Latest news with #Ceredigion
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Experts reveal the hidden health benefits of having an allotment
Allotments offer far more than just a space to cultivate fruit and vegetables. They are crucial for fostering physical, mental, and social wellbeing, according to gardening experts. This profound benefit is the central focus of this year's National Allotments Week, an annual awareness event organised by the National Allotment Society. For anyone seeking a significant boost to their overall health and happiness, these verdant plots present a compelling and holistic solution. They help people connect Gardening expert Kim Stoddart, author of The Climate Change Resilient Vegetable Garden, who began running a community garden project at Creuddyn in Ceredigion, Wales, after the pandemic, found that initially volunteers were struggling to connect. 'There's still a sense of that in the world at large, but communities bring people together and gardens bring people together,' says Stoddart, editor of Amateur Gardening magazine. 'There's such a strong sense of togetherness through the ability to nurture an allotment in a community environment. They are such important social hubs and can help with socialisation, alleviate loneliness and anxiety and worries about the world. They are beautiful places where people can come together and feel that the world is ok.' They encourage healthy eating If managed properly, an allotment can produce enough food to supplement a family's weekly shop with fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the year, according to gardening for health charity Thrive. Many allotment holders garden organically and have a sense of satisfaction in the knowledge they've grown the edibles themselves, know how they've been grown and exactly what they are eating. Growing your own also promotes a sense of fulfilment, the charity adds. They tackle gardening guilt 'I always find in the courses I run that people feel guilty that they are not doing things in the right way and that their plots are not like the gardens they see on TV. A lot of people feel that they are not doing enough. 'But actually, we need our gardens and our community spaces to be nurturing right now, to help us cope with things that are happening in the world. So the therapeutic benefit of them is huge.' They encourage kindness 'There's nothing like a good old-fashioned barter and exchange, and community allotments are a very good place for this, but it's also about reaching out to people and the connections you can create with little acts of kindness,' says Stoddart. 'It makes you feel good about yourself, although you have to be aware that you don't want to pass on something that people don't want, like forcing endless courgettes on people just because you want to get rid of them. 'But giving things like cuttings or strawberry runners, or whatever you have a surplus of, feels really nice to engage in that way. It's down-to-earth, grounded and hopeful.' They help people with illnesses Allotments not only support physical health through aerobic exercise such as digging and raking, but can also help improve speech, cognitive and motor skills for people with debilitating illnesses, Thrive says. Being outside in sunlight can also increase vitamin D levels and lower blood pressure. They encourage recycling creativity 'Turning rubbish into the wondrous is an incredibly powerful feel-good action. Take something that would otherwise go to landfill and find something useful to do with it. It feels like you're taking back control,' Stoddart continues. Creating simple things such as old welly planters, or using broken pots to create rockery-like displays which will help protect plants drying out if you have heatwaves, can give people the feel-good factor, she says. 'The community garden was a building site housing a lot of rubble. So, we've used lots of stone and rubble as a mulch around plants, which helps protect them from heat. 'Old windows can be used as impromptu cold frames. We need to carry on growing into the winter and make use of this precious outdoor space when the weather changes, which would also give people an excuse to go to the allotment.' They promote seed-saving 'There's something very sacred about the saving of seed in other cultures around the world. It's like full-circle gardening where you are saving money by saving seed from your flowers and crops so you can sow them next year. It's also a way of creating more resilient seed. 'It's connecting you with the full-circle completion of the plant, it's saving you money and it's a way of taking control back. The hand-eye coordination, the touching, the feeling, the harvesting and seed-saving connects you with the ebb and flow of the seasons and the hope and promise of future food growing in the years to come.' She notes that during heatwaves, for example, the seeds saved from crops which have performed the best will be more resilient in the future, because genetically the seed has coped with the heatwave. ' Lettuce, for instance, is easy to save from, as are tomatoes which will grow true to type, and rocket is a resilient allotment growers' ally. It self-seeds and is great for ground cover, and radish is very good as well.' National Allotments Week runs from Aug 11-17.
