News

Local students perform with Welsh Guards

Published

7 years ago

February 9, 2017

Fantastic performance: A video of the Welsh Guard playing in the evening

THE BAND OF THE WELSH GUARDS attended The Torch Theatre in Milford Haven today (Feb 6) for a special performance for schools across Pembrokeshire.

The Band gave a presentation in the afternoon to the students, and explained to them all of the fantastic places where they’ve had the opportunity to perform, such as The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, The Royal Albert Hall and Will and Kate’s wedding.

After this, children from local schools enjoyed an hour-long performance by the Band of the Welsh Guards. However, it wasn’t just any performance. Skilled and talented young musicians joined them on stage to perform famous pieces from classical music to hit movie scores.

Before the musical afternoon began, the conductor said: “We have had the great pleasure of welcoming some young musicians from the local area. We’ve had a few rehearsals, but some of the music is very difficult.

“The students have done extremely well, and some are even sight reading.”

Kicking off the performance was the score of the Pirates of the Caribbean. This familiar music was performed so eloquently that it made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. The students fit in perfectly with The Guards and didn’t miss a beat. So much so, that you would never be able to tell that there were any inexperienced musicians among them. Only their uniforms gave them away.

The score from The Pirates of the Caribbean is beautiful as it is, but played by The Welsh Guards, it lended itself excellently to the majestic sounds that comes with the band itself.

After the first performance, a loud applause erupted from the auditorium.

Next up was the famous pop song, Just Haven’t Met You Yet by the world class vocalist, Michael Buble. Buble’s music is often associated with orchestras and brass bands, and the popular singer has performed live with orchestras in the past.

It was played so beautifully, that you had to stop yourself from trying to sing the melody, which was instead being carried by the trumpets. The break however, was carried by the saxophone, which gave it an extremely romantic feel.

The percussionists at the back of the stage – Guards and students alike – moved around and swapped instruments periodically, showing how dynamic and versatile their musical talents truly are.

A solo performance by Welsh Guard, Davey Jones was up next, who played a 1920s piece, Robin Harry on the xylophone and the vibraphone, accompanied by the band. The imagery created by this piece sent your mind reeling off into thoughts and memories of watching Charlie Chaplin’s famous silent movies.

Using four mallets toward the end of the piece, this enabled Jones to play four notes at once, in order to create chords and harmonies.

After this solo performance, it was time for a bit of fun. The conductor addressed the room, and explained that up next would be a solo performance from Sergeant Dan Evans on he post-horn.

He said: “When the post carriage would come into town, the men on the back of the carriage would sound their horn to inform them that their post had arrived.”

He added: “We were supposed to have two, but the other played has forgotten his and left it in London.”

A bow of shame was performed by the musician who had sadly forgotten his post-horn, and he took his place at the front of the stage, making his way there on crutches. The conductor explained that unfortunately, he has injured his leg since being in Pembrokeshire.

After a huge amount of sympathy given by the audience members, he sat in his chair while Sgt Evans played The Huntsman.

However, minutes into the performance, a fellow guard appeared with what seemed to be a metal tea pot. It was then to our surprise, that he joined in with Sergeant Evans, and began playing The Hunstman.

His next brilliant idea, was to take the mouth piece he had produced from his pocket, and places it on the end of his crutch. And – you guessed it – he started playing that too!

With laughter from the children in the audience, this spurred him on to go a step further. He took the chair he had been sitting on, placed the mouth piece on the end of a leg and began to play that, too.

It was after this fun performance that they decided to get back to business, and performed heir rendition of an ABBA medley they like to call ‘ABBA Gold’, which consisted of popular favourites, Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, Fernando and The Winner Takes It All.

Finally, the audience were treated to a rendition of Tocatta in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach – but with a “twist!”

This extremely famous piece of music was performed traditionally to begin with, when it suddenly was accompanied with fantastically accomplished upbeat percussion.

