WITH only two months to go before the Torch Theatre stage is awash with green beans, tasty blueberry pies, a talented dairy cow and a stalk winding its way high into the sky, the cast for the festive pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk has been announced, and we can’t wait!

Local faces and local talent will lead the way for the pantomime this year, including Samuel Freeman as naughty boy Terrence Fleshcreep, Lloyd Grayshon as the loveable Dame Titania Trott and Freya Dare as devious Agatha Fleshcreep. All three Pembrokeshire actors are very familiar with the Torch Theatre stage and appeared in last year’s record-breaking Torch pantomime Beauty and the Beast.

Community dance/drama artist Freya runs her own children’s theatre company here in the county and featured as the Swing in Beauty and the Beast, understudying for all the roles in the show. Lloyd is delighted to be returning to the Torch stage this Christmas in one of his favourite pantomimes! Milford Haven born and bred Samuel will make his fifth Torch Theatre appearance, following Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Of Mice and Men. He is excited to be returning to the Torch not only for the pantomime but also for next May when he returns with The Mumford & Sons Story: Awake My Soul. 

Carri Munn will appear as Pat the Cow. A Cardiff-born actor, writer, director and stand-up comedian, Carri is delighted to be back at The Torch, having performed here several times and most recently with Tachwedd (Theatre 503). Joining Carri on stage as Fairy Gabby Greenfingers will be Elena Thomas who has worked in television, film, theatre and radio. She recently completed a national tour of The Cherry Orchard playing Varya for Here to There productions. Alongside her acting work, Elena has also performed as a dancer and worked as a choreographer for S4C and Sherman Theatre. 

And last, but certainly not least, Gareth Elis will make his first ever Torch Theatre appearance as the hero of our story, Jack Trott. A familiar face on S4C’s Stwnsh, Gareth has appeared in productions for companies including Wales Millennium Centre, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, Cameron Mackintosh, Arad Goch and Leeway Productions and has worked abroad in Seoul.

Torch Theatre’s Artistic Director, Chelsey Gillard said: “I am over the moon to be working with such a talented cast. We will of course need the help of the audience to beat the giant, so we need you to come along ready to boo, hiss and cheer. There’s lots of opportunities to join in – it’s behind you! And it wouldn’t be a panto without plenty of silly laughs for the young ones and plenty more that will go over their heads to amuse the grown-ups.”

Jack and the Beanstalk will feature on the Torch Theatre stage from Fri 13 Dec – Sun 29 Dec 2024 with matinee and evening performances. Ticket prices: £23.50 | £19.50 Cons | £75.00 Family. Relaxed Environment Performance on Saturday 14 December at 2pm. BSL Performance – Tuesday 17 December at 6pm.

To book your tickets or for further information, contact the Box Office on 01646 695267 or visit torchtheatre.co.uk.

ALL local authorities in Wales should standardise payments for care home places, according to Care Forum Wales, the organisation representing the sector. The current system, where fees are set by individual councils, has led to stark discrepancies across the country, creating what the forum describes as a “postcode lottery”.

A significant variation in weekly charges for basic care has emerged between neighbouring counties, with some care home owners warning that the situation could force more closures. In two adjacent counties, the fees can differ by as much as £70 per week.

The Welsh government has acknowledged the issue, stating that its new National Office for Care and Support is considering measures “to bring about consistency”. However, it has also indicated that fee rates will continue to differ due to “local factors like land values for care homes”.

The Welsh Conservatives criticised the current approach as a “false economy”, arguing that social care and health services should not be competing for resources. Plaid Cymru echoed the need for change, calling for a “transformational change” in the health service.

Orme View care home in Llandudno, Conwy county, has seen its fees rise this year, following a decision by Conwy council to break away from the system where all councils in north Wales set their fees collectively. Instead, the council has adopted a new fee structure based on recommendations from an independent assessor, resulting in significantly higher payments.

