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.

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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/

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, 15 Jan 2020 La Parrilla in SA1 has been welcoming di…
#dining #cooking #diet #food #MediterraneanIngredient #Mediterranean #Mumbles #Restaurants #SA1 #South-WestWales #Swansea
https://www.diningandcooking.com/2633754/mediterranean-restaurant-la-parrilla-closes-its-two-swansea-branches/

Bonnie Tyler placed in induced coma as Skewen-born singer’s condition worsens after Portugal surgery

Bonnie Tyler has been placed into an induced coma in intensive care as her condition has worsened – just days after emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal.

The 74-year-old Skewen-born singer was rushed to Faro Hospital on 30 April after experiencing severe abdominal pain at her home in the Algarve.

Surgery to treat a perforated intestine had initially been described by her spokesperson as successful, with the singer said to be recuperating well.

But Tyler’s condition has taken a serious turn for the worse over the past few hours.

A spokesperson confirmed on Thursday evening that the global icon had been placed into an induced coma to support her recovery.

“Bonnie has been put into an induced coma by her doctors to aid her recovery,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson asked for privacy at what they described as a difficult time. “We know that you all wish her well and ask for privacy at this difficult time please. We will issue a further statement when we are able to,” they said.

Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manhã has reported that the singer has been moved from the intermediate care unit at Faro Hospital to the intensive care ward.

She is understood to require mechanical ventilation while she remains unconscious.

Born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen in 1951, Tyler grew up in a council house in the Neath area before being discovered by talent scout Roger Bell at a Swansea club in the mid-1970s.

She launched her recording career with Lost in France in 1976, but it was Total Eclipse of the Heart in 1983 that cemented her status as a global superstar – spending two weeks at number one in the UK and four weeks at the top of the US charts.

The track has since become one of the most enduring pop songs of all time, passing the one billion streams mark on Spotify last year.

Tyler has been open about her health in recent years, but had recently said her main issues were with her knees – for which she had a surgical procedure that she described as successful.

Earlier this year she said she was quite fit for her age and had no intention of retiring. “I’m never going to retire. I look at Tom Jones. He’s amazing,” she said.

Her diary for the rest of the year had included a major performance at Malta’s SummerLUST Music Festival on 22 May, plus tour dates across Germany, Hungary, Czechia, Scotland and Turkey.

Those engagements now hang in the balance.

Tyler splits her time between her home in Mumbles and the Algarve, where she has lived since 1988.

Fans across Wales and around the world have been sending messages of support since news of her hospitalisation broke earlier this week.

Tyler has been married to property developer Robert Sullivan since 1973.

A further statement on her condition is expected when her family and medical team are able to provide one.

MUMBLES: Plans unveiled for new £4.5m marine sports centre at Knab Rock — funded by 12 luxury flats on the site of the historic yacht club

Plans for a major new marine sports centre on the Mumbles waterfront have been submitted to Swansea Council – alongside proposals for 12 luxury flats on the site of the existing Mumbles Yacht Club to help fund the development.

The “Centre for Marine Sporting Excellence” would be built at Knab Rock, next to Verdi’s café, just yards from the popular slipway.

It would include training and coaching facilities for sailing, rowing and coastal sports, a tidal bathing pool, boat and equipment storage, public toilets, a Changing Places facility and flexible community rooms.

The centre would also house a 120-seater function room – described in the plans as suitable for conferences, training events and weddings.

But to help pay for it, the existing Mumbles Yacht Club building across Mumbles Road would be demolished – and replaced with 12 luxury mezzanine apartments above an undercroft car park.

Documents submitted to Swansea Council show that the apartments – 10 standard flats and two penthouse suites – would be expected to sell for between £500,000 and £650,000 each, generating an estimated £6.3 million to £6.5 million.

That money would help fund the marine centre, which is currently estimated to cost £4.5 million to build.

Mumbles Yacht Club, founded in the 1930s, is also home to Mumbles Rowing Club, founded in the 1880s – a centre of excellence for coastal sculling that attracts Team GB athletes.

Together, the clubs have around 350 to 400 members.

The yacht club has held a public consultation that drew more than 500 responses, with almost all in support of a new watersports centre, according to the club.

Commodore Richard Woffinden said the club was excited about the future. “There’s a long way to go but we are really excited about the future of Mumbles Yacht Club and our rowing club,” he said. “It would be great to be part of a centre where clubs of all sorts can work together to create opportunities for our community to join us on the water.”

The proposals also flag potential future ambitions for the site – including a half-tide harbour and a tidal swimming pool – as part of a wider vision for enhancing the Mumbles waterfront.

The club has indicated it may also explore grant funding to upgrade the proposed centre into a national-level coaching facility for Wales and the UK.

Plans submitted to the council acknowledge the significant constraints of the site.

The yacht club building lies within the Mumbles Conservation Area, while the proposed apartment site sits within the Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now known as the Gower National Landscape).

The flats would be partly built into the limestone cliff face – a designated Safeguarded Limestone Resource and an internationally recognised dark sky community, requiring strict controls on lighting.

The Grade II listed Bristol Channel Yacht Club sits just 30 metres away from the proposed apartment block, and the marine sports centre site is within Flood Zone 3 – meaning major flood risk constraints apply.

Council planning officers have responded with a mixed verdict on the proposals.

Officers said they applauded the aspirations to provide a new high-quality Centre for Marine Sporting Excellence, recognising its potential community and sporting benefits.

