News
No council decision made on ‘vital’ Sandy Bear bereavement service
THE CABINET member for Education and Safeguarding, Cllr Sue Perkins, has said that no decision has been made on the Sandy Bear bereavement service.
That was despite the Hywel Dda Health Board making a statement that the service would be coming to an end in June.
Cllr Perkins made the comments at the Children and Families Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, April 14.
She said that the news was a red herring and said there would still be a bereavement service provided in the future.
Cllr Guy Woodham said: “I do not recall at any stage being made aware of £50,000 funding was going to be withdrawn this year.
“Obviously and rightly this is causing a lot of public concern and I would like an explanation as to how we find ourselves reading about it in the paper before we know about it before an Overview and Scrutiny Committee.”
Cllr Sue Perkins said: “The Committee will know that we have looked at lots of different strands of funding, we’ve found ourselves with £170,000 being removed from the Families First grant so we are looking at lots of different things.
“The decision on Sandy Bear has not been made. That is a complete red herring. No decision on Sandy Bears has been made whatsoever, it hasn’t come to Cabinet. In the mix of everything we are looking at, that has been one of them.
“I will not, as a Cabinet member, agree to a reduction in a service unless we can provide it in a different way so I will not agree to have no bereavement counselling, I will not agree to having no other counselling for children and bereavement counselling has to be the highest form of it.
“Until that comes to a decision with Hywel Dda, we can make sure that whatever provision we provide in the future, I don’t know what that is, and I make it a guarantee that we will always have a high level bereavement service within that.”
Cllr Rhys Sinnett said there had been a lot of comment being made on social media that the service would close in June and asked whether options were still being discussed.
Cllr Perkins added: “As far as I am aware, there has been no decision made and I have made it quite clear that I will not agree to any decision made without me being informed and being absolutely confident that that provision and the best provision is, it might not be that they need high-end provision, but as far as I am concerned that is not the case.”
Cllr Jonathan Nutting said: “This council is under fire on every direction. We know that this has been going around in the press and social media and all we have done is sit on our hands. We should have come out and said that no decision has been made.”
The Director for Children and Schools, Kate Evan-Hughes said: “Hywel Dda will make a determination on the service but in the discussions we have had with them it is about making sure that we provide the service that the children and young people need, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t be delivered in the same way.”
Cllr Mike John said he was pleased to hear that they would not be giving the service up unless there was something satisfactory in place to take its place.
Cllr Jonathan Nutting highlighted a statement from the Health Board which reads: “The Sandy Bear Service will end in June 2016 as a commissioned service.
“We continue our work with the county council and other partners to explore new opportunities for bereavement services for children young people and their families.”
Cllr Nutting said that the council did not have their finger on the pulse while Cllr Davies asked for Cllr Perkins to give the committee updates on the future of the service.
Farming
Animal health and welfare workshops help family farm shape future business
AN eagerness to learn new skills and knowledge is helping mother and son Dianna and Iestyn Spary to continually improve their livestock farming enterprise and build a financially sustainable business fit for the future.
Technical expertise and good business sense are not qualities the Sparys lack since embarking on an impressive number of Farming Connect workshops, covering a range of animal health and welfare topics.
“It’s been an amazing opportunity, we have learned so much that we can apply within the day to day running of our farm and herd, and we can draw on that knowledge as we look at developing new enterprises and diversifications,’’ says Dianna.
She is the fifth generation of her family to farm at Goytre Farm at New Church West, Chepstow, Iestyn the sixth.
Together they farm 110 hectares, running a Hereford-cross beef suckler herd and also rearing beef cattle purchased as baby calves, including more recently British Blues, taking these through to slaughter.
Although they have been immersed in agriculture all their lives, they recognise that it is an industry that is constantly changing as new research and ideas are rolled out and applied.
This is where the Farming Connect workshops have been so incredibly valuable, says Dianna.
“You are never too old to learn, things are changing all the time. If we hadn’t got involved in attending the workshops, we would never have known about some of those new ways of doing things.’’
From learning how to maximise suckler cow productivity and protecting youngstock health to understanding diseases such as Johne’s and bovine TB, the animal health and welfare training workshops have been “enormously valuable’’, she adds.
The pair have tapped into Farming Connect accredited training courses covering areas such as calf management, health and housing, body condition scoring and safe use of veterinary medicines.
“You name it we have done it,’’ says Dianna.
They were announced the winners of the 2023 Farming Connect Animal Health and Welfare Award at the Lantra Cymru Awards in January.
The knowledge gained through Farming Connect workshops and training has helped inform changes in the business.
“We now monitor cattle weights more closely and have introduced different ways of feeding,’’ Dianna explains.
“We have also been revamping all the cattle sheds and have a couple of new ones that will be going up.
“We’ve also invested in calf jackets and if there are any drops in weights, we are more responsive with feed intakes, little things like that.’’
Iestyn has also benefited from a number of sheep-related topics offered through the animal health workshops.
Through the Farming Connect Advisory Service, they have received specialist veterinary advice on their Herd Health Plan with a focus on incoming stock and biosecurity. They have also had guidance on soil health through the soil clinic.
The Sparys largely use traditional farming methods at Goytre Farm where they have several hay meadows.
