Blog – County Councillor Neil Prior

Pencaer Community Meeting, December 2022

On December 20th 2022, a community meeting was held at St Nicholas Village Hall / Neuadd-y-Pentref Tremarchog, with around 30 residents from across the Pencaer Community (which includes the St Nicholas and Llanwnda wards). The purpose of the meeting was to generate ideas so that a bid could be submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council’s Enhancing Pembrokeshire Grant, which makes funds available through the second homes tax for community initiatives.

The meeting outlined the grant criteria and process, and then attendees were invited to share thoughts on the following topics, before the meeting concluded with the prioritisation of two possible grant bids to pursue. Oh, and as it was just before Christmas, mulled wine and mince pies were served.

A midway break for mulled wine and mince pies. It was nearly Christmas after all.

What are the Community Strengths?

Coastal path & beaches
The landscape, and an area of outstanding beauty which attracts tourism
Footpaths and bridleways (some of which need maintenance)
Landmarks – French landing site, lighthouse
Natural world – Garn Fawr (Dark Sky site), Strumble Head and the bird observation point
Local history & folk tales
It’s on the pilgrim route and national cycle route
St Nicholas Village Hall
Events at St Nicholas Hall – Henner WI (1x month), previously writers workshops, life drawing classes, jubilee events etc
Facilities at the Hall – has radar keyed disability toilet, wi-fi, audio-visual facilities,well equipped kitchen
Churches and Chapels
Tregwynt Woollen Mill – provides jobs, has cafe
Tregwynt Ballroom – can be booked e.g. yoga, concerts
Pontiago Garage
Pwll Deri Youth Hostel
Farming which provides local employment
The people – wide cross section of personalities
Broadband is good in St Nicholas Village
The Strumble Shuttle
A defibrilator in St Nicholas
Promximity to Fishguard and Goodwick

What Could be Better?

Bringing the community together more often
Less individual isolation
Cost of living support
Concerns over access to healthcare; more first responders
Communication – sharing information – online (e.g. Facebook) & offline (e.g. noticeboards and a community magazine similar to Llais Rhian)
Pencaer website – currently has a history focus; could increase awareness & add current information
St Nicholas Village Hall has huge potential but needs some work and a longer term plan
Housing availability and local permanent population decline
Village traffic safety – big tractors driving through
No bus shelter in St Nicholas (although there is a bus stop)
Sewage treatment concerns
Infrastructure resilience, e.g. Broadband outside of St Nicholas and mobile signal
Environmental support

Ideas for Community Projects

Coastal paths – improve accessibility for people who are not so mobile e.g. add handrails at steep parts
Conduct a bird & insect survey – could expand into art project to broaden appeal
Markers at key places in the community – information boards that explain their significance; art/photo/writing
Communication – link up around the whole Pencaer area (residents look mainly towards Fishguard, not St Davids)
Revamp local noticeboards & optimise locations
Improve local communication e.g. website, FaceBook, Instagram
Would like to replicate the Llanrhian Llais Rhian community magazine
Needs a person to coordinate all the communication
Revamp Village Hall – damp treatment; repainting; install hearing loop; improve quality of heating; battery storage linked to solar panels
Use this opportunity to increase usage of St Nicholas Village Hall
More events & activities e.g. clubs, whist drives, guest speakers, musical performances, art exhibitions and clasees etc. Need to fund/pay workshop leaders
Create wildlife corridors
Inland footpaths – many overgrown; improve access & signage
Nameplates to record & preserve traditional local names for places/rivers etc
Create a pool of community electric bikes – for local residents to use & visitors to borrow
Have social nights in the Hall
Establish community sports – with a social focus e.g. table tennis, bowls, cricket. Currently no obvious outdoor space for this & no playgrounds/swings. Residents go to Fishguard/Goodwick for more serious/competitive sports.
Community sport/exercise – plans were in place for ‘fun run’ event pre-Covid, could be revived & updated. Group cycling outings.
Community energy initiatives
More electric car charging points
AIRES – community camper van locations
St Nicholas ‘nifty fifty’ event

Main Project Ideas to be pursued

Following the presentation of ideas, and given the timescales and potential budget available, two outline projects were agreed in principle.

