Cardigan-based Pembrokeshire Wooden Garden Company Ltd is winning customers with solid, comfortable and weather-resistant benches, tables and outdoor seating

A LOCAL garden furniture maker is bringing traditional craftsmanship, strength and style to outdoor spaces across Pembrokeshire and west Wales.

Pembrokeshire Wooden Garden Company Ltd, based next to Tivy Tyres on Station Road, Cardigan, specialises in handcrafted wooden benches, garden tables and outdoor seating built for real everyday use.

At a time when many garden furniture products are mass-produced and lightweight, the company has focused on making solid, heavy-duty pieces designed to last, with comfort, durability and practicality at the heart of every item.

Each bench, chair and table is individually made using high-quality structural timber and carefully finished to protect it from the weather. The result is garden furniture that feels substantial, looks attractive and is made to cope with life outdoors all year round.

BUILT PROPERLY

What sets Pembrokeshire Wooden Garden Company Ltd apart is the way each item is constructed.

Rather than relying on staples or nails, every piece is carefully screwed together for extra strength and long-term durability. The furniture is then finished with multiple coats of weather-resistant protection, helping it stand up to the elements while retaining its appearance.

The company uses Cuprinol Garden Shades finishes, offering customers a choice of attractive colours including Willow, Sage, Urban Slate and Seasoned Oak, along with more natural tones for those who prefer a classic timber look.

It means customers can choose furniture that not only suits their garden, patio or outdoor seating area, but also has the protection needed for the Welsh weather.

FROM BENCHES TO FAMILY TABLES

The current range includes a wide choice of practical and decorative outdoor furniture, all made with the same focus on strength and comfort.

Popular pieces include the Joycey Easy Sit Bench, designed to offer extra support and comfort, as well as single bench chairs, backless benches and a selection of heavy-duty garden tables.

The 3 Bar Heavy Duty Table is made for regular use, while the 5 Bar Medium and Large Tables are ideal for families, visitors, social gatherings and anyone looking to make more of their outdoor space.

Whether it is a quiet corner of the garden, a patio seating area, a holiday home, a campsite, a smallholding or a community space, the furniture is designed to be useful, strong and attractive.

LOCAL WORKSHOP

Customers are welcome to view the furniture in person by appointment at the company’s Cardigan workshop, located next to Tivy Tyres on Station Road, Pentood Industrial Estate.

The workshop also acts as a collection point for orders, giving customers the chance to see the quality of the furniture before taking it home.

Pembrokeshire Wooden Garden Company Ltd also attends local markets, where its benches and tables have become a familiar sight to shoppers looking for locally made outdoor furniture with a personal touch.

The business has built up a growing base of returning customers across Pembrokeshire, with many buyers coming back for additional pieces after seeing how well their first purchase performs.

Customer feedback has praised the comfort, solid construction and value for money, with repeat orders helping the company grow through word of mouth and local support.

MADE FOR OUTDOOR LIVING

As more people invest in their gardens and outdoor spaces, durable wooden furniture has become an increasingly popular choice.

For homeowners, the garden is no longer just somewhere to mow the lawn. It is a place to relax, entertain, enjoy the sunshine, spend time with family and make the most of the space around the home.

Pembrokeshire Wooden Garden Company Ltd is helping people do exactly that, with handcrafted furniture that combines strength, comfort and simple good looks.

From a single bench to a full outdoor seating set, each piece is made with care and designed to be used, enjoyed and relied upon.

For anyone looking for garden furniture that is locally made, properly built and designed to last, Pembrokeshire Wooden Garden Company Ltd offers a strong alternative to mass-produced outdoor furniture.

Customers can view the range by appointment at the workshop next to Tivy Tyres, Station Road, Cardigan, or look out for Pembrokeshire Wooden Garden Company Ltd at local markets across the area.

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A RETROSPECTIVE call for amendments to a previously granted building and slurry lagoon at a 700 herd Pembrokeshire dairy farm has been submitted to county planners.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Bill Ridge of Vaynor Farm Ltd, Bethesda seeks retrospective permission for a replacement agricultural building for cattle housing, the retention of a slurry lagoon as built and associated works at Talybont Farm, Llawhaden.

