News
Cycling tour a resounding success!
THE 2016 TOUR of Pembrokeshire took place at its new venue of Crug Glas near St Davids on the weekend of April 23-24.
The venue was not the only thing changing about the tour this year – there was the added combination of adjusted and optimised routes as well as new feeding stations en route.
The Tour of Pembrokeshire is an early-season sportive event which really encapsulates what it is like to cycle in Pembrokeshire.
The route includes endless quiet country roads, coastal views, daunting climbs and energysapping ups and downs.
With three different routes to choose from, the tour offers the opportunity for riders of almost any ability to test themselves against what Pembrokeshire has to offer.
In the past, the tour has attracted names such as Chris Boardman MBE, and regularly has many cycling publications attend to ride at the event.
The cycling weekend kicked off on the rather wet and grey Friday afternoon (Apr 22) where a large amount of the 1,500 cyclists made their way up to Crug Glas to register for the event and collect their rider number, timing chip and info pack.
Despite the grim weather, the atmosphere was buoyant as riders got into the mood for the challenge ahead, and sportive riders are well accustomed to imperfect weather conditions.
Saturday saw an early start both for the organisers of the event and the riders themselves, as cars began to arrive at Crug Glas at 5am.
There was a tangible atmosphere of anticipation and excitement as riders unloaded their bikes from their cars, got ready and enjoyed a hearty breakfast, which was prepared by Crug Glas and Will Evans and the team from Gwaun Valley Meats, to see them through the day.
As 7am approached, the 100- mile route cyclists had their timing chips scanned and began the route whilst the sun steadily rose over the beautiful Pembrokeshire countryside and music blared out whilst family and friends cheered.
Live bands, such as Fishguard and Goodwick orchestra, Samba Band, Honey Fungus and PUP, played at Feed Stations and the venue throughout the day.
Twinned with the bout of incredible weather, this made the day an unforgettable experience for both the riders and locals alike.
The route brought cyclists through Fishguard, Newport, St Dogmaels, Crymych, the Gwaun Valley, Bedd Morris, Puncheston, St Davids and then back up along the main road to Crug Glas.
Riders doing the 100-mile route had to face over 10,000 foot of uphill climbs.
Joshua Fiddy, Event Organiser, said: “This year we have been incredibly blessed to have some of the best weather the tour has ever experienced.
“This, along with the great new venue in Crug Glas, fantastic Feed Stations, live music from some of Pembrokeshire’s best bands, enthusiastic and dedicated staff and volunteers, great support from sponsors and obviously the riders themselves who turned up in the droves and gave it everything they had, made the 2016 Tour of Pembrokeshire one that will stand out in the minds of all involved for many years to come.
“It was a truly superb day that I am proud to have been a part of.”
The tour supported the Welsh Air Ambulance, Paul Sartori Foundation, RNLI and 2420 (Whitland and District) Squadron. They were grateful for the help of the volunteers from these organisations that worked so hard and enthusiastically on the day.
A host of riders who partook in the tour left their comments. Colin Wyatt said: “I just wanted to say thanks. It was the hardest and best sportive I have ever done.
“The atmosphere was more of a festival and was second to none. Credit too goes to the kind and courteous people of Pembrokeshire who were the most considerate drivers and spectators I have known.”
Richard Davies said: “This is probably the best event I’ve ridden. It was superb in every aspect, even the brutal hills. I had 112 miles in the bag by the time I got back to the B&B!”
The tour would like to give special thanks to their sponsors – Pembrokeshire Bikes, Fred Rees Skoda, Quality Cottages, Gwaun Valley Meats, Castle Hot Tubs and the many other businesses and organisations that helped to make the Tour of Pembrokeshire happen.
Farming
Animal health and welfare workshops help family farm shape future business
AN eagerness to learn new skills and knowledge is helping mother and son Dianna and Iestyn Spary to continually improve their livestock farming enterprise and build a financially sustainable business fit for the future.
Technical expertise and good business sense are not qualities the Sparys lack since embarking on an impressive number of Farming Connect workshops, covering a range of animal health and welfare topics.
“It’s been an amazing opportunity, we have learned so much that we can apply within the day to day running of our farm and herd, and we can draw on that knowledge as we look at developing new enterprises and diversifications,’’ says Dianna.
She is the fifth generation of her family to farm at Goytre Farm at New Church West, Chepstow, Iestyn the sixth.
Together they farm 110 hectares, running a Hereford-cross beef suckler herd and also rearing beef cattle purchased as baby calves, including more recently British Blues, taking these through to slaughter.
Although they have been immersed in agriculture all their lives, they recognise that it is an industry that is constantly changing as new research and ideas are rolled out and applied.
This is where the Farming Connect workshops have been so incredibly valuable, says Dianna.
“You are never too old to learn, things are changing all the time. If we hadn’t got involved in attending the workshops, we would never have known about some of those new ways of doing things.’’
From learning how to maximise suckler cow productivity and protecting youngstock health to understanding diseases such as Johne’s and bovine TB, the animal health and welfare training workshops have been “enormously valuable’’, she adds.
The pair have tapped into Farming Connect accredited training courses covering areas such as calf management, health and housing, body condition scoring and safe use of veterinary medicines.
“You name it we have done it,’’ says Dianna.
They were announced the winners of the 2023 Farming Connect Animal Health and Welfare Award at the Lantra Cymru Awards in January.
