Latest news with #AndreaPowell
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Yahoo
River Cleddau: Families pay tribute to paddleboarding tragedy victims at sentencing hearing
The families of four people who died during a stand-up paddleboard tour have paid tribute to their loved ones at the sentencing hearing of a woman convicted over their deaths. Andrea Powell, 41, Morgan Rogers, 24, and Nicola Wheatley, 40, died after their paddleboards went over a weir in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, on 30 October 2021. Paul O'Dwyer, 42, one of the tour's instructors, also died after he re-entered the water in an attempt to rescue the others. The sentencing hearing of Nerys Lloyd, 39, began on Tuesday at Swansea Crown Court. She to four counts of gross negligence manslaughter and one offence under the Health and Safety At Work Act. There were "extremely hazardous conditions" on the River Cleddau on the day of the tour, which had been organised by Lloyd, owner and sole director of Salty Dog Co Ltd, the court heard. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement that an expert had concluded the tour "should not have taken place". Andrea Powell's husband Mark was the first to address the court and said the three-year wait for a sentence was "caused by Nerys Lloyd , only thinking about number one". Mr Powell added that the couple had only moved to in 2018. "Little were we to know that three years later the move would culminate in Andrea's tragic death," he said. John Taylor, Ms Powell's father, said she was a "lovely, joyous person and loved by all who knew her". Theresa Hall, Ms Rogers's mother, said she was her "only daughter, [her] precious girl". Addressing Lloyd, she said: "You and your arrogance have stopped me being able to fully grieve for my daughter." "She was the glue, she had a great zest for life. She had ambition," she added. Ms Rogers's father, Robert Rogers, added that she was a "peacemaker who kept her family together, without her now, we are a ship without its rudder". Reading a victim personal statement from the witness box, Darren Wheatley, husband of Ms Wheatley, addressed the defendant and said: "You have hidden behind your carefully orchestrated, charitable smokescreen." "I was once a patient, extremely tolerant and forgiving man, but you have changed that forever," he added. "I so wish that you and your sham of a tour company had never crossed paths with my family." Sue Dyke, Ms Wheatley's mother, added in her statement that she was "the centre of [their] family and now she's gone forever". Ceri O'Dwyer, Mr O'Dwyer's wife and a survivor of the tragedy, said she had "shrunk [her] life to avoid [the defendant]" and had "become an outsider in [her] own community". "Paul made a devastating mistake... but he died trying to save others," she added. In a statement read on his behalf, Mr O'Dwyer's son said: "My dad wasn't just my dad, he was my best friend and biggest inspiration, and now he's gone." Mr O'Dwyer's father John O'Dwyer said he was a "true friend, not just a fair-weather friend", while his sister Leanne added that she had lost her "little brother, [her] oldest friend and [her] hero". The court also heard a personal statement from Gemma Cox, another survivor of the tragedy and the best friend of the defendant, who said the incident had "turned [her] world upside down". She said Lloyd had "shown remorse to [her] every single day" and she had seen the defendant "suffering day after day". The defendant sat in the dock wearing a blue shirt and appeared unmoved throughout most of the victim personal statements. The hearing continues.
