Education

Be the #1 – inspiring looked-after learners

Published

10 years ago

October 21, 2016

THE UNIVERSITY OF WALES TRINITY SAINT DAVID (UWTSD) is playing an integral part in an inspirational new campaign that will be launched during National Care Leavers’ Week later this month.

The aim of the Be The #1 campaign is to encourage Foster Carers, key workers and teachers to help the young people in their care to raise their educational attainment and aspirations.

National Care Leavers’ Week is about highlighting the needs of Care Leavers and encouraging the agencies responsible for looking after them to work in a coordinated and effective way.

The dedicated carers week also offers an opportunity to focus on the numerous issues facing an invisible minority who have to deal with a particular set of challenges as they enter adult life. It’s also a chance to raise awareness amongst the public and to underline the support that’s desperately needed for these young people.

Trystan Rees from UWTSD has been working collaboratively with the South West Wales Reaching Wider Partnership to develop the Be The #1 campaign – a series of short films, focusing on four individual students and graduates on their unique academic journey from Year 13 to entering employment following their graduation from university.

With the Be The #1 campaign launched to coincide with National Care Leavers’ Week, one film will be released each day from October 20 until October 30.

Staff from UWTSD and the South West Wales Partnership will also be delivering a programme of Be The #1 training sessions to Foster Care networks from across South West Wales from November 2016.

“UWTSD is committed to providing a very high standard of care and support for its students,” said Trystan Rees.

“If you are a student entering Higher Education from care, you can be assured that the university will offer the necessary support and information. This support is available whilst you are deciding what or where to study, continuing throughout the university application process, and is ongoing once you have started your course. Help and information is also available if you are someone advising a student from care,” continues Trystan.

Young people from a care background can declare on their UCAS application form that they have been in care, or their Social Services team can let the university know that the student is a Care Leaver. This enables the university to make sure that support is in place from an early stage.

“UWTSD provides a friendly, safe and welcoming place in which to study. After the student has been offered a place at the university, they will have the opportunity to come to a support meeting which will be arranged to help them with the transition to university life,” continues Trystan Rees.

“The meeting can include the student, their Looked after Children team member, the university’s named person for Care Leavers, and, if required, the Accommodation Officer and a representative from the academic school that they will be joining. During this meeting, it will be possible to establish how much financial support is available to the student, and the type of accommodation they would prefer and, where appropriate, to make provision for any additional support they may need such as for a disability or specific learning difficulty like dyslexia,” he added.

Katie King has been through the care system and is currently studying at UWTSD’s Carmarthen campus.

“I’m Theatre Design and Production student at the university and am currently in my third year. I’ve had a social worker for longer than I can remember and was in and out of foster care a lot – I think in one year I managed seven or eight placements,” says Katie.

“I would say the biggest hurdles in getting into higher education is getting people to listen to you and understand you and see that you’re serious. Whilst in higher education, I’ve received great support from different departments, particularly from student services and from a lady called Delyth Lewis.

“Delyth is the finance officer but also deals with Care Leavers at this university. She has been extremely helpful in providing support – it’s probably down to her that I’m still here. She pushed me to continue because she knew that it’s what I wanted to do – she’s always giving me options of how I can do that and basically gone beyond what her job requires her to do.

“University has definitely changed me as a person for the better. I’m a lot more confident. I’m now working as a student ambassador for the university – I do a lot with Reaching Wider and with the marketing team, showing people around and telling them about the university and how good it is, how much it’s helped me,” added Katie.

Alex Sommerville, who’s also been through the care system, recently graduated from UWTSD and found her university experience invaluable.

“I did the Youth and Community Work degree and that has directly led on to the work that I do now – working with young people around substance misuse in Swansea,” said Alex.

“I’d always had the impression that to go to university you need to have A Levels, like going through sixth form, so I did actually sign up and do an A Level of English literature. It’s when I was talking to my friend about having to do another two A Levels that she told me about an access course I could do. It’s at the university, but it’s at A Level standard and I found the whole experience really useful, especially because it was then that I was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia.

“I accessed support at the university through student services and it was really, really good. I got contacted not long after I started because I’d ticked the box on the application form that said I was a Care Leaver. I then had a chat with a lovely lady who said that she would be my contact for the whole time I was at university.

“I do think everyone has the potential. I think it should be open to everyone and I did have the impression that if you’ve been in care, university is something that you’re really ever going to achieve, which is totally wrong. Don’t get me wrong, a degree isn’t for everyone but I think that everyone should have the option,” said Alex.

