Community

Local pet food company set to feed thousands of rescue animals

Published

5 years ago

January 8, 2020

LEADING pet food company Burns Pet Nutrition is set to improve the health and wellbeing of rescue animals in Wales by providing pet food and donations to animal charities across the country.

The family-run firm based in Kidwelly, which already regularly donates its specialist line of natural pet food to over 40 rescue centres across the UK, has announced that it will this year offer vital support to Bedlington Terrier Rescue Foundation, as part of its ongoing Charity of the Year programme.

The Carmarthenshire-based charity, which cares for and rehomes Bedlington Terriers and their crosses, has been selected by Burns as one of its two charities of the year, joining West Cork Animal Welfare, and will receive a year’s worth of financial assistance and food amounting to over £50k in value.

The charities were chosen following an application and interview process. The collaboration marks the fifth consecutive year that Burns has run its Charity of the Year programme as part of an ongoing initiative to give back to charity.

Business Owner and Veterinary Surgeon, John Burns commented: “We are in a very fortunate position that, as a company, we are able to support causes in the community as well as deserving charities. I have decided that Burns should be a force for good.”

In 1976 Bedlington Terrier Rescue Foundation was founded by Barbara Butcher MBE and Phyllis Cooper. The foundation was established to rescue and rehome Bedlington Terriers and their cross breeds throughout the UK.

In the coming year Burns Pet Nutrition will be supporting Bedlington Terrier Rescue Foundation by providing funding to finance their innovative foster carer Training Scheme. The foundation does not house their rescues in kennels but ensures that each rescued dog is homed with a foster carer until a forever home is found. The new training scheme will provide foster carers the opportunity to work with appointed behaviourists to prepare the fostered dogs for life in their new home.

Frances Fuller, Director of Bedlington Terrier Rescue Foundation said “We’re really happy to be working again with Burns on this exciting project. They helped us celebrate our 40th anniversary at Discover Dogs 2016. It’s great that they are as enthusiastic for our training scheme as we are and we’re looking forward to now making this happen thanks to their generous support.”

Founded in May 1999, West Cork Animal Welfare was established to help unwanted, abandoned, neglected and abused animals in West Cork. In 2020 Burns Pet Nutrition will be helping them to continue their work by providing a monetary donation to help towards purchasing much needed items for the rescue centre.

Jennifer Headlam from West Cork Animal Welfare said, “We are absolutely delighted and thankful, for all the dogs, cats and kittens in our care, to have been chosen as the Burns Charity of the Year. We all know what incredible quality Burns food is and the benefits it will give the animals in our care, from tiny pups and kittens to older frail dogs. It is a massive boost to the West Cork Animal Welfare Group team and an honour to be the winners.”

In addition to its Charity of the Year Programme, Burns runs a number of grassroots projects including The Better Tomorrow Programme, which aims to engage and help young people to develop valuable life skills, and The Burns by Your Side reading to dogs programme, designed to help children struggling with literacy and communication. The company takes a proactive approach to giving back and has 8 full-time members of staff working in its community department.

Burns was founded in 1993 on the principle that feeding pets a healthy, natural diet is key to helping them thrive. Today, John Burns wants to use the success of the business as a vehicle for positive change. He is calling on companies of all sizes to support and engage with their local communities and charitable organisations as much as possible, stressing that it’s integral to maintaining and securing customer trust.

Business

Derelict Cilgerran house to be transformed into cafe

Published

4 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS by a village shop owner to convert a house “in a state of disrepair” to a café to “improve the variety of community facilities” locally have been given the go-ahead.

Mrs Morris, through agent Harries Planning Design Management, sought permission from Pembrokeshire County Council to convert The Old Post House, High Street, Cilgerran, currently a four-bed dwelling, to a ground floor café, along with a first-floor flat.

The application received five letters of support, saying it would provide local jobs, support the community, promote Welsh and local food, and provide a local community hub, with three letters of objection, raising concerns about parking and traffic, and potential odours from the premises.

A supporting statement, through the agent, said: “The proposed site is currently a dwellinghouse, in current need of modernisations and renovations throughout. The site is under the same ownership as the neighbouring village stores Siop Y Pentre,” saying the proposal “can be read as an extension to the existing Siop Y Pentre”.

“Siop Y Pentre is a thriving local community village shop which acts as a village hub. The shop provides local residents with day-to-day necessities, with a focus on local, sustainable and minimal waste products,” the statement says, adding the dwelling it seeks to convert “is in disrepair and in need of internal works to make suitable for modern living”.

It went on to say: “The proposed café seeks to retain its focus on local and seasonal produce with minimal waste and would provide a welcomed opportunity for socialising, especially during the daytime. The café will also seek to employ local staff retaining a community feel throughout. As such, the principle of the café adjacent to the existing village store is considered acceptable. The site seeks to encourage a sustainable community, with development of an appropriate scale and nature.

“Further to this, the location of the development is within the settlement boundary and seeks to fulfil a need for day-time socialising environments currently lacking within Cilgerran.”

The application was conditionally approved by county planners.

Community

Emergency call outage affected Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire

Published

4 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Tom Sinclair

RESIDENTS in parts of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire faced difficulties contacting emergency services via the 999 landline number on Sunday (Dec 17) due to a temporary outage.

Dyfed-Powys Police issued alerts on social media, warning residents of potential issues when trying to dial 999 from landlines in affected areas. Locations impacted included Pembroke, Manorbier, Carew, and surrounding areas.

In a statement, police advised: “You may have faced problems calling 999 from a landline in the Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire area. Places likely to have been affected were Pembroke, Manorbier, Carew. Please try calling from a mobile phone as mobile networks may have been working normally. Normal service will be restored as soon as possible. Non-emergencies can be reported online. Please look out for further updates.”

Later in the day, an update confirmed that the 999 landline service had been restored in the Llangrannog and Llanteg areas.

The temporary disruption raised concerns about access to emergency services in rural areas, where mobile coverage can sometimes be unreliable.

Authorities urged residents to remain vigilant and use alternative communication methods in the event of future disruptions. Further updates are expected as investigations into the cause of the outage continue.

For non-emergency issues, residents can continue to report incidents via the Dyfed-Powys Police website or contact their local police station directly.

Community

Police and council in collaborative effort to tackle fly grazing

Published

4 hours ago

December 23, 2024

Tom Sinclair

IT WAS confirmed this week Pembrokeshire County council is teaming up with Dyfed-Powys Police in a bid to tackle a growing problem of horses on public areas in the county.

The move comes after the County has witnessed a significant increase in incidents of horses being left on public land and highways – known as fly-grazing.

Over the Christmas period the agencies will work operationally in a collaborative effort to alleviate the issue.

This joint approach is in response to community concerns and part of a wider initiative that will enable partner agencies to effectively address with the issue.