June 2026 Dai's walk around Wales blog

A big thanks to Jon Yeats, second from left who sent me this photo of us in the Welsh team during the 1996 MTB Tour of Britain. I think we are as follows:

Steve Wallington, Jon Yeates, Hugo Hocknell, Dai Richards

The rain has been back for a few days now but there was a potential sunset photo available for this evening so off to the beach I went to walk the shallows. The wind was up and on taking my shoes off I dropped a sock and spent the best part of 400 metres chasing it up the beach. I eventually caught the wild sock and continued my walk towards the pier. Turning round I came across a load of jellyfish, approx 5-10cm across with 4 purple symmetric circles which google tells me is a moon jellyfish. The Marine Conservation Society has a page dedicated to identifying jellyfish and it tells me that the moon jellyfish has a mild sting. - To see this, please CLICK HERE or click on the link below....................

https://www.mcsuk.org/what-you-can-do/volunteering/wildlife-sightings/how-to-identify-jellyfish/

If she were still with us, it would be my mum's 104th birthday today. At the start of the war, mum was engaged to someone else but by the end of the war mum and dad were a couple, although they'd met previously before the war, they fell in love through they letters they exchanged during the war. The war in Europe ended on 8 May 1945 but dad wasn't demobbed until 7 May 1946. The image below shows what's on in at the cinema in Neath on that week, there are 3 cinemas advertising in a Swans programme of that date. Showing at the Empire is the film The Lost Weekend in which Ray Milland (born Reginal Truscott-Jones in Neath 3 Jan 1907) won an oscar (1946). The first Welshman to do so. I'd like to think that mum and dad went on their first date to the Empire Cinema to watch Ray Milland in his oscar winning role. Of interest to the family is that the Empire Cinema was built by mum's grandfather and Ray Milland is related to the family through mum's cousin Violet. Mum's letters to dad were lost along with the rest of kit when when the merchant ship carrying them was sunk by a U-boat.

The Independent Rape Gang Inquiry report was published today. Organised by Rupert Lowe and the Restore Britain party was it names three local authority areas in Wales where rape gangs have in the past or are still operating today, namely Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire and Swansea. The inquiry identifies a systematic failure by the government, police, local authorities and children's services to protect vulnerable British white working class girls from highly organised mainly Pakistani Muslim rape gangs. This is a national scandal and a stain our nation that continues even today. Please be aware that the report contains disturbing and graphic reports, it is not for the feint hearted. We have published the document to the Walk Around Wales website. Please click on the link to view it.

THE RAPE GANG INQUIRY REPORT - CLICK HERE

	SUNRISE	SUNSET
		2 - Ferry bend
		6 - Aberavon Beach
		8 - Aberavon Beach
		13 - Baglan beach

Walking towards the Ferry Bend I couldn't help but feel sorry for Billy No Mates the seagull, far left, then Jasper turned up and made excellent subject matter, thanks to Jo for the opportunity to photograph him.