A TENBY lifeguard is hoping to inspire the next generation through art and lifesaving after creating original artwork to celebrate 25 years of the RNLI’s lifeguard service.

Gwen Evans, 23, a senior beach lifeguard with the South Pembrokeshire team, has produced two pieces marking the milestone and encouraging people to join or support the charity’s lifesaving work.

The artwork has been installed at the RNLI Beach Lifeguard Unit on Tenby South Beach.

Gwen said: “I’ve always lived by the sea and grew up watching the RNLI beach lifeguards in Pembrokeshire. After being a keen swimmer my whole life, I wanted a job that would allow me to be active and use my strength in the water.

“My favourite part about being an RNLI lifeguard is interacting with the public, offering helpful safety advice and educating people so they can enjoy their time on the beaches I’ve grown up on.”

Gwen has worked as a lifeguard for five years and has progressed to become one of the senior lifeguards in the team.

Senior lifeguards are responsible for the team working on the beach, running patrols and co-ordinating rescues and casualty care when required.

She said: “It can sometimes feel daunting being a senior, as you are responsible for all the guards working that day, not to mention the whole beach.

“It is a great opportunity though and has definitely helped to boost my confidence, making me progress and develop my leadership and lifeguarding skills.

“After working for the service for the past five years, it’s always nice to see returning beachgoers each season, especially the people we’ve helped who often recognise and support us year after year.”

Art inspired by the coast

Away from lifeguarding, Gwen is an illustration student at Arts University Plymouth and hopes to pursue a career in art.

She said her work is inspired by marine life, the coast, local places and personal experiences.

Gwen added: “Growing up by the coast I’ve always been inspired by the RNLI, and I wanted to create something to support our lifesaving efforts as a charity that relies on the generous support of the public.

“I want to use my art to support charity causes and educate people while showcasing a fun, eye-catching experience.”

The RNLI beach lifeguard service was rolled out in Pembrokeshire in 2008. Since then, lifeguards in the county have saved 164 lives, the highest number recorded in Wales.

New figures also show that RNLI lifeguards in Pembrokeshire have aided a further 15,513 people and carried out 1,799 rescues since the service began.

With Tenby remaining one of Wales’ busiest seaside destinations, lifeguards are expecting another busy summer season.

Gwen said: “As RNLI lifeguards we encourage you to always swim between the red and yellow flags and come and talk to us, even when the beach is busy. We’re here to answer questions and are always happy to help.

“I wanted to use my art as a way to give back to the charity that saves lives every day.

“If my art can spark conversation, inspire future lifeguards or simply raise more awareness of our safety advice, then it has achieved exactly what I intended.”

Gwen will return to lifeguarding on the South Pembrokeshire beaches at the end of June.

Her artistic work can be followed on Instagram at @saltandinkstudio.

RNLI safety advice

The RNLI’s Float to Live advice is:

• Tilt your head back with your ears submerged.
• Relax and try to breathe normally.
• Move your hands and legs to help you stay afloat.
• It is okay if your legs sink, as everyone floats differently.
• Once your breathing is under control, call for help or swim to safety.
• Anyone who sees someone in difficulty in the water should call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

To find your nearest lifeguarded beach, visit the RNLI website.

PEMBROKESHIRE residents will have the chance to meet local firefighters, support station-led fundraisers and enjoy a series of community events over the summer.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has announced a busy programme of open days, car washes and public events across the region, with several taking place in Pembrokeshire.

The first local event will be a car wash at Crymych Fire Station on Saturday (Jun 27), followed by another at Milford Haven Fire Station on Sunday (Jul 19).

Narberth Fire Station will then host an open day on Tuesday (Jul 21), giving members of the public the chance to meet crews and learn more about the work of the fire service.

Pembroke Dock Fire Station will hold its open day on Wednesday (Jul 29), followed by Tenby Fire Station on Wednesday (Aug 5).

Firefighters will also be present at the Pembrokeshire County Show on Tuesday and Wednesday (Aug 19-20), before Haverfordwest Fire Station hosts an open day on Saturday (Aug 29).

The service said its community-based events offer “a warm welcome to all” and provide “a great opportunity to connect with your local firefighters and support their station-led events.”

Other events across Mid and West Wales include car washes and open days in Tumble, Montgomery and Brecon, as well as appearances at the Royal Welsh Show and the National Eisteddfod.

Full details of all open days, events and activities are available on the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service website.

The service also shares updates on its Facebook and Instagram pages.

WALES’ new housing minister has said everyone in Wales should have a “safe, warm home” – but admitted “this most basic of needs is out of reach for thousands of people”.

