Charity

Pembrokeshire-born dad embarks on epic Wales Coast Path challenge

Published

10 months ago

February 14, 2024

A DAD of two who was diagnosed with incurable and inoperable EGFR+ lung cancer is today (February 14) embarking on an epic fundraising challenge taking on the Wales Coast Path in a bid to raise £1 million.

Craig Maxwell, the WRU’s former head of marketing, will be joined by a number of Welsh celebrities along the way including TV presenter Gethin Jones, Love Island star Liam Reardon, singer Wynne Evans, weather presenter Derek Brockway and a host of rugby players.

He is hoping to raise a monumental £1m for the Maxwell Family Fund, a fund as part of Velindre Cancer Centre, to enhance, improve and develop the cancer pathway in Wales.

Starting in North Wales, cycling from Chester to Menai Bridge, Craig is then being joined by over 500 walkers over the course of the 26-day challenge.

The challenge will see walkers cover 780 miles of the coast path to represent the 78 days it took Craig to receive his diagnosis from the point of finding his tumour. The rest of the 870-mile coast path will be cycled. It is being done in 26 days to mirror the QuicDNA project, a genomics research project to reduce diagnosis time for lung cancer patients to a maximum of 26 days.

Acknowledging the unpredictable nature of his ongoing treatments, Craig will be joined by a different Welsh celebrity every day of the walk, so that regardless of his ability to walk, he will have a representative to take on the challenge.

A rugby match ball will be relayed the entire distance of the challenge, symbolising Wales’ collective fight against cancer and it will culminate at the national stadium of Wales, the Principality Stadium, on 10th March for the Wales vs. France Guinness Six Nations match, where Craig accompanied by his children, Isla and Zach, will carry the match ball onto the pitch.

Craig says: “We are embarking on a monumental challenge to symbolise hope, resilience, and unity, and raise over £1 million for the research and development of new and innovate cancer testing and treatments in Wales. Having surpassed our initial fundraising goals of £300,000 for QuicDNA, we really hope people will support us on the Wales Coast Path Challenge. It will be our most ambitious journey yet as we strive to create a community united against cancer across the length and breadth of Wales.

“Cancer has touched our lives, challenged our resilience, but it will not define our future. This event will see people from all over Wales stand united, not just as individuals but as a formidable force against cancer.”

The people of Wales are being encouraged to support Craig’s efforts either by joining a leg of the challenge via https://maxwell.foundation or by taking on their own fundraising challenge between 14th February – 10th March via https://velindrefundraising.com. This can be anything from a 1-day walking challenge to walking a mile a day over the 26 days.

Paul Wilkins, director at Velindre Cancer Charity, says: “We are calling on everyone in Wales to support Craig’s efforts by walking what you can and raising what you can. Over the course of the event, 14th February – 10th March 2024, we would like as many of you as possible to get involved by challenging yourself to take on your own walk! This can be any distance, anywhere and at any pace! “We need your help to get as many people involved as possible, so reach out to your local walking groups, clubs, school or workplace and arrange a challenge for you all to get involved in!

“We wanted to make sure everyone and anyone could join us in being part of a Wales United Against Cancer. Every step and every penny will help create a difference to cancer patients and their families here in Wales.

“For those unable to walk, but still keen to support, you can text WALK24 to 70191 to donate £10.”

Craig was just 40 when he was diagnosed with incurable and inoperable EGFR lung and bone cancer. In the face of adversity, having told he had a limited time to live, he has thrown himself into raising hundreds of thousands of pounds to help others detect cancer earlier.

Over the last year, he has run the London Marathon, taken part in CARTEN, cycled 320 miles from Cardiff to Paris, cycled over 420 miles from Paris to Bordeaux and taken on the Welsh 3000s – climbing over 10 mountains, all over 3,000ft in 24 hours. Earlier this year, he was crowned Cycling Plus’ Rider of the Year for his efforts.

His story has touched the hearts of many, rallying support that surpassed all expectations. His efforts to date have seen him raise £430,000 to support the QuicDNA project, which aims to shorten the time it takes to diagnose lung cancer in patients in Wales. With a further £500,000 donated by The Moondance Foundation, set up by Henry and Diane Engelhardt, Craig has now launched his own charity fund.

The Maxwell Family Fund aims to enhance, improve and develop the cancer pathway in Wales. Administered and supported by Velindre, with support from the Moondance Foundation and All Wales Genomics, the fund will aim to make a lasting difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families in Wales.

Craig continues: “I’m proud to launch the Maxwell Family Fund, where hope, courage, and community converge in the fight against cancer in Wales. This is the start of my family and friends creating a legacy and showing my children that even at the worst time possible, you can still rise up and be positive and make a difference.”