For further information on the support offered to Care Leavers, please visit www.uwtsd.ac.uk/care/.

Education

Parents urged to rally as final decision looms over Ysgol Clydau

Published

4 days ago

May 26, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Campaigners call for supporters to attend ‘crucial’ County Hall meeting in bid to save village school

SUPPORTERS fighting to save Ysgol Clydau are urging parents, children and members of the community to gather at County Hall in Haverfordwest next month as councillors prepare to make a final decision on the school’s future.

The grassroots campaign group Save Ysgol Clydau – Cadw Clydau yn Gadarn has called on as many people as possible to attend an extraordinary meeting on Monday, June 15, describing it as a “crucial” moment in the battle to keep the school open.

Campaigners are asking supporters to gather outside County Hall from 9:00am ahead of the meeting, which is due to begin at 10:00am.

In a public appeal shared online, organisers said the day would likely be emotional regardless of the outcome, but stressed the importance of showing a united front.

A spokesperson for the campaign said: “We need as many parents, children, and supporters as possible at County Hall, Haverfordwest to help save our school.

“A final decision will be made. Please do your very best to attend and stand with our community.

“It will be an emotional day, whatever the outcome — but together we can show the county and the country that we are here, united, and determined to be heard.”

The campaign has become a rallying point for local families concerned about the future of education in rural communities, with supporters arguing that closing the school would have a lasting impact on village life and young children.

Promotional material shared by the group encourages families to bring children and “their voices” to the demonstration, with campaigners insisting: “Together we are stronger.”

The Herald understands the meeting is expected to draw strong local interest, with campaigners hoping a large turnout could influence councillors ahead of what may be a decisive vote.

Ysgol Clydau has been at the centre of an ongoing debate about the future of smaller rural schools in Pembrokeshire, with supporters arguing the school plays a vital role at the heart of the community.

The meeting takes place at County Hall, Haverfordwest, on Monday, June 15, with supporters gathering from 9:00am.

Education

UWTSD Summer Degree Shows celebrate emerging creative talent

Published

4 days ago

May 26, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Students recognised as exhibitions and performances continue across Wales and beyond

THE UNIVERSITY OF WALES Trinity Saint David has celebrated the work of emerging artists, designers and performers through its annual Summer Degree Shows.

The exhibitions and performances, held during May and continuing into the summer, showcase final-year projects from students across a wide range of creative disciplines, including Fine Art, Graphic Design, Surface Pattern and Textiles, Photography, Illustration, Automotive and Transport Design, Acting and Adventure Filmmaking.

Events have taken place across Swansea, Carmarthen, Cardiff and London, with major showcases held at Swansea College of Art’s Dynevor and Alex buildings. Performances have also been staged at Yr Egin in Carmarthen, with further exhibitions planned at national venues.

A key part of the celebrations was the annual prize-giving ceremony at Dynevor in Swansea, where students were recognised for outstanding achievement.

Aimiee Brown and Branwen Jones received the Elysium Sculpture Award, with two £500 prizes presented for excellence in sculptural practice.

The Hayden John James Prize awarded £1,000 prizes to undergraduate student Tilly Lewis and postgraduate student Andrew T Gardiner.

Surface Pattern student Samantha McGrath received the Elizabeth Jeffries Prize, while Cel Hopkins was awarded the Josef Herman Carolyn Davies Prize, presented by the Josef Herman Foundation.

Illustration student Morgan Stevens received the Rhys Bevan Jones Illustration Prize, while Seren Trodden was recognised twice, receiving both an Old Dyvorians Association President Prize and the Mission Gallery Makers Award in collaboration with the Jane Phillips Award.

Other Old Dyvorians Association President Prizes went to Bella Watkins, Rhiannon Hughes, Adam Mayhew, Emi Joy and Becca May.

Jewellery student Jessica Theobald received the ACJ College Jewellery Prize, which includes membership of the Association for Contemporary Jewellery, while Photography student Carys Bristowe-Davies received the Sarah Tierney Award, offering mentoring and access to workshops at Swansea College of Art.

Dr Mark Cocks, Dean of UWTSD’s Wales Institute for Science and Art, said: “The Summer Degree exhibitions celebrate the inspirational creative talents of our students.

“The innovation and diversity of the student work is testament to their dedication and creative application of their personal practice. These shows are the culmination of academic study, but also the beginning of professional creative journeys.”

