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Cabinet Secretary visits couple benefiting from independent living support

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EXTRA investment from the Welsh Government is helping thousands more older and disabled people live safely and independently in their own homes.

For the 2025–26 financial year, the Welsh Government has allocated an additional £5.5 million in capital funding and more than £1.25 million in revenue to support its Independent Living Programmes.

As part of this initiative, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Jayne Bryant, recently visited Mr and Mrs Watkins, a couple in their seventies receiving support from Bridgend Care & Repair after being referred by their GP.

Care & Repair is a national charity supporting around 40,000 households across Wales every year, delivering approximately 25,000 home adaptations to help older people live more comfortably and safely.

During her visit, the Cabinet Secretary learned how the Watkins family had benefited from a range of tailored home improvements. These included the installation of a stair rail, improved stair lighting to reduce fall risk—particularly important due to Mr Watkins’ sight loss—and a floor-to-ceiling grab rail outside the shower to assist with transfers.

Urgent repair work was also carried out on a faulty front bedroom window that had been letting in cold air and draughts.

In addition to physical adaptations, the couple received wraparound support services from Care & Repair. These included help claiming entitled benefits, a successful Blue Badge application, registration with the National Grid Priority Services Register, and tailored falls prevention advice.

Through a referral to Care & Repair’s Managing Better service, further help was arranged—such as access to RNIB talking books, a low vision assessment, and signposting to local support groups.

Cabinet Secretary Jayne Bryant said: “Home adaptations can be a lifeline for some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. It was heartening to meet Mr and Mrs Watkins and hear first-hand how Care & Repair has made a real difference to their safety and quality of life.

The work this charity carries out across Wales is truly invaluable. I’m proud that our additional funding this year will allow more people to live with dignity and independence for longer.”**

Chris Jones, Chief Executive of Care & Repair Cymru, added: “We are extremely grateful for the Welsh Government’s additional funding this year. The adaptations and repairs we deliver not only improve the safety and comfort of older people’s homes but also make a real difference to their well-being and independence.

Our work also helps ease pressure on the NHS and social care by preventing avoidable hospital admissions and facilitating quicker discharges. The extra resources will enable us to support an additional 5,000 to 6,000 people annually.

The couple the Cabinet Secretary met represent the kind of households we help every day—ensuring they live in safe, warm homes, while also supporting them to access benefits and reduce the financial strain of rising living costs.”

 

Charity

Vincent Davies raises £13,682 for air ambulance charity

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Independent Haverfordwest store backs lifesaving crews with year of community fundraising

A WEST WALES department store has raised more than thirteen thousand pounds for a lifesaving emergency service after a packed year of community fundraising.

Staff at Vincent Davies Department Store collected £13,682 for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity, after voting the organisation their Charity of the Year for 2025.

The independent retailer organised events throughout the year, including an Easter bingo, bake sales, quizzes, raffles, staff sales, Christmas jumper days and a festive wreath-making workshop. Charity jam jars placed in Café Vincent also helped gather steady donations from customers.

One of the most popular attractions was the store’s charity singing penguin trio, which drew smiles from shoppers of all ages and boosted collections.

Sarah John, Joint Managing Director at Vincent Davies, said: “Raising £13,682 for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity is something we are extremely proud of at Vincent Davies Department Store. As a director, it’s wonderful to see our community come together to support a charity that makes such a lifesaving difference.”

The air ambulance is consultant-led, delivering hospital-level treatment directly at the scene of serious incidents and, when needed, transferring patients straight to the most appropriate specialist hospital.

Working in partnership with the NHS through the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service, crews can provide advanced critical care including anaesthesia, blood transfusions and even minor surgical procedures before reaching hospital.

Operating across the whole of Wales, its teams travel the length and breadth of the country by helicopter and rapid response vehicle to reach patients quickly in both rural and urban areas.

This is not the first time the Haverfordwest store has backed the cause. In 2016, staff previously raised £5,831 when the charity was also chosen as their beneficiary.

