PEMBROKSEHIRE photographer Gillian Mackay has shot her way to victory after being shortlisted for the highly acclaimed British Photography Awards, 2024.

Her stunning photograph, entitled ‘Ice Cream Please’ displays a wild pony harassing a lady who’s standing in a queue for an ice cream. And it certainly wowed this year’s selectors with the result that it has now been included in the awards’ Street Category section.

“I’m delighted and thrilled to be shortlisted for this, because it was certainly a surreal moment when I saw a wild pony harassing a lady in a queue for ice cream,” said Gillian.

Gillian’s focus has always been to try and catch things from an unusual perspective, which makes street photography her ideal genre. Her photographs sometimes include people in high contrast silhouette and sometimes she exposes the image for the person, and other times for the background. Her photographs often catch people in action, or when they are unaware of her presence, such as when they’re sitting alone on a public bench or, in this instance, queuing for an ice cream.

Street photography was first established by Henri Cartier-Bresson, when his aim was to catch random incidents in public places, rather than posed images. And it goes without saying that street photography can be taken anywhere in a public area, not just on the street.

Gillian, who is a member of the Tenby Camera Club, will be travelling to London for the awards ceremony which takes place in November.

The final winner will be chosen by a panel of judges, however there will also be a people’s award which can be visited on the British Photography Awards website.

DRAGON LNG, a key supplier of energy in the UK providing up to 12% of its energy needs, proudly celebrates 15 years of safe and successful commercial operations this year. With a commitment to the local community, Dragon employs and supports numerous families within Pembrokeshire, and each year, its staff chooses a Pembrokeshire-registered charity to support as their Charity of the Year. This year, the Paul Sartori Foundation was selected in recognition of its vital services to the community.

In celebration of the 15-year milestone, Dragon’s shareholders Shell and VTTI have made a generous £15,000 donation to the Paul Sartori Foundation. This contribution underscores Dragon LNG’s dedication to supporting the community and reflects on the significant impact the company has made over the past 15 years in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the wider UK.

VTTI and Shell remarked, “We are proud of the contributions that Dragon has made to Wales and the wider UK over the past 15 years. The dedication and hard work of Dragon’s employees ensure that the energy flows smoothly. We are delighted to support Paul Sartori, a cause chosen by our employees for 2024, and recognize its important role in the Pembrokeshire community.”

Paul Sartori Hospice at Home, a charitable organization committed to providing compassionate end-of-life care, expressed their deep appreciation for the generous donation by the shareholders, which will positively impact the lives of those in need. From nursing care and night respite to equipment hire, complementary therapy, and bereavement counselling, The Paul Sartori Foundation is committed to taking care of its community when they need it the most. This incredible donation not only reflects the hard work of Dragon LNG within the sector and the area over the last 15 years but is also a testament to the great things that can happen when big industry and the local community work together.

Charity Manager Sandra Dade was grateful to be invited to Dragon’s staff and community celebration event held in Waterston, where the MD of Dragon, Simon Ames, presented The Paul Sartori Foundation with the generous donation.

“It’s because of organisations like this that we’re able to provide crucial care services to those with life-limiting illnesses, or those at the end of life. The charity does rely on the support of its local community to ensure the future of the charity and so we’re extremely grateful that an organisation of this size recognised our hard work within Pembrokeshire”.

Picture: Dragon LNG and Dragon Energy MD, Simon Ames presenting the cheque to Sandra of Paul Sartori at Dragon’ staff and community celebration event.

PLAID Cymru’s shadow health and social care secretary warned that new Wales-wide standards for commissioning care may be unachievable due to financial pressures.

Mabon ap Gwynfor raised concerns about the national rules for councils and health boards on commissioning care and support, which came into force on September 1.

He welcomed the reform’s overall aims but cautioned that councils, which will primarily be responsible for implementation, are already “hurtling” into an existential crisis.

Mr ap Gwynfor said councils are contending with a 3.8% increase in spending pressures this year compared with a 0.3% rise in funding, with a projected £750m shortfall by 2027.

He told the Senedd: “There remains widespread concern that the principles and standards outlined in this framework, as worthy as they are, will be unachievable in practical terms.”

Mr ap Gwynfor, who represents Dwyfor Meirionnydd, said non-ring-fenced parts of the Welsh budget, which include social care, are facing a £683m real-terms cut over five years.

Dawn Bowden, Wales’ social care minister, argued the bulk of the reforms ask councils and health boards to do things differently rather than to do more.

“It’s about moving away from complexity towards simplicity,” she said in a statement to the Senedd on September 24.

“It’s about moving away from price towards social value and quality, and it’s about moving away from reactive commissioning and towards managing the market.”

Altaf Hussain, the Conservatives’ shadow social care minister, described the new code as a welcome step in ensuring a uniform approach to care commissioning.

But Dr Hussain was concerned that moving away from price-driven contracts could have a detrimental impact on council and health board budgets.

Jane Dodds, the Liberal Democrats’ leader in Wales, broadly backed the reforms but raised concerns about social care recruitment and retention in rural Wales.

She warned: “People in our care sector and our health sector are really overwhelmed at the moment and to pile on them, yet again, another change is a real challenge.”

Labour’s Julie Morgan, who was previously social care minister, described the reforms as a building block towards the vision of a national care service.

She stressed the importance of better pay, saying care workers can get much more to do a similar job in the NHS which makes retention difficult.

Ms Bowden said the new national office for care and support within the Welsh Government, which was established in April, will play a key role in implementing the framework.

Wales-wide commissioning rules form part of a swathe of reforms proposed by the Welsh Government in an effort to tackle the social care crisis.

The ambition, agreed as part of the cooperation deal with Plaid Cymru, is to establish a national care and support service – free at the point of need, similar to the NHS.

An implementation plan was published by the Welsh Government in December, with the reforms expected to take at least ten years.

Phase one includes establishing national commissioning arrangements, a voluntary pay framework, and a national office for care and support.

Political opponents have cautioned of the potential negative consequences of imposing a litany of changes on a sector already struggling to cope.

A lack of funding is the crux of the crisis but it is often the elephant in the room.

The scale of the issue means Wales is reliant on Westminster bringing forward reforms in England, which would result in consequential funding for the Welsh Government.

But, for decades, successive Conservative- and Labour-led governments appear to have kicked social care into the long grass.

Before a u-turn in September 2022, Boris Johnson’s UK Government proposed a health and social care levy which was expected to raise about £13bn a year.

And Carwyn Jones’ Welsh Government, which cut health to protect social care spending, commissioned independent research on paying for Wales’ social care needs.

Gerry Holtham, an economist, proposed a similar levy or tax increase in 2018.