New partnership will celebrate Pembrokeshire’s tourism and hospitality sector

PURE WEST RADIO has been announced as the headline sponsor of the 2026 Visit Pembrokeshire Croeso Awards.

Visit Pembrokeshire said the partnership would help celebrate and champion the county’s tourism and hospitality sector, recognising the businesses, individuals and organisations delivering outstanding visitor experiences.

The awards will take place at the Atrium at Pembrokeshire College on October 29, 2026.

Pure West Radio has also become a new Visit Pembrokeshire Strategic Partner, supporting work to showcase the county’s visitor economy and promote Pembrokeshire as a leading destination.

The Croeso Awards celebrate excellence across the tourism industry, with 17 categories covering accommodation, attractions, food and drink, sustainability, customer service and more.

Organisers said the awards also invest in the future of the sector through a mentoring programme delivered with industry leaders and Pembrokeshire College students.

Winners will be selected by independent tourism and hospitality experts from outside Pembrokeshire.

Emma Thornton, CEO of Visit Pembrokeshire, said: “We are delighted to welcome Pure West Radio as the headline sponsor of the 2026 Croeso Awards and as a new Strategic Partner for Visit Pembrokeshire.

“Pure West Radio shares our passion for Pembrokeshire and our commitment to supporting local businesses and communities. Their strong local reach, community focus and enthusiasm for celebrating success make them a natural partner for the Croeso Awards and for Visit Pembrokeshire more broadly.”

Toby Ellis, Station Manager at Pure West Radio, said: “We are incredibly proud to become the headline sponsor of the 2026 Croeso Awards and to join Visit Pembrokeshire as a Strategic Partner.

“At Pure West Radio, we are passionate about celebrating the people, businesses and organisations that make Pembrokeshire such a fantastic place to live, work and visit.

“The tourism and hospitality sector plays a vital role in our local economy, and the Croeso Awards provide an important opportunity to recognise the dedication, innovation and excellence that can be found across the county.

“We look forward to working closely with Visit Pembrokeshire to champion local success stories, support the industry throughout the year and help showcase Pembrokeshire as one of the UK’s leading visitor destinations.”

Visit Pembrokeshire said the two organisations would work together on campaigns throughout the year, amplifying key messages and supporting businesses across the tourism and hospitality industry.

Visit Pembrokeshire is the official Destination Management Organisation for Pembrokeshire.

Popular Tenby attraction changes hands as Simon and Amanda Meyrick step back

A POPULAR Pembrokeshire family attraction has been sold, bringing to an end more than three decades of ownership by the family who built it from the ground up.

The Dinosaur Park, near Tenby, has officially changed hands after owners Simon and Amanda Meyrick announced their retirement following 32 years running the business.

Founded in 1994, the park has become one of Pembrokeshire’s best-known family attractions, welcoming generations of local children and holidaymakers through its gates.

Set in countryside just outside Tenby, the attraction features more than 90 dinosaur models, 36 rides and activities, play areas, a family fun activity house, woodland trails and animatronic exhibits, alongside cafés and takeaway food outlets.

For many families, the park has become a summer tradition, with more than 650 families reportedly holding season tickets and schools regularly visiting for educational trips.

The Meyricks confirmed the sale in a heartfelt message to customers, staff and supporters.

“As many of you will know the Dinosaur Park has been on the market and it has now sold,” they said.

“Time waits for no man or woman and after 32 years of creating and building the park into the business it is today our bones and brains are creaking.

“To all of our lovely customers we thank you for being part of our journey.

“To our season ticket holders, many of whom have become like an extension of our family, to all our staff over the years and our suppliers, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

“It’s been a blast and we hope the park has given you all some treasured memories too.”

The couple added that they were pleased the attraction would continue under new ownership.

“We wish the new owners all the very best of luck and are excited to know the park will be in safe hands for the future,” they said.

The sale comes after a strong period of national recognition for the attraction. Last year, The Dinosaur Park was ranked sixth in a UK-wide study of the best value-for-money theme parks by entertainment site Sudoku Bliss.

It was also named among the best-value theme parks in Britain and later recognised by Tripadvisor as being in the top 10 per cent of attractions worldwide.

While the identity of the new owners has not yet been publicly announced, the news marks the end of an era for one of Pembrokeshire’s most recognisable visitor attractions.

A CALL for a time extension for plans for housing on the site of a former “blot on the national park” seaside turkey farm has been given the go-ahead.

In an application recommended for delegated approval to senior officers at the June meeting of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s development management committee, Mark Chapman, through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd sought permission for a further three years’ time extension for a previously-granted scheme to build four homes at the former turkey farm, on land off Blockett Lane, Little Haven.

The application was before the committee as it was recommended for approval despite the local community council, The Havens, objecting to the scheme, and it being a departure from the local development plan.

The Havens had objected to the scheme on the same grounds it objected to the original 2021 application for four dwellings granted in 2022, saying there was a poor access road, very narrow, with no pavement leading to the village for pedestrian use.

An officer report recommending approval said: “The application site comprises a parcel of brownfield land which historically formed part of a turkey farm complex located to the south of Little Haven. The wider site has been subject to extensive residential redevelopment, with several dwellings completed and others under construction on adjacent land. The site is also subject of a current enforcement notice relating to storage of shipping containers.

“The applicant has advised that development has been delayed due to an ongoing civil dispute relating to access rights, which has prevented commencement within the original timeframe but which the applicant believes to be resolvable.

“As the application is in outline form and seeks only a time extension, there are no changes to the scale, layout, or form of development for assessment at this stage with only indicative plans having been received.”

Speaking at the meeting, agent Andrew Vaughan-Harries of Hayston reiterated it was hoped the civil matter could be addressed to “deliver this important development”.

He added: “The old turkey farm and sheds were a real blot on the national park, on a sensitive spot on the clifftop, a real eyesore.”

He said developments on-site so far had seem them cleared, with the “sensitive development” expected to net up to £90,000 in affordable housing contributions to the authority.

On the community council access concerns, he said: “Perhaps they are newer members who don’t remember a busy turkey farm and its traffic; at the end of the day Little Haven is a pretty little village with narrow roads on all sides.”

Committee chair Cllr Simon Hancock, said committee-viewed aerial pictures of the turkey farm site were “stark” in comparison with its now-cleared state, moving approval, which included some 16 conditions.

Members backed the recommendation of approval.