Community
Ogi team up with gallery to bring connected art to Haverfordwest
WALES’ home-grown broadband provider teams up with community arts champions ‘Breakout Gallery’ to brighten up Haverfordwest street-side broadband cabinets.
The call-out forms part of Breakout Gallery’s annual ‘Breakout Exhibition’ which turns the streets of Haverfordwest into a modern art gallery during the spring/summer months.
Around 25 cabinets will be transformed into ‘canvases’ for artworks based on the theme of ‘connections’.
Haverfordwest, Wales. (February 28, 2022) – Ogi, one of Wales’s fastest-growing companies, has partnered with Breakout Gallery to transform one of its first connected towns – Haverfordwest – into a modern art gallery using its network of fibre broadband cabinets as a blank canvas.
A familiar sight on our streets today, these typically green cabinets power the company’s ultrafast broadband revolution in the town, carrying a 10Gbps capable fibre optic network to homes and businesses across Haverfordwest.
The open call, part of Breakout Gallery’s annual ‘Breakout’ exhibition, invites artists from all disciplines to respond to the theme of ‘connections’.
As part of the annual exhibition, around 25 cabinets, varying in size around the town, will be transformed into canvases as part of the annual street art festival run by the local gallery.
Breakout Gallery Managing Director, Arthur Brooker, said: “The last two years has made exhibiting work and coming together almost impossible at times, yet we’ve managed to remain connected as a community.
“Working with Ogi, who are helping to drive real social and economic benefits across Pembrokeshire, is a hugely exciting opportunity for artists to bring their work to the county in a truly unique way. I’m excited to see Breakout making a welcome comeback to our streets this summer.”
Ogi’s Head of Brand and Engagement, Sarah Vining, said: “Community is at the heart of all we do here at Ogi. Recognising it’s been a difficult few years for most of us, we’re thrilled to support this project, helping to brighten Haverfordwest’s streets this summer.
“Designed to blend into the background, these big blocks of colour provide the ideal canvas for this project. The ‘connections’ theme is perfect for us as a broadband company too, and we hope this art will bring people together, just as our ultrafast services connect people digitally.
“I can’t wait to see the exhibition in all its glory later on this year.”
Chosen artists will receive a small fee to cover their time and materials, with the exhibition due to be installed in Spring 2022 as part of this summer’s Breakout Exhibition in the town.
For more information and to respond to the call-out please visit: www.breakoutgallery.co.uk
Community
Tractor run lights up Pembrokeshire and raises funds for charity
THE PEMBROKESHIRE ILLUMINATED TRACTOR RUN took place today (Dec 21), raising funds for two vital charities: the Catrin Vaughan Foundation and Wales Air Ambulance.
Starting at Clarbeston Road AFC at 6:00pm, the brightly lit convoy of nearly 200 tractors made its way through Withybush Hospital and Haverfordwest High Street before finishing at the Pembrokeshire County Showground.
The annual event has become a highlight of the festive calendar, drawing large crowds to witness the spectacle of tractors adorned with colourful lights and decorations.
Funds raised from the event will support the Catrin Vaughan Foundation, which provides crucial assistance to families facing hardship, and the Wales Air Ambulance, delivering life-saving emergency medical care across the region.
Organisers praised the dedication of local farmers and volunteers, whose commitment ensures the event’s continued success year after year.
(Image: Nia Marshall/Facebook)
Community
Festive celebrations at St Davids Cathedral this weekend
ST DAVIDS Cathedral is set to host two special events on Sunday (Dec 22), offering a blend of joyful participation and traditional carol singing to mark the Christmas season.
In the morning, families are invited to the Scratch Nativity at 11:00am. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed as wise men, angels, sheep, or shepherds and take part in an unrehearsed retelling of the Christmas story. Canon Leigh described the event as: “Complete, wonderful chaos for an hour… but with some poignant, thought-provoking moments to centre ourselves on the real meaning of Christmas.”
Later in the evening, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols by Candlelight will take place at 7:00pm, featuring the Cathedral Choir. The event, steeped in tradition, will see the cathedral bathed in candlelight as carols and scripture readings fill the historic space.
Doors will open at 5:45pm for those seeking unreserved seating, and a large turnout is expected for this beloved Christmas celebration.
Community
Restoration of a pond hopes to support biodiversity in Pembrokeshire
AN OLD millpond at the heart of the Wallis and Ambleston community, and a site of Special Scientific Interest, has now been improved to benefit water quality and increase biodiversity in an area of South Wales, thanks to funding from Nestlé Waters UK.
Wallis Pond was created in 1836 as part of the tributary of the Wester Cleddau River to supply water to a local mill. Back in 1978, it was restored and later re-opened by HRH King Charles III, the then Prince of Wales.
Over the years, the pond had become completely silted up, restricting the waters passage and the pond’s ability to retain water, resulting in a reduced diversity of habitat in and around the millpond.
Pembrokeshire County Council, Heavyside Landscapes and Nestlé Waters UK have come together to restore the millpond with regulatory guidance from Natural Resources Wales and support from the Ambleston Community Council.
The project saw the pond re-dug and de-silted, and the old sluice gate replaced to re-establish the millpond. With the pond now able to hold more water, it is hoped to help build resilience to the increased frequency and intensity of storm events, alleviating the risk of flooding in the local area.
Retention of flows in the pond for a longer time should help reduce silt build-up and prevent nutrients such as phosphates and nitrates from travelling downstream in the Cleddau catchment, helping to protect water quality, improve aquatic habitats, and encourage eels, otters, damselflies, and other wildlife species.
Restoration of Wallis Pond is one of the projects that Nestlé Waters is working on as part of its efforts to help regenerate local water cycles and create a positive water impact everywhere the company operates.
Matthew Faulkner, Factory Manager at the Nestlé Waters site in Princes Gate, said: “We are proud to be a part of the Wallis Pond restoration work, aimed at delivering long-lasting benefits in Pembrokeshire, where we bottle at source Princes Gate and Nestlé Pure Life waters. This beautiful landscape is not only our home, but also home to some incredible flora and fauna which are vital for keeping the area rich and thriving in biodiversity.
“We’re working hard to protect this land and the water beneath our feet. Water is a shared resource and a shared responsibility, and caring for it takes the whole community. That’s why we’re grateful to be working with partners on this project that will hopefully have a positive impact on the local ecosystem and community.”
Cllr Rhys Sinnett, Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services at the Pembrokeshire County Council, said: “We welcome this funding to enhance the biodiversity in Wallis Pond which can be enjoyed by the residents of Ambleston, the wider communities in Pembrokeshire and the visitors to our fantastic county.
“This is an excellent example of partnership working that has significant benefits for the environment and the wellbeing of generations to come.”
Eirian Forrest, Clerk at the Ambleston Community Council, said: “We are grateful to Nestlé Waters UK for the funding and wish to thank everyone who has been involved in this project, especially the Pembrokeshire County Council team, for pushing the project forwards.
“The Community Council are delighted that the work has finally been done and look forward to the positive impact it will have on biodiversity. We have already received many positive comments from members of the community. The improved pond encourages locals to take a walk around the area, as well as sit down to watch and enjoy the wildlife.”
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