Jo Barnes

Hywel Dda Health Charities funded a new garden bench at South Pembrokeshire Hospital for patients, visitors and staff. The bench provides a comfortable place to rest, enjoy nature, spend time with visitors and support staff reflection and wellbeing. Representatives said the project demonstrates how local NHS charity donations enhance hospital environments beyond core NHS provision.

Sam and Gavin Faulkner raised £1,465 for the Cardiac Care Unit at Withybush Hospital through four running events held in memory of Sam’s father, who died after suffering multiple heart attacks in July 2023. The races included the Porthcawl 10k, Great North Run, Cardiff Half Marathon and Silverstone Circuit 10k, the latter taking place on her father’s birthday in the village where he grew up. Fundraising officer Katie Hancock thanked the couple and said community donations help provide services beyond what the NHS can offer across Hywel Dda’s three counties.

A comparison of petrol and diesel prices at garages in and around Haverfordwest identifies Gulf Milford Haven as offering the cheapest unleaded petrol at 152.7p per litre and Tesco Milford Haven as offering the cheapest diesel at 175.9p per litre. Prices are based on information from PetrolPrices.com and may change.

Seven-year-old Gracie from west Wales received a certificate of merit from the Child of Wales Awards 2026 after raising more than £65,000 for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity through its Christmas campaign. The funds are estimated to support 18 combined air and road missions. Gracie was treated after a serious road traffic accident that left her with a collapsed lung, broken bones and internal injuries, followed by five days in a coma and two years of rehabilitation. Her family credits the air ambulance team with saving her life. Gracie and her brother Chester have also been invited to Bluestone National Park Resort in recognition of their experiences and achievements.

The Welsh Government is preparing a National Energy Strategy focused on creating a low-carbon energy system, reducing emissions, retaining economic value in Welsh communities and expanding community ownership. The strategy will assess future energy needs, guide infrastructure planning, replace renewable energy targets with emissions-reduction goals and protect productive farmland. Ports including Milford Haven and Mostyn are expected to support offshore energy development, while the government plans to establish Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru and a Wales Wealth Fund to increase local benefits, investment and high-quality employment.

Gŵyl Canol Unman, a free festival at Theatr Felinfach in rural Wales on September 19, 2026, will celebrate local creativity, Welsh language and culture. The programme will include an open stage featuring choirs, musicians and theatre groups, a market for local businesses and food vendors, and participatory workshops, concluding with performances by Bwca and Pwdin Reis. Organizers Jan Thomas and Dwynwen Lloyd Llywelyn emphasized the festival’s inclusive aims and thanked the local community and sponsors for their support.

Pembrokeshire Chess Club is restarting its season at Kensington Court in Steynton, Milford Haven, welcoming players of all ages and abilities from August 25. The club offers friendly matches, championship and league play, plus coaching for juniors and adults. Its junior members performed well at the Pembroke Castle Chess Festival, with Henry Burton finishing second in the under-12 section. The club also marked Burton’s move to Staffordshire and invited new members to get in touch via Facebook.

Lovell Homes is promoting Augustus Grange, a mixed-tenure development near Haverfordwest, by highlighting nearby walking and outdoor attractions. Residents have access to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Western Cleddau riverside paths, Haverfordwest Castle grounds and green spaces within the development. The two- and three-bedroom homes are located near the town centre, local amenities and Pembrokeshire’s coastline and countryside.

Cwm Arian’s Preseli Woodlands Project will host a free menopause retreat at Pengelli Forest near Eglwyswrw on September 4, 2026. Led by psychotherapist Heather Sanderson, the Among the Trees session will offer quiet reflection, gentle woodland walks, an optional sharing circle and discussion of improved menopause support in Pembrokeshire. Advance booking is required, with places available by emailing [email protected].

