Val Coleman defies age with medals, records and a message: “Don’t stop moving”

A 97-YEAR-OLD Pembrokeshire woman who only took up rowing in her nineties is now a world record holder and shows no signs of slowing down.

Val Coleman, from Goodwick, began indoor rowing as part of her recovery after breaking her femur shortly after her 90th birthday.

Now, nearly eight years later, she has broken eight world records and won a string of medals, including 16 golds.

Her latest achievement came this month when she set a new five-kilometre world record in the 95 to 99 age category.

From recovery to records

Val first discovered rowing while watching boats launch at Lower Town Quay in Fishguard.

Her daughter, then captain of Jemima Rowing Club, encouraged her to try a rowing machine.

“She said, ‘I think you’ve got a record there,’ and it went from there really,” Val said.

Despite starting later in life, Val quickly took to the sport and has since built an impressive list of achievements, including World Rowing silver and bronze medals and multiple Welsh titles.

Keeping active key to success

Val credits her longevity and success to staying active.

“I think it’s very important as you get older. You need more exercise, not less,” she said.

In addition to rowing twice a week, she swims or walks daily and attends Pilates classes at her local leisure centre.

“The great thing about rowing is you’re sitting down,” she added. “It’s not as hard on your legs as running.”

A social lifeline

Beyond competition, rowing has brought a strong social element to her life.

“It’s important when you live on your own and you’re getting older,” she said. “I’ve made a lot of new friends.”

Training regularly with her club, Val says she is treated no differently to any other rower.

A lifetime of resilience

A mother of eight, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother, Val has lived in Pembrokeshire for six decades and spent 20 years in Goodwick.

She retrained as a nurse in her late forties and worked at Withybush Hospital until retirement.

Now, she continues to challenge expectations of ageing, keeping physically active while also reading a daily newspaper and doing crosswords.

“Don’t give up”

Val has a clear message for others.

“Don’t give up when you get to 60 or 70,” she said. “Keep moving.”

And for those thinking of trying something new, her advice is simple.

“Give it a go. If rowing isn’t for you, there’s always something else.”

THE UK’S terrorism threat level has been raised from substantial to severe, meaning an attack is now considered highly likely.

The decision was taken by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre on Thursday (Apr 30), following the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green, North London, which has been declared a terrorist incident.

The Home Office said the change was not based solely on that attack, but reflected a wider increase in the threat from Islamist and extreme right-wing terrorism in the UK.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the attack was an “abhorrent, antisemitic” act of terrorism and said her thoughts were with the victims and the Jewish community.

There are five terrorism threat levels in the UK: low, moderate, substantial, severe and critical.

Severe means an attack is highly likely, while critical means an attack is highly likely in the near future.

Threat levels are set independently by JTAC and MI5, based on intelligence and analysis. They do not have an expiry date and can be changed at any time.

Police say the public may see an increase in visible patrols and other security measures, including Project Servator deployments, where specially trained officers patrol public areas to identify suspicious behaviour.

The public is being urged to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to police. In an emergency, people should always call 999.

Verified against the Home Office update published today.

Paul Davies and Sam Kurtz say health, farming and transport are key as they seek return to the Senedd

CONSERVATIVE candidates Paul Davies and Sam Kurtz have set out their pitch to voters in the newly formed Ceredigion Penfro constituency, insisting they can both be elected under the Senedd’s new proportional voting system.

Speaking during a half-hour interview with Herald editor Tom Sinclair at the paper’s Milford Haven office, the pair emphasised experience, local visibility and a focus on health services as the cornerstone of their campaign ahead of polling day on Thursday (May 7).

Davies, who is placed first on the Conservative list, said the party had a “credible plan to fix Ceredigion Penfro and Wales,” with protecting local hospitals at the top of the agenda.

He warned that services at Withybush Hospital had been steadily eroded over many years and said further losses, including threats to general emergency surgery, would be “totally unacceptable”.

Kurtz, second on the list, said continuity and experience would be vital under the new system, arguing that voters would still need accessible representatives to deal with casework after the election.

He pointed to past campaigns, including securing a banking hub in south Pembrokeshire and lobbying on road safety and infrastructure, as evidence that opposition politicians could still get things done.

The candidates said their strategy was clear: secure around 20% of the vote — roughly one in five voters — to win two seats in the six-member constituency.

Davies said: “We can win two seats. Every vote counts under this system.”

Kurtz added that voters should not be persuaded by rival claims that the election was a straight fight between other parties.

“If you want Welsh Conservatives like Paul and I, you vote for us, and you will get us,” he said.

Reform challenge dismissed

Addressing the rise of Reform UK, Davies dismissed the party as “not conservative,” pointing to policy differences and internal issues with candidates.

He urged traditional Conservative voters to remain loyal if they wanted what he called genuine Conservative representation.

Kurtz said he understood that some voters were considering a protest vote, but argued that “serious times call for serious politicians.”

He said Wales needed strong leadership, and claimed voters in Ceredigion Penfro would be better served by representatives with an established record of local campaigning.

Asked whether the Conservatives would work with Reform after the election if that was the only way to remove Labour from power, Davies declined to give a firm commitment.

