Long-serving staff member and patient took on 800°C embers to give back to service that has supported her family for years

A MEMBER of staff at Withybush Hospital has raised £528 for Rheumatology Services after taking part in Hywel Dda Health Charities’ firewalk challenge.

Tracy Beynon, who has worked at Withybush for 23 years and has also been a rheumatology patient for 20 years, took part in the barefoot walk across 800°C embers in October to support the department.

She said she had always wanted to try a firewalk and jumped at the chance to do one for her local health board.

Tracy said: “Over the years, I have done some wild things to raise money for various charities, including shaving my head after a Six Nations rugby match 11 years ago.

“Rheumatology have looked after many generations of my family throughout the years, and I wanted to try and give something back to help the team and the patients they serve.

“I was stunned by how much money I raised. After I put a video on TikTok, I had a number of donations from people I have never even met. I will forever be thankful to my friends and family for supporting all of my mad fundraising ideas.”

Katie Hancock, Fundraising Officer for Hywel Dda Health Charities, said: “A huge thank you to Tracy for showing her support to the service that has taken such good care of her for so long.

“The generous charitable donations we receive do not replace NHS funding. Instead, they support additional items and activities outside core NHS expenditure. These small extras make a big difference, and we are so grateful for every donation we receive.”

Hywel Dda Health Charities said donations help provide added items and activities for local NHS patients and staff beyond core NHS spending.

For more information about the charity and how to support local NHS services, visit the Hywel Dda Health Charities website.

First Minister says Welsh Labour’s £100m plan will widen access, ease pressure on parents and avoid the problems seen elsewhere

FIRST MINISTER Eluned Morgan used a visit to a playgroup in Colwyn Bay on Wednesday (Apr 16) to promote Welsh Labour’s pledge to expand childcare in Wales, saying the plan would help working families, support child development and remain within the Welsh Government’s budget.

The Welsh Labour leader said childcare was central to the party’s offer ahead of the Senedd election, with ministers promising a phased £100 million expansion over the next Senedd term.

Under the proposal, funded childcare would be extended to babies from the age of nine months. Welsh Labour says the plan would create 20,000 new funded childcare places across Wales.

At present, the Welsh Government provides up to 30 hours of funded childcare for three and four-year-olds for 48 weeks of the year. Labour says its new approach would widen support while making sure the system remains deliverable.

The party says the expansion would be introduced in phases to ensure that staff, settings and infrastructure are in place, and to avoid the access difficulties seen across the border.

During her visit, Baroness Morgan said the policy would help families with the cost of living while also making it easier for parents to stay in work or return to employment.

She said: “In the middle of a cost of living crisis, childcare is not just a convenience – it is a lifeline for working parents and the foundation of our children’s futures.

“We are putting money back into the pockets of families. While others are making promises that do not add up, we are setting out a measured and sustainable plan that supports providers and gives every child in Wales a fair start.

“Welsh Labour is focused on what we can actually deliver. Plaid’s proposal would leave a massive hole in Wales’ budget, raising serious questions which they need to answer.”

Labour said the Welsh Government had already moved to support childcare providers through a 4.2 per cent increase in the childcare offer rate for 2026-27, following a 28 per cent increase for 2025-26.

It also pointed to the decision to make business rates relief for childcare premises permanent, saying the move would provide longer-term stability for providers across Wales.

The visit formed part of Labour’s wider election messaging, with the party seeking to present its childcare offer as both ambitious and affordable while drawing a clear dividing line with opposition pledges.

Plaid Cymru projected to emerge as largest party, with Reform UK close behind as Labour risks falling to third place

A MAJOR new opinion poll has sent fresh tremors through Welsh politics, suggesting Welsh Labour could lose its grip on Cardiff Bay for the first time since devolution began in 1999.

The survey, carried out by JL Partners for The Telegraph, projects Plaid Cymru as the largest party in the next Senedd, with Reform UK in second and Labour pushed into third. According to the poll, Plaid is on 28.8% of the vote and projected to win 33 seats, Reform UK is on 24.8% and 29 seats, while Labour trails on 15.9% and 17 seats.

If that result were repeated on polling day, it would mark one of the biggest political upheavals in modern Welsh political history. Labour has led every Welsh administration since the Assembly was created in 1999, but this poll suggests that dominance may now be under serious threat.

The election on May 7 will itself be a landmark one. For the first time, the Senedd will have 96 members rather than 60, with Wales divided into 16 larger constituencies, each electing six Members of the Senedd under the new proportional closed-list system. Voters will cast a single vote for a party or independent candidate, replacing the previous system.

Under the JL Partners projection, Labour is forecast to lead in only one of the new super-constituencies: Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd. Elsewhere, the battle for first place is expected to be dominated by Plaid Cymru and Reform UK.

For west Wales, that will be watched especially closely. Pembrokeshire is now split between the new Preseli Sir Benfro and Ceredigion Penfro constituencies, meaning local voters will be part of two much larger electoral contests than before. Under the reformed system, party performance across a wider area will carry much greater weight.

The projected national vote shares in the poll are:

Plaid Cymru: 28.8%
Reform UK: 24.8%
Labour: 15.9%
Conservatives: 12.3%
Greens: 9.2%
Liberal Democrats: 5.6%
Others: 3.5%

The findings broadly follow the direction of another recent MRP poll, which also placed Plaid Cymru in first place, Reform UK second and Labour third, although with different seat estimates. Taken together, the polling suggests a growing appetite for change among Welsh voters.

Even so, the picture remains fluid. With no party anywhere near the 49 seats needed for a majority in the new 96-member Senedd, any administration formed after May 7 is likely to depend on coalition talks or some form of agreement between parties.

James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners, described the Welsh findings as potentially seismic, warning they would represent a political earthquake if borne out on election day.

For Pembrokeshire voters, the implications are significant. The coming weeks are likely to see fierce debate over farming, rural transport, NHS waiting times, the 20mph policy, energy costs, education and the value-for-money argument surrounding the larger Senedd. Those issues are already shaping campaign messages across west Wales.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has presented his party as ready to lead the next Welsh Government, while Labour under First Minister Eluned Morgan faces what may be its most difficult Senedd campaign in a generation. Reform UK, meanwhile, is seeking to turn growing discontent with the political establishment into a major breakthrough.

Polls are snapshots rather than forecasts, and much can still change before voters go to the ballot box. But with the campaign entering its closing weeks, this latest survey suggests Wales may be heading towards the most dramatic Senedd election since devolution began.