18/08/2026
The past month has been incredibly tough for communities across South Wales. Wildfires have forced evacuations, destroyed homes in Newbridge, and kept our fire services stretched to breaking point, with 200 military personnel now deployed to help.
If you’ve felt unsettled, anxious, or found it hard to switch off from the news this week, you’re not alone. Watching a crisis unfold in your own community - even if you haven’t been directly affected - can bring up real stress: disrupted sleep, a racing mind, that constant urge to check for updates.
That reaction is normal. It doesn’t mean something is wrong with you, it means you’re human, and you care about your community. A few things that can help right now:
🔸 Limit how often you’re checking the news/social media for updates
🔸 Stay connected - talk to someone about how you’re feeling, don’t carry it alone
🔸 If you can, check in on neighbours or anyone you know who’s been more directly affected
And to every firefighter, responder, and volunteer out there right now, thank you. The mental toll of frontline emergency work is real too, and it matters just as much as the physical risk.
If you’re struggling, please reach out - to family, to a friend, to your GP, or to Samaritans on 116 123, free, anytime.
💛
