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Three generations of a Tenby RNLI lifeboat family thank Valero

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Pictured (left to right) on board Tenby RNLI’s Tamar class lifeboat Haydn Miller are Tenby RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew member and Valero Pembroke Refinery worker Geoffrey Martin, his father and Tenby RNLI Deputy Launching Authority Geoffrey Martin and his two-year-old grandson Geoffrey Martin. Credit: RNLI/Tenby

Left to right: Geoffrey Martin, his father Geoffrey Martin and his two-year-old grandson Geoffrey Martin (pic: RNLI)

THREE generations of a lifeboat family – with something very important in common – have got together to thank Valero Pembroke Refinery for another generous fuel donation to the RNLI.

Tenby RNLI Deputy Launching Authority Geoffrey Martin came to the lifeboat station recently to recognise another round of the vital fuel donation. And he brought along his lifeboat crew member son and lifeboat-mad two-year-old grandson – also both called Geoffrey Martin.

As well as having the same name – the Martin family also have close ties with the Pembroke refinery, as grandad Geoff was a former employee and son Geoff currently works there.

The kind fuel donation is a regular gift to both Angle and Tenby RNLI. The first donations were made in 2005 and help the two station’s volunteer crews save lives at sea.

Grandad Geoff said: ‘Fuel is one of the RNLI charity’s greatest costs and we’ve had another busy year of launches for our lifeboats. Without fuel we wouldn’t have been able to get to people in need of assistance at sea and bring them to safety – it’s a vital ingredient in what we do.’

Figures for 2015 showed that Tenby RNLI’s lifeboats launched 55 times, rescuing 52 people and saving two lives. Angle RNLI’s lifeboats launched 41 times, rescuing 53 people and saving eight lives last year.

Lewis Creese, Angle RNLI Coxswain, said: ‘We’ve had a busy year so far this year so the fuel donation from Valero has been especially vital. On behalf of everyone at Angle RNLI I’d like to echo the thanks to them.’

The RNLI is also very grateful to KP Thomas fuel distribution for collecting the free fuel and delivering to both Tenby and Angle without charge.

 

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  1. 737 type rating

    January 12, 2026 at 4:48 pm

    I learned a lot from this article. Keep up the great work!

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Education

Reform MS takes Church school row to Welsh Government

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Claire Archibald says proposals affecting Cilgerran and Manorbier show rural families risk losing real parental choice

A REFORM UK Senedd member has asked the Welsh Government to intervene over the future of Church schools in West Wales, following growing concern about proposals affecting rural schools in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.

Claire Archibald MS, who represents Ceredigion Penfro, has written to Education Minister Anna Brychan asking what safeguards are in place to protect Church schools, Christian education and parental choice.

Manobier School

Her intervention follows months of controversy over the future of rural education provision, including proposals affecting Cilgerran Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School and Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School.

Pembrokeshire County Council has consulted on plans to discontinue Cilgerran Church in Wales VC School and establish a new 3-11 community school in its place.

In Manorbier, the council has also progressed proposals to discontinue the village’s Church in Wales school, which has been at the centre of a long-running row following a serious fire.

Ms Archibald said the issue should not be treated as a simple administrative change.

She said: “Christianity has helped shape Wales for generations. It is part of our history, our values, and the life of many of our villages and towns.

Cilgerran School

“Church schools matter. They give parents the choice of a Christian education for their children, and in rural areas that choice can be lost very easily when a school is closed, reorganised, or stripped of its Church status.

“I fully understand that councils face financial pressures and difficult decisions, but we cannot allow those pressures to quietly erase Christian school provision from rural Wales.

“These are not just technical changes. They affect parental choice, community life, and the future of Christian education in Wales.”

Rural school concerns

The Herald has previously reported on strong opposition to changes at Cilgerran, where many parents and residents have argued that the school’s Church status is part of its identity and community role.

The Manorbier case has also attracted significant local attention, with campaigners arguing that the village school should be protected following the disruption caused by the fire and the temporary relocation of pupils.

