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Badger enjoys the sweet smell of ‘success’

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badger_2087377bIt worries Badger that an administration so committed to cutting public services is headed by a man who finds remembering to file his expenses on time difficult and is a self-confessed bad book-keeper. All those alleged efficiency savings and service improvements (a.k.a. ‘cuts’) swimming around in the head of a man who forgot to claim £4649 in expenses; it cannot be easy for him, poor dab!

All the talk of those supposed service improvements, alleged efficiency savings and being kind to our environment cannot obscure the fact that Pembrokeshire County Council has embarked on a course of slashing low paid workers’ pay while preserving the obscene salaries paid to upper management as a reward for their collective past and continuing failure; on a policy (cutting bin collections) that will ensure that Pembrokeshire households will be regular stopping off points for Badger’s woodland chums Ratty and Foxy; and a policy that means that if you are caught short in a public place, you will be doing your bit for the environment by wearing reusable nappies.

How lucky we are then that the Council was this week able to announce that ‘Latest figures show that Pembrokeshire County Council’s performance improved again last year and was well above average when compared to other local authorities in Wales … Pembrokeshire’s performance was particularly positive in adult and children’s social care.’

Now that is good news, to an extent. If success is going to be measured as not failing as badly as everyone else, Jamie Adams’s breast must be swelling with pride.

We can all be proud of the Council’s achievement in closing a library before finding out how much it would cost to replace it and then having to back track on its plans for it; that its own estimate of capital works required to the education estate was wildly incorrect; that the Council’s view of success is maintaining ‘the lowest Council Tax in Wales’ by slashing public services and showering European grant money on a few private landlords and property speculators.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the figures that escaped Cllr Adams’s attention:

Cllr Jacob Williams’s motion about traveller pitches in Pembrokeshire and the need for the Council to ensure its procedures were appropriate rightly received widespread attention. The Council now has the chance to right a wrong and put its money where its mouth is. When the Council has an estimate for a requirement for expenditure of £1m in this financial year and has since the start of it spent £6,000, the need for rapid review instead of mere lip service is underlined.

Pembrokeshire County Council takes 78.6 days to discharge its primary duty to households determined to be homeless. That is 78.6 working days. Add in the weekends, because people don’t stop being homeless on Saturday and Sunday, and Pembrokeshire is proud to keep the homeless without a permanent roof over their heads for over four months. That is against a Welsh average of 128 working days and a target of 66 days. Hurrah. We are not the worst!

The Council’s desired ‘Key Outcome 1’ is that ‘Children, young people and families in Pembrokeshire have the opportunity to lead healthy, happy and fulfilling lives.’ Not if you are a child with special needs, however: for those children, Pembrokeshire’s performance is woeful. Out of 23 statements of Special Educational Needs, only 3 – 13% – were issued within 26 weeks. For the sake of clarity, the same period last year produced an 88% performance against the same target. Success, indeed, then! No explanation is given for this pathetic failure in the papers recording the Council’s performance for special educational needs assessments other than that reports are ‘awaited’ from Health and Social Care.

Still?

Rocking on for six months after the end of the year to which those figures relate, the Council is STILL awaiting an explanation? Perhaps there is only one manual typewriter in County Hall and the typist is on long term leave.

Perhaps best value for money in education could be achieved by making an effort to recruit the best available permanent staff for Pembrokeshire’s schools instead of the below, a response to a Freedom of Information Act request:

SCHOOLS PAYMENTS FOR TEMPORARY / SUPPLY STAFF IN THE 2012/13 FINANCIAL YEAR:

Staff on fixed term contracts 7,014,631.23
Supply staff 1,546,187.07
Agency staff 119,098.76
Total 8,679,917.06

Mind you, Social Care and Education are responsible for every Compromise Agreement the Council confirms entering into since 2009. Think of those agreements as ‘we pay you to go away, not make a fuss and keep your lip zipped’ ways of ending employment. Note the startling figures for the current and immediately past financial years.

01/04/13 2 @ £48,720 + Payment in Lieu of Notice
01/04/12 – 31/03/13 2 @ £35,200 + PILON
01/04/11 – 31/04/12 0
01/04/10 – 31/03/11 1 @ £7,000 + PILON
01/04/09 – 31/03/10 1 @ £3,672 + PILON

Three of those agreements were in senior management positions.

We can all take comfort in the thought that scarce resources are being spent wisely and well and not ploughed into rewarding failure and mediocrity.

