News

Ancient New Year celebrations still ring true in hidden corner of Pembrokeshire

Published

51 minutes ago

January 12, 2026

WITH New Year celebrations safely packed away with the tinsels and baubles for another 12 months, a quiet corner of Pembrokeshire is once again preparing to herald in the New Year with gusto.

Cwm Gwaun near Newport is one of the few places in Wales that continues to adhere to a centuries’ old tradition by celebrating Hen Galan tomorrow, January 13, in line with the old Julian calendar, which was used since the time of Julius Caesar and the Roman Empire. When the calendar was reformed in 1752 and superseded by the Gregorian calendar, the people of Cwm Gwaun refused to play ball. And 2026 will be no exception.

Once again this year the children of Cwm Gwaun will go from house to house collecting ‘calennig’ – a new year’s gift – from their neighbours. After wishing the householders good fortune for the rest of the year with a new year’s greeting, usually in song and verse, the children are then given a small gift of money or sweets. Originally, this was food to help sustain families through the hard months of winter. Anyone who has the audacity to ignore the children’s good wishes is destined a year of bad luck or, as the Cwm Gwaun community labels it, ‘llond ty o fwg’ (a houseful of smoke).

The Gregorian calendar modified the use of leap years as a means to keep more accurately to the revolution of the Earth around the sun. Catholic countries were more inclined to accept the reform while Protestant Britain clung to its traditions until the middle of the 18th century.

As the Julian calendar gained a day every 128 years, by the mid 18th century Britain found herself 11 days ahead of her continental neighbours which naturally resulted in confusion and complications for trade and diplomacy.

So from 1752 onwards, the Calendar Act resulted in the new year starting on January 1 rather than on March 25, as had previously been the custom. The tax year, incidentally, which begins on April 6, is the old date for the previous new year of March 25, with the missing 11 days added on.

Another ancient Welsh custom to mark the Julian new year is the Mari Lwyd, where a horse’s head is paraded around on a pole decorated with ribbons and bells. In bygone years, this would have been a real horse’s skull, whereas in more recent years it is a wooden effigy covered in white cloth.

‘Mari Lwyd’ is translated as ‘grey mare’, connecting the traditional to the heritage of the pale horses in Celtic and British mythology, many of which crossed over to the underworld.

Main photo: Stuart Ladd/Herald

Charity

Charity medium night to raise funds for Cancer Research Wales in Milford Haven

Published

57 minutes ago

January 12, 2026

Rieve Nesbitt-Marr

International spiritualist medium to appear at rugby club event

A CHARITY evening with an international spiritualist medium is set to take place in Milford Haven later this month, with all proceeds going to Cancer Research Wales.

The event will be held on Friday (Jan 16) at Milford Haven Rugby Club, and will feature a live demonstration by Lee Mills, who is described by organisers as an internationally recognised spiritualist medium.

Organised in support of Cancer Research Wales, the evening aims to raise funds for cancer research carried out in Wales. Organisers have confirmed that all proceeds raised on the night will be donated to the charity.

Doors open at 6:30pm, with the event starting at 7:00pm. Tickets are priced at £12, and the evening is a ticket-only event.

Those wishing to attend are advised to book in advance. Tickets can be available by contacting Sara on 07817 677632.

Organisers said the event offers local residents the chance to enjoy an evening of entertainment while also supporting a Welsh charity dedicated to funding life-saving cancer research.

Health

Generous local grant funds specialist bed for bereaved parents at Glangwili Hospital

Published

1 hour ago

January 12, 2026

Rieve Nesbitt-Marr

A GENEROUS grant from a volunteer-led local group, part of Sands, has funded a bespoke pull-down double bed for the bereavement room on the labour ward at Glangwili Hospital.

The specialist fitted bed, which cost more than £16,000, has transformed the bereavement room into a more family-focused space, allowing parents to remain close and support one another at an incredibly difficult time.

The bereavement room forms part of the hospital’s newly built Labour Suite and is fully self-contained, with a kitchenette, small dining area and ensuite bathroom. Until now, however, the room only included a birthing bed and a single sofa bed, meaning partners were unable to rest together.

