News

Black cat ‘size of labrador’ spotted in Pembrokeshire village

Published

4 months ago

November 4, 2024

Concerns are mounting that the Beast of Bodmin could be holidaying in Pembrokeshire following reports that a large black cat, ‘the size of a labrador’ has been spotted in a field in Crundale.

The sighting was made on Saturday morning in a field adjoining Howard Crescent.

“We just want to make everyone aware that the huge black cat was seen in a field at the rear of our house in Howards Crescent,” commented concerned resident, Christine Hancock. ” And it was about the size of a labrador.”

Nearby residents have also reported that their dogs have been reacting to an unidentified presence whenever they are taken for walks in the same field.

This isn’t the first time that a ‘big cat’ has been seen in Crundale. A decade ago a black puma was seen on at least three separate occasions in fields near to the village.

There have been numerous big cats sightings in Pembrokeshire, including in 2012 when a former police officer reported a close encounter with a big cat in Treffgarne, near Haverfordwest. The officer described the animal as being about three feet tall with a large head, a muscular build and a smooth coat with brown spots. Pembrokeshire County Council described it as ‘the closest anyone has been to a big cat’.

Two years later a Letterston smallholder was alerted to a large black cat escaping from his farmyard, carrying a 30lb goose in his mouth.

“He didn’t expect to see me, and I didn’t expect to see him,” said smallholder Martin Hughes. “I was shaking for about two hours after.”

Mr Hughes described the animal as being jet black, approximately three-and-a-half feet long with a long black tail, a large head, large paws and big teeth.

Meanwhile the Beast of Boncath in north Pembrokeshire has made numerous appearances to motorists and local residents, while walkers in the area have reported seeing very large pad marks.

In 2021 a motorist reported seeing a light brown, muscular animal with a long tail near to Greenway Farm, Narberth. The motorist claimed the animal appeared to be chasing or pouncing on something. And in 2023 a big black cat was reported to have run across the path of a dash cam near Tavernspite.

Two days prior to last weekend’s Crundale sighting, kayakers David Davis and his wife Natalie spotted a big black cat, the size of an alsation dog, near to the Llangollen canal. After watching the cat saunter across the fields, it disappeared into a nearby forest.

A male panther’s territory ranges between 150 and 275 square miles while the female’s territory is typically 70 to 80 square miles. Panthers mark their territory with scrapes which are piles of dirt and grass scratched up with their hind legs.

Earlier this year the British Big Cats Society reported between 300 and 500 sightings of big cats in the UK per year, the vast majority being black panthers.

Big cats were once the height of fashion in the 1960s and ’70s, however this all changed with the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976. This resulted in people secretly releasing their pets into the wild to dodge the new ownership fees.

Community

Pembrokeshire Lottery £8,000 Spring Superdraw winner announced

Published

6 hours ago

March 8, 2025

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE LOTTERY held their Spring Superdraw on Wednesday (Mar 5) and the lucky player who scooped the £8,000 prize was Miss Laura Mullins with lottery number 47185.

The draw was aired on Radio Pembrokeshire. Shortly afterwards, the Pembrokeshire Lottery team called Laura to share the news of her win and she visited the office later the same day to claim her prize.

And what will the lucky winner do with the money? Laura told the Pembrokeshire Lottery team that she’d already decided to book a family holiday and a day trip to Legoland for the children.

The normal £2,000 weekly draws continue, with more monthly Superdraws of either £4,000 or £8,000, leading up to the highlight of the Pembrokeshire Lottery’s year, the £10,000 Christmas Superdraw.

Community

Park welcomes First Minister with spectacular dragon parade

Published

6 hours ago

March 8, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE PEMBROKESHIRE COAST NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY hosted a Dragon Parade in St Davids on Saturday (Mar 1), led by the First Minister and other distinguished guests.

The event celebrated St David’s Day with a dazzling showcase of community spirit, creativity, and Welsh heritage.

The lively procession set off from Oriel y Parc, filling the streets of St Davids with colour and energy and the dynamic sounds of drumming group Samba Doc.