He said the party’s objective was to win as many Welsh Conservative seats as possible, adding that “the only deal” the Conservatives wanted was with the people of Wales.

Health and hospitals dominate

Both candidates repeatedly returned to healthcare as the dominant issue raised on the doorstep.

Davies said a Conservative government would declare a “health emergency” from day one, focusing resources on waiting lists, emergency departments and patients being treated in corridors.

He said the state of the Welsh NHS was unacceptable and blamed Labour’s long period in power, supported at different times by Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats, for failing to improve outcomes.

The future of Withybush Hospital was a central theme, with both candidates pledging not only to protect existing services but to restore some that have been lost.

Davies said the party had committed in its manifesto to protect stroke services at Bronglais Hospital and general emergency surgery at Withybush.

Kurtz said the issue was personal to him, as he was born at Withybush and members of his family had been treated there.

He said the original reasons for building Withybush — rurality, poor transport links, tourism pressures, heavy industry on the Haven and dangerous agricultural work — still existed today.

He added that the hospital needed certainty, saying the long-running debate over its future had made recruitment harder.

On GP access, Kurtz said the Conservatives would introduce a seven-day GP appointment guarantee, designed to move people away from the “8am rat race” of trying to secure a same-day appointment.

He said better access to primary care would also reduce pressure on A&E departments.

Farming and rural economy

On agriculture, Kurtz criticised delays to the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme, saying it had taken “far too long” to develop and still placed too much emphasis on environmental measures over food production.

He said there were good elements in the proposed scheme, including the principle of a whole-farm approach, but argued that food security and productivity needed to be placed at its heart.

Kurtz said global instability had shown the importance of domestic food production, and argued that Welsh farming should be seen as part of national security.

He said farming also supported Welsh language communities, rural schools, young farmers’ clubs, sports clubs and wider local economies.

Davies said a Conservative government would increase the farming budget by £100 million and tackle bovine TB, which he said had placed huge pressure on farmers for many years.

Asked whether he supported a badger cull in Wales, Kurtz said the response to bovine TB should be “science-led” and based on evidence.

He said targeted removal of infected wildlife had a role to play, while stressing that it was not a “silver bullet”.

Kurtz said the most urgent thing farmers needed from the next Welsh Government was stability after years of uncertainty over policy, payments and regulation.

Housing and second homes

On housing, Davies said increasing supply was essential, alongside strengthening the economy to help people afford homes.

He said Wales needed to return to being a “home-owning democracy” and that more ambitious housebuilding targets would be needed.

Kurtz highlighted Conservative proposals to cut stamp duty on primary residences, arguing that this would stimulate movement in the housing market and boost local trades and businesses.

Asked about second homes and holiday lets, Kurtz said the current 182-night threshold for self-catering accommodation was too high.

He said many genuine tourism businesses in weather-dependent rural areas were struggling to meet the requirement, and said the threshold should be brought closer to the HMRC figure of 105 nights.

Both candidates were critical of council tax premiums on second homes, arguing they had become too restrictive and had not necessarily released properties for local buyers.

Davies also opposed the proposed tourism tax, warning it could damage one of the area’s most important industries.

Energy, roads and rail

On renewable energy, Kurtz said the Conservatives were not opposed to green energy jobs, but objected to what he called the “industrialisation” of the countryside through large-scale wind, solar and pylon developments.

He said more attention should be given to the opportunities in the Celtic Sea, including floating offshore wind and the Celtic Freeport, rather than using good agricultural land for major energy schemes.

Transport was another major theme.

Davies reiterated his long-standing campaign to dual the A40 across west Wales, describing it as critical to economic growth, safety and connectivity.

He said it was unacceptable that major investment had been made elsewhere in Wales while west Wales continued to be left behind.

Kurtz said rural communities were often treated as an afterthought, pointing to rail investment decisions that he said had favoured south-east Wales.

He argued that schemes such as a new station at St Clears should have been prioritised and said investment should begin from rural areas outward, rather than always from Cardiff and Newport first.

Candidate records

Asked why voters should believe major change could happen now when Davies had already served for many years, he said the new voting system meant every vote counted in a way it had not done before.

He said areas where Conservatives previously had little chance of winning could now elect Welsh Conservative representatives.

Kurtz was asked how he would convince voters in Ceredigion that he was not simply a Pembrokeshire candidate.

He pointed to family links with Cardigan and Llandysul, his Welsh language ability, and his work on agricultural issues, saying voters in Ceredigion had recognised his record.

Both candidates said the size of the new constituency would be a challenge, but argued that their experience representing large rural areas would help them divide the workload effectively.

Closing pitch

In their final appeal, both candidates urged voters to back the Conservatives directly rather than viewing the election as a “two-horse race”.

Davies said voters who wanted Welsh Conservative representation should vote Welsh Conservative on Thursday (May 7).

Kurtz said reaching 20% was “hugely achievable” and would allow both men to continue their work in Cardiff Bay.

He added: “It’s your vote between you and the ballot box. If you want Paul and I re-elected, vote Welsh Conservative.”