Thumbs up from the Children of Croesgoch!
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Issue 23 May 2018 Thumbs up from the children of Croesgoch! Congratulations to the Ysgol Croesgoch School Orchestra on their success at the Urdd Instrumental Eisteddfod. They now go on to represent the school and Pembrokeshire at the National Eisteddfod in May. 1 More news from Ysgol Croesgoch .... Congratulations also to Cerys Witchell and Alannah Hull on their performances at the County Urdd Eisteddfod. Cerys will also go forward to the National Eisteddfod in Builth Wells. Pob lwc blant! And we have a short story by Sam Kelly from Year 5 – a budding young writer for the future! Jeff the talented dog “DECLAN!!!” a voice came booming down the stairs. “Yes mam,” I replied in a shrill voice. “Tidy your Lego up, it’s doin’ me head in.” Looking up from the miniscule screen of my phone, I cried “I’ll do it after tea.” “Alright, just pack your spaceship up it’s been there long enough.” I heard a weird clicking sound. It sounded like it was coming from the basement. That didn’t worry me though because I was pretty sure it was just rats. By the time I had come off the phone it was already teatime. I strolled into the crowded kitchen. My two sisters were already sitting down but Mam and Dad were busily juggling pots and pans. The delicious smell of freshly made spaghetti bolognaise pervaded the cramped room. I sat down on the oak chair. It was as cold as ice. Most of the meal was spent in silence until Mam started a conversation. By this time, me and my sisters had finished our food. She gave us permission to leave the table as long as I would go upstairs to clean up the Lego. I went upstairs to clean up the Lego but when I got there half of the bricks were missing but at least the spaceship was still there. I wondered if my two sisters had taken it. It did seem like they had a joyful aura following them around the dinner table. The missing bricks didn’t worry me that much though. Anyway I just wanted to relax for the rest of the evening. When I woke up the next morning the spaceship had disappeared! I went looking for it. I looked everywhere but I couldn’t find it and then I realised where I hadn’t looked. In the basement! The door was opened a crack and the light was on. I slowly approached the door and with my right foot pushed the door open. CREEEAAAAAKKKKKK! And to my amazement I saw Jeff my dog lifting up the 2 antenna from my spaceship with his teeth and with caution planting it on top of a Lego Eiffel tower…. And here we are three years later. Now Jeff has nine Lego associated world records to his name and he has even learnt how to play ‘Lego worlds’ on the Play station. And he has now become a YouTube sensation. And on to intrepid achievements on the coast: Ras Dewi Sant – Coastal Marathon and Half-marathon 2018 Postponed from the snowy weekend in March, the Man-Up coastal marathon, Ras Dewi Sant, along with the half marathon and 10K run, eventually took place on Saturday 7th April. March snow was replaced by April mud! We recount the experiences of some of our readers who survived the mud to tell the tale….. First the daunting challenge of the full marathon: An early start as the intrepid runners left Mathry at 8 in the morning to begin their 26-mile challenge along the coast from Abercastle to Whitesands, round to Caerfai, and back up through St Davids, finally climbing the cathedral steps to the Square, and a welcome massage! Ieuan Jenkins and Meirion Williams were stoically representing the Llais Rhian area and we caught up with them (not literally) as they came through Abereiddi, still looking fresh though mud stained! They completed the course in just under 7 hours….no mean feat! Chris Tilley, from Trefin, tells us how he got back into ‘senior’ running, and after his success in the Ras Dewi Sant half marathon, he is now keen to take on more challenges: ‘When I’m 64’ The Beatles iconic song was playing in the background three years ago when my son Jamie, a keen triathlete, challenged me to do the ‘Beast Bach’ run over the Preseli mountains. I had just a year to get my body and mind back into fitness and at 64 that was a challenge! I have always kept reasonably fit, but hadn’t done any running for over 20 years, so it was a slow, painful road, often very hard going running the Pembrokeshire coastal path in wind, rain and ankle-deep mud – what was I thinking?! 3 Nonetheless I persevered and tamed the ‘Beast’. Several 10k runs followed, including the Snowdonia Trail 10k which was gruelling to say the least. Cheered on by my wife Rose and my two grandsons, it was the hardest thing I have ever done. My next challenge was to complete a half-marathon (13 miles) and with St. Davids just up the road, the 2018 ‘Ras Dewi Sant’ was an obvious choice. I booked my place and continued to push up my mileage and believe me there were times during those months of rain & snow that I would have been happier in front of the fire with a pint and the paper! Snow led to the race being postponed, which gave me a few more weeks in the gym and on the path. Being prepared and up to fitness is very important when you’re a senior runner. I am very fortunate to have a Sports Podiatrist and advisor for a son, because your feet really do need all the care and support they can get, never mind your knees, hips and back! Winning 1st place in my category of ‘over 60’s’ in the Ras Dewi Sant half-marathon was a great reward and encouragement to continue doing what I enjoy. Retiring from work in June, I’ll need to keep running and training, or my wife will find me jobs to do! No longer 64, I’m nearer 67 now and have no plans to stop running any time soon. I’m training now for the Preseli ‘Beast Bach’ in May and will be raising money for ‘Llanrhian Carers Group’, a great local cause. If you would like to sponsor me or find out more about the Carers group, please give me a call – 01348 837649. But perhaps not quite so much planning and training for the youngsters involved - Ella Sutton from Tretio tells us how she and her brother Ben came to be in the race …. and it wasn’t a 100% voluntary decision by him! Ben and I have competed in the Ras Dewi Sant for several years. This year we were both happy when the ‘Beast from the East’ meant it was postponed to a date when I was back from university and Ben back from trekking in Nepal, supposedly with all the altitude adaptations! Friday evening came, and we still hadn’t booked. I texted Adam, a friend from tetrathlon, and he agreed to run, which meant we all were, like it or not! I signed us all up, much to the disappointment of Ben who was lying on the floor complaining that he’d eaten too much! We all slipped and fell our way around the course. Ben and Adam both finished well under the 2-hour mark and I was not too far over. I think it was fair to say Ben and I 4 may have benefitted from some more training judging by our recovery aches and pains, but no doubt we will be back to do the next one too! Congratulations to all who ran in the 10k, half and full marathons and thank you to all the organizers who run it and to those who officiate - it is much appreciated. Ella and Adam are doing another half-marathon in Swansea in June along with their Welsh Tetrathlon teammates, raising money for the British Heart Foundation in memory of their close friend and team mate Issie, aged 19, who passed away unexpectedly at the end of January. If you would like to support them, you can donate at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/walestetrathlonteam Changes at Abereiddi… Abereiddy Update - this statement was issued, as you can see, in March. You may have seen it on Facebook and many people will by now be aware of the new proposals and arrangements, but we have reproduced the statement to clarify the situation: Abereiddy Update March 2018: New Parking System from Easter 2018 ALL ENQUIRIES: please call The Man-Up Management Team: 07855 954702. It cannot have gone un-noticed that the land utilised as the beach ‘car park’ at Abereiddy has been significantly reduced in size as a result of severe winter weather, particularly by the exceptional storms of 2013. Less than 50% of the original car parking area now remains, and as well as its diminished capacity, the remaining surface of the land is in a very poor state and largely unsuitable for vehicle parking. Abereiddy, the Blue Lagoon, Coast Path and general area remain ever popular with day trippers and tourists. An increase in visitor numbers to this popular spot has resulted in the road network to the beach and the much-reduced parking area becoming stretched beyond usable and environmental limits. The congestion and ad-hoc ‘free for all parking’ seriously affects user experience of the area and can have a negative impact on the day trippers and tourists, whose financial support to the community is a major asset to the local economy.