News

The man turning Pembrokeshire’s waters into a sea garden

Published

3 years ago

June 13, 2023

SEAWEED enthusiast and Pembrokeshire Beach Food founder Jonathan Williams has built his business by harvesting foods from the sea. His award-winning Café Mor, a street food outlet now permanently located at his pub, The Old Point House on Angle, Pembrokeshire, specialises in seaweed-based food such as lobster rolls with seaweed butter or Welsh brekky rolls filled with bacon, egg, and laverbread patties.

The Old Point House’s indoor restaurant also specialises in seaweed dishes, ranging from house seaweed pasta to seaweed Welsh cakes, and the Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company sells everything from seaweed salt to seaweed ketchup. National Laverbread Day, launched by Jonathan in 2022, is another part of his mission to champion seaweed as a delicacy.

Now Jonathan is switching from foraging for seaweed to farming it. His Secret Sea Garden, located in the waters off the Pembrokeshire coast, produces a range of seaweed including laver, dulse, kelp and sea lettuce, and mussels, which attract lobsters and spider crabs. There are further plans to grow scallops and other shellfish.

The aim is to supply the pub with a steady supply of shellfish and seaweed, and to demonstrate what a valuable resource the sea is. Jonathan has placed an emphasis on natural, environmentally friendly farming methods which he hopes will be replicated by others.

“The seaweed is naturally seeded on manila, sisal and hemp ropes rather than traditional fishing ropes that are made of plastics, meaning micro plastics and nano plastics enter the water,” he says.

“We’re also we’re applying polyculture techniques. Seaweed farming tends to follow what farmers do on lands in terms of monoculture, because growing one type of seaweed makes it easier to harvest. We’re growing a range of seaweeds because we want to create a rich and vibrant habitat. We’re not seeding it ourselves – it’s done by the millions and millions of seaweed and shellfish seeds that are floating looking for something to attach onto. We’re just letting nature do what it does best.”

By also growing shellfish on the ropes, he’s providing a truly local source of seafood for his kitchens. The Old Point House, which sits beside the sea and is reached by a tidal causeway, has a long history of serving local food in a setting once frequented by pirates.

“Local shellfish is hard to come by, with the exception of Atlantic Oysters, so growing our own will cut food miles right down,” he says. “This is also about pushing the pub into the 21st century. We have a typical garden with herbs and vegetables but to add the sea garden makes us even lower impact. It’s also about education and showing people this is a way to sustain ourselves for years to come.”

Jonathan has been working with Danny Curtis, a local Lobster fisherman and owner of Little Haven café Lobster and Mor, whose local knowledge of the coast is allowing the Sea Garden seeds to be sown. It is hoped the harvest will provide a year-round sustainable source of seafood.

“It’s early days but we are both very excited about the potential,” says Jonathan.

The first harvest from the Secret Sea Garden will be celebrated later this month with the

Secret Sea Garden Feast at The Old Point House. Anyone interested in attending can sign up for the Old Point House newsletter at https://www.theoldpointhouse.wales/

“We’ll be serving a tasting menu with seaweed and seafood being the main focus – it will demonstrate how feasible sea gardening is and give people a taste of seaweed that’s been naturally grown on our doorstep,” says Jonathan.

Community

Craig Flannery appointed as new Chief Fire Officer

Published

19 minutes ago

December 19, 2025

Tom Sinclair

MID AND WEST WALES FIRE SERVICE LEADERSHIP CHANGE

MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has announced the appointment of Craig Flannery as its new Chief Fire Officer, with effect from Monday, December 15, 2025.

Mr Flannery has served with the Service for more than twenty years, progressing through a wide range of middle management and senior leadership roles across both operational and non-operational departments.

During his career, he has been closely involved in strengthening operational delivery, risk management and organisational development. His work has included leading innovation in learning and development, overseeing the Service’s On-Call Improvement Programme, and driving investment in key enabling functions such as workforce development and information and communication technology.

The appointment followed a rigorous, multi-stage recruitment process led by Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority. Candidates were assessed through structured interviews, strategic leadership exercises and scenario-based assessments designed to test operational judgement, organisational vision and the ability to lead a modern fire and rescue service.

