News

Cowshed Cinderella in Court of Appeal

Published

10 years ago

May 16, 2016

A £1.3 MILLION “golden egg” is at the centre of a renewed and bitter Appeal Court battle between an aging farming couple and their estranged daughter – dubbed the “Cowshed Cinderella”.

Eirian Davies, 46, was repeatedly assured by her parents, Tegwyn and Mary Davies, now in their 70s, that she would ultimately step into their shoes and take over the family’s thriving Henllan Farm, Whitland, and its herd of pedigree Holstein cows.

And in May 2014 three Appeal Court judges ruled that a stake in the thriving 182-acre farm was due to her for the years of low-paid toil she put in.

Miss Davies has told how she missed out on going to Young Farmers’ Club dances with her two sisters as a teenager because she had to “stay at home with a muck fork” , tackling her farming chores.

She worked on the family farm for over 25 years, although with sporadic breaks over the years.

“They always told me that the farm would be left to me,” Miss Davies told an earlier court hearing.

“Even on my birthday, when the other girls were having things, they would say – ‘you will have the damn lot one day, it will all be yours’,” she said.

Her father would regularly warn her “not to kill the goose that lays the golden egg” if she complained about her meagre wages, she added.

Until she reached the age of 21, Miss Davies was paid nothing at all for her work on the farm and, after that, there was a period when she was paid just £15-a-day for milking the cows, although sometimes she received more.

She claimed she could have ‘made a better life elsewhere’, but her 75-year-old father and mother, 76, insisted she had earned a fair income during her stints working on the farm, also being provided with free ‘bed and board’ and other benefits.

Describing her as ‘a self-employed herdswoman’, they argued she would have done no better financially had she worked away from the farm.

In 2009, Miss Davies was shown her parents’ draft will, which left the lion’s share of the farm to her.

However, the couple later made changes to their bequests and proposed placing the farm in trust for the benefit of all three sisters equally.

Miss Davies had a ‘passionate interest in pedigree milking cows’ and, by 1989 when she turned 21, she was the only sister left at the farm, ‘her sisters having departed to follow other paths’.

And, when she left the farm to work elsewhere for a while, her father begged her to return.

The bitter legal dispute was finally sparked in August 2012 following an “altercation” in the milking parlour – after which Miss Davies’ parents launched an unsuccessful bid to evict their daughter from Henllan Farmhouse.

Later on, Judge Milwyn Jarman QC ruled Miss Davies was entitled to a beneficial interest in the family’s lucrative farming business, prompting her parents to challenge that ruling in the Appeal Court.

But in May 2014 Lord Justice Floyd dismissed the couple’s appeal, ruling that Miss Davies had received “less than full recompense” for her contribution to the farm.

The appeal judge concluded: “This is in many ways a tragic case. The bitterness between the parties was such that each had few, if any, good words to say about the other.”

After the parents’ appeal was rejected, the case was sent back to Judge Jarman to put a figure on the amount of compensation due to Miss Davies.

He awarded her £1.3 million for her share of the family farming business in February 2015 at the High Court in Cardiff, triggering her parents to mount a fresh appeal.

The case returned to the Appeal Court on Tuesday this week (Apr 26) as Mr and Mrs Davies’ legal team launched their attack on the judge’s findings.

The couple’s QC, Simon Fancourt, claimed the £1.3 million pay-out would be “hugely disproportionate to any detriment Eirian incurred in reliance on representations that were made”.

The “representations and assurances” given by her parents were “general and non-specific” in the early days, said the barrister, including such sentiments as, “it’ll all be yours one day” and “don’t kill the goose that lays the golden egg”.

He said Judge Jarman had found that the first time the couple made any substantial “explicit representation” about inheritance was in 2009 when Miss Davies was shown a draft of their wills, bequeathing the farm to her.

Mr Fancourt said that Judge Jarman unfairly “worked on the basis that there was an expectation of inheriting the whole lot”.

“He gave too much weight to the expectations,” said the barrister.

Lord Justice Patten, Lord Justice Underhill and Lord Justice Lewison, who are hearing the case at London’s Appeal Court, are expected to reserve their judgment to a later date.

