Latest news with #YnysMon
ITV News
14-07-2025
- Sport
- ITV News
Anglesey flying flag for Wales in 20th Island Games
It's the international sporting event you might never have heard of but all this week Ynys Mon are representing Wales at the Island Games
The Guardian
12-07-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Country diary: Enter dolphins, stage left, ripping apart the limpid sea
Eventide, and calm waters were slowly departing the warm sands of a small Ynys Môn (Anglesey) bay. The dark igneous rocks that bound the bay had retained some midsummer heat, providing a comfortable vantage point to enjoy the sunset. In the shallows, a lone spectator watched the deep pink of the sea. My eyes followed hers and landed on two grey seals, their heads implanted in the iridescent waters. They watched, we watched, then they lazily slipped below, hardly a ripple raised. Enter the Risso's dolphins. A pod of four surfaced stage left, injecting the scene with breathtaking energy; their stout, torpedo-shaped, pale grey bodies surging forth, tall dark dorsal fins ripping the limpid sea apart. One after another, they breached clear of the water, their power and scale full blown, heightened by the intimacy of the bay. A thrilling display – but also, scientifically, a purposeful, non-verbal signal of their intrinsic fitness to potential mates and competitors. In midsummer, Risso's migrate from the pelagic deeps into the relatively shallow shelf waters of the Celtic Sea, perhaps providing more opportunities for social interactions. Within moments it seemed the pod had motored beyond the compass of the bay, leaving its waters calm again. You might care to imagine, however, to what degree those leaps of nature perturbed the ocean, and briefly brought additional wavelets to the shore, swashing the sand in pearly, tingly froth and the sound of shell upon shell. Dolphin energy bathing the spectator's feet and sounding the maritime air with echoes of sea creatures. The spectator and I wandered home across the dunes. In the half light, the parabolas of marram grass loomed large. In the slacks, a midsummer night's dream: thousands of marsh helleborines, their pale pink and cream blooms waxing in the waning light, their frilly lips as light as tissue. Research has demonstrated that helleborine flowers attract diurnal pollinators – solitary wasps, bumblebees, hoverflies – in part due to aromatics in their nectar, such as vanillin. But few if any researchers appear to have wandered these dunes at night in search of nocturnal pollinators such as moths – they should; it might help unlock some of the remaining mysteries of pollination. Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Anglesey's adopted 'super fans' who've embraced the Island Games
A group of brothers and their friend with no connection to Anglesey have become "super fans" of the island's Rob, Richard and Pete Miller, along with friend Dave Pearson, have attended every Island Games since 2015."It is random that there's four random lads from Hertfordshire that support a Welsh island, but now whenever I go back on the A55 towards towards Anglesey it feels like I'm going to a second home," said the multi-sport games held every other year, their adventures have taken them to the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey but also further afield to Gibraltar and the Swedish island of from Hertfordshire, the self-professed super fans had no prior connection to any of the competing islands or athletes, but are now part of the team's is their commitment to the Ynys Môn cause, they have now been given official roles with the 106-strong team of Anglesey athletes heading out to Orkney for this year's games. The games started in 1985 on the Isle of Man to give the opportunity for young people to compete in an international competition against other islanders. They usually take place in June or July, and involve 24 islands from across the world, meaning participants can meet new people and learn about different now part of the media team, said his initial exposure was the 2011 Isle of Wight games as he was keen to attend the football matches."It was like £20 for the whole week to watch all these games... the likes of your Jerseys and the Guernseys, and then some other islands I've absolutely never heard of," he said."As soon as I got there I was like, this is amazing."And yet the competitiveness but the friendliness of it all.. I knew that I was on to something good."During the whole week I was texting my brothers and my mate called Dave, and I said, 'Look, you've got to come to this next time around, you'll love this'." Deciding that they wanted to support one of the 24 competing islands, Ynys Môn eventually came up trumps and they all travelled to Jersey for 2015 - a tradition they've maintained ever since."When we got there we had some songs prepared, we took flags," Pete added."We wore the same colours as the football team all that kind of stuff, and it was an amazing week. "From that moment on we've just been part of the Ynys Môn family, we've been to every games since, and probably always will." 'The friendly games' Their experience, however, is typical of what have become known as "the friendly games".Held between 12 and18 July the Scottish archipelago of Orkney will welcome about 2,200 athletes to compete in 12 sports including football, athletics, archery and swimming. The 22nd staging of the games will see Saturday's opening ceremony attended and officially opened by the Princess Royal - Princess Anne - and hosted by broadcaster Lorraine will be Orkney's first time hosting the games, with participating islands including those as far flung as the Falkland Islands, Greenland, and Caribbean nations Bermuda and the Cayman Faroe Islands will be next to host the competition in 2027, with the Isle of Man set to welcome competitors in 2029. Anglesey had been due to host the next staging of the games in 2027 but later withdrew due to increased costs and the effects of getting to Orkney is no mean feat, with the mainly amateur athletes having to raise much of the costs themselves. 