Latest news with #PembrokeshireCoastNationalParkAuthority
Western Telegraph
4 days ago
- Western Telegraph
Freshwater West: Pembrokeshire beach a surfers' paradise
Freshwater West Beach, located on Wales' exposed west coast, has been a backdrop for several films, including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. In the Harry Potter film, the beach was where Dobby the house elf died and was buried. There was even a gravestone for the character, which became a pilgrimage site for fans. The sandy beach, backed by the extensive dune system of Broomhill Burrows, is a surfers' paradise, with the best waves in the county. A Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority spokesperson said: "Freshwater West is a popular beach throughout the year with surfers, dog walkers, and families. "The Dobby's grave memorial has been enjoyed by many who have made the pilgrimage to the Pembrokeshire site over the years. "However, the increasing numbers of visitors has brought a greater pressure on the wider environment and facilities. "Therefore, we have taken the decision to relocate the memorial to a more sustainable location to ensure it doesn't damage the wider environment and to help keep Freshwater West a special place for people and nature." The south-westerly facing beach is suitable only for experienced and strong swimming surfers due to the strong rip currents. The beach also offers activities such as kayaking, canoeing, fishing, kitesurfing, and windsurfing. The beach is dog-friendly, allowing dogs all year round. Facilities include toilets and parking, although parking can be limited when the waves are good. From spring to early autumn, the Café Mor operates out of the southern car park. Freshwater West Beach is also a place of historical significance, once used by smugglers to stash their loot. The thatched shack on the foreshore was a rebuilt shelter used for drying a type of seaweed used for making Lavabread, a Welsh specialty. In 2015, the beach was used as a location for the film "Their Finest," starring Gemma Arterton and Sam Claflin, where it portrayed Dunkirk. Visitors are advised to check tide times to ensure they have enough beach space and do not get cut off by the incoming tide. The fragile dunes mean camping and barbecues are not allowed.
Western Telegraph
04-05-2025
- Business
- Western Telegraph
Hundreds sign petition to save Oriel y Parc, St Davids
Oriel y Parc, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park's gallery in St Davids opened in 2008. Built with £3.3 million in public and EU funds the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) and National Museum Wales partnership, includes a café, artist studio, education centre and discovery room. (Image: PCNPA) The plan was for the gallery to masterpieces from the national museum's collections as well as permanent display of work by Graham Sutherland, famous for his Pembrokeshire landscapes. Since its opening exhibitions of Sutherland's work as well as Constable's masterpiece Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows of 1831 have brought huge numbers of visitors to the gallery. However, plans for the building are taking a different direction, with the national park authority favouring a two-year £1 million transformation of the space to 'create a flagship Discovery Centre'. The centre would host new permanent interpretation and temporary community exhibitions to create a' Civic Hub developed with and for the people of St Davids and Pembrokeshire'. The proposal also sees the gallery's tower transformed from gallery space into an 'immersive storytelling experience'. Park chief executive, Tegryn Jones said that there are no plans to downgrade the gallery and that exhibitions in conjunction with the national museum will still run. He added that the authority was committed to developing 'a clear and lasting vision' for Oriel y Parc. However, the Pembrokeshire Landscape Gallery Working Group, which has set up a petition on says it is 'deeply concerned' by the plan to 'replace a world-class art space with a National Park Discovery Centre'. (Image: PCNPA) 'This would mean turning away from a purpose-built, publicly funded gallery designed to showcase the artistic treasures of Wales, including the extraordinary bequest of Graham Sutherland's works,' said group members. They are asking PCNPA to reinstate the whole of the Class A gallery space to host exhibitions of treasures from the National Collection continuously alongside the permanent rotating display of works by Graham Sutherland as part of the rolling exhibitions as well as retaining the architectural integrity of the building. They say that the decline in visitor numbers at Oriel y Parc is not due to a lack of interest in art but 'rather a lack of significant fine art exhibitions since 2018'. 'How can a gallery thrive when it is no longer given the opportunity to showcase the art it was built for?' they ask. 'Let's bring back world-class exhibitions that can once again make this gallery a cultural jewel of Wales, and St Davids, and an asset for both local residents and visitors.' To sign the petition search for save Oriel y Parc on or click on the link above. Tegryn Jones, chief executive of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority said: 'The authority has no plans to downgrade the gallery at Oriel y Parc. "We will continue to deliver an exciting and interesting programme of exhibitions in partnership with Amgueddfa Cymru to provide access for multiple audiences to the full range of the National Collections, including the Graham Sutherland collection. 'As an authority we are committed to developing a clear and lasting vision for Oriel y Parc to ensure that it meets the needs of future audiences and builds on the success of the centre over the past 17 years. "Through the development of a master plan for the site, we are keen to strengthen our goal to promote people's enjoyment and understanding of the national park through art, culture and heritage, increase access to the national park for more diverse audiences and address issues of seasonality.'
