A CALL to change a mixed-use therapy centre to a children’s care home classification has been submitted to Pembrokeshire planners.

Skybound Therapies Ltd, through agent Carl Bentley Architectural Services, seeks permission for the change of use of the Skybound Care Farm & Therapy Centre, Campbell Farm, Wiston, near Haverfordwest.

A supporting statement says: “Situated in a discrete rural setting in Pembrokeshire, the Therapy Centre is at the heart of a family-owned Care Farm. It is a working beef and forestry farm, providing a unique and tranquil environment for their services,” adding: “Skybound Care Farm offers a variety of services for both children and young adults. From young adult day opportunities to week-long intensive programmes. The forestry fields provide an ideal setting for practicing walks. Visitors can interact with animals, learn about water safety near their ponds, and immerse themselves in the peaceful beauty of the working farm. Vegetable growing and harvesting is a recent addition to the Care Farm.

“Skybound welcome clients from the local area as well as those travelling from all over the UK and abroad. There is a variety of accommodation types close to the farm and centre, including a holiday village, caravan parks, holiday cottages and log cabins. Many clients like to combine visits to the care farm / therapy centre with exploring local beaches, amenities and attractions.

“The Care Farm HQ and Therapy Centre are in Southwest Wales, but they also cover many locations across the UK, including Cardiff, Newport, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Yorkshire and Norfolk. Skybound are taking on new locations all of the time.”

It says the original Therapy Centre which was constructed in 2012/13 when it “began its journey as a leading national and international therapy centre providing behaviour analysis, positive behaviour support, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy for children and young adults with special needs and behavioural issues”.

In August 2022 planning permission was granted to extend the therapy centre, completed in 2024; the business currently employs 45 staff on a full time and part time basis, a small number of staff are located at the Care Farm & Therapy Centre and at other locations across Wales and the UK.

“Whilst the centre has been running since February 2024 the applicant and business has found that the use of the centre is changing from previously planned and consented usage,” the statement says.

It says that since then discussions have taken place with council planners to clarify the centre’s current planning use class, along with “other opportunities and ideas for the expansion of the business and services to potentially use other existing buildings at the site are currently being investigated, which will no doubt take further time to consider”.

“There is a long-term plan to expand the Care Farm & Therapy Centre activities within the whole of the site and this full planning application is the third stage of the plan. The long-term plan is to provide more ‘settings’ to provide more training, utilising more of the farm setting for example with further interactions with small farm animals and to perhaps house some therapy sessions within other existing farm buildings to provide different types of training settings.”

Late last year, the site was granted permission to extend staff facilities through a temporary building.

The current application will be considered by planners at a later date.

FOLLOWING generous donations, Hywel Dda Health Charities – the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board – has funded a Tonic Surf Therapy programme worth £4,000. The funding paid for ten young people receiving support from mental health services to take part in the ten-session programme.

The Tonic Surf Therapy programme provides structured surf instruction and gives young people the opportunity to experience the joy and wellbeing that comes from engaging with the marine environment.

The sessions provide an effective way for Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (sCAMHS) practitioners to engage with service users in a positive way and help prevent mental health issues from developing or continuing into adulthood.

Alastair Wakely, Service Delivery Manager (sCAMHS), said: “We are so grateful that kind donations from our local communities have funded the Tonic Surf Therapy sessions.

“The sessions are an effective intervention for young people with mental health problems, delivering positive outcomes including improvements in mood, a reduction in thoughts of self-harm and suicide, reduced social anxiety and improved self-esteem.

“The project has also allowed us to evaluate and explore the potential of surf therapy as an effective intervention for young people with mental health problems.”

Nicola Llewelyn, Head of Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “It’s great to see really ambitious and creative programmes like this being delivered thanks to charitable donations.

“We are deeply grateful for the support of our local communities which allows us to offer services beyond what the NHS can normally provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda.”

For more details about the charity and how you can help support local NHS patients and staff, go to www.hywelddahealthcharities.org.uk

Anyone who has sailed with a yacht crew will know just how bonding that experience can be.

From the moment the boat is launched, the crew hauls away as one cohesive body, resulting in  one of the strongest team ethics imaginable.

But if you’re female, then a degree of  ‘gender division’ may rear its dampening head, quashing your confidence, your ability and your downright enjoyment of being at sea.

But now, thanks to the foresight of local vet Charlotte Hamilton and her iconic pink boat,  ladies of all ages and all sailing abilities are being introduced to the joys of sailing whilst supporting two of the UK’s foremost  breast cancer charities – Breast Cancer Now and Metup UK.

Two years ago Charlotte lost one of her closest friends to breast cancer,  following a ten-year battle after she was diagnosed with the disease when she was just 23.  In 2022, Charlotte’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer; thankfully has made a complete recovery.

“Because of what I’ve witnessed, with my mother and with Connie, who was my best friend from college, breast cancer is something that’s very close to me,” Charlotte told The Pembrokeshire Herald from her home in Neyland.

“Connie was only 23 when she was diagnosed, but by then, the cancer had gone to her liver as they initially thought it was hormonal. She fought it for ten years and always wanted to visit Pembrokeshire, but sadly she died two weeks before she was due to come and visit.”

As a result, the pink boat is being sailed in memory of Connie, while the women who are learning to sail her are called ‘The Pink Puffins’.

Charlotte, who is a vet with the Fenton Vets practise in Haverfordwest, was given the boat some 18 months ago by her husband, Lloyd.

“Lloyd is a keen sailor who regularly races on the Cleddau,  but I’d never really taken part,” she explains.  “So  the idea was for me to start building my sailing confidence.  Last summer I took the boat out with two other women and we enjoyed it so much it got us thinking about starting to race.  If the men can do it, so can we.”

The boat is an Achilles 24 cruise-racer, capable of reaching decent speeds and covering good distances.

“She’s capable of crossing the Atlantic, although The Pink Puffins are perfectly content to stick with the Cleddau for the time being,” laughed Charlotte.

“Since launching her a few weeks ago, we now have around 40 women who are starting to sail her,. We train every Sunday at Neyland and we took part in our very first race last Wednesday.

“Ok, we didn’t win, but being able to take part was fantastic and that’s the whole purpose of The Pink Puffins.  It’s about having fun, and the women taking part can do as much or as little as they like.  A lot of women have never set foot on a sailing boat before, and because it tends to be such a male-orientated thing, the thought of learning to sail can be a bit intimidating. So if somebody wants to come out with us just to watch, that’s perfectly fine.  And if they want to get involved with sailing her a little later on, then that’s great.”

The interest that is already being shown and the rise in numbers means that additional racing sessions will be  introduced later this season on Sundays.

Everyone attending the training sessions and the races is asked to make a donation which will be shared between Breast Cancer Now and Metup UK, however  individuals can give as much or as little as they choose. If anyone is interested in finding out more about The Pink Puffins can email Charlotte on sailpinkpuffins@hotmail.com