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Local dance school triumphs at World Championships

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IN a remarkable achievement, the Kelly Williams School of Dance has brought home a world championship medal, securing third place in the prestigious UDO World Street Dance Championships 2024. The competition, held in Blackpool from 14th to 18th August, featured top talent from over 40 countries, making the school’s accomplishment particularly noteworthy.

The dance school’s intermediate under-16 team made history by being the first from Kelly Williams School of Dance to finish in the top three. The team’s success marks a significant milestone for the Pembroke Dock-based school, which has competed in the championships nine times previously but had never progressed past the preliminary stages before this year.

Kelly Williams, the school’s founder and head coach, expressed her overwhelming joy at the team’s achievement. “It is a dream come true. This was our ninth championships. We’ve placed once before but never went past the preliminary stages. However, this year we finished second in the prelims and third place in the final,” she said. “We have pushed for years and years. I’ve cried tears of joy all week long. The mood at the school is electric. No one could believe it. We have been celebrating non-stop. It’s unbelievable.”

The competition saw the school participating in several categories, including Duo, Battle Dance, Quads, and Juniors, showcasing the depth of talent within the school. In addition to the team’s success, several soloists from the school made it to the finals in their respective categories:

  • Lexi Dooner – 2nd place, under-12 Intermediate
  • Skyla Jone – 2nd place, under-12 Beginner
  • Grace Glanville – 5th place, under-16 Beginner
  • Imogen Scourfield – 5th place, under-18 Intermediate

In the duo category, Lexi Dooner and Ollie Glanville achieved third place in the under-12 advanced competition, while Kelci Francis secured eighth place in the Litefeet battles.

The Quads category also brought success for the school, with Kelci Francis, Imogen Scourfield, Grace Glanfield, and Danny Rolls finishing third in the over-18 open category. Meanwhile, the team of Lexi Dooner, Ollie Glanville, Megan Garrett, and Olivia Roberts claimed fifth place in the under-14 open category.

The junior team narrowly missed out on a top 10 finish, placing twelfth overall.

Reflecting on the achievements, Kelly Williams said, “As a coach and mother, I am beyond proud of these hardworking dancers. They have represented our country, our school, and themselves outstandingly. What they have achieved this week is something we’ve only ever dreamed of until now. This year was special and something that will stay with me forever.”

The school has extended its gratitude to all supporters and sponsors who have helped them throughout this journey. Kelly also took to the dance school’s Facebook page to express her pride in every dancer who participated, stating, “Every single one of these dancers has danced impeccably on these big stages, and whether they got through rounds or not, I couldn’t be happier with how they performed.”

For those interested in learning more about the Kelly Williams School of Dance or joining their classes, further information can be obtained by calling 07880 625360.

Business

Derelict Cilgerran house to be transformed into cafe

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PLANS by a village shop owner to convert a house “in a state of disrepair” to a café to “improve the variety of community facilities” locally have been given the go-ahead.

Mrs Morris, through agent Harries Planning Design Management, sought permission from Pembrokeshire County Council to convert The Old Post House, High Street, Cilgerran, currently a four-bed dwelling, to a ground floor café, along with a first-floor flat.

The application received five letters of support, saying it would provide local jobs, support the community, promote Welsh and local food, and provide a local community hub, with three letters of objection, raising concerns about parking and traffic, and potential odours from the premises.

A supporting statement, through the agent, said: “The proposed site is currently a dwellinghouse, in current need of modernisations and renovations throughout. The site is under the same ownership as the neighbouring village stores Siop Y Pentre,” saying the proposal “can be read as an extension to the existing Siop Y Pentre”.

“Siop Y Pentre is a thriving local community village shop which acts as a village hub. The shop provides local residents with day-to-day necessities, with a focus on local, sustainable and minimal waste products,” the statement says, adding the dwelling it seeks to convert “is in disrepair and in need of internal works to make suitable for modern living”.

It went on to say: “The proposed café seeks to retain its focus on local and seasonal produce with minimal waste and would provide a welcomed opportunity for socialising, especially during the daytime. The café will also seek to employ local staff retaining a community feel throughout. As such, the principle of the café adjacent to the existing village store is considered acceptable. The site seeks to encourage a sustainable community, with development of an appropriate scale and nature.

“Further to this, the location of the development is within the settlement boundary and seeks to fulfil a need for day-time socialising environments currently lacking within Cilgerran.”

The application was conditionally approved by county planners.

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Community

Emergency call outage affected Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire

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RESIDENTS in parts of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire faced difficulties contacting emergency services via the 999 landline number on Sunday (Dec 17) due to a temporary outage.

Dyfed-Powys Police issued alerts on social media, warning residents of potential issues when trying to dial 999 from landlines in affected areas. Locations impacted included Pembroke, Manorbier, Carew, and surrounding areas.

In a statement, police advised: “You may have faced problems calling 999 from a landline in the Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire area. Places likely to have been affected were Pembroke, Manorbier, Carew. Please try calling from a mobile phone as mobile networks may have been working normally. Normal service will be restored as soon as possible. Non-emergencies can be reported online. Please look out for further updates.”

Later in the day, an update confirmed that the 999 landline service had been restored in the Llangrannog and Llanteg areas.

The temporary disruption raised concerns about access to emergency services in rural areas, where mobile coverage can sometimes be unreliable.

Authorities urged residents to remain vigilant and use alternative communication methods in the event of future disruptions. Further updates are expected as investigations into the cause of the outage continue.

For non-emergency issues, residents can continue to report incidents via the Dyfed-Powys Police website or contact their local police station directly.

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Community

Police and council in collaborative effort to tackle fly grazing

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IT WAS confirmed this week Pembrokeshire County council is teaming up with Dyfed-Powys Police in a bid to tackle a growing problem of horses on public areas in the county.

The move comes after the County has witnessed a significant increase in incidents of horses being left on public land and highways – known as fly-grazing.

Over the Christmas period the agencies will work operationally in a collaborative effort to alleviate the issue.

This joint approach is in response to community concerns and part of a wider initiative that will enable partner agencies to effectively address with the issue.

Members of the public can report fly grazing concerns by contacting [email protected] or 01437 764551.

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