External professional assessors were also engaged to provide independent scrutiny, ensuring the process met high standards of fairness, transparency and challenge.

Mr Flannery emerged as the strongest candidate, demonstrating clear strategic leadership capability, detailed organisational knowledge and a strong commitment to community safety and service improvement.

Councillor John Davies, Chair of Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, said: “Craig brings a deep understanding of our Service and a clear vision for its future. His appointment will strengthen our ability to innovate, support our workforce and deliver high-quality protection for the communities we serve.

“As we navigate a rapidly changing landscape, Craig’s experience in driving innovation and organisational development will be invaluable in helping us adapt and transform for the future.”

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Flannery said: “It is a privilege to lead this outstanding Service. I am committed to supporting our people, strengthening partnerships and building on the strong foundations already in place.

“As the challenges facing fire and rescue services continue to evolve, we must modernise and innovate, ensuring we have the skills, technology and capability needed to meet the needs of our communities. I look forward to working with colleagues and partners across Mid and West Wales to deliver a resilient, progressive Service that keeps people safe and places our staff at the heart of everything we do.”

Health

Resident doctors in Wales vote to accept new contract

Published

6 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

RESIDENT doctors across Wales have voted to accept a new contract, with 83% of those who took part in a referendum backing the agreement, according to BMA Cymru Wales.

The contract includes a four per cent additional investment in the resident doctor workforce and introduces a range of reforms aimed at improving training conditions, wellbeing and long-term workforce sustainability within NHS Wales. The BMA says the deal also supports progress towards pay restoration, which remains a central issue for doctors.

Key changes include new safeguards to limit the most fatiguing working patterns, measures intended to address medical unemployment and career progression concerns, and reforms to study budgets and study leave to improve access to training opportunities.

Negotiations between the BMA’s Welsh Resident Doctors Committee, NHS Wales Employers and the Welsh Government concluded earlier this year. Following a consultation period, a referendum of resident doctors and final-year medical students in Wales was held, resulting in a clear majority in favour of the proposals.

Welsh Resident Doctors Committee chair Dr Oba Babs Osibodu said the agreement marked a significant step forward for doctors working in Wales.

He said: “We’re proud to have negotiated this contract, which offers our colleagues and the future generation of doctors safer terms of service, fairer pay, and better prospects so that they can grow and develop their careers in Wales.

“This contract will help to retain the doctors already in training, and also attract more doctors to work in Wales, where they can offer their expertise and benefit patients.”

Dr Osibodu added that the BMA remains committed to achieving full pay restoration and acknowledged that challenges remain for some doctors.

“Whilst this contract sets the foundations for a brighter future for resident doctors in Wales, we recognise that there are still doctors who are struggling to develop their careers and secure permanent work,” he said. “We need to work with the Welsh Government and NHS employers to address training bottlenecks and underemployment.”

The Welsh Government has previously said it recognises the pressures facing resident doctors and the importance of improving recruitment and retention across NHS Wales, while also highlighting the need to balance pay agreements with wider NHS funding pressures and patient demand.

The new contract is expected to be phased in from August 2026. It will initially apply to doctors in foundation programmes, those in specialty training with unbanded rotas, and new starters, before being rolled out to all resident doctors across Wales.

Crime

Swansea man jailed for online child sex offence dies in prison

Published

6 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A SWANSEA man who was jailed earlier this year for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child has died while in custody.

Gareth Davies, aged 59, of the Maritime Quarter, was serving an 18-month prison sentence after being convicted in May of sending sexually explicit messages to what he believed was a 14-year-old girl. The account was in fact a decoy used as part of an online safeguarding operation.

The court heard that Davies began communicating with the decoy between November and December 2024 and persistently pursued the individual, later attempting to arrange a face-to-face meeting. He was arrested after being confronted by the decoy operators.

Davies had pleaded not guilty but was convicted following a trial. At the time of sentencing, police described the messages as extremely concerning and said his imprisonment was necessary to protect children.

It has now been confirmed that Davies died at HMP Parc on Wednesday (Nov 27) while serving his sentence.

The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has launched an independent investigation into the death, which is standard procedure in all cases where someone dies in custody. No cause of death has been released at this stage.

A coroner will determine the circumstances in due course.