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Publicly funded gallery 'turning its back on art'
A publicly funded gallery designed to showcase the work of one of the finest British painters of the 20th Century has been accused of turning its back on art. Oriel y Parc landscape gallery in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, cost £3.5m and was opened in 2008 by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, with the help of £1.6m in European funding. Campaigners have accused the authority of "wasting money" by not holding any fine art exhibitions there in recent years and rebranding it as a "discovery centre". The park authority said it wanted to develop a "clear and lasting vision" to "meet the needs of future audiences". Oriel y Parc, which was described as a partnership between the park authority and Museum Wales when it opened in 2008, was designed to offer a "permanent home" for rotating exhibitions of artist Graham Sutherland's paintings and "treasures from the collections" of the national museum. The gallery is classed as Grade A1, meaning it has the necessary environmental controls and security to house major works of art. Sutherland, who died in 1980, was considered the "finest British painter of his generation", mixing with the likes of Pablo Picasso and Francis Bacon. His artwork was purchased by stars such as Sophia Loren and David Bowie and is on display in the Vatican Museum and Coventry Cathedral, while his official portrait of Sir Winston Churchill caused a storm when it was destroyed by Churchill's widow. Works by Sutherland, as well as other prominent artists including John Constable, John Piper and JMW Turner, have all been displayed at Oriel y Parc since it opened 17 years ago. But there have been no major fine art exhibitions at Oriel y Parc since 2018, and no works by Sutherland have been displayed since 2020. The Sutherland works are currently being looked after by Museum Wales. Local artists fear the gallery space - which is currently hosting an exhibition on the 200th anniversary of the RNLI - is being "downgraded" and have written to Culture Minister Jack Sargeant with concerns the authority is turning "its back on art". "I get the feeling that art might be being viewed as elitist and not for everybody," said artist Nicola Schoenenberger, who is one of the campaigners. "I feel that might be down to their lack of knowledge about what art can do and what it offers. I think there are a lot of people locally that revere Graham Sutherland, and would like to see the works back. "It's a complete waste of something that is a very special gem, a jewel in St Davids' crown." Art historian Peter Lord said Wales "cannot afford to waste a fantastic public resource" like Oriel y Parc. "We've all paid for it, and those are our pictures," he said. "The Sutherland family left them to us, and we need to see them. "If those two important public institutions, the national park and the museum, can't sort this out between them, then I really feel the minister ought to be involved and bang some heads together." Artist Elizabeth Haines, who has hosted art workshops with local school pupils, said they felt "more connected" to art after seeing paintings in the gallery. "To have the opportunity for that kind of interaction with young people, to have it as a part of their education, I think we agree would be enormously important. "Are we just going to throw it away? The place is there. It's done, it's paid for. "I'm afraid these people don't realise, they can't realise, that it matters. The visual arts are not just something nice that goes with the curtains. " Tegryn Jones, chief executive of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, denied the facility was being "wasted". "I don't agree that hosting the national collection of Wales, in its wider sense, is wasting this resource," he said. "We've had very popular and significant exhibitions that have attracted tens of thousands of people. Our aim is to have a wide cross section of people visiting the gallery." More than 40,000 visited the gallery at Oriel y Parc in 2015-16 when a painting by Constable was on display, but numbers dipped to about 20,000 last year. Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority said it had "developed a hugely successful programme of exhibitions in partnership with Amgueddfa Cymru [Museum Wales] over the years". "As an authority we are committed to developing a clear and lasting vision for Oriel y Parc to ensure that it meets the needs of future audiences and builds on the success of the centre over the past 17 years. "As part of a wider master plan process, we are currently consulting with all interested parties to shape the future of this well-used and respected visitor facility." Museum Wales said it continued to work jointly with Oriel y Parc and "all galleries and venues must evolve in order to respond to changing audience requirements". "Should Oriel y Parc decided that it wishes to include the work of Graham Sutherland in future displays, this is something we would be happy to deliver." The Welsh government declined to comment. All on show - the museum displaying everything Churchill portrait valued at £800,000 on display Can you remember these 2024 culture moments? Tiny community art gallery created in beehive box
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Oriel y Parc: £3.5m gallery accused of 'turning its back on art'
