Public invited to Letterston event followed by local discussion

A FREE public screening of The People’s Emergency Briefing will take place at Letterston Memorial Hall on Friday, May 29, at 7:00pm.

Doors open at 6:30pm, and the event will be introduced by Dr Sarah Beynon of The Bug Farm.

The screening is being hosted by Transition Bro Gwaun, a North Pembrokeshire grassroots organisation which works to help communities move towards a more sustainable future.

The 50-minute film has been adapted from the National Emergency Briefing, held at Westminster Central Hall in November 2025, where more than 1,200 MPs, peers and leaders from business, culture, faith, sport and the media gathered to hear from experts on climate and nature risks.

Introduced by Chris Packham CBE, the briefing examined the implications of climate and nature breakdown for food security, public health, infrastructure, the economy and national security. It also set out evidence-based actions aimed at reducing those risks.

The People’s Emergency Briefing was launched nationwide in April and is now being screened in communities across the UK. Organisers say more than 300 showings have already taken place, with around 1,000 scheduled during the summer.

As well as the Letterston event, further screenings are planned for Solva and Cardigan in June.

Transition Bro Gwaun said the screening comes at a time when severe weather and higher rainfall are making communities in Pembrokeshire more vulnerable. November and December 2025 saw flooding affect several areas, with the Met Office confirming rainfall was more than 50% above average during the period.

The group also warned that dry periods can create other risks, including wildfires on heathland, which can damage important habitats and wildlife.

After the film, attendees will be invited to take part in a structured discussion about the issues raised and what they may mean locally.

Henry Tufnell MP, Pembrokeshire county councillors and town and community councillors from across the county have been invited to attend.

Tom Latter, trustee at Transition Bro Gwaun, said: “TBG welcomes the opportunity to host one of many Emergency Briefing events around the UK, addressing the climate and nature crisis.

“Co-ordinated restorative action is urgently needed, and understanding of the urgency for honest commitment to resilience planning from all branches of society.”

Tickets are free and refreshments will be provided. The event takes place at Letterston Memorial Hall, SA62 5RY.

RCN says patients are at growing risk as nurses report unsafe staffing levels

NURSING leaders have warned that collapsing growth in the registered nurse workforce, combined with increasingly complex patient needs, is creating a “deadly mix” for patients.

The Royal College of Nursing said staff across hospital and community settings are being left struggling to keep people safe, with more than a quarter saying nurse numbers on their last shift were so far below what was needed that there was a high risk of harm.

The warning comes from the RCN’s latest Last Shift survey, which gathered responses from more than 13,000 nursing staff across the UK.

Professor Nicola Ranger, the RCN’s General Secretary and Chief Executive, is expected to tell more than 3,000 frontline nursing staff at the union’s annual Congress in Liverpool that governments are failing in their duty to keep patients safe.

She will say that widespread registered nurse vacancies are always unsafe, but that the risk is now being made worse by an ageing and sicker population with more complex needs.

Four in five nursing staff said clinical complexity had increased over the past two years, while only one in ten said staffing was at the right level to meet all patient needs. More than two thirds said they were being forced to make difficult decisions about which care to prioritise.

In Wales, nurses and health care support workers described growing pressure across wards and community services.

A nurse working on an older people’s ward in the NHS in Wales said: “We need to increase the agreed establishment; nurse to patient ratio due to increasing acuity, dependency and complexity of patients’ condition and presentation.

“More and more patients are now presenting with worsening cognitive function and often display challenging behaviour.”

A health care support worker from an inpatient mental health unit in Wales said: “Our ward has been bombarded with high acuity for around a year now and staffing levels have barely seen an increase.”

The RCN said the findings also show the toll on staff wellbeing. More than three quarters of respondents said they felt emotionally exhausted on their last shift, with exhaustion highest among those who said their shift was understaffed.

RCN Wales Executive Director Nicola Williams said: “Nursing staff across Wales are telling us clearly that staffing levels are not matching the complexity and intensity of care patients now need.

“Too many shifts are operating without enough registered nurses to deliver safe and effective care.

“When more than a quarter of nursing staff describe staffing levels as unsafe and nearly half report compromised care, we need to listen and take action to address it.”

She said members were “going above and beyond every day” but were demoralised, missing breaks and having training time cancelled.

Ms Williams added: “They cannot continue carrying the burden of workforce shortages indefinitely. Emotional exhaustion is becoming normalised across the profession and that is dangerous for staff, patients and the future sustainability of services.

“The newly elected Welsh Government must urgently invest in growing and retaining the nursing workforce, ensure they have the training they require, alongside delivering safe staffing levels that are properly planned and enforced.

“Without action, patient safety risks will continue to grow.”

The RCN said the survey showed an urgent need for workforce investment, robust nurse staffing plans based on patient need, and action to improve recruitment and retention across Wales.

WEST Wales accountancy firm Ashmole & Co has chosen Alzheimer’s Society as its charity of the year.

The firm, which has thirteen offices across west, mid and south Wales, has raised more than £60,000 for good causes in recent years, including Wales Air Ambulance, Cardiac Risk in the Young, Tenovus Cancer Care and the DPJ Foundation.

Staff will now spend the next 12 months raising money for Alzheimer’s Society through collections, events, dress-down Fridays, cake bakes, running challenges and a sponsored walk later in the year.

The charity supports people affected by dementia, campaigns for better services and funds research into the condition.

Ashmole & Co said staff were keen to support a cause which affects thousands of families across Wales.

Laura Craddock, Ashmole & Co Partner in the Ammanford office, said: “Many of our staff are already aware of the great work done by Alzheimer’s Society and were keen to help raise funds for this worthwhile charity over the next 12 months.

“We hope our clients and friends will help us raise as much money as possible through collections and events for this extremely worthy cause.”

Alzheimer’s Society says around one million people in the UK are currently living with dementia, with that figure expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.

In Wales, around 51,000 people are living with dementia, with many still undiagnosed.

The charity says dementia is the UK’s biggest killer and costs the UK economy an estimated £42 billion a year, a figure expected to rise sharply in the coming years.

Dan Gee, Regional Fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We are very grateful to Ashmole & Co for choosing to help raise funds for Alzheimer’s Society over the next 12 months.

“There are currently 51,000 people living with dementia in Wales, half of those without a diagnosis. It is the UK’s biggest killer; it affects us all, and it devastates lives.

“Only together can we beat dementia – by giving vital support to those who need it, funding groundbreaking research, and campaigning to make dementia the priority it should be.

“It will take a society to beat dementia, and we thank you for your support.”

Ashmole & Co Chartered and Certified Accountants was established in 1897 and is one of the largest accountancy and auditing practices in Wales, with offices including Swansea, Carmarthen, Haverfordwest and Tenby.

Donations to support the firm’s fundraising can be made through its JustGiving page or directly at any Ashmole & Co office.

Photo caption: Ashmole & Co partners with Dan Gee, Alzheimer’s Society Regional Fundraiser. Pictured from left are Will Hughes and Ian Badham, Partners in the Haverfordwest and Tenby offices; Laura Craddock, Partner in the Ammanford office; Dan Gee from Alzheimer’s Society; Chris Daultrey, Partner in the Swansea office; Ceri Llwyd, Partner in the Llandeilo and Llandovery offices; and Sharon George, Partner in the Carmarthen office.