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Editor @[email protected] · 2026-05-20 · 11:18 UTC

MUMBLES: ‘My sons were shocked and scared’ — NHS doctor speaks out after racist abuse at skate park as police launch hate crime investigation

A Swansea NHS doctor has spoken of his shock and sadness after his family were subjected to racist abuse at Mumbles Skate Park — with his sons, aged five and two, present when three teenagers on bikes and scooters directed racial slurs at them.

Dr Haroon Ali described the incident in a public Facebook post on Saturday 16 May. He said he was leaving the skate park with his two young sons when the teenagers — whom he estimated to be aged between 11 and 13 — approached and shouted a racial slur at them. When he challenged them, they repeated it multiple times before riding off gleefully.

“My sons were both shocked and scared, as well as confused about what was happening,” Dr Ali wrote, describing the moment his young boys asked him what the teenagers had been saying and why they were shouting at them. “I just feel deeply sad about this ugly event,” he added.

Dr Ali said he was born and raised in Swansea and has worked as an NHS doctor serving the city for 12 years, with his family contributing to the community for generations. He said that in all his time in Swansea he had never experienced such an overtly racist incident — let alone one directed at him in front of his children.

In his post, Dr Ali also addressed the parents of the teenagers directly. “To the parents of these boys: I hope you are proud of yourselves for raising individuals who feel comfortable spewing this kind of vicious hatred in our community,” he wrote.

Dr Ali also said he believed certain unnamed local politicians had contributed to a rise in overt racism in the area, and called on them to stand firm in their opposition to it.

South Wales Police confirmed yesterday that officers had received a report of an alleged hate crime incident near Mumbles Skate Park on Saturday 16 May. The report is currently under investigation.

One of the first politicians to respond publicly was Francesca O’Brien MS — the Reform UK member for Gŵyr Abertawe who was this week named as her party’s shadow minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning. O’Brien, a former Mumbles councillor, described herself as “genuinely horrified” by what had happened.

“Let me be absolutely clear — racism is intolerable, unacceptable and has no place whatsoever in Mumbles, Swansea or anywhere else in our society,” O’Brien said. “Racism is not a left-wing issue or a right-wing issue — it is a societal issue, and every decent person should be united in condemning it and eradicating it wherever it appears.”

She said she had previously raised concerns about anti-social behaviour at the skate park during her time as a Mumbles councillor, and that Mumbles Community Council — which owns and manages the facility — had recommended CCTV coverage at the site following repeated incidents. She said she would contact the community council to ask for an update.

O’Brien issued a direct invitation to Dr Ali to work with her on a community response. “I would personally like to invite Dr Haroon Ali to work collaboratively with me in leading a constructive community response to this incident,” she said. “This cannot simply become another angry online debate that achieves nothing.”

Mumbles community councillor Ian Scott said he intended to raise the incident and wider concerns about the skate park at the community council’s full council meeting on Tuesday. The community council owns the skate park and has previously received reports of anti-social behaviour at the site.

The skate park itself has a long history. The land was leased from Swansea Council to Mumbles Community Council in 2021, following years of campaigning by local skaters and families. National Lottery funding of more than £270,000 was secured in 2022 — overcoming what the community council at the time described as numerous delays and legal wrangles — and the park officially opened in February 2023, costing nearly £350,000 in total. A community consultation on the park’s future development was launched last year.

The park has become a popular destination for skateboarders, BMX riders, scooter users and families. Saturday’s incident — and the anti-social behaviour concerns that preceded it — will now add a new dimension to the community council’s deliberations about its future.

Anyone with information about the incident at Mumbles Skate Park on Saturday 16 May is asked to contact South Wales Police on 101, quoting reference 2600152970. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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O’Brien was this week named Reform UK’s shadow minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning.

Community council asks for views on Mumbles skatepark
Mumbles Community Council launched a consultation on the skatepark’s future development last year.

Funding secured for Mumbles skatepark
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#antiSocialBehaviour #FrancescaOBrienMS #hateCrime #Mumbles #ReformUK #SouthWalesPolice

#antisocialbehaviour #francescaobrienms #hatecrime #mumbles #reformuk #southwalespolice

Editor @[email protected] · 2026-05-17 · 15:50 UTC

GOWER: Only four locals took part last year — can Swansea’s own backyard event tempt more to take the plunge this June?

Hundreds of athletes will descend on Gower on 20 June for the third Gritty Rascals Swimrun Gower — an endurance event that takes competitors on a continuous journey of running and open-water swimming along one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline in Britain.

And yet last year, only four people from the local area entered — meaning the vast majority of those experiencing the Gower coast from the water and the clifftops were travelling from elsewhere in the UK or further afield.

Organisers are hoping to change that. “We have competitors travel from across the UK and Europe to compete and this year we’re keen to welcome more local athletes to enter,” said Gary Pavitt, founder of Gritty Rascals Events.

Competitors run along a Gower beach during the Gritty Rascals Swimrun event. (Image: Gritty Rascals Events)

Unlike a triathlon, swimrun involves no transition. Competitors run in their wetsuits and swim in their trainers, alternating between cross-country running and open-water swimming throughout the entire race — without changing kit.

This year’s event offers three course lengths. The Sprint Course (12km) is aimed at first-timers and newcomers to the sport. The Gritty Course (21km) offers a half-marathon equivalent for those wanting a stiff challenge.

The Full Course (41km) — starting at Rhossili Bay and finishing in Mumbles — is the ultimate test, and has this year been designated an ÖTILLÖ Merit Race, allowing competitors to earn global ranking points towards the Swimrun World Championships.

Competitors pause on the rocky shoreline near Mumbles lighthouse during the Gritty Rascals Swimrun Gower. (Image: Gritty Rascals Events)

The Full Course takes competitors on a route most locals will recognise stretch by stretch — a technical swim from Tears Point to Mewslade Bay, cliff top running to Port Eynon, a crossing of Port Eynon Bay, then on through Oxwich, around Tor Point, into Pwll Du, across to Brandy Cove, Caswell Bay, Langland Bay and Rotherslade before a final climb up Mumbles Hill to the finish line.

Competitor Stacey Bramhall, who is also involved in promoting the event, said the experience of seeing Gower from both the coastal path and the water was unlike anything else.

“There is honestly nothing quite like the perspective of seeing Gower’s beauty from the coast path and the water,” she said. “The sense of achievement when you finish the race makes it all 100% worth doing.”

A competitor swims underwater during the Gritty Rascals Swimrun Gower event, still wearing their race vest and goggles. (Image: Gritty Rascals Events)

For those nervous about the swimming sections, the organisers point to an extensive water safety team who are in the water throughout. “We have a huge support team who are in the water for every stroke to support swimmers whether it’s their first swimrun or fifth,” said Pavitt.

Transport to the start lines is provided, with all courses finishing back in Mumbles. The event hub, registration and finish line are all based there, giving spectators a base for the day.

The Gritty Rascals Swimrun Gower takes place on Saturday 20 June 2026. Registration is open now at grittyrascals.com.

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#BrandyCove #CaswellBay #funRun #Gower #GrittyRascals #LanglandBay #Mumbles #MumblesHill #Oxwich #PortEynon #PwllDu #RhossiliBay #Rotherslade #SwimRun #TorPoint

#brandycove #caswellbay #funrun #gower #grittyrascals #langlandbay

otheorange_tag @[email protected] · 2026-05-11 · 00:08 UTC

#Mumbles "Hanppyy muddters dy" (WHAT?!) #MothersDayDadJoke #BaroqueSun

#mumbles #mothersdaydadjoke #baroquesun