News
MP pledges to help veterans after prison
SIMON HART MP has pledged to support Care after Combat, a charity working to help prisoner veterans to reintegrate into society.
Co-founded by comedian Jim Davidson in 2015, Care after Combat mentors veterans during the final eighteen months of their sentence to help them transition from prison to civilian life.
Over the past three years it has helped more than 300 incarcerated veterans in almost 30 prisons, reducing first year reoffending rates to only 8%.
This is compared to the 45% reoffending rate in the wider prisoner population.
Mr Hart said: “We have a responsibility to look after the welfare of all our veterans and Care after Combat provides dedicated support for those least able to make this transition and who often fall into the prison system as a result. We must do everything we can do end this vicious cycle and I am pleased to pledge my support.”
The charity is only able to reach 1 in 10 prisoner veterans and increased funding is urgently needed to roll out its services UK-wide and support all eligible veterans currently serving sentences. It is estimated that there are currently 3,500 former servicemen incarcerated in England and Wales – the largest single occupational cohort within prisons – and they are one of the most vulnerable groups.
Speaking at the session, Jim Davidson OBE, Chief Executive Officer of Care after Combat said: “I was really pleased to receive so much support and encouragement from MPs. At a time when our prison service is struggling to cope, Care after Combat could play a greater role to reduce reoffending and help former veterans by restoring the sense of stability and purpose which they enjoyed whilst serving in the Armed Forces.
“While we welcome the additional £10 million cash injection to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund to support mental health projects, we call on the Government to recognise the specific requirements of this group and increase funding for veteran prisoner community transition services.”
Community
HaverHub secures place on Cwmpas growth programme
HAVERHUB has been accepted onto a one-year Cwmpas Growth Programme as it looks to strengthen its long-term future.
The community venue, based at the former Post Office site in Haverfordwest, said it will receive specialist support from Huw and Cathy at Cwmpas, an organisation which works with social enterprises and community groups across Wales.
The announcement comes after a difficult period for many community venues, with rising costs, financial pressures and the challenge of keeping spaces open, affordable and accessible.
HaverHub said the programme would help it build stability, support its team and volunteers, strengthen the business side of the organisation and protect what the community has already created.
A spokesperson said: “From a derelict old Post Office site to a busy and much-loved community hub, HaverHub has been built through volunteer effort, local talent, creativity and community belief.
“It truly belongs to the community that made it happen.”
The venue has hosted local groups, businesses, performers and events over the years, becoming a place where people can meet, celebrate and connect.
HaverHub said public consultation carried out two years ago had helped secure planning consent for the next stages of development.
The team also said it was looking forward to welcoming new members this year, alongside the return of some familiar faces.
The spokesperson added: “Thank you to everyone who has contributed ideas, skills, encouragement or simply used the space over the years. HaverHub would not exist without you.”
Climate
Free film screening to examine climate and nature risks
Public invited to Letterston event followed by local discussion
A FREE public screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing will take place at Letterston Memorial Hall on Friday, May 29, at 7:00pm.
Doors open at 6:30pm, and the event will be introduced by Dr Sarah Beynon of The Bug Farm.
The screening is being hosted by Transition Bro Gwaun, a North Pembrokeshire grassroots organisation which works to help communities move towards a more sustainable future.
The 50-minute film has been adapted from the National Emergency Briefing, held at Westminster Central Hall in November 2025, where more than 1,200 MPs, peers and leaders from business, culture, faith, sport and the media gathered to hear from experts on climate and nature risks.
Introduced by Chris Packham CBE, the briefing examined the implications of climate and nature breakdown for food security, public health, infrastructure, the economy and national security. It also set out evidence-based actions aimed at reducing those risks.
The People’s Emergency Briefing was launched nationwide in April and is now being screened in communities across the UK. Organisers say more than 300 showings have already taken place, with around 1,000 scheduled during the summer.
As well as the Letterston event, further screenings are planned for Solva and Cardigan in June.
Transition Bro Gwaun said the screening comes at a time when severe weather and higher rainfall are making communities in Pembrokeshire more vulnerable. November and December 2025 saw flooding affect several areas, with the Met Office confirming rainfall was more than 50% above average during the period.
The group also warned that dry periods can create other risks, including wildfires on heathland, which can damage important habitats and wildlife.
After the film, attendees will be invited to take part in a structured discussion about the issues raised and what they may mean locally.
Henry Tufnell MP, Pembrokeshire county councillors and town and community councillors from across the county have been invited to attend.
Tom Latter, trustee at Transition Bro Gwaun, said: “TBG welcomes the opportunity to host one of many Emergency Briefing events around the UK, addressing the climate and nature crisis.
“Co-ordinated restorative action is urgently needed, and understanding of the urgency for honest commitment to resilience planning from all branches of society.”
Tickets are free and refreshments will be provided. The event takes place at Letterston Memorial Hall, SA62 5RY.
Health
Nursing warning over ‘deadly mix’ of staff shortages and complex care
RCN says patients are at growing risk as nurses report unsafe staffing levels
NURSING leaders have warned that collapsing growth in the registered nurse workforce, combined with increasingly complex patient needs, is creating a “deadly mix” for patients.
The Royal College of Nursing said staff across hospital and community settings are being left struggling to keep people safe, with more than a quarter saying nurse numbers on their last shift were so far below what was needed that there was a high risk of harm.
The warning comes from the RCN’s latest Last Shift survey, which gathered responses from more than 13,000 nursing staff across the UK.
Professor Nicola Ranger, the RCN’s General Secretary and Chief Executive, is expected to tell more than 3,000 frontline nursing staff at the union’s annual Congress in Liverpool that governments are failing in their duty to keep patients safe.
She will say that widespread registered nurse vacancies are always unsafe, but that the risk is now being made worse by an ageing and sicker population with more complex needs.
Four in five nursing staff said clinical complexity had increased over the past two years, while only one in ten said staffing was at the right level to meet all patient needs. More than two thirds said they were being forced to make difficult decisions about which care to prioritise.
In Wales, nurses and health care support workers described growing pressure across wards and community services.
A nurse working on an older people’s ward in the NHS in Wales said: “We need to increase the agreed establishment; nurse to patient ratio due to increasing acuity, dependency and complexity of patients’ condition and presentation.
“More and more patients are now presenting with worsening cognitive function and often display challenging behaviour.”
A health care support worker from an inpatient mental health unit in Wales said: “Our ward has been bombarded with high acuity for around a year now and staffing levels have barely seen an increase.”
The RCN said the findings also show the toll on staff wellbeing. More than three quarters of respondents said they felt emotionally exhausted on their last shift, with exhaustion highest among those who said their shift was understaffed.
RCN Wales Executive Director Nicola Williams said: “Nursing staff across Wales are telling us clearly that staffing levels are not matching the complexity and intensity of care patients now need.
“Too many shifts are operating without enough registered nurses to deliver safe and effective care.
“When more than a quarter of nursing staff describe staffing levels as unsafe and nearly half report compromised care, we need to listen and take action to address it.”
She said members were “going above and beyond every day” but were demoralised, missing breaks and having training time cancelled.
Ms Williams added: “They cannot continue carrying the burden of workforce shortages indefinitely. Emotional exhaustion is becoming normalised across the profession and that is dangerous for staff, patients and the future sustainability of services.
“The newly elected Welsh Government must urgently invest in growing and retaining the nursing workforce, ensure they have the training they require, alongside delivering safe staffing levels that are properly planned and enforced.
“Without action, patient safety risks will continue to grow.”
The RCN said the survey showed an urgent need for workforce investment, robust nurse staffing plans based on patient need, and action to improve recruitment and retention across Wales.
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