BBC News
22-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Guillain-Barré syndrome diagnosed in boy, six, from Aberaeron
Lewis was an active young boy who loved playing football and swimming. Even after getting a pain in his leg which persisted for a week, blood tests with the GP suggested this could be simply growing pains. But a few weeks later, he lost the ability to walk completely, and was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome - a serious condition which damages the nerves, and affects around 1,300 people in the UK each the shock of being rushed from his Ceredigion home to Cardiff for treatment last year, Lewis, now six, is improving and has been able to take a few steps. "We initially put it down to growing or muscle pains, down to his age," said mum Lizzie Danton, 34, from Aberaeron."But after a week he was still complaining of pain and I noticed he was walking differently."Lizzie took Lewis to the GP where they carried out blood tests, where they came back with no issues. Four weeks later, during a swimming lesson, Lewis' teacher Martienus Thomas noticed that he struggled during the lesson. "Martienus mentioned that he struggled to kick while swimming, which was strange because he had received his 15m badge. Then all of sudden he couldn't walk," said Lizzie. Lizzie, and Lewis' dad, Alex, took the six-year-old to A&E in Aberystwyth before he was transferred to Glanwili Hospital, Carmarthen for scans and blood tests. Lewis was rushed to Noah's Ark Children's Hospital, Cardiff, in October 2024 after blood tests found he had high levels of protein in his system. Following further tests in Cardiff, Lewis was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. According to the NHS, the condition affects your senses, your movement and things such as breathing and your heartbeat. Some people's symptoms become so severe that they are not able to move their legs, arms and face."We are so lucky that the team acted so fast because if they hadn't, it could be very different," said Lizzie. After four weeks in hospital, Lewis was eventually allowed to return home in November. Although while home, Lewis picked up a virus and was rushed back to Cardiff after it started to affect his arms. "He went through numerous treatments and he lost all of his mobility. He couldn't move his toes or legs," said Lizzie."The last treatment has worked and he can now feel his legs and he has even taken three steps." Lizzie said as a family they have gone through different emotions throughout but Lewis has remained his cheeky self. She said: "He's been really good and he has kept our spirits up. He is making jokes and winding people up."It just shows how children can be so resilient."She added that while they still travel to Cardiff for treatment, Lewis is doing better now. Lizzie said she and her family are grateful for the team at Noah's Ark and the support they have received from the local community, adding: "We've had so much fundraising locally for Noah's Ark. We're so grateful for the team and how quickly they acted. "You don't realise how important charity services, like Noah's Ark, are until you need them most."Martienus Thomas, recently finished a fundraising walk from Lewis' school in Aberaeron, to Noah's Ark and has raised more than £5,000 for the hospital.
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Lampeter UWTSD campus plans progress with purchase of £1.8m farm
A council has bought a farm valued at more than £1.8m as part of plans to deliver vocational and post-16 courses including agriculture on a university council leader Brian Davies said a loan was provided by the Welsh government to enable the authority to buy the farm, which adjoins the University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD) campus in the start of the year UWTSD announced undergraduate teaching at the campus would end in September, with students able to continue their studies in authority said its aim was to "secure a sustainable future for the campus" by developing new courses there. Following the announcement about the future of the campus there were concerns in Lampeter about the impact the course closures would have on the the time, almost 6,000 people signed a petition calling on the university to provide a sustainable future for the historic recent months university chiefs have been in discussion with Ceredigion council about using part of the local authority has now said the campus plans to deliver post-16 vocational courses with an emphasis on agriculture, horticulture, gastronomy and construction. Davies said buying the neighbouring 150-acre farm, including outbuildings and a farmhouse, was "crucial" for the delivery of a post-16 course in agriculture which was not currently available in the rural said Welsh government ministers had been "kept in the loop" about the council's plans from the very outset, adding: "They can see the benefits of the vision here, and they were happy to give us the money to purchase the farm."An online advert for the farm - called Llettytwppa - listed an asking price of more than £1.8m. Davies would not specify how much the council had paid for it, but said it was "the market value". The Lampeter campus is the oldest in Wales and has been described as the birthplace of higher education in the country. It was founded in 1822 as St David's College to provide education for members of the time a range of new courses were introduced, and it developed into a university, teaching both undergraduates and in recent years the number of students in Lampeter declined and in January UWTSD confirmed 200 years of undergraduate teaching would come to an end, with humanities courses being transferred to its campus in Carmarthen in university had said previously that, with just 92 undergraduate students, it was "not viable" to maintain the infrastructure of the campus, which cost £2.7m per year to March UWTSD started to meet with stakeholders, including Ceredigion council, to discuss what were described as "viable proposals" for the future of the campus, and, in June, UWTSD and Ceredigion council said they were exploring plans to develop post-16 vocational training at the council said other vocational and skills-based courses would be developed over the next three years and it aimed to provide additional community facilities on the site.A-level courses would not be provided on the campus, which could not compete with school sixth forms in terms of academic provision, the council added. Davies said the campus had "significant potential" and the local authority wanted "to secure a sustainable future for the campus".He added the vocational courses would enable students to develop the skills required to meet employer needs around the region, with young people able to stay in their communities. Emlyn Dole, chair of the university's council, said the purchase was an "exciting opportunity" which would strengthen community links and support the rural economy.A series of public meetings are to be held over the coming months to discuss the plans.