Tenby Lodge of Freemasons donated £1,000 to the Paul Sartori Foundation, which provides free home-based hospice care to adults with life-limiting illnesses in Pembrokeshire. The money came from a casino night that raised about £500, with the lodge matching the proceeds from its charity funds. Members highlighted their personal experiences with the foundation and its nursing, physiotherapy, equipment-loan and professional-training services.

Tenby and District Camera Club will resume weekly meetings on September 3 at St Florence Community Hall. The club welcomes photographers of all abilities, including phone photographers, and will offer competitions, presentations, workshops and social activities. Members recently held a garden party, where Jan Sullivan received the Photographer of the Year trophy; she also led a summer school on phone photography from June to August. The club’s full programme and membership information are available on its website.

The Torch Theatre in Milford Haven is inviting amateur and professional artists from Pembrokeshire to exhibit in its Joanna Field Gallery. Exhibitions run for a month, with artists able to host a launch event. Theatre coordinator Jordan Dickin highlighted the gallery’s welcoming setting and range of local artwork, while artist Paul King praised the venue’s support and said exhibiting helped him complete and present his paintings.

More than 5,000 people attended the Space Safari Drone Light Show at Ffos Las Racecourse, where 700 synchronised drones created animal, character and cosmic images over the night sky. The family-friendly event included live entertainment, fairground rides and food stalls, with narration by Michaela Strachan. Organisers highlighted its inclusive, neurodiverse-friendly and environmentally conscious design as a quieter alternative to fireworks.

Tenby Sailing Club hosted the Firefly Class’s 80th anniversary week, attracting 116 entries for a full programme of racing and social events. Ben Whaley and Rhona Enkel won overall, ahead of Steve Tylecote and Tasha Armstrong, with Terry and Annabelle Hacker third. Additional Osprey and Redwing races were held later, including the Redwing fleet’s annual race around Caldey Island.

Pembrokeshire Senedd member Paul Davies visited RWE’s Pembroke Power Station and met CEO Nikolaus Valerius and other representatives to discuss ongoing projects and future plans. The discussions focused on investment in new infrastructure, including a synchronous condenser intended to support electricity-grid stability, as well as RWE’s employment, community support and potential contribution to local economic opportunities.

The RAOB Club in Kilgetty will host Soul At The Buff on August 29 from 7 p.m. until late, featuring Northern Soul, Tamla Motown and 1970s soul played from original vinyl records. Chris Birch will headline alongside guest DJs Pauline Williams and Detroit Dave. Tickets cost £5 at the door, and the venue will offer a bar, dance floor, seating and free parking.

St Brides Spa Hotel has joined Saundersfoot Rotary as a corporate member to strengthen its community ties and support local projects and events. The hotel has already participated in an environmental beach clean, while Rotary says the partnership should increase collaboration between local businesses and voluntary groups.

The Torch Theatre in Milford Haven will screen a filmed National Theatre production of The Misanthrope on September 22 at 7 p.m. Directed by Indhu Rubasingham, written by Martin Crimp and starring Sandra Oh, the contemporary adaptation follows novelist Alice as she challenges society’s dishonesty and faces the consequences of speaking uncomfortable truths. Tickets cost £15, with concessions at £13 and under-26 tickets at £8.50.

Goodwick Youth Band, made up of musicians aged eight to 21, won the Youth Brass Band section at Eisteddfod y Garreg Las with a four-piece entertainment programme and received the Tarian Seindorf Beaumaris. Trombone soloist Ianto Evans placed third in the 16-to-under-19 Blue Riband Instrumental Competition, while the senior band also finished third in the Championship Section.

MP Ben Lake has joined 121 MPs and peers in calling for an urgent review of the UK’s student-loan repayment system. The Treasury Select Committee has said the framework should be made fairer and more sustainable, while critics object to the retrospective freezing of the Plan 2 repayment threshold, which causes graduates to begin repaying sooner and pay more as their incomes rise. Lake argues that many graduates were misled about the terms of their loans, with around 90% of current Plan 2 borrowers reportedly seeing their overall debt increase despite making repayments. Supporters of reform warn that the system creates a substantial financial burden and may deter people from pursuing higher education.

