News

Health staff recognised for outstanding leadership

Published

11 years ago

January 5, 2015

THE LOCAL health board has announced the three finalists in the ‘Outstanding Leadership’ category at this year’s Best of Health staff awards. The Best of Health awards are organised annually by the Hywel Dda University Health Board to recognise and reward the extraordinary achievements of its staff and volunteers, many of whom often go beyond the call of duty in their work for the benefit of patients and service users. This year, 100 entries were received from across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. The winners will be announced at the Best of Health Awards ceremony, sponsored by Health Shield at Parc Y Scarlets in Llanelli on Friday 16 January.

Lisa Gostling, Director of Workforce & Organisational Development said: “These nominations reflect just some of the high quality patient care provided by many of our staff and volunteers and highlight the fantastic efforts and achievements above and beyond their normal day-today work. I wish all the nominees the very best of luck.” The ‘Outstanding Leadership’ category seeks to recognise Hywel Dda staff, whose leadership has contributed to creating an environment where there are high levels of trust, and empowerment, underpinned by effective communication, collaboration and partnership working or the individual who has led a team or teams in identifying and making changes and improvements within own areas of responsibility and the finalists for 2014 are:

Sharon Evans, Senior Nurse for Infection Prevention and Control The nursing team led by Sharon were unanimous in their support of her nomination. Described by colleagues as ‘the essence of an outstanding leader, the type that the Hywel Dda both wants and deserves’ Sharon’s nomination demonstrates that as a leader she is level-headed and supportive; lives the message that there is no ‘I’ in team and demands high standards from all the team but constantly demonstrates those standards herself via a strong work ethic. As well as her work inside the University Health Board, Sharon is recognised as a leader in her field within NHS Wales, and is often turned to for an expert view in her specialist field and serves as a wise elder amongst her specialist as well as generalist colleagues across Wales.

Senior Paediatric Nursing Team Recognised as a team, the senior paediatric nursing team from Withybush and Glangwili Hospitals are finalists in recognition of their leadership shown through major service change. Described as role models to staff as they embrace change, their nomination describes the leadership shown as exemplary at a very difficult time for the service and recognises their continued focus, hard work, flexibility and support of the staff involved.

Peter Llewellyn, Assistant Director of Strategic Partnerships Peter’s nomination describes him as ‘that rare breed of manager and leader that can complete the journey from a dream to a successfully delivered project’. As an honest leader with open standards, Peter has been recognised for knowing the strengths and interests of his team and how to capitalise on this for Hywel Dda. His nomination focuses on his recent work in setting up the new Central Transport Unit which, thanks to Peter’s vision and tireless effort, has made major improvements to non emergency transport services across the University Health Board for both patients and staff. Chief Executive of Health Shield Jonathan Burton said: “It is a big achievement to be recognised for the great work that you do in any profession, but even more so at the Hywel Dda Best of Health Staff Awards. On behalf of all of us here at Health Shield I would like to say congratulations to everyone who has been shortlisted. “We would like to wish everyone the best of luck in the awards, and well done for reaching this stage. You deserve all the recognition you get as I know that you regularly go above and beyond the call of duty.”

Community

Festive creativity shines as Kurtz MS meets card competition winner

Published

36 minutes ago

December 15, 2025

Tom Sinclair

SAMUEL KURTZ, Member of the Senedd for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, visited Pembroke Dock Community School on Friday 12th December to present a prize to the winner of this year’s Christmas Card Competition.

The competition invited pupils to design a festive Christmas card, with entries received from schools across the area. The standard of artwork was exceptionally high, showcasing the creativity, imagination and talent of young people in the community.

During the visit, Samuel Kurtz congratulated the winning pupil and thanked all those who took part, as well as the teachers and staff who supported the competition. Each child who entered also received a certificate in recognition of their hard work and effort.

Speaking after the presentation, Samuel said, “It was a real pleasure to visit Pembroke Dock Community School today and announce the winner of my Christmas Card competition. This year the winner is Mair Moseley, aged 10, and she designed a wonderful Santa image that really stood out. She has won a chocolate selection set and a £20 book token to enjoy over Christmas.”

He added, “ The creativity and enthusiasm shown by all the children was fantastic, and it made choosing a winner extremely difficult. I want to congratulate all the entrants and thank the staff for their ongoing support.”

Pembroke Dock Community School Headteacher, Mrs Katie Crockford-Morris, added, “We were delighted to welcome Samuel Kurtz MS to the school to present the prize. The children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the competition, and they were incredibly proud to receive their certificates.”

The winning design will now be used as Samuel Kurtz’s official Christmas card this year, with one copy already on its way to His Majesty, King Charles.

Charity

Two Welsh families fund Childline across the UK on Christmas Day

Published

52 minutes ago

December 15, 2025

Staff Writer

Joint £40,000 gift ensures vital support is available when children need it most

TWO Cardiff families have joined forces to fund the NSPCC’s Childline service across the whole of the UK on Christmas Day, ensuring children have somewhere to turn during one of the toughest times of the year.

The Peterson family and the Bowles family are each donating £20,000 as part of the charity’s One Unforgettable Day project. Their combined £40,000 contribution will cover the entire cost of running Childline for 24 hours on 25 December.

Childline operates 12 bases nationwide and offers a free, confidential service to anyone under 19, available day and night, 365 days a year. The festive period is often one of the most demanding for counsellors and volunteers; between 24 December 2024 and 4 January 2025, Childline delivered 4,261 counselling sessions.

Young people reach out to Childline for a range of reasons at Christmas, including mental health struggles, family tensions, financial worries, loneliness, and increased risks of abuse or domestic violence. With schools closed and regular support networks unavailable, demand for help typically rises.

Childline relies heavily on donations, fundraising and charitable partnerships. The support of Alan, Maggie and Hywel Peterson, and Nathan and Claire Bowles and their four children, will ensure counsellors are available throughout Christmas Day for any young person who needs them.

Hywel Peterson MBE, Chair of the NSPCC Cymru Fundraising Board, said:
“It’s an honour to help fund Childline across the whole of the UK this Christmas. This joint donation will ensure our dedicated staff and volunteers are there to support any child who needs us.”

Cardiff entrepreneur Nathan Bowles added:
“We know that Christmas can be a difficult time for some children, so our family is delighted to be joining forces with the Petersons this year to support this vital service.”

Louise Israel, Childline team manager at NSPCC Cymru’s Cardiff base, said:
“While children and young people need Childline all year round, we speak to many who find this time of year particularly difficult. It is only with the support of such generous people as the Peterson and Bowles families that our staff and volunteers can continue to be here throughout the Christmas holidays. This kindness will genuinely make a difference.”

Children can call Childline free on 0800 11 11 or visit www.childline.org.uk.
Anyone concerned about a child’s welfare can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or visit www.nspcc.org.uk for advice.

Crime

Man charged with strangulation and assault offences after October incident

Published

13 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

A MAN recorded in court as having no fixed abode has appeared before magistrates charged with intentional strangulation and two further assault offences.

Michael Sudbury, 50, whose address was not read out in court, but in Herald records is Glan Hafan, Llangwm, appeared before the bench facing multiple charges.

The charges relate to an incident on 22 October 2025 and include: