Community

Pembroke Horse Fair to go ahead despite council permission row

Published

7 months ago

August 27, 2025

Charlie Price reassures locals at packed public meeting in Monkton, but says: “Not even the Prime Minister himself could stop this event”

A PUBLIC meeting was held at Dezza’s Cabin Community Centre in Monkton on Wednesday evening (Aug 28) as organiser Charlie Price sought to address growing concern about the upcoming Pembroke Horse Fair, due to take place this Saturday (Aug 30).

The meeting followed a press release issued by Pembrokeshire County Council earlier this week which stated that the event had not been granted formal permission. The announcement was picked up by multiple local media outlets and caused unease among residents living near the proposed site, which lies on council-owned land in Monkton.

Welsh Tik-Toker Sophie Julie Valencia, who has over 100,000 followers has been pushing the event for weeks.

***There will be a hundred or more horses at the event in Monkton on Saturday, August 30.***

Price, who called the meeting to reassure locals, spoke to around 40 people in attendance. The event began at 7:15pm after a brief delay while attendees waited for a police representative who ultimately did not arrive. Local councillor Jonathan Grimes also did not attend, having previously sent apologies due to a diary clash related to candidate selection for the upcoming Senedd elections.

Addressing this, Price expressed frustration at the councillor’s absence: “He is our councillor and he is paid to represent us,” he said. He then quipped: “I will stand for council and take his seat if he doesn’t help the community.”

Despite the uncertainty around permissions, Price was adamant that the council had been actively assisting with preparations: “Why do you think the council have been here in their trucks, helping us this morning?” he said, gesturing towards the double doors of the community hall. He explained that fencing had been delivered and installed on the site, and that he had held multiple meetings with council representatives in recent weeks.

***The organisers said council has assisted organisers with safety barriers for the event***, ***these yellow barriers are from Wales & West Utilities***

Police and safety arrangements

Price also addressed policing and public safety, stating that he had met with a high-ranking officer who confirmed that police were aware the event was going ahead and were cooperating. “They’ve said they’re willing to work with us, and we’ve got stewards and marshals in place,” he said. Several of the marshals were present at the meeting.

He further confirmed that there would be no road closures and that access to local roads — including Back Lane — would be maintained throughout. Emergency vehicle access had also been considered, he added.

Parking would be available for a £5 fee, with all proceeds going to charity. The event is covered by public liability insurance through Dezza’s Cabin.

***Horse fairs have a long tradition in the Gypsy and Traveller community***

Family-friendly event, not-for-profit

Price was keen to stress that the fair is not a commercial venture: “This isn’t for personal profit — it’s a charity event for the community,” he said. He added that around 100 horses were expected, along with a variety of stalls, children’s activities such as bouncy castles and face painting, and food vendors. “There’ll be no alcohol on site — I want this to be a family event,” he said.

Price said the fair would run from 9:00am to 6:00pm on Saturday, with some people arriving the day before to set up. He gave a personal assurance that the site would be cleared by Sunday: “I need the field back for my horses,” he joked, drawing laughter from those present.

Mayor invited to open the event

At the close of the meeting, Price told the room he had invited the Mayor of Pembroke to open the fair. “He said he would have loved to but he has a family engagement party to attend on the same day,” Price explained.

“We are looking for someone to open the event,” he said.

Community support

Many locals who attended left reassured by the open and direct approach. Price had already been knocking on doors earlier in the week to speak with residents face-to-face and address concerns. The event ended with a round of applause and a sense of cautious optimism that the fair would proceed smoothly.

Price closed the meeting by expressing his hopes for the future: “This isn’t just for the travelling community — it’s for Monkton. Monkton is a strong community where everyone supports each other,” he said. “I want this to be an annual event. I want to see it grow and bring everyone together.”

Council statement

In a statement on Tuesday, Pembrokeshire County Council said: “We are aware of the proposed horse fair to be run on August 30 at Monkton.

“No permission has been granted for this event to take place on Council land.

“We have written to the organiser setting out our concerns and making clear that they must ensure any event is managed safely and responsibly.

“We will monitor the situation closely and work with our partners to minimise disruption to the community.”

It seems now however that the council has conceded the event is going ahead is now doing everything it can to cooperate with the organisers to ensure it is safe and runs smoothly.

Community

Campaign raises £4,000 in first week to save historic Boncath meeting cottage

Published

23 hours ago

March 16, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Community investors urged to help reach £12,000 target before end of March

A COMMUNITY campaign to purchase and preserve a historic Victorian corrugated cottage in Boncath has already raised £4,000 in just one week.

The fundraising effort began following a public meeting in the north Pembrokeshire village, where residents discussed plans to secure the future of the building, which has served as a community meeting space for more than 130 years.

***Villagers promote the campaign to purchase Boncath’s historic corrugated cottage meeting room (Pic supplied)***

The corrugated iron cottage has had several uses over the decades. Since the 1930s it has been used as a meeting place for Boncath Women’s Institute, while earlier records suggest it served as an office for a local sawmill. Some residents also believe the building was originally owned by a nearby mansion estate and used as a rent collection office.

At the public meeting in Boncath Village Hall, Cris Tomos from the Narberth-based community development association PLANED outlined how the purchase could be achieved through community investment.

