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Caswell:
🎵 Placebo Places

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https://caswellofficial.bandcamp.com/track/placebo-places

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Residents say they’re ‘Pooped Off’ with Gower sewage spills

Local resident, David Haines-Hanham is behind the protest which saw over 70 local residents cover the gates of the treatment works with anti-sewage posters and messages from the local community.

These included slogans such as “I came here to swim, not to marinade in bum broth” and “Welsh Water – No more turd waves”.

Mr Haines-Hanham explained: “This started a couple of years ago when I was stand-up paddleboarding with my daughter Maddie. It was a nice day. It hadn’t rained for 24 hours. We were coming back from Caswell to Brandy Cove. The water was about a metre deep and we were enjoying looking at the seaweed and the rocks. All of a sudden where the pipe outfall is the water turns a disgusting brown. The smell is unmistakeable. The filth was horrible. It was unmistakably a sewage slick.

“Next time we were walking along the cliffs just before one of the autumn storms were coming in. It hadn’t rained for two days. We looked over to Brandy Cove. It was high tide and there was an unmistakeable brown patch again with all the black headed gulls having a feast. In my mind it was a sewage slick in preparation for a storm that hadn’t even happened yet.”

Mr Haines-Hanham says he has a clear message for Welsh Water. “You’ve failed to futureproof your infrastructure. Since the UV treatment was brought in, it doesn’t seem to me that you’ve looked to the future. You haven’t looked 20 years time, which is where we are now. You’ve done nothing to prepare for the prevention of pollution incidents.

“I don’t know much about the politics of Welsh Water, but I do know they’ve just asked us as bill payers for more money. I say just use that money – our money – to mend your outdated systems. Put money in the right places to make our sea cleaner.”  

Mr Haines-Hanham said: “I’ve explained the ‘snowball effect’ to my kids, and their hope is that our small action will encourage and inspire other communities to do similar at treatment works that regularly underperform and allow sewage to be released into the sea.”

Meanwhile Welsh Water say they’re investing £2.5bn on environmental projects over the next 5 years and that some pollution issues are due to surface-water run-off and poorly maintained private septic systems.

A spokesperson for Welsh Water said: “Storm overflows play a vital role in preventing homes being flooded following heavy rain. 

“We cannot completely remove storm overflows as it would cost between £9-£14 billion and involve digging up almost every street in Wales.

“We understand there is increased concern about water quality and we are working to improve things with £2.5bn investment on environmental projects in our current investment period (2025-30).

“This comes after we invested £1.4bn in our wastewater system in the decade to 2025, which helped ensure Wales’ amazing coastline is blessed with almost a quarter of the UK’s Blue Flag beaches despite having just 15% of its coastline. 

“The latest Bathing Water results for Wales also showed that 98% of the designated bathing waters meet stringent quality standards – with almost 70% meeting the highest ‘Excellent’ water quality standard.

“A number of factors can impact water quality including surface water runoff, misconnections – as we saw recently in a social media video shared of waste on the rocks between Langland and Rotherslade, rural land use and poorly maintained private septic tanks.

“You can get accurate and up-to-date information on spills from our storm overflows on this map.”

In response to Welsh Water’s statement, Mr Haines-Hanham reflected on the launch of regulator OfWat’s pollution enforcement investigation into Welsh Water in July 2024.

A similar investigation into Thames Water resulted in fines of nearly £123m for the company.

He said: “I only speak from the experience of what one family has experienced on one beach. Our experiences were categorically NOT during heavy rain periods.

“I also dispute the claim that the overflow map is accurate having been given conflicting information on the day I spoke to them. 

“Have we just been incredibly unlucky/lucky to witness these things or have Welsh Water just been getting away with it unnoticed?

“I’ve a feeling that their increase in investment is a result of the start of this investigation and I would love to see a breakdown of investment from the last 20 years compared to money taken from customers.

“As one sign said on Saturday – ‘You take our money now take some responsibility’ and another one saying ‘They have failed to futureproof infrastructure – use OUR extra money to mend your outdated system’.”

#Bishopston #BrandyCove #Caswell #featured #Gower #pollution #sewage #WelshWater

Volunteers make a splash by tuning up for piano challenge

Six volunteers raised £2,000 to purchase an electric piano by committing to ten dips in Caswell Bay.

Volunteer Aly Loring organised the fundraising challenge after speaking about music to patients at Tŷ Olwen, which delivers specialist palliative and end of life care.

Aly said: “Music is so important when sometimes there are no words.

“I’ve spoken to a lot of patients about music and how it impacts them, so I thought it would be a great idea to fundraise for an electric piano.

“Now we have the piano, anyone can play it – patients, staff, volunteers, visitors. It sets a nice atmosphere and can bring some joy to everyone who is in the building.

