Service honours shared history, service and friendship on the Quayside

A SYMBOL of Haverfordwest’s wartime and Cold War connections with the United States was formally re-dedicated on Tuesday (Jan 27), marking 30 years since the anchor was first presented to the town by the US Naval Facility at Brawdy.

The re-dedication service was hosted by Haverfordwest Town Council and brought together civic leaders, veterans, serving personnel and members of the public to honour service, remember history and celebrate enduring friendship between the UK and the US.

The Mayor welcomed guests including the Mayor’s Chaplain, the Reverend Heather Cale, along with civic dignitaries His Majesty’s Deputy Lieutenant of Dyfed, Patricia Mawuli Porter, and the High Sheriff of Dyfed, Ann Jones. Also present were fellow councillors, invited guests and veterans, including James Phillips, Colonel (RN) and Veterans’ Commissioner for Wales, David Griggs, Lieutenant Commander (RN) and former Royal Navy Liaison Officer at the facility, and Squadron Leader David Warneford (RN), former Commanding Officer of RAF Brawdy.

Representatives from the 14th Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare) at Brawdy and the Royal British Legion attended, alongside members of Pembrokeshire County Council, the town mayors of Neyland, Pembroke and Pembroke Dock, the Joint Presidents of the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society/County Show and local historian Mark Muller.

Family links to the original ceremony in 1996 were also recognised. Jonathan, the son of the late Mayor Councillor D Twigg—who was Mayor of Haverfordwest when the anchor was first presented—attended with his mother. Apologies were noted from former Town Clerk Mrs Pat Lewis, who had been in post at the time of the original presentation.

The service opened with reflection and prayer from the Mayor’s Chaplain before Dr Simon Hancock, Armed Forces Champion at Pembrokeshire County Council and Haverfordwest Museum Curate, set out the historical context of the US Naval Facility at Brawdy, its relationship with the local community and the significance of the anchor’s presentation in 1996.

Town councillor Randell Thomas-Turner offered a personal reflection, recalling that his father had been stationed at the US facility and speaking of the human connections forged during the American presence at Brawdy and the lasting bonds between service families and local communities.

Veteran Squadron Leader David Warneford followed with reflections on shared service and alliance, and on the continuing relationship between the US and the UK. The Mayor then spoke of the anchor as a permanent part of the town’s heritage and the importance of international partnership, before the formal act of re-dedication was led jointly by the Mayor and Mr Warneford.

Music included Sousa’s Hands Across the Sea, underscoring the theme of transatlantic friendship. The service concluded with a blessing and closing remarks, with thanks extended to speakers, organisers and attendees.

With Storm Chandra moving in at the start of the ceremony at 12.30pm, proceedings were held upstairs at the Town Council offices, allowing guests to look out towards the Quayside anchor from a distance. As the rain eased by the close of the service, attendees joined the Mayor, Sheriff and councillors at the anchor site itself, where a newly painted anchor and new interpretation sign—installed by Town Council staff—were unveiled.

A live recording of the re-dedication service has been shared in two parts on the Pure West Radio Facebook page, with thanks given to Alex at Pure West Radio, council staff, speakers and the Reverend Heather Cale for their support in making the event possible.

Offenders struck holiday lets, family homes and elderly residents

TWO men have been jailed after a wave of burglaries across Pembrokeshire and south Wales last autumn, with homes targeted in coastal villages and residential streets.

Darren Inder, aged 46, and Christopher Welke, aged 43, appeared before Swansea Crown Court for sentencing following offences committed between September and October.

The court heard that Inder carried out a series of break-ins in Pembrokeshire, including burglaries in Nolton Haven on the night of October 18. During one incident, a holiday cottage was entered while guests were staying there, with torches and £200 stolen. The same night, a nearby farmhouse was broken into, where cash, coffee and milk were taken.

Inder later burgled another Nolton Haven property, stealing food items, a knife and a backpack, before striking again in Broad Haven on October 24, where cash was taken from a home.

Both defendants were also involved in burglaries in Dynevor Avenue, Neath, during the early hours of October 4. One homeowner was woken by police shortly after 3:00am after officers noticed signs of a break-in. Doorbell camera footage showed the two men leaving the property.