A supporting statement through agent Cynllunio RW Planning Ltd said: “Bill Ridge farms at Vaynor Farm, trading as Vaynor Farm Ltd. The farm is a 645-acre farm compromising of owned and rented land, this supports a dairy herd of circa 700 cows. The dairy system is an extensive grass-based spring calving system.

“The application is made following receipt of a letter from the local authority planning enforcement department stating that the replacement agricultural building which had recently been erected required planning permission and that the lagoon also recently built seemed not to be in line with the approved plans of [the 2022 application] recently approved on site for the lagoon.

“Therefore, this application seeks retrospective planning permission for the retention of the building as built and the lagoon as built.”

It said the 22.72 by 13.33-metre agricultural building “will house the farm’s dairy replacement heifers as a replacement to the previous building on site,” and the lagoon is of a similar size, depth and capacity to the previously approved one, other than slight changes in positioning and orientation, providing 4,500square metres of slurry storage, which in combination with the existing store of 6,900cubic meters at Vaynor will provide over 170 days’ storage.

It went on to say: “All development is reasonably required for the purpose of agriculture. The applicant does not intend to increase the farm’s stocking rate as a result of this development.”

The application will be considered by county planners at a later date.

TRADERS, VISITORS AND RESIDENTS SAY POOR COVERAGE IS HITTING PAYMENTS, PARKING, BOOKINGS AND SAFETY

HUNDREDS of residents, traders and visitors have responded to a public appeal for evidence about poor mobile phone signal in Tenby, with complaints now running to more than 500 comments.

The appeal was posted by Around Tenby as part of work with Tenby Chamber of Trade & Tourism, which is gathering evidence to take directly to mobile networks in a bid to secure improvements before the summer season.

People were asked to list their network, the worst-affected areas, and how poor signal was affecting them.

The responses paint a picture of widespread problems across EE, O2, Vodafone, Three, Tesco Mobile, Giffgaff, Sky Mobile, Lebara, ID Mobile, Lyca, Talk Mobile and other providers.

Complaints cover Tenby town centre, the High Street, the harbour, North Beach, South Beach, the Esplanade, The Green, Frog Street, the multi-storey car park, Sainsbury’s car park, Kiln Park, Penally, New Hedges, Lydstep, Manorbier and Saundersfoot.

‘Better signal on Caldey’

One commenter, Elizabeth Perrella, summed up the frustration, writing: “We had a better signal on Caldey than we do in Tenby!”

Others said the lack of coverage was the only downside to an otherwise beautiful town.

One EE user said: “Can’t pay with my phone in places. It’s the only downside to this beautiful place.”

Another resident, who uses Vodafone, said they live in Tenby and had “not had a signal for months now”.

Several people said the issue becomes significantly worse during busy periods, when visitor numbers rise sharply.

David Walters, an EE customer, said: “EE works in the winter but appears network can’t cope in the summer.”

Another commenter said their phone showed two or three bars, but calls and texts still failed when the town was busy because the mast appeared to be over capacity.

Businesses affected

Many of the comments raised concerns about the effect on businesses, especially those relying on phone calls, card payments, online bookings and mobile payment terminals.

One business owner said poor signal was causing lost sales because customers could not call someone to discuss a purchase.

Karen Ward wrote: “Really bad for business, if a customer needed to call someone regarding a sale and can’t get signal we lose a sale, this unfortunately happens often.”

Debz Jones, who uses Vodafone, said she was “losing lots of direct bookings because no one can get hold of us”.

Rhys Jones, an O2 user, said the problem was making it difficult to run a business, adding: “Can’t run a business to take calls for job enquiries or take payments.”

Road Runners Kilgetty said unstable signal was costing taxi work and making card payments difficult, adding: “NASA can talk to people going to the moon and we can’t talk to people from one village to another.”

Parking and EV charging problems

One of the strongest themes in the comments was the difficulty of using parking apps in Tenby’s car parks.