Caroline Thraves, Academic Director for Art and Media at UWTSD’s Swansea College of Art, said the shows provided students with an important professional platform.

She added: “Hosting the Summer Shows is a vital part of our mission at UWTSD. It gives our students a professional platform to share their creativity with the world, celebrates their hard work, and connects them with the industries they are about to enter.”

Lynne Seymour, Academic Director for Design and Performing Industries, said this year’s programme was particularly significant as the university marks 25 years since the first graduates from its Set Design and Production course.

She said: “These exhibitions and performances represent not only the culmination of years of hard work, collaboration and artistic exploration, but also the beginning of many professional creative journeys.”

The Summer Shows continue throughout the season, including Architecture, Engineering and Computing exhibitions at UWTSD’s Swansea Waterfront campus, performances from WAVDA students at Yr Egin and in Cardiff, exhibitions at New Designers and Copeland Gallery in London, and Automotive and Transport Design showcases at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July.

Community

Pembrokeshire adventurer Tori James named National Learn Welsh Ambassador

Published

1 week ago

May 23, 2026

Richard Lewis

AS THE NATIONAL Centre for Learning Welsh celebrates its highest ever number of learners – over 20,000 in 2024–2025 – it has announced a new ambassadors scheme with the aim of inspiring even more people to learn, use and enjoy the Welsh language.

The Learn Welsh Ambassadors Scheme will be launched today (May 23) at the Urdd Eisteddfod on Anglesey, as part of the Eisteddfod’s ‘Learners’ Day’ celebrations.

Four high-profile ambassadors have been appointed to the new scheme:

Aleighcia Scott – singer and DJ, and one of the mentors on S4C’s talent show Y Llais, who will also be honoured with the Green robe at Eisteddfod Genedlaethol y Garreg Las in August.
Tori James – adventurer and the first Welsh woman to climb Mount Everest.
Katie Owen – DJ and social media influencer.
Ian Gwyn Hughes – Head of Public Relations at the Football Association of Wales.

The four ambassadors will represent the Centre, sharing their personal experiences of the Welsh language, and promoting the work of the Learn Welsh sector. They will also support recruitment campaigns, encouraging people from all backgrounds to begin learning Welsh, or to continue their language journey.

The scheme reflects the Centre’s vision to attract and support a wide range of audiences to learn and use Welsh, including workforces, communities, key sectors such as Health and Social Care, the Education Workforce and Sport, young people and families.

The Centre is launching the scheme at the Urdd Eisteddfod. It works in partnership with the Urdd to provide a range of opportunities for the organisation’s staff, and the young people using its services, to strengthen their Welsh language skills or to begin learning the language.

The Centre is also pleased to support the Urdd’s medals for young Welsh learners, the Bobi Jones Medal for learners aged 19 years’ old and above, and the Learners’ Medal for learners aged under 19 years.

Dona Lewis, Chief Executive of the National Centre for Learning Welsh, said: “Creating new Welsh speakers is the Centre’s main aim, supporting them to use and enjoy the language with confidence in their everyday lives.

“I’m pleased to say the Learn Welsh sector is going from strength to strength, with more people than ever completing our courses.

“We’re delighted to welcome a group of passionate ambassadors who will share their experiences of the Welsh language and help promote and celebrate our work. We’re proud to launch this new scheme at the Urdd Eisteddfod, one of our partners.

“The Centre works creatively and in partnership across different sectors, providing one, single learning pathway to becoming a Welsh speaker. We are all here to welcome and support our learners and new speakers at every stage of their language journey.”

Aleighcia Scott said: “I’m delighted to take part in this scheme. Learning Welsh has been an important personal journey for me, and it has opened new doors – both creatively and socially.”

Tori James said: “Learning a new skill can be a bit like climbing a mountain – it can be a challenge, but every small step is a success!

“I’m very pleased to have the opportunity to support people to take their first step into learning Welsh, and to keep going – it’s a journey well worth taking.”

Katie Owen said: “I’d always wanted to learn Welsh, and it has been the best thing I’ve done. The Welsh-speaking community is so welcoming, and the National Centre for Learning Welsh offers so many opportunities to learn and use the language.”

Ian Gwyn Hughes said: “Welsh belongs to all of us, and it has been fantastic to see the positive response to our use of the language at the Football Association of Wales. I look forward to supporting the Centre’s work to extend the use of Welsh in all kinds of contexts.”