Children and teenagers in Pembrokeshire are invited to join a free two-day art workshop in Haverfordwest led by artist Owen Hart. Participants will explore the town through guided photography and sketching walks before creating collages in a studio with professional artists. The workshops, funded by the Children's Festival with Arts Council of Wales Lottery support, are divided between ages six to 11 and 11 to 16. Finished works will become postcards displayed locally and online, with limited spaces requiring advance booking.

Young dancers from Tiny Toes Ballet Pembrokeshire performed a ballet adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s Room on the Broom at the Merlin Theatre. Children as young as 18 months portrayed characters including witches, dragons, frogs and mud monsters, with the performance emphasizing imagination, friendship, teamwork and the confidence gained through appearing on stage. Principal Sonia Murison praised the children and their families, while photographer Amy Nicholls documented the event. The ballet school plans to welcome new dancers when classes resume in September.

Doreen Harries, a great-grandmother from near Tenby, asked guests at her 90th-birthday celebration to donate to Wales Air Ambulance instead of giving presents. Contributions from family and friends raised £950. Wales Air Ambulance finance director Jayne Tucker collected the cheque and thanked Harries and the donors, highlighting the charity’s need to raise £13 million annually to operate its helicopters and rapid-response vehicles across Wales.

Powys will host the National Eisteddfod in Glantwymyn near Machynlleth from July 31 to August 7, 2027. The formal handover from Pembrokeshire took place at the current festival, with Powys and Gwynedd already fundraising and engaging visitors. The event will return to Powys for the first time since it was held in Meifod in 2015.

More than 3,000 people engaged with Hywel Dda University Health Board’s eight-week consultation on proposed stroke service changes across west Wales, including a 24-hour acute stroke and rehabilitation unit at Glangwili Hospital, rehabilitation services at Bronglais Hospital, and treat-and-transfer services at several hospitals. The board received more than 700 questionnaire responses and will review all feedback alongside clinical evidence and impact assessments before presenting a report and making a final decision in November. It says patients will continue to be taken to the nearest appropriate hospital for urgent assessment and treatment, while any future transport arrangements will be planned with ambulance and other national providers.

More than 130 people, including 112 residents and 20 nursery children, attended a free community event at Letterston Memorial Hall organized by ateb. The event brought together ateb services, health and public-sector organizations, local businesses and community groups to provide advice and activities focused on health, wellbeing, safety, budgeting, energy saving, recycling and social connection. Activities included healthy cooking, football, bush-craft demonstrations and an inflatable assault course. Organizers and attendees reported overwhelmingly positive feedback, saying the event helped residents meet neighbours, access support and become more involved in their community.

Manorbier Community Garden in Pembrokeshire has received a 2026 Green Flag Community Award from Keep Wales Tidy. The site, transformed from scrubland into an organic community garden in just over two years, includes raised beds, vegetables, flowers, free-range chickens, a children’s mud kitchen and recreational space. Led by Sian Cromwell, her husband Ollie and local volunteers, the project was recognized for its environmental work, visitor facilities and community involvement. It is one of 237 Welsh sites receiving the community award, the highest number in any participating country.

John Parr’s First World War short film A Pack of Five will be screened at Fishguard Library on August 4. The film portrays soldiers sharing memories during a brief respite from battle and promotes peaceful conflict resolution. It includes contributions from Welsh poets Alan Llwyd and Ceri Wyn Jones, the Treorchy Male Voice Choir and the Harry Secombe Youth Musical Theatre Company; Parr wrote, directed and composed the music for the film.

Sara Hartel’s one-person aerial circus theatre show, “Foreigner in My Body,” will be performed at Milford Haven’s Torch Theatre on July 29 as the final stop of its Welsh tour. Drawing on Hartel’s experiences as a trans person and migrant, the production combines movement, theatre and aerial circus, with integrated captions and audio description for D/deaf and visually impaired audiences. Supported by Arts Council Wales, the show is recommended for audiences aged 13 and over, with standard and concessionary tickets available.

