A LONG-ESTABLISHED village pub in Tenby is preparing to mark a major milestone this year, with celebrations planned to honour more than a century and a half of pulling pints and bringing people together.

The Evergreen Inn is believed to date back to the 1860s, opening its doors at a time when the railway was transforming the coastline. Local tradition says the pub first served labourers working on the nearby viaduct, offering ale and shelter to navvies who were too far from town to make the journey for refreshments.

More than 150 years later, little has changed in spirit.

Today, the Evergreen remains firmly rooted in everyday community life, with regulars forming the backbone of trade and a steady mix of families, walkers and holidaymakers passing through its doors.

Manager Mel Sanders said the pub’s strength lies in familiarity and welcome.

“We’re very much a locals’ pub,” she explained. “Most people who come in know each other. It’s somewhere you can pop in for one drink and end up staying the evening.”

Recent years have seen a revival in fortunes, with themed nights, quizzes and live music drawing crowds back through the doors. Charity fundraising has also become a big part of the calendar, with thousands of pounds raised for health and animal welfare causes.

A popular fixture is live piano and singalong sessions hosted by a well-known regular, helping support lifeboat crews and other good causes.

The pub’s offer goes beyond the bar. Darts teams, card games and acoustic evenings fill the week, while dogs and children are equally welcome, reinforcing its reputation as a proper, old-fashioned local.

Owners Paul and Kat have also given the interior a gentle refresh, nodding to the building’s railway roots with period touches, warm wood finishes and a cosy stove for winter nights.

Despite rising costs across the trade, the Evergreen has kept prices competitive and introduced a loyalty scheme to reward those who treat it as a second home.

With anniversary events planned over the coming months, staff say the focus will be less about looking back and more about keeping the tradition alive.

After all, for generations of Tenby residents, it hasn’t just been a pub – it’s been the village’s living room.

CONSTRUCTION work has begun on a new sheltered housing and reablement development at the former Haverfordia House site in Haverfordwest.

Pembrokeshire County Council says the scheme will deliver twenty-six affordable apartments for residents aged fifty-five and over, alongside a twelve-bed reablement centre designed to help people regain independence after leaving hospital.

The project, known as Tŷ Haverfordia, is being built by Wynne Construction and forms part of the council’s wider plan to expand accessible housing and modernise health and social care provision across the county.

Initial works began on Monday (Jan 26) and include securing the site, installing temporary offices and welfare units, and setting up a contractor compound and parking area.

Pedestrian routes to nearby facilities, including the GP surgery and leisure centre, will remain open throughout the build.

A limited number of public parking spaces, including disabled bays, have been retained, with pay and display machines relocated to reduce disruption.

Rifleman Field impact minimised

To accommodate site facilities, a small section of Rifleman Field is being used temporarily.

The area has been fenced off and the footprint kept as small as possible. The council says any affected land will be fully restored once construction is complete.

Residents will have the chance to learn more about the plans at a community drop-in session on Thursday (Feb 19) from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at The Green Room in Haverfordwest Leisure Centre.

Housing officers and project representatives will be available to answer questions and gather feedback.

Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Michelle Bateman said the start of works marked an important milestone.

She said: “I am pleased that we have finally reached the stage of commencing on site and look forward to seeing the development progressing.

“We have been able to move forward after receiving much-needed Welsh Government grant assistance for both the housing and reablement elements of the scheme.
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Party insists he lives in Wales despite owning home across the border

REFORM UK has confirmed that its newly appointed Welsh leader Dan Thomas owns a house in the English city of Bath, but maintains he is currently living in Wales with his family.

The row follows reporting by Nation.Cymru, which questioned whether Mr Thomas had relocated to Wales as claimed when he was unveiled as the party’s figurehead ahead of the next Senedd Cymru election.

Mr Thomas was introduced to supporters at a rally in Newport by Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, who said the former London Conservative council leader had “returned to his roots” in the Valleys to raise his young family.

Mr Thomas has also publicly stated that he lives in Wales.

However, the Welsh news site reported that he had sold his London home and told former colleagues he was moving to the Bath area for work and to be closer to family.

Following publication of the story, a Reform UK press officer contacted the outlet insisting: “Dan lives in Wales. Any claim to the contrary is entirely false. He lives here in Wales, where he is raising his young family.”

When pressed further, the party acknowledged that Mr Thomas owns property in Bath, but said it is rented out and not his main residence.

The clarification prompted a series of additional questions from journalists, including when the Bath property was purchased, whether he ever lived there, and why it was bought if the intention had always been to relocate to Wales.

They also sought confirmation of where Mr Thomas is registered to vote and the circumstances around his appointment as Reform UK’s Welsh leader.

According to the publication, those questions were not answered directly. Reform UK instead repeated that Mr Thomas “lives here in Wales with his wife and children” and called for the original article to be removed.

In a subsequent video statement, Mr Thomas described the coverage as a “smear”, saying political opponents were “rattled” and inviting “credible, trustworthy journalists” to visit him for “a cup of tea” to prove he lives in Wales.

The issue matters because candidates seeking election to the Senedd are expected to demonstrate a clear residential link to Wales.

Reform UK has not provided further detail about Mr Thomas’s living arrangements.

This article is based on reporting first published by Martin Shipton at Nation.Cymru and is rewritten with attribution.