Young people from Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven enjoyed a fun-filled half term of activities recently.
The Port of Milford Haven teamed up with its community partners to run the brand new project @The Park at the Memorial Park in Pembroke Dock, and the award-winning Under the Bridge project underneath Hakin Bridge in Milford Haven.
@The Park was co-ordinated by the team at the Port along with Pembrokeshire County Council’s youth service in order to provide free activities for 11-17 year olds in the Pembroke Dock area during the May school holiday. Over sixty people took part in various activities over two days including: circus skills, giant inflatables, special effects make up and sports, and enjoyed refreshments provided by the Crow’s Nest café at Milford Waterfront and Tesco and Greggs in Pembroke Dock.
Chris Powles, Targeted Youth Team Manager at Pembrokeshire Youth Services said “It’s been great to collaborate with the Port on a project that benefits the young people of Pembroke Dock and shows their commitment to creating opportunities in the town. Through consultation with the School Based Youth Worker in Ysgol Harri Tudur, Suzanne Moses, young people themselves identified the activities, dates and timings that were most suitable for them. We look forward to providing more activities in the future for the young people of Pembroke Dock.”
During the evenings of half term, two Under the Bridge sessions were held in Milford Haven which attracted record attendance with over 150 young people enjoying themselves with their friends. Working alongside Milford Youth Matters, the Port helped to enable participants to have a go at football, chalk art and inflatables and indulge in the very popular milkshakes and cakes from the Megan’s Starr Foundation’s Speakeasy Coffee & Shake Van and pizza from Phoenix Bowl.
Milford Youth Matters Co-ordinator Dayle Gibby is pleased with how the events went, commenting “We are once again excited to work in partnership with the Port of Milford Haven to see the return of Under the Bridge. This year we have also received funding and support from South Hook LNG to ensure we host a full calendar of events and activities during the May half term and summer holidays. Our recent sessions saw over 150 attendances, with young people getting involved in a wide range of positive social activities, having fun and acting responsibly. The events have also continued to promote volunteering opportunities so that young people can take the reins and get involved in the planning and delivery of the whole project.”
Lauren Williams is the Port’s Community Engagement Assistant and attended @The Park and Under the Bridge. She said “We’re really pleased with how well our new project in Pembroke Dock was received and it was fantastic to collaborate with the youth service to provide free fun activities in a safe environment. Across the water at Milford Waterfront, the popularity of Under the Bridge is growing and it was great to see lots of new faces keen to get involved in what was on offer. We’re looking forward to the summer holidays when more Under the Bridge sessions will take place every Tuesday and Friday evening.”
Notes to Editors
The Port of Milford Haven is the UK’s top energy port and Wales’ busiest port handling around 20% of Britain’s seaborne trade in oil and gas. It is widely recognised in the industry as the energy capital of the UK.
The Port, along with the cluster of energy-related businesses along the Waterway, is a key driver of economic activity in Pembrokeshire, attracting inward investment and supporting over 4,000 jobs.
The Port of Milford Haven also owns and operates Pembroke Port and Milford Waterfront. Activities such as cargo handling, ferry operations, fish landing and cruise calls as well as a first class marina are spread across these two sites.
One of the most prominent on the West Coast, the Port is in the heart of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the only Coastal National Park in Great Britain. It is marked as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and has many areas designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The Port of Milford Haven is a trust port – an independent, commercially run organisation that has statutory responsibilities governed by its Acts, to maintain and improve navigation and the provision of Port and Harbour services and facilities. Additionally, the Port provides significant financial and in-kind support to a wide variety of local causes. All profits are retained within the business to fund these objectives.
For further information, visit www.mhpa.co.uk or contact:
Anna Malloy
Port of Milford Haven
01646 696100
anna.malloy@mhpa.co.uk