Grants of up to £10,000 available for local events across Wales and the UK

COMMUNITIES across Wales are being encouraged to organise their own Armed Forces Day celebrations after the Ministry of Defence announced a £500,000 funding package to support events nationwide this summer.

Grants of up to £10,000 are available to help towns, schools, charities and community groups stage local events, with funding designed to match money raised from other sources.

The support forms part of preparations for Armed Forces Day on Saturday, June 27, 2026, and the wider Armed Forces Week programme aimed at strengthening ties between the military and the public.

Wales is home to nearly two thousand serving personnel, while the defence sector supports close to four thousand jobs. The MOD says it spent £1.1 billion with Welsh businesses during the 2024–25 financial year, underlining the industry’s importance to the nation’s economy.

Previous events have drawn huge crowds. In 2018, Llandudno hosted the national celebrations, attracting an estimated 100,000 visitors and a parade of around 1,000 service members.

‘Extraordinary sacrifices’

Defence Secretary John Healey said the funding would help communities properly recognise the contribution of service personnel and their families.

He said: “Our Armed Forces make extraordinary sacrifices to keep us safe. But they can’t do what they do without the support of their families, friends and communities across the country.

“In June we look forward to coming together as a proud nation to celebrate Armed Forces Day, and I want this funding to help make this year the best yet.

“If you back our Forces and want to thank them with a celebration in your local area, do apply for a grant and register your event with us so we can help you spread the word.”

Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens added that the grants would allow communities across Wales to show their appreciation.

She said: “Armed Forces Day is a chance for people across Wales to come together to show their support for the service men and women who we all rely on to keep us safe.

“These grants mean that communities can put on special events to celebrate the contribution of our Armed Forces and their families and thank them for their sacrifice.”

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Armed Forces day celebrated in Haverfordwest in 2019 (File pic)

THE DEAN of St Davids has welcomed the appointment of a Canon Chancellor and three new Canons, describing the move as a significant boost for the life and work of Pembrokeshire’s cathedral church.

The appointments have been made by the Bishop of St Davids, the Rt Revd Dorrien Davies, with the new team bringing experience from education, community work and a range of professional backgrounds alongside ordained ministry.

The Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids, said: “I’m delighted that Canon John Cecil will be our new Canon Chancellor. Our three new Canons – the Revds Heather Cale, Jonathan Parker and Ali Reeves – all bring a very welcome breadth of experience from outside the church, alongside ordained life, which will greatly enrich the Cathedral in its extensive roles.”

Canon Chancellor

Canon John Cecil, who has served as a member of Chapter since 2022, lives in Steynton with his wife Lorna and one of their two sons. He is Local Ministry Area Dean of Roose and Diocesan Director of Education, overseeing Church schools across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

Before ordination, he spent twenty-one years in secondary education, finishing his teaching career as an assistant headteacher in Haverfordwest.

He relinquishes his current stall as 5th Canon Cursal on taking up the new role, following the resignation of his predecessor, now Canon Chancellor Emeritus Dewi Roberts.

Canon John said: “Being Canon Chancellor is a great honour and I look forward to further supporting the life of the Cathedral, the mother church of the Diocese.”

Broad experience

Originally from Stoke-on-Trent, the Revd Heather Cale moved to Pembrokeshire in 1992 and worked largely in education before her ordination in 2014. She continued teaching alongside her ministry, most recently as head of St Mark’s VA Church in Wales Primary School in Merlin’s Bridge.

Now vicar and Local Ministry Area Dean in the Daugleddau area, she is appointed as the 6th Canon Cursal.

She said: “I feel deeply humbled by this appointment. I hope to contribute positively to the Cathedral’s life and work.”

The Revd Jonathan Parker, originally from Warwick, has lived in West Wales for much of the past thirty-five years. After careers in tourism, social care and teaching at Ysgol Dewi Sant, he discerned a call to ordination through the school’s close links with the Cathedral.