Formula One engineer Owen Jones, performance director at Red Bull Powertrains, spoke to the Narberth and District Probus Club about his 30-year career. After early roles with Rover and Chamberlain Engineering, he joined Cosworth and later Mercedes, helping develop power units that secured nine Formula One world championships. Since 2022, he has led 80 engineers working on Red Bull's in-house power unit, recently recognized by the FIA as the best in the current field. Jones plans to retire later this year and remains connected to Pembrokeshire through family, motoring and railway volunteering. The club's next meeting will feature funeral director Stewart Treharne.

Fishguard and Goodwick’s 23rd Aberjazz 'n' Blues Festival is scheduled for late August, with around 30 ticketed events, double bills, workshops, a parade and a fringe programme of live music in local venues. Performers include N’famady Kouyate, Chris Ingram, Jay Azzolina and Dave Ferra, while the festival will conclude with closing performances at the Ffwrn and Peppers. Workshops are free, and tickets are priced from £10 to £25.

Gerald Hugh Rogers and Anthony William Palmer were honoured for 50 years of membership in the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes in a ceremony at Narberth Castle Lodge. Both men have held multiple leadership roles within the organization, including positions in the South Pembrokeshire Province and the Pembrokeshire ROH Assembly. Rogers remains active as a trustee and community volunteer, while Palmer continues to serve in several administrative roles and previously held the senior title of grand registrar.

Communities around Cardigan are preparing for the National Eisteddfod, decorating towns and villages for the cultural festival expected to draw more than 170,000 visitors. The event will take place in Llantood and covers North Pembrokeshire, South Ceredigion and West Carmarthenshire. Street artist Lloyd Roberts has created ten murals across Pembrokeshire, commissioned by Menter Iaith Sir Benfro to mark the occasion.

A Pembrokeshire man, Gethin Cardy, has graduated with a youth work degree from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David after overcoming a troubled adolescence. Inspired and supported by youth worker Jo Price, university staff, and local youth services, he completed his studies despite challenges related to autism and dyslexia. His mentors highlighted his resilience and commitment to helping young people. Cardy now aims to combine youth work with health and fitness to support others facing similar difficulties.

Sunset Cinema returns to Pembrokeshire with an outdoor film programme across several scenic venues, featuring family favourites, classic titles and the premiere of local filmmaker Emily Batty’s Near and Distant Things. Screenings run from July 17 to August 29 at locations including Milford Haven, Saundersfoot Harbour, St Davids and Pembroke Castle, with tickets available through the Torch Theatre.

A quiz night at St Andrew's Church in Narberth raised funds through ten rounds of questions led by Father Robert, with refreshments provided by Tesco’s community representative. The event concluded with a narrow victory for the winning team and acknowledgments to Tesco and participants. Upcoming community gatherings include a cream tea at the Masonic Hall, the return of Hymns and Pimms, and a complimentary afternoon tea in September.

A bilingual children's theatre production, We Need Bees, is touring Wales with a stop at the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven. Supported by the ScottishPower Foundation’s Art for Climate Fund, the show uses music and storytelling to teach young audiences about environmental issues. Cast and creative leaders emphasize its educational value, while the foundation highlights the arts as a tool for climate engagement. The tour will reach over 1,200 schoolchildren ahead of a related production, Bug Hotel, scheduled for 2027.

Pembrokeshire Bug Farm and Grub Kitchen will mark their 10th anniversary with a special event on July 23 in St Davids, offering activities, exhibitions and bug encounters as part of standard entry. Visitors can explore the Entographica gallery, view tropical invertebrates, join habitat trail walks and attend a book reading by M G Leonard, whose novel Beetle Boy also turns ten. The site’s Nature Recovery Centre and Pembrokeshire Farming History Museum will be open, featuring local farming exhibits and memoirs.