Feedback gathered from bereaved families through Sands and local parent support groups highlighted the importance of physical closeness following the loss of a baby. Parents described how being able to lie together, rather than apart, can provide comfort, reassurance and a sense of shared support during the early stages of grief.

The funds for the bed were raised by Carmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire Sands volunteers Hayley Vallance, Astra Shipton and Sioned Twose, who organised a burlesque-inspired charity event, Zoo-la-la, at Manor House Wildlife Park in September 2025. The event raised more than £20,000.

The volunteer-led Carmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire Sands group supports anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby across the two counties.

Alison Jones, Clinical and Operational Lead Midwife, said: “The loss of a baby is a devastating experience, and the environment in which families grieve can make a real difference.

“This bespoke bed allows parents to be physically close, to hold each other and to share their grief in a private, dignified space. It will have a profound impact, and we are incredibly grateful to Carmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire Sands for making this possible.”

Hayley Vallance and Astra Shipton, volunteers with Carmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire Sands, said:
“Our fundraising is in memory of George, Owen and all the babies gone too soon, and to help raise awareness of the vital support provided by Sands and the NHS to families when they need it most.

“We hope this specialist bed will bring comfort and dignity to parents during the hardest moments of their lives. Couples deserve to be together at such times, and we are honoured to have supported such a meaningful improvement in care for our community.”

Jen Coates, Director of Bereavement Support, Community and Volunteering at Sands, said:
“We are extremely grateful to Hayley, Astra and Sioned for their dedication and hard work supporting bereaved families in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.

“By fundraising for this bed at Glangwili Hospital, our volunteers have made a lasting and meaningful difference to the experience of families at an unimaginably difficult time.”

Business

£2.1m funding boost to help Welsh firms adopt artificial intelligence

Published

1 hour ago

January 12, 2026

Tom Sinclair

WELSH businesses are set to benefit from a £2.1 million funding package aimed at helping small and medium-sized enterprises adopt artificial intelligence in an ethical and practical way.

The investment, announced by the Welsh Government, is designed to support SMEs, entrepreneurs and microbusinesses across Wales to use AI to improve productivity, boost innovation and strengthen competitiveness.

As part of the package, £600,000 will be allocated to the Business Wales service to develop and deliver a dedicated AI awareness and adoption programme. The work will build on recommendations from recent reviews into SME productivity and the use of artificial intelligence.

A further £500,000 will be used to support the tourism and events sectors, including an AI “pollination project” delivered in partnership with specialists from the Hartree Centre Cardiff Hub and Cardiff University’s Digital Transformation Innovation Institute. The scheme aims to accelerate the take-up of AI tools among event organisers and tourism businesses.

Up to 1,000 tourism microbusinesses and SMEs are expected to benefit from in-person workshops focused on practical AI skills for digital marketing and content creation.

An additional £1 million will be invested through the Flexible Skills Programme to create a new AI upskilling offer. The scheme will focus on closing digital skills gaps and supporting inclusive growth, with employers contributing 25 per cent of AI training costs and 50 per cent for other Flexible Skills Programme courses.

One company already making use of artificial intelligence is Swansea-based Something Different Wholesale. The giftware business, which employs seventy-five staff and serves more than 12,000 business customers worldwide, uses AI to analyse data, gain market insight, automate routine tasks and enhance customer services. The company is also launching a new global website using AI-powered translation tools.

Founder Jane Wallace-Jones said AI was advancing rapidly and that businesses which adopted it effectively would gain a competitive edge, but warned many SMEs lacked in-house expertise.

She said the funding would help Welsh businesses access high-quality training, improve productivity and support growth, innovation and job creation.

Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans, said the funding built on showcases of Welsh innovation seen at recent national technology and investment events.

She said AI was already transforming the business sector and that the programme would help ensure SMEs across Wales were ready to make the most of emerging technologies in a responsible and inclusive way, while supporting the delivery of the AI Plan for Wales.

Skills Minister Jack Sargeant said the Welsh Government recognised the potential of AI to drive economic growth and was committed to helping businesses develop the skills needed for future success.

He added that the new funding would help bridge digital skills gaps and accelerate the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence across Wales’s rapidly evolving digital economy.