'A huge commitment' Forming part of the delegation will be gymnasts, for the first time in several years after gymnastics was left off the main games co-ordinator, Catherine Rowley, says reaching the games means a lot of sacrifices for the athletes, who train out of their base in Holyhead. "We haven't been part of the main games since 2017, its a huge difference", she said."A lot of these girls have been doing their GCSEs and A-levels, they've had to balance their revision and all of their time, to miss out on things with their friend."They've given a huge commitment, they train and awful lot of hours."With fundraising we're lucky that the island has really got behind us, the girls have gone in individually to different companies and asked for funding, its been brilliant." Holyhead-based team member Mia, 18, will be taking part in her third Island Games but this will be her first as part of the main Anglesey delegation."I'm really excited to be going and able to watch the other sports as well while we're there," she said."I've had to take a lot of time out of revision so its been hard juggling everything."We've had to hold events like quizzes and raffles to raise money, its been around £700 each for accommodation and the bus."Teammate Nel, 17, from Llangefni says there's a camaraderie between all the gymnasts taking part."I'm happy that everything is now in place and the support has been amazing.. to represent my island and where I'm from is amazing." Anglesey secured its record medal haul at the last of the 18 medals were won in athletics, with the team hoping for more success on the track this time team will be heading out to Orkney with the intention of giving their representing Wales as well as their island, the hope is that the returning party will also include at least a few medals. Athletics co-ordinator Barry Edwards admitted that "momentum had been lost" after Anglesey withdrew from hosting the 2027 Games. However, he said they were taking a young team to Orkney and remained hopeful. Ewan Jones, 20, from Valley, will be competing in his second games in the 200m and the 4 x 100m said: "I'm very proud of being from Anglesey and Wales and I think the competitiveness against other islands really helps."It was such a surprise in Guernsey as to how many people turned up, you almost feel famous."Its hard to describe but its unreal."
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Business support package on table after Holyhead port closure
The Welsh government is considering a package of support for businesses affected by the closure of Holyhead port was closed for more than a month in December after two ferries made contact with one of the berthing chair of the Senedd's economy committee, Andrew RT Davies, told Members of the Senedd (MSs) the incident involved two Irish port still has not fully reopened - with a further delay to the opening until at least 15 July - and concerns have been raised about the effect on local businesses. Rhun ap Iorwerth, Plaid Cymru leader and MS for Ynys Mon, called for an "urgent support package" and told members some businesses had reported a "90 percent drop in trade" with "one hotel operator alone losing out on almost £15,000 worth of bookings overnight".Ken Skates, secretary for transport and north Wales, said the local authority had submitted a funding request last week "for a package of support for Holyhead".He said this was "being appraised as swiftly as possible by the cabinet secretary for economy, who is considering the proposals and will respond very soon".Skates added the package contained two elements; "the potential of the cruise sector to benefit Holyhead" as well as "business support".He said it would involve "partnering with Business Wales, expanding the Smart Towns Cymru initiative, various initiatives around marketing, communications, place-making and capacity funding for the council".A committee report into the incident described the initial government response as "highly sluggish".During a Senedd debate, economy committee chairman Andrew RT Davies said the road haulage association had told them "the first contact they had had with Welsh government was an email on Christmas Eve", nearly two weeks after the he said was in "sharp contrast" to the response from the Scottish government, who contacted the road haulage association on 11 December "to inform them that Holyhead was shut". 'Concerns around accountability' In response, ap Iorwerth said "businesses and travellers were hearing from the Welsh government that the port would be back in operation in days, and, then, from the Irish government, who warned that the port wouldn't reopen before Christmas".Despite reports of the closure being due to bad weather, the damage that led to the closure occurred before Storm Darragh peaked, according to the port's owners, and Hannah Blythyn MS was critical of Irish Ferries for not engaging with the said the committee heard that two of the firm's vessels were involved in incidents at berth three of the port on 6 and 7 December, but "Irish Ferries did not provide evidence to the committee, nor did they actually respond to any correspondence from the chair"."This is, if I put it diplomatically, a matter of regret. I think, for me, that reluctance to engage raises concerns around accountability," she to the debate on behalf of the Welsh government, Skates said that "the actions that we took throughout the closure allowed for continuity as we worked together to find collective solutions".He added: "We got vessels diverted into different Welsh ports, we worked alongside the UK government departments to open additional routes, we ensured that no roadworks were taking place around the key Welsh roads leading up to the ports, and we ensured that there was plenty of train capacity into our port towns."
