THREE exciting local talents are bringing their acts to St Dogmaels Memorial Hall next Sunday, May 12 at 3pm.

This promises to be a wonderful afternoon of performances of original pop compositions.  

Rosalind Powell, who is known both for her classical piano performances and through her singer-songwriter work, has curated the afternoon. The other performers will be Steve (Stephen P. Greenhalgh) with his Celtic folk rock music under his performance name Cariad, and Matthew Douglas who performs under the name Drift, with pieces from his new album Ailsa. Rosalind will be performing songs from her new album Sound Eagle. Tickets will be from the door (suggested donation of £7) and refreshments will be available.

The event is a fundraiser for the local climate campaigning group Cardigan Extinction Rebellion (XR), who are raising money to help local people going to London to join the Restore Nature Now demonstration on Saturday 22nd June. This will be a peaceful family-friendly demonstration, joining with Chris Packham, and tens of thousands of people from a wide range of organisations such as RSPB, the National Trust, WWF, Friends of the Earth, the Woodland Trust. Coaches will be arranged from the area to take people to London and back on the day. Contact [email protected] or 07787 197630 for more information about the concert in St Dogmaels on Sunday or about the demonstration.

A PEMBROKESHIRE woman has raised over £13,000 for good causes after challenging herself to complete the London Marathon.

Terrie Savage put on her running shoes to take on the 26.2-mile London Marathon to raise funds for the Wales Air Ambulance and Withybush Chemotherapy Day Unit. Terrie completed the marathon in a fantastic 3 hours and 50 minutes.

Terrie who previously challenged herself to a couple of half marathons, ramped up her training and set herself the challenge to double her distance. She now seems to have the running bug and has already put her name in the ballot for a place in next year’s race.

Reflecting on her huge achievement, Terrie, 27, said: “I started running last October when I signed up for the Cardiff Half Marathon and I have never looked back. I was running 30-40 miles per week in January to February and then I decreased the miles in March. It was really tough to get up at 6am, before work to fit these runs in, but I really wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“I absolutely loved the London Marathon, every single mile I smiled and had the best time – when I say I loved it, I really did! Speaking to the other runners really inspired me to keep going and sign up for more marathons!”

Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury. For the patient, this can mean hours saved when compared to standard care and is proven to greatly improve survival and recovery.

It is delivered via a unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the charity’s vehicles.

Terrie, who also organised a tractor run to help with her fundraising, had a personal reason for supporting the all-Wales charity. The money raised for both causes will be split equally.

She added: “ My grandfather had a heart attack in 2021 and the Wales Air Ambulance came out to Little Haven. Unfortunately, he had passed away, but the team worked on him for a good few hours. I was really grateful for the support and care that they gave my grandad and our family.”

“I am currently on £6,500 to give to the Charity and I cannot believe the grand total, it really goes to show how worthy this cause really is. I’ve had people messaging me and talking about their experience with the Wales Air Ambulance and their inspiring stories around this wonderful charity. The life changing care these individuals deliver daily is unbelievable.”

The Wales Air Ambulance Charity relies on public donations to raise the £11.2 million required every year to keep the helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.

Wales Air Ambulance’s Supporter Engagement Manager, Hannah Bartlett, said: “Wow, what an achievement, a massive congratulations to Terrie for not only completing a massive physical challenge but for also raising such a huge amount of money!

“We are so grateful to Terrie for choosing to support our charity. It is clear that our service is close to her heart, and it is always heart-warming for us to hear of people, like Terrie, who know someone who needed our lifesaving service, and are then inspired to fundraiser. Congratulations Terrie and thank you for supporting us. Your incredible efforts will help other people who need our service in the future.”

There’s still time to show your support to Terrie by donating to her Wales Air Ambulance JustGiving page

Pembrokeshire woman runs London Marathon in aid of Charity close to her heart

A Pembrokeshire woman has raised over £13,000 for good causes after challenging herself to complete the London Marathon.

Terrie Savage put on her running shoes to take on the 26.2-mile London Marathon to raise funds for the Wales Air Ambulance and Withybush Chemotherapy Day Unit. Terrie completed the marathon in a fantastic 3 hours and 50 minutes.

Terrie who previously challenged herself to a couple of half marathons, ramped up her training and set herself the challenge to double her distance. She now seems to have the running bug and has already put her name in the ballot for a place in next year’s race.

Reflecting on her huge achievement, Terrie, 27, said: “I started running last October when I signed up for the Cardiff Half Marathon and I have never looked back. I was running 30-40 miles per week in January to February and then I decreased the miles in March. It was really tough to get up at 6am, before work to fit these runs in, but I really wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“I absolutely loved the London Marathon, every single mile I smiled and had the best time – when I say I loved it, I really did!  Speaking to the other runners really inspired me to keep going and sign up for more marathons!”

Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury. For the patient, this can mean hours saved when compared to standard care and is proven to greatly improve survival and recovery.