Professor Tom Crosby OBE, consultant oncologist in Velindre Cancer Centre, says: “Craig is one of the most inspirational people I have met. His drive to improve the outcome for others who experience cancer is just phenomenal. That together with his ability to articulate the issues to the wider public, and his experience and expertise at improving how systems work, is amazing, yet humbling at the same time. We are just so grateful to him and his choice to partner with Velindre in delivering his vision, now through QuicDNA but also in the future through a legacy fund.”

To find out more visit https://maxwell.foundation and Wales United Against Cancer Walk | Velindre Fundraising.

Charity

Flats for veterans to be built at VC Gallery, Pembroke Dock

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL to build flats for armed forces veterans on a former Pembrokeshire school yard/playing field next to veterans’ charity the VC Gallery has been approved by county planners.

In an application before Pembrokeshire County Council, veterans’ charity The VC Gallery sought permission for eight flats in two blocks of two-storey buildings, including wheelchair accessible flats, for Armed Forces veterans on land to the east of the former St Marys Catholic School site, Britannia Road, Pembroke Dock.

The former school, which closed in 2019, is currently used as the VC Gallery, itself an expansion of veterans’ charity the VC Gallery’s home in Haverfordwest, set up by Barry John MBE.

Documentation, through agent Pembroke Design Limited included a supporting statement by Barry John MBE, which it says “explains the issues that veterans face after leaving the services, the need for dedicated housing provision, the support that VC Gallery’s staff and volunteers provide and the gaps in current provision which the proposed development will help address”.

It added: “Although the development will provide and encourage independent living for its tenants, essential physical and mental support will be provided by the staff and volunteers in the VC Gallery as required, in accordance with individual veterans’ needs. Many will need a high level of support and the close proximity of the flats to the facilities and people on hand in the adjacent VC Gallery is therefore critical to the proposal’s purpose.”

Mr John’s statement said: “We want to create a unique offer to Armed Forces veterans in Pembrokeshire by offering up not just quality accommodation in a gated and safe environment but to also have a bespoke peer mentoring service.”

He added: “Working alongside our stakeholders The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and the OVA (Office of Veterans Affairs) we have secured a grant to draw up plans and to look at how the secured land at the VC Gallery Pembroke Dock can be turned into a bespoke housing solution for Armed Forces Veterans.

“We have Service level agreements with the local authority for specifically supporting tenancy in veterans which will also extend to giving vital counselling services. Our work with the health board and provision for peer mentorship also gives us great grounding for effective help on a practical level for the veterans’ village but we will need a more designated package around the housing we provide to include both mental health and also maintenance (something we don’t have at present).”

His statement finished: “We think the need is great, we have the land, we have the skills for care and the ambition to help. It would be a project above all social housing enterprises, and we want to make a go of it.”

Charity

Lifeboat station treasurer dies suddenly after 26 years of service

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Tom Sinclair

RNLI St Davids lifeboat station is mourning the loss of their treasurer, John James, who passed away suddenly on Friday (Dec 20) after 26 years of dedicated service.

John played a pivotal role in the station’s management team, ensuring the smooth running of local accounts and overseeing the reimbursement of training expenses for volunteers. His hard work and commitment were instrumental in supporting the vital work of the RNLI.

Beyond his financial expertise, John was a respected figure within the wider community. Known for his warmth, professionalism, and steadfast dedication to the RNLI’s values, he leaves behind a legacy of unwavering service and friendship that will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

The St Davids RNLI team and the local community are united in their grief at his sudden passing. His contributions, both to the station and to those around him, have left an indelible mark.

The thoughts and prayers of the RNLI family and the community are with John’s loved ones at this difficult time. Heartfelt condolences are extended to his family and friends as they navigate this profound loss.

Charity

Welsh teen wins photography competition with ‘perfect puffin pic’

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Tom Sinclair

A STRIKING image of a puffin on Skomer Island in west Wales has been hailed the winner of this year’s prestigious RSPCA Young Photographer Awards – a year which saw the charity mark its historic 200th anniversary.

The winning entry was from Anwen Whitehead, 15, from Cnwch Coch in Aberystwyth, and announced at a ceremony at the Tower of London held today (Thursday 19 December) – a special and historic event which also celebrates the RSPCA’s milestone anniversary.

Every year, the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards invites young people aged 18 years and under to capture the animal kingdom on a camera or a mobile device. This supports the RSPCA’s mission of inspiring everyone to create a better world for every animal.

The judges praised the emotion and composition of Anwen’s Puffin photograph ‘Daydreaming in the Chamomiles’, marvelling at how tough it is to photograph puffins and remarking on the beautiful, diffused background.

Winner Anwen from West Wales said: “It’s very surreal and amazing to have won. I think this will really encourage me to keep going and push to make this a career. I was amazed at being shortlisted as a finalist so to win makes me determined to keep going and keep improving. I’ve won a few local competitions but nothing on this scale!”

