TWO upcoming open evenings in Pembroke are aiming to show how higher education can transform lives and few stories capture that better than that of local student Fred Murad.

Hosted by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David at Monkton Priory Community School, the events will highlight part-time degrees in Inclusive Education designed for those balancing work, family and other commitments.

For Fred, however, the journey into education didn’t begin with ambition but with loss.

“My journey into higher education was not born out of certainty, but out of profound loss and an urgent need to rebuild a life with meaning,” he said. 

After the death of his wife, his partner and best friend, Fred was left caring for his young children while navigating grief and uncertainty. He made the difficult decision to leave his job, stepping away from stability at one of the hardest points in his life.

“At that point, I had a choice: remain defined by loss or stand up and fight for my family’s future. I chose to invest in myself.”

What followed was a gradual rebuilding. Through the Springboard programme, Fred completed courses in numeracy, IT, classroom support and first aid – each one helping to restore confidence and routine.

“Returning to education as a mature student was not easy, but it became a lifeline. Each qualification helped me rebuild confidence, restore routine, and rediscover a sense of direction at a time when everything felt uncertain.”

That renewed sense of purpose led him into higher education, enrolling on the Foundation Degree in Inclusive Education delivered locally in Monkton.

For more than a decade, these courses have been offered by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David within the community, creating accessible routes into higher education for those who might not otherwise consider it. Delivered in evening sessions at Monkton, they are particularly suited to people already working or volunteering in schools, including learning support assistants and teaching assistants.

Fred says the experience has been transformative.

“The programme is academically rigorous but deeply supportive, recognising that students often bring complex life experiences with them into their studies.”

Now in his second year, he has progressed into full-time employment as a tutor at Pembrokeshire College and is working towards his AET Level 3 teaching qualification.

But beyond career progression, the course has reshaped how he understands learning itself.

“The Foundation Degree in Inclusive Education has fundamentally changed how I understand learning, barriers and support. It has given me insight into what my own children  and many other learners experience every day.”

What began as a personal turning point has become something more outward-facing.

“My learning is no longer just personal; it has become a way of giving back.”

His story is one the university hopes will resonate with others in the community who may be considering a return to education.

The upcoming open evenings will offer prospective students the chance to meet lecturers, explore the courses and ask questions in a relaxed, local setting.

These well-established programmes have been delivered at Monkton for over 10 years, with hundreds of students progressing to graduate with a degree. By offering courses locally, the university has created a proven pathway for non-traditional learners, particularly those balancing study with work and family life.

Taught after school hours in a supportive, less formal environment than a traditional campus, the evening sessions at Monkton make higher education more accessible to local people, especially those working or volunteering in schools as LSAs or teaching assistants.

Open evenings will take place at Monkton Priory Community School:

Tuesday 19 May, 4:00–6:00pm 

Tuesday 23 June, 4:00–6:00pm 

Fred has a clear message for anyone unsure about taking that first step:

“If you are thinking of doing this degree, I would highly recommend it. The university is very supportive, the lecturing staff are knowledgeable, welcoming, and genuinely want you to succeed.”

His journey is not about leaving the past behind, but about building something meaningful from it.

“What began in hardship has grown into a story of perseverance, reinvention and service… building a future with purpose – for myself, my children and for the students I now support.”

For those attending the open evenings, his experience offers a powerful example of what’s possible and a reminder that it’s never too late to start again.

For further information or if you have any questions about the programme, please contact Sue Ainsworth at [email protected] 

Prime Minister pledges EU reset, British Steel nationalisation and youth jobs guarantee — but critics say Wales was left out

SIR KEIR Starmer has been accused of ignoring Wales in a major “reset” speech aimed at saving his premiership after Labour’s disastrous election results.

The Prime Minister used the speech on Monday (May 11) to admit that mistakes had been made and to promise a new direction for Britain.

He said Labour’s election losses had been “tough, very tough”, but insisted he would not walk away from the job and would fight any attempt to remove him as party leader.

But while the speech was billed as a major attempt to relaunch his government, Welsh opponents said it failed to address the political earthquake which has just taken place in Wales.

Welsh Labour is still reeling from last week’s Senedd election, which saw the party suffer a historic collapse after decades of dominance in Welsh politics.

Despite that, critics said Wales was not directly mentioned in the Prime Minister’s speech.