A new festival, Gŵyl Aberteifi Live, will take place in Cardigan on October 30–31 with more than 40 performances across multiple local venues. Organisers present it as a smaller but high‑quality alternative during Other Voices Cardigan’s hiatus, featuring artists from Wales and Ireland. The event relies entirely on ticket sales and community support, with limited tickets available. Other Voices founder Philip King expressed support for the initiative, and local promoters are collaborating to deliver the festival.

A 60‑minute puppet theatre show, The Zoo That Comes to You by Scarlet Oak Theatre, will be performed at Narberth’s Scout Hut on July 22. The production uses puppetry, music and storytelling to highlight animal experiences and promote conservation awareness. The event is open to all ages, with tickets starting at £6 and booking available online or by phone through Span Arts, which also provides information on accessibility.

A collection of 14 detailed model RAF flying boats built by veteran model maker Fred Martin has been donated to the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre, filling historical gaps in its aviation displays. The models span aircraft from the First World War to the late 1930s, including rare types, and have been praised by museum staff and fellow model makers for their craftsmanship and historical value.

The Pembroke and District Male Voice Choir held three performances within six days at Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre, St John’s Church and Monkton Priory. The concerts featured debut appearances by accompanist Bev Davies and several new choir members, including first tenor Paul Williams. Musical director Juliet Rossiter led a consistent programme across the events, which also included performances by The Cheeky Boys. The choir acknowledged local support and announced its next concert at Cresswell Quay.

A regional care provider, Robin Appathurai, has purchased Rostley Care Home in Milford Haven, expanding his footprint in Pembrokeshire. Former owners Jayne Anderson and Sarah Kempson sold the 14‑resident facility as they move toward semi‑retirement, expressing pride in its long‑standing reputation for high‑quality care. Christie & Co managed the confidential sale, noting the home’s strong local standing and the strategic fit within Appathurai’s portfolio.

A modern three‑bedroom farmhouse on more than 100 acres in Tegryn, Llanfyrnach has been listed for £1.3 million. Marketed by JJ Morris, the property features spacious living areas, an en‑suite main bedroom, landscaped gardens, multiple outbuildings suited for agricultural or business uses, and extensive pasture and arable land. It is currently listed on Rightmove.

A four-bedroom 1930s townhouse in Tenby’s Quayside area is listed for £795,000, offering harbour and sea views, original architectural features, spacious rooms and a sunny courtyard. Marketed by Birt & Co and listed on Rightmove, the property includes upgraded cellar storage, a study, utility room and versatile living spaces close to the beach.

A five‑bedroom detached home in Blackbridge near Milford Haven is listed for £550,000, featuring an open‑plan kitchen, landscaped gardens, multiple en‑suite bedrooms, a gym, and an entertainment room with garden access. An open house will be held on July 11 by agents Bryce & Co, and the property is listed on Rightmove.

A three-bedroom duplex apartment in Tenby is listed for £500,000, offering sea views, a balcony, and contemporary open-plan living spaces. The property spans two floors with en‑suite bedrooms, a family bathroom, and a well-equipped kitchen, along with a utility room and allocated parking. It carries an estimated annual service charge of £5,000 and a 999‑year lease term, with details advised to be confirmed by prospective buyers through legal checks.

Haverfordwest Creamery secured 26 honours at the International Cheese & Dairy Awards, including eight gold medals and six major trophies, reinforcing First Milk’s reputation for producing high‑quality British cheese. Company representatives highlighted the skill of their creameries and farmer members in consistently delivering exceptional milk and award‑winning products.

A four-bedroom detached home in Llanteg near Narberth is for sale at around £575,000. Marketed by Blackbear, the property features a modernised interior, spacious living areas, a standout kitchen, multiple bedrooms including an en suite, and ample garden and parking space. It offers a balance of rural surroundings and proximity to local amenities and is listed on Rightmove.