Entertainment

Free time reimagined as Pembrokeshire moves toward online leisure

Published

1 month ago

October 16, 2025

In an age when digital convenience has begun to creep into every corner of our lives, many traditional viewers, readers, and hobbyists in the county of Pembrokeshire are finding their spare hours changed and challenged by new online options. Now, there are streamed film nights, virtual workshops, interactive gaming platforms, and creative classes for people to explore. The growing integration of broadband infrastructure, mobile apps, and on-demand culture now means that leisure does not depend entirely on where people are anymore. Now, it depends on how they choose to connect.

One of the most striking aspects of this change is how diverse online leisure has become. Beyond streaming and online education, even digital entertainment that was once considered niche, such as Bitcoin gambling sites, has found appeal across global audiences. These decentralised platforms allow users to deposit and withdraw funds instantly, often with lower transaction fees and enhanced privacy. They demonstrate how blockchain technology can make online play faster, borderless, and more secure. The innovation behind these systems shows us the wider trend toward user-centred, tech-driven leisure.

Across Pembrokeshire, that same transformation is evident in the more conventional spaces, too. Reliable connectivity now underpins a great deal of new digital opportunities. It is this connectivity that opens the door to streaming, live classes, and remote participation in community events. And this is not just for residents in towns, but also those in rural hamlets that were once held back by patchy coverage.

Pembrokeshire Leisure, operated by the county council, has become a local case study in how services can adapt. Its Pembs Leisure app lets users check timetables, book fitness sessions, and receive push alerts. Through its “Virtual Classes” programme, residents can stream yoga, strength training, and cardio sessions from home for roughly £5.50 per month. Instead of replacing in-person sessions, these options now complement them and give flexibility to commuters, carers, and others whose schedules limit time at physical leisure centres.

Even major events are moving online. Festivals, talks, history walks, and environmental sessions often include livestreams, interactive Q&As, or digital archives. Because of this, those unable to travel can still take part. For a county as geographically dispersed as Pembrokeshire, this digital layer adds reach without taking away from the local character of community gatherings.

The region’s natural and cultural assets are especially optimised to work with what commentators call “phygital” leisure, which are experiences that merge the physical and the digital. The 186-mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path, for instance, now features apps and online guides that offer augmented-reality interpretation, wildlife identification, and GPS-based navigation. These tools enhance, rather than replace, outdoor exploration. This is because it helps visitors engage more deeply with the area’s geology, flora, and maritime heritage.

This shift, however, is not without its challenges. Digital exclusion still affects certain demographics, particularly older adults or households without adequate devices. While libraries and community centres do offer digital-skills support, gaps are still evident. Likewise, online activities must compete with the lure of outdoor life that defines Pembrokeshire, from surfing in Newgale to kayaking in the Milford Haven Waterway. Creating the right balance between screen-based and open-air recreation is a vital element to consider for the county’s evolving identity when it comes to its leisure activities.

Yet the potential benefits are indeed clear. Online platforms make participation far more flexible. They reduce travel needs and also allow smaller organisations to reach wider audiences without the need for expensive venues. Hybrid delivery also strengthens resilience when faced with occurrences like weather disruptions or mobility issues. For younger residents, digital platforms can help to connect Pembrokeshire’s rural communities with global creative, educational, and entertainment ecosystems. This can all be achieved without eroding the area’s distinct sense of place.

Pembrokeshire’s embrace of leisure in an online capacity is more about expanding upon choices than it is about replacing traditions. The above are just a few examples of how local people are integrating technology into how they rest, learn and socialise. The county’s forward-looking approach is grounded in strong broadband, inclusive programmes, and an impressively creative use of digital media. It is this approach that ensures that free time in Pembrokeshire can be both modern and meaningful, wherever you happen to find yourself.

Community

Best of Brass concert set to light up St Davids Cathedral

Published

3 hours ago

November 16, 2025

Tom Sinclair

TWO of Wales’ finest brass bands will come together next month for a spectacular evening of music at one of the county’s most iconic venues.

The Goodwick Brass Band will perform in concert with the world-number-one ranked Cory Band at St Davids Cathedral on Saturday, December 3, 2016, at 7:30pm.

Organisers say the event, titled Best of Brass, promises an unforgettable night for music lovers, showcasing the very best in Welsh brass banding. The Cory Band, famed for their rich sound and innovative performances, will share the stage with Goodwick Brass Band, Pembrokeshire’s own national champions, in what is expected to be a sell-out concert.

