News
Californian sisters reach Pembrokeshire
RACHAEL and Hayley Williams, two Welsh sisters who moved to California as infants, have elected to walk 870 miles across the Welsh Coastal Path this summer for charity – and in memory of their grandmother.
The two sisters, who are now 29 and 27, have reached the half-way point of their journey, having walked along the whole of the North Wales coast, around Anglesey and the Llŷn Peninsula, down Cardigan Bay to Poppit Sands.
Beginning on June 15, the girls have elected to raise money for Age Cymru, the national charity for older people in Wales, through sponsorship on their walk. This is to commemorate their late grandmother, who was from Wales.
Rachel and Hayley are hoping to reconnect with their Welsh heritage throughout their journey through visiting historical and cultural sites during their trip.
Discussing the 870 mile walk, Rachel Williams said: “Our paternal grandmother Jean Williams lived in Cardiff, and when we came over for her funeral in 2008, we felt our connection with Wales was starting to slip away.
“We decided we wanted to do something to reconnect with Wales and so we came up with the idea of walking the 870 mile Wales Coastal Path.”
Throughout their journey, Rachel and Hayley are staying in hostels, camping and visiting family members, such as their maternal grandparents in South Wales.
“We’re both looking forward to spending time with our grandparents, Geoff and Valerie Richards”, added Hayley.
“We don’t often get the chance to see them and we would like to be able to do more to look after them, but we can’t do as much as we’d like because we live on the other side of the world.
“This is why we’ve decided to raise funds for Age Cymru during our walk, because of the work it does to improve the lives of older people in Wales.”
Age Cymru works nationally and locally and, through its network of independent local Age Cymru partners, they are committed to achieving an age friendly Wales where older people have equal rights to respect, opportunities and the same access to services as the rest of the population.
Both girls set off from Poppit Sands on Friday (Jul 29) and are now completing the Pembrokeshire branch of their journey. To donate to Rachael and Hayley’s Walking Wales 2016 fundraiser, visit www.justgiving.com/walkingwales2016. You can also follow their walk on Twitter at @walkingwales16 and look out for ‘Walking Wales 2016’ on Facebook.
Crime
Pembroke Dock woman in court for failing to remove rubbish from property
A PEMBROKE DOCK resident is due to appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court later today (Nov 25) for multiple alleged breaches of a community protection notice.
Sheena Deacon, of 13 Wavell Crescent, Pembroke Dock, faces charges under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which carries a maximum penalty of a Level 4 fine.
The charges stem from allegations that Deacon failed to remove accumulated household waste from her property on several occasions. According to court documents, the breaches occurred on September 19, September 26, October 2, October 9, and October 17 this year.
The charges indicate that Deacon, despite being issued with a community protection notice, did not comply with the requirements to clear and appropriately dispose of refuse and household waste from her address.
The Herald will bring updates on the case as it progresses.
News
Welsh Conservatives urge Labour to scrap ‘family farm tax’
THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have announced plans to bring forward a Senedd debate next week (Nov 27) calling on the UK Labour Government to abandon its proposed “family farm tax.”
The tax, introduced by the UK Labour Government, is being criticised as a move that will harm Welsh farming, threaten food security, and increase food prices. Alongside the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme and perceived “anti-farming agenda,” critics argue this new tax amounts to a coordinated effort to undermine the future of agriculture in Wales.
Shadow Minister warns of consequences
Ahead of the debate, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, James Evans MS, condemned the proposal, stating:
“Labour’s family farm tax will put family farms out of business, threaten our food security, and lead to food prices rising. Only the Welsh Conservatives will stand up for our farmers, and that’s why we’re bringing forward a Senedd motion calling on Labour to reverse this decision. No farmers, no food.”
NFU Cymru expresses alarm
NFU Cymru President, Aled Jones, echoed these concerns, highlighting the widespread opposition from the farming community. Speaking about the impact of the tax on Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief, Jones said:
“Earlier this week, hundreds of farmers from across Wales journeyed to London to meet with their MPs and register their deeply held concerns about these misguided and ill-thought-out reforms.
“The proposals unveiled by the Treasury last month to introduce a tax on the passing on of our family farms to the next generation are a massive added burden. They will leave many farmers without the means, confidence, or incentive to invest in the future of their business.
“NFU Cymru reiterates its call for the UK Government to halt these changes.”
The motion to be debated
The motion, set to be debated in the Senedd, reads:
“To propose that the Senedd:
Calls on the UK Labour Government to reverse its decision to impose a family farm tax on agricultural businesses.”
This debate is expected to attract significant attention, with Welsh farmers and rural communities keenly watching for the outcome.
Community
Internet outage for two villages after exchange box destroyed
RESIDENTS of Clunderwen and Llandissilio have been left without internet access following the destruction of an Openreach exchange box just outside Llandissilio village.
The incident occurred yesterday (Nov 23) when the box was reportedly demolished by a vehicle. The damage has resulted in a complete loss of internet services for the two villages, with repairs expected to take at least a couple of days.
Local residents have expressed frustration over the disruption, as the outage affects home businesses, remote workers, and households relying on internet connectivity for day-to-day tasks.
Openreach engineers have cordoned off the site, and work is ongoing to assess the extent of the damage. A spokesperson for Openreach has been contacted for comment but had not responded by the time of publication.
The vehicle involved in the incident has not yet been identified. Anyone with information about the collision is urged to contact the local police.
With repair timelines unclear, affected residents have called for increased communication from service providers to manage expectations during the outage.
“Bringing the community back online is a priority,” a local resident said. “We’re hoping Openreach can resolve the issue quickly and ensure it doesn’t happen again in future.”
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