Something smells sweet around Jamie Adams and the IPPG. Perhaps it is success, after all.

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Help protect Pembrokeshire’s coastal paths this Big Give Week

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PEMBROKESHIRE COAST CHARITABLE TRUST is inviting the public to make a double impact this December by supporting vital efforts to combat coastal erosion and climate change across Pembrokeshire’s cherished coastal paths. For one week only, donations will have an even greater impact in protecting these scenic trails for future generations.

During Big Give Week, which takes place from 3–10 December, any donations made to the Trust’s Save Our Coastal Paths campaign will be matched – allowing each gift to go twice as far in safeguarding this precious coastline and its world-class walking trails.

Regarded by many as a national treasure, Pembrokeshire’s 186-mile Coast Path winds through a breathtaking landscape of cliffs, heaths, and dune grasslands, connected by a web of adjoining trails. This iconic pathway is enjoyed year-round by residents, wildlife, and visitors alike. Yet the increasing pressures of climate change – rising sea levels, frequent storms, and extreme weather – are eroding the coast at an alarming rate, threatening the accessibility of these paths, disrupting local ecosystems, and impacting the tourism that fuels the local economy.

In response, the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust has partnered with the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and the National Trails team to launch a proactive approach through the Save Our Coastal Paths campaign. Funds raised during Big Give Week will go toward vital repair work, bridge restorations, debris removal, and re-routes where necessary, ensuring the Coast Path and its connecting pathways remain open and safe for generations to come.

Jamie Owen, Journalist, Broadcaster, and Patron of the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust, said: “The Pembrokeshire Coast Path is one of the county’s greatest treasures. I have walked it from beginning to end. It would be a tragedy if it became impassable or parts of it simply disappeared. It’s crucial we all do our bit to ensure it’s preserved.”

Katie Macro, Director of the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust, said: “The Big Give Week is the UK’s largest match-funding event, where supporters of UK charities can have their donations doubled. It’s a fantastic opportunity to rally support and raise funds to help protect Pembrokeshire’s much-loved coastal paths, ensuring they stay resilient against climate change and remain a joy for future generations.

“If you’d like to help, please consider donating during Big Give Week by visiting https://donate.biggive.org/campaign/a056900002TPSPiAAP.”

Further information on the work of the Pembrokeshire Coast Charitable Trust can be found at https://pembrokeshirecoasttrust.wales/.

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A tribute to Honey Arteya Foxx French, written by her family

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MILFORD HAVEN turned into a sea of yellow on Tuesday, 12th November, as the community gathered to bid farewell to Honey, who tragically passed away at her home on Saturday, 19th October, aged just 12 years old.

Honey was the cherished daughter of Alan and Jess, a beloved sister to Travis and Felix, and a deeply adored granddaughter, great-granddaughter, niece, and cousin. She was a bright, intelligent young girl who attended St. Davids School, leaving an unforgettable impression on all who knew her.

The funeral cortege left her home led by a convoy of bikes, passing her favourite play park, Gellyswick Beach—where she spent countless joyful hours—and her former primary school, where staff stood to pay their respects as the hearse passed.

Before arriving at St. Katharine & St. Peter’s Church, the cortege paused on the Rath for a moving tribute. Tugboats flew yellow flags and released a spectacular display of water, followed by 12 blasts of their horns to honour Honey’s age.

At the church, her yellow coffin, engraved with her name and adorned with honeybee carvings, was carried in to the song I Can’t Help Myself by The Four Tops, a nod to her name. The congregation sang All Things Bright and Beautiful, a favourite from Honey’s primary school days. As the service concluded, Little Bitty Pretty One by Thurston Harris, from her favourite film Matilda, played alongside a touching visual tribute.

At Parc Gwyn Crematorium, Honey’s personality shone through in the music choices, with Rock Superstar by Cypress Hill, her favourite song, and Sail Away by David Gray playing as the service ended.

Honey’s floral tributes were later placed at Milford Haven Cemetery on the graves of loved ones. Flowers from her coffin spray were sent out to sea from Gellyswick Bay that evening, a poignant final farewell.

Her heartbroken parents, Alan and Jess, wrote this loving tribute:


“Once upon a time, oh best beloved, there was a little girl called Honey-bee.

Honey-bee was the most loved of all little girls—before her and after her. She filled every inch of space around her with her presence. Her laugh was husky, cheeky, and contagious. Even if her jokes crossed a line, you couldn’t help but laugh—she was hilarious.

