FOLLOWING generous donations, Hywel Dda Health Charities – the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board – has funded a Tonic Surf Therapy programme worth £4,000. The funding paid for ten young people receiving support from mental health services to take part in the ten-session programme.

The Tonic Surf Therapy programme provides structured surf instruction and gives young people the opportunity to experience the joy and wellbeing that comes from engaging with the marine environment.

The sessions provide an effective way for Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (sCAMHS) practitioners to engage with service users in a positive way and help prevent mental health issues from developing or continuing into adulthood.

Alastair Wakely, Service Delivery Manager (sCAMHS), said: “We are so grateful that kind donations from our local communities have funded the Tonic Surf Therapy sessions.

“The sessions are an effective intervention for young people with mental health problems, delivering positive outcomes including improvements in mood, a reduction in thoughts of self-harm and suicide, reduced social anxiety and improved self-esteem.

“The project has also allowed us to evaluate and explore the potential of surf therapy as an effective intervention for young people with mental health problems.”

Nicola Llewelyn, Head of Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “It’s great to see really ambitious and creative programmes like this being delivered thanks to charitable donations.

“We are deeply grateful for the support of our local communities which allows us to offer services beyond what the NHS can normally provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda.”

For more details about the charity and how you can help support local NHS patients and staff, go to www.hywelddahealthcharities.org.uk

PLAID CYMRU leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has accused both the UK and Welsh Labour governments of turning their backs on the people of Port Talbot, calling for urgent investment and a strategy to secure the future of steelmaking in Wales.

During a visit to the town on Tuesday (Apr 15), Mr ap Iorwerth and South Wales West MS Luke Fletcher met with residents and former steelworkers, pledging to stand with what they described as a “betrayed community” following the closure of Tata Steel’s blast furnaces last year.

The visit comes just days after the UK Government announced emergency legislation to rescue the British Steel plant in Scunthorpe—prompting renewed anger in Wales that no such action was taken for Port Talbot.

Mr ap Iorwerth said: “This is a community angry at having been betrayed. The UK Government took action to save jobs in Scunthorpe but left Port Talbot to deal with devastating job losses alone.

“Plaid Cymru will do all we can to fight for the investment needed here. The Labour Government in Westminster must deliver on its so-called enhanced deal and ensure Port Talbot receives its fair share of the UK’s £2.5bn steel fund.”

He added: “It was in the gift of both Labour and the Conservatives to act when it mattered. Now Labour cannot simply dismiss our demands, as they did when we asked for nationalisation to be put on the table. Further inaction is not an option—they owe it to this community.”

Call for urgent Senedd debate

Plaid has written to the Welsh Government’s Trefnydd requesting a formal Senedd debate to examine how the UK Government’s emergency steel measures will impact Wales, and what support will be made available to the communities affected by job losses.

Luke Fletcher MS, Plaid’s spokesperson for Economy and Energy, said there are “serious questions” for the Welsh Labour Government to answer.

“We must hold the Labour Welsh Government to account at the earliest opportunity,” he said. “They must explain what discussions they have had with their UK counterparts, what impact this new legislation will have on the promised Steel Strategy for Wales, and what specific support will be provided to those who lost their livelihoods in Port Talbot.

“The people of this town feel completely let down. There must be a full and open debate in the Senedd, and it must happen urgently.”

Port Talbot’s blast furnaces were shut down in September 2024, resulting in the loss of 2,800 jobs. Tata Steel is now moving toward a greener model using electric arc furnace technology, which will require fewer workers and has left the local community worried about long-term economic decline.

THIS May, award-winning live theatre and events company, The Production Garden, brings you The Mumford & Sons Story – Awake My Soul only at the Torch Theatre. The show recreates the incredible tale of the floor-stomping folk-rock band that in 2009, took the world by storm.

Four musicians, including Milford Haven’s very own Samuel Freeman, come together in tweed waistcoats, skinny jeans and bushy beards to celebrate the best of Mumford & Sons’ iconic music and their explosive rise to fame. This is a stomp and holler not to be missed!

“I was such a massive fan growing up. Their first two albums were the soundtrack of my sixth form. But they were also a huge influence for me as a musician and composer in theatre. Mumford & Sons taught me the power of fantastic storytelling. The sheer ability they had to make an acoustic guitar and double bass sound like the world’s biggest and loudest rock band gave me the confidence to write like that myself,” said Samuel Freeman, the double bassist of the band.

This spectacular quartet will have you on your feet, authentically performing Mumford & Sons’ distinct and original sound. You’ll be taken on a musical journey of the first two albums, Sigh No More and Babel, from their start in West London dive bars, to the group’s legendary Glastonbury gig and worldwide renown.

The show has recently received a stellar review at The Tivoli Theatre in Aberdeen being described as a “tribute band worthy of bearing their name.”

Sam concluded: “Matthew Emeny (Guitar) and I were lucky enough to recruit the exceptionally talented Josh Wells (Keyboard) and Stan Elliot (Banjo) to join us, and we locked ourselves away in a rehearsal room to capture the sound and essence of the ultimate Mumford & Sons tribute.

“We still must pinch ourselves really. Last year we put this show together almost as a laugh, got 14 gigs, jumped in a van and hit the road…a year on, the response has just been phenomenal. We are so grateful to everyone who has come along and had a blast with us every single night, and because of that, 2025 is looking so much bigger and better with incredible things to come!” 

After a debut hit tour last year, this spectacular band is back bigger and better than ever. With beautiful vocal harmonies and foot-stomping drums playing all of Mumford & Sons very best hits, including Little Lion Man, I Will Wait, The Cave, Roll Away Your Stone and many more. You’ll have a night to remember!

Tickets for The Mumford & Sons Story on Friday 9 May at 7.30pm are £23. Visit the website for further details www.torchtheatre.co.uk or phone the Box Office on (01646) 695267.