Ordained in 2017, he has served across the Diocese and now works as chaplain to the Bishop. He is appointed to the Stall of Caerfarchell.

He said: “To be a member of Chapter is a great privilege and I hope to play at least a small part in the Cathedral’s continuing witness and story.”

The Revd Ali Reeves brings a varied professional background, including service with the Army, Ministry of Defence, NHS and construction, as well as time as a complementary therapist. Ordained in 2019, she previously served in Llandaff and the Afon Nedd ministry area before moving west in 2024 to become Bro Aman Local Ministry Area Dean.

She is appointed to the stall of the 5th Canon Cursal.

Revd Ali said: “I feel honoured to be invited to become a Canon of St Davids Cathedral and am looking forward to the new challenges this will bring.”

Service of installation

The Canon Chancellor and the three new Canons will be licensed by the Bishop and installed by the Dean during Choral Evensong at 6:00pm on Thursday, March 26.

The service is open to the public and all are invited to attend.

Energy, trade and human rights concerns collide as UK deploys monarchy’s ‘soft power’

PRINCE WILLIAM will step into one of the most politically sensitive overseas trips of his public life this week as he travels to Saudi Arabia at the request of the UK Government.

Unlike recent royal visits to Estonia, Poland or South Africa, this tour carries significant diplomatic weight, placing the Prince of Wales at the centre of a complex balancing act between strengthening economic ties and confronting a deeply controversial human rights record.

Sources close to the Palace say William “didn’t flinch” when asked to go, viewing such duties as part of his responsibility as heir to the throne.

But Saudi Arabia presents challenges unlike almost anywhere else on the royal calendar.

A country in transition

The visit will focus on energy transition and young people, two areas the kingdom is promoting heavily as it attempts to diversify its oil-dependent economy.

In recent years Saudi Arabia has staged major sporting and cultural events, including Formula One races, international film festivals and high-profile entertainment shows. The country will also host the men’s football World Cup in 2034.

Officials argue this signals modernisation and openness.

Critics say it is “sportswashing” — using global events to distract from repression.

Human rights organisations including Amnesty International continue to raise concerns over restrictions on free speech, criminalisation of same-sex relationships and harsh penalties for dissent.

While reforms have allowed women to drive and increased participation in public life, significant legal and social limits remain.

Meeting a controversial leader

Central to the trip will be talks with Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS, the kingdom’s de facto ruler.

The crown prince is credited with pushing economic reforms but remains internationally divisive.

A US intelligence report concluded he approved the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul — an allegation he denies and Saudi Arabia rejects.

Whether William raises such issues privately is unlikely to be disclosed. Kensington Palace does not comment on confidential conversations.

However, the prince will be briefed extensively by the Foreign Office and the British Embassy before any meetings.

Soft power diplomacy

Government insiders describe William as a key diplomatic asset.

One source said the monarchy acts as a “secret weapon”, able to open doors politicians sometimes cannot.

This form of so-called soft power has long been part of the Royal Family’s overseas role — building relationships first, leaving governments to handle the harder negotiations.

Dr Neil Quilliam of Chatham House says Saudi leaders value high-level recognition from Britain.

“Deploying Prince William sends a signal that the UK takes the relationship seriously,” he said.

Energy cooperation and investment are expected to dominate talks, particularly as Britain seeks new partners during the global shift away from fossil fuels.

Echoes of the past

The visit also reflects longstanding links between the two royal families.

King Charles III has travelled to Saudi Arabia numerous times over the decades and is said to maintain warm relations with senior figures there.

William is now expected to assume a more prominent global role as he prepares for future kingship.

A delicate balancing act

For many observers, images of handshakes between William and MBS will be uncomfortable.

Yet world leaders continue to engage with Riyadh, citing its strategic and economic importance.

The prince’s task is unlikely to involve grand statements. Instead, it will be quiet diplomacy — maintaining dialogue while representing British values.

It is a careful, sometimes uneasy role.

But it is one the monarchy has long performed: building bridges in places where politics alone struggles to tread.