All feed is produced on-farm. “By doing everything in-house we know exactly what we are feeding and that’s important to us,’’ says Dianna.
That distinctiveness, which sets them apart from some of the more mainstream farming systems, has given them the confidence to consider establishing a diversification into meat box sales, what Dianna describes as a ‘farm to fork’ approach.
Working with a local butcher who has an abattoir licence, they hope to do everything on-site, from slaughter through to hanging the carcass for 28 days, and then selling cuts direct to the consumer.
“We have also spoken to a chef who is going to produce some recipe cards for us to include in the boxes along with a bit of history of where the meat has come from,’’ says Dianna.
Another future project could be converting stone barns in the farmyard to holiday accommodation.
To help focus their minds on their plans, the Sparys will get guidance at a Farming Connect diversification surgery; they have also signed up for a ‘planning a diversification’ training course and will attend a ‘Dos and Don’ts of Diversification’ event in the coming weeks.
For Iestyn, another form of diversification, into agricultural contracting, has provided a secondary income stream.
His customer base is largely farms with smaller acreages with crops that require harvesting or spraying.
Farming Connect has helped with this process too as Iestyn has gained his Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Pesticides (PA1) and Safe Application of Pesticides Using Vehicle mounted Boom Sprayer Equipment (PA2).
He also offers field maintenance and fencing and works on a neighbouring farm during the lambing season.
This is where Farming Connect has again helped; through the animal health workshops, he has covered modules advising on the prevention of lambing losses and lameness, improving lamb performance post-weaning and parasite controls.
Dianna says the opportunities available through Farming Connect have really helped to drive the family farming business forward.
“We have a good relationship with our local Farming Connect development officer Lisa Powell, she has been brilliant in giving us advice on which courses and workshops are right for us and signing us up for those,’’ she says.
All your achievements, training and knowledge transfer activities are saved within your personal, online Storfa Sgiliau account, the unique, online professional development tool, available for you to view and download at any time from your BOSS (Business Online Support Service) account.
Education
Lib Dem leader meets student union after scrapping of teacher training
Last week, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds visited Aberystwyth University to meet students following the announcement that the University will be scrapping their Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) program.
The announcement comes after the publication of an Estyn inspection report last year, which found that the institution had “been too slow” when it came to prioritising student support.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have now called for the University to produce and implement an action plan that will enable the reintroduction of this course at the earliest opportunity, as well as for the Uni to rectify any similar shortcomings in other training programs.
Commenting, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:
“Aberystwyth university has long been seen as a cornerstone of education here in Wales, and its role in shaping the future of Welsh-medium education is pivotal.
However, the decision by the Education Workforce Council to withdraw accreditation for their teacher training program now puts this at risk.
The report published by Estyn rightfully identified several flaws in the Uni’s approach to supporting student teachers, along with requiring the University to make significant improvement.
The decision of the EWC suggest that these improvements have not been made.
We are now calling on the University to get their act together, fix the shortcomings in this program and begin plans to reintroduce the course as soon as possible.
Commenting, a spokesperson for the Welsh Young Liberals said: “There was an overwhelming lack of support, especially for Disabled Students, which has been consistent since 2020.
Previous lecturers were always late, and assignments were marked late and inconsistently.
As a joint honours student my timetable is very erratic, and this has an adverse effect on my wellbeing.
This does not however, mean that the course should be cut, Aberystwyth university should be looking to improve the course and help deliver the next generation of teachers.”
Commenting, the Welsh Liberal Democrat PPC for Ceredigion Mark Williams said: “The reputation of Aberystwyth University as a well-respected centre of education is rightfully a source of pride for many residents here in Ceredigion.
This is why it is so dis-heartening to hear that the Uni have failed to take the recommendations in the 2023 Estyn report seriously, leading them into the embarrassing position of losing their accreditation which risks delivering a severe blow to the future of Welsh-medium education.
The lack of foresight from the Uni in this regard is deeply worrying and I hope that, for the sake of both the students and the wider community, they take all the steps needed to restart the course at the earliest opportunity.”
Crime
Manslaughter charge following death in Carmarthenshire
DYFED-POWYS POLICE have confirmed Jason Thomas, 39, from Llanelli, has been charged with manslaughter following an incident on Saturday, March 25.
Police were called to a property in Robinson St, Llanelli to concerns for the welfare of a man.
Liam Rhys Morgan-Whittle, 22, was taken to hospital where he sadly passed away.
Jason Thomas was quickly arrested and later released on conditional bail while the police investigation continued.
He will appear at Llanelli Magistrates Court on Thursday, May 30, it has been confirmed.
-
News5 days ago
Police and air ambulances at ‘serious incident’ at West Wales school
-
Business3 days ago
Largest Welsh port appoints communications and marketing director
-
Crime5 days ago
Pembrokeshire pensioner accused of 17 sexual offences against children
-
Crime4 days ago
All three school stabbing victims discharged from hospital, police confirm
-
Community6 days ago
County Hall to offer space for community banking
-
Sport7 days ago
Swifts eyes on double.
-
Community3 days ago
Suspected explosive device found on west Wales beach
-
News1 day ago
‘Honest’ caravan site owner ran site ‘under the radar’ for 20 years