"Archaeologists have used the latest scientific means to date the rock art, discovering that it was in fact created 17,100 years ago – making it the oldest example in Britain as well as north-western Europe."

#Mwmbwls #Mumbles #Gŵyr #Gower

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/jun/01/striped-rock-dismissed-as-natural-reclassified-uk-oldest-cave-art-mumbles-south-wales

MUMBLES: Plaid MS calls on politicians to cut ties with ‘toxic’ far-right group over skate park racism video

A Plaid Cymru MS has called on politicians across all parties to cut ties with a far-right group, after it posted a video about the NHS doctor racially abused near Mumbles skate park.

Gwyn Williams MS, one of the three Plaid Cymru Members of the Senedd for Gŵyr Abertawe, said the group should be shut out of mainstream politics altogether.

His intervention puts the focus on his constituency counterpart Francesca O’Brien MS, the Reform UK member who was among the first politicians to condemn the original abuse. Asked whether she would join the call and for her view on the video, O’Brien set out the steps she has taken since the incident.

Dr Haroon Ali, a Swansea NHS doctor, described being subjected to racist abuse near the skate park on Saturday 16 May while leaving with his two sons, aged five and two. He said three teenagers on bikes and scooters shouted a racial slur at the family repeatedly, and South Wales Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

In his original public account, Dr Ali said he had “no doubt” that certain local politicians had contributed to a rise in overt racism in the area, and called on them to stand firm in opposing it.

Williams said Voice of Wales had since produced a video that he described as victim-blaming the doctor. He said the group had targeted Dr Ali because of his activity for the Labour Party — something Williams said “in no way lessens what happened” and had made the episode worse for the family.

“I believe the Voice of Wales had no place in the legitimate political processes of our country and it behoves all politicians to distance themselves from this toxic group of people,” Williams said.

He said the responsibility for challenging racism lay with everyone. “It is our duty to call out racism whenever we see it and that includes with our own friends and family,” he said. “The path to an equal society begins at home.”

Williams added that the incident did not define the city. “Swansea is a good city full of good people and the extremists do not represent us,” he said.

He said he could not comment on the specifics of the case because it was a police matter, but urged anyone who experienced racist abuse to report it and not to be deterred by far-right activity online.

O’Brien, a former Mumbles councillor who was named Reform UK’s shadow minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning this month, condemned the abuse in the strongest terms when the story first broke.

In a statement to Swansea Bay News this week, she said: “Racism is intolerable, unacceptable, and has no place in our communities or anywhere in society.” She said her priority had been to support those affected and to bring people together.

O’Brien said she had invited Dr Ali to work with her on a constructive community response, and had not wanted the matter to “descend into an angry social media debate that ultimately achieves very little and risks creating further division.”

She said she had contacted the local Neighbourhood Policing Inspector to offer her support, and that the inspector had not been aware of the incident when they spoke. Police have since shared a social media appeal for witnesses.

O’Brien said that on 20 May she had given Dr Ali several dates when she would be available to meet, and that she was “currently awaiting a response” from him.

She also said she had been in contact with Mumbles Community Council, which manages the skate park, about CCTV. O’Brien said she had learnt that Swansea Council had not granted the community council permission to use nearby lampposts to install cameras, and that she would continue to press the matter.

In her response, O’Brien focused on the practical steps she has taken rather than the video or Williams’s call for politicians to disavow the group. She said that “while other politicians are keen to discuss other media outlets and are clearly more interested in me thanking members of the public, on a post I was tagged in, I am getting on with the job.”

Williams was elected for Gŵyr Abertawe on 7 May, when Plaid Cymru topped the poll in the constituency.

Voice of Wales said it was an independent media team that questioned politicians of all parties, and rejected the idea that anyone needed to “cut ties” with it. “That’s easy — there are no ties. We don’t work with any party,” it said, adding that it was entitled to approach elected representatives and ask questions as a free press.

The Chief Officer of Mumbles Community Council said they were “deeply concerned” by reports of racial abuse in the community, adding that behaviour leaving people feeling intimidated or unwelcome “has no place here.”