Ms Archibald said the pattern across rural Wales was worrying.

She has also raised concerns about proposals affecting village schools in Ceredigion, including Ysgol Llanfihangel y Creuddyn, a community school on a Church in Wales-owned site.

She said: “Parents should not be told they have choice on paper when the nearest realistic alternative may be many miles away.

“In rural areas, distance matters. Transport matters. Community matters.

“I have asked the Education Minister to set out what safeguards are in place to protect Church schools, Christian education, rural communities, and parental choice before these decisions are allowed to go ahead.”

Questions for ministers

In her letter, Ms Archibald asked the Welsh Government to confirm what assessment has been made of Church schools closed, discontinued, or proposed for category change in Wales.

She has also asked whether stronger guidance will be issued to councils considering proposals that affect Church schools.

The MS has requested that the minister meet affected parents, governors, local representatives and the relevant dioceses.

Councils have previously argued that school reorganisation proposals must take account of pupil numbers, building conditions, budgets, educational standards and long-term sustainability.

However, campaigners say that in rural communities the closure or reclassification of a school can have consequences beyond education, including the loss of community identity, longer journeys for children and fewer realistic choices for parents.

 

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Charity

Henry Tufnell visits St Davids RNLI lifeboat station

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MP pledges to raise funding and regulation concerns after meeting volunteer crew at St Justinian

HENRY TUFNELL MP has visited St Davids RNLI lifeboat station to hear first-hand about the work of its volunteer crew.

The Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP met crew members at St Justinian, where he was briefed on some of the rescue missions carried out by the station off the Pembrokeshire coast.

Mr Tufnell said the visit had highlighted both the dedication of the lifeboat crew and the pressures facing the service.

He said: “It was a privilege to visit the RNLI St Davids Lifeboat at St Justinian and hear first-hand about some of the remarkable rescue missions the crew have undertaken.

“They do extraordinary work keeping our community safe.”

Mr Tufnell added that crew members had also raised concerns about ongoing challenges, including funding and regulation.

He said: “It was also important to hear about the ongoing challenges they face, particularly regarding funding and regulation.

“As your MP, I will continue to champion and protect the interests of our community heroes in Westminster.”

The RNLI station at St Davids is one of Pembrokeshire’s key coastal rescue bases, serving a busy and often challenging stretch of coastline popular with walkers, kayakers, boat users and visitors.

The charity relies on volunteer crews and public support to continue its lifesaving work.

 

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Crime

Farmers fined in bovine TB scandal face fresh court action

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Hartt family members listed at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court over unpaid penalties linked to major cattle prosecution

TWO PEMBROKESHIRE farmers convicted in a major bovine tuberculosis-related cattle case are due back before the courts this week over unpaid financial penalties.

Henry Hartt, 66, of Ciffig, Whitland, and Edward William Henry Hartt, 48, of Llandewi Velfrey, are both listed to appear at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (June 11).

Court records show both men face proceedings relating to the non-payment of fines of £94,739.64 imposed on March 4, 2024. Separate applications to lodge committal warrants are also listed, relating to unpaid fines of £22,300 and £22,400 respectively.

The pair were among three members of the Hartt family sentenced at Swansea Crown Court in March 2024 following a major prosecution brought by Pembrokeshire County Council involving bovine TB controls.

The court heard that cattle known to have reacted to bovine tuberculosis tests were knowingly kept on-farm, while substitute animals were allegedly presented for slaughter instead.

At the time, Henry Hartt, Edward Hartt and Charles Hartt admitted a total of 12 cattle identification offences connected to Longford Farm, Clynderwen.

The case centred on failures to comply with bovine TB restrictions and cattle tracing rules designed to prevent the spread of the disease.

Each defendant was fined £24,000, while confiscation orders and prosecution costs running into hundreds of thousands of pounds were also imposed.

Thursday’s hearing is expected to deal with enforcement proceedings connected to the unpaid financial orders rather than the original criminal offences.

The Herald will be attending court.

 

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