In a separate incident nearby, a neighbour discovered their Fiat Panda had been stolen from the driveway. Footage captured Welke attempting to avoid a doorbell camera before entering the vehicle. Items taken during the burglary included a purse, a bank card and two collectable pound coins. Footprint evidence from the address and the recovered vehicle linked Welke to the offence.

The court was told that Inder’s offending also included a burglary at a garage in Church Crescent, Baglan, where lip filler products worth around £8,000 were stolen, as well as cigarettes and a lighter taken from an address in Cae Canol. He also burgled two elderly residents at Traherne Court, Neath, on October 4.

Prosecutor Alycia Carpanini outlined the pattern of offending, describing it as persistent and escalating.

Inder, of Chamberlain Road, Neath, admitted 11 burglary offences. He has 26 previous convictions for 92 offences, the majority relating to theft and dishonesty. His barrister, James McKenna, said Inder had made full admissions in interview but had relapsed into Class A drug use, which had fuelled his behaviour.

Welke, of Southall Avenue, Skewen, pleaded guilty to two burglaries and the theft of a motor vehicle. He has 91 previous convictions for 229 offences, including 148 for dishonesty. His defence said longstanding substance misuse problems had led to a rapid decline, including periods of homelessness.

Inder was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison. Welke received a sentence of two years and three months.

Cover image:

Darren Inder and Christopher Welke (Pic: Dyfed-Powys Police).

Concerns over workforce pressures, social care and long waits resonate strongly in Pembrokeshire

The health of the nation must be placed at the heart of the next Welsh Government’s agenda, NHS leaders have warned, as the countdown to the Senedd election reaches 100 days.

With health and the NHS consistently ranked among the public’s top priorities, NHS leaders across Wales are urging all political parties to commit to five major changes aimed at improving population health and securing the long-term sustainability of health and social care services.

The call comes from the Welsh NHS Confederation, which represents senior NHS leaders across the country. It is urging parties to set out clear and credible plans in their election manifestos, warning that without decisive action, existing pressures will continue to intensify.

The issues highlighted are already familiar to many communities in Pembrokeshire, where residents regularly raise concerns about access to GP appointments, pressure on hospital services at Withybush, delayed discharges linked to social care shortages, and workforce recruitment challenges across health and care settings.

At the top of NHS leaders’ priorities is the creation of a cross-government strategy on prevention, aimed at tackling health inequalities and reducing avoidable ill health. They argue that without joined-up action across areas such as housing, education, transport and social services, the NHS will remain locked into responding to crisis rather than preventing it.

Other priorities include strengthening the health and social care workforce, creating joint financial and performance frameworks to support better integration between services, stabilising the social care sector, and developing a long-term strategy for NHS estates and infrastructure — including digital transformation.

The recommendations follow a survey of 95 NHS leaders from across Wales, reflecting both the immediate pressures facing frontline services and the longer-term challenges expected to worsen over the coming years.

Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said the organisation was urging all political parties to take the five priorities seriously as polling day approaches.

He said the proposals were grounded in the lived experience of those working at the heart of the health and care system.

“Unless there is a cross-government plan to reduce inequalities and preventable ill health, the NHS and care sectors will merely be working harder to stand still, consuming an ever-increasing slice of the new Welsh Government’s money,” he said.

Mr Hughes warned that demographic change was already driving demand sharply upwards, with Wales’ population becoming older, frailer and living with more complex long-term conditions — trends that are particularly evident in rural and coastal counties such as Pembrokeshire.

“Our population is getting older, frailer and sicker with ever increasing demand for services, including more people with multiple long-term conditions needing more complex care,” he said.

He added that data showed worsening population health and demographic change would continue to push demand higher, even as NHS organisations are required to deliver significant efficiencies simply to maintain current service levels.

The Confederation also cautioned against viewing NHS pressures in isolation, such as long waits for appointments or treatment, noting that these are symptoms of wider, whole-system challenges spanning health and social care.

“So often issues are looked at in isolation,” Mr Hughes said. “But these pressures are symptoms of wider, whole-system challenges. Without bold, long-term action across government, the NHS and social care will struggle to keep pace with the needs of the people of Wales.”

With just over three months until voters go to the polls, NHS leaders say the decisions taken by the next Welsh Government will be critical — not only for the future of the NHS, but for communities like Pembrokeshire where health, social care and local services are deeply interconnected.