Latest news with #OwenEvans
Hamilton Spectator
10-07-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Lake Ontario guardians: Another busy season shaping up for Grimsby water rescue group
If you have spent any time in Lake Ontario off the Niagara shoreline, you may have seen or come into contact with the Grimsby Auxiliary Maritime Rescue Unit (GAMRU) South Shore Search and Rescue. 'We cover mostly the southern shore of Lake Ontario,' said Owen Evans, director of operations of the volunteer organization that began in 1988 and is based out of the marina at the Fifty Point Conservation Area . 'From Hamilton to Port Weller.' Evans said members are on call 24/7 to help people who get into difficulty on the lake. 'It can be as basic as a vessel broken down and needing to come back in or as serious as somebody falling off their vessel in the middle of the night and we're trying to find that person with the clock ticking,' Evans said. The group operates from mid-April to November and so far, this season, it has responded to 11 calls, mostly boaters requiring a tow or paddle boarders who needed to be rescued. 'That's on par for a busy season,' said Evans. 'We're on track for about 45 calls (this year).' Last year, the group responded to 31 calls. 'I think that's more people on the water enjoying it and also people themselves on the water without really understanding the hazards of that time too,' Evans said. 'I think a lot of the calls we get are from people maybe not understanding the preparatory steps they should be doing in order to go out on the water.' Evans offers the following tips to the public before they venture out onto Lake Ontario. Evans noted the unit has 45 volunteers and 20 dedicated crew that work in groups of five, Crews are often seen at Fifty Point doing training a few hours each evening throughout the boating season. The group responds to calls in GAMRU 240, a 26-foot aluminum boat powered by two Honda 225-horsepower outboard motors. Life jackets, helmets and floater suits (when the water is 15 C or lower) are mandatory. They purchased the boat in August 2021 from Stanley Boats in Parry Sound for about $300,000. The boat is equipped with a variety of search and rescue equipment including spotlights, infrared system, stretchers, and a large pump that can pump water out of a boat or be used to suppress a fire during a boat rescue. There's also an a utomated external defibrillator ( AED), marine radio, oxygen tank, and 300 feet of rope. Evans said all crew members have CPR and first aid training, a boat operating license and a marine radio license. He noted volunteers receive training from the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary that enables them to get their small vessel operation certification from Transport Canada. The group gets called out by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton that uses the Who's Responding app that emits a loud beep on volunteers' cell phones. 'There's not a lot of volunteering like this, where you hold quite a lot of responsibility,' said Evans, a Grimsby resident who works as an engineer for a solar power company in Burlington when he's not volunteering with GAMRU. He noted unit members come from a variety of backgrounds, including firefighters and nurses. GAMRU has received several commendations over the years. Evans said the most memorable was on a sunny afternoon off Fifty Point on July 24, 2002. 'We originally got a call for five persons that were on two paddle boards that had been blown offshore,' he said. 'It was a mother and kids, and the kids were probably under the age of five.' Evans noted two other people on paddle boards tried to help and all of a sudden there were seven people who needed to be rescued. 'When we got to them, they were two miles offshore,' Evans said. 'It was that strong south wind.' Evans said all seven people and their paddle boards were pulled on board their vessel and as they were heading back to Fifty Point, they spotted a man bobbing in the water. Only his head was visible. 'A man had fallen off a Jet Ski an hour ago,' Evans recalled. 'Nobody knew that he was out there, nobody was searching for him.' Evans said the man had been wearing a black life-jacket which made him hard to spot. 'He had been playing around at high speed and knocked himself out he told us,' Evans said. 'If his life-jacket had been any colour than black, somebody might have found him before then.' The mission lasted 106 minutes and the GAMRU 240 headed back to shore with eight rescues and five crew on board. For their effort, the crew received Stearns Rescue of the Year honours from the Canadian Safe Boating Council and the Operational Merit Medal from the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary. Evans noted GAMRU does not receive any sustained government funding, and all their equipment, supplies and training is paid for through the fundraising efforts of the members. New members are welcome. Volunteers must be 18 or older and be physically and mentally able to manage an often-difficult lake environment. See for more information. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Goalkeeper Evans makes permanent Barnet switch
Owen Evans moved to Cheltenham last summer from Walsall and featured 11 times in League Two before moving to Barnet [Rex Features] Barnet have signed goalkeeper Owen Evans on a permanent deal after his release by Cheltenham Town. The 28-year-old joined the Bees on loan from Cheltenham in January and conceded just seven goals in 18 games as he helped the club win the National League. Advertisement The Welshman has played for 10 clubs in his career including spells at Walsall, Macclesfield Town and Wigan Athletic. "The last four months of the season couldn't have gone any better, so to come back and it properly in the league now – it's really good," he said. "I think we have the ability and the team cohesion to do really well in this league. "I think we can really push, I think we'll surprise a lot of teams, and that's my ambition – to continue the upward trajectory of this club."
BBC News
26-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Goalkeeper Evans makes permanent Barnet switch
Barnet have signed goalkeeper Owen Evans on a permanent deal after his release by Cheltenham 28-year-old joined the Bees on loan from Cheltenham in January and conceded just seven goals in 18 games as he helped the club win the National Welshman has played for 10 clubs in his career including spells at Walsall, Macclesfield Town and Wigan Athletic."The last four months of the season couldn't have gone any better, so to come back and it properly in the league now – it's really good," he said."I think we have the ability and the team cohesion to do really well in this league."I think we can really push, I think we'll surprise a lot of teams, and that's my ambition – to continue the upward trajectory of this club."