Just when everybody thought it was time to go, the Band agreed to perform one more piece on one condition. The children in the audience agreed immediately without asking what the condition was, whereas the adults in the room weren’t quite so eager to agree before hearing what the bargain was!

The condition in actual fact, was no problem at all. The Band agreed to play Uptown Funk by world class Bruno Mars, on the condition that everybody gets out of their seats, sings along and has a dance. And so, they did! Adults and children alike all joined in, clapping, singing and dancing in their seats.

Before the close of their show, the band thanked the schools for attending the concert, and said they had been “bowled over” by the standard of the young musicians who had joined them on stage.

The Band of the Welsh Guard will play again this evening (Feb 6) at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven.

Health

Calls for Welsh Govt to improve both maternity and neonatal safety

Published

54 mins ago

May 14, 2024

Tom Sinclair

LEADING pregnancy charities have urged the Welsh Government to take stronger measures to enhance maternity and neonatal services, in order to realise the substantial changes necessary to reduce infant mortality. The Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit released a revealing report today, stating that initiatives in Wales are inadequate to instigate the vital transformation required to prevent baby deaths.

The report, titled “Saving Babies’ Lives 2024: Progress Report,” notes that strides toward diminishing stillbirths and neonatal deaths have halted in Wales, mirroring a stagnant situation across the UK. The findings suggest that with improved care, as many as 800 infant lives could have been saved throughout the UK last year. The document emphasises the urgent need for meaningful action to tackle the severe and enduring disparities in baby loss and pregnancy complications across different demographic groups.

Particularly alarming is the continuing disparity in outcomes for infants from varied ethnic backgrounds and socio-economic statuses. The report underscores that the stillbirth rate in Wales has exceeded that of any other UK nation since 2014, with minimal improvement in neonatal mortality rates over the past decade. Unlike England, which aims to halve the rates of stillbirth, neonatal death, preterm birth, maternal death, and brain injury by 2025 relative to 2010, Wales has set no similar goals.

Moreover, the report criticises the Welsh Government for the insufficient number of reviews conducted following infant deaths, which are crucial for understanding potential lessons and providing grieving parents with needed explanations.

Robert Wilson, head of the Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit, commented, “Our report unequivocally shows that the Welsh Government must establish clear targets for reducing pregnancy loss and baby deaths, and for eliminating inequalities. These targets should catalyse a thorough suite of policy measures, adequately supported by necessary funding and resources.”

The report provides specific recommendations to enhance maternity safety in Wales, including the consistent involvement of staff and patients, especially bereaved parents, in assessing the quality of maternity and neonatal services. It also calls for transparent and independently overseen reviews of individual services, and improvements in the completion rate of reviews following a baby’s death.

The Joint Policy Unit is advocating for a unified commitment across all four UK nations to eradicate inequalities in pregnancy and baby loss. Disturbingly, the 2021 data revealed that the rate of stillbirths and neonatal deaths among Black babies was almost double that of White babies, and significantly higher than the overall UK rate. This disparity was similarly stark between the most and least deprived areas in the UK.

The report also highlights that only about 2% of public and charity health research funding has been allocated to reproductive health and childbirth over the last two decades, signalling a need for increased investment in these crucial areas.

News

Manorbier school fire legal discussions ongoing

Published

11 hours ago

May 13, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

LEGAL discussions are ongoing about Pembrokeshire County Council potentially recouping a £200,000 insurance excess paid by it following the 2022 fire at Manorbier school.
Manorbier Church in Wales VC School and its adjoining schoolhouse was severely damaged by a fire on October 11 of 2022, which broke out in the school roof space.

Pupils and staff were successfully evacuated with no injuries, and a ‘school from school’ was set up in Jameston Village Hall, after a brief period of sanctuary at the nearby Buttyland caravan site.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s insurers have previously said the fire was accidentally started while ‘hot works’ were being carried out by contractors to renew an adjacent flat roof, but, as has previously been stressed, no liability has been accepted to date.