Steffan Robbins of Orme View welcomed the change, calling it “an amazing, positive step forward.” Speaking to Politics Wales, he said, “Conwy have taken that step to really assess the true cost of care and make sure they deliver a fee that’s affordable to them, but also a fee that reflects the true costs that we’re seeing in the sector.”

In contrast, the Old Vicarage care home in Llangollen, Denbighshire, is receiving thousands of pounds less per resident each year compared to Orme View because it relies on the fees set by Denbighshire council. Although there has been an increase in fees this year, it remains substantially lower than the rates in neighbouring Conwy.

Currently, the fees for basic care in Conwy are £846 per week, while in Denbighshire they are £774. The disparity means that some care homes, like the Old Vicarage, are forced to charge residents additional top-up fees to stay afloat.

“It’s very disappointing,” said Bethan Mascarenhas, who runs the Old Vicarage. “As somebody who’s very invested in the work that they do, we really strive to give the absolute best level of care… Unfortunately, the divide between the fees will make that difference in what you can provide.”

A call for change

Care Forum Wales, the umbrella organisation for Welsh care homes, has warned that the current system is undermining facilities in areas where the fees do not reflect the actual costs. Chairman Mario Kreft emphasised the need for uniformity, stating, “The new National Office for Care and Support needs to ensure we have parity across Wales, that there is at least an understood basic level of funding across all local authorities and health boards. We’ve got to move away from a postcode lottery.”

Denbighshire council responded by asserting that it is striving to balance financial constraints while ensuring the sustainability of the care sector in the county. “We have worked hard to strike the delicate balance between navigating challenging financial constraints and ensuring that we are maintaining a sustainable future for the care sector in the county,” a spokesperson said. The council also noted that it has not seen evidence to suggest that differing fee rates are affecting the solvency of care homes in Denbighshire.

Speaking to BBC Politics Wales, Welsh Conservative MS Sam Rowlands urged the Welsh government to ensure that local authorities receive adequate funding to properly compensate care homes. “It’s kind of a false economy pitching social care against health services, because we know that there are hundreds and hundreds of beds in our hospitals at the moment which are blocked because people cannot access the care services that they need,” he said.

Plaid Cymru MS Mabon ap Gwynfor also called for a significant shift in the approach to care services. “We need to see a transformational change within the care service,” he said. “We need to see the Welsh government actually put this first and foremost as a priority… and to deliver that national care service so that care is free for individuals, that people working in the sector are paid properly, so that we know that our loved ones get that care.”

The National Office for Care and Support is currently exploring the possibility of introducing national fee methodologies to standardise care home fees. However, it has indicated that this does not necessarily mean a single national fee rate, as fees will still vary according to local factors such as land values for care homes.

The debate continues as stakeholders await the government’s next steps in addressing the inequalities in care home funding across Wales.

TWO individuals, Paula Janetta Foster, 68, and Tobias Foster, 43, both of Wilden, Narberth, Pembrokeshire, were fined at Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire Youth Court on Thursday for failing to comply with an enforcement notice served by Pembrokeshire County Council.

The defendants, who were present in court and represented by solicitor James Ryan of Acuity Law, initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but later changed their pleas to guilty on 3rd October 2024. The case was heard at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court.

The charges related to their failure, as occupiers of the land, to adhere to the conditions set out in an enforcement notice issued by the council on 27th May 2021. The notice, INV/0196/19, required specific steps to be taken, which the Fosters failed to do between 12th August 2022 and 23rd July 2024. This was in violation of Section 179(5) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Paula Janetta Foster was fined £200, ordered to pay a surcharge of £80 to fund victim services, and £330 in costs, bringing the total sum to £610. Tobias Foster received a fine of £450, a surcharge of £180, and was ordered to pay costs of £330.70, totalling £960.70.

The court made collection orders for both defendants, taking their guilty pleas into account when imposing the sentences, resulting in a 25% reduction. Both Fosters were granted time to pay, with monthly instalments of £30 commencing on 31st October 2024.