A CONVICTED criminal  in breach of a two-year suspended jail sentence was arrested on Sunday at Hobbs Point, Pembroke Dock, after allegedly sailing a boat across to Pembrokeshire from Ireland in atrocious weather conditions.

John Sturgess, 37, of Chalk Road, Walpole Saint Peter, was arrested on Sunday afternoon after being found to be in breach of his suspended jail sentence.

This week Haverfordwest magistrates were told that in March of this year, Sturgess was sentenced by Norwich Crown Court to 99 weeks in custody suspended for 24 months following a conviction for theft and burglary offences.

However on June 17, he was summoned to attend Lincoln magistrates in relation to a fresh charge of assault by beating. 

His failure to attend resulted in a warrant of his arrest.

This week probation officer Julie Norman told Haverfordwest magistrates that Sturgess was in breach of the suspended sentence by failing to attend any probation engagements since April.  She said that there was evidence that suggested the defendant had left the UK for Ireland in May.

“He was arrested in Pembroke Dock on Sunday when he returned from Ireland In a boat,” she said.  

Ms Norman requested that Sturgess be remanded in custody as a risk of harming others.  Magistrates granted her request, remanding Sturgess in custody until October 8, when he will return toNorwich Crown Court for sentencing.  

A RAFT of innovative business support is boosting trade and the economy in West Wales.

And nowhere more than Cardigan, where access to guidance and funding via Antur Cymru Enterprise has provided start-ups and entrepreneurs with a platform to grow in past months.

The South Ceredigion Local Business Support project, delivered by Ceredigion County Council via the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, has had a positive impact on ventures looking to develop their strategies and products.

As well as advice and expertise, small businesses have been given space at the town’s historic Guildhall market, which reopened during the summer following a £3m revamp.

Among them were Amaze Me 3D, Under the Laurel handmade jewellery, and The Craft Wife of Teifi.

Clive Davies, a Project Manager for Antur Cymru’s Smart Busnes programme, said they are already reaping the rewards.

“The Guildhall has the potential to be a destination space for Cardigan, and I’m sure will attract a lot of footfall,” he added.

“It’s great to see their progress in taking an idea through to their own trading space and business.

“This Antur Cymru project has been a big support to them and others, and I’m so pleased they had the confidence to relocate to the market, which as it develops will benefit them even further.”

As well as offering a space to trade, advisors are delivering training workshops and one-to-one advice to existing stall holders at the Guildhall.

In addition to the South Ceredigion Local Business Support project and Smart Busnes, local start-ups have capitalised on the Cynnal y Cardi Fund – also delivered by Ceredigion County Council via the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund – which aims to support and engage local people, businesses and communities in delivering sustainable solutions to address some of the economic, social and environmental challenges facing the Ceredigion area.

Beverley Winn, owner of The Craft Wife of Teifi, has now based her sustainable crafts venture at the Guildhall, as well as receiving advice on visual merchandising and administrative tasks.

“Without the encouragement and ‘hand holding’ throughout the process I wouldn’t have had the self-belief and confidence to launch and run my little business,” she said.

“I only started three months ago at the Antur Cymru trading space in Cardigan and have now relocated, which has enabled me to continue running things – the rent is affordable – and engage with the local community, especially neurodivergent young adults who are highly creative.

“I buy and sell their items through my shop, and they also help with serving customers and learning new communication skills, which has had a positive impact on their self-esteem and confidence.”

“For me, that is a mark of success, rather than any monetary gain.”

Another to join the Guildhall was Loren Nash, who founded Under the Laurel in 2021 after learning to make bespoke jewellery – and later painted designs for greeting cards and prints – during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I would not have been able to do this had it not been for the encouragement and support of Antur Cymru and the low risk of trying a new product in the shop initially,” she said.

“And now, being in the Guildhall has allowed me to have a permanent base for local customers and opened my business up to the tourist trade. It’s the first time I’ve been able to see my products in a space that I decorated and designed. It makes me so happy every time I walk in there.”

Loren added: “A constant challenge for me is my health. I have a disability called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which is unfortunately degenerative, so I am always constantly adapting how I work.

“But that won’t stop me working towards my goal – with the support of my partner, Rob – to have a shop on the high street where I can set aside a percentage of my profits to pour into free art workshops, where people can turn up to create, relax and possibly learn a new skill.

