Racecourse general manager Kevin Hire says this weekend’s Family Fun Day has taken on a much deeper meaning following his major operation and recovery

FFOS LAS RACECOURSE general manager Kevin Hire has paid an emotional tribute to his family as he prepares for this weekend’s Family Fun Day.

Hundreds are expected to attend the popular event on Sunday (Apr 12), but for Mr Hire, 62, this year’s occasion is about far more than racing and entertainment.

Just six months ago, he was preparing to undergo life-saving open-heart surgery. Now, after a long recovery, he is back leading preparations for a raceday centred on the thing he says mattered most during his darkest hours — family.

He said: “It hasn’t just changed how I look at my work. It’s changed how I look at everything.”

The alarm was first raised last spring when a routine walk across the racecourse left him suddenly struggling for breath.

Mr Hire said: “I walked about 150 yards and suddenly I was severely out of breath. I’d never experienced anything like it. I knew something was wrong.”

Initial tests suggested only a minor issue, but further examinations revealed severe aortic stenosis and the need for a double heart bypass.

He said: “I was told my heart was working at 61 per cent capacity and would drop to 40 per cent within a year, then to 20 per cent. There was a serious risk of loss of life.”

For Mr Hire and his wife Nicola, the diagnosis came as a major shock.

He said: “That moment, getting back into the car and going home, we just didn’t know what was ahead.”

In October, he underwent a six-hour operation at Morriston Hospital, where surgeons replaced his aortic valve and carried out the bypass procedure.

After spending a week in hospital, he returned home to begin a lengthy recovery.

The physical toll was considerable. An 18-inch incision to his leg and major chest surgery left him with limited mobility and an ongoing healing process.

Mr Hire said: “You go from being independent to needing help with everything.”

He said the experience made him appreciate more than ever the support of those closest to him.

“Family is special,” he said. “It made me realise the pain they went through. I was going through it, but they were going through it ten times worse because there was nothing they could do.”

His daughters, Mali and Nia, were a constant source of strength, even giving him a Ted Lasso-inspired toy soldier as a good luck charm.

He reserved special praise for his wife Nicola, who took time off work to care for him full-time.

Mr Hire said: “I can’t thank her enough. She stayed with me constantly. We went into the unknown together, but we came out the other side.”

He said the ordeal has changed the way he sees the role of the racecourse in the community.

“That’s why these race days are so very, very important to me,” he said. “It’s tough out there. The cost of living is going up and every penny counts. We want families to come here and have a fantastic day without worrying about the cost.”

Sunday’s Family Fun Day has been designed to make the event as affordable as possible.

Children can attend free with a paying adult, meaning a family of six can get in for the price of just two adult tickets. A range of activities is also included at no extra charge.

Entertainment on the day will include live spring jump racing, as well as an appearance by the K-Pop Superstars, who will perform, meet fans and pose for photographs.

Away from the track, children will be able to enjoy go-karting, face painting, funfair rides and outdoor activities. Ffos Las says rides will cost just £1, well below the usual price at travelling fairs.

Families are also being encouraged to bring their own picnics to help keep costs down, while a wet weather guarantee means that if rain falls during the event, racegoers will be invited back to another fixture free of charge.

For Mr Hire, the day is ultimately about creating happy memories.

He said: “To see the kids smiling and enjoying themselves, that’s what it’s all about. If families can come here, spend time together and make memories, then we’ve done our job.”

After months of recovery, Mr Hire said he knows better than most the value of time spent with loved ones — and this Sunday that message will be at the heart of everything at Ffos Las.

Volunteer crew launched for searches, police incidents, a medical evacuation and a grounded yacht during a busy spell from mid-February to early April

ANGLE RNLI volunteers were called out to a series of incidents across the Milford Haven Waterway in recent weeks, including missing person searches, a medical evacuation and assistance to vessels in difficulty.

