News

Thieves target charity Basics Bank

Published

9 years ago

December 3, 2014

patch A MONKTON based charity which is committed to helping the poorest of the poor has had to relocate its distribution centre because thieves have been stealing their stock. PATCH Charity whose HQ is located in Milford Haven has been offered temporary space in the CAB building in Pembroke Dock. Voicing his regret that the charity would no longer be able to operate from their base at Long Mains Monkton Chairman Dennis O’Connor said “Recently we have experienced several incidents involving theft from the food bank. Regrettably, despite repeated attempts to ensure security, the most recent theft was discovered on Friday (Oct 31).

Dyfed-Powys Police have been informed and are currently investigating” Coordinator Tracy Olin is saddened by this unexpected development but remains clearly undaunted in her determination to continue to meet the needs of those who rely on PATCH for help. She said “The numbers affected vary from week to week and month to month. We are probably helping some 40 – 69 people a month. And although I feel devastated by what’s happened the people of Pembrokeshire have rallied around again and supported us wonderfully.

We are very disappointed of course but we have reached the conclusion that we really believe this is God’s timing and that the provision will continue to come. The support we have received from churches, individuals and companies is fantastic. I am constantly amazed by peoples’ generosity” She continued “I cannot stress how grateful I am to CAB for the way they have stepped in to help us at this crucial moment. We can use a room in their building in Meyrick Street. We will be there11am – 1pm on Tuesdays until we find a new home. It will be just for food as they have no storage space. We will bring food parcels from Milford. And I would ask anyone visiting PATCH please to use the client entrance only. All referral will have to be phoned through first so we know what food to take over” “Parcels will only be available between 11 and 1 on Tuesdays and clients cannot pick up from there at any other time.

We are incredibly grateful to CAB who we have worked with for a very long time. They are an amazing charity that support and help many of our clients and we sign post on to them often” “Clothing and Household items will have to be collected from our Milford HQ. We apologise for any inconvenience, but the situation is out of our control and we would have been really stuck without the help of CAB” PATCH Charity, which celebrated its sixth birthday recently, operates as a Basics Bank rather than a simple food bank.

Consequently PATCH provides food parcels for people who for various reasons are unable to feed themselves. It also provides clothing for people who cannot afford clothing and household basics such as kettles, pots and pans. It aims to support individuals, couples and families ensuring that people are able to access the support they need to help them, whether that be through the provision of food and clothes, or by signposting to other agencies. Pembroke’s Deputy Mayor Councilor Pauline Waters told The Herald: “This kind of initiative is desperately needed however the help is given.

And we need to find ways of helping those out of the loop and who do not have access to the normal channels of help. Sadly incidents like this only remind us what type of society we are living in today where so many people are just out for themselves” “As a local councilor I would appreciate feedback from those have been help[ed over the years so that we can do all we can to enrich the life or our town and community. Local people are so sad but they are also saying maybe we should be praying for those who have done it”

Health

Baby loss remembrance service resumes at Withybush Hospital

Published

2 hours ago

September 27, 2023

Tom Sinclair

THE ANNUAL baby loss remembrance service will return on Thursday 12 October 2023 at St Luke’s Chapel in Withybush hospital in Haverfordwest at 7pm.

The ‘Forget Me Not’ service coincides with Baby Loss Awareness week (9-15 October) and is arranged by Midwifery and Bereavement teams and led by the Spiritual Care Department (Chaplaincy).

The service has long been a source of comfort for parents and families and provides an opportunity for people to reflect and to come together to pay respects and write a message in a safe space.

Euryl Howells, Senior Chaplain at Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “This service of remembrance is an important moment for parents and families who have been affected by the very sad experience of babies who have passed away.

“Infant and pregnancy loss is a very lonely grief. This space is a time to gather and remember precious little ones whether the loss was recent or in the more distant past.”

In recognition of Baby Loss Awareness week, Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli, Glangwili Hospital, Carmarthen and Bronglais Hospital, Aberystwyth will have pink and blue lights in the Chapel/Quiet Room. The week culminates in a ‘Wave of Light’ on 15 October, which is recognised across the world.

A candle (battery operated) will be lit at 7pm by the Senior Chaplain in memory of all the babies who lit up our lives for such a short time.

If you are unable to attend the service and wish to commemorate your loved one, please send a message to [email protected] by Tuesday 10 October 2023

Should you require further information please contact Euryl Howells by telephone or email 01267 227563 or [email protected]

News

Councillors elected to Haverfordwest Town Council

Published

5 hours ago

September 27, 2023

Tom Sinclair

The declaration of results for by-elections to two Haverfordwest Town Council Wards
are available on the Pembrokeshire County Council website.

The elections to the Priory and Portfield Wards took place on September 19 th , 2023.

Cllr Peter Lewis and Cllr Tasha Jones were elected to the Priory Ward and Cllr Roy
Thomas to the Portfield Ward.

Returning Officer Will Bramble made the declaration of results at the Picton Centre,
Haverfordwest, following the closure of polls and counting.

The full declarations are available on the election results page of the Council’s
website.

News

The Broad Haven Triangle and beyond on ‘Encounters’

Published

14 hours ago

September 27, 2023

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE, because of the Broad Haven UFO sightings, has earned an enigmatic title: the “Bermuda Triangle” of the UK. Despite its modest size and population of under 1,000, Broad Haven was the focal point of one of the UK’s most extensive extraterrestrial sighting events back in the 1970’s. The village bore witness to around 450 unexplainable phenomena, from the appearance of a flying saucer near a guest house, a 7ft alien-like entity emerging from a hedge, to the mysterious “cigar-shaped” UFO spotted near a school.

It was 1977, a year overshadowed by the Cold War. However, in the world of entertainment, sci-fi movies like Star Wars and Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind were captivating global audiences. Broad Haven’s peculiar happenings did not go unnoticed and soon became international news when 16 schoolchildren claimed to see a UFO in the Pembrokeshire sky. Their sketches and narratives, consistently similar despite being separated during their recounting, provided eerie credibility to their stories.

Yet, the tales from Broad Haven are just one segment of a wider tapestry. Steven Spielberg’s production company, known for iconic science fiction titles like E.T, Back to the Future, and Jurassic Park, has taken a deep dive into these mysteries with their new Netflix documentary series ‘Encounters’.

Broad Haven’s tales are masterfully presented in one of the episodes. However, ‘Encounters’ spreads its net far and wide, delving into other gripping UFO and extraterrestrial events from around the world. Other episodes in the series explore accounts from a remote Scandinavian village with eerie lights, testimonies from a desert town in the U.S. plagued by abductions, and dark legends from an isolated mountain range in South America.

The Broad Haven episode is particularly close to Spielberg’s heart, given his affinity for extraordinary tales of the unexplained. According to the director of ‘Encounters’, Yon Motskin, the decision to focus on Broad Haven stemmed from the sheer volume of corroborative witness accounts. Over 450 individuals have testified to seeing something bizarre, and these recollections persist, even nearly half a century later.

The ‘Broad Haven Triangle’ remains one of Wales’s most tantalizing enigmas. With the gravitas of Spielberg’s production and the global platform provided by Netflix, the Pembrokeshire mysteries are poised to captivate and bewilder a new generation.

Encounters, offering a journey into the unexplained from Broad Haven to beyond, is available to stream on Netflix from Wednesday.