Honey loved to sing, much to her mama’s pride. Whether in the car, the garden, or pottering in the kitchen, she memorised songs with ease, belting out her favourites for all to hear. She danced too—many hours were spent grooving to James Brown or Biggie Smalls in the kitchen. Dramatic and bold, she was destined for the stage.

Honey was her Nana’s girl, and their bond was unbreakable. Sleepovers at Nana’s house meant scary movies, silly photos, and endless laughs. One unforgettable day at Scolton Manor spa, Honey, Mum, and Nana found themselves laughing like children in the rain, with Honey unknowingly pulling a rope that dumped a bucket of icy water over her. Chaos followed, but it was legendary.

Honey had a knack for mischief. She once tried to disprove the Tooth Fairy by hiding a tooth for three days, only to pen a threatening letter to the Easter Bunny demanding payment. When her dad tried to play along, she caught him red-handed, sitting upright with a grin and her hand out, saying, ‘I’ll take that.’

Her adventurous spirit extended to animals—she had a pet duck that followed her everywhere. One morning, her dad replaced the duck’s egg with a Cadbury’s Creme Egg. Honey’s delight at finding ‘chocolate-pooping ducks’ was unmatched.

On her third birthday, she was gifted a Shetland pony dressed as a unicorn, which she proudly rode to school. She even tried to save a live rat from the neighbour’s cat, much to her family’s horror.

In school, Honey shone on stage and in sports. She led a petition for a girls’ rugby team, represented Pembrokeshire in shot put, and played the Evil Queen in a school production, dazzling everyone with her confidence and talent. She was a natural leader and a cherished friend to many.

Honey’s love of life and her fearless, mischievous spirit will forever be remembered. She was, and always will be, the most loved little girl.”


Rest in peace, Honey-bee. Your light will never dim, and your memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved you.

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Community

New art trail is afoot in Fishguard and Goodwick!

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A NEW sculpture trail Art Afoot / Celf ar Droed linking Fishguard and Goodwick is due to be launched December 15th 2024.

Commissioned by Pembrokeshire County Council with UK Government funding, the trail has been designed and delivered by local creative organisation Small World Theatre, based in nearby Cardigan.

Local artists from the region have designed and fabricated the artworks in their studios. The trail also includes augmented reality artworks that the viewer can see in the landscape using their phone.

The trails make use of existing and maintained pathways such as the boardwalk on Goodwick Moor, a wildlife reserve and the Marine Walk which is an accessible coastal path.

The new artworks will also be interspersed with existing artworks and heritage monuments and tell the twin towns heritage stories while celebrating the unique biodiversity and wildlife of the area.

A hand drawn and illustrated map will guide walkers along the various route options and website will give further details about the artworks, the artists and a digital version of the map.

Six new sculptures and eight augmented reality artworks have been commissioned as well as a series of decorated waymarkers. Sculptural archways created by Bill Hamblett will mark key route directions and celebrate local wildlife and heritage.

The launch event begins 2pm at Ocean Lab, Goodwick Sunday, December 15th and the artists will lead a guided walk along one of the trail routes.

Everyone is welcome, this is a free family friendly event and the route taken will be accessible to wheelchair users.

Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services, Cllr Rhys Sinnett, said: “This innovative project will bring the rich history of Fishguard and Goodwick to life through both physical and virtual art for us all to enjoy. It promises to be a really interesting experience, not just for those visiting the area but also those who already live in this beautiful part of Pembrokeshire.”

A stunning five metre stainless steel seahorse created by Pembrokeshire-based artist Gideon Peterson will sit at the entrance to the Marine Walk, overlooking Goodwick beach and Fishguard Harbour.

Many of the artworks are interactive or kinetic such as a wind-powered shoal of fish and a giant kaleidoscope showcasing local children’s drawings at Goodwick Parrog, made using reclaimed materials by artist duo Toby Downing and Ben Cramp.

A playful hand painted sculpture of Jemima Nicholas, created by Ann Shrosbree with painting by Sarah Hope, was originally inspired by a young person’s drawing and an augmented reality immersive experience awaits viewers with artworks by Seán Vicary and Steve Knight.

The area is known for its focus on arts and culture and these trails are the latest manifestation of this. For those who love culture as well as stunning coastal scenery and wildlife, this is an ideal combination.

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