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County flies the flag for fisherman

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fishermanA NEW European funded programme supporting fishing communities in Pembrokeshire is well underway with the funding of two projects. 

A group of bass fishermen have become the first to benefit from the Pembrokeshire Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) – Cleddau to Coast – support which has enabled them to buy vital equipment to maintain the quality of their catch. Assisted by the European Fisheries Fund and the Welsh Government, the FLAG programme aims to encourage collaboration, promote innovation, regenerate communities and add value to the fish caught off the Pembrokeshire coastline. The European Fisheries Fund (EFF) provides funding to the fishing industry and coastal communities to help them adapt to changing conditions in the sector and become economically resilient and ecologically sustainable. Stretching from St Dogmaels to Amroth, the FLAG area covers 71% of the county’s land area and 72% of its population. FLAG was established in 2011, with members drawn from across the fishing industry, private and public sector bodies in the county. Its aim is to help fishermen, fisheries communities and related organisations to access funding for equipment and services and provide the support they need to promote fish landed in the county and safeguard the local fishing heritage. “The approach to the delivery of the FLAG has given the county a great opportunity to access funds to support research, collaborative and community centred fisheries related projects,” said Nia Marshall, chair of the Cleddau to Coast FLAG. “We have been encouraged by the level of engagement and the interesting and wide ranging project applications submitted to date and are hopeful that the new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund will build on our current success. “At a time when funding is limited it has been exciting and rewarding to be able to assist organisations and individuals in accessing this grant.” The first project to be approved under the FLAG has provided a group of bass fishermen with vital ice making equipment. Under the scheme the bass fishermen’s group received support under the Small Grants Scheme of the FLAG for an ice making machine, which is used to store their catch and deliver it to end customers in as fresh a condition as possible. The purchase of the machine has meant the group – who all fish in the Saundersfoot area – have been able to widen their customer net and meet the requirements of buyers further afield. The six strong group of line caught bass fishermen fish in the waters out of Saundersfoot using registered inshore boats, targeting high quality sea bass. Berwyn Dennis has been fishing off the coast for over 30 years, as did his father before him. Accessing funding for such vital equipment has he believes helped secure his future and that of his fellow fishermen. Said Mr Dennis: “Having the ice machine has made a tremendous difference. Before we had to travel to Milford Haven to get ice, but now it is on hand. “Being able to make our own ice has not just saved us money and travelling time but it has given us flexibility and we are self-sufficient – we can now have as much ice as we want and when we need it.” A second grant of £31,000 was approved by the FLAG to support Pembrokeshire Fish Week, and other projects are in the pipeline. Now in its 15th year, Pembrokeshire Fish Week has grown to become a hugely popular, award winning festival that has ensured Pembrokeshire maintains its strong links within the fishing industry. Kate Morgan, co-ordinator of the event said: “The activities supported through the FLAG project included workshops, demonstrations and tasting events at Saundersfoot, Goodwick and Milford Haven which were really successful engaging the public in recognising the fish and shellfish available in Pembrokeshire. “We have really made an impact increasing the public knowledge and confidence in using fish and shellfish landed in Pembrokeshire.”

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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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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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