Community

Claire wins Inspire! Award

Published

9 years ago

June 25, 2015

Inspirational adult learner: Claire Arnold

A PEMBROKESHIRE mum-of-three who helped adults in her community get back into education has been crowned overall winner at a major learning award ceremony.
Claire Arnold was presented with the Learner of the Year award for Wales at the Inspire! Awards as part of Adult Learners’ Week 2015.
The 39-year-old, who left school at age 15 with no qualifications, went on to set up a community-based degree course for people in one of the most deprived areas of Wales.
Adult Learners’ Week runs from June 13 to 19 and celebrates lifelong learning, whether work-based, as part of a community education course, at college, university or online.
Now in its 24th year, it aims to promote the range of courses available to adult learners, from languages to computing and childcare to finance.
The Inspire! Awards are hosted each year ahead of Adult Learners’ Week to celebrate the achievements of outstanding learners in Wales who have shown exceptional passion, commitment and drive for learning, often in the face of difficult circumstances.
“I struggled at school, I was never a high flyer,” said Claire, who also won the Learning Progression award. “I wanted to be a teacher. I was always making work sheets for my class mates on wet weather days. But I never thought I was good enough.”
Claire, who lives in St Twynnells in Pembroke, found work at an old people’s home, spending the next few years working as a care assistant.
“It wasn’t what I wanted to do but I’d messed around at secondary school and didn’t think there was any way of me following my ambition to be a teacher,” said Claire, who lives with husband Matthew and daughter Cara, 17; son Euan, 14, and daughter Amelia, three.
Ten years after leaving school, Claire found out about a learning support assistant job at her former primary school, Monkton Community Primary.
“I got the job and I loved it,” she said. “I loved working with children and found education had changed so much. I watched the teachers and learned from them and thought, maybe I can do that.”
Claire’s head teacher suggested she enrol on a new project set up to provide adult education in the community and, along with 15 others, she completed a Foundation Degree for Learning Support Assistants.
“We were travelling to the University of Wales Trinity St David, an hour away, and I realised it meant not everybody could have access to education,” she said. “So when more funding became available, I asked whether there was anything that could be done to help those who wanted to learn but struggled with childcare and transport.”
Claire, who has worked closely with the area’s gypsy families, arranged for a maths GCSE course to be run at Monkton Community Primary with Learning Pembrokeshire.
“It started at 5pm and we had a kids’ club, which meant childcare wasn’t an issue,” said Claire. “The year after, we started doing GCSE English, and science the year after that.”
Claire, who had by then also completed a BA Joint Honours Degree in Education and Social Inclusion, also arranged, with the school’s head Shelley Morris, for the University of Wales Trinity St David to run the same degrees at the school in Monkton.
While helping others, she was completing her own degree while living out of a static caravan with no internet access.
“We were building a house so we lived in the caravan for four years,” she said.
“I used to go to my sister-in-law’s every night to use their computer when the children were in bed.”
“I stay in touch with what’s going on at the degree courses at Monkton,” added Claire, who is now preparing to graduate with a teaching degree, in Primary Education with QTS.
“We have all ages and I’m really proud of what the scheme has achieved – it has around 20 students a year. I never want to stop learning. It’s never too late to learn.”
Adult Learners’ Week is organised by NIACE Cymru with the support of the Welsh Government and European Social Fund.
Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Julie James, said: “Adult Learners’ Week gives everybody the opportunity to learn something new, whether you learn from home, in the workplace or in your local community.
“The Inspire! Awards recognise the people who have taken that step, and their examples should encourage anybody who thinks it’s either too late or too difficult to learn a new skill.
“We hope Adult Learners’ Week will encourage adults across Wales to find out more about their skills and career options by going along to events in their area. Adults can also access the Skills Gateway to get careers advice and guidance, whether they want to improve their skills and employability or get back into work.”
Cerys Furlong, Director of NIACE Cymru, said: “The Inspire! Awards remind us of the power of learning and every story is a testament to the hard work of the learners and the tutors. “Each winner has come such a long way and shown real determination and passion for learning and we wish each one every success for the future. Everyone can get involved with Adult Learners’ Week by joining a free learners’ event in their area on anything from first aid to digital photography.”
For more information on Adult Learners’ Week, go to www. careerswales.com/skillsgateway, call 0800 028 4844 or follow @ skillsgatewaycw

Community

First deadlines met following enforcement action at landfill site

Published

11 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE first set of deadlines for the completion of actions to tackle the ongoing odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire have been met, one week on following the issuing of further enforcement action by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

NRW issued site operator Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with a further Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice on Thursday 18 April.

This outlined a series of actions to be completed by specified deadlines to address the ongoing odour and landfill gas emission issues at the site.

During the latest site inspection which took place yesterday (Thursday 25 April), NRW was able to confirm that three actions have been completed – two ahead of the imposed deadlines.

The operator has installed 24 pin wells, which have been driven into the waste in the lower section of the cell identified as causing the odour issues (Cell 8). These have also been connected to the landfill gas extraction system.

Capping material has been placed over the same area of the cell and welded to the basal liner to encapsulate gas in this area, allowing for extraction by the pin wells and four horizontal gas wells, which were previously installed.