St Nicholas Village Hall

Building improvement and maintenance work to St Nicholas Village Hall to help encourage further community use, maximise community engagement through increased events, and provide fresh impetus post-Covid to strengthen community cohesion and wellbeing.

Pencaer Connected Community

Explore employing a part-time community link officer tasked with building relationships across the community, developing and implementing a communications strategy, and the creation, publication and distribution of a community magazine. This will help create connection, belonging and improve wellbeing across the area. It will also be complimentary to increasing uptake of the use of St Nicholas Village Hall.

Next steps

Following the meeting, and subject to further discussion with the relevant stakeholders, the intention is to submit two bids to the Enhancing Pembrokeshire grant in January 2023. Thank you to all who attended and contributed their time, ideas, enthusiasm, bottles of mulled wine and mince pies.

Emma and Owain on mulled wine and mince pies service

Annual Report for Llanrhian Community Council

Having been a Community Councillor since 2017, I was delighted to be the Chair of Llanrhian Community Council for 2021-22. Below is my annual report.

Llanrhian Community Council Past Chair’s report – 2021-22

It has been an enjoyable year being the chair of Llanrhian Community Council and there is much to reflect on that we can be proud of during the past municipal year.

Firstly, if you’re reading this report and wonder what a Community Council is, it is set up by statute and is the most local tier of democratic representation. Run by local residents to act on behalf of its area, Community Councils are comprised of people who care about their community and want to make it a better place to live.

As well as representing the community to the local authority, Community Councils can facilitate a wide range of activities which promote the well-being of their communities. They can bring local people together to help make things happen, and they can advise, petition, influence and advocate numerous causes and cases of concern on behalf of local communities.

Despite Llanrhian Community Council being one of the smaller councils in Pembrokeshire, I think that our combined efforts mean that we have had a positive impact on the communities that we represent, which this year have included the following:

The playpark in Trefin. We initiated this project just before the first national lockdown with a community engagement day in March 2020, and have recently seen the first real steps in improving the run-down community playpark in the village of Trefin. As a full refurb and refit was beyond our financial means, not to mention the difficulty of sourcing contractors, we have recently run a successful crowd-funding campaign which raised over £1,000, and in collaboration with Gwelliant Trefin Improvement (GTI), between us we have contributed £4,000 in addition to the crowdfunded £1,000 to carry out landscaping and tidying of the area.

In addition to this, and also collaborating with Llanrhian Connected Community and GTI, we held a volunteer day in March 2022 which saw around 25 local volunteers turn up and garden, paint and tidy up the area further, which meant that a few weeks later GTI held a very successful ‘Easter Eggstravaganza’ event at the playground. This work is very much Phase 1 of improvements to the playpark, with further initiatives to come.

Defibrillator in Llanrhian. In response to a request from a local resident, we agreed to fund a new defibrillator in Llanrhian. Already managing and maintaining defibrillators in Porthgain, Croesgoch, Square & Compass and Trefin, we decided to crowd-fund to raise the necessary funds, and shortly after launching the campaign we were gifted a new defibrillator by St David’s First Responders. As we’d already raised significant funds, we were ultimately able to purchase another unit, meaning that we were able to replace the aging defibrillator in Croesgoch, and provide a new machine in Llanrhian. At the time of writing, all the permissions are in place for the install of the unit in Llanrhian and we are just waiting on the electrician to do the necessary install.

Cefn Gallod Residential Development. This is an example of where we have advocated on behalf of the local community, with a contentious planning application in Trefin that would have a significant impact on the amenity of residents living in and near Cefn Gallod. We therefore held two public meetings to hear resident’s concerns and views, and reflected these in our strong objection of the development to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA). Despite a narrow majority at the PCNPA planning committee, at the time of writing a legal challenge has been submitted, so we will continue to monitor the situation.

