News

Local residents receive New Year’s Honours

Published

10 years ago

January 11, 2016

Pauline Griffiths: British Empire Medal

TWO Pembrokeshire residents are amongst several west Wales residents to have been recognised in the New Year’s Honours list. Richard Graham Tovey Honorary Life Member, The Independent Association of Prep Schools, Leamington Spa who lives Haverfordwest received an MBE for services to education. Mr Tovey is a retired head teacher who moved to Pembrokeshire two of years ago.

After his teacher training in Oxfordshire, Mr Tovey took his first post at Manorbrook in Thornbury, where he worked for two years. He then taught near Shrewsbury before becoming head teacher at Tockington Manor School in 1975 where he worked until 2013. Pauline Griffiths, the curator at Narberth Museum received a British Empire Medal for services to heritage and the community in Pembrokeshire.

She was the driving force behind a campaign to find a new home for Narberth museum, which finally reopened at The Bonded