LSA; Mrs Roz Harries, LSA; and Mrs Susan MacLeod,

NNEB LSA. The Governing Body and entire school community wish them well.

Thanks also to teachers, Mrs Melody Griffiths, Mrs Claire Sommerville and Mrs Lydia Lawrence for their invaluable contributions. The School welcomes back next term Mrs Nicola Williams, Senior Teacher, and Miss Bethan Rees, who has been on secondment in the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

News

County Hall lights up to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

Published

5 hours ago

January 25, 2025

Tom Sinclair

COUNTY HALL in Haverfordwest will be lit in purple on Monday January 27 to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.

This year Holocaust Memorial Day marks the 80^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and remembers the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust and those killed in genocides that followed.

The theme of this year’s commemoration is ‘For a Better Future’ and focuses on what everyone can do to create a better future.

This includes speaking up against Holocaust and genocide denial, challenging prejudice and encouraging others to learn about the Holocaust and more recent genocides.

Pembrokeshire County Council Leader, Cllr Jon Harvey, said: “This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day is particularly poignant as we remember the moments that Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated and the horrors of the Holocaust revealed to the world.

“We all have an opportunity to take action for a better future. A better future where people are not suffering prejudice or persecution because of their faith, ethnicity or other characteristic.”

Council Presiding Member, Cllr Simon Hancock added: “On Holocaust Memorial Day, we remember the Jewish victims of the Holocaust and all the others who suffered under Nazi persecution and the genocides that have followed.

“As we honour their memories, we also pledge to fight prejudice, discrimination, and antisemitism in society today.”

You can see more information on Holocaust Memorial Day at: https://hmd.org.uk/

News

Pembrokeshire cottage extension expected to be refused

Published

6 hours ago

January 25, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS adapt an outbuilding at a north Pembrokeshire cottage, which has had two previous extensions, to provide additional space for visiting family members are expected to be refused.

In an application recommended for refusal at Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s development management committee meeting of January 29, Mr and Mrs Lewis seek permission for the park to allow habitable rooms in a consented building, along with a link to the existing dwelling at Lleine, near Moylegrove.

A supporting statemen through agent Harries Planning Design Management says: “This planning application follows a previously submitted planning application for extension to the dwelling and the rebuilding of existing outbuildings.

“It also follows a pre-application advice enquiry for an extension and to allow habitable rooms in the outbuilding and a refusal for an application of a similar nature. Following the refusal, we met with officers at the [national park] offices in Pembroke Dock to discuss a way forward for this proposal given the reason is to enable relatives to stay with the family. We therefore have followed the advice of the officers and provided amended plans following their response.”

An officer report for planners says Lleine, on a minor coastal road linking Newport and Moylegrove, is a traditional single-storey cottage that has been extended on two occasions previously.

It adds: “This application seeks consent to allow habitable rooms in an outbuilding which previously gained planning permission, together with the erection of a link to the existing dwelling. The current application follows the refusal [of a previous application], which also sought consent to allow habitable rooms in the previously consented building, and the construction of a link to the main dwelling.

“It was considered by officers that the proposal represented an over-development of the original dwelling by introducing additional accommodation and built form over and above that which was granted.”

It says that while the revised proposal is smaller, “it is still considered that the further additional built form would be an over-development of the existing dwelling, which already been extended extensively”.

The application has been brought to committee consideration rather than decided by officers at the request of the local councillor.

Crime

Dyfed-Powys Police tax bill could rise by nine percent

Published

6 hours ago

January 25, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

THE POLICE part of the council tax bill in Dyfed and Powys is expected to rise by nearly nine percent, meaning the average household could be paying £360 for that element alone.

The overall council tax bill for residents in the counties of Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Powys is made up of the county council element of the council tax, the Dyfed-Powys Police precept, and individual town or community council precepts.

In a summary before the January 24 meeting of the Dyfed Powys Police and Crime Panel, held at County Hall, Haverfordwest, Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn calls for a raising of the precept by nearly nine per cent for the 2025-’26 financial year.

The summary says: “After extensive scrutiny by the Police & Crime Panel (P&CP), I was unanimously supported in setting a council tax precept for 2024/25 in Dyfed-Powys of £332.03 for an average band D property, once again being the lowest in Wales.

“At every stage within the series of precept and medium-term financial plan meetings, and indeed through my scrutiny and review of the in-year financial position, I critically question and constructively challenge aspects of the revenue budget requirement and organisational delivery structure to assure myself of the requirements, progress and ultimate delivery. I also undertook a series of challenge and scrutiny sessions specifically reviewing the Estates, ICT and Fleet Strategies and future capital programme.

“To inform my considerations for 2025/26 and to fulfil my responsibilities as Commissioner, I consulted with the public to obtain their views on the level of police precept increase. It was pleasing to see an increase in respondents since 2024/5 with 76 per cent supporting a precept increase above Nine per cent.”

It added: “I am painfully aware of the pressures that the cost-of-living crisis continue to put on our communities. There is a fine balance between ensuring an efficient and effective, visible and accessible Policing Service, addressing operational services demands to ensure the safety of the public, whilst also ensuring value for money for the taxpayers and sound financial management.

“Having undertaken a comprehensive process, I am confident in the robustness of this MTFP, but this does not underestimate the difficult decisions or indeed mitigate the financial challenges and uncertainties which are outside of our control.

“I therefore submit my precept proposal for scrutiny by the Dyfed- Powys Police and Crime Panel, which will raise the average Band D property precept by £2.39 per month or £28.65 per annum to £360.68, an 8.6 per cent increase. This increase will raise a total precept of £86.366m.

“This will provide a total funding of £153.304m, representing a £9.4m/6.5 per cent increase on the revised funding for 2024/25.”

For the individual council tax bands of A-I, the proposed levels, and increase on last year, are: £240.46 (+£19.10), £280.53 (+£22.29), £320.61 (+£25.47), £360.68 (+£28.65), £440.84 (+£35.02), £520.99 (+£41.39), £601.14 (+£47.76), £721.37 (+£57.31), and £841.60 (+£66.86).

Ceredigion is currently mooting a near-10 per cent increase in that element of the overall council tax bill.

Anyone paying a premium on council tax, such as second home-owners, also pay the premium on the police precept, meaning their bills for this element are proportionately higher.