On Wednesday 13^th November 2024 in the Vestry of the Capel Newydd Independent Chapel in Llandeilo at 7.30pm. Details of the talk are below – and the reasons why this will be the last event for this group are set out below that. Their words are quoted in full.
 
A talk on Seals by Gareth Richards of the Gower Seal Group
 
Gareth is Vice Chairman of the UK Seal Alliance Executive actively promoting their conservation and protection throughout the UK. He also acts as the liaison between the UK Seal Alliance and the Welsh Police Wildlife Crime Group. Gareth also sits on the Wales Mammal Strategy Group.

Locally, he conducts photographic identification surveys of Atlantic Grey Seals for Gower National Trust. He’s a trained volunteer Marine Life Rescue Medic and South Wales Assistant Area Coordinator with British Divers Marine Life Rescue and volunteers for the RSPCA Wildlife Hospital at Taunton where he looks after displaced, poorly and injured seal pups.

He has been delivering presentations on his work for the last seven years.
Gareth is a UK accredited Wildlife Safe Adventure Operator (WiSe Scheme). In July 2021 he founded Gower Seal Group with the intention of bringing together passionate volunteers to promote and give a voice to the local seals that visit Gower. 

Unfortunately, this will be the last event they will be holding. The group says:
 
“Why we are closing the East Carmarthenshire Wildlife Trust Group.
 
Although the group has always been based in Llandeilo – there used to be a West Carmarthenshire group – we have never limited ourselves to Llandeilo.  If we had our numbers would have been very small indeed.  As it is the populations of the towns in Carmarthenshire are small, and tiny compared with those of Swansea, Bridgend, Neath and Port Talbot which are relatively nearby. 
 
Many changes have taken place in the way we live and work especially since the start of the millennium, some of which have been accelerated by the Covid pandemic. These, plus the multiplicity of TV channels, the Internet and Web and many organisations putting on more events in order to survive means that life has become ever busier for many people, especially those who have not retired.  This is reflected in our membership which is apparently around 100.  Due to the way that the data is held we don’t have any exact details but we do know that most are pensioners, as is our committee – only 2 newly recruited members are under the age of 75. 
 
In the past we were fortunate in having members who were local to the area and able to do fund raising, but this is no longer the case.   This means that we are not able to fulfil one of our aims, which is to raise funds for the Wildlife Trust in such a way as to make a difference.  We are reliant on donations.  These are normally only collected at the indoor meetings and, with the increasing costs of hiring the hall plus speaker costs they do little more than cover our costs.
 
In an effort to improve the situation we have not held talks in December and January, or an outdoor event in August – School holiday time. We have also changed the outdoor events to Sunday instead of Saturday in an attempt to reduce clashes with other events but this seems to have no real effect on the numbers attending.  If we get twelve people attending these that is really good, but far too often we have had occasions when there have been fewer than five, and not just since Covid.
 
For our winter talks we have been lucky in being able to have the hire of a ‘warm’ hall and facilities for a reasonable price with nearby free parking.  However, and especially since Covid, there has been an increasing reluctance to travel, especially if the weather is bad, plus blinding headlights and too many potholes which are impossible to see in the dark.   Since Covid people carry less cash which impacts on donations.  Some Wildlife Trust groups have managed to move on to using cards but again for us it not feasible as our numbers are too small to cover the costs involved.
 
Unfortunately we received no response to our urgent plea for help with suggestions for talks and walks and committee help. This is no doubt a reflection of our numbers and age of members and their busy lives, and although the current committee have considered various ways to see if things could be improved, especially regarding the financial situation it finally all comes down to numbers – we don’t have enough of the age who are able to do the things that a Wildlife Trust should be doing.  In particular we are passive group, not an active one who would actually do real monitoring or conservation work.  And we don’t connect with Schools or Universities, etc., though we have seriously considered it – and rejected it as being too difficult.
 
So although we are closing, there are groups which are actively involved in conservation work and we would urge you to join them, if you have not already done so.

One such group near Llandeilo have a small but active group of volunteers who regularly show up but more are welcome.  The main work parties are usually either carried out at Castle woods or Carmel.  Please contact Rebecca Killa for further details. R.Killa@welshwildlife.org “