The first of the incidents took place late on Sunday, February 16, when the crew was paged at 11:04pm to assist St Govan’s Coastguard Rescue Team and Dyfed-Powys Police with a missing person search at Cleddau Reach, Llanion. The launch was later cancelled after the casualty was located safe and well by police.

In the early hours of Tuesday, March 11, at 1:12am, the lifeboat crew was tasked alongside Dale Coastguard Rescue Team to assist with an ongoing police incident at Hakin Point, Milford Haven. The lifeboat launched and stood by within the marina lock until the incident was safely concluded. The crew was back alongside and ready for service again by 2:00am.

A further launch followed on Friday, March 21, at 1:09pm, when the crew was requested to assist a seven-metre motor vessel with three people on board suffering machinery failure off the Behar Wreck in Dale Roads.

Once on scene, the volunteer crew assessed the situation and decided the safest course of action was to establish a tow. The vessel was taken under tow before the line was handed over off Hobbs Point to a workboat from Rudders Boatyard for the remainder of the journey back to the slipway. With no further assistance required, the lifeboat returned to station and was ready for service again by 3:30pm.

Just after midnight on Tuesday, April 1, at 1:15am, Angle RNLI was again paged to help Dale Coastguard Rescue Team and Dyfed-Powys Police, this time in the search for a despondent woman in the Milford Haven area. As the crew prepared to launch, the casualty was found safe and well by police and the launch was cancelled.

Later the same day, at 9:52pm, the lifeboat was requested to assist with a medical evacuation after reports of a man suffering chest pains on board a harbour tug moored off South Hook.

A Port Authority pilot boat had already transferred the casualty from the vessel and was making for its jetty. The lifeboat rendezvoused with the pilot vessel, where casualty care-trained crew members boarded. Supported by Dale Coastguard Rescue Team, the man was assessed and extracted from the vessel before being handed into the care of colleagues for transport to hospital.

The lifeboat was back alongside her berth and ready for service again by 11:30pm.

Most recently, on Monday, April 6, at 1:05pm, the crew was tasked to assist a fourteen-ton yacht with one person on board which had run aground and was listing near Mill Bay.

With the tide still ebbing, the immediate concern was the welfare of the lone skipper. The lifeboat launched shortly afterwards and located the yacht around twenty minutes later. With the vessel by then listing significantly, the crew deployed the inflatable Y boat to speak with the skipper and discuss the options.

The owner, who was understandably reluctant to leave the yacht, was helped to deploy an anchor. With no further assistance required, and the skipper content to remain on board and await the returning tide, the crew was stood down. The lifeboat was back alongside and ready for further service by 3:00pm.

Missing vessel recovered near shore after coastguard confirms it had been reported lost days earlier

ST DAVIDS RNLI launched on Easter Monday after an upturned kayak was spotted drifting east of Solva Harbour.

The all-weather lifeboat, Norah Wortley, was requested to launch at 11:04am on Monday (Apr 6) after the vessel was seen floating in the water.

Heading into a strong south-easterly wind, the Tamar-class lifeboat made directly for Aber-west. Members of HM Coastguard St Davids Cliff Rescue Team assisted from the clifftop, helping to guide the volunteer crew to the kayak.

As the vessel was lying close to the shore, the lifeboat’s daughter boat was launched to recover it and bring it aboard the Norah Wortley.

Photographs of the kayak were then sent to HM Coastguard in Milford Haven, which confirmed it had been reported missing from Porthclais several days earlier.

That meant there was no need for a shoreline search for the owner.

The kayak was taken to Solva Harbour, where it was handed over to HM Coastguard and secured on the quay wall. The lifeboat returned to station at about 12:30pm.

St Davids RNLI Coxswain Will Chant said: “The timely reporting of a missing kayak by the owner potentially saved an unnecessary search operation. Thank you to members of St Davids Coastguard team for their assistance during this shout.”

Picture caption:

Easter Monday shout: St Davids RNLI recovers a drifting kayak off Solva after it was reported missing days earlier (Pics: RNLI)