Mike May, the charity’s West Wales Regional Fundraising Manager, said: “We are so grateful to Vincent Davies Department Store for raising an incredible amount for our charity. Throughout the year they put on a variety of different events and what a successful fundraising year it was.

“The charity needs to raise £13 million every year to keep our helicopters in the air and our rapid response vehicles on the road. By raising £13,682, the staff and customers have played an important part in saving lives across Wales.”

The store says it will announce its Charity of the Year for 2026 in the coming weeks.

 

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Crime

Police assess complaints over Mandelson–Epstein links

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Met says allegations will be reviewed to see if criminal threshold is met following release of US court files

SCOTLAND YARD is reviewing a series of complaints alleging possible misconduct in public office after fresh claims emerged linking former UK ambassador Peter Mandelson to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Metropolitan Police Service confirmed it has received “a number of reports” following the publication of millions of pages of material by the United States Department of Justice, and will now decide whether any alleged conduct reaches the level required for a criminal investigation.

Commander Ella Marriott said the force would assess each report individually, stressing that a review does not automatically lead to formal proceedings.

The documents, widely referred to as the “Epstein files”, appear to show Mandelson corresponding with Epstein while serving as business secretary during the government of Gordon Brown at the height of the global financial crisis.

According to reports, Epstein was allegedly given insight into internal policy discussions, including proposals around banker bonus taxes in 2009 and details of a eurozone bailout package shortly before it was announced publicly.

Payments questioned

Bank records cited in the US disclosure reportedly show payments totalling 75,000 US dollars made to Mandelson between 2003 and 2004. It is also claimed Epstein paid for an osteopathy course for Mandelson’s husband.

Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing and said he has “no record or recollection” of the alleged transfers.

On Sunday he resigned his membership of the Labour Party, saying he did not want his continued association to cause further difficulty for the party.

In interviews, he dismissed suggestions that Epstein influenced his decisions as a minister and said nothing in the released files pointed to criminality or misconduct on his part.

Pressure mounts

The political fallout has intensified, with Downing Street confirming Keir Starmer has asked Cabinet Secretary Chris Wormald to carry out an urgent review into Mandelson’s historic contacts with Epstein while in office.

Brown has also called for an examination of whether any confidential or market-sensitive information was improperly shared during the financial crisis.

The case is the latest in a series of controversies linked to Epstein’s long-standing relationships with powerful figures on both sides of the Atlantic.

Police emphasised that no charges have been brought and that Mandelson is not currently under criminal investigation, but said the complaints process would be handled “thoroughly and impartially”.

 

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Community

Councillor meets chief constable to address Monkton and Pembroke concerns

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COUNTY COUNCILLOR Jonathan Grimes has met with the new Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Police to discuss crime, antisocial behaviour and wider community issues affecting residents in Pembroke and Monkton.

Cllr Grimes, who represents Pembroke St Mary South and Monkton, said the meeting followed his invitation for senior police leaders to visit the area and hear first-hand about local concerns.

The Chief Constable, Ifan Charles, attended alongside officers from the Pembroke Neighbourhood Policing and Protection Team, meeting the councillor in Monkton for what were described as open and constructive talks.

As part of the visit, they also spoke with Monkton Priory Community Primary School headteacher Dylan Lawrence and Danny Nash from Pembrokeshire County Council Housing Services to gather views from education and housing professionals.

Discussions covered a range of issues raised by residents, including domestic abuse, drug and alcohol misuse, antisocial behaviour and environmental concerns such as littering, dog fouling and dangerous or inconsiderate driving.

Cllr Grimes acknowledged recent police successes, particularly in tackling drug-related activity, but said enforcement alone would not solve the area’s challenges.

He said closer cooperation between the police, council services, schools and the wider community would be needed to deliver longer-term improvements.

The councillor added that he plans to encourage residents to form a local community group in the coming weeks, aimed at developing practical solutions and strengthening partnership working across the area.

 

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