We’ve actively represented resident views on planning issues such as Cefn Gallod

Llanrhian Connected Community project. Predominately funded by Pembrokeshire County Council’s ‘Enhancing Pembrokeshire’ grant fund, Llanrhian Community Council has also contributed financially to this project, working to create a stronger and more resilient local community across the Llanrhian ward. We now employ two ‘Community Link Officers’ on a part time basis, who are actively helping draw upon the collective strengths of our community, support local community groups, and help people feel more connected to their area. The project is doing this by facilitating events such as the ‘This is your community day’ and the ‘Community Climate Collaboration’ events held at Ysgol Croesgoch, and by improving communication across the area with a newly launched e-bulletin and the relaunch of Llais Rhian just around the corner. Members of the Community Council were also part of the team that received support from Wales Council for Voluntary Action and Nesta, which has helped clarify our understanding of working with communities and helped us generate new courses of action for this innovative project. The project reports to Llanrhian Community Council monthly.

4Wards Project. Llanrhian Community Council is also part of the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund working with ‘Together for Change’ exploring what it means to live well across the St David’s Peninsula. Currently nearing the end of this project, we are aiming to secure future funding to continue to promote community resilience and help stimulate local economic regeneration.

Speeding traffic. As Chair of the Community Council, and with my County Councillor hat on, I submitted a bid to PCC’s ‘community works fund’ which has resulted in two ‘driver feedback signs’ being installed in Croesgoch and Square & Compass. The feedback from residents has been very positive and will also enable us to gather data on average speeds which in turn might help us lobby for a reduction in the speed limits in these areas.

Planning consultations. In addition to receiving all local planning applications across the area for our comment as a statutory consultee, we have also responded to planning consultations from Welsh Government, PCNPA and PCC on matters such as second homes and conservation areas, and we have developed a new confidence in being able to ‘push back’ where appropriate.

Communications. We are active on social media platforms including our Facebook page and Twitter account, where we regularly get good engagement and reach by sharing local stories and snippets, and have recently invested in replacement notice boards for those who might not be on-line and who prefer more traditional methods of keeping up to speed.

In other areas, we continue to manage the public toilet in Trefin with a local resident being paid for this work, we’ve recently overseen and paid for improvements to the bus shelter in Croesgoch, and we continue to operate a policy of funding local causes where appropriate. We’ve also been able to resolve a long-standing issue with GTI which helped fund the playpark improvements.

This year we will say goodbye to Cllrs Brigit Thurstan and Cllr Becky Annis who have stepped down having made a valuable contribution and will be missed, and I’d like to thank them for their service. We also welcomed Cllr Katy Jenkins who is already getting stuck in and is proving to be a real asset.

To conclude this report, I think we’ve represented the community effectively, and we’ve done all of this under the continued restrictions of Covid, meeting virtually for the entire year. In my opinion, all of our Community Councillors have made a positive contribution to our area, bringing diversity of thought, strong local networks, energy and enthusiasm, with a good geographical spread across the parish. I’d like to thank them all as they have made my role as Chair a lot easier, underpinned by the consistently excellent support of our Clerk, Vanessa Walker.

Diolch,

Cllr Neil Prior

Community Response to Coronavirus

From the arrival of COVID-19 in the UK, to the dreadful first wave that saw us move into a national lockdown, through the gradual unlocking over the summer months, and at the time of writing about to enter a second national ‘firebreak’ lockdown, our community response has been nothing short of incredible. Over the next few paragraphs I’d like to revisit the community response from my perspective as the County Councillor for the Llanrhian ward.

I learnt from the ‘Beast from the East’ water shortage in 2018 that there is an important local leadership role in being a Councillor. When the situation started to become very real and threatening in March of this year, it was clear to me that I needed to make sure that I was available and present for those who might need help, so my approach has been to:

Help lead a co-ordinated approach, but not tread on other’s toes
Communicate regularly and effectively
Offer help and support

On the 16^th March I posted via my Facebook page and email newsletter a call for volunteers. Within a matter of days nearly 70 people had responded offering to help – in addition to all the ‘silent’ helpers who were already caring for loved ones, friends and neighbours across our community.

