News

Syrian family settling well in Cardigan

Published

8 years ago

March 15, 2018

A LOCAL charity, Croeso Teifi, welcomed one Syrian family to Cardigan in November last year and it seems they are settling in well.

The family met them at the airport along with two other community groups meeting a family each. The families shed tears of relief.

It was quickly found out that the Syrian family spoke no English. This did not inhibit communication or joy. The two children danced when they stopped in a cafe on the way home.

The parents started learning English straight away and are improving fast. This term the young children started full time school and are learning Welsh. The parents are also volunteering every week.

Croeso Teifi works with the Home Office and local authority on settling a small number of Syrian refugee families in or near Cardigan – wherever there is a welcome.

The team are aware of the importance of not competing with local needs for jobs, and minimising use of scarce public services.

The family were chosen by the United Nations organisation working with the Home Office with guidance from the Local Authority. Croeso Teifi let the Home Office know the skills that this area is short of before the selection.

The family say they love Wales, love Cardigan and love their home. The children go to school with a smile and come back practicing their Welsh. Their father is looking forward to getting into full time work, and both parents are doing a lot of homework to learn English quickly. They want to learn Welsh after learning English.

Croeso Teifi feel that the first family have been a success so far, They welcome new people to work to befriend and integrate a second family.

Community sponsored settlement is different to government supported settlement. The community provide all the money and gifts to ensure a successful integration. We find and equip a home, provide translation and English lessons, friendship and work and training and opportunities.

The generosity of people in and around Cardigan has been breath-taking. The hard working team of Croeso Teifi volunteers are regularly moved and surprised at the generous spirit of the town. We do our best to ensure that the area benefits as well as us benefitting the refugee family.

Wales is actually leading the UK in community sponsorship. Aberystwyth has its own community scheme with a first family due, and there are several families already in Pembrokeshire. The scheme was inspired by Canada where community sponsorship has been running for over 40 years. It enables refugee newcomers to belong to a local community from the word go, to quickly adapt and contribute their energy and skills.

The team look forward to the next phase of this journey of discovery.

However, a new report published by a coalition of organisations working to support refugees and asylum seekers in Wales shows that families separated from close relatives are experiencing significant trauma and long-lasting harm to their well-being.

At a time when 65 million people worldwide – half of them children – have been forced from their homes because of conflict, violence and persecution, the report also finds that barriers to reuniting family members can seriously impact on their ability to integrate into new communities and rebuild their lives in Wales.

Rihana, a woman from Syria, whose extended family are separated with different family members in Damascus and Lebanon, said: “Being apart from loved ones has brought about a lot of anxiety and distress. We are mentally affected as we always think of our extended family and the difficulties they must face.”

Published by the British Red Cross, Welsh Refugee Council, Displaced People in Action and Asylum Justice, the report calls on politicians in Wales to offer more support for refugees seeking to reunite with family members.

It also recommends that Welsh MPs support a Private Members Bill for Refugee Families that has its second reading in Parliament on Friday, March 16.

That Bill calls for changes to UK immigration rules that would expand the criteria for who qualifies as a “family member” for the purposes of refugee family reunion to include: young relatives, adult sons and daughters, adult siblings, parents, any dependent relatives and any person granted refugee leave.

It also calls for family members of children to be brought to the UK under the refugee reunion policy and for the reintroduction of legal aid for refugee family reunion cases.

The report also calls on the Welsh Government to offer additional support to refugees in Wales by looking at ways to mitigate the adverse impacts of UK policy in Wales by enabling refugees to access the free accredited legal advice required for complex family reunion cases and supporting Welsh local authorities and local health boards to implement protocols for successful family reunion applications.

Red Cross refugee services operations manager for Wales Ruth Gwilym Rasool said: “For many of us, family is the most important thing in our lives and refugees, just like the rest us in Wales, desperately want to remain close to their loved ones.

“Worldwide, we see conflict, violence and persecution driving families apart, with close relatives often separated by continents and loved ones left behind to face danger on a daily basis.

“Refugees now living in Wales have already been through barely imaginable pain and trauma and they deserve to be able to rebuild their lives and reunite their families in safety.

“Present family reunion rules prolong that suffering – causing untold stress and anxiety – and prevent refugees from beginning their new lives in their new communities in Wales.”

Local Government

Mayor and deputy mayor appointed in Milford Haven

Published

1 day ago

May 13, 2026

Tom Sinclair

MILFORD HAVEN TOWN COUNCIL has congratulated Cllr Mark Woodward after he was inaugurated as the town’s new Mayor and First Citizen.

Cllr Woodward was formally appointed on Monday evening, with Cllr Kathy Gray confirmed as Deputy Mayor.

Following the ceremony, Cllr Woodward said it was a “true honour and privilege” to take on the role, adding that it was something he had “never in my wildest dreams imagined would happen to me.”

He thanked his fellow councillors for their trust, as well as residents who had sent messages of congratulations.

Cllr Woodward also paid tribute to his wife Eva, who now becomes Mayoress, saying her support had helped make the moment possible.

He said: “I promise I will do my absolute best and fight hard and passionately for my beloved adopted town.”

With Cllr Gray serving as Deputy Mayor, Cllr Woodward added that residents could “rest assured it will not be a quiet year.”