Answering questions from colleagues in the Senedd on Tuesday June 9, Siân Gwenllian set out her priorities – including protecting renters, strengthening local government, and creating a new national development body.

The Gwynedd Maldwyn MS committed to a new “package of measures” to protect private renters in Wales and “ensure fair rents are set so the price of renting a home is as affordable as possible”.

Ms Gwenllian vowed to ensure local authorities are in the “strongest position possible” to achieve this, and outlined plans to establish Unnos – a new national development body tasked with increasing Wales’ social housing supply.

“I am determined to turn ambition into action, delivering the homes people need along with the resilient public services that communities rely on”, she said.

“Together, we will build a fairer Wales where everyone has security and opportunity, a roof above their heads, and vibrant communities to live in.”

However, Ms Gwenllian’s shadow cabinet counterpart, Reform’s Francesca O’Brien, challenged plans for “another quango” – and hit out at the Labour government’s housebuilding record.

She said: “The Federation of Master Builders have been sounding the alarm in Wales for years. The Government didn’t listen.”

“If the planning system is so broken that you need a brand-new arm’s-length body just to navigate it, then you should fix that broken system first, surely?

“Until we see the detail on this proposed arm’s-length body, I’ll reserve judgment.

“However, let me be clear: this must not become another layer of bureaucracy.”

Ms Gwenllian agreed with Ms O’Brien’s description of a “housing crsis” and said: “The crisis, for me, is clearly highlighted in the numbers of people who are in temporary accommodation.

“As we speak today, there are children on the way home from school to spend evenings in B&B accommodation, in a small room where there are no facilities for cooking, no room to do their homework. That is the reality of the crisis that we are facing.”

Concerns about the proposed Unnos were also raised by Labour’s Jayne Bryant and Peter Fox from the Welsh Conservatives.

Ms Bryant, who represents Casnewydd Islwyn, said: “It would be good to know in what way the establishment of quangos cuts bureaucracy and boosts our economy.”

Responding, Ms Gwenllian reiterated her belief that an arm’s-length body like Unnos was needed to increase the speed of delivery in the housing sector.

Drawing attention to the work done by the previous Labour administration, Ms Bryant, who is Labour’s housing spokesperson, quizzed the cabinet minister on her commitments.

Ms Bryant said: “The funding formula is based on a complex mix of indicators, and work was ongoing to update some of those indicators. It would be really good to understand whether that work will continue at pace, or whether it will be stopped while there is a review of the funding formula.”

Ms Gwenllian confirmed that the Plaid administration will be looking at how the funding formula could be reformed, and will be continuing with the work started by Welsh Labour.

Conservative MS Mr Fox pressed Ms Gwenllian on how the government planned to achieve its target of 20,000 social homes by 2030 – noting that the previous Labour administration failed to meet their similar target.

He said: “As it stands, one in every 14 households are waiting for a social home, which means that at the current rate, it would take 35 years to meet that demand.

“Your pledge for a home for all is very much welcome, but the previous Welsh Government failed on its 2021 manifesto commitment… to deliver those 20,000 new low-carbon social homes for rent by the end of the Senedd.

“You’ve said today that you will create 20,000 new social homes by 2030. What makes you so sure that you can meet this target when the previous government failed?”

In response Ms Gwenllian acknowledged the “better position” the Plaid administration starts with thanks to the work of the previous Labour government in delivering social homes.

She said: “There are homes that are currently in the pipeline, and there are plans for developing more of them. But we do have to find funding methods that are innovative, and there are models out there that we will be looking at.

“Unnos will provide that vehicle for us to be looking seriously at the long-term barriers and long-term planning issues, and the need for the funding to be allocated on a long-term basis to deliver on that.”

The minister also faced questions on how she will address youth homelessness.

Questioning Ms Gwenllian, Welsh Liberal Democrats leader Jane Dodds highlighted figures from the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, which found housing and homelessness were among children’s top priorities.

Ms Dodds said: “We heard from children about insecure and unsuitable accommodation, lack of adapted or accessible housing for disabled children, poor housing conditions, including damp, mould and overcrowding.

“I also wanted to touch base on those children in our care. We know that a quarter of children leaving our care find themselves homeless.”

She asked the what work was being done to support children, including children in care, and listen to their views and experiences.

In response, Ms Gwenllian said she is creating an action plan to align with the legislation to tackle homelessness, including child homelessness.

She also noted that importance of working with organisations designed to support families before they become homeless, helping them out of homelessness, and ensuring they do not face those struggles again.

She said: “Children are at the heart of that work. I don’t think anyone in this room would want us not to be doing our level best to ensure that no children live in totally unacceptable circumstances.”