North Hampshire Lifestyle Jul - Aug 2023

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STYLISH Stays Katie Thomson heads for a restorative break at the Dylan Coastal Resort, Carmarthenshire You may have visited South Wales for the gems of the Gower Peninsula, or even the coastal routes of Pembrokeshire - but if you didn’t stop to explore the joys of Carmarthenshire, you are missing some of the country’s most scenic spots. On its Western borders you will find the ancient Brecon Beacons, right to the golden sandy beaches along Carmarthen Bay - there’s so much to discover. Nestled in the quiet seaside town of Laugharne on the Carmarthen coast, the Dylan Coastal Resort is a state of the art, luxurious holiday retreat, complete with a beautiful spa and Milk Wood House, the on-site restaurant featuring the best of local produce. The Dylan Coastal Resort makes the most of the expansive vistas afforded by its prime location on the hills overlooking the Taf Estuary. The resort is a collection of 60 luxury lodges, all designed to maximise the setting and offer a supremely comfortable self-catering experience. Some, like our ‘Epic’ lodge, come with a hot tub - perfect for soaking up the everchanging sea view. Taking its name from poet and Welsh literary legend Dylan Thomas, guests can enjoy the same views as Dylan himself - his famous writing hut is set on the cliff edge below the resort. The setting is certainly inspiring and you can visit his hut, as well as enjoying some spectacular circular walks taking in coastal and woodland scenery just a stroll from the main entrance. With so much on offer on the site, you’d be forgiven for not wanting to venture far - there are a few lovely eateries in Laugharne, but we loved Milk Wood House. With three separate terraces to dine on, an open kitchen featuring a wood-fired pizza oven, and a refined yet rustic approach to cooking, the Milk Wood Kitchen and Bar is the perfect place to drink and dine, soaking in the views. Relaxation is paramount here and the spa delivers on every level. It has been thoughtfully designed to maximise the views - the swimming pool featuring two-storey windows out to the sea. The on-site spa also offers up a host of luxury treatments with premium skincare brand ishga, to help you relax into your stay, brightening, cleansing facials to deep tissue massages – all of which will be tailored to suit your individual needs. The resort is ideally placed for further exploration - on a gloriously sunny day, we took the scenic coastal route to Tenby. If you’ve not visited before, I’d implore you to - with it’s historic 13th century fortress walls alongside rows of brightly coloured terraces, it’s picturesque and a joy to wander around. Couple that with it’s bevy of independent stores and charming pubs, it’s the perfect day trip from the resort. A trip to recharge the batteries was needed and the Dylan Coastal resort delivered on every level. If you’re looking for a destination which offers fantastic facilities, unparalleled comfort and the most picturesque of settings, consider this beauty spot for your next staycation. Stays at Dylan Coastal Resort start from £379. For more information or to book, please, visit www.luxurylodges.com/dylan-coastal-resort 10 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk
CHILDCARE EXPANSION A GAME CHANGER By Purnima Tanuku OBE, Chief Executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA)... When Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced “free childcare” for all children over nine months from working families, excited parents and expectant couples were already contacting their local nurseries. This announcement is a game-changer for working parents and their children, but also for the early years sector. Parents returning to work after a new baby will soon have support with childcare costs. More children will be entitled to high quality early education and care, which supports their development and offers exciting learning opportunities. But is it as good as it sounds? And what needs to happen to make it a reality? Currently, all three and four-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours of funded childcare per week for 38 weeks. This doubles to 30 hours for those with working parents within specific wage limits. Two-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds are entitled to 15 hours per week. Around 80% of these “free” places are delivered by private, voluntary and independent (PVI) nurseries, with the rest given by childminders and schools. Unfortunately these places aren’t free, for either parents or providers. Here’s why: the Government offers free places but then doesn’t give childcare providers enough money to even cover costs. This means they make a loss on each funded place. In NDNA’s February survey, under 2% of nurseries said Government funding covered their delivery costs; 83% will either make a loss or break even, so can’t invest in staffing or resources. This is why childcare costs are so high. The Government contribution is so low, nurseries have to put up their fees to parents to make up the shortfall. From April 2024, all two-year-olds of working parents can claim 15 hours of childcare; this extends to all children who are nine months old from September 2024. A year later, working parents with children under five will be entitled to 30 hours. The Government currently buys around 50% of all childcare in England; this will rise to around 80%, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. While this is great news for parents’ budgets, if the Government does not pay its share, it could bring the whole system crashing down. NDNA research shows that 87% more nurseries closed between April and December 2022 compared with the same period the previous year. Providers’ costs have rocketed, including staff wages, energy and food costs, business rates and VAT. Unfortunately the funding rate has never kept pace with actual costs or inflation. At the time of going to press, early years providers do not know how many more children are expected to take up a place, making it very difficult to plan. Currently only 86% of PVI nurseries offer two-year-old places. NDNA’s research shows that 67% of nurseries would have to physically expand to increase their capacity – this takes planning, investment and time. There is no capital funding for this, nurseries have exhausted their reserves through underfunding and time is running out. Three quarters of nurseries could only offer further places if they took on more staff. A workforce crisis has been blighting the sector for years, with some settings closing provision because they don’t have enough practitioners. NDNA has asked the Government for support to raise awareness of early years careers, providing pathways for development, funding for qualifications and higher funding rates to pay staff the salaries they deserve. Support is patchy at best. The childcare landscape in England is set to be transformed. We all want it to be a success, to support parents and give children the best start in life. If the Government invests sufficiently and works alongside the providers, it will truly be a game changer. But the Government must get its sums right from the start because from September 2025, there will be no means for nurseries to make up that shortfall and prices will effectively be fixed. For more information, please visit www.ndna.org.uk www.minervamagazines.co.uk | 11
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Page 19 and 20: MONKFISH RICE & CURRY BY JACK STEIN
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North Hampshire Lifestyle Jul - Aug 2023

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