News
No play area for Dale but group aim to adapt
DESPITE being unable to achieve their primary aim of building a play area for Dale, the Dale Play Area Association (DPAA) will now look to transition into the role of a grant-giving charity that aids vulnerable children and adults in the area, as they host their Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, April 25, at 74pm in the Jubilee Suite of the Coronation Hall.
The group was set up after the Youth Club had said there should be a play area in Dale. There was initial success as they received a commitment from Martyn Ryder, the land owner, that he would lease an area of the meadow in which
to site a play area.
The DPAA went on to obtain the status of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in January 2015, as well as planning permission in September 2015, holding fundraising events and receiving donations to pay for surveys, plans and legal costs.
The group had also passed the first hurdle of an application to the Welsh Government Rural Communities Development Fund for a grant to construct the play area. The association had carried out a questionnaire and held a consultation event in the Coronation Hall with locals and received overwhelmingly positive responses to their proposals. Plans were put on display in the village and the Annual General Meetings have been advertised in Peninsula Papers. This resulted in 160 people becoming members of the DPAA.
By September 2017 the association had signed the lease and were assured that Mr Ryder was just about to do likewise, when they were told, via his land agent, that he would not agree to the previously arranged agreement; instead offering to lease a smaller area, roughly one fifth of the original area. With the assistance of a play area specialist the group then devised a plan in which elements to benefit all ages could have been included in this smaller site.
An offer to arrange for this specialist to give Mr Ryder a presentation of this plan was declined, and Mr Ryder informed the association on January 21 2018, through his land agent, that he would not lease the DPAA any land whatsoever.
They have not yet been informed of the reasons for him not being willing to lease the small area but he had told them previously that his main concern about the larger area was noise pollution. He had also previously mentioned, through his land agent, that he was concerned about this area becoming an ‘ungoverned’ area where young adults would congregate.
It is the view of the DPPA that the type of area that had been planned would be likely to mitigate against poor behaviour in the village of Dale rather than increase it.
And so the Annual General Meeting of Dale Play Area Association has been called for votes on two issues. The first being as to whether clause 16 of the constitution be deleted, concerning the rule regarding reappointment of a charity trustee after three consecutive terms, and the second being the future of the DPAA, and whether the association should not be wound up but instead become a grant-giving charity.
The proposal is that the charity would give grants to local children or vulnerable adults or organisations serving local children or vulnerable adults to promote their well-being and/or to enable them to take part in adventurous, sporting, fun or cultural activities.
The trustees shall seek advice from the Charity Commission about whether it is necessary to change aspects such as the association’s name in order to carry out this role.
If this is necessary a further Special General Meeting of members will be called to consider an amendment to the constitution.
Health
Pembrokeshire residents suffer severe health decline ‘due to landfill gases’
A PEMBROKESHIRE couple, Mr Richard and Revd Patricia Rogers of Crud yr Awel, are experiencing severe health issues attributed to emissions from the Withyhedge Landfill, resulting in drastic lifestyle changes and severe symptoms.
Revd Rogers, who has managed asthma since childhood, reported a significant deterioration in her condition following exposure to landfill gases. Despite having controlled her asthma with minimal medication for years, she now requires intensive treatment including increased doses of Symbicort and Salbutamol Sulfate inhalers, alongside courses of steroids and antibiotics. Her symptoms have escalated to include extreme breathlessness, a hacking cough, frequent nosebleeds, continual headaches, and vertigo, culminating in a severe impact on her ability to perform daily tasks and care for her disabled daughter.
The couple’s health is closely monitored through their doctor’s surgery, and they attend the asthma clinic regularly. However, feeling powerless to directly change the situation, they have taken a stand by cancelling their council tax payments, a decision they plan to maintain until the landfill issue is resolved.
Revd Rogers has also prepared a letter to the Coroner, outlining the severity of her health issues as potentially life-threatening due to the landfill’s impact. This dramatic step underlines the gravity of their situation and their desperation for a resolution.
The Rogers’ story is not just a personal tragedy but a stark example of the broader environmental and health challenges faced by the community surrounding the Withyhedge Landfill.
They are calling for punitive measures against those responsible, including compensation for the financial impacts of their ordeal.
Their story has surfaced on the same day we reported that Natural Resources Wales is taking further enforcement action against the firm running the site.
NRW has issued site operators Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with a further Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice which requires the operator to deliver a series of actions by specified deadlines to address ongoing smells from the landfill.