Councillors have previously heard the majority of costs were likely to be met from the council’s insurers, with the caveat of the unknown issue of liability and its effect on a £200,000 insurance excess.

A submitted question, by Councillor Aled Thomas, heard at the full council meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council on May 9, asked Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language Cllr Guy Woodham “to update the chamber on what progress the Cabinet have made in recouping the £200,000 insurance excess paid following the devastating non-fault fire at Manorbier school”.

Councillors have previously been told by Cllr Woodham: “The legal issues are not straightforward but will be robustly taken forward.

“At this stage it’s still subject to legal discussion. The excess will be covered by a fund the council holds for insurance excess.”

He said that, if liability was found or accepted, the council would “pursue for the full maximum claim of the costs associated with the fire”.

Responding to Cllr Thomas’s question at full council, Cllr Woodham said there was a limited amount of information he could make public due to ongoing active proceedings.

News

Stop funding Bute, Carmarthenshire residents tell County Council

Published

12 hours ago

May 13, 2024

Tom Sinclair

CARMARTHENSHIRE Residents Action Group (CRAiG Sir Gâr) has challenged Carmarthenshire County Council leader Cllr Darren Price to stop funding Bute Energy through the council’s pension fund investment at today’s Cabinet meeting at County Hall.

Green Gen / Bute Energy is proposing to run at least two pylon chains through Carmarthenshire’s countryside’s decimating the historic landscape of the Tywi Valley and villages and along the A485. Councillors including Plaid Cymru Council Leader Darren Price have voiced their opposition. Yet Carmarthenshire is one of seven Welsh local authorities to invest its pension fund in Bute Energy. In contrast, neighbouring Powys County Council has declined to invest in the controversial firm.

Havard Hughes, local resident and spokesperson for the Carmarthenshire Residents’ Action Group commented: “We’ve challenged the County Council on their funding of Bute Energy because both Cllr Darren Price and Cllr Ann Davies have been vocal in their words about the firm’s pylon schemes. However it is utterly ludicrous that the Council they run as the Cabinet has not just been slow to act but is actively funding Bute Energy.

“Carmarthenshire County Council holds the key to killing off Bute Energy’s schemes as they are the consenting authority for the sub-stations which will connect them to the national grid. This is why residents are so concerned about a conflict of interest. Moreover, we believe that the withdrawal of Carmarthenshire’s investment would have a domino effect on Bute Energy’s funding.

“Cllr Price and Cllr Davies have the opportunity to demonstrate leadership on this issue by pulling Carmarthenshire’s funds out of Bute Energy. Instead we have the town hall farce whereby they claim, on the one hand there is nothing they can do; but state that their representative on the pension board, which Carmarthenshire itself runs, will have some “stern words”. If Carmarthenshire is serious about making Bute Energy listen to residents then they should immediately follow Powys’s lead and disinvest.

“The elephant in the room is that Powys County Council, which is also affected by Bute Energy, have managed exclude their pension fund investment. Darren Price and Ann Davies cannot claim ignorance as Carmarthenshire has one of the largest Wind-industrial zones designated in the whole of Wales in the Welsh Government’s Future Wales 2040 plan. If it was obvious to Powys this would be a problem then why not to Carmarthenshire’s representatives on the fund?

“This investment generates a direct conflict of interest between the interests of the Council in maximising its return and that of residents in minimising harm. Bute Energy is already arguing that burying cables will be more expensive. Lower profits might mean happier residents; but it will also mean lower investment returns to Dyfed Pension funds members many of whom are elected to or are employed by Carmarthenshire County Council.

It is time for Cllr Price and Cllr Ann Davies to end the excuses and take action that Bute Energy will understand. So far the most decisive action we’ve seen from Plaid Cymru on Bute has been to give Bute Energy’s Public Affairs Adviser a well-paid job for life in the House of Lords. Residents deserve deeds not empty words form our Plaid Cymru politicians in County Hall.”