Beloved dog’s tag discovered on Pembrokeshire beach 15 years after his death

Published

1 year ago

May 1, 2025

WHEN Alison Crispin received a phone call from her long-time friend Shirley Jones on her 60th birthday, it turned out to be one of the most precious she’d ever received.

Earlier that day Shirley’s daughter, Sian, had found a dog tag washed up on West Angle beach, bearing the name Bruno Crispin and a phone number. Realising that the surname was the same as Alison’s who now lives in Bulgaria, Shirley mentioned it to her friend.

“And it soon became apparent that Bruno was the beloved Newfoundland that Alison and her husband had owned since he was just 13 weeks old.

“Sadly Bruno passed away 15 years ago, at the great age of 13.

“We just couldn’t believe that this could be possible,” Shirley told The Herald. “My daughter had gone camping with some friends down on West Angle beach over the Easter weekend, and as they walked across the rocks on the day that Shirley was celebrating her 60th birthday, they noticed something poking out of the sand.

“At first they thought it was an old coin, but when they picked it up and brushed it clean, they could see that it was a tag from a dog collar, with the name Bruno Crispin on one side and a phone number beginning 01646 on the other side, which is the code for Milford.”

Realising that Shirley had a friend with the same surname, Sian took the tag home to show her mother.

“And when she walked in through the door, who was I speaking to on the phone but Alison!” continues Shirley.

“We’ve been best friends since we were children growing up in Merlin’s Bridge, and obviously this friendship has continued, even though Alison moved to Bulgaria nine years ago.

“When I told her the name that was on the tag, Alison explained that their dog was named Bruno, who they’d had when they were living in Milford Haven.

And when I began reading out the phone number on the back, Alison finished it off for me because it was her old landline number.

“So this was definitely the tag that Bruno used to wear when he lived here all those years ago.”

It goes without saying that Alison is over the moon with this amazing discovery.

“Bruno really was a wonderful dog to us,” she told The Herald from her home in Bulgaria.

“We had him from a 13-week old puppy and he lived until he was 13, which is a good age for a Newfoundland. He absolutely loved going to the beach and to be honest, it was always difficult trying to get him out of the water.

“When we lived in Milford we spent a lot of time at Gelliswick, Dale, Broad Haven and loads of other beaches around Pembrokeshire. We were always around the water so it really is incredible that Bruno’s tag has been found on the rocks in West Angle all these years later.”

Meanwhile Shirley is now preparing to get the tag back to Alison for safe keeping..

“I’ve put it safely inside my handbag, so I’ll either send it to Alison by post or I might even go over to Bulgaria to give it to her in person,” concluded Shirley. “It’s something that means so very much to Alison, so it’ll be wonderful for her to get it back. This really is a very special memento of Bruno.”

News

Parties make final push as Wales prepares to vote in historic Senedd election

Published

17 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Campaign leaders criss-cross country in last-minute battle for crucial votes

WALES heads to the polls tomorrow (Thursday, May 7) after a frenetic final day of campaigning that saw party leaders, candidates and activists make one last push to win over undecided voters in what is being described as the most unpredictable Senedd election in modern Welsh history.

With polling stations due to open at 7:00am, parties spent Wednesday targeting key battleground constituencies across the country, including the new Ceredigion Penfro seat, amid growing expectations of a fragmented Senedd and a dramatic shake-up in Welsh politics.

The election is the first to be held under Wales’ new expanded Senedd system, with 96 Members of the Senedd being elected across 16 large constituencies using a proportional closed-list voting system.

Reform UK appeared to finish the campaign with significant momentum following a major rally on Tuesday attended by party leader Nigel Farage. The event drew large crowds and considerable online attention as Reform attempted to convert strong polling figures into seats in Cardiff Bay for the first time.

Farage used the rally to attack both Labour and Plaid Cymru, while positioning Reform as the party of “change” for disillusioned voters. Reform campaigners have focused heavily on immigration, cost of living pressures and opposition to what they describe as “wasteful government spending.”

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth spent the final day presenting his party as the main alternative to both Labour and Reform UK, insisting Plaid could “build a fairer Wales” while warning against what he described as “divisive politics.”

