News
Lost wedding film discovered 58 years after local couple’s marriage

A film student has discovered some priceless video footage of a wedding captured on 8mm film at a local country chapel way back in October, 1966.
Following attempts to identify the couple, Martyn Forrester has now been able to share the footage with the bride as well as numerous members of the couple’s extended family.
Martyn, who is a first year film student at the Met Film School in Manchester, discovered the discarded reel at the bottom of a box of oddments in an antiques shop in Cardigan’s Canolfan Teifi shopping arcade during a visit to the town over the Christmas period.
Eager to find out what it contained, Martyn bought the reel for £5, and returned to his home in Newcastle-under Lyme to begin scanning the 58-year-old footage.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” Martyn told The Pembrokeshire Herald.
“The quality and colour was fantastic. The first image was of a car driving down a country lane, and then I saw a bride and groom having confetti thrown over them.
“The bride had blond hair, in a 1960s hairstyle, and the groom had short brown hair and he, and the other members of the groom’s party, were wearing blue ties and had yellow flowers in their lapels.

The five-minute long film showed that the bridesmaids were wearing pink dressed and also contained footage of the bride visiting her parents’ home prior to the wedding as well as clips of the newlyweds’ enjoying their honeymoon in north Wales.

“I knew just how important this film would be to the couple as well as to their families, as it contains some very beautiful and personal footage relating to their wedding day,” continues Martyn.

“But I also knew just how difficult it was going to be to source them.”
And so Martyn began scouring some of Cardigan’s social media sites where he could begin sharing his finds.
“Within an hour of putting a post out, I’d received over a hundred reactions and 80 shares, including from people who thought they may know the couple.”
These included the family of the late Griff James who, in October 1966, married his sweetheart, Beryl Evans, at Cilfowyr Chapel, near to the bride’s family farm in Llechryd.
Once Martyn completed scanning the film, he digitised it and sent google links out to the family members who quickly confirmed that the wedding was, indeed, that of Griff and Beryl James.
“It’s wonderful that the film has finally been viewed by so many members of their family, including the grandchildren, particularly when you consider that the reel had been more or less discarded in a box and was pretty worthless,” concluded Martyn.
“The family had no idea that the film had ever been made, so for them to see it after all these years, really is quite special.”
And what makes the story even more remarkable is that both Martyn’s family and members of Beryl’s family have been invited to attend a wedding in the south of France later this year.
“Naturally we didn’t know each other before this happened, but it turns out that we have respective links with friends in Llangrannog, so we’ve all been invited to attend their wedding in France later this summer,” concluded Martyn.
“When you consider everything that’s happened since I visited that antique shop in Cardigan back in December, it really is quite remarkable.”
News
New social services out of hours emergency contact goes live soon

THERE is now a new number to contact social services in emergency situations outside normal work hours with a bilingual call centre on hand to support residents.
Calls to the Emergency Duty Team will be answered out of hours by Galw Gofal, a compassionate, supportive and professional service designed to assist residents during evenings, weekends and Bank holidays.
The team is trained to handle a wide range of urgent social care calls.
Pembrokeshire County Council’s Emergency Duty Team are here to help people with personal, family or accommodation problems which may have reached a crisis point and cannot wait until the next working day.
This can include difficulties with children and young people, concern about a child outside your family, acute mental health problems, older or people with a disability at risk and emergency housing advice.
The Galw Gofal team will liaise with the emergency duty team and arrange contact with an experienced social worker.
It’s hard to think straight when there’s a crisis, and many callers can be helped by advice given over the phone. If you already have a social worker, the team can offer advice to help you until you can make new plans with your social worker, and can send them a message to let them know what has happened. If you do not have a social worker, a referral can be made to your local daytime social work team if this would help your situation.
The new out of hours emergency contact number – 0300 123 5519 – goes live on February 19, 2025.
Anyone with concerns or issues during working hours can contact Pembrokeshire County Council on 01437 764551.
Education
Welsh Conservatives trigger debate on school catchment areas

CALL-IN OVER CABINET DECISION
WELSH CONSERVATIVE councillors Aled Thomas and Claire George have triggered an additional debate on school catchment areas for Johnston, Neyland, and Tiers Cross after calling in a decision by Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet.
The Cabinet recently decided to maintain the current school catchment areas, despite significant community opposition. The call-in was supported by the entire Welsh Conservative group on the council.
Cllr Aled Thomas, who represents Johnston, said: “Thanks to the support of my fellow Pembrokeshire Conservative councillors, we have been able to continue discussions on this important matter, while the current administration is only concerned with kicking it into the long grass.
“Strong and safe education is the silver bullet in ensuring our next generation thrives, both at school age and beyond. Boundary changes were forced on Johnston’s residents against their will, and I will do everything I can to fight for their best interests.”
Cllr Claire George, who represents St Ishmaels, added: “It is a fundamental principle of education that children should feel safe and develop their independence, which means access to appropriate school transport—something that is not workable under the current catchment area arrangements for my ward.
“We must ensure that our children can travel to and from the school of their choice confidently and safely, giving them the opportunity to flourish in their education.”
An extraordinary Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee will be convened by the end of February to review the matter further.
Entertainment
Welsh crime thriller filmed in Pembroke Dock set for BBC debut

A NEW Welsh crime thriller, The One That Got Away—previously shown on S4C as Cleddau—is set to premiere on BBC One Wales and BBC Four later this month.
The gripping six-part series, featuring an all-Welsh cast, will debut on BBC One Wales at 9:10pm on Tuesday, February 25. A double-bill of the first two episodes will air on BBC Four on St David’s Day, March 1, with all episodes available on BBC iPlayer.
The series stars Elen Rhys (The Mallorca Files, Craith/Hidden) as DI Ffion Lloyd, who is forced to team up with her former lover, DS Rick Sheldon, played by Richard Harrington (Y Gwyll/Hinterland), to investigate the murder of a nurse in a Welsh seaside town.
Written by Catherine Tregenna (Law & Order UK, Lewis, DCI Banks) and directed by Sion Ifan (Y Goleudy), the drama explores the unresolved past between the two detectives while a disturbing murder case unfolds. The killing shakes the small community, raising doubts about a historic conviction and suggesting the terrifying possibility of a copycat at large.
Actor Elen Rhys, who returned to Wales to film the series, said: “Coming home to Wales to film was a joy—immersing myself in everything Welsh. The talented, close-knit crew worked together so well, making it a truly lovely and extraordinary experience. I felt so lucky.”
The series promises a gripping mix of psychological depth, crime investigation, and the emotional entanglements of its lead characters, set against the atmospheric backdrop of Pembrokeshire.
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