It is delivered via a unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the charity’s vehicles.

Terrie, who also organised a tractor run to help with her fundraising, had a personal reason for supporting the all-Wales charity. The money raised for both causes will be split equally.

She added: “ My grandfather had a heart attack in 2021 and the Wales Air Ambulance came out to Little Haven. Unfortunately, he had passed away, but the team worked on him for a good few hours. I was really grateful for the support and care that they gave my grandad and our family.”

“I am currently on £6,500 to give to the Charity and I cannot believe the grand total, it really goes to show how worthy this cause really is. I’ve had people messaging me and talking about their experience with the Wales Air Ambulance and their inspiring stories around this wonderful charity. The life changing care these individuals deliver daily is unbelievable.”

The Wales Air Ambulance Charity relies on public donations to raise the £11.2 million required every year to keep the helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.

Wales Air Ambulance’s Supporter Engagement Manager, Hannah Bartlett, said: “Wow, what an achievement, a massive congratulations to Terrie for not only completing a massive physical challenge but for also raising such a huge amount of money!

“We are so grateful to Terrie for choosing to support our charity. It is clear that our service is close to her heart, and it is always heart-warming for us to hear of people, like Terrie, who know someone who needed our lifesaving service, and are then inspired to fundraiser. Congratulations Terrie and thank you for supporting us.  Your incredible efforts will help other people who need our service in the future.”

There’s still time to show your support to Terrie by donating to her Wales Air Ambulance JustGiving page www.justgiving.com/page/terrie-savage-1688759900496

LAST week, Labour’s new Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Ken Skates, delivered his statement to the Senedd and seemingly reversed Labour’s blanket 20mph speed limit, writes Natasha Ashgar MS.

However, looking closely at what has been said, it becomes increasingly clear that Mr. Skates has played a PR masterclass.

Unfortunately for Wales and the people who have signed the record-breaking half-a-million-strong petition. 20mph is going nowhere and is firmly here to stay.

As time has progressed since Labour’s blanket 20mph policy was introduced last year, public opinion against it has only grown. This disastrous blanket policy has negatively impacted bus services, commuters, emergency services, tourists, residents from all corners of Wales and businesses.

The most concerning aspect of this seemingly public U-turn is that Labour, Plaid and the only Liberal Democrat are all still actively misleading the public, ignoring their plea, petition and calls to rescind even more than before.

Make no mistake about it: Labour will change nothing. The Welsh public has received a lot of warm words, and the press has been quick to report that change is coming. However, no streamlined system exists to create equality amongst councils to revert back and give the public what they want. When all is said and done and when the dust settles, the default speed limit across Wales will remain 20mph.

The Welsh Conservatives have been clear from the start. We would scrap the blanket speed limit and introduce appropriate speed limits in areas where there is clear evidence that they are necessary, such as outside schools, hospitals, and playground areas and revert to 30mph where required.

The Labour Government in Wales is no stranger to anti-motorist initiatives. It has previously banned all roadbuilding and scrapped the relief road for the M4. Despite wafer-thin assurances, it continues flirting with congestion and road charging.

The estimated cost of 20mph is £33 million, a massive amount to spend on such a madcap initiative. Yet, reversing sections of this law will cost an additional £5m. This is an extravagant cost considering the lack of changes we will actually see on our roads.

However, this is all just the tip of the iceberg.

The Welsh Government’s own estimates acknowledge that the policy could impose a staggering cost of as much as £9 billion on the Welsh economy. That substantial amount could be better spent on the failing NHS, a below-par education system (as Wales ranks at the bottom of PISA), or even investing in local public transport services such as buses and train services.

By imposing their punishments on motorists, Labour is strangling economic activity throughout all of Wales.

Blanket 20mph zones and a ban on new roadbuilding before creating a strong, sufficient, and synchronised public transport infrastructure is put in place is nothing short of madness, particularly at a time when Labour-run Transport for Wales (TfW) has come bottom in the UK for overall customer satisfaction and clocked up 1 million minutes of delays last year alone.

Labour’s unexpected change of tack is nothing more than an attempt to curry favour of voters in the run-up to a General Election. Keir Starmer will not want such a divisive issue standing in his way. Yet, with him referring to Wales as a blueprint for what a Labour Government will look like in the UK if he wins the next GE, we can see far more of Labour’s divisive socialist policies becoming law throughout the UK with no light at the end of the road.

In a world where we are seeing huge technological advancements and transport innovation, Wales has had a Labour government in place for twenty-five years who, in the words of Doc Brown from Back to the Future, have firmly decided ‘where we are going, we don’t need roads.’

Natasha Asghar is a Welsh Conservative member of the Senedd for South Wales East and Shadow Minister For Transport.

• Named British Vogue’s Force for Change
• Named as BBC’s 100 women
• Award winner- ‘Devolved Politician of the year 2024’ for her work on the 20mph campaign in Wales.