Labour figures, including First Minister Eluned Morgan and deputy leader Huw Irranca-Davies, urged voters not to “take risks” with public services, arguing only Welsh Labour could protect the NHS and local councils during a period of economic uncertainty.

Labour activists were heavily focused on turnout operations in traditional strongholds, amid polling suggesting the party could lose ground after decades as the dominant force in Welsh politics.

The Conservatives attempted to rally core voters with warnings about both Labour and Reform, while also focusing on farming, the rural economy and healthcare waiting lists.

In west Wales, Conservative candidates Paul Davies and Sam Kurtz spent the day meeting voters and carrying out final campaign visits across Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, arguing their experience and local knowledge would be important under the new electoral system.

The Liberal Democrats and Green Party also maintained visible campaigns in several areas, hoping tactical voting and the proportional voting system could help them secure representation.

Across Wales, campaign teams handed out leaflets outside transport hubs, supermarkets and town centres, while social media campaigning intensified throughout the day.

Political analysts believe turnout could prove decisive, particularly because the new voting system means relatively small shifts in support could determine the allocation of the fifth and sixth seats in many constituencies.

The campaign has been dominated by debates over the NHS, farming, the economy, transport, tourism and the rising cost of living, alongside concerns about the future direction of Welsh devolution.

Polling stations open across Wales from 7:00am until 10:00pm on Thursday, with counting due to begin on Friday morning.

The Herald will provide live election coverage online throughout polling day and count day, including updates from count centres, candidate interviews and reaction as results emerge from across west Wales and the rest of the country.

News

Plaid Cymru projected to lead Senedd as Labour faces historic collapse

Published

17 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Final poll suggests Welsh politics could be on the brink of a major realignment

PLAID CYMRU is on course to become the largest party in the Senedd, according to the final YouGov MRP projection for ITV Cymru Wales before polling day.

The model suggests Labour’s century-long dominance of Welsh elections could be coming to an end, with Plaid projected to win 43 seats in the newly expanded 96-member Senedd.

Reform UK is forecast to finish second on 34 seats, while Labour is projected to fall to just 12.

The poll, based on responses from more than 4,600 adults between April 25 and May 4, puts Plaid Cymru on 33% of the vote, ahead of Reform UK on 29%. Labour is on 12%, the Conservatives on 9%, the Greens on 8% and the Liberal Democrats on 6%.

Labour facing major losses

The projection points to a dramatic collapse in Labour support across Wales.

YouGov’s central estimate would represent a notional loss of 32 seats for Labour compared with the 2021 result under the new electoral system.

It would also be Labour’s worst result at any major Welsh election since 1906.

The model suggests Labour may fail to top the poll in any of the 16 new Senedd constituencies, and could return no members at all in four of them.

In west Wales, Labour’s support is projected to have fallen into single figures in some areas.

First Minister Eluned Morgan, who leads Labour’s list in Ceredigion Penfro, could also be at risk if the projection proves accurate.

Reform surge

Reform UK is projected to make major gains, rising from just 1% of the vote in 2021 to 29% in the final pre-election model.

The party’s support appears to be spread widely across Wales, though it is weaker in Cardiff and strongest in parts of the south Wales valleys.

One of the most striking projections is in Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr, which includes the Merthyr Tydfil area where Keir Hardie was elected as Wales’s first Labour MP in 1900.

There, YouGov’s central estimate puts Reform UK narrowly ahead on 34%, Plaid Cymru on 33%, and Labour on 14%.

Smaller parties

The Conservatives are projected to win just four seats, which would be their weakest devolved election result.

That would leave them one short of the five members needed to form an official political group in the Senedd.

The Greens are forecast to enter the Senedd for the first time, winning two seats in Cardiff.

The Liberal Democrats are projected to win one seat in Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, keeping Jane Dodds in the Senedd.

No majority expected

No party is projected to win the 49 seats needed for an outright majority.

YouGov’s modelling suggests Plaid Cymru would be best placed to lead the next Welsh Government, but would probably need support from another party.

Plaid and Labour together reach a majority in most of the model’s simulations, while a Plaid-Green arrangement does so far less often.

A Reform-Conservative majority appears unlikely in the projection.

Under the new D’Hondt voting system, small movements in vote share could still make a significant difference, particularly for the final seats in each constituency.

Polling stations open tomorrow, Thursday, May 7.