Mr Tomos said the group had set a target of raising £12,000 by March 31, 2026. The total would cover the £10,000 purchase price of the building along with approximately £2,000 in legal and marketing costs.

He told residents that investors could benefit from tax relief through the HMRC Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme, which allows eligible UK taxpayers to reclaim 50 per cent of their investment.

Mr Tomos said: “Following the public meeting in the village hall it was agreed to set a target date of March 31 to reach the goal of raising £12,000 to buy the building. This includes the £10,000 purchase price plus £2,000 for legal and marketing costs.

“It is great to report that after just one week we have seen £4,000 raised, which is one third of the target. We now have a limited time to raise the remaining £8,000 by the end of March.”

Supporters are being asked to consider investing £500 in the project. Those who are UK taxpayers would be eligible for the 50 per cent tax relief.

Organisers say the model has already proven successful locally. The nearby community purchase of the Crymych Arms pub, just four miles away, raised £210,000 from investors to reopen the village pub.

Anyone interested in supporting the Boncath project can email [email protected] or download an investment form from the Bwthyn Boncath Facebook page.

Printed forms are also available from Boncath Village Shop and Post Office and can be returned there to be counted towards the community investment total.

If the purchase is successful, organisers say a further community share offer is planned at £50 per share to allow as many residents as possible to take an ownership stake in the historic building.

Community

Park backs community projects with sustainability funding

Published

1 day ago

March 16, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Five community initiatives receive support through Sustainable Development Fund

FIVE community-led projects across Pembrokeshire have secured funding from the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) following a competitive round of the Sustainable Development Fund (SDF).

The authority’s Grants Committee met in late January to consider fifteen applications from across the county. Members said the quality of submissions was exceptionally high, making the selection process particularly challenging.

Projects were assessed on how well they supported the aims of the SDF, which promotes sustainable development, community resilience and environmental improvement within the National Park.

The five successful applicants were:

Transition Bro Gwaun
Yr Hen Ysgol, Dinas
The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (Skokholm Island)
Angle Village Hall
St Davids City Council

The successful bids include plans to install renewable energy systems in community buildings and carry out energy-efficiency retrofit improvements to local hubs used by residents.

Bethan Jones, Sustainability Officer at the Park Authority said: “It was encouraging to see such ambitious ideas emerging from our local communities. These projects offer innovative solutions that will deliver a lasting, positive impact across communities in the National Park.”

Work on the funded projects has already begun following confirmation of the grants.

Details of the next round of Sustainable Development Fund funding will be announced once future budgets have been confirmed. Updates will be shared through Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services (PAVS) and other local community networks.

Further information about the Sustainable Development Fund is available at www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/sdf.

Caption:

Yr Hen Ysgol Dinas Community Centre has benefited from the latest round of funding from the Sustainable Development Fund. (Pic: PCNPA)

Community

Town hall takeover plan questioned as cost figures conflict

Published

3 days ago

March 14, 2026

Tom Sinclair

CONSULTATION DRAWS JUST 25 RESIDENTS AS RUNNING COST ESTIMATES VARY BY TENS OF THOUSANDS

THE PROPOSED transfer of Fishguard Town Hall to the town council has come under scrutiny after documents revealed conflicting estimates of the building’s running costs.

Freedom of Information responses and council documents suggest the historic building could cost tens of thousands of pounds a year to operate, raising questions about whether Fishguard and Goodwick Town Council can afford to take on responsibility for it.

Budget links tax rise to town hall plan

A budget report prepared by Fishguard and Goodwick Town Council shows the authority planning £166,336 in spending for the 2025–26 financial year, an increase on the previous year.

Within the administration section of the proposed budget, the council confirms that £20,000 has been allocated towards the proposed Community Asset Transfer of Fishguard Town Hall from Pembrokeshire County Council.

The document also links a proposed 16 per cent increase in the council’s precept directly to the takeover proposal.

After two years with no increase due to the cost-of-living crisis, the report states the rise is “directly related to the proposed CAT of Fishguard Town Hall.”

The council plans to request a £147,070 precept for the coming year.

Dispute over running costs

However, debate over the plan has intensified after different figures emerged for the building’s running costs.

Pembrokeshire County Council has said the average annual cost of utilities — including gas, electricity, water and sewage — for the building over the past three years was between £25,000 and £30,000.

But other figures circulating locally suggest the costs may be far higher.

One estimate cited by residents claims energy bills alone could be around £47,000 a year.

Separate operational figures released through a county council Freedom of Information request indicate that when staffing, maintenance, utilities and business rates are included, the total cost of running the building could exceed £70,000 annually.

Consultation numbers raise questions

Consultation figures released by the Town Council also show relatively modest public engagement with the proposal.

According to the council, 25 people attended the public consultation meeting held at the Town Hall.

A further 93 paper survey responses and 17 online responses were submitted through the council’s consultation process.

The council has not yet published the draft business plan or energy survey relating to the building, stating the documents are still under review.

Transfer still undecided

The potential Community Asset Transfer of Fishguard Town Hall from Pembrokeshire County Council to the town council has been under discussion since 2024, but the arrangement has not yet been formally agreed by either authority.

If the transfer goes ahead, responsibility for operating and maintaining the building would pass from the county council to Fishguard and Goodwick Town Council.

Supporters of the proposal say it would give the community greater control over the future of the historic building.

However, critics argue the long-term costs could place significant pressure on the town council’s finances.