You can read more about the Enforcement Notice on the NRW website.
Outgoing Council Leader, Cllr David Simpson, said in a statement this week: “The smell from Withyhedge is having a major impact on residents and visitors. This situation has gone on too long and it is unacceptable.
“We now need to see RML act on the demands of the Notice and within the deadlines.
“The Council fully backs NRW’s stance that nothing is off the table in terms of further enforcement, including suspending the site’s environmental permit if appropriate, and we remain committed to working with NRW to ensure a long term solution to these issues.”
Entertainment
Fishguard Festival of Music launches at the Senedd in Cardiff
- Paul Davies MS for Preseli Pembrokeshire hosts event to promote major programme of summer concerts.
THIS year’s Fishguard Festival of Music/Gwyl Gerdd Abergwaun was officially launched at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay this week (Wednesday) in an event hosted by Paul Davies MS Preseli Pembrokeshire. Guests attending heard from the festival’s artistic director Gillian Green MBE about the 18 events extending over three weeks that will be staged at venues across Pembrokeshire from 18 to 31 July, including a concert by the Welsh National Opera Orchestra at St David’s Cathedral.
Paul Davies MS, said: “I’m truly honoured once again to sponsor the launch of the Fishguard Festival of Music. Over the summer, Fishguard will host world-famous musicians like harpist Catrin Finch and fiddle player Aoife Ní Bhriain, and the festival also includes performances from the National Youth Orchestra of Wales, the National Youth Choir of Wales and the Welsh National Opera Orchestra – so there really is something for everyone! Tickets to these performances sell out quickly and so make sure to head over to the Festival’s website and secure your tickets before it’s too late.”
Gillian Green MBE, Artistic Director of the Fishguard Festival of Music, added: “The Fishguard Festival plays a significant role on the cultural map of Wales and our mission to bring world-class music to Pembrokeshire is as strong as ever. This year we will have a real feast of music awaiting audiences in West Wales. The local community’s work in producing this fantastic festival is nothing short of a small miracle.”
Artists performing at this year’s festival include Peter Donohoe, Catrin Finch and the Marmen String Quartet. The full programme is available to view on the festival’s website www.fishguardmusicfestival.com
Climate
NRW to reduce mowing in May to help pollinators
NATURAL Resources Wales (NRW) will reduce mowing as much as possible on the land in its care during May to help tackle the nature emergency and in support of Plantlife’s ‘No Mow May’ campaign.
The scale and rate of biodiversity loss across Wales is accelerating. Every third mouthful of food we eat has been created by pollination, and without pollinators our food supply would collapse.
Half of the UK’s 27 bumblebee species are in decline, and of the 43 species of butterfly seen in Wales, 10 are in severe decline and 17 are declining.
There are several reasons for the decline in pollinators, such as climate change, pollution and pesticides, and change in how land is managed.
Throughout the growing season, NRW cuts grass and vegetation in areas such as forests, nature reserves, river banks, flood defences and reservoir embankments.
Reducing mowing in May will help biodiversity by allowing spring plants to set seed and grow to provide nectar and pollen for pollinators, such as bees and butterflies.
NRW will reduce its mowing activities in May as much as possible, but essential grass cutting will continue in some areas across Wales.
There are several reasons for this, for example:
- to manage access to forests and nature reserves to make sure people are safe when they visit.
- to easily inspect flood defences and repair them if needed, helping to reduce flood risk to communities.
- for nature conservation, for example to manage an invasive species or to benefit species in a certain area by cutting the vegetation.
David Letellier, NRW’s Head of Operations South Wales Central, said: “We’re committed to tackling the climate and nature emergencies and helping nature and people thrive together.
“We will reduce our mowing activities in May as much as possible to support pollinators, but we want people to understand that we may carry out essential grass cutting to benefit certain communities or species.
“For example, we may continue mowing flood defences to make sure they are in good working order, or if mowing some sites in May would leave wildflowers to recover and bloom throughout the late summer to benefit certain pollinators.
“We need to act now to protect our pollinators. This is why we manage all of our sites to make them as pollinator friendly as possible and to provide food and shelter for other species.
“There are things we can all do to make it easier for pollinators to survive. These can be relatively simple, such as managing grass verges in a more sensitive way, or leaving wild areas around our offices, homes and public buildings.
“We can all help by making our gardens pollinator-friendly by not using pesticides, not mowing the lawn as often, and growing pollinator-friendly plants.”
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