Make Mwnt beach accessible again for people with EHS/EMRS!

Until a couple of years ago, stunning and secluded Mwnt was the only beach in Ceredigion (Wales) that was fully accessible to people with electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS). (See: https://phiremedical.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PHIRE-EHS-Fast-Facts-Leaflet-Final.pdf.) EHS has been recognised as a disability under the Equality Act 2010 (and is also referred to as electromagnetic radiation syndrome (EMRS)).

Protected by cliffs on three sides, Mwnt was subject to little in the way of man-made electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from wireless networks and mobile phone masts. Then, in 2022, Ceredigion County Council collaborated with Openreach and the National Trust to provide Wi-Fi on the beach. Since then, bombarded with wireless radiation from close-range transmitters located on the roof of the Caban Mwnt café, the beach has been inaccessible for people with EHS/EMRS. 

Sadly, all the other beaches in Ceredigion are also subject to radiation from nearby mobile phone masts, TV transmitters (Blaenplwyf), and/or military installations (Aberporth). Mwnt was the exception. With 3-5% of the population affected by EHS, many people are currently being deprived of safe beach access in Ceredigion. 

There’s no issue with the full-fibre in Caban Mwnt, which ensures fast internet access in the café and indicates when the defibrillator has been tampered with; the problem is the irradiation of the beach below.

Even those who don’t suffer from EHS/EMRS might well appreciate a beach that offers the chance to disconnect from the devices that are increasingly widely acknowledged to be having negative impacts on mental health, especially that of children and young people. An unpolluted beach where you can get away from it all and enjoy something of a digital detox might be just what some people are looking for, particularly in this part of rural Wales.

Making Mwnt accessible again to people with EHS/EMRS couldn’t be simpler or cheaper: it will only take the flick of a switch to restore the beach to a healthy and inclusive environment. (And switching off the Wi-Fi would also be beneficial for wildlife in the area – see: https://www.wildlifeandwireless.org/.)

We want to see this happen before World EHS Day on 16th June 2025.