Having only started taking photographs as a serious hobby last year, Anwen explained that the puffin photo which was snapped on a long anticipated visit to Pembrokeshire’s famous Skomer Island was one of her favourite photographs.

Anwen explained that she can quite happily spend 10 hours in a bird hide, or out in a field in camouflage gear at sunrise to get the perfect photo.

She said: “That’s my happy place. It’s very relaxing to be out in nature and away from screens. It allows me to slow down a little bit. It can take a long time but it’s always worth it in the end and the buzz afterwards lasts all day or all week!

“I’ve always had a love of animals. We live in rural Wales so I’m surrounded by animals and nature. I think it’s really important to try and help protect nature through photography by showing both the magic and the fragility of nature to help make people realise how special nature really is. I see wildlife photography as a tool for conservation by helping to spread the word.”

Remarkably, a number of photos submitted by Anwen were recognised this year. As well as being overall winner, Anwen’s puffin photo also won the 12-15 category; while her red squirrel image ‘Sergeant Squirrel reporting for duty’ was commended in the same category. Another red squirrel image ‘Peckish’ was commended in the 12-15 mobile category and her swallows image placed runner-up in the City Life section. Finally, her ‘Puffin Paradise’ collection came runner-up in the Portfolio category meaning Anwen had a whopping seven images shortlisted in the final.

All entries are judged entirely anonymously, and separately from one another, which makes Anwen’s multiple successes this year even more staggering.

To mark the charity’s 200th birthday, the RSPCA added two new categories – ‘Better World’ which imagines what a better world for animals looks like, and ‘City Life’ – which highlights how animals are all around us and shows how we can live harmoniously together.

Chris Packham, TV presenter, RSPCA President and supporter of the awards since its inception over 30 years ago, said: “As ever, this is a wonderful portfolio of work. This competition always attracts very strong entries and my special congratulations goes to all the winners and of course, especially, to the overall winner.”

Chris, who couldn’t attend the ceremony in person but recorded a special video message for the winners, added: “Photography is a great way of communicating your love for, your passion for, your fascination for, and your concern for animals. I think it’s really important that we use that as a tool at this particular time when a lot of animals are in trouble. Being able to use your imagination, creativity and ingenuity to come up with something personally unique and powerful is a very important tool.”

This year’s awards were judged by a panel of photography experts, including wildlife photographer Rachel Bigsby; former competition winner-turned-professional photographer Catriona Parfitt; professional wildlife photographer and photographic guide Ellie Rothnie; and RSPCA photographers Andrew Forsyth and Emma Jacobs. And for the first time this year – Fabian Rivers, known as the ‘Dready Vet’, an exotic animal and wildlife vet and RSPCA ambassador who appears on CBBC’s The Pets Factor.

Fabian said: “It’s a great honour to be involved in the inspiring RSPCA Young Photographer Awards this year. The calibre of entries has been staggering. Anwen’s puffin image is technically great, it’s sharp and evokes such lovely emotions. There’s a real story behind it and it was a clear winner for me.”

Other prize winners included last year’s talented overall winner Jamie Smart, aged nine, from Powys, Mid Wales, who won Pet Portraits with an image of her cat titled ‘Not Impressed’, and ‘Ready for Bed’ which features an owl won the Better World category, followed by her kingfisher image ‘City Fisher’ which won City Life. She also secured the top spot in the Under 12s category with ‘Rise of the Gannet’, and placed runner-up or commended with a further four images.

Other winners included;

Austin Lake, 13, from Devon, won Pet Personalities with his black and white photo of his cat,
Chris Wardell, 18, from Wiltshire, won Small World with his silhouetted spider, and the Portfolio category with a selection of back-lit fox photos,
Arlo Rautenbach, age 10 from Cornwall, won the Under 12 category with his photo of a slow worm,
Nathaniel Gingell, age 14 from Hampshire, won the 12-15 mobile category with a photo of a group of dogs,
Daisy Pipe, age 16 from Dorset, won the 16-18 mobile category with her tomato wasp image,
Anton Poon, 17, from Buckinghamshire, won the 16-18 category with an image of a robin

Sponsors of the competition are Natures Images (wildlife photography holidays) and Camtraptions (camera traps for wildlife photography). Winners in each category were awarded trophies and a selection of prizes at the Tower of London ceremony and as the Overall Winner, Anwen Whitehead received a weekend photography break with Natures Images. This fabulous prize- the Deer Rut Special – includes two nights’ accommodation for the winner and a parent/guardian.

The RSPCA Young Photographer Awards 2025 opens for entries on 6 May.

The full gallery of all the winning images can be viewed here.