Latest news with #PatDavies
Western Telegraph
2 days ago
- General
- Western Telegraph
New skate park finally opens at Lota Park, Fishguard
The skate park at Lota Park, Fishguard, had its official opening on Wednesday, July 30. The original opening date had to be delayed because of problems with tarmac at the site, including the fact that it had been walked onto the skate ramps by trespassers who breached the safety fencing. (Image: The Lota Project) Now open, the skate park is getting a lot of use by children enjoying the sunshine and the summer holidays. 'Youngsters were queuing up to use the new skate park when it opened,' said Cllr Pat Davies who has been a stalwart of The Lota Project, a group dedicated to improving the park, since its inception. 'It's absolutely brilliant. All day long there's children there.' (Image: The Lota Project) The new park includes a ledge, a quarter pipe and two fun box combinations which include a flat wedge and a grind rail. It is the culmination of years of fundraising by The Lota Project, a group of dedicated volunteers who have raised funds to completely refurbish the park over the last decade. The group has purchased new swings, a wheelchair inclusive roundabout, a new-style witch's hat and an arm rotator roundabout, a small basketball area and a teqball alongside a zipline, a large round swing, a gravity bowl, two new multi play installations, a new sea saw and springers. (Image: The Lota Project) This has been made possible due to a mixture of fundraising, donations from groups, individuals, the town council and support from Pembrokeshire County Council and the Welsh Government. Funding for the skatepark has come from a variety of sources including the Enhancing Pembrokeshire fund which is raised through the second home council tax premium. The skate park was the last piece of refurbishment that The Lota Project wanted to complete. The four committee members will now retire but are happy to hand the fundraising over to anybody who has an interest in continuing to improve the park's facilities. (Image: The Lota Project) 'This is the last thing we needed to do,' said Cllr Davies. 'We are glad to get it done in the school holidays so that the children aren't scootering or skateboarding around the town. 'Thank you to all those people and organisations locally that have helped fund the regeneration of the park. 'It's brilliant to see it getting so well used.' For more information on the regeneration of the park, or if you are interested in continuing the fundraising work, search for The Lota Project on Facebook.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
England pioneer Pat Davies remembers career of remarkable firsts
By Laura Howard, Sportsbeat White Stuff shares an optimistic tribute to the foremothers of English football, featuring members of the first England women's team from 1972. While women's football has made huge strides in recent years, this campaign acknowledges those who came before. Pat Davies' football career is full of remarkable firsts. Advertisement The Netley-born striker was part of the first-ever England women's team in 1972 and scored a hat-trick in the first-ever FA Cup Final. Davies scored eight goals in eight appearances for England during a remarkable career during which she won six FA Cup titles. But despite such success, Davies still faced challenges along with moments to savour. 'My debut for Southampton at 12 was very special because it was played in my local village at Royal Victoria Hospital in front of friends and family,' she recalled. 'Scoring a hat-trick in the first-ever FA Cup final at Crystal Palace [was another key memory]. Advertisement 'But I remember very poor pitches, no facilities and just a cold water tap. There were no toilets, we were getting cleaned in duck ponds and whatever we could to just get by.' Despite the conditions, however, Davies' talent was clear after impressing for Southampton Women F.C., she was soon trialling for the England women's squad. 'After the trials we got a letter in the post. I remember standing in the window waiting for the postman everyday before it dropped on the mat,' she said. 'The four of us from Southampton all got in so it was even more special. We were all part of the first team which was absolutely fantastic. So special.' Advertisement With women's football rapidly growing in visibility, the pioneering side they received their England caps in front of a sold-out Wembley in 2022. This summer, White Stuff are refocusing the limelight on the foremothers of women's football in their latest heartfelt campaign as they celebrate the women who paved the way. For Davies, it is those memories of wearing the Three Lions on her shirt that remain some of the best. In fact, 50 years on, the prolific striker can still think of no better feeling than scoring for England. 'It was absolutely fantastic [to play for England]. It was always so special to pull the shirt on and the national anthems always brought a tear to my eye,' she said. Advertisement 'To actually score a goal was just the best feeling in the world. It couldn't get any better than that. I was over the moon, you just feel like you're on a different planet.' Members of the first England women's squad (White Stuff) Davies' contribution in scoring those goals and washing in duck ponds just to play has paved the way for the legends of today to follow in their footsteps. The importance of her legacy and that of her teammates is abundantly clear, and with the recognition White Stuff and others are giving, the players are beginning to believe that themselves. 'It's nice to receive the recognition of what we did achieve. It makes us feel like what we did, did actually mean something,' she said. Advertisement 'It makes you feel happy and proud and think, 'yeah, we started it, we were the first.''