As the national picture got worse and worse, with an increasing death toll and giant field-hospitals being built in a matter of weeks, there was a real sense of fear and uncertainty, especially for older people and those with what the government described as ‘underlying health conditions’. By the time the UK had moved into lockdown on 23^rd March though, our community was already supporting itself. We had volunteers doing shopping, our local shop and others from St Davids and Fishguard had set up systems for local deliveries (especially valuable as it was taking weeks to get a delivery slot from the big supermarkets), we had a process for prescription collections from St Davids and Solva, our local businesses had set up take-away operations, ‘Hello I can help…’ leaflets had been delivered across the area, and establishing a network of key contacts from Abereiddi to Castlemorris, it felt like a ‘connected community’ that was ready and able to deal with whatever was coming.

Tom’s thumb – an outstanding volunteer and individual

The community spirit didn’t end there: we had a ‘guide to zoom’ written and a number of zoom socials, a ‘Connected Community’ App built and a facebook page established, and a magnificent effort from local residents making facemasks free of charge for those in the community and key workers, along with the PATCH and St Davids Food Pod volunteer efforts to help those less fortunate than others. We also had people making friendly phone-calls, taking out neighbours bins, and supporting those who were later instructed to ‘shield’ themselves.

From that initial flurry of activity, things settled down, people established routines, our local shops and establishments adapted, and the amazing community spirit saw friends, family, neighbours and volunteers all helping each other out. On the flip side, there were some community tensions, especially around the visitor economy and interpretation of the rules and guidelines, but thankfully, most people followed the regulations, and where there were genuine concerns these were directed through the correct channels.

We then started to see a gradual ‘unlocking’, with new initiatives like booking systems for the Waste & Recycling Centres, schools reopening before the summer holidays, boats back in the water, the ‘stay local’ restrictions being lifted, and of course unlocking tourism from early July.

The visitor economy is worth £585m p/a to Pembrokeshire, and supports over 11,500 full time equivalent jobs with 80% of tourism operations being micro-businesses. It’s hugely important to our local economy and the council prepared for the unlocking by putting many new initiatives in place. When we did reopen the doors though, Pembrokeshire felt like the busiest place on earth. Throughout that time I was able to support individuals and help local communities, but there were some things that really stretched us across the whole of the county and put a huge strain on council resources. So whilst the council didn’t get everything right, I am encouraged for the future in that the ‘zero to 100’ arrival of tourism highlighted, with a fresh view, the impact of tourism on our communities. It’s something that we definitely need to heed for the future.

Over the past seven months, I’ve never been busier as a County Councillor. I’ve been privileged to be able to support many people and communities, I’ve enjoyed writing a regular email newsletter that now reaches around 250 people, and I remain committed to the principles I outlined above as we enter what might be a long and difficult winter. Looking ahead it’s important that we hold on to that community spirit and continue to support one another through the turbulent times still to come. The last word, however, goes to a Croesgoch resident who sums up our community at its best:

We have never been ones to go out and meet lots of people but we have known that over these last months we have so many ‘friends’ that are there if we needed anything. We have a genuine support system in Croesgoch which we hope never diminishes.
Croesgoch Resident

A Connected Community

On December 12th, a ‘Hub in the Pub’ meeting was held at The Artramont, Croesgoch, organised with local residents to discuss with people who either take a lead in working on behalf of the community, or have ideas on how we can make our place better. The summary that follows explains more:

What is the Connected Community?

The Llanrhian Ward comprises the communities and surrounding areas of Llanrhian, Mathry, Trefin, Croesgoch, Penparc, Castlemorris, Porthgain, Abereiddi, Abercastle, Llandeloy and Square & Compass. Within this area are a number of active community groups which include, but are not limited to:

Llanrhian Community Council
Mathry Community Council
Croesgoch Heritage Group
GTI
Cor Y Felin
Croesgoch WI
Mathry WI
Llanrhian Social Club
Camomile Club
Llanrhian Church Hall
Cyfefllion Croesgoch
Llanrhian Cricket Club
Mathry Forum
Trefin Arts & Crafts
Llais Rhian

Across venues and industries which include:

Trefin Village Hall
Llanrhian Church Hall
Mathry Community Hall
6 pubs
1 school
A number of churches and chapels
The shop / garage
A number of small businesses
A large farming community
The fishing and tourism industries

We have some isolated communities and people, an increasingly elderly population, a large number of second homes, but a very active community exists with some real community leaders.