Lib Dem criticism

Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster spokesperson David Chadwick MP said the omission showed how out of touch Labour had become with Welsh communities.

He said: “Keir Starmer’s speech today showed just how out of touch Labour has become with communities in Wales.

“Despite years of Labour failure in Cardiff Bay and last week’s election results, the Prime Minister did not even mention Wales, let alone offer the fresh thinking people are crying out for.

“To make matters worse, Labour has rubbed salt in the wounds of communities like Port Talbot by announcing a further nationalisation of British Steel in Scunthorpe after refusing to do the same for workers and families in South Wales.

“The Liberal Democrats will continue using our 72 MPs in Westminster to stand up for Wales and fight for the fair deal our communities deserve.”

Three key pledges

Starmer’s speech centred on three main pledges.

The first was a promise to rebuild Britain’s relationship with the European Union.

The Prime Minister said the UK would set a “new direction for Britain” at the next EU summit, putting the country “at the heart of Europe” on the economy, trade and defence.

He also announced plans for an “ambitious” youth experience scheme, allowing young people to work, study and live in Europe as part of a renewed relationship with the EU.

Starmer said the government would also go further on apprenticeships, technical excellence colleges and special educational needs, with a guarantee that every young person struggling to find work would be offered a job, training or work placement.

The third major pledge was on British Steel.

Starmer said legislation would be brought forward this week to give the government the power to take full ownership of British Steel, subject to a public interest test.

He said the move was needed to protect what he described as an “ultimate sovereign capability” and to support industrial renewal.

Steel row reignited

The British Steel announcement is likely to be one of the most politically sensitive parts of the speech in Wales.

The UK Government took control of British Steel’s Scunthorpe steelworks from Chinese owners Jingye last year, following fears over the future of the site.

Starmer has now gone further, saying ministers will seek powers for full public ownership.

But in South Wales, the decision has revived anger over the handling of Tata Steel in Port Talbot.

Thousands of jobs were put at risk during the transition away from blast furnace steelmaking, with unions and opposition parties repeatedly calling for stronger government intervention.

Critics say Port Talbot workers and their families were not offered the same level of protection now being proposed for Scunthorpe.

That contrast is now being used by Labour’s opponents as evidence that Wales has again been treated as an afterthought by Westminster.

Leadership pressure

The speech came as Starmer faced growing pressure from within his own party after Labour’s poor election performance.

He admitted the results had been painful and said he understood that people were frustrated with him.

Starmer said: “I know I have my doubters, and I know I need to prove them wrong, and I will.”

Asked whether he would fight a leadership contest, Starmer said he was “not going to walk away”.

He also warned that Britain was facing “dangerous opponents” and said Labour had to offer hope and optimism rather than allow the country to go down what he described as a “dark path”.

The Prime Minister argued that Labour had made mistakes but had got the “big political choices” right, pointing to the economy, public services and foreign policy.

However, early reaction from within Labour suggested the speech may not have been enough to calm unrest.

Some Labour figures were reported to have felt the speech lacked detail on the cost of living, immigration and defence, while others said it did not amount to the transformational reset some MPs had wanted.

Welsh problem remains

For Wales, the political problem is particularly acute.

Labour’s dominance in Welsh politics has been shattered, with Plaid Cymru now the largest party in the Senedd and Reform UK making major gains.

The result has left Labour searching for a new direction at both Cardiff Bay and Westminster level.

Starmer’s speech was intended to show that he understands the scale of the challenge facing his government.

But for Welsh critics, the failure to directly address Wales after such a dramatic election result will only deepen concerns that Labour’s Westminster leadership has not yet grasped the scale of the change taking place here.

The row also gives the Liberal Democrats an opportunity to position themselves as a pro-Wales voice at Westminster, particularly in rural and mid-Wales areas where the party has been seeking to rebuild.

For Starmer, the speech was designed as a moment of renewal.

In Wales, his opponents say it has instead become another example of Labour failing to listen.

PARENT SAYS BOY BECAME SERIOUSLY ILL AFTER SWIMMING DURING FAMILY VISIT

CONCERN is growing in Pembrokeshire after a parent claimed their child was admitted to hospital after swimming in the sea at Tenby.

