DURING the Easter Holidays, young people from The Edge Youth Centre and the Army Welfare Service took part in a two-day environmental project in Haverfordwest in partnership with the Cleddau Project.

The ‘My River’ project enabled young people to connect with the River Cleddau, learn about the importance of looking after rivers and discuss what their river means to them as young people.

At the start of the project, the young people linked up with the West Wales Rivers Trust for the Big River Clean Up in Haverfordwest.

The young people helped clean up a stretch of the Western Cleddau River that runs alongside Bridge Meadow Park and Morrisons.

In the afternoon, they enjoyed an engaging session delivered by the Darwin Centre looking at the mini-beasts that live in our rivers under microscopes.

On day two the young people reflected on their findings creating a story with illustrator Fran Evans.

The young people created a piece of art telling the story of their river and the importance of looking after the river.

The story is called the ‘adventures of the trash trio’ and will be exhibited to the public at the ‘My River’ Art Exhibition at HaverHub, Quay Street, Haverfordwest at the end of June.

The young people will be coming back together in May Half-Term to explore the river in Haverfordwest by canoeing up the Western River Cleddau.

Steve Lewis, Senior Youth Worker said: “This project educated young people on the importance of our rivers and how they support wildlife, ecosystems and recreation activities. It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm from the young people and to see them connecting with their river.”

This project has been made possible by funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

YSGOL Casblaidd has been described as a “happy and friendly community’ by inspectors.

Estyn, the education and training inspectorate for Wales, visited Ysgol Casblaidd in Wolfscastle in February, and has released its findings following a full inspection of the school.  

The report noted:

• The school has a strong culture of safeguarding pupils. 

• Wolfscastle school is a happy and friendly community. 

• A strong feature is the school’s relationship with its local community. 

• During their time at the school, many pupils, including those with additional learning needs, make sound progress from their starting points. 

• Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel very happy within the homely and inclusive environment. This is reflected in the schools high attendance rate. 

• Most pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. They enjoy and apply themselves to their tasks with excitement and enthusiasm. 

• Staff have very warm relationships with the pupils. They treat them with kindness and respect and this creates an inclusive environment where the happiness, well being and progress of all pupils is a priority. 

• The school and staff know their pupils, their families and the local community very well. They place a high priority on pupils’ well being and respond to their emotional and social needs with sensitivity. 

• The school has a clear vision based on creating a happy and caring learning environment to provide a firm foundation for pupils to develop their core skills. 
• An ethos of working as a productive team among teachers and assistants is a notable element of the school. 
• The school’s relationship with parents is a strength and the continuous co-operation and communication promotes the school in its community highly effectively. 
• The headteacher leads the school highly effectively and encourages pupils to develop their skills and talents in an inclusive learning environment.

Headteacher, Sasha Edwards, said: “I am delighted with this report. Ysgol Casblaidd is an exceptional school and I am immensely proud to be its Headteacher. 

“I would like to commend the outstanding staff and governors who have worked relentlessly to ensure that every pupil is valued and that their wellbeing and progress in their learning is paramount.

“Ysgol Casblaidd is a school that our pupils, families and wider community can be very proud of.” 

Chair of the Governing Body, Lisa Thomas, added: “I am extremely proud of the pupils, staff, parents and Governors of Ysgol Casblaidd. It was a pleasure to welcome the inspection team, and I was pleased that they were able to see what is so wonderful about our school – in particular their comments on the politeness of pupils  enthusiasm for learning that they have. 

“The schools work with the local community was also commented on, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the community of Wolfscastle for their unwavering support – we can all be extremely proud of this report.” 

The full report is available online

Paul Butterworth, the CEO of Chambers Wales South East, South West and Mid, has been appointed as the new Vice Chair of the Regional Learning and Skills Partnership (RLSP) for south-west Wales.

Covering Carmarthenshire, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Swansea, the RLSP is dedicated to bridging the gap between education, skills, and regeneration. It aims to ensure that the skills provision is aligned with the economic priorities and opportunities of the region, as well as tackling the new skills landscape that is happening within the energy, construction, manufacturing and digital sectors.

As CEO of Chambers Wales, Paul brings a wealth of experience and a passion for the economic and skills development of Welsh businesses with him to the board.

As the voice of the business community with policymakers, Paul will advocate for enhanced skills training, infrastructure improvements and the creation of skilled jobs, all aimed at creating local economic growth.

Upon his appointment, Paul said: “I am determined to create a better and fairer business landscape for West Wales to ensure that the local economy has the best available skills development for future project development and the transition into the green economy and energy sector to ensure West Wales thrives.”

Jane Lewis, Regional Partnerships Manager at RLSP, said: “We are delighted to have Paul on the board. He will be instrumental in achieving our goals and look forward to the positive impact his appointment will have on the region.”