News

Haverfordwest: Folk Rock Festival cancelled due to low ticket sales

Published

10 years ago

May 15, 2015

Tom Sinclair

Status Quo, along with Mumford and Sons:
M
ay play in Pembrokeshire next year

THE ORGANISERS of Haverfordwest Folk Rock Festival have decided to cancel the event due to a lack of ticket sales. Management said that lack of sales revenue means they simply cannot afford to go ahead with the festival.

The Herald spoke to Doc Gee, the main organiser of the event, who said: “The aims of the Haverfordwest Folk Rock Festival were always for the good of Pembrokeshire, to give local artists the opportunity to work alongside top international artists to learn from them and build contacts. It was also to bring top acts to Pembrokeshire and create an annual event for Haverfordwest, which would bring an audience from away as well, bringing opportunities to the area and putting Pembrokeshire’s county town on the map.”

In order to obtain the planning license for the Conygar Stadium, strict guidelines had to be met. A large number of licensed steward, porter loos, crowd barriers car park attendants and other costly requirements meant that the festival was costing the organisers £20,000 before artists, marquees and generators were even bought. The final figure of the cost of putting on the new festival exceeded £50,000.

Though, this was not of concern to Doc Gee, as the costs were anticipated and were heavily discounted to help the festival. Similarly to all festivals, the advance ticket sales needed to cover 60% of the overall costs that were needed to enable deposits to be paid, while the remaining 40% would be covered by sales at the gate.

Doc Gee told is that the event was not aimed at being a profit making venture, with tickets being priced at a break-even level.

Although 2,000 people said that they would be attending the festival, which was 60% of the advance ticket target, these people did not but their tickets by the requested deposit date at the beginning of May. The advance ticket sales only reached a fraction of the amount the festival needed to go ahead.

Doc Gee told The Herald that the acts, suppliers of the stages and PA were very helpful, allowing the festival to delay payment. On May 12, the final day for the festival to pay their deposits, it was decided that the festival would need to downsize in order to be affordable for the organisers.

The headline bands were very understanding when they were told that the festival could not afford their performances and the number of people who could attend was reduced to 499. This meant that the number of stewards, portaloos and barriers could be reduced. Ticket prices were reduced to £9 and could be paid for at the gate, making the event affordable for everyone.

Still, the costs were greater than the possible income, so the festival had to be cancelled. Though, in the last two days, Doc Gee tells us, over 16,000 people have tried to purchase tickets online. They have also received a large amount of emails expressing how disappointed people are about the announcement.

“Putting on a new festival is always a risk,” Doc Gee said, “but it was something we felt was important for our community.”

Not too disheartened by the fact that this year’s festival will not go ahead, Doc Gee says he is already planning next year’s festival, with two huge bands lined up. The organiser said she will only go ahead if the early bird tickets, which will be released in July or August this year, sell by October 2015. The two bands who are intended to headline the festival are Status Quo and Mumford and Sons.

Community

Milford Haven paddling pool open daily at 10:00am — safety reminder issued

Published

2 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Town council urges parents to supervise children at all times

MILFORD HAVEN TOWN COUNCIL has reminded visitors to the children’s paddling pool on The Rath that the facility opens daily at 10:00am, and that children must be supervised by a responsible adult.

In a bilingual safety poster shared online, the council set out simple but essential rules to help ensure the pool remains a safe and fun space throughout the summer holidays. While the pool is popular with families, the council warns that it is not officially supervised, and users do so at their own risk.

The key rules include:

Children must be accompanied by an adult.
No running or diving in or around the pool.
No food, drink, or glass bottles in the water area.
No dogs are allowed within the paddling pool zone.
Littering is strictly prohibited.

A council spokesperson said: “Hi everyone, a polite request: we ask that all children be supervised by a responsible adult while using the pool. Thank you.”

There is no formal age limit for the pool, but younger children will be given priority, especially during busy times.

Local families have praised the pool since it reopened, with one visitor, Linda Phillips, commenting: “We’ve just spent two hours there. Great effort everyone! The youngsters are really enjoying it.”

Milford Haven Town Council thanked her for the feedback, calling it “lovely to hear.”

Opening times or access arrangements may change due to weather or maintenance — updates will be posted on the council’s official Facebook page.

Caption:

Splash safely: Milford Haven Town Council’s new bilingual poster reminds families to supervise children and follow the rules while enjoying the paddling pool on The Rath this summer (Pic: Herald).

News

Stricken boat rescued off Ramsey Island after gearbox failure

Published

7 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Off-duty RNLI crew member steps in to assist with tow to safety

ST DAVIDS RNLI all-weather lifeboat launched at 6:20pm on Wednesday (July 9) to assist a 28-foot motorboat that had suffered drive shaft failure near Ramsey Island.

The vessel, which had departed from Porthclais harbour with two people on board, was left without propulsion due to gearbox issues and was drifting dangerously close to cliffs.

The call for assistance was received at 6:09pm, and the lifeboat was launched just over 10 minutes later. Calm sea conditions allowed the volunteer crew to reach the scene swiftly. A local recreational boat from Voyages of Discovery had been standing by the stricken vessel until the lifeboat arrived.

Given the boat’s proximity to the cliffs and inability to manoeuvre, the coxswain made the decision to tow it back to Porthclais. However, the harbour is inaccessible to the RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat.

Fortunately, off-duty crew member Robin was nearby on his own vessel and was able to take over the tow and bring the motorboat safely into the harbour.

The lifeboat and crew returned to station by 7:40pm.

Crime

Motorist sentenced over crash that left biker with life-changing injuries

Published

8 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Court Reporter

A PEMBROKESHIRE man who caused life-changing injuries to a motorcyclist in a serious crash at Merlin’s Bridge has been sentenced at Swansea Crown Court.

JAMES IAN PUTTOCK appeared before the court on Wednesday (July 2), where he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving, contrary to section 2C of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

The collision occurred on December 20, 2022, at Merlin’s Bridge, near Haverfordwest, and involved a red Suzuki Splash driven by Puttock and a motorcyclist.

The rider suffered what police described at the time as “life-changing injuries” and was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. The road was closed for several hours while crash investigators examined the scene.

Puttock had originally been due to stand trial, as previously reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald in January 2024. However, he entered a guilty plea ahead of trial.

At sentencing, the court imposed the following:

20 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months
10 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) days
12-month driving disqualification

The Herald understands the crash had a profound impact on the injured rider and their family, who are still dealing with the long-term consequences of the incident.