The post, shared in a local Tenby Facebook group, said the family had visited the resort between Monday and Thursday, with the boy swimming in the sea on Tuesday (May 6).

His parent wrote: “My son swam in the sea on the 6th and the next morning came down with terrible sickness and diarrhoea — he’s been very unwell since and has tonight been admitted to hospital.”

They added: “It’s terrible we can’t swim in our seas and rivers safely anymore. Please be aware.”

The post prompted hundreds of reactions and dozens of comments, with many people expressing sympathy for the family and others raising wider concerns about sewage pollution and water quality around the Pembrokeshire coast.

One commenter said: “This is a national disgrace, please put in a written complaint to Dŵr Cymru and Natural Resources Wales.”

Another asked: “Why were there no signs put up on the beaches to warn people it was unsafe to swim in?”

Others claimed they or family members had suffered illness after swimming at locations including Tenby, Amroth, Newgale and Coppet Hall.

One person wrote: “I got sepsis from a cut in Newgale surfing. Took six weeks in hospital and seven months recovery and still not right to get over it.”

Another said: “Please check with your son’s doctors regarding E.coli and a condition called HUS, which can develop from E.coli. My daughter swam at Amroth in 2022 after a sewage incident in the area and became seriously ill.”

No medical evidence has been published linking the latest reported illness directly to seawater exposure, and there is currently no official confirmation that conditions at Tenby caused the child’s illness.

However, the post has reignited anger over sewage discharges, pollution alerts and the information available to visitors and local people before entering the water.

Council response

However, Pembrokeshire County Council has confirmed that the only current “abnormal situation” officially notified to the authority relates to Lydstep Haven — not Tenby beaches.

In a statement to The Herald, the council said it was first notified by Natural Resources Wales on Wednesday (May 6) that NRW was declaring an abnormal situation at Lydstep Haven.

The council said a Facebook warning advising people not to swim was issued the same day.

Officers from the council’s Pollution Control Team attended the beach within two hours and installed warning signs at “appropriate locations”.

The authority confirmed the signs remained in place as of Monday morning (May 11).

Pembrokeshire County Council also said it had “not received any notifications or confirmed reports of health impacts associated with the incident.”

The council added that the notification from NRW related “only to Lydstep Haven”.

The authority continues to advise people not to swim at Lydstep Haven “until further notice”.

NRW is understood to still be investigating the cause of the incident.

Lydstep warning

The concern follows a recent warning at Lydstep Haven after Natural Resources Wales informed Pembrokeshire County Council of an “abnormal situation” which could temporarily affect bathing water quality.

Pembrokeshire County Council said officers from its Pollution Control Team had placed warning notices at various locations around the beach, temporarily advising against bathing while the matter was investigated.

Some residents questioned whether warnings were clear enough, particularly during busy holiday periods.

One commenter wrote: “Why aren’t there any warnings to holiday makers and visitors to our local area? It’s not fair that they find out information after someone becomes ill.”

Another said: “There should be notices and announcements on the beaches if there is an outage.”

Others pointed out that Surfers Against Sewage’s water quality app was not showing an active alert for Tenby itself, and suggested some online comments may have confused the current Lydstep warning with previous pollution notices affecting beaches in the Tenby area.

Protest at Broad Haven

The issue comes less than a week before campaigners stage a Surfers Against Sewage paddle-out protest at Broad Haven.

The protest is due to take place on Saturday, May 16, at 1:30pm, as part of a UK-wide day of action calling for an end to sewage pollution in rivers and seas.

Surfers Against Sewage says communities across the UK will gather on beaches, riverbanks and in the water to demand stronger action on sewage pollution.

The campaign group said: “We are sick of it. Sick of the lies, sick of the greed and sick of a system that’s rigged against us.”

A large banner has already been placed on Broad Haven seafront encouraging people to attend the protest.

Tourism concerns

The row has also raised concerns about the potential impact on Pembrokeshire’s tourism industry, with Tenby, Broad Haven, Newgale and other seaside communities heavily dependent on visitors during the spring and summer months.

One commenter wrote: “Not very good for a holiday destination is it.”

Another said: “Tourism will be massively affected by incidents like this, and people’s health and lives are being put at risk.”

Others called for stronger action from Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales, Pembrokeshire County Council and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water.

The Herald has approached Natural Resources Wales, Pembrokeshire County Council and Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water for comment.