News

Welsh Secretary holds first call with new First Minister

Published

2 minutes ago

May 18, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Jo Stevens and Rhun ap Iorwerth discuss poverty, public services, clean energy, steelmaking and economic growth

WELSH Secretary Jo Stevens has held her first call with Wales’ new First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth following the recent Senedd election.

The call took place today, Monday (May 18), with Ms Stevens congratulating Mr ap Iorwerth on Plaid Cymru’s election results and his appointment as First Minister.

The Welsh Secretary said it was important for the UK and Welsh Governments to work constructively together on shared priorities.

Those issues include the cost of living, poverty, public services, economic growth and the delivery of clean energy infrastructure in Wales.

Ms Stevens also raised the importance of collaboration on Welsh steelmaking and the transition at Port Talbot, as well as growth funds, defence and national security.

The conversation follows a call last week between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the new First Minister, during which Mr Starmer also congratulated him on his appointment.

The Prime Minister has offered to meet Mr ap Iorwerth in person in June to discuss shared issues and priorities.

Health

Pharmacy services review launched across west Wales

Published

23 minutes ago

May 18, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Residents asked to help shape future provision in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion

PEOPLE across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion are being asked to give their views on the future of community pharmacy services.

Hywel Dda University Health Board has launched a consultation on its updated draft Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment, which looks at current pharmacy provision, any gaps in services, and what may be needed in future.

Health boards in Wales have been required since October 2021 to publish a Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment. The document must be updated every five years and is used to help guide decisions about how pharmacy services are developed and improved.

The latest draft assessment has been prepared following engagement with community pharmacy contractors and members of the public earlier this year.

The health board is now inviting further feedback before a final version is published later in 2026.

The survey opened on Monday (May 18) and will close on Friday, July 17.

Residents can take part online, pick up a paper copy from their local pharmacy, or request a copy by emailing [email protected] or calling 0300 303 8322 and selecting option five.

Rhian Bond, Assistant Director of Primary Care for Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “This is an important opportunity for people to share their experiences of community pharmacy services and tell us how they could be improved.

“Community pharmacies play a vital role in supporting people’s health and wellbeing. They are often the first point of contact for advice, treatment and support.

“By providing feedback you can help us ensure services are accessible, effective and meet the needs of communities now and in the future.”

The final Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment will be published later this year on the health board’s website, along with a summary of the feedback received.

Business

Halifax could disappear from high streets after 173 years

Published

1 hour ago

May 18, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Only two Halifax branches remain in west Wales as banking giant considers major brand shake-up

HALIFAX could disappear from UK high streets after more than 170 years under plans being considered by Lloyds Banking Group.

The banking giant is understood to be looking at phasing out the Halifax name as part of a wider review of its brands, with Lloyds expected to become the main retail banking name in England and Wales.

If the plans go ahead, the move would mark the end of one of Britain’s best-known financial brands, which began life in 1852 as the Halifax Permanent Benefit Building Society.

No final decision has yet been announced, but reports suggest new Halifax account openings could be stopped later this year, with existing customers gradually moved across to Lloyds.

The Herald understands that branch banking in west Wales has already been significantly reduced, with only two Halifax-branded branches currently remaining in the region — in Llanelli and Swansea.

Customers in Pembrokeshire no longer have access to a Halifax branch, with banking services instead directed through Lloyds Bank branches, including Haverfordwest. Carmarthenshire customers are similarly directed to Lloyds Bank in Carmarthen.

The possible disappearance of Halifax comes amid continuing pressure on high street banking, with many branches already closing as more customers move to mobile and online banking.

Consumer groups have warned that the steady loss of bank branches risks leaving elderly customers, vulnerable people and small businesses without easy access to face-to-face banking.

***The Halifax Branch in Haverfordwest closed in 2022***

For many towns across west Wales, the loss of familiar banking names has become part of a wider decline in high street services, alongside the closure of post offices, shops and public services.

Halifax became one of the country’s biggest mortgage lenders and was for decades associated with savings, home ownership and local branch banking. It later became part of HBOS before Lloyds took over the group during the financial crisis.

A final decision on the future of the Halifax brand is expected as Lloyds sets out its next strategic plans.