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Mammoth effort behind the scenes to prepare for return of pupils

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LEARNERS return to schools across Pembrokeshire from today (Monday) following a mammoth effort behind the scenes to prepare.

Fourteen thousand signs, 1,500 litres of hand sanitiser and 1,270 paper towel holders are among the items that have been distributed to schools by Pembrokeshire County Council.

A huge amount of work has been going on for several weeks to ensure pupils are welcomed back in as safe a manner as possible and in line with Welsh Government social distancing and Covid-19 hygiene guidelines, including routine health and safety checks at schools and testing water supplies.

Staff from different departments across the Local Authority have worked with a dedicated team of 30+ at Thornton to source and supply schools with essential items.

Fourteen thousand bi-lingual signs of 70 different designs – such as handwashing messages, canteen specific signs, floor stickers marking social distancing etc – have been distributed to schools.

The signs have been designed by PCC’s graphic team and printed by the Council’s Signs Unit.

The work the length and breadth of Pembrokeshire has included sourcing, delivering and installing:

• 1227 wall mounted sanitizer and soap units
• 1279 wall mounted paper towel dispensers
• 2046 floor mounted litter bins
• 530 Table top sanitiser units
• Delivery of 250 x 1 gallon sanitiser

The teams have also decommissioned 556 hand driers and 86 water dispensers and assisted schools to remove furniture to make space for social distancing.

Thirty-one storage containers have been delivered to schools to enable them to store school furniture and equipment.

Preparing schools for re-opening and meeting social distancing and Covid-19 has been a huge logistical effort.

Tens of thousands of PPE items have been distributed to schools, including the 13 hub schools that have operated for the children of key workers throughout the lockdown period.
Welsh Government guidelines advise that in general PPE is not required when undertaking routine educational activities in classroom or school settings, but there may be a need for it if staff are involved in washing, toileting, or first aid with pupils.
The effort to prepare schools has been hailed by the Council Leader, Cllr David Simpson.
He said: “The amount of work that has been going on behind the scenes to ensure we can welcome pupils back to schools warmly and safely is remarkable.
“Staff from across the Council have worked together and extremely closely with our schools to ensure that everything schools need, they get.
“Things will look different in some ways when pupils return with measures like social distancing in place but I hope that the huge efforts of everyone over the last few weeks helps bring a level of reassurance that everything that can be done is being done to make schools as safe as they possibly can be for our learners.”
Cllr Guy Woodham, the Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, added: “The teamwork to prepare schools to welcome back our learners has been fantastic to see.
“The dedication from the staff in schools and the many Council departments involved in this huge effort has been incredibly heartening.
“Things will look different, things will be different within our schools but we are preparing for the new normal for our learners with the safety of pupils and staff at the heart of everything we have been doing.”

Pembrokeshire County Council at Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi, preparing for the re-opening.

 

News

Three climbers rescued after fall at St Govan’s Head

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THREE climbers have been rescued after falling into the sea at St Govan’s Head, following a major multi-agency emergency response along the south Pembrokeshire coast.

The alarm was raised at around 4:00pm on Wednesday, prompting a large-scale search and rescue operation involving coastguard teams, helicopters and the Angle RNLI lifeboat.

A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: “HM Coastguard are responding to an incident involving three climbers at St Govans Head in Pembrokeshire on 12 February.

“First alerted at around 4pm, Coastguard rescue teams from Fishguard, St Govans and Tenby have been sent alongside an HM Coastguard helicopter, an Irish Coastguard helicopter, Wales Air Ambulance and an RNLI lifeboat from Angle.”

Multiple helicopters were seen operating over the cliffs and sea during the evening, with the lifeboat also deployed offshore.

BBC Radio Wales reported in its 8:30am Breakfast bulletin on Friday that all three casualties were successfully rescued.

Their conditions have not yet been confirmed.

Dyfed-Powys Police also attended the incident.

Updates to follow if further information is released.

 

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Charity

Tenby’s Doreen Mortimer MBE celebrates 30 years of RNLI service

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Fundraising stalwart has helped raise more than £1m for lifesaving charity

A TENBY volunteer who has dedicated three decades to saving lives at sea has marked her milestone anniversary with a celebration alongside the friends and colleagues who have supported her journey.

Doreen Mortimer MBE, long-time shop manager and fundraiser for the RNLI in Tenby, hosted a special gathering for fellow volunteers on Thursday (Feb 12) at Tudor Mount Gastrobar to celebrate both her 30 years of service and her recent royal honour.

Now in her 90s, Doreen remains a familiar and energetic presence in the town’s RNLI shop, where her tireless efforts have helped raise more than £1 million for the lifesaving charity.

She was one of six RNLI volunteers recognised by His Majesty The King as the organisation approached its 200th anniversary last year, receiving an MBE for her outstanding contribution to fundraising and community service.

Award-winning dedication

Doreen’s commitment has long been recognised within the charity.

In 2022 she received the RNLI’s Excellence in Volunteering Award from head of fundraising Jayne George, after the Tenby shop’s takings topped £100,000 within months of reopening following the Covid lockdowns.

Jayne George said at the time: “Although Doreen has a team of volunteers backing her up, she is the driving force that keeps sales rising, and whenever the fund-raising committee holds an event, she is there with her bucket.”

The following year she was honoured again for her long service, helping make Tenby the number one RNLI shop in Wales.

She was also recognised by RNLI chief executive Mark Dowie during his farewell tour of UK stations.

Still going strong

Despite her age, Doreen continues to volunteer for up to 50 hours a week during busy periods, supporting the shop, events and collections.

Friends say her energy and enthusiasm remain an inspiration to younger volunteers.

Thursday’s celebration was not only a thank-you for Doreen’s service, but also a chance to acknowledge the wider team whose efforts help keep the charity’s vital work afloat.

For Tenby’s lifeboat crews, every pound raised locally helps ensure they can launch at a moment’s notice — and for three decades, Doreen Mortimer has been at the heart of that mission.

 

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Community

Lifeboat to find new home at Pembroke Dock museum after historic handover ceremony

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A HISTORIC lifeboat which saved forty lives around the British coastline is set to begin a new chapter in Pembroke Dock next month when she is formally handed over to the West Wales Maritime Heritage Society.

The 1957 Watson-class vessel, RNLB Pentland, will be transferred to her permanent home at the West Wales Maritime Museum during a public ceremony on Saturday, March 7 at 1:00pm.

Organisers say the event will mark the end of the boat’s private stewardship under Mike Brotherton MBE and the beginning of her preservation as part of Pembrokeshire’s maritime heritage.

The handover will include the lowering of the Blue Ensign and the raising of the Red Ensign, symbolising the lifeboat’s move into museum care, followed by a short presentation recounting her operational history.

During her years of service at Thurso, The Mumbles and Workington, Pentland was launched into some of the worst conditions the coast could throw at her crew, helping to save dozens of lives.

Trustees say bringing the vessel to Pembroke Dock will ensure that future generations can see first-hand the type of lifeboat that protected coastal communities for decades.

Visitors attending the ceremony will also be able to tour the museum’s restoration workshops and view other ongoing heritage projects, including work on the Charterhouse lifeboat.

Refreshments, including burgers, bacon rolls, tea and coffee, will be available before and after proceedings.

Entry to the museum and boatyard is free, although donations to support preservation work are welcomed.

 

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