But they raised significant concerns about the principle of developing 12 luxury private flats on land that extends outside the Local Development Plan settlement boundary – which would normally only be permitted as “enabling development” with substantial heritage benefits.

The officers also said insufficient information had been provided to justify the scale, massing, siting and design of the buildings, or to demonstrate proper compliance with placemaking principles.

Concerns were also raised about lighting impacts on the Gower’s dark sky designation, parking levels, residential amenity, green infrastructure and the robustness of the proposed enabling development model.

The proposal also appears to be contrary to TAN 15 – Welsh Government planning guidance on flood risk.

The yacht club will now respond to the points raised, develop a business plan and explore funding in more detail.

The plans come at a time when several other major waterfront proposals are under development across Swansea Bay. A separate tidal pool is being proposed near the Civic Centre as part of a major transformation by Urban Splash, while Eden Project-style proposals from Xanadoo are also being explored for a Swansea site.

The application is currently at the pre-application stage with reference 2026/0063/PRE on Swansea Council’s planning portal.

A formal planning application is yet to be submitted.

NEATH: Bonnie Tyler recovering after emergency surgery in Portugal — as fans send get-well wishes to the girl from Skewen

Bonnie Tyler is recovering in hospital after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in Portugal.

The 74-year-old Welsh icon – born Gaynor Hopkins in Skewen, Neath – was admitted to Faro Hospital in the Algarve, where she has owned a home since 1988.

Reports suggest she had been experiencing severe abdominal pain before seeking medical help, and was taken in for urgent surgery to treat an intestinal perforation.

A spokesperson said the surgery had gone well. “We are very sorry to announce that Bonnie has been admitted to hospital in Faro, Portugal, where she has a home, for emergency intestinal surgery,” they said. “The surgery went well and she is now recuperating.”

The spokesperson added that family, friends and fans would be wishing her well. “We know that all of her family, friends, and fans will be concerned about this news and will be wishing her well for a full and swift recovery,” they said.

Tyler is currently in the intermediate care unit of the hospital’s emergency department, with her condition described as stable.

Born and raised in Skewen, Tyler now shares her time between her home in Mumbles and the Algarve.

Born into a coal mining family in 1951, she grew up in a council house in Skewen before being discovered by talent scout Roger Bell at a Swansea club in the mid-1970s.

She launched her recording career with Lost in France in 1976, but it was Total Eclipse of the Heart in 1983 that made her a global superstar – spending two weeks at number one in the UK and four weeks at the top of the US charts.

The song has since become one of the best-selling singles of all time, with worldwide sales in excess of six million copies – and last year it passed the one billion streams mark on Spotify.

Her distinctive husky voice – one of the most recognisable in pop history – was the result of a throat operation in the mid-1970s to remove vocal nodules. Defying doctors’ orders to rest her voice during recovery, she spoke anyway, and accidentally created her trademark sound.

Among her other major hits are It’s a Heartache, which reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, and Holding Out for a Hero from the 1984 film Footloose.

She represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2013, finishing 19th with Believe in Me.

Three-times Grammy-nominated Tyler was appointed MBE in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to music and has been named a Freeman of Neath Port Talbot.

No further details have been released about Tyler’s expected recovery time or when she may be discharged from hospital.

MUMBLES: Banking Hub opens today — and Pembroke Dock confirmed for June

Banking services are returning to two more communities across south and west Wales – with Mumbles opening its new banking hub this morning and Pembroke Dock confirming its hub will open in early June.

The Mumbles Banking Hub opened its doors for the first time today at Unit 6, Castleton Walk Arcade, Newton Road, Mumbles, SA3 4AX.

The hub will be open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm – with community bankers from Barclays attending on Wednesdays, Lloyds Banking Group on Thursdays and NatWest on Fridays. Monday and Tuesday schedules are still to be confirmed.

Mumbles County Councillor Will Thomas, who confirmed the opening, said it was great news for the community and described it as returning banking services to the village.

The Mumbles hub was first recommended last year after high street banking services continued to disappear from the area, leaving residents and businesses without face-to-face banking locally.

Meanwhile in Pembrokeshire, Pembroke Dock Town Council has confirmed that its new banking hub will be sited in Pembroke Dock library, with an opening date expected in early June.

The council said the exact opening date would be shared in due course and urged residents from across the county to make use of the service.

Banking hubs are a national initiative designed to replace lost high street bank branches with a shared facility, where customers of multiple banks can carry out everyday transactions and speak to their own bank’s community banker on a rotating schedule.

The model has been rolled out across south-west Wales in recent months – with Morriston, Gorseinon, Porthcawl and Ystradgynlais all receiving hubs following community campaigns.

Not every community that has applied for a hub has been successful. Plaid MS Sioned Williams challenged cash access company Link over Pontardawe’s exclusion from the programme – a decision that angered local campaigners.

Banking hubs are operated by Cash Access UK and are recommended by Link, the cash access network, following an assessment of local need.

The assessment takes into account the number of bank branch closures in an area, the availability of alternative cash access points, and the demographics of the local population.

Mumbles and Pembroke Dock both qualify on the grounds of multiple branch closures in recent years, leaving communities without convenient access to in-person banking services.

For Mumbles residents, the hub on Newton Road is open from today. No appointment is needed for general counter services.

For Pembroke Dock residents, further details on the opening date and schedule will be published by the town council in the coming weeks.