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Leader backs down over shutting Ysgol Dewi Sant as hundreds protest

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p2COUNCIL LEADER Jamie Adam’s surprise u-turn in Council on Thursday (Jan 29) may well have been spurred on by community pressure culminating in a huge protest outside County Hall.

Over three hundred protesters, members of the St David’s Community, greeted councillors as they entered the council offices attending the extraordinary meeting. A roar of ‘Save our School’ went up each time a councillor arrived, as the peaceful, but loud, protest gathered momentum.

Speaking to the crowd was Canon Dorian Davies who led a prayer asking for the councillors to be guided to see beyond pounds shillings and pence, and to think of what is the optimum benefit for the local children and community, by keeping the small secondary school open.

The Herald spoke with a number of members of the community who expressed anger, frustration, dismay and doubts over the legality of the proposal to close their school.

Vicky Skeats, a community member, said: “The school in St. Davids is vital: it is the best school in Pembrokeshire, as only two schools are graded 2B yellow, one is Preseli and the other one is Ysgol Dewi Sant. This school is vital to the peninsula, County and community. There is another option; make it a church school. This will address cost cutting issues. It’s a complete mess and Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) haven’t even consulted us on losing the 6th form!”

p4Abby Voice, a pupil at the school, pleaded for her school, saying: “It’s ridiculous to close our school, without the school there is no community and why close a school full to capacity? It means everything to everyone. It is disgusting”.

Claire Raymond, a parent of two children at the school told The Herald: ‘It’s very important we keep our school as it has close associations with the Cathedral. It’s a well performing school so why would you close it? I asked them (PCC) to consider looking at the boundaries and primary schools that feed in, which was an option.”

Cannon Dorian Davies of St. Davids Cathedral also spoke with The Herald, adding: “The whole of the community oppose this proposal. The people are speaking, as you can see from the turnout, and hopefully the councillors will respond in the most positive way, which is that they need to reconsider to close Ysgol Dewi Sant whilst looking at the whole schools policy.”

Lisa Reeves was holding up a banner saying: “We moved 200 miles for Ysgol Dewi Sant”. She explained what the banner meant: “We are from Liverpool and it was our dream, for me and my partner, since we were 18 to move to St. David’s and bring our children up here. We came for a better life and better education in a smaller school. To hear our dreams are being crushed is awful. We don’t want our kids to go to Fishguard and if the school is taken away this will tear the place apart. I went to a massive comprehensive school and I didn’t want that for my kids; the teachers here are part of the community, it’s more personal.”

protest1Claire Dunn was holding a poster that accused Pembrokeshire County Council of being corrupt. she explained to the Herald the sentiment behind the emotive words: “As we all know there have been a lot of mis-dealings within Pembrokeshire County Council. We (the community) don’t trust the efficiency of the Council to do their jobs properly, especially in matters like this. They shouldn’t vote at all today as they haven’t gone through the proper procedures. What they should do is listen to the views of the community because no one wants super schools; we want individual schools that work. They want us to send our children to a school that is in special measures? They aren’t competent enough to make this decision and they should be taken to task over it. There should be a thorough investigation and then, if they are found to be competent, they can carry on with council activities.”

Hannah Robinson held up a poster reading, ‘Schools not Porsche’s”, stating: “As we all know a certain gentleman had a Porsche; our money should be better spent. None of us want a super-school.”

 

3 Comments

3 Comments

  1. Adrian James

    January 29, 2015 at 11:32 am

    Hopefully common dense will prevail. Reasonably sized local schools are important in giving young people a sense of community, belonging and responsibility. It is however, equally important that the school has the energy and vision to engage with the wider world do that students have a proper perspective on the world and are well placed to play their part in the global family.

  2. Charles

    January 29, 2015 at 12:49 pm

    Its great news for St Davids and well done to the community, but you cant trust PCC so watch this space in the future they may try again through the back door!

  3. tomos

    February 4, 2015 at 10:24 pm

    don’t believe Jamie or the rest of IPiG, they can change things again, it’ll be “forced” on them after the election- only way to ensure this decision is upheld is to get rid of them at the ballot box

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Crime

Man, 37, found dead following major police response in Pembroke Dock

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Death not being treated as suspicious as police make statutory referral to IOPC following active investigation

A 37-YEAR-OLD man has been found dead at Warrior Way in Pembroke Dock.

Dyfed-Powys Police said officers attended the area at around 7pm on Sunday, July 19, after concerns were raised for the welfare of an individual.

There was a significant police presence in the area, with several units positioned at the scene on Sunday and further police activity continuing into Monday.

The scale of the response prompted speculation among members of the public about the nature of the incident.

Police have now confirmed that the man was found deceased and that his death is not being treated as suspicious.

His next of kin have been informed.

HM Coroner has been advised, and officers will continue to assist with the coroner’s investigation.

The matter has also been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct because the man had been involved in an active police investigation.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the referral was made in line with the IOPC’s statutory referral criteria.

Such referrals are required in certain circumstances and do not, in themselves, indicate that police officers or staff are suspected of wrongdoing.

 

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Charity

Salvation Army offers free meals and school uniforms to families across Wales

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Children in Mold can receive free meals throughout the summer holidays, while thousands of school uniform items are being distributed through centres in Swansea and Cardiff

THE SALVATION ARMY is helping families across Wales cope with the additional cost of the school summer holidays by providing free meals for children and free school uniforms ahead of the new academic year.

