The innovative Danny Fellows Training Trust was launched last week at the Bridge Innovation Centre in Pembroke Dock, with encouraging support from local industry and politicians.

The Trust has been set up by friends and colleagues.

Speaking about the aims of the Trust, Laurence Holt, chairman of trustees, said: “Danny was passionate about skills development and employment in our area. The Trust aims to provide interest free loans to qualifying individuals so that they can develop their careers and ultimately improve the Pembrokeshire economy.”

Danny, who sadly died in 2014, was well known as a union representative in the area and also held posts with the Milford Haven Port Authority and on the Pembrokeshire College board. His expertise spread further than the county, with various roles advising the Welsh Government. Pembrokeshire Lottery, which has just celebrated reaching a total loaned amount of five million pounds over the last 21 years, was Danny’s idea.

In launching the Trust, the Welsh Secretary, Preseli Pembrokeshire MP, Stephen Crabb, said: “Danny was a tremendous force for good in Pembrokeshire. He was passionate about all aspects of our county, but especially the importance of skills and good employment. I welcome the setting up of the Danny Fellows Training Trust and I hope that it will be able to provide support to adults needing to improve skills and retrain within the construction and engineering sector. This would be a very fitting legacy for Danny’s life.”

There was a general consensus at the meeting that upskilling will be increasingly necessary if Pembrokeshire is to have a competitive labour force that can be nimble in its response to a rapidly changing yet buoyant engineering construction sector.

Keynote speaker at the launch, Andy Brown, director regional operations of the ECITB, said: “This will help redeploy skills and relevant experience to where the demand is. Collaboration is an essential part of the way to meet training needs of a flexible workforce and we will of course help where we can.”

The trustees were very pleased to receive £500 from RWE Pembroke Power station as one of the first contributions to the fund.

Chairman of the trustees, Laurence Holt, stated that it was hoped the first loans would be available from March of this year.

For further details see www. dannyfellowstrainingtrust.org.uk