Local Government

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park chief to be honoured by Gorsedd Cymru

Published

1 day ago

May 13, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PARK CHIEF RECOGNISED

PEMBROKESHIRE Coast National Park Authority Chief Executive Tegryn Jones is to be honoured by Gorsedd Cymru at this year’s National Eisteddfod.

Mr Jones has been named among those who will be admitted to the Gorsedd in recognition of their achievements and contribution to Wales, the Welsh language and local communities.

He will be admitted in the Blue robes, which are awarded to people who have given distinguished service in areas including public life, local and national activity, journalism, media, sport, science and law.

Originally from Lampeter and a fluent Welsh speaker, Mr Jones has played a prominent role in Welsh public life through a career spanning environmental, educational and community leadership.

Before joining Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, he served as Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy and also worked for the General Teaching Council for Wales.

He was nominated for his work in education, youth work and the environment, as well as for developing environmental initiatives at both local and national level.

In Pembrokeshire, he is also closely associated with the development of Welsh-medium education through his long-standing involvement with Ysgol Caer Elen in Haverfordwest, where he was the first Chair of Governors.

Mr Jones said: “It is a great honour to be recognised by Gorsedd Cymru, particularly in a year when the National Eisteddfod returns to Pembrokeshire for Eisteddfod y Garreg Las.

“The Welsh language belongs to all our communities, and I have been very fortunate to work with so many people who care deeply about its future, whether through education, culture, the environment or public service.

“The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park is one of the jewels of Wales and provides an outstanding landscape that contributes to the environmental, social and economic goals that are essential to Wales’ future.

“I am very fortunate to lead the National Park Authority and extremely proud that this work has been recognised by the Gorsedd.”

This year’s National Eisteddfod, Eisteddfod y Garreg Las, will be held in Llantwd, North Pembrokeshire, from August 1-8, 2026.

The event will be especially significant as it marks 850 years since the first recorded Eisteddfod was held in Cardigan in 1176, just across the river from this year’s Maes.

News

New RSPCA poll shows opposition to badger culling in Wales

Published

2 days ago

May 13, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR CULLING ‘NOT THERE’, CHARITY SAYS

NEW polling from RSPCA Cymru suggests there is no clear public support in Wales for badger culling as a way of tackling bovine TB.

The charity says the new Welsh Government must “listen to people’s love of wildlife” after a survey found that just over a quarter of people in Wales actively support the culling of badgers.

The polling, released today (May 13), comes as 96 Members of the Senedd prepare to take their seats in the newly-expanded Welsh Parliament, with bovine TB expected to become one of the major animal welfare and farming issues facing the next administration.

RSPCA Cymru said only 27% of those surveyed supported badger culling, while 46% were opposed. A further 28% said they did not know.

The charity is calling on Plaid Cymru, which is seeking to form a minority government following the appointment of Rhun ap Iorwerth MS as First Minister, and on MSs from all parties, to reject culling and focus instead on what it describes as a science-led, cattle-focused approach.

The survey of 1,033 adults in Wales found that 63% of respondents were uncomfortable with badger culling being carried out using lethal methods approved by government authorities.

More than two-thirds, 68%, said they were uncomfortable with public money being used to fund the culling of badgers.

The polling also suggested that the issue could affect political support. More than half of those surveyed, 52%, said they would be less likely to support a political party that backed badger culling, while only 7% said they would be more likely to do so.

RSPCA Cymru said the figures showed that badger culling was “unsupported by a clear majority” of the Welsh public.

Billie-Jade Thomas, senior public affairs manager for RSPCA Cymru, said: “How the new Welsh Government approaches bovine TB will be one of the biggest talking points concerning animals in Wales in the coming years.

“This polling should remind all newly-elected Senedd Members that the Welsh public cares about how badgers are treated, and politicians must listen to people’s love of wildlife.

“There is a clear lack of public support for badger culling in Wales, and those supporting such action could see their support wane among their constituents.”

She added: “Wildlife control and badgers were featured in several parties’ Senedd manifestos, including Plaid Cymru, Wales’ new biggest party.

“We now hope MSs from all political groups recognise that badger culling is unsupported by a clear majority of the Welsh public, and they should instead prioritise a science-led, cattle-focused approach to combatting bovine TB.”

The polling also found that almost 98% of people in Wales consider protecting Welsh wildlife to be important, with 69% saying it is very important.

Badgers were among the most popular species named in the survey, with 73% of respondents choosing them as one of the species they were most concerned about when asked to select their top three.

RSPCA Cymru said badgers remain one of Britain’s most distinctive and misunderstood wild mammals.

Ms Thomas said: “Badgers are such wonderful creatures and, like all wildlife, deserve to be treated with kindness and respect.

“A growing body of evidence suggests that the majority of bovine TB infection occurs between cattle, with scientific evidence suggesting that badger culling is not an effective way to reduce the disease in cattle.

“The new administration must always tackle bTB in a way which does not needlessly pose a threat to one of our most distinctive, well-loved yet misunderstood species of wildlife.”

RSPCA Cymru’s manifesto for the seventh Senedd, Securing A Better Future For Animal Welfare in Wales, calls for badger culling to be rejected, describing it as ineffective and inhumane.

The poll was carried out online by Savanta between April 24 and May 12, 2026. Figures were weighted to be representative of adults in Wales.