A publicly funded gallery designed to showcase the work of one of the finest British painters of the 20th Century has been accused of turning its back on y Parc landscape gallery in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, cost £3.5m and was opened in 2008 by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, with the help of £1.6m in European have accused the authority of "wasting money" by not holding any fine art exhibitions there in recent years and rebranding it as a "discovery centre".The park authority said it wanted to develop a "clear and lasting vision" to "meet the needs of future audiences". Oriel y Parc, which was described as a partnership between the park authority and Museum Wales when it opened in 2008, was designed to offer a "permanent home" for rotating exhibitions of artist Graham Sutherland's paintings and "treasures from the collections" of the national gallery is classed as Grade A1, meaning it has the necessary environmental controls and security to house major works of art. Sutherland, who died in 1980, was considered the "finest British painter of his generation", mixing with the likes of Pablo Picasso and Francis Bacon. His artwork was purchased by stars such as Sophia Loren and David Bowie and is on display in the Vatican Museum and Coventry Cathedral, while his official portrait of Sir Winston Churchill caused a storm when it was destroyed by Churchill's widow. Works by Sutherland, as well as other prominent artists including John Constable, John Piper and JMW Turner, have all been displayed at Oriel y Parc since it opened 17 years there have been no major fine art exhibitions at Oriel y Parc since 2018, and no works by Sutherland have been displayed since Sutherland works are currently being looked after by Museum artists fear the gallery space - which is currently hosting an exhibition on the Culture Minister Jack Sargeant with concerns the authority is turning "its back on art". "I get the feeling that art might be being viewed as elitist and not for everybody," said artist Nicola Schoenenberger, who is one of the campaigners. "I feel that might be down to their lack of knowledge about what art can do and what it offers. I think there are a lot of people locally that revere Graham Sutherland, and would like to see the works back."It's a complete waste of something that is a very special gem, a jewel in St Davids' crown." Art historian Peter Lord said Wales "cannot afford to waste a fantastic public resource" like Oriel y Parc. "We've all paid for it, and those are our pictures," he said."The Sutherland family left them to us, and we need to see them."If those two important public institutions, the national park and the museum, can't sort this out between them, then I really feel the minister ought to be involved and bang some heads together." Artist Elizabeth Haines, who has hosted art workshops with local school pupils, said they felt "more connected" to art after seeing paintings in the gallery."To have the opportunity for that kind of interaction with young people, to have it as a part of their education, I think we agree would be enormously important."Are we just going to throw it away? The place is there. It's done, it's paid for. "I'm afraid these people don't realise, they can't realise, that it matters. The visual arts are not just something nice that goes with the curtains. " 'Very popular exhibitions' Tegryn Jones, chief executive of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, denied the facility was being "wasted"."I don't agree that hosting the national collection of Wales, in its wider sense, is wasting this resource," he said."We've had very popular and significant exhibitions that have attracted tens of thousands of people. Our aim is to have a wide cross section of people visiting the gallery."More than 40,000 visited the gallery at Oriel y Parc in 2015-16 when a painting by Constable was on display, but numbers dipped to about 20,000 last year. Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority said it had "developed a hugely successful programme of exhibitions in partnership with Amgueddfa Cymru [Museum Wales] over the years"."As an authority we are committed to developing a clear and lasting vision for Oriel y Parc to ensure that it meets the needs of future audiences and builds on the success of the centre over the past 17 years."As part of a wider master plan process, we are currently consulting with all interested parties to shape the future of this well-used and respected visitor facility."Museum Wales said it continued to work jointly with Oriel y Parc and "all galleries and venues must evolve in order to respond to changing audience requirements"."Should Oriel y Parc decided that it wishes to include the work of Graham Sutherland in future displays, this is something we would be happy to deliver."The Welsh government declined to comment.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Rare species being reintroduced to ancient Pembrokeshire woodland
A LICHEN success story is being celebrated in an ancient rainforest. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority has been working to restore lost lichens in Cwm Gwaun, an area known for its ancient Celtic rainforest. The landscape is home to five Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), each nationally significant for its lichen-rich woodlands. Lichens thrive in well-lit, humid environments with exceptionally clean air. However, in recent decades, the delicate ecosystems have declined due to changes in traditional woodland grazing practices and the impact of agriculture and industry on air quality. One of the most striking lichens, Tree Lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria), was recorded on only five trees in the valley in 2007. Recent signs suggest that conditions are once again becoming favourable for its recovery. A breakthrough moment came in 2017 when a conservation officer discovered a small fragment of Tree Lungwort on the ground following a storm at the Sychpant picnic site. Using netting from a fruit bag, they secured the fragment to a nearby ash tree, where it has since thrived. This unexpected success inspired a larger-scale effort to restore the species. As part of the Cysylltu Natur 25x25 project, a lichen expert has now transplanted 46 small, windblown fragments onto 20 trees across three selected sites in Cwm Gwaun. The locations were chosen following thorough surveys, which confirmed the presence of other old-growth forest lichens with similar habitat needs. Each tree has been mapped and labelled, allowing volunteers to monitor the progress of the transplants in the months and years ahead. The storm that once dislodged a fragment may ultimately help breathe new life into the area's lichen communities. Mary Chadwick, conservation officer for the national park, said: "Tree lungwort is a stunning lichen that embodies the essence of Atlantic rainforests. "It's exciting to contribute to its gradual recovery across Cwm Gwaun." The project is funded by the Nature Networks Programme and delivered by the Heritage Fund on behalf of the Welsh Government.