“Antur Cymru afforded me the opportunity to grow my product base and gave me the belief in myself that I could run my business from a bricks and mortar location, and I’ll always be thankful for that.”

Others in Cardigan to have accessed the services of Antur Cymru this year are Theo Latham, who produces stylish card wallets made from Italian leather; Andrea Edwards, whose Amaze Me 3D venture uses 3D printers to build model animals and dinosaurs from sustainable materials; Three Little Pigs, which sells high-end crafts and furniture online, and Neil Croucher, whose Mellangell brand is growing in popularity, creating stained-glass art, jewellery, candles and more.

For more on Antur Cymru, visit the website www.anturcymru.org.uk and follow them on social media at @AnturCymruWales.

Alternatively, call 01239 710238 or email [email protected].

LABOUR faced accusations of giving up the fight and making false promises after more than 100 years of traditional steel production came to an end in Port Talbot.

Rhun ap Iorwerth pointed to pre-election promises from prime minister Keir Starmer to fight for every single job at Tata Steel and the future of Welsh steelmaking.

During first minister’s questions on October 1, the day after the closure of blast furnace four, the Plaid Cymru leader asked: “Can the first minister tell us why Labour gave up that fight?”

Eluned Morgan argued Labour was able to negotiate a better deal than the Tories, with improved redundancy and skills packages as well as retention for training.

The first minister said: “There has been an assurance that the £500m that is going to be invested by the UK Government will be clawed back if jobs are not delivered.

“None of that was in the agreement that was negotiated by the Conservatives.”

Up to 2,800 jobs are expected to be lost as part of the transition to cleaner, cheaper electric arc furnaces at the UK’s largest steelworks.

In a statement on the same day, Rebecca Evans said the deal between the UK Government and Tata Steel “at least brings certainty to the future and next steps”.

Wales’ new economy secretary, who was appointed in September, told the Senedd the “enhanced” deal includes 100 jobs as part of a furlough-type scheme paid for by Tata.

She stated about £25m has been invested in employment programmes such as ReAct+ and Communities for Work+, with more than 700 workers accessing upskilling schemes.

Pledging to support supply chain businesses, she explained that Business Wales has launched a fund as part of the £80m committed to transition by the UK Government.

“The deal builds a bridge to a competitive and sustainable future for Welsh steel,” she said.

But the Conservatives’ Tom Giffard said many workers will have voted Labour in July’s general election due to the promises made by the party.

He said claims the agreement is substantially different to the one his party proposed “stretch past the point of credibility”, with BBC Wales describing the deals as “virtually identical”.

He told the chamber or Siambr: “Jubilation from the Labour party about minor changes in the smallprint will be of little comfort in homes where workers face the reality of losing their jobs.

“It’s also not what they were sold by a Labour party and a prime minister who on so many fronts said one thing before the election, only to do the exact opposite.”

Mr Giffard, who represents South Wales West, urged Labour to apologise for false promises.

Luke Fletcher, Plaid Cymru’s shadow economy secretary, said the Conservatives and Labour could have prevented the loss of primary steelmaking in Wales.

He told the Senedd: “Members on Labour benches … repeatedly told us that they had a plan to save Welsh steel – that all we had to do was sit tight and wait for Keir Starmer. And I held out hope … but, in the end, Labour had no plan.”

Mr Fletcher accused senior Labour politicians of posturing for the past year, criticising Welsh and UK ministers’ “refusal” to explore all options.

He told the Siambr: “What was needed was political will and political courage from our leaders and that’s exactly what we never got.”

Mr Fletcher added: “We were told to wait and wait and wait – until it was too late. I’m not sure the workers in Port Talbot, their families or the wider community will forgive us for what is happening this week – and I can’t blame them.”

David Rees, who represents Aberavon and chairs the Senedd’s cross-party group on steel, stressed that Tata would not budge on closing the blast furnace.

“We now need to look ahead,” he said. “The people of Port Talbot don’t want political point scoring in this chamber today. They want to know what we are going to do to support them.”

The Labour MS warned that moving to electric arc furnaces will take four or five years as he called for support to ensure workers, families and communities survive the interim.

Plaid Cymru’s Sioned Williams said she now feels nauseous looking at Port Talbot’s skyline, knowing the hopes of thousands have been extinguished in an “unjust” transition.

Labour’s Mike Hedges, a former steelworker, who worked in Port Talbot, said: “I find it’s a very sad week. We’ve seen the end of iron and steel making in Wales.”