While progress is being made, NRW officers detected strong landfill gas odours during an offsite assessment on Wednesday (24 April) in Poyston Cross and Crundale. Weather conditions this week appear to have led to a wider spread of landfill gas to surrounding areas, not solely linked to wind direction.

NRW odour assessments follow a set route around the landfill, with designated survey spots, identified to enable consistency of assessment and reporting. This is essential to ensure the regulatory and enforcement responses where there is offsite odour attributed to the landfill is robust.

The remaining Regulation 36 Notice actions will require significant effort by RML to ensure they are completed on time and NRW continues to closely monitor progress.

Clare Pillman, Chief Executive of NRW, met with representatives from NRW’s South West Industry Regulation Team and Pembrokeshire County Council during a visit to Pembrokeshire on Thursday 25 April.

Clare Pillman, Chief Executive, Natural Resources Wales, said: “While visiting the area surrounding Withyhedge Landfill with our regulatory team and partners from Pembrokeshire County Council this week, I was able to see and hear for myself just what people living and working in these communities have had to endure as a result of the odour issues from the site.

“What they have been experiencing is unacceptable and our officers have been working tirelessly alongside colleagues at Pembrokeshire County Council to ensure the operator gets this under control as quickly as possible. While it was clear that a lot of work has been done on site, there is still more to do to ensure they address all the actions set out in the enforcement notice.

“We want to make sure that happens, and are exploring every option together with Pembrokeshire County Council to ensure the operator works quickly to resolve the issues which are clearly affecting the quality of life of people in these communities.”

Huwel Manley, Head of South West Operations, said: “While we are reassured that action is being carried out by the operators at Withyhedge Landfill with a sense of urgency, we are continuing our regulatory presence on site to ensure the operator’s focus remains on tackling the issues that will address the continuing odour issues being experienced by surrounding communities.

“We will be closely monitoring progress over the coming days and weeks to ensure the operator complies with all the actions set out in Notice by 14 May. If they are not met, we will pursue additional enforcement action where appropriate.”

NRW requests that instances of odour from the landfill continue to be reported via this dedicated form: https://bit.ly/reportasmellwithyhedge or by calling 0300 065 3000.

Please report odours at the time of them being experienced, rather than historically. Reporting odours in a timely manner will help guide the work of partners more effectively, particularly in the further development of air quality monitoring.

These photos taken on 16 April and 25 April show the progress of capping works on cell 8. Pin wells are visible in both images. These have been connected to the landfill gas extraction system and are extracting gas from the waste mass.

Community

Milford Haven’s war memorial is 100 years old today

Published

11 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE Milford Haven War Memorial, a significant landmark commemorating the fallen heroes of World Wars and subsequent conflicts, marks its 100th anniversary today.

The memorial, which was inaugurated on April 26, 1924 by the Venerable the Archdeacon of St Davids, remains a poignant symbol of sacrifice and hope for peace.

Constructed from 1923 to 1924, the memorial consists of a striking assembly of pink granite and white marble statues that were sculpted in Italy.

Representing the Army, Navy, and Air Force, these life-size statues stand on an unpolished three-step plinth below a main pedestal. A soldier faces west and a sailor east, with an airman atop the central column, surveying the skies.

The names and inscriptions of the fallen are carved into the polished granite shaft, meticulously supervised by surveyor J.P. Morgan with contractor E. Jones of Llanybydder.

Located on Hamolton Terrace with views over the Milford Haven waterway, the memorial is a freestanding structure in an external, roadside setting. It features a serviceman/woman sculpture in marble and Portland stone, set on a concrete base surrounded by railings. Inscribed plaques honour those who served in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and the conflict in Iraq from 2003 to 2009.

The memorial lists the names of 239 men who perished in the First World War on its polished grey granite faces. The Second World War claimed 157 lives from this community, whose names are recorded on bronze plaques around the base. Notably, the memorial also honours one serviceman who fell during the Korean War and another who was killed in Iraq in 2007.

The Milford Haven War Memorial stands not only as a historical monument but also as an enduring reminder of the costs of war and the community’s ongoing commitment to peace.

As the town reflects on a century of remembrance, the hope remains that future generations will continue to cherish and learn from the lessons of the past.

Community

Suspected explosive device found on west Wales beach

Published

12 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Luke Sinclair

NEW QUAY Coastguard Rescue Team were tasked at 03:50 this morning following a report of suspected washed up Ordnance on Llanrhystud beach. Following an assessment by the Army Bomb Disposal Team it was discovered the item was not Ordnance. It was reported with good intent and thankfully there was no risk to the public.

Reporting of ordnance – Always be mindful of objects you may discover on our beaches.

Our shores are filled with history, but remnants from the past can still sometimes wash up on our shores today.

If you find something on the beach that’s an unusual size or shape, especially if it’s rusty, it could be an unexploded ordnance.

What should I do if I find something that looks unusual on the beach?

While it is very rare to find unexploded ordnance on a visit to the beach, bad weather and high tides can expose these objects. It’s important to be cautious, as ordnance comes in all shapes and sizes.

If you do come across something on the beach that you’re unsure of or suspect could be unexploded ordnance, please don’t touch it or move it. Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard – we will take immediate steps with the relevant partner authorities to keep people safe and ensure the item in question is disposed of correctly.