Its church and community centre in Mold is opening from 9.30am until 3pm, Tuesday to Saturday, throughout the Welsh school holidays.

Free meals are available to all children aged under 16, with no requirement for accompanying adults to purchase anything.

Major Michelle Hayter said the scheme had made a significant difference to families in the area over recent years.

She said: “If your children usually receive free school meals, suddenly having to provide lunch, snacks and activities every day can be costly.

“By offering free meals, we are helping families free up money so they can enjoy the fun things their children want to do.

“When we remind parents that the meals are free, you can see the smile on their faces.”

The Mold centre is also holding recycling-themed craft sessions on selected days, including activities such as making mosaic coasters, decorating jars and creating bird feeders.

The charity is also supporting parents who may already be concerned about the cost of buying school uniforms for September.

Salvation Army charity shops and donation centres across Wales are offering free school uniform items, subject to availability.

Donation centres in Gorseinon, Swansea, and Cardiff have already distributed more than 3,000 items donated by Bridgend-based school uniform supplier Euroschools Direct.

Craig Mawer, manager at Euroschools Direct, said the company wanted its unused stock to benefit families rather than go to waste.

He said: “We are really pleased the uniforms have been able to support The Salvation Army’s work.

“When we realised we had unused stock, we wanted it to make a genuine difference rather than end up as waste.

“The Salvation Army felt like the right choice because of its strong community presence and the support it offers to parents facing financial pressure.”

Families seeking help are advised to contact their nearest Salvation Army church, community centre, charity shop or donation centre to find out what support is available locally.

 

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Business

Dedicated 5G network introduced at Royal Welsh Show to keep livestreams running

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BT says protected mobile connection will help Welsh traders process card payments and allow organisers to share live content during periods of heavy network demand

DEDICATED 5G connectivity is being used at this year’s Royal Welsh Show to prevent card payments, livestreams and other essential digital services from being disrupted when the showground becomes crowded.

BT and the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society are demonstrating new 5G+ “network slicing” technology at the event, which is expected to attract as many as 250,000 visitors during its four-day run.

The technology creates a dedicated and protected section of the EE mobile network for specific services or organisations.

This means businesses using the connection should continue to receive reliable mobile coverage even when thousands of visitors are simultaneously using their phones, potentially placing the wider public network under significant pressure.

At the showground, the dedicated connection is supporting payment systems operated by Welsh food and drink businesses Radnor Hills and Fire and Flank.

BT says the system will help traders process card payments quickly during peak periods, reducing the risk of lengthy queues or lost sales caused by network congestion.

Chris Butler, marketing manager at Radnor Hills, said dependable connectivity was essential because thousands of visitors use the company’s stands during the show.

He said: “The Royal Welsh Show is one of the most important events in our calendar, both as a proud Welsh business and a long-standing supporter of the show itself.

“With thousands of visitors stopping by our stands every day, dependable connectivity for our payment systems is essential to keeping queues moving and making sure customers can quickly grab a drink and get back to enjoying their day.

“Having a dedicated 5G+ network slice gives us greater confidence that we can continue serving people smoothly, even during the busiest periods.”

Fire and Flank is exhibiting at the Royal Welsh Show for the first time.

Founder and director David Evans said: “When demand is high, the last thing any business wants is connectivity issues slowing down card payments or creating long queues.

“Reliable connectivity for our electronic point-of-sale systems helps us serve customers quickly, deliver a great experience and focus on what matters most, sharing our food with visitors.”

The technology is also being used by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society’s communications team and 2026 show ambassador Teleri-Haf Thomas.

It will allow them to livestream, upload videos and share content from the showground, even when tens of thousands of visitors are using the public network.

Aled Jones, chief executive of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, said mobile connectivity had become increasingly important to the running of the event.

He said: “The Royal Welsh Show is about bringing together hundreds of thousands of people from across Wales and beyond, and connectivity has become an increasingly important part of that experience.

“From supporting exhibitors and traders to helping our team deliver the event safely and efficiently, reliable mobile connectivity plays a vital role.

“Working with BT to showcase 5G+ network slicing demonstrates how next-generation mobile technology can support critical operations while helping us share the best of Welsh agriculture, food and rural life with audiences both on the showground and online.”

The Royal Welsh Show trial is described as one of the first large-scale public demonstrations in the UK of network slicing being used to support both business-critical services and visitor experiences at a major event.

BT is preparing to launch its first network slicing services to customers later this summer.

Adam Price, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, said: “It is important that visitors and businesses alike experience high-quality digital connectivity at nationally significant events like the Royal Welsh Show.

“BT and the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society have committed to ensuring the event benefits from world-class technology, and I am pleased Welsh Government collaboration has helped to make this possible.”

Greg McCall, BT’s chief security and networks officer, said the technology could provide businesses and organisations with more predictable connectivity during major events.

He said: “Whether it is buying food and drink from local traders, sharing moments from the show on social media or following the action online, people increasingly expect seamless connectivity wherever they are.

“By providing dedicated, high-performance connectivity for specific applications, we are helping businesses keep payments flowing, enabling reliable livestreaming and content uploads, and showing how next-generation mobile technology can support better experiences for organisations and consumers alike.”

BT has upgraded equipment at the Royal Welsh Showground and a neighbouring mobile mast in Builth Wells as part of the project.

The company says it has invested more than £500 million in fixed and mobile connectivity across Wales since 2020.

 

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