PLANS for works at a Pembrokeshire ‘bug farm’ to allow it “to maintain its high-quality farming, research, and educational facility” have been submitted to the national park.

In an application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Dr Sarah Beynon of Doctor Beynon’s Bug Farm Ltd, Lower Harglodd, St Davids, through agent Pembroke Design Ltd, seeks permission to for the removal and replacement of a shed on site with a modern one, which the applicant says will “allow the business to extend its season to the visitor experience”.

Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm, just outside St Davids, is the vision of Dr Sarah Beynon, who wanted to combine her love of farming, academic research and education by setting up a centre of excellence in her hometown of St Davids.

It offers a ‘friendly quirky and unique attraction’ for nature lovers and foodies set on a historic Welsh farm.

It boasts a tropical bug zoo, a bug museum, a recently opened nature recovery centre, a farming history museum, a farm trail across wildflower meadows, wetland and woodland, a peaceful walled garden, an art gallery, an indoor play barn and gift shop.

The farm is also home to Grub Kitchen, the UK’s first edible insect café, which offers a nature-friendly menu created from largely organic and local produce, with plenty of non-insect options too.

A supporting statement accompanying the application says the post-war shed, originally used for farm machinery by the applicant’s uncle has long passed its ‘sell by date’, and is not practical or feasible to repair; its replacement “will allow the Bug Farm business to continue to use it to provide educational opportunity and match the building to the rest of the farm buildings”.

The statement adds: “The farm has been named as one of Wales’s top 10 farms for rare arable plants and was used as a 2026 PCNPA case study for a private Naturfa site. Ten percent of the farm has been planted with native woodland since 2023, and the farm has been invited to be designated as part of the National Forest of Wales and will apply for Naturfa status.”

It went on to say: “In creating the nature reserve Sarah has created an educational facility to showcase the work done and to explain the effects it has on improving the wildlife habitat. It has been a huge success.

“The existing proposed Nature Discovery Centre is an educational space to enthuse people about nature and what they can do to reverse the declines of wildlife by discovering just how fascinating it is.

“Over the last few years, work has been carried out on the Nature Recovery Education Centre. Phase 2- Fit Out is due to commence shortly.

“The current proposal to replace the shed will allow the site to maintain its high-quality farming, research, and educational facility.”

It finished: “Once complete the site will enhance the great agricultural, research and educational destination for schools, universities, conservation/ farming groups and day visitors alike.”

The application will be considered by Park planners at a later date.

New three-year development plan aims to increase the use and visibility of Welsh across the company’s services and workplace

WALES & WEST UTILITIES has launched a new Welsh Language Development Plan as part of a renewed commitment to supporting and promoting the language.

Announced ahead of the National Eisteddfod, the three-year plan sets out practical measures aimed at embedding Welsh more widely across the company’s operations.

The gas emergency and pipeline service has also refreshed its existing Welsh Language Scheme.

Both documents were developed in collaboration with the Welsh Language Commissioner’s office and are intended to improve services for Welsh-speaking customers, communities, employees and other stakeholders.

Planned measures include increasing the visibility of Welsh across company communications, helping employees use more Welsh in the workplace and ensuring the language continues to be considered when services are planned and delivered.

Gwyn Thomas, Senior Communication and Customer Manager at Wales & West Utilities, said: “The Welsh language is a vital part of Wales’s identity and culture and, as the company which operates the gas distribution network across Wales, we are proud to play our part in supporting its continued growth.

“We have worked in partnership with the Welsh Language Commissioner’s office to co-create our Development Plan and update our Welsh Language Scheme, demonstrating our long-term commitment to ensuring Welsh is valued throughout our organisation.”

The company said the updated scheme and development plan build on its existing bilingual working practices and its ambition to improve the experience of Welsh-speaking customers and employees.

Mr Thomas added: “Our teams have worked hard to get to this point and, now that we have these tools in place, we will continue to review progress against the development plan, ensuring Welsh remains an integral part of our culture.”

Welsh Language Commissioner Efa Gruffudd Jones welcomed the announcement.

She said: “I welcome Wales & West Utilities’ dedication to strengthening its Welsh-language provision.

“This development plan demonstrates a clear commitment to ensuring the Welsh language becomes a valuable part of the services the company provides. I look forward to seeing its positive impact on the availability and use of Welsh-language services in the future.”

Wales & West Utilities operates the gas distribution network across Wales and the south-west of England, transporting energy to more than 7.5 million people through around 35,000 kilometres of underground pipes.

Anyone who smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency number immediately on 0800 111 999. Engineers are available 24 hours a day.

New research suggests 58% of eligible sole traders in Wales still have work to do ahead of the first Making Tax Digital quarterly reporting deadline on August 7.

THREE in five sole traders in Wales are not fully prepared for a major change to the way they report their income and expenses to HM Revenue and Customs, according to new research.

A survey commissioned by Lloyds found that 58% of Welsh respondents still had work to do before they were ready to comply with Making Tax Digital for Income Tax.

The figure was slightly higher than the UK-wide result, where 55% of those surveyed said they were not yet fully prepared.

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax became mandatory in April for sole traders and landlords with qualifying annual income of more than £50,000.

Those covered by the rules must keep digital records and use compatible software to provide HMRC with quarterly summaries of their income and expenses.

The deadline for the first quarterly update is Friday, August 7.

Nathan Morgan, Area Director for Wales at Lloyds, said: “Making Tax Digital represents one of the biggest administrative changes many sole traders will have experienced for years.

“Our research suggests that while businesses recognise the benefits of digital record-keeping, many are still working through what they need to do before the first submission deadline.

“With small business owners already balancing multiple demands on their time, simplicity matters.

“That is why we have built HMRC-recognised Making Tax Digital for Income Tax functionality directly into eligible Lloyds Business Accounts at no extra cost, helping customers manage tax administration alongside their everyday banking.”

Despite the concerns over preparedness, some Welsh sole traders said the new system had already brought benefits.

Among those preparing for the first update, 41% said digital tax management had helped them become more organised, while 16% said it had reduced the stress associated with completing tax work at the last minute.

More than three quarters of respondents in Wales, 79%, said they would find it useful to manage tax records, deadlines and administration through their banking app or online banking.

Lloyds has integrated Making Tax Digital software into its business banking service. The tool allows customers to maintain digital records, categorise income and expenses, save receipts and prepare quarterly updates.

The qualifying income threshold will fall to more than £30,000 from April 2027 and more than £20,000 from April 2028.

The Lloyds research was conducted by Censuswide among 1,000 UK sole traders with income of at least £50,000 between June 29 and July 6. Landlords were not included in the survey.