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Maths standards in Wales too low, watchdog says
Maths standards in Wales are too low with wide variations in the quality of teaching, according to the schools watchdog. A report by Estyn inspectors said there was a "concerning decline" in the support and training available for maths teachers and a lack of understanding of the new Curriculum for Wales. Welsh teenagers' performance in maths slumped in the last Pisa international tests, falling further behind other parts of the UK Chief Inspector of Education Owen Evans said too many pupils were not reaching their full potential in the subject. 'Defiance' from parents over bad school behaviour Fruit juice 'not fruit' in school food shakeup plan He said: "Strong mathematics education is fundamental not just to individual futures, but to Wales's future prosperity." The report said inspectors saw "aspects of effective teaching and leadership of mathematics" but overall "the quality of teaching of mathematics was too variable and pupils' standards in mathematics were too low". Problems included teachers planning tasks to keep pupils busy rather than focusing on what they wanted them to learn, and not challenging students enough. It said education was most effective where teachers had high expectations and pupils were challenged but "in a majority of cases, pupils' progress was limited by aspects of poor teaching". "Pupils who had positive attitudes and enjoyed learning mathematics generally made the best progress," the report said. Some schools involved parents, including arranging classes for them. Estyn praised one school - Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi in Cardigan, Ceredigion - where all teachers in the department told pupils they were not allowed to say they were weak at maths and there was a policy that all teachers had to talk positively about the subject. Other concerns in the report included "a lack of understanding of Curriculum for Wales requirements and guidance" and teachers often did not know who to approach to answer any questions. Inspectors said the variation in the quality of teaching was "partly linked to a reduction in subject-specific support across Wales" adding there was "a lack of professional associations or groups in Wales from which teachers of mathematics could seek advice". School leaders told Estyn it was increasingly difficult to recruit maths specialists and "as a result there is a growing number of non-specialist teachers". The report said the quality of teacher training courses for maths was also "too variable". Estyn said Pisa results supported evidence that standards in maths were too low and the performance of girls in particular had "deteriorated considerably" since 2018-19. "In 2023-2024, females on average performed about a third of a grade worse in mathematics and numeracy than in 2018-2019," the report said. The gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and their classmates had also widened. The report looked at the teaching of maths for seven to 16-year-olds, and was based on inspection evidence and visits to a sample of schools. It said weak skills in maths had "a significant effect on the economy" and "within an increasingly digital and technical age, the need for appropriate standards of numeracy is more important than ever". Chief Inspector Owen Evans added: "Too many pupils in Wales are not reaching their full potential in mathematics because the quality of teaching and leadership varies so widely between schools. "We need to raise expectations for all learners and provide our teachers with the subject-specific training and support they need to help every pupil succeed." Most lessons in English to be phased out in Welsh county 'We must stop mollycoddling kids' says Saturday detentions head teacher Five things inspectors say about Wales' schools
BBC News
04-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Maths standards in Wales too low, says Estyn in report
Maths standards in Wales are too low with wide variations in the quality of teaching, according to the schools watchdog.A report by Estyn inspectors said there was a "concerning decline" in the support and training available for maths teachers and a lack of understanding of the new Curriculum for teenagers' performance in maths slumped in the last Pisa international tests, falling further behind other parts of the UK Chief Inspector of Education Owen Evans said too many pupils were not reaching their full potential in the subject. He said: "Strong mathematics education is fundamental not just to individual futures, but to Wales's future prosperity."The report said inspectors saw "aspects of effective teaching and leadership of mathematics" but overall "the quality of teaching of mathematics was too variable and pupils' standards in mathematics were too low".Problems included teachers planning tasks to keep pupils busy rather than focusing on what they wanted them to learn, and not challenging students said education was most effective where teachers had high expectations and pupils were challenged but "in a majority of cases, pupils' progress was limited by aspects of poor teaching"."Pupils who had positive attitudes and enjoyed learning mathematics generally made the best progress," the report schools involved parents, including arranging classes for them. Estyn praised one school - Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi in Cardigan, Ceredigion - where all teachers in the department told pupils they were not allowed to say they were weak at maths and there was a policy that all teachers had to talk positively about the concerns in the report included "a lack of understanding of Curriculum for Wales requirements and guidance" and teachers often did not know who to approach to answer any said the variation in the quality of teaching was "partly linked to a reduction in subject-specific support across Wales" adding there was "a lack of professional associations or groups in Wales from which teachers of mathematics could seek advice".School leaders told Estyn it was increasingly difficult to recruit maths specialists and "as a result there is a growing number of non-specialist teachers".The report said the quality of teacher training courses for maths was also "too variable".Estyn said Pisa results supported evidence that standards in maths were too low and the performance of girls in particular had "deteriorated considerably" since 2018-19."In 2023-2024, females on average performed about a third of a grade worse in mathematics and numeracy than in 2018-2019," the report gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and their classmates had also report looked at the teaching of maths for seven to 16-year-olds, and was based on inspection evidence and visits to a sample of said weak skills in maths had "a significant effect on the economy" and "within an increasingly digital and technical age, the need for appropriate standards of numeracy is more important than ever".Chief Inspector Owen Evans added: "Too many pupils in Wales are not reaching their full potential in mathematics because the quality of teaching and leadership varies so widely between schools."We need to raise expectations for all learners and provide our teachers with the subject-specific training and support they need to help every pupil succeed."
