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New weapon in fight against beach micro plastics

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The Pembrokeshire Eco Champion Project last week welcomed new and existing partners to the next exciting phase of their war on Micro Plastics.

Representatives of Nurdle visited Freshwater West Beach to deliver their innovative Trommel device which offers users an engaging and proven way of removing tiny bits of plastics from the sand on our beaches.

Nurdle met local Eco Champion Coordinator Mark Bond in Pembrokeshire.

‘Micro plastics’ are considered to be ‘any bits of plastic polluting the environment that are smaller than 5mm in length’.

These are often broken bits of larger plastic items that have been weathered or broken down by the elements.

‘Nurdles’ are very uniform, rounded pellets of plastic and are generally part of the plastic making industry or are an element of the water treatment process.

They eventually find their way into the sea and wash in and out of our beaches on the high tide.

The Eco Champion Project began a micro plastic campaign in January, delivering more than 100 simple Micro Plastic Beach Clean Kits to families around the county.

Mark said: “The beach clean kits proved a massive success and were certainly a conversation starter which brought a lot of local people onto the same page where these horrible plastics are concerned.

“Now we’ve taken the campaign to the next level – phase two – by taking on one of these Trommels.

“Phase three is already being planned, and it promises to be huge!”

The Trommels are a large, frame mounted, metal-meshed drum, which can be filled with sand and can separate the organic material from the micro plastics.

Nurdle are developing opportunities to recycle the material collected.

The plan for 2020 is to invite coastal communities around Pembrokeshire – particularly those observing a lot of micro-plastics washing up on their beaches – to apply to The Pembrokeshire Eco Champion Project to host the Trommel.

It could also compliment a beach clean that might be organised in that area, adhering to any social distancing measures in place at that time.

A number of local Plastic Free Communities groups in the area have expressed an interest and enquiries from a number of volunteer beach clean groups are expected.

The Trommel tour will also be supported by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and National Trust Rangers who will be adding the apparatus to various educational road-trips they have planned for the summer.

Cllr Cris Tomos, Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “It was fantastic to host the Trommel device in Pembrokeshire and see what it could do.

“It looks to be a very effective and significant innovative product in the fight against micro plastics on our beaches.”

Mark Bond is urging anyone with an interest in hosting a Trommel or groups/schools who wish to learn more about nurdles and micro plastic to get in touch.

 

News

Three climbers rescued after fall at St Govan’s Head

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THREE climbers have been rescued after falling into the sea at St Govan’s Head, following a major multi-agency emergency response along the south Pembrokeshire coast.

The alarm was raised at around 4:00pm on Wednesday, prompting a large-scale search and rescue operation involving coastguard teams, helicopters and the Angle RNLI lifeboat.

A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: “HM Coastguard are responding to an incident involving three climbers at St Govans Head in Pembrokeshire on 12 February.

“First alerted at around 4pm, Coastguard rescue teams from Fishguard, St Govans and Tenby have been sent alongside an HM Coastguard helicopter, an Irish Coastguard helicopter, Wales Air Ambulance and an RNLI lifeboat from Angle.”

Multiple helicopters were seen operating over the cliffs and sea during the evening, with the lifeboat also deployed offshore.

BBC Radio Wales reported in its 8:30am Breakfast bulletin on Friday that all three casualties were successfully rescued.

Their conditions have not yet been confirmed.

Dyfed-Powys Police also attended the incident.

Updates to follow if further information is released.

 

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Charity

Tenby’s Doreen Mortimer MBE celebrates 30 years of RNLI service

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Fundraising stalwart has helped raise more than £1m for lifesaving charity

A TENBY volunteer who has dedicated three decades to saving lives at sea has marked her milestone anniversary with a celebration alongside the friends and colleagues who have supported her journey.

Doreen Mortimer MBE, long-time shop manager and fundraiser for the RNLI in Tenby, hosted a special gathering for fellow volunteers on Thursday (Feb 12) at Tudor Mount Gastrobar to celebrate both her 30 years of service and her recent royal honour.

Now in her 90s, Doreen remains a familiar and energetic presence in the town’s RNLI shop, where her tireless efforts have helped raise more than £1 million for the lifesaving charity.

She was one of six RNLI volunteers recognised by His Majesty The King as the organisation approached its 200th anniversary last year, receiving an MBE for her outstanding contribution to fundraising and community service.

Award-winning dedication

Doreen’s commitment has long been recognised within the charity.

In 2022 she received the RNLI’s Excellence in Volunteering Award from head of fundraising Jayne George, after the Tenby shop’s takings topped £100,000 within months of reopening following the Covid lockdowns.

Jayne George said at the time: “Although Doreen has a team of volunteers backing her up, she is the driving force that keeps sales rising, and whenever the fund-raising committee holds an event, she is there with her bucket.”

The following year she was honoured again for her long service, helping make Tenby the number one RNLI shop in Wales.

She was also recognised by RNLI chief executive Mark Dowie during his farewell tour of UK stations.

Still going strong

Despite her age, Doreen continues to volunteer for up to 50 hours a week during busy periods, supporting the shop, events and collections.

Friends say her energy and enthusiasm remain an inspiration to younger volunteers.

Thursday’s celebration was not only a thank-you for Doreen’s service, but also a chance to acknowledge the wider team whose efforts help keep the charity’s vital work afloat.

For Tenby’s lifeboat crews, every pound raised locally helps ensure they can launch at a moment’s notice — and for three decades, Doreen Mortimer has been at the heart of that mission.

 

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Community

Lifeboat to find new home at Pembroke Dock museum after historic handover ceremony

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A HISTORIC lifeboat which saved forty lives around the British coastline is set to begin a new chapter in Pembroke Dock next month when she is formally handed over to the West Wales Maritime Heritage Society.

The 1957 Watson-class vessel, RNLB Pentland, will be transferred to her permanent home at the West Wales Maritime Museum during a public ceremony on Saturday, March 7 at 1:00pm.

Organisers say the event will mark the end of the boat’s private stewardship under Mike Brotherton MBE and the beginning of her preservation as part of Pembrokeshire’s maritime heritage.

The handover will include the lowering of the Blue Ensign and the raising of the Red Ensign, symbolising the lifeboat’s move into museum care, followed by a short presentation recounting her operational history.

During her years of service at Thurso, The Mumbles and Workington, Pentland was launched into some of the worst conditions the coast could throw at her crew, helping to save dozens of lives.

Trustees say bringing the vessel to Pembroke Dock will ensure that future generations can see first-hand the type of lifeboat that protected coastal communities for decades.

Visitors attending the ceremony will also be able to tour the museum’s restoration workshops and view other ongoing heritage projects, including work on the Charterhouse lifeboat.

Refreshments, including burgers, bacon rolls, tea and coffee, will be available before and after proceedings.

Entry to the museum and boatyard is free, although donations to support preservation work are welcomed.

 

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