The community council urged people to report any hate-related incidents to police, and asked that online discussion remain “calm, constructive and respectful” rather than becoming “politically divisive.”

It also pointed to positive work locally, including the Flip the Streets project, which challenges racism and anti-social behaviour through youth engagement and art. A community mural day was due to be held at the skate park on Sunday, with young people helping to transform the site.

Anyone with information about the incident on Saturday 16 May can contact South Wales Police on 101, quoting reference 2600152970. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

MUMBLES: ‘My sons were shocked and scared’ — NHS doctor speaks out after racist abuse near Mumbles skate park
The Swansea NHS doctor’s account of the abuse that sparked a police hate crime investigation.

SWANSEA: Francesca O’Brien handed housing and planning brief as Reform UK names its first ever Senedd shadow cabinet
The Gŵyr Abertawe MS’s appointment to Reform UK’s first shadow cabinet.

Funding secured for Mumbles skatepark
How more than £270,000 of National Lottery funding helped build the skate park.

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The consultation on the park’s future development.

MUMBLES: Opticians take on new training role to improve local eye care and ease NHS pressure

Specsavers Mumbles has become an Advanced Training Practice for Independent Prescribing as part of a Health Education Improvement Wales (HEIW) scheme to create clinical placements within community practices.

They will host optometrists as they develop clinical skills needed to diagnose, treat and prescribe medication for a wide range of eye conditions, including infections and inflammation.

The programme will help more patients access faster treatment locally without needing a GP or hospital appointment, reducing pressure on overstretched NHS eye services.

As of March 2026, 155,688 patients in Wales were waiting for outpatient appointments that put them at risk of irreversible sight loss.

At Specsavers Mumbles, the programme will be led by Optometrist Director Phil Jones, alongside the store’s experienced clinical team.

Dr Phil says: ‘Independent Prescribing allows optometrists to provide much more comprehensive care for patients in the community.

‘Many people are waiting too long for treatment, so being able to diagnose and treat more eye conditions on the high street is incredibly important.

‘We’re proud to be supporting optometrists at different stages of their careers to develop these advanced skills, while helping improve access to eye care.’

The training will involve supervised clinical experience, giving trainee optometrists hands-on experience in assessing, diagnosing and safely managing a wider range of eye conditions.

The move reflects the growing role of community opticians in delivering more advanced care locally and helping patients be seen sooner.

Specsavers Mumbles is open seven days a week. To find out more information about Specsavers in Mumbles, request an appointment or browse the online store, visit http://www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/mumbles.

Additionally, to make eye health accessible to all, Specsavers offers a Home Visits service for those unable to leave their homes unaccompanied due to disability or illness.

[Lead image: Specsavers Mumbles]

SWANSEA: Blackpill Lido closed for second time this season as flooring fails on 30C half-term day

Families heading to Blackpill Lido for the May half-term holidays have been turned away after Swansea Council was forced to drain the popular outdoor pool today following damage to its flooring.

It is the second disruption to hit the Swansea Bay seafront pool in less than four weeks — and the closure has landed on one of the warmest days of the year so far, with temperatures hitting 30C across south-west Wales.

Second hit in less than a month

The council said its team had been forced to drain the pool on Tuesday morning after parts of the flooring came away.

“Sadly the Lido at Blackpill will be closed for a number of days due to a technical issue,” the council said in an early-morning statement. “Sincere apologies for any inconvenience this has caused and thank you for your understanding.”

In a follow-up update at lunchtime, the council confirmed the flooring damage and said an investigation into how it happened was now under way.

“Unfortunately, the lido’s flooring has come away in some areas and we’re looking into how it happened,” a spokesperson said. “We’re aiming to get it fixed as quickly as possible over the coming days and then we’ll refill the lido. In the meantime, we once again apologise for the inconvenience.”

Refilling takes days even once repaired

The council confirmed that even once the flooring repairs are complete, refilling the lido takes several days — meaning the pool will remain out of action even after the immediate damage is fixed.

No reopening date has been confirmed.

