News

Five shouts in seven days for Angle Lifeboat Station

Published

5 years ago

August 5, 2019

VOLUNTEER crew at Angle Lifeboat Station had a busy week with five shouts in seven days, and three of those shouts took place within twenty-four hours.

The crews were paged shortly before 9am on the morning of Monday 29 July which turned out to be the first of five shouts in the next seven days. The all-weather lifeboat was requested to launch to a 30-foot fishing vessel, with two crew aboard, that had fouled their propeller off Great Castle Head near Dale.

Angle’s lifeboat arrived on scene and once a tow was rigged the fishing vessel crew managed to release themselves from the obstruction, but the propeller was still fouled.

The casualty was towed to Neyland Marina where they were safely berth alongside their berth an hour and half later.

As the crews were rehousing the lifeboat shortly after 4.30pm on Tuesday afternoon (July 30) after spending a day afloat carrying out training assessments with new crew members, a PanPan from a motor cruiser was received and the lifeboat was requested to launch. The 30 foot vessel had lost engine power off South Hook LNG Terminal jetty, the owner had deployed his anchor, but it wasn’t holding, and the vessel was drifting towards the jetty. As the lifeboat was proceeding to the casualty, and the anchor was now holding, a tow was rigged and the lifeboat proceeded to tow the motor cruiser away from the jetty towards Milford Marina.

Whilst heading up towards Milford Marina the owner managed to get the engine going and was happy enough to motor itself to its mooring upriver, so the tow was realised and the lifeboat provided an escort as far as Neyland and then returned to station.

Friday afternoon (August 3), shortly before 3pm, the crews were requested to launch to person in difficulty in the water off the entrance to Milford docks. As the lifeboat arrived on scene the person had managed to make their way safely ashore, but their dinghy was still anchored some distance off the entrance. The casualty was taken back to their dinghy by the lifeboat where the anchor was recovered, and they made their way to the mackerel stage pontoon and the lifeboat returned to station.

Shortly after 2am, in the early hours of Saturday morning (Aug 3), the crews were woken up by their pagers alerting them to persons in the water off the Pembroke Dock Ferry Terminal. Angle’s lifeboat launched and was proceeding at best speed to the area and once on scene it was confirmed that the persons had been recovered from the water. The lifeboat released and returned to station.

Just after 12pm on Saturday afternoon the lifeboat was launched to its fifth shout of the week to a 37 feet yacht with engine failure and some issues with their sails off Linney head. The yacht had two persons aboard, with one crew member suffering with sea sickness, and was continuing to sail towards Milford when the lifeboat arrived and scene.

A crew member was then transferred to the yacht from the lifeboat to assist the skipper in getting the sail stowed and a tow rigged. Once completed a course was set for Milford Marina.

At the Marina entrance the yacht was taken alongside the lifeboat and placed on the Mackerel Stage pontoon. Once secured, the lifeboat was released and returned to station some two hours after launching.

News

Police close Westfield Pill Bridge over concerns for person’s welfare

Published

2 mins ago

December 23, 2024

Tom Sinclair

FEARS for a person’s safety led police to close Westfield Pill Bridge, near Neyland.

The bridge, on the A477 between Honeyborough roundabout and the Cleddau Bridge, was shut for just over an hour, with drivers advised to seek alternative routes.

The incident took place on Friday evening and was concluded when the person was located safe and well.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson said: “Dyfed-Powys Police received a call for a concern for the welfare of an individual on Westfield Pill Bridge at around 7:30pm on Friday, December 20.

“The road was closed and reopened at around 8:40pm.

“The individual was located safe and well.”

This is not the first time such an incident has led to a bridge closure.

There have been several previous similar incidents, including on Friday, October 4, 2024, the Cleddau Bridge was closed for about an hour following a call reporting a welfare concern. The closure occurred at around 4:45pm, and the bridge reopened at 5:45pm.

The person involved was taken to the hospital for treatment.