The concert takes place by kind permission of the Dean and Chapter of St Davids Cathedral, offering a rare chance to hear two elite ensembles perform within the stunning acoustics of the historic setting.

Tickets are priced at £15, £12, and £10, and are available from West Wales Arts Centre, Goodwick Post Office, St David’s Bookshop, Musicians World in Haverfordwest, and Yr Hen Emporium in Cardigan, or directly from any band member.

Entertainment

Local premiere for S4C documentary on Pembrokeshire’s ‘Cannabis Cove’

Published

4 hours ago

November 16, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Exclusive screening revisits one of Wales’ most remarkable police operations

A TWO-PART documentary exploring a major drugs bust that stunned a quiet Pembrokeshire seaside town will have its exclusive English-language premiere in Newport next week.

Cannabis Cove: Operation Seal Bay, produced for S4C, takes viewers back to 1983, when the peace of Newport was shattered by one of the most extraordinary police investigations in Welsh criminal history.

That summer, the town became the unlikely centre of an international smuggling ring after a local fisherman, Andy Burgess, spotted something unusual at a remote beach called Pwll Coch—known locally as Seal Bay.

Soon after, authorities discovered a concealed hatch on nearby Traeth Cell Hywel. Beneath it lay a man-made underground chamber stocked with food, radio equipment and fibreglass resin — “like something straight out of James Bond.”

The mystery unfolds

As detectives began to investigate, residents reported strange activity around Newport — unfamiliar luxury cars on rural lanes, and strangers flashing £50 notes in local pubs.

What followed was a sprawling investigation that reached from Pembrokeshire to Scandinavia and the Middle East. Within days, three men — Robin Boswell, Ken Dewar, and escaped drug trafficker Sam Spanggaard — were arrested.

However, the case soon hit a snag: the drugs had disappeared. Without the contraband, the entire prosecution risked collapse. Detectives began to suspect there was a local connection — someone who knew the coastline well.

Forty years on

More than four decades later, S4C’s new documentary returns to the mystery with rare interviews, archive footage, and dramatic re-enactments.

For the first time, it includes testimony from a local man — known only as “Jim” — whose words are voiced by an actor to protect his identity. “Jim,” who once modified cars for Boswell, became unwittingly entangled in a smuggling network stretching from Pembrokeshire to Morocco and beyond.

The two episodes retrace both the discovery of the secret underground chamber and the international scope of the operation that followed.

Local resident Wendy Phillips recalled: “Everyone knew everyone. Everyone knew each other’s business — that’s just how you were brought up.”

Screening in Newport

The pre-broadcast English-language screening of Cannabis Cove: Operation Seal Bay will take place at 6:30pm on Thursday, November 20, at Canolfan Bethlehem, Upper West Street, Newport.

Following the screening, there will be a Q&A session with retired detectives Don Evans and John Daniels, who worked on the original case, alongside the film’s director James Hale.

Entry is free, but donations will be taken on the door to support Canolfan Bethlehem.

Cannabis Cove: Operation Seal Bay airs on S4C later this month.

Entertainment

DJ Yoda bringing 1980s party vibes to Narberth

Published

1 day ago

November 15, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Legendary mixmaster marks 25 years since iconic ‘How To Cut & Paste’ mixtape

A NIGHT of pure nostalgia is heading for Narberth as world-famous turntablist DJ Yoda drops his 1980s-themed “Mixtape Live” show at The Queen’s Hall on Saturday, November 22.

The multi-award-winning DJ — real name Duncan Beiny — is promising a full-throttle celebration of pop culture’s most colourful decade, blending retro beats, movie moments, and video game sounds into a high-energy, one-of-a-kind performance.

Known for his genre-bending creativity, Yoda has taken his unique brand of turntablism to major festivals and clubs around the globe, earning praise from the BBC, who called him “a pioneer of the craft.”

Over his 30-year career, he’s collaborated with Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Damon Albarn, Diplo, and Mark Ronson, and was once named by Q Magazine as “one of the 10 DJs to see before you die.”

The Narberth show also celebrates 25 years since Yoda’s breakthrough 80s mixtape, How To Cut & Paste: The 80s Edition — the release that launched him into the spotlight and helped redefine DJ performance art.