BBC News
14-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Sustainable farming changes 'once in a generation' for Wales
Farmers and environmentalists are bracing themselves with major changes to the financial support available for agriculture in Wales set to be Welsh government's protest-hit plan for greener farm subsidy payments - known as the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) - has been seven years in the leaders have described publication of a final set of proposals as "a once in a generation event".The Welsh government said it would unveil "a scheme for the whole of Wales" that recognised farming's "vital role in Welsh communities" while meeting environmental responsibilities. Rhodri Lloyd-Williams, who farms sheep and cattle across 750 acres of hillside near Talybont, Ceredigion, said it was "a massive moment".He said he was hoping for "clarity" after "years of uncertainty" following the Brexit vote in SFS will replace EU-era subsidies, which farmers had received for decades based largely on how much land they average, 67% of Welsh farm income came from subsidies in new approach has far more of an environmental focus, with the aim of rewarding farmers for delivering "public goods" like wildlife habitat and soaking up carbon in the land. Debate over the years has focused on how to make the scheme workable for farmers while ambitious enough to deliver against Wales' environmental government has already made some major concessions, such as scrapping a requirement for farms to have 10% tree cover to qualify for funding, after widespread farmer protests in groups fear the final scheme will fall short of helping an industry set to become Wales' largest source of greenhouse gas emissions within a decade respond and adapt to the twin threats of climate change and nature loss."It's important to acknowledge that they've had a really tough job," Mr Lloyd-Williams said of the Welsh government. "There's no way when they make the announcement they'll keep everyone happy."As an organic farmer and member of the Nature Friendly Farming Network, his is exactly the sort of farming system ministers want to support, from rotational grazing of livestock to boost soil health, to planting hedges and said he would be glad to see the new scheme include "a bit more encouragement" for this sort of work, which he said could deliver "multiple benefits" for both the farming business and "first and foremost we need to keep Welsh farmers farming," he added."There needs to be enough support payments for everyone to maintain their businesses, because the worst thing that could happen is that we can't produce enough food in this country." BBC Wales understands the scheme's final details were still being worked on as late as Friday, with an announcement expected on comes ahead of the start of the annual Royal Welsh Agricultural Show next week, where politicians from all parties will be setting out their own vision for the future of farming and the countryside with less than a year to a Senedd election. The SFS will have three tiers - a universal payment where farmers have to sign up to 12 actions from soil health planning and habitat maintenance, to online courses to enhance knowledge and skills related to sustainable scheme's optional layer is intended to top up farm incomes with further environmental work, including tree planting.A collaborative payment will also be available in future to support farmers working together on landscape-scale projects. "Clearly we can't ignore the fact that we're moving away from a system of direct farm support to a system which focuses more on the environment," said Gareth Parry, head of policy at the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW).Unions had "worked tirelessly" to try and ensure the scheme in its final form would provide "stability and economic certainty" for farmers, he "million dollar question" would be how much funding was being announcement would "provide the first opportunity for farmers to really understand what will be required of them... and what they will actually be paid in monetary terms for doing those activities", he said."It's more than a once in a generation event," explained Prof Iain Donnison, head of the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth said there had been "very few times in history" where there was an opportunity to start from scratch, "to go back and ask actually what is it that we want from land and farming?""Though it will evolve over time, the main structure is likely to stay in place for many decades," he "it affects all of us - clearly we all eat food, we all go into the countryside, things like clean air and water and conserving nature are important to everyone". The Welsh government said its new scheme would "create a partnership between Welsh farmers and the people of Wales to support sustainable food production while addressing climate change and nature recovery".The plans had been "simplified following extensive consultation with the agricultural industry" and were "designed to be accessible to all types of farms, including tenant farmers and new entrants", it added. Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies described it as "a scheme for the whole of Wales – a whole farm, whole nation approach".
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Bird flu confirmed as Ceredigion council warns public
People in a Welsh county are being warned to "remain vigilant" after bird flu was detected in seabirds along a stretch of council has said residents and visitors should "exercise caution" following confirmed cases of avian influenza in wild seabirds, particularly between Aberaeron and New received a formal notification of avian flu in a guillemot found on New Quay beach, with further reports of deceased seabirds in surrounding comes after the first Welsh cases of bird flu in poultry for three years were discovered last month in Pembrokeshire and Wrexham, leading to protection zones being put in place. The council said it would be installing advisory signage at key beach access points, reminding people not to touch or pick up dead or visibly sick wild birds, keep dogs on leads and on designated footpaths, avoid contact with bird feathers or droppings, and to wash their hands after tending to poultry or other of the public are also being asked to report sightings of dead wild waterfowl – such as swans, geese and ducks - or other wild birds such as gulls or birds of prey to the department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra).Matthew Vaux, Ceredigion's cabinet member for public protection said "while the risk to public health is low, vigilance is essential"."The public is thanked for their cooperation and reminded not to attempt to handle any dead birds," he added. What is bird flu? Bird flu, or avian flu, is an infectious type of influenza that spreads among birds and, in rare cases, can affect are many different types, but the strains of biggest concern in the UK can be spread by close contact with an infected bird - dead or alive - as well as its droppings and advice urges people to avoid contact with live birds where possible, and to wash their hands often with warm water and soap, especially before and after handling food, in particular raw tips for avoiding the spread include using different utensils for cooked and raw meat, and making sure meat is cooked until steaming hot.
