Community support and a £2,000 contribution from Narberth Town Council help committee achieve its fundraising goal

Narberth Eisteddfod Fundraising Committee is celebrating after successfully reaching its £8,000 fundraising target.

The milestone follows a busy programme of events organised by the committee, each of which received strong support from residents, businesses and community groups across the Narberth area.

Committee chair Glinys Meredydd thanked everyone who had helped make the campaign a success.

She said: “I would like to thank all members of the Narberth Eisteddfod team for their hard work and commitment.

“They organised some fantastic events, which were extremely well supported by the local community.

“I would also like to thank Narberth Town Council, which donated £2,000 on behalf of the people of Narberth.”

The committee will hold one final fundraising event with a last sale of its locally produced and hand-printed Eisteddfod Garreg Las 2026 T-shirts.

Members of the public are invited to visit the committee at Narberth Carnival Field on Saturday, July 25, where they will have a final opportunity to buy or win one of the T-shirts and join the celebrations ahead of the Eisteddfod’s return to Pembrokeshire.

The committee has thanked everyone who attended an event, made a donation, volunteered their time, purchased a T-shirt or helped promote the campaign.

Reaching the £8,000 target has been described as a powerful example of what can be achieved when the Narberth community comes together in support of Welsh language and culture.

Ford Pawb offers affordable, nutritious meals alongside friendship and community spirit

A NEW community dining initiative has enjoyed a successful opening night, welcoming a packed gathering to Fishguard Town Hall for an evening of affordable food and friendly conversation.

Ford Pawb, also known as Everyone’s Table, has been launched by the Fishguard Bay Sustainable Food Initiative CIC and will serve a low-cost, nutritious meal open to everyone on Monday evenings.

The first event attracted residents of all ages, with tables filling as people gathered to eat, catch up with friends and meet others from the community.

Guests were served vegetable lasagne with potatoes and salad, followed by a fresh garden berry crumble and a selection of non-alcoholic drinks. Much of the food was locally sourced, with diners praising both the generous portions and the quality of the meal.

Flowers decorated the tables, adding to the welcoming atmosphere, while music followed the meal as guests continued to socialise.

Behind the scenes, a team of volunteer cooks and servers worked throughout the evening to prepare and serve the food, clear tables and ensure the new project got off to a smooth start.

Organisers hope Ford Pawb will provide more than simply an affordable meal. The weekly gatherings are also intended to offer a warm and inclusive place where people can spend time together, reduce social isolation and strengthen community connections.

The strong turnout on the opening night demonstrated the appetite for such an initiative in Fishguard and Goodwick, and organisers and volunteers were congratulated for their hard work in bringing the project to life.

Dyfed Willa Rose, who became Major Juno and the first mare to serve as a Household Cavalry Drum Horse, was laid to rest at the farm where she was born

A PIONEERING Pembrokeshire horse who made military history has been laid to rest at the farm where she was born following an emotional final homecoming.

Dyfed Willa Rose, who served with the Household Cavalry under the name Major Juno, became the first mare in history to take on the prestigious role of Drum Horse.

Family members, friends, soldiers and admirers gathered at Dyfed Shire Horse Farm to remember a horse whose journey took her from the fields beneath the Preseli Hills to the heart of major state and military ceremonies in London.

Born at the farm on May 10, 2013, Willa Rose left Pembrokeshire in 2021 to begin an intensive period of training with the Household Cavalry.

After two years of preparation, she qualified for one of the most demanding and recognisable equine roles in the British Army.

Drum horses lead military bands while carrying two large silver kettledrums, together with the weight of their rider and ceremonial equipment.

The role requires not only exceptional size and strength, but also a calm and dependable temperament. The horses must remain composed while surrounded by crowds, marching troops, music, traffic and the noise of major ceremonial occasions.

Willa Rose’s successful appointment saw her become Major Juno, the first mare to serve as a Household Cavalry Drum Horse.

Her historic achievement challenged a long-established tradition and secured her place in British military and equestrian history.

For her final journey, her cremated remains were brought back from London to Dyfed Shire Horse Farm.

The farm thanked Corporal of Horse James Harvard and the Household Cavalry team for bringing Juno home, alongside her former companion Major Perseus, who helped guide her on the last stage of her journey.

A memorial service was held in the farmyard and was introduced by Huw Carnhuan Murphy.

The service was led by Minister Sian Elin Thomas, with a eulogy celebrating Willa Rose’s life and achievements delivered by Mark Cole.

Her remains were then placed in a horse-drawn carriage pulled by her daughter, Morgana, for a final procession through the farm.

Those present described a striking silence as the carriage made its way towards the place where Willa Rose would be laid to rest.

According to an account of the ceremony shared by Whitestone Media Group, horses appeared at their stable doors and gathered along the edges of surrounding fields as the procession passed.

Willa Rose was laid to rest beneath the Preseli Hills alongside her uncle, Celt Mercury Drumhorse, and her grandmother, Dyfed Countess.

Her grandson was also present at the farm during the ceremony, providing a reminder of the bloodline and legacy she leaves behind.

In a poignant coincidence, another young horse from Dyfed Shire Horse Farm was due to be collected on the same day to begin its own journey with the Household Cavalry and start training towards becoming a Drum Horse.

The farm said the occasion had been filled with grief, emotion and immense pride in a mare whose achievements were recognised far beyond Pembrokeshire.

A tribute shared by Dyfed Shire Horse Farm said: “It was with great emotion and pride that the family, with friends from near and far, welcomed home one final time our Dyfed Willa Rose to lay her to rest on the farm of her birth.”

The farm added: “A day full of emotion, but of pride for a horse that broke the glass ceiling as the first ever mare to make Drum Horse in the Household Cavalry.

“She is now with the stars that will look down upon her from those old hills, and she will be remembered forever with love and affection both here in Pembrokeshire and, indeed, all around the world.”

Thanks were also offered to Karen Gott and Julie Davies for photographing the memorial and Willa Rose’s final journey.

Whitestone Media Group described her homecoming as the completion of an extraordinary journey which had begun in the same Pembrokeshire fields 13 years earlier.

Its tribute concluded: “Rest easy, Major Juno. You marched into history, and today, you came home.”

Cysga’n dawel, Willa Rose.