Community
Caring Erin creates Christmas magic on the big day
A TRAINEE nurse with a heart of gold is adding some festive magic and sparkle at the care home where she works.
Clinical Care Practitioner Erin Jones volunteered to be on duty with the residents of Pendine Park’s Bryn Seiont Newydd in Caernarfon on the big day
Erin, who’s studying to be a nurse, says there’s a special atmosphere in brightly decorated care home at Christmas.
This will be the fourth time in row that she’s sacrificed her own Christmas celebrations to be with the people she looks after.
Erin will be one of a festive army of around 60 tinsel-bedecked members of staff working at Bryn Seiont Newydd on the day.
She said: “The atmosphere at Bryn Seiont Newydd is really lovely all year and it steps up a gear at Christmas.
“All the staff work really hard to make it special for the residents. We decorate the lounges and the corridors and the foyer and there are lots of lights, lots of cards and of course a tree.
“And Christmas brings out the residents’ personalities too. They share their recollections of how they spent their Christmases in years gone by and how it is different now to when they were perhaps my age. Those stories are always nice to hear.
“We cater for their families too when they come to visit. Christmas can be difficult for them but we play games, pull crackers and sing.”
Erin will start work on Christmas Day at 7.30am but because she’s also working on Christmas Eve she will have already made a few preparations.
“I’ll have made sure all the residents clothes are ready for the big day to save a bit of time during the morning. Then on Christmas morning I’ll help them with their morning routine and they’ll have their breakfast and we’ll have a fun morning opening presents.
“We’ll be singing carols, there are always Christmas carols which we all love to sing, and the residents will join in and perhaps a little dancing.
“Then we’ll have a three course Christmas lunch of turkey and all the trimmings and crackers. I’m really looking forward to it. A typical day at Bryn Seiont Newydd is always busy, fun and very rewarding. No two days are ever the same,” she said.
Erin started working at Bryn Seiont Newydd after completing a Health and Social Care course at Coleg Menai.
“I wanted a career in nursing and came to work here straight from college.
“I started off as a carer and have worked my way up to be a Clinical Care Practitioner and now I’m doing a Nursing degree through the Open University here at Bryn Seiont Newydd.
“When I’m qualified I’ll be working here as a nurse,” she said.
Erin said working at Bryn Seiont Newydd is very Christmas lunch at about 2.30pm and spend the rest of the day with her parents, Meirion and Jennifer.

The hard work and effort put in by Erin and her colleagues at Bryn Seiont Newydd is greatly appreciated by manager Sandra Evans who will also be at the home on Christmas Day.
She said: “We ask the staff who would like to work on Christmas Day and Erin has always put her hand up and volunteered to do so.
“We are all very grateful to those members of staff who, like Erin, are willing to go the extra mile and give up some valuable family time to be here so they can create some Christmas magic for our residents.”
It was a message echoed by Pendine Park proprietor Mario Kreft MBE who said: “People like Erin and the other people working on Christmas Day exemplify all that is best about social care. They are individuals giving up time with their own families at Christmas to spend precious time with other people’s family members. They are real Christmas heroes.”
Community
Homeless people in Pembrokeshire at risk as heatwave continues
HOMELESS people in Pembrokeshire are being offered extra support as Wales continues to face extreme heat.
The Wallich, which runs rough sleeping outreach and drop-in support in Haverfordwest, said people sleeping rough, living in cars, or staying in poor quality temporary accommodation are among those most at risk during the heatwave.
Outreach teams are helping people stay safe by offering water, sun cream, hats, wet wipes and other essentials.
Jamie-Lee Cole, Strategic Communications Lead for The Wallich, said: “People on the streets and living in poor quality or temporary housing are the most affected by climate change.
“They are the most exposed to extreme weather events like a heatwave, as well as heavy rain and cold in the winter.”
The charity said it is also offering advice on dehydration, sunstroke, worsening health conditions, wounds, and the added risks of drug and alcohol use during hot weather.
People are being encouraged to use cooler public spaces, such as libraries and support centres, during the hottest parts of the day.
The Wallich said some councils in Wales have activated Severe Weather Emergency Protocol, but called for all local authorities to include specific heatwave plans.
Ms Cole added: “It’s a sign of the times unfortunately that extreme heat will feature year on year, and we must make sure there are adequate and cool daytime spaces for people experiencing homelessness to access.”
The charity is also supporting people sleeping in cars, warning that vehicles can become dangerously hot.
Members of the public in Pembrokeshire are being urged to check on anyone they are worried about.
Ms Cole said: “If someone looks unwell and you feel safe to approach them, ask if they’re okay.