The knowledge gained through Farming Connect workshops and training has helped inform changes in the business.
“We now monitor cattle weights more closely and have introduced different ways of feeding,’’ Dianna explains.
“We have also been revamping all the cattle sheds and have a couple of new ones that will be going up.
“We’ve also invested in calf jackets and if there are any drops in weights, we are more responsive with feed intakes, little things like that.’’
Iestyn has also benefited from a number of sheep-related topics offered through the animal health workshops.
Through the Farming Connect Advisory Service, they have received specialist veterinary advice on their Herd Health Plan with a focus on incoming stock and biosecurity. They have also had guidance on soil health through the soil clinic.
The Sparys largely use traditional farming methods at Goytre Farm where they have several hay meadows.
All feed is produced on-farm. “By doing everything in-house we know exactly what we are feeding and that’s important to us,’’ says Dianna.
That distinctiveness, which sets them apart from some of the more mainstream farming systems, has given them the confidence to consider establishing a diversification into meat box sales, what Dianna describes as a ‘farm to fork’ approach.
Working with a local butcher who has an abattoir licence, they hope to do everything on-site, from slaughter through to hanging the carcass for 28 days, and then selling cuts direct to the consumer.
“We have also spoken to a chef who is going to produce some recipe cards for us to include in the boxes along with a bit of history of where the meat has come from,’’ says Dianna.
Another future project could be converting stone barns in the farmyard to holiday accommodation.
To help focus their minds on their plans, the Sparys will get guidance at a Farming Connect diversification surgery; they have also signed up for a ‘planning a diversification’ training course and will attend a ‘Dos and Don’ts of Diversification’ event in the coming weeks.
For Iestyn, another form of diversification, into agricultural contracting, has provided a secondary income stream.
His customer base is largely farms with smaller acreages with crops that require harvesting or spraying.
Farming Connect has helped with this process too as Iestyn has gained his Level 2 Award in the Safe Use of Pesticides (PA1) and Safe Application of Pesticides Using Vehicle mounted Boom Sprayer Equipment (PA2).
He also offers field maintenance and fencing and works on a neighbouring farm during the lambing season.
This is where Farming Connect has again helped; through the animal health workshops, he has covered modules advising on the prevention of lambing losses and lameness, improving lamb performance post-weaning and parasite controls.
Dianna says the opportunities available through Farming Connect have really helped to drive the family farming business forward.
“We have a good relationship with our local Farming Connect development officer Lisa Powell, she has been brilliant in giving us advice on which courses and workshops are right for us and signing us up for those,’’ she says.
All your achievements, training and knowledge transfer activities are saved within your personal, online Storfa Sgiliau account, the unique, online professional development tool, available for you to view and download at any time from your BOSS (Business Online Support Service) account.
Education
Lib Dem leader meets student union after scrapping of teacher training
Last week, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds visited Aberystwyth University to meet students following the announcement that the University will be scrapping their Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) program.
The announcement comes after the publication of an Estyn inspection report last year, which found that the institution had “been too slow” when it came to prioritising student support.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats have now called for the University to produce and implement an action plan that will enable the reintroduction of this course at the earliest opportunity, as well as for the Uni to rectify any similar shortcomings in other training programs.
Commenting, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:
“Aberystwyth university has long been seen as a cornerstone of education here in Wales, and its role in shaping the future of Welsh-medium education is pivotal.
However, the decision by the Education Workforce Council to withdraw accreditation for their teacher training program now puts this at risk.
The report published by Estyn rightfully identified several flaws in the Uni’s approach to supporting student teachers, along with requiring the University to make significant improvement.
The decision of the EWC suggest that these improvements have not been made.
We are now calling on the University to get their act together, fix the shortcomings in this program and begin plans to reintroduce the course as soon as possible.
Commenting, a spokesperson for the Welsh Young Liberals said: “There was an overwhelming lack of support, especially for Disabled Students, which has been consistent since 2020.
Previous lecturers were always late, and assignments were marked late and inconsistently.
As a joint honours student my timetable is very erratic, and this has an adverse effect on my wellbeing.
This does not however, mean that the course should be cut, Aberystwyth university should be looking to improve the course and help deliver the next generation of teachers.”
Commenting, the Welsh Liberal Democrat PPC for Ceredigion Mark Williams said: “The reputation of Aberystwyth University as a well-respected centre of education is rightfully a source of pride for many residents here in Ceredigion.
This is why it is so dis-heartening to hear that the Uni have failed to take the recommendations in the 2023 Estyn report seriously, leading them into the embarrassing position of losing their accreditation which risks delivering a severe blow to the future of Welsh-medium education.
The lack of foresight from the Uni in this regard is deeply worrying and I hope that, for the sake of both the students and the wider community, they take all the steps needed to restart the course at the earliest opportunity.”
Crime
Manslaughter charge following death in Carmarthenshire
DYFED-POWYS POLICE have confirmed Jason Thomas, 39, from Llanelli, has been charged with manslaughter following an incident on Saturday, March 25.
Police were called to a property in Robinson St, Llanelli to concerns for the welfare of a man.
Liam Rhys Morgan-Whittle, 22, was taken to hospital where he sadly passed away.
Jason Thomas was quickly arrested and later released on conditional bail while the police investigation continued.
He will appear at Llanelli Magistrates Court on Thursday, May 30, it has been confirmed.
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