SIX volunteers at Angle RNLI Lifeboat Station have successfully completed key assessments, marking an important milestone in their ongoing training with the charity.

Earlier on Tuesday (Apr 29), crew members Nathen Houston, Anthony Thomas, Marc Blockwell, Bobby Davies and Neil Coles were all signed off on their Tier 2 competencies. The assessment, carried out during live exercise launches, tested their ability to carry out a variety of operational tasks safely and efficiently aboard the station’s lifeboat.

Tiered assessments are a core part of the RNLI’s structured training programme, designed to ensure volunteers are fully prepared to respond to emergencies at sea. Volunteers progress through the tiers as they demonstrate competence in areas such as navigation, boat handling, safety procedures, and teamwork under pressure.

Later the same day, Rhiannon Creese was successfully assessed as a Launch Authority. In this vital role, she will be responsible for authorising the launch of the lifeboat when required — a decision made in close coordination with HM Coastguard and other emergency services.

A spokesperson for Angle RNLI said: “These achievements reflect the hard work and dedication of our volunteers. The training is thorough and challenging, and passing these assessments means they are ready to take on more responsibility during lifeboat operations.”

The RNLI relies on volunteers for the majority of its lifesaving work, with crew and shore-based personnel undergoing extensive training to ensure they are ready for the demands of maritime rescue.

Angle Lifeboat has seen an increase in volunteers since their rescue vessel has been spending time moored in Milford Haven at the Port Authority Jetty.

THE START of a formal consultation of a potential federation of two Pembrokeshire schools has been backed by senior councillors.

At the April 28 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet members were asked to note the decisions of St Florence VC School and Penrhyn VC School to commence consultation on establishing formal federations for the two schools, and to obtain Cabinet’s approval for the Director of Education to commence consultation on behalf of the two schools.

A report for members said the two schools had been in an informal ‘soft federation’ since September 2022, with the headteacher of St Florence acting as Executive Headteacher.

“Prior to this period, the Headteacher at Penrhyn VC School was a longstanding appointment since the school opened in September 2017 and subsequently leaving the authority in August 2022,” a report for members said, adding: “In order to ‘formalise’ the collaboration that is currently taking place, the governing bodies of both schools have considered establishing a Federation. The initial soft federation was set up due to challenges in recruiting a headteacher at Penrhyn VC School.”

In the report given by Cabinet member for education Cllr Guy Woodham, it was stressed the federation is “not an amalgamation, a take-over or a route to closure,” but a partnership of the two schools “sharing a joint vision for a venture that would serve the interests of pupils, staff and both school communities”.

The schools would remain as separate establishments; they would be funded and inspected separately, produce separate accounts and report their assessment results separately.

The report concluded: “Both schools will now work with local authority officers to undertake the appropriate consultation. As a school-led federation, determination of whether to proceed subsequently will rest with the two governing bodies.  The local authority and Diocesan Director of Education (Church in Wales) endorses the decisions of the governing bodies to proceed to consult on this matter.”

Members unanimously backed the recommendation, moved by Cllr Woodham.

A CALL for St Davids to take over the responsibility of a public toilet in the city has been given the go-ahead by senior councillors.

St Davids City Council had called for a freehold transfer of the public convenience at Bryn Road, a toilet listed to be closed following a 2023 Cabinet decision, unless a community asset transfer was agreed or a funding stream identified.

A report for members of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet meeting of April 28, said discussions had been ongoing between the council and St Davids City Council (SDCC) since then, St Davids not wanting the facility to close.

“The option of either funding PCC to continue with the facility or undergoing a Community Asset Transfer (CAT) to run the facility themselves were explored, with SDCC agreeing to a transfer but on the proviso that it was on the basis of an unrestricted freehold transfer rather than a long term lease which should be the usual offering for CATs although a transfer of the freehold can also be agreed in exceptional cases,” the report said.

It added: “This request has been made as the land was originally transferred (at no cost) to Haverfordwest Rural District Council (now PCC) by St Davids Parish Council on April 6, 1972. SDCC have rejected a CAT and to date rejected a transfer of the freehold subject to a restriction to continue use of the property as a public convenience on the basis that the land was transferred to Haverfordwest District Council at nil consideration without restriction.”

It went on to say: “SDCC are happy to continue providing a toilet from this site, however the City Council have requested an unrestricted freehold transfer of this property which will allow them to close the facility and use the building for alternative purposes if they wish. As this disposal would be at an ‘undervalue’ to the council, somewhere in the region of £30,000 to £60,000 Cabinet approval is required.”

It concluded: “The risk to PCC is that we gift the property back to SDCC without restriction and they then close the WC facility and sell the property on for a profit. However, SDCC say they have no intention of doing this, certainly in the short / medium term and are therefore happy to add in a covenant which does not allow any sale of the property without the consent of PCC for the next 10 years which is considered reasonable to enable both parties to achieve their well-being goals.”

Cabinet members backed a recommendation to dispose of the facilities at an undervalue with the restriction that SDCC would not be able to dispose of the asset within the next 10 years without the consent of the county council.