Several people said they had been unable to pay for parking using mobile apps because there was no signal in or around the multi-storey car park, Sainsbury’s car park and North Beach.

Paul Villa, an EE customer, said he could not get a signal in the multi-storey car park to pay, adding that he had to walk “a long way outside” and still struggled to load the app.

Mark Goodridge said there was “zero O2 reception” in the multi-storey where motorists are expected to use an app.

Others said poor signal was affecting electric vehicle charging, with drivers unable to access apps needed to start or pay for charging sessions.

Alison Lydia Sinclair wrote that Pembrokeshire car parks needed card machines, adding: “Remote payment is usually impossible because of the signal problems.”

Health and safety concerns

Some commenters said the problem was more than an inconvenience and could become a safety issue.

Mike Bennett, who works from the ambulance station at the Salterns, said the outage was now affecting “some elements of ambulance operations”.

Kate Thomas said she was on the beach when an ambulance was needed and the group struggled to get through and hear instructions from the call handler.

Another commenter said her brother, who is on dialysis and diabetic, lives in Tenby and would struggle to contact anyone in a medical emergency because of the lack of signal.

Parents also raised concerns about being unable to contact children when they are in town, while visitors said they had struggled to use maps, book taxis, contact family, or make arrangements after splitting up from groups.

Tourism impact

Several visitors said the lack of signal made their stay more difficult.

One holidaymaker said they had no signal with Tesco Mobile anywhere in Tenby over the weekend.

Another Vodafone user said they had paid extra for WiFi on an upcoming trip, only for it to be cancelled because of the wider connectivity problems, warning that the issue could affect whether people choose to visit.

Remote workers and caravan owners also said the poor signal was limiting how often they could stay in the area.

Carl Singleton, an EE customer with a caravan near Lydstep, said he was self-employed and used Teams daily, but the signal was not strong enough to work from his caravan. He said the poor mobile network was preventing him from spending more time in Pembrokeshire.

Kathryn South, another EE user with a van near Lydstep, said she could use it more often if she could work from home there, but the internet was “non-existent”.

Mast removal concerns

A number of commenters linked the deterioration in signal to the removal of a mast earlier this year.

Margaret Wales wrote that the mast opposite the cemetery had been shared by all networks and claimed its removal in January was why the signal was now “terrible all over Tenby”.

She said: “You can’t get signal without a mast. Until the networks rebuild it, things won’t change. That’s where the effort needs to be focussed. Rebuild the mast, restore the signal.”

Other users said they had been told by their providers that a mast had been removed or that a site was affected by a rent dispute.

The Herald has not independently verified those claims, but they echo concerns raised by Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell in a letter to BT Group.

MP demands answers

Mr Tufnell has written to BT Group asking for an update on the proposed EE mobile base station at Petals Plant Nursery, Strawberry Lane, Penally.

Pembrokeshire County Council has granted planning permission for a new 20-metre 4G telecommunications mast at the site.

In his letter, Mr Tufnell said constituents had also advised him that the telecommunications mast at Slippery Back Lane, Tenby, had been removed but had not yet been replaced.

He said this had reportedly left the Tenby area with very limited mobile phone signal, causing concern for residents and businesses.

Posting online, Mr Tufnell said: “Tenby deserves better phone signal.

“The lack of coverage is failing our residents, local businesses, and tourists. I have taken your concerns directly to EE and BT.

“With summer fast approaching, we need urgent answers and a clear timetable for improvements.”

Call for evidence

Around Tenby said the information being gathered would be pulled together and taken directly to the networks.

The post said: “Right now, poor signal isn’t just frustrating, it’s affecting local businesses, card payments, bookings, and the experience visitors have when they come here.

“The more responses we get, the stronger our case becomes.”

With Tenby preparing for another busy summer season, the scale of the response suggests mobile coverage has become one of the town’s most pressing practical problems.

For residents, it affects daily life. For businesses, it risks lost income. For visitors, it affects payments, parking, maps and bookings. And for some, the concern is now about safety.

Network providers will now face growing pressure to explain what has gone wrong, what temporary measures can be put in place, and when Tenby can expect reliable mobile coverage.