In June, a multi–agency rescue operation unfolded at Neyland Marina after a youth jumped approximately 40 metres from Westfield Bridge into the water below.

Emergency services, including crews from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) stations in Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Pembroke Dock, and Carmarthen, were swiftly dispatched to the scene.

According to a spokesperson for MAWWFRS, members of the public were instrumental in rescuing the youth before the arrival of the emergency crews.

Charity

NatWest Cymru encourages customers in Wales to spread Christmas cheer

Published

17 mins ago

December 23, 2024

Tom Sinclair

NATWEST has introduced a new way for its customers to support Social Bite in the fight against homelessness this festive season.

Through its mobile app based MyRewards programme, customers can now easily donate their available Rewards (over £5) to buy someone experiencing homelessness a Christmas dinner with Social Bite. NatWest has also pledged to match all donations to any of its 16 MyRewards charities, including Social Bite, up to the value of £50 until 31st December, up to a total of £150,000.

The initiative comes as part of Social Bite’s ‘Festival of Kindness’ – an annual mission that aims to provide 300,000 meals, gifts, and essential items to people who are homeless and vulnerable this Christmas.

NatWest has previously worked with the Scottish charity to open a coffee outlet for colleagues and visitors in its Royal Bank HQ in the capital Edinburgh, as well as launching a public coffee shop at its site at 440 Strand, London.

Since the launch of Festival of Kindness in 2020, Social Bite has successfully distributed 1.1 million meals, gifts, and essentials to people who are homeless during the festive period.

Jessica Shipman, Chair, NatWest Cymru Regional Board, said: “Social Bite makes a positive difference to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. The festive season often brings into focus the hardship so many face every day.

“We know that people want to help but don’t know how. We’re excited to support Social Bite’s inspiring ‘Festival of Kindness’ initiative, giving our customers a way to gift a homeless person a warm meal.

“We encourage everyone to join in and help make the festive season a little brighter for the most vulnerable in our society.”

Josh Littlejohn MBE, Founder of Social Bite, added: “Social Bite is proud to have had the support of NatWest for a number of years, and together, we’ve made great strides to help people break the cycle of homelessness.

“For many of us, Christmas is a period where we look forward to spending time with friends, family and loved ones. However, the reality is very different for people without a place to call home over the festive season. With homelessness rising across the UK, it’s more important than ever that we do what we can to help people affected by homelessness and food poverty.

“A big thank you to all the wonderful NatWest customers who chose to donate their rewards to Social Bite. Your contribution will make a real difference to someone in need, including a hot meal with all the trimmings in loving company on Christmas Day.”

To find out more about NatWest’s MyRewards and the other charities which are being supported, please visit: https://personal.secure1.natwest.com/app/MyRewards

Information on Social Bite’s Festival can be found: https://www.social-bite.co.uk/

Community

Emergency call outage affected Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire

Published

20 mins ago

December 23, 2024

Tom Sinclair

RESIDENTS in parts of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire faced difficulties contacting emergency services via the 999 landline number on Sunday (Dec 17) due to a temporary outage.

Dyfed-Powys Police issued alerts on social media, warning residents of potential issues when trying to dial 999 from landlines in affected areas. Locations impacted included Pembroke, Manorbier, Carew, and surrounding areas.

In a statement, police advised: “You may have faced problems calling 999 from a landline in the Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire area. Places likely to have been affected were Pembroke, Manorbier, Carew. Please try calling from a mobile phone as mobile networks may have been working normally. Normal service will be restored as soon as possible. Non-emergencies can be reported online. Please look out for further updates.”

Later in the day, an update confirmed that the 999 landline service had been restored in the Llangrannog and Llanteg areas.

The temporary disruption raised concerns about access to emergency services in rural areas, where mobile coverage can sometimes be unreliable.

Authorities urged residents to remain vigilant and use alternative communication methods in the event of future disruptions. Further updates are expected as investigations into the cause of the outage continue.

For non-emergency issues, residents can continue to report incidents via the Dyfed-Powys Police website or contact their local police station directly.