A CALL for an independent public inquiry into the ongoing situation at Withyhedge landfill site has been made by local Senedd Member Paul Davies. Mr Davies made the call in the Senedd Chamber, whilst asking the Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs just how bad the situation had to get before the local community could receive some support from the Welsh Government.

Resource Management Ltd (RML), which operates the Withyhedge site has already been issued several Enforcement Notices by Natural Resources Wales and yet local residents are still living with potentially toxic odours and emissions.

Mr Davies said, “Week after week I have stood up in the Senedd Chamber and asked for the Welsh Government to intervene to support the local community. People have complained of coughs, nausea and swollen eyes and yet despite the sympathetic words of Government Cabinet Secretaries, there has been no support forthcoming.”

“The people of Pembrokeshire deserve better and so I’m calling for an independent public inquiry to fully understand why this situation has been so poorly handled and why my constituents have been so badly let down.”

FURTHER delays to the introduction of new farming subsidies in Wales have met with a cautious welcome.

Following widespread protests from farmers, Welsh Labour Rural Affairs Secretary, Huw Irranca-Davies, has announced the Sustainable Farming Scheme will now be put on hold until 2026.

The decision has been welcomed by former Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart MP. The candidate for Caerfyrddin says the Welsh government must now work closely with farmers – and not against them.

He said: “We are told this decision shows the Plaid Cymru / Welsh Labour Cooperation administration is listening to farmers concerns. In my opinion, they should have been listening to them from the get-go and these proposals should never have been included by Plaid Cymru as part of their co-operation agreement.

“Whilst I appreciate this pause gives the Welsh government more time to get this vital scheme right, it also prolongs uncertainty in an industry that is at the very heart of our economy.

“We now need to see real progress, with the Plaid Cymru / Welsh Labour cooperators working at pace, alongside people who know the industry, to deliver a scheme that brings real benefits to our farmers.”

After a series of delays, the Sustainable Farming System was meant to come into operation in April 2025.

Rules that meant 10% of land needed to be covered by woodland and 10% earmarked for wildlife habitat caused widespread protests and led to claims that 5,000 jobs could be lost from the industry.

A QUADRIPLEGIC adventurer received a warm Pembrokeshire welcome this weekend after stopping off in the county as part of a record-breaking first-of-its-kind challenge.

Geoff Holt MBE DL set sail from St Katherine’s Dock, London on 13 May, circumnavigating the UK coastline in a specially adapted Wetwheels boat in just over a month. Yesterday, Geoff and his team stopped off at Milford Haven, one of 17 accessible ports to be visited during the challenge.

This marks the first time a Wetwheels boat has ever been to Wales. The aim of Geoff’s “Finishing The Dream” challenge is to raise enough funds to house a permanent Wetwheels boat in Wales.

Geoff was paralysed in a swimming accident in 1984 and has spent 40 years in a wheelchair, facing and overcoming often unimaginable challenges. His adventurous spirit and determination have seen him achieve feats most people would consider impossible. In 2007, he became the first severely disabled person to sail single-handed around Great Britain. In 2009, he was the first quadriplegic to sail across the Atlantic Ocean unassisted.

He was awarded an MBE for Services to Sailing in 2010 and named ‘Yachtsman of the Year’ shortly after. In 2011, Geoff set up his own charity, The Wetwheels Foundation, to enable disabled people to access the sea barrier-free in purpose-built, state-of-the-art motor boats.

This is Geoff’s final adventure in his quest to raise £1.2 million for the Wetwheels Foundation to purchase four new specially adapted Wetwheels boats. These boats would offer life-changing experiences to over 5,000 of the most profoundly disabled people each year.

In Milford Haven, his team paired up with South Pembrokeshire’s Blue Horizons, an adaptive surf school that also runs accessible boat trips for people with additional needs.

Some of the CIC’s projects have included rehabilitation surf therapy for patients recovering from brain injuries in conjunction with Hywel Dda health board, taking a 96-year-old with dementia from a local nursing home out to sea, and offering surfing experiences for all through its community projects for people with disabilities.

“Last year we were fortunate enough to win the Inclusive Tourism Award at the Croeso Awards,” said Blue Horizons’ Ollie Bird. “We also made contact with a fantastic charity called The Wetwheels Foundation and Geoff Holt MBE, its founder.”

That contact resulted in a day of collaboration as Wetwheels and Blue Horizons ran boat trips out of the marina together, showing and inspiring the community with what can be possible.

“Our layover day at Milford Haven was filled with so much fun and laughter with the guys from Blue Horizons CIC Surf Club and Port of Milford Haven,” said Geoff and his team. “We ran two boat trips, full of memories that will last a lifetime,” added the Blue Horizons team.

Geoff said that for the past 40 years, the sea had been his salvation. “The freedom and independence I get when I am afloat, I can forget about my disability. I have devoted most of my life to promoting the opportunities and benefits sailing offers disabled people and now this is my opportunity to spread that message throughout the United Kingdom.”

“My biggest hope is we can inspire more disabled people to join us for an experience on Wetwheels. Hopefully, this will also inspire people to raise money to achieve my dream of acquiring another four Wetwheels boats, making a total of 12 around the UK.”

To find out more about Geoff’s Finishing the Dream mission, the Wetwheels charity, and to make a donation, visit finishingthedream.co.uk.