Family are my sunshine, moon and stars
Joined October 2021
- Tweets2.3K
- Following508
- Followers106
- Likes5K
Tesney Wheeler retweeted
At 9:15am today, Wales will fall silent to remember those who were taken from us in the Aberfan disaster.
60 years may have passed, but we will never forget them.
ALT Volunteers helping with search and rescue operations following the Aberfan disaster. The image is covered by the words 'cofiwn Aberfan 60 years' cut out against a black background
Tesney Wheeler retweeted
One of the worst disasters in modern UK history was due entirely to criminal negligence
"When the time came for disbursing funds......the [Charity] Commission offered £500 a household – if the parents could prove they had been close to the dead child" 😲
theguardian.com/tv-and-radio…
Tesney Wheeler retweeted
John Holmes, a mine engineer from a nearby pit in Caerphilly, answered the call for help after disaster struck Aberfan. John, who's 92, has never spoken about what he saw that day until now. It comes on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the tragedy.
Tesney Wheeler retweeted
Every year I share this,
For those of you that haven't seen it before it was drawn by my Dad,
Who was there,
Not digging for coal,
But digging for children,
This is his abiding memory of that day,
He will never forget,
And neither should we.
#Aberfan60
#CofiwchAberfan
Tesney Wheeler retweeted
Crisis doesn’t clock off at 5pm. Our support systems shouldn’t either.
Too many young people in our care system face their toughest moments in the evenings and at weekends, when the people and services they rely on have gone home.
Charities providing safe spaces and sanctuaries play a vital role. But when support isn’t available, A&E can become the only door a young person knows how to walk through.
We need systems that give young people access to clear information, practical help and human support after hours.
Invest in innovation today, or we pay for crisis tomorrow.
Tesney Wheeler retweeted
Nansi Williams - the heroic dinner lady who died saving the lives of schoolchildren during the Aberfan disaster...
On October 21, 1966, a Welsh school dinner lady Nansi Williams threw herself over five children as a wall of coal waste crashed into their school. All five survived. She did not.
That morning, children at Pantglas Junior School in Aberfan, Wales, were preparing for their final day before the half-term holiday. Nansi, a local woman who worked in the school dining hall, was collecting dinner money from pupils.
Above the village stood enormous mountains of waste from the nearby coal mine. For years, residents had lived beneath them, despite concerns about their stability.
At approximately 9:15 a.m., one of those mountains collapsed.
Around 150,000 tonnes of coal waste and water surged down the hillside, smashing into houses and engulfing the school.
Inside, Nansi saw the danger approaching.
She ordered five children to get down, then threw herself over them, using her own body as a shield.
The impact killed her.
One of the children, Karen Thomas, later recalled how Nansi had jumped on top of them as glass shattered and the wall collapsed. The children initially did not understand that she was dead. They tried pulling her hair to wake her.
When rescuers recovered Nansi's body, accounts say she was still clutching a pound note collected for school dinners.
The Aberfan disaster killed 144 people, including 116 children.
An official inquiry later placed responsibility squarely on the National Coal Board. The catastrophe had been preventable.
Nansi had no children of her own. In her final moments, she saved five who belonged to other families.
For decades, her extraordinary sacrifice received little recognition beyond the community that remembered her.
Now, approaching the disaster's 60th anniversary in October 2026, a campaign to honor her has succeeded. A commemorative Purple Plaque is scheduled to be unveiled in Aberfan on October 30.
Five children went home because Nansi Williams never did.
#archaeohistories
Tesney Wheeler retweeted
Having worked in children's social care, residential services, the NHS and projects across the country, for many years, one thing has become clear.
Too many young people in our care system reach crisis point because support isn't visible or accessible.
Local offers differ from town to town. Your postcode shouldn't determine the support you receive.
That's why I'm passionate about technology in social care. Not to replace human relationships, but to strengthen them.
Because at 5pm on a Friday, when offices close, young people don't stop needing support. Some have no family, no safety net and nobody to call.
I'm working to change that.
We need to stop responding to crises and start preventing them.
That's what real system change looks like.
We have solutions lets start using them.
Tesney Wheeler retweeted
The Government’s ambition to recruit 10,000 more foster carers is an important step in the right direction. But recruiting more foster carers is only part of the solution.
We also need to look at the system around them.
We need better support, smarter use of technology and easier access to information, services and resources. We need to remove the barriers preventing good people from becoming foster carers and make sure those already fostering feel supported, valued and equipped to give children the best possible care.
There are incredible people across this country who genuinely want to open their homes, share their lives and give a child the love and stability they deserve.
So....we need to make that possible.
Let's not just recruit 10,000 more foster carers. Let's build a system that makes those 10,000 opportunities truly life-changing.
Children in care are still children
Kinship Care Week is the one week of the year where the spotlight is on kinship families – so it’s the perfect time for us to ask our MPs to show their support.
Can you ask your MP to stand with kinship carers this Kinship Care Week? secure.kinship.org.uk/page/2…
Tesney Wheeler retweeted
⏰ FT | 🏴 2-1 🇳🇴
NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL A RESULT 🤩
💻 fawales.co/CymNor
ALT Full-Time: Cymru 2-1 Norway
Tesney Wheeler retweeted
17 years old. Living in care.
8 moves.
5 schools.
9 social workers.
No family support.
No money.
No stability.
And now, at 17, they are being forced to move into shared accommodation with people taking drugs, partying through the night and strangers coming and going.
Then we ask why they struggle with education.
Why they struggle to find employment.
Why their mental health deteriorates.
Why our mental health services are overwhelmed.
Why some young people reach a point where they feel they have nothing left to live for.
Look at the journey before you judge the outcome.
This isn't one child.
This is one child among thousands.
None of this is their fault.
This is our care system. And it has to change.
Enough is enough.
Tesney Wheeler retweeted
The real problem is a system that too often chooses the cheapest option over the right option.
It means children and young people are being placed in unregulated houses where the care they are promised simply isn’t what they receive. It isn’t what it says on the tin.
And ultimately, that false economy costs us far more in the long run — when young people fall off the care cliff, without the stability, support and opportunities they need to build a successful life.
We need to stop buying cheap solutions and start investing in what actually works.
Tesney Wheeler retweeted
I’ve spent 10 years campaigning to change our care system.
Every young person leaving care deserves more than survival. They deserve a safe home, stability, opportunity and the chance to build the life they choose.
We have the solutions. We have the voices. We have the experience.
What we need now is the collective will to act.
We should have the best care system in the world.
And we could.
No more excuses. No more waiting.
It’s time to change care. @Channel4News
Tesney Wheeler retweeted
🚨 Hugo Ekitike on being reunited with Bradley Barcola at Liverpool:
🎙️ “He is more than a teammate to me he’s my brother. We know each other’s game, we understand each other and I already know what he can bring to Liverpool.
“I’ve always said he’s crazy fast, but there’s much more to him than that. He has the personality to take responsibility, attack defenders and change games. Having him back beside me is something I’m genuinely excited about.
“We played together at PSG, and now we get the chance to do it at Liverpool. This time, we’re not here just to play together we’re here to win trophies together.”
