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Hidden heritage trail launched in Saundersfoot

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New route: Detailed historical facts are detailed in the guide

New route: Detailed historical facts are detailed in the guide

YOU MAY have noticed the image of a young boy posted around the Saundersfoot and South Pembrokeshire area at various landmarks and you may have wondered who he is and what he is doing there.

He is Tomos, who grew up and worked in the area at the end of the 1800’s, long before Saundersfoot Bay became primarily known for its superb beaches and a centre of tourism.

The Saundersfoot Bay Heritage and Regeneration Trust are a group of volunteers from various organisations across the Bay.

The Trust was set up with the major aim of protecting and promoting the history and heritage of the area for future generations to enjoy, and also to provide another interest in the area for visitors who want to explore their holiday location in addition to the beach.

At one time, the Saundersfoot Bay area (Saundersfoot Harbour to Amroth/Telpyn), and inland to Kilgetty, was a major hub in the developing and expanding coal industry as part of the industrial revolution. Coal was a very valuable commodity.

The coal mined in this area was of very high quality, and hence was in much demand. In fact it was coal that led to the building of the harbour in Saundersfoot, to promote large-scale export of the coal to both Ireland and other parts of the UK.

The rich history of this industry provided the first project for the Trust, and over the last two years, they have worked on putting together a comprehensive booklet, comprising a series of walks of varying lengths and challenge, including a route for easy access.

The booklet map explains the different walks and those that are disabled friendly. The full 9-mile walk from Saundersfoot Harbour takes the walker through 9 heritage sites. It also gives the visitor a different perspective of the countryside across the Bay from the harbour to Amroth.

The Trust is particularly grateful to support given by the National Parks, Saundersfoot Harbour, Saundersfoot Chamber for Tourism, Craig Davey for the design, and especially to Dorian Spencer-Davies and David Lewis of Hean Castle for allowing his superb painting to be used.

The Booklets cost only £1 and can be purchased from several outlets across the Bay – from the Regency Hall in Saundersfoot, to the Smugglers and Village Shop in Amroth.

The group hopes that locals and tourists alike will buy a booklet (which is full of historical photographs and history associated with the sites) and let Tomos take them on a very special journey through his Saundersfoot, with vivid descriptions of what life was like for young boys like Tomos.

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Business

Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Business

Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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News

Welsh Water has increased sewage discharges into waterways ‘by 40%’

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NEW figures released by the Environment Agency have shown that Dwr Cymru discharged sewage into waterways for a staggering 23,354 hours last year, a 40% increase on 2022. 

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are now calling for tougher action against sewage dumping in Welsh waterways.

The party has also called for a halt on bonuses for water company bosses whose firms have dumped sewage into waterways.

Conservative MPs have consistently voted against measures which would have helped to tackle the crisis.

The Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said: “It is a complete scandal that filthy sewage is being pumped into our nation’s rivers and waterways without consequence.

“It’s beggars’ belief that both the UK Conservative Government and the Welsh Labour government are allowing water firms to get away with this environmental vandalism.

“We as a party are calling for tougher action to stop sewage being dumped in local waterways. We have also called for a halt on bonuses for water company fat cats whose firms have pumped filth into our waterways.”

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