“Encourage them to move into shade or a cooler space. Alert emergency services if you think someone needs help in the heat.
“Offer people experiencing homelessness a cold drink and a chat, just like you would anyone else in your community.”
Community
Local engineering student wins £5,000 South Hook scholarship
A FORMER Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi pupil has been awarded a £5,000 scholarship by South Hook LNG.
Henry Raymond, who is in the second year of a five-year Chemical and Environmental Engineering degree at the University of Nottingham, is the latest recipient of the company’s annual scholarship award.
South Hook said Henry had shown strong academic performance, a clear work ethic, and a keen interest in the role of engineering within the energy sector.
The scholarship is aimed at supporting local students as they progress in higher education, particularly in engineering, science and business-related subjects.
Applicants are assessed through a written application and an informal interview, with the award forming part of South Hook LNG’s wider commitment to supporting education and young people in the local area.
Henry was invited to South Hook earlier this year, where he was presented with a certificate and the £5,000 award. The funding will help with student costs over the remainder of his studies.
Henry said: “I’m very grateful to South Hook to have received this award. The financial support will make a huge difference to life as a student, and it’s incredible to have this kind of backing from a major player in the energy industry.”
South Hook LNG’s General Manager, Hamad Al Samra said: “We are pleased to have once again received applications from so many committed and capable young people.
“The team involved in the selection process at South Hook were particularly impressed by Henry’s dedication and commitment to his chosen subject.
“We are pleased to offer our support and wish him the very best in his future studies.”
South Hook LNG’s Scholarship Programme encourages applications from local students seeking higher education in engineering, science or business-related disciplines.
Details of how to apply for the 2026/27 award will be available on the company’s website during September.
Scholarship success: Henry Raymond, South Hook LNG’s 2026 scholarship recipient, with members of the South Hook team involved in assessing the applications.
Community
Council ‘did not request or give direction’ to cancel Tenby Summer Spectacular
PEMBROKESHIRE County Council has stressed it has not “requested or given direction” that Tenby’s much-loved Summer Spectacular should be cancelled after fears have been raised it may not go ahead.
Earlier this week, organisers Tenby Round Table said it was “with enormous sadness,” announcing that the Tenby Summer Spectacular events, scheduled for August 16 and 30, are cancelled until further notice.
The events, which have been a staple in Tenby’s summer calendar for many years, but the Round Table says negotiations with Pembrokeshire County Council have failed to produce a clear, workable agreement on temporary restrictions for pedestrian access during the event.
Without that, they say, they cannot legally or safely control crowd numbers.
A spokesperson said that legal and logistical uncertainty from the council meant organisers could not commit to running such a large-scale event this year, adding the situation has not improved despite months of requests, meetings, and professional safety consultations.
In a statement issued earlier this week, Tenby Round Table said: “We have done everything a responsible event organiser can do.”
It claimed: “PCC’s Public Realm department has had nine months to answer one question on safe and controlled access to the harbour. It has not done so.”
The group maintains that similar crowd management techniques are standard elsewhere in the country and vital for safety.
The Round Table added: “Given the lack of clarity and the time needed to arrange these events, we cannot commit to running events for thousands of people based on a legal position that PCC’s own officers have admitted is still not settled.”
It has stressed the cancellation is provisional, giving the council “a final deadline of June 25 to provide a clear, accurate, and legally grounded answer,” adding: “If they do, we will do everything in our power to reinstate the events.”
It said it was still working with relevant authorities ahead of a council licencing committee meeting in July, which will decide on whether a licence to host the events is renewed.
Responding, Pembrokeshire County Council Deputy Leader Cllr Paul Miller said the council supports the Spectacular and “has not requested or given direction that the event should be cancelled”.
He added: “The Spectacular is a much-loved event with significant number of attendees. As a result, we have an important duty to make sure the event can take place safely to address the concerns formally raised by the responsible authorities under the licensing act, which include the blue light services.
“Tenby Harbour is a working harbour and a key community asset – and just as every year this event needs to be licensed, and the organisers need to provide important information on how they plan to safely manage the event.
“As a council, we very much want this event to go ahead, but we have to make sure the event is safe for the public, with the right safety measures in place.
“Once the organisers provide the required information, the licensing sub-committee (currently scheduled for July) will consider the event application, in exactly the same way they consider the large number of other events which occur across Pembrokeshire each year.”
Local Member, Cllr Sam Skyrme-Blackhall, added: “I want to see the Spectaculars go ahead. It is important for locals and visitors alike to celebrate Tenby, have fun and raise money for worthy causes.
“I am really encouraged from meetings that I have had with senior officers that everyone is ready to do all that they can to enable these events to go ahead.”
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