Sky News
22-04-2025
- Sky News
River Cleddau: Families pay tribute to paddleboarding tragedy victims at sentencing hearing
The families of four people who died during a stand-up paddleboard tour have paid tribute to their loved ones at the sentencing hearing of a woman convicted over their deaths. Andrea Powell, 41, Morgan Rogers, 24, and Nicola Wheatley, 40, died after their paddleboards went over a weir in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, on 30 October 2021. Paul O'Dwyer, 42, one of the tour's instructors, also died after he re-entered the water in an attempt to rescue the others. The sentencing hearing of Nerys Lloyd, 39, began on Tuesday at Swansea Crown Court. She previously pleaded guilty to four counts of gross negligence manslaughter and one offence under the Health and Safety At Work Act. There were "extremely hazardous conditions" on the River Cleddau on the day of the tour, which had been organised by Lloyd, owner and sole director of Salty Dog Co Ltd, the court heard. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement that an expert had concluded the tour "should not have taken place". Andrea Powell's husband Mark was the first to address the court and said the three-year wait for a sentence was "caused by Nerys Lloyd not admitting to her failings until recently, only thinking about number one". Mr Powell added that the couple had only moved to Wales in 2018. "Little were we to know that three years later the move would culminate in Andrea's tragic death," he said. John Taylor, Ms Powell's father, said she was a "lovely, joyous person and loved by all who knew her". Theresa Hall, Ms Rogers's mother, said she was her "only daughter, [her] precious girl". Addressing Lloyd, she said: "You and your arrogance have stopped me being able to fully grieve for my daughter." "She was the glue, she had a great zest for life. She had ambition," she added. Ms Rogers's father, Robert Rogers, added that she was a "peacemaker who kept her family together, without her now, we are a ship without its rudder". Reading a victim personal statement from the witness box, Darren Wheatley, husband of Ms Wheatley, addressed the defendant and said: "You have hidden behind your carefully orchestrated, charitable smokescreen." "I was once a patient, extremely tolerant and forgiving man, but you have changed that forever," he added. "I so wish that you and your sham of a tour company had never crossed paths with my family." Sue Dyke, Ms Wheatley's mother, added in her statement that she was "the centre of [their] family and now she's gone forever". Ceri O'Dwyer, Mr O'Dwyer's wife and a survivor of the tragedy, said she had "shrunk [her] life to avoid [the defendant]" and had "become an outsider in [her] own community". "Paul made a devastating mistake... but he died trying to save others," she added. In a statement read on his behalf, Mr O'Dwyer's son said: "My dad wasn't just my dad, he was my best friend and biggest inspiration, and now he's gone." Mr O'Dwyer's father John O'Dwyer said he was a "true friend, not just a fair-weather friend", while his sister Leanne added that she had lost her "little brother, [her] oldest friend and [her] hero". The court also heard a personal statement from Gemma Cox, another survivor of the tragedy and the best friend of the defendant, who said the incident had "turned [her] world upside down". She said Lloyd had "shown remorse to [her] every single day" and she had seen the defendant "suffering day after day". The defendant sat in the dock wearing a blue shirt and appeared unmoved throughout most of the victim personal statements. The hearing continues.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TEDx Talks come to Sioux Falls
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – TEDx Talks are coming to the Sioux Falls Washington Pavilion. TED Talks are short presentations given by a vast array of speakers, sharing knowledge and ideas to a global audience. The acronym stands for technology, entertainment and design. TEDx events are a more locally focused branch of TED Talks, with the 'x' simply meaning it's independently organized. South Dakotans invited to voice concerns at town halls This year's TEDxSiouxFalls lineup will feature 8 live speakers, including experts ranging from doctors, detectives, educators and more. They'll be presenting a wide variety of ideas aimed at sparking deep discussions on the following topics: How Identity Influences Adaptation to Sport Retirement – Dr. Andrea Powell The Stories Crimes Tell: Listening Beyond the Evidence – Jon Carda Seeing the Unseen: Redefining Healthcare Through Street Medicine – Dr. Melissa Dittberner Notes on Surviving Cancer – Nick Wendell An American Nightmare – Abiah George Finding Joy and Dignity in Alzheimer's – Lisa Groon Dungeons and Dragons as Education and Therapy – Kade Wells How Esports Are a Parenting Power-up – Hannah Boquet The event will be held on April 17 at the Washington Pavilion. Doors open and pre-entertainment starts at 6:15 p.m., and the speakers officially start at 7 p.m. Tickets are available through the Washington Pavilion's website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BBC News
05-03-2025
- BBC News
Haverfordwest: Ex-paddleboard firm owner admits manslaughter
A former police officer and ex-paddleboard tour company owner has admitted to gross negligence manslaughter after the deaths of four O'Dwyer, Andrea Powell, Morgan Rogers and Nicola Wheatley died following an incident in the River Cleddau, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, in October Bethan Lloyd, 39, from Port Talbot, is the former owner of Salty Dog, the company operating the tour that the four, and four others who survived, were company has since been Swansea Crown Court on Wednesday, she also pleaded guilty to one offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
