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Answers wanted over child’s death

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answers wantedON FRIDAY, March 14, friends and supporters gathered at County Hall, Haverfordwest to call for ‘truth and transparency’ regarding the circumstances leading to the teenager’s death.

Fourteen-year-old Seren Bernard’s body was found in Milford Haven in 2012.

Sarah Pollock, from Haverfordwest, has complained to an ombudsman, claiming her concerns and views were ignored.

She said: ““My daughter wasn’t a statistic, she wasn’t a number, and she wasn’t a wage for foster carers. My daughter was a human being with rights. That’s what I’m standing up for today.”

A report published in January about Seren’s death has been strongly criticised by Sarah. The report said it would remain uncertain whether or not the death could have been prevented had any steps been taken.

In a statement responding to the demonstration, officials from Pembrokeshire County Council said that they appreciated “the deep emotion of Mrs Pollock as a bereaved parent. The independent reports that have been completed by external experts into the tragic loss of her daughter have concluded that it would remain uncertain as to whether there were any steps that, if taken, could have prevented her death.”

“At present the matter is still before HM Coroner and it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

Mother of Seren Bernard demands the truth

THE MOTHER of tragic teenage suicide victim, Seren Bernard, has fronted a protest requesting answers over the death of her 14-year-old daughter, whilst under the care of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Social Services department.

Sarah Pollock told The Herald about what she sees as the County Council’s many failures that led to the death of Seren: holding them responsible. Sarah also believes she has been unfairly treated by all agencies concerned.

“I am fighting my case against the whole overview report that they have sanctioned and locked down in the Safeguarding Board of Pembrokeshire. I have a lot of questions to ask of the County Council.

“They say their reviews have been independent and impartial; I dispute this”.

She said of the Executive Summary,

“Their documentation is inaccurate, personal and not professional, and certainly not impartial. The basis of the information provided to other agencies was biased, inaccurate and incorrect”.

Regarding the Executive Summary experience, attended by Sarah Pollock, she said,

“Mr Relf (head of child care) and Mr Brown (safeguarding board) told me I had time to consider the paper before going over it.

“I asked if I could have a private room, so they left the room. I read the first page and they came back in the room asking if I’d finished. After just two minutes he (Mr Brown) demanded to know how long I was going to be. I addressed them with many questions, especially about the care she was receiving. I told them that my mother did not have the capacity to take care of Seren, which they documented as being spiteful, aggressive and unpredictable.

“In that Executive Summary there was no mention of these things I was doing or saying to get my daughter help.

“Seren used the family dynamics to hide behind rather than seek outside help. I went to the school asking them to provide counselling which they failed to document. After various incidents in her school, the then Head told her they’d be phoning me, to which she objected, so they dismissed me totally, calling Social Services. “Social Services were not monitoring her situation closely enough. All I wanted was my daughter to have counselling and be under my care where I could direct her life in a positive way”.

Sarah Pollock continued by asking whether the then foster carers of Seren have been suspended from their position of foster care during this enquiry, citing an incident she believes highlighted their lack of competence in looking after her daughter.

“A child died in their care. The care they gave to my daughter was inappropriate and they subjected her to harm, by overriding my parental rights”.

She supported this claim by alleging that despite her protestations Seren’s foster parents allowed her to go on a night out in Minnie’s, which she considered totally inappropriate. Sarah explained this resulted in Seren being taken to hospital by ambulance, this occurring just six weeks before her death. Regarding her ability to care for her daughter, she continued,

“How can my daughter have stopped her own counselling when she had been hearing voices, self-harming and absconding?

“They (Social Services) even wanted me to take her back after I had had no contact with her for four months. How were we going to help her out if she didn’t sort out her issues? Every time I questioned any of their decisions I was deemed aggressive, unpredictable and confrontational. All I wanted was the best for my daughter”.

Emphasising her competence as a parent, she cited the academic achievements of her son. She accused the various agencies of denying family members the opportunity for any input into Seren’s welfare once she was in foster care, which she said was on a voluntary care order.

“They empowered my daughter to self-destruct. They have destroyed our family’s lives.”

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Rugby Weekly – Tenby’s promotion push continues

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It’s crunch time for all rugby clubs around the county, whether promotion is their aim or fighting relegation or even just trying to improve their league position, it’s now or never. 

Last weekend saw an important win for Fishguard in division two west which should put any relegation fears to bed completely. James Griffiths added an impressive 18 points for the Seagulls as they defeated Nantgaredig 33-19. 

Elsewhere in the second division, Milford were beaten 32-8 by a good Lampeter outfit. The Mariners are still a little too close for comfort with the drop zone but should have enough quality to see them safe. 

At the other end of the table Tenby sit in second place and have played fewer games than leaders St Clears and third place Lampeter. They won impressively again last weekend, beating Pontyberem 64-19 at Haywood Lane. Fletcher Broadhurst impressed with two tries as did Hywel Baker who also grabbed himself a brace. Another excellent performance in an outstanding season so far in which promotion would be the absolute icing on the cake. 

In Division Three West, Pembroke were well beaten by Laugharne 74-15 in which the outstanding Liam Price and Nico Setaro both crossed the whitewash 4 teams a piece. The latter also added 7 successful conversions. 

There was a local derby at Pill Parks where Llangwm hosted Pembroke Dock Quins and it was an exciting clash. The visitors won narrowly 28-23, Craig Barnett and Gethin Bradney both scored two tries for the Quins. The Wasps battled hard and will be proud of their performance, Gethin Thomas impressed for the hosts with two tries of his own but it wasn’t enough to secure the points. 

St David’s hosted the high flying Cardigan outfit and were unable to score in reply to the visitors 20 points, with it ending 20-0. The Saints however won’t be losing too much sleep over it as they have had a great season so far. 

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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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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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