The closure is particularly painful timing for families. The school half-term holiday across Wales runs until Friday 30 May, with Blackpill Lido one of the most popular free-to-use family attractions on the Swansea seafront.

Second disruption of the season

The flooring failure comes just weeks after the lido’s opening was delayed by the theft of its distinctive sprinklers in the days before its bank holiday weekend launch on 2 May.

Thieves struck overnight, removing the sprinklers that form a central feature of the lido’s water play area. Council teams were forced to put temporary repairs in place before the pool could open to the public, with a delay of several days while replacements were sourced.

That incident was reported to South Wales Police at the time. The flooring damage now under investigation by the council is so far being treated as a technical issue rather than criminal damage.

Questions over the cause

The council has not yet said what caused the flooring to come away — whether it relates to the original installation, wear and tear, the recent heatwave, or another factor.

The Blackpill site underwent significant refurbishment in recent years as part of wider seafront investment, with the lido reopening with new water play features. The pool is one of the council’s most-used free outdoor leisure facilities, particularly during summer holidays and weekends.

Earlier this year, Swansea Council unveiled ambitious plans for the wider Swansea Bay foreshore — including padel courts, a zip wire and proposals for a year-round lido as part of a longer-term transformation of the three-mile stretch between the marina and Blackpill.

Other half-term options

With the lido out of action, the council has signposted families to its main parks information page at swansea.gov.uk/parks, which lists other free-to-use outdoor activities across the city for half-term.

The council said it would issue further updates on the lido as soon as a reopening date can be confirmed.

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SWANSEA: Thieves steal Blackpill Lido sprinklers days before bank holiday opening — leaving families facing wait
Our coverage from earlier this month of the sprinkler theft that delayed the lido’s 2 May opening.

Padel courts, zip wire and a year-round lido: Swansea’s big plans for the bay — but no answers on the slip bridge
The wider seafront vision unveiled by Swansea Council earlier this year.

Summer fun returns: Swansea’s land train, pedalos and crazy golf back this month
Our preview of the seafront attractions reopening for the summer season.

MUMBLES: ‘My sons were shocked and scared’ — NHS doctor speaks out after racist abuse near Mumbles skate park as police launch hate crime investigation

A Swansea NHS doctor has spoken of his shock and sadness after his family were subjected to racist abuse near Mumbles Skate Park — with his sons, aged five and two, present when three teenagers on bikes and scooters directed racial slurs at them.

Dr Haroon Ali described the incident in a public Facebook post on Saturday 16 May. He said he was leaving the skate park with his two young sons when the teenagers — whom he estimated to be aged between 11 and 13 — approached and shouted a racial slur at them. When he challenged them, they repeated it multiple times before riding off gleefully.

Mumbles county councillor Will Thomas, who contacted Swansea Bay News after speaking with Dr Ali, confirmed the incident took place near a pedestrian crossing a few hundred metres from the skate park.

“My sons were both shocked and scared, as well as confused about what was happening,” Dr Ali wrote, describing the moment his young boys asked him what the teenagers had been saying and why they were shouting at them. “I just feel deeply sad about this ugly event,” he added.

Dr Ali said he was born and raised in Swansea and has worked as an NHS doctor serving the city for 12 years, with his family contributing to the community for generations. He said that in all his time in Swansea he had never experienced such an overtly racist incident — let alone one directed at him in front of his children.

In his post, Dr Ali also addressed the parents of the teenagers directly. “To the parents of these boys: I hope you are proud of yourselves for raising individuals who feel comfortable spewing this kind of vicious hatred in our community,” he wrote.

Dr Ali also said he believed certain unnamed local politicians had contributed to a rise in overt racism in the area, and called on them to stand firm in their opposition to it.

South Wales Police confirmed yesterday that officers had received a report of an alleged hate crime incident near Mumbles Skate Park on Saturday 16 May. The report is currently under investigation.

One of the first politicians to respond publicly was Francesca O’Brien MS — the Reform UK member for Gŵyr Abertawe who was this week named as her party’s shadow minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning. O’Brien, a former Mumbles councillor, described herself as “genuinely horrified” by what had happened.

“Let me be absolutely clear — racism is intolerable, unacceptable and has no place whatsoever in Mumbles, Swansea or anywhere else in our society,” O’Brien said. “Racism is not a left-wing issue or a right-wing issue — it is a societal issue, and every decent person should be united in condemning it and eradicating it wherever it appears.”

She said she had previously raised concerns about anti-social behaviour at the skate park during her time as a Mumbles councillor, and that Mumbles Community Council — which owns and manages the facility — had recommended CCTV coverage at the site following repeated incidents. She said she would contact the community council to ask for an update.

O’Brien issued a direct invitation to Dr Ali to work with her on a community response. “I would personally like to invite Dr Haroon Ali to work collaboratively with me in leading a constructive community response to this incident,” she said. “This cannot simply become another angry online debate that achieves nothing.”

Mumbles community councillor Ian Scott said he intended to raise the incident and wider concerns about the skate park at the community council’s full council meeting on Tuesday. The community council owns the skate park and has previously received reports of anti-social behaviour at the site.

The skate park itself has a long history. The land was leased from Swansea Council to Mumbles Community Council in 2021, following years of campaigning by local skaters and families. National Lottery funding of more than £270,000 was secured in 2022 — overcoming what the community council at the time described as numerous delays and legal wrangles — and the park officially opened in February 2023, costing nearly £350,000 in total. A community consultation on the park’s future development was launched last year.

The park has become a popular destination for skateboarders, BMX riders, scooter users and families. Saturday’s incident — and the anti-social behaviour concerns that preceded it — will now add a new dimension to the community council’s deliberations about its future.

Anyone with information about the incident near Mumbles Skate Park on Saturday 16 May is asked to contact South Wales Police on 101, quoting reference 2600152970. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

SWANSEA: Francesca O’Brien handed housing and planning brief as Reform UK names its first ever Senedd shadow cabinet

Less than 18 months ago, Francesca O’Brien described her defection from the Welsh Conservatives to Reform UK as “a gamble.” On Tuesday, she was handed one of the most politically charged briefs in Welsh devolution.

O’Brien, the Gŵyr Abertawe MS and former Mumbles councillor, has been named shadow minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning — putting her directly opposite Siân Gwenllian MS, the Plaid minister already at the centre of the DARC radar planning row in Pembrokeshire.

“Really proud to take the post of Shadow Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning,” O’Brien said on Facebook. “Really looking forward to getting stuck in and holding the government to account whilst ensuring we deliver for everyone in Wales.”

O’Brien came fourth in the six-seat Gŵyr Abertawe constituency on 7 May, with Reform taking two of the six seats. She is now one of 34 Reform MSs — and holds a brief that covers planning decisions affecting communities across Swansea for a generation.

The second south-west Wales appointment is James Evans MS, who takes Health, Prevention and Sport. Evans was elected in the Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd constituency, covering the upper Swansea Valley.

A farmer expelled by the Welsh Conservatives in January and who joined Reform in February, he held the same health brief under the Conservatives — making him one of the more experienced figures in the new team.

Evans faces Mabon ap Gwynfor MS across the chamber — Plaid’s Health Minister — in a portfolio that will dominate Welsh politics for the next four years.

Six of the 14 shadow cabinet members are former Conservatives.

Dan Thomas, James Evans, Laura Anne Jones, Francesca O’Brien, Louise Emery and Llŷr Powell all either defected from the party or stood as Conservative candidates before joining Reform.

That is almost as many former Tories as there are Welsh Conservative MSs in the entire chamber — and it is the statistic that opponents have seized on, describing Reform Wales as the Conservative Party with a new coat of paint.

Reform is the last of the four formally recognised Senedd groups to name its team. In the Senedd, parties need more than five MSs to be recognised as a group — giving them seats on the Business Committee and other procedural rights. Four parties clear that bar: Plaid Cymru in government, Reform UK as the official opposition, Welsh Labour and the Welsh Conservatives.

The Welsh Conservatives — seven seats, the smallest recognised group — named their shadow cabinet last Friday under leader Darren Millar MS. The “Magnificent Seven,” as Millar called them, include former leader Andrew RT Davies MS as shadow minister for Farming and the Environment.

Welsh Labour named their team this morning under interim leader Ken Skates MS, with just nine MSs to draw on. Swansea’s Mike Hedges MS was handed Culture and Sport. It is the first time in 27 years that Labour has had to build a Senedd opposition team from scratch.

Reform’s shadow cabinet outnumbers both Labour and the Conservatives combined. Four years ago the party won no Senedd seats at all. Now Dan Thomas leads the official opposition — with a team built largely from the ruins of the party that governed Wales for the last 14 years in Westminster.

With Plaid Cymru’s Cabinet already in place, Wales’s first proportional Senedd — and its first ever Plaid government — is now fully operational. The scrutiny starts here.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Swansea’s Mike Hedges handed Culture and Sport brief as Ken Skates names Welsh Labour’s new Senedd spokesperson team
How Welsh Labour has organised its nine-member opposition group.

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Plaid Cymru largest party, Reform UK historic breakthrough — the new political map of Wales
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GOWER: Only four locals took part last year — can Swansea’s own backyard event tempt more to take the plunge this June?

Hundreds of athletes will descend on Gower on 20 June for the third Gritty Rascals Swimrun Gower — an endurance event that takes competitors on a continuous journey of running and open-water swimming along one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline in Britain.

And yet last year, only four people from the local area entered — meaning the vast majority of those experiencing the Gower coast from the water and the clifftops were travelling from elsewhere in the UK or further afield.

Organisers are hoping to change that. “We have competitors travel from across the UK and Europe to compete and this year we’re keen to welcome more local athletes to enter,” said Gary Pavitt, founder of Gritty Rascals Events.

Unlike a triathlon, swimrun involves no transition. Competitors run in their wetsuits and swim in their trainers, alternating between cross-country running and open-water swimming throughout the entire race — without changing kit.

This year’s event offers three course lengths. The Sprint Course (12km) is aimed at first-timers and newcomers to the sport. The Gritty Course (21km) offers a half-marathon equivalent for those wanting a stiff challenge.

The Full Course (41km) — starting at Rhossili Bay and finishing in Mumbles — is the ultimate test, and has this year been designated an ÖTILLÖ Merit Race, allowing competitors to earn global ranking points towards the Swimrun World Championships.

The Full Course takes competitors on a route most locals will recognise stretch by stretch — a technical swim from Tears Point to Mewslade Bay, cliff top running to Port Eynon, a crossing of Port Eynon Bay, then on through Oxwich, around Tor Point, into Pwll Du, across to Brandy Cove, Caswell Bay, Langland Bay and Rotherslade before a final climb up Mumbles Hill to the finish line.

Competitor Stacey Bramhall, who is also involved in promoting the event, said the experience of seeing Gower from both the coastal path and the water was unlike anything else.

“There is honestly nothing quite like the perspective of seeing Gower’s beauty from the coast path and the water,” she said. “The sense of achievement when you finish the race makes it all 100% worth doing.”

For those nervous about the swimming sections, the organisers point to an extensive water safety team who are in the water throughout. “We have a huge support team who are in the water for every stroke to support swimmers whether it’s their first swimrun or fifth,” said Pavitt.

Transport to the start lines is provided, with all courses finishing back in Mumbles. The event hub, registration and finish line are all based there, giving spectators a base for the day.

The Gritty Rascals Swimrun Gower takes place on Saturday 20 June 2026. Registration is open now at grittyrascals.com.

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Mediterranean restaurant La Parrilla closes its two Swansea branches

The company said that the decision has been “extremely difficult” Christie Bannon Senior multimedia journalist 16:11, 15 Jan 2020Updated 16:13,…
#dining #cooking #diet #food #mediterranean #MediterraneanDiet #MediterraneanFood #MediterraneanIngredient #Mediterranean #Mumbles #Restaurants #SA1 #South-WestWales #Swansea
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2633754/mediterranean-restaurant-la-parrilla-closes-its-two-swansea-branches/