We also have an opportunity to use funding from the Enhancing Pembrokeshire Grant (around 25k), and we can use this provided we are supported by 20% match funding in time / expertise / financial contribution.

Thanks also to Llanrhian Community Council who have committed £700 to the Connected Community idea.

In dialogue with a number of people, the thinking is that we can create a more connected community if we work more closely together.

Details of progress to date

Prompted by a well-attended community meeting last year, an Enhancing Pembrokeshire bid was submitted earlier this year by Neil Prior (under the constitutional organisation of Llanrhian Community Council) and approved in principle. The bid was to carry out some minor building works to Ysgol Croesgoch, to safeguard the school so that the school hall can be used as community venue more regularly.

The initial Enhancing Pembrokeshire Grant meeting, held at Ysgol Croesgoch

However, over the course of this year, the school’s needs have taken priority with the possibilities of a Cylch being established there, but we are now in a position to press ahead with a resubmitted bid to get the building works done.

Why the school hall? Despite there being a number of community venues in existence, this is not to compete with them, but does offer a bigger space, Audio Visual equipment, a stage, parking, and to potentially fill a gap in Croesgoch that can open up to further afield. It also helps to promote our school.

The Enhancing Pembrokeshire grant looks to mitigate the impact of second homes, of which there are 83 out of 502 in the Llanrhian Community Council area. Very simply, it’s about promoting cohesive, self-sustained and vibrant communities.

Ideas that have been previously discussed include: Business network and mentoring, fitness and wellbeing (e.g. yoga), intergenerational classes for IT or learning Welsh, that draws in the whole community including our second home owners who may want to contribute.

The Discussion and Ideas:

With a wide-ranging discussion and plenty of contributors, the bullet points below capture our conversation to create a more connected community.

Garden show
A Social Media page
Flyers – for marketing
Community hub website
Revenue generating events
Cinema evenings
Musical events
Kayleigh dancing
Amateur dramatics (invite the Solva group to Croesgoch)
A re-run of the Abereiddi show
Poetry & Pints
Food and drink provision
A general catch up option, like the ‘tea & chat’
Also making the most of the existing facilities (like Trefin)
Fitness classes
Remove the barriers – e.g. pubs or churches can put people off
Facebook community groups
Llais Rhian as the central hub – the communication engine
Age group issue – youth club – young farmers
Youth leader in Trefin who’d be willing to start a youth club
The role of the community council
Feeling that the CC could help local causes
Bursary idea
Welfare committee
Barn dance
A community consultation / questionnaire
Needs to be sustainable, the structure is there (LCC)
Reinforce what already exists, but tap into many across the area.
Llanrhian Cricket Club – the world cup
Something for the people who aren’t here, e.g. PATCH approach
First Aid
Zumba / Keep Fit
Business network
The Park in Trefin – this needs sorting (and advertising)
Rural issues – Llanrhian – the mini Citizen’s Advice in the community
A list of people living on their own – the Solva care model?
Lift sharing
A baby group in Llanrhian exisits
To consider a central co-ordinator

In Summary

The Connected Community is not about the buildings, but the people. The overwhelming feeling was that we could be more connected across our area, and there seemed a genuine appetite from many to get involved.

The notes from the meeting were to be distributed, the Enhanching Pembrokeshire bid is to be re-submitted, and anybody in the community who is interested is invited to get further involved.

Next Steps

The next meeting will be on Thursday 13th February 2020 at The Artramont to progress the ideas discussed in December, but in the meantime, thoughts are invited on some practical actions to move things forward:

· A co-ordinator: it’s suggested that there is an overall co-ordinator for the Connected Community project. Subject to discussion, agreement and funding, this position could attract a small remuneration and would require overseeing the community project, from liaising with community members to schedule events, source the relevant resources, assign tasks to volunteers, help prepare budgets and act as a point of contact to all community members. Do you know anyone who might be interested?

· A name for the community venture.

· Volunteering. A few people have put themselves forward for volunteer positions. In order for this venture to work, we asked that people give of their time not only to attend events, but to help run them as well so are asking people to think about which skills they have and how much time they can spare.

. Considering a published list of all those involved in the community venture. This might include contact details, location and skills.

Do you have an idea? Would you like to get involved? If so, please do get in touch.