First Minister Eluned Morgan said:

“The St David’s Day parade was a spectacular occasion this year. The city really comes into its own on the day of our patron saint and it was great to see the artwork of the local school children and Kate Evans, which provided a wonderful and very Welsh theme for the parade.

“Thank you to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority for organising such a memorable event. It was an honour to join the Dragon Parade – a huge well done to everyone involved for their hard work.”

Parade participants included school and community groups such as Care in the Community, Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi (Non Campus) Years 2 and 3, Croesgoch School (Years 3 and 4), and Cylch Meithrin Croesgoch Playgroup.

As the parade returned to Oriel y Parc, the festivities continued with a captivating static performance by Samba Doc in the courtyard. The highlight of the event was the highly anticipated return of the baby dragon, a stunning creation developed in collaboration with local artist Kate Evans. Schools and community groups worked closely with Kate to bring this imaginative centrepiece to life.

Alongside the celebrations, a vibrant market featuring handpicked local stallholders took place throughout the day, offering a variety of handmade crafts and locally produced goods. The market provided a fantastic opportunity for visitors to support local artisans and enjoy a taste of Pembrokeshire’s rich creative community.

To mark the occasion, Tegryn Jones, Chief Executive of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, presented a framed retro print featuring St Non’s Chapel to the First Minister to mark the St David’s Day celebrations.

Speaking of the day, Tegryn Jones, said: “It was our pleasure to welcome the First Minister to lead this year’s Dragon Parade, joined by notable guests and a host of community representatives, who all helped to make the event a resounding success. The parade has grown in significance over the years and now marks an important part of the city’s cultural celebrations for St David’s Day.

“On behalf of the Authority, I’d like to extend thanks to all participants, volunteers, and spectators for joining us on the day and ensuring the success and smooth running of this popular event.

Entertainment

Action for a better world – Exhibition at Cardigan Guildhall

Published

6 hours ago

March 8, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THERE’S a long and proud history of activists who have worked for a better world by rebelling against the status quo when change was needed. The suffragettes and civil rights protesters often spring to mind, but many others have also changed our world for the better over the centuries.

This history will be be brought right up to date at the Cardigan Guildhall Corn Exchange next week. The role of current-day activists will be illustrated in an exhibition of Faces of Rebellion from 17th to 22nd March.

It features the work of Mark Skipper, who uses the name Bitterjug for his art work. He says, “I’m a software engineer with a sketchbook. I’m also a climate activist, and reportage sketcher: I take my sketchbook to protests to capture scenes and atmosphere in ways that photography cannot.”

Mark’s sketches of activists’ faces are surrounded by the person’s own words about how and why they became active, and the variety is striking.

Mark continues, “Faces of Rebellion tells the stories of climate activists as humans in a way the media cannot. Its enduring themes are compassion and community.”

Mark encourages other artists to get involved, and portraits by Solutionairy, from The Netherlands, will also be included. Solutionary gives her background: “I trained as a solution focussed psychologist. We focus on people’s strengths and their unique ways to deal with life’s challenges. With Faces of Rebellion I get to apply this to our greatest challenge. I’m inspired by the variety of stories of courage and kindness in the face of climate breakdown.”

Caroline Juler is a local artist and film-maker who lives in Brynberian. She has made many short videos of Cardigan based climate activists, and these will also be part of the exhibition. “I’ve been very aware of the escalating climate crisis for some time, and recently I’ve been taking a more active part in trying to do something about it. We all bring our own backgrounds and talents to climate work, and these all feed into effective climate campaigning when we work together. I wanted to make the videos to show how this works for some of the many local activists.”

The exhibition has been arranged by West Wales Climate Coalition members, and Philippa Gibson has helped with some of the organisation. She says, “It’s easy to feel disheartened by slow progress, and Donald Trump’s denial of the climate cristis doesn’t help, but we need to be aware that we are part of an “ecosystem of change” that includes COP international climate conferences, national legislation, community action, industry innovation, and individual commitment, including protests and non-violent direct action to to challenge damaging practices.” She added, “All these parts work together to make meaningful impacts achievable. We ALL have a role to play. This exhibition aims to be inspiring and positive.”