“The first song I played on it was inspired by a patient I spoke to. She loved Calon Lan, so I made sure that was the first song I played.”

The fundraising efforts surpassed expectations, with the total currently more than £3,400, with donations still being made.

Aly added: “The efforts of the volunteers in doing the challenge was amazing, and that was matched by the money raised – the extra money will be used for something else to help the patient experience in Tŷ Olwen.

“The camaraderie of the volunteers was so inspiring, and we helped each other through it all.

“We had some tricky weather – one dip came via a storm – but we sang different songs each time and one of our volunteers Carol Pillinger dressed up as Tinkerbell and a ballerina to bring more fun to it all.

“We also had Sue Parker doing the dips, while Ann Sandham, Sophie Cuggy and Chinch Gryniewicz helped by holding towels for us for when we got out of the sea and encouraging us. While there were other volunteers who couldn’t come in or be there, but who donated and raised money themselves. It was a real team effort.”

Helen Martin, Volunteer Support Manager at Tŷ Olwen Hospice, said: “We are ever so grateful for the efforts of the volunteers, who have really gone above and beyond in their efforts to support patients and staff in Tŷ Olwen.

“When you walk into the main entrance and are welcomed by music on the electric piano it really sets an uplifting atmosphere.

“Our patients are enjoying listening to the music, whether that’s in the tea bar or from their rooms, while staff and visitors have also given lovely feedback too.”

(Lead image: Swansea Bay NHS)

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#Caswell #Charity #Music #Swansea #SwanseaBayNHS #TyOlwen

Popular Gower community building badly damaged by fire

The roundhouse on the Caswell valley Bishops Wood circular near Swansea was found to be on fire this morning.

South Wales Fire and Rescue attended and put out the blaze using a specialist fire truck due to the isolated location.

A spokesperson for the fire service stated that they were yet to establish a cause for the blaze. The area has been taped off for safety.

The roundhouse, a wooden structure with an earth roof, has been a feature in the valley for some years and is a well used meeting place by the local and wider Swansea community. But this is the second fire to happen, with it often being the target of anti social behaviour.

Karen Jones the warden for Bishops Wood Nature Reserve said:

“It’s sad that people have lost the chance to use it like dance groups, children’s groups, educational groups, schools.

“So many people have a connection to nature through using it. It’s a real focal point – we’ve even seen a wedding there.”

“ We will have to put some fencing up and get an engineer to assess what can be done. It’s possible it might be repaired”.

Local councillor Lyndon R Jones commenting on the damage said:

“It’s very disappointing that this has happened. It’s very well liked.

“Once an engineer has investigated, which will happen soon, it can be decided what can and can’t be done, and then we will need to decide what to do.”

[Lead image: Pierre Donahue]

#BishopsWood #Caswell #Roundhouse #SouthWalesFireAndRescueService

The free taster sessions took place courtesy of Surfability, Wales’ first inclusive surf school, that specialises in providing lessons for people with additional needs due to disability, illness or injury.

Luke Crumb, from Bridgend, has ocular albinism, a rare condition that affects visual acuity and sensitivity to light. After surfing for the first time at the event he said, “It was really enjoyable; the instructors were great at telling me what I needed to do while taking into account my lack of sight.

“It’s great to have had this experience, I never thought I would have done something like it but giving it a try has given me a confidence boost to look at other things I might have avoided doing.”

Supporting the event was RNIB Cymru, Wales’ leading sight loss organisation.

RNIB Cymru Country Director Ansley Workman said: “Our aim is to build a future where blind and partially sighted people can participate in any sport or leisure activity they want to, and events like this will play a huge part in helping people realise the opportunities that are available to them.

“We hope the weekend will help break down barriers by challenging the general public’s perceptions of what people with sight loss are able to do.”

Having started in 2013, Surfability has quickly grown into a world-renowned adaptive surfing organisation, operating out of two south Wales locations at Caswell Bay beach and the Gower.

While they already have a number of blind surfers attend their regular sessions, this was the first time they’ve invited people with sight loss to head onto the water together, with the aim of giving as many people as possible the opportunity to try the sport for the first time.

Rhiannon Frayne, Surfability’s Operations and Project Manager said: “As far as we know this is the first time something like this has taken place in Wales, and we’re so proud to be able to give people their first taste of VI surfing.

“We know how beneficial surfing can be both mentally and physically, and it was wonderful to see people discovering those benefits for themselves.”

Following the event’s success, there are plans to hold further taster days from spring 2025.

https://swanseabaynews.com/2024/09/30/blind-surfers-take-to-waves-in-first-of-its-kind-event/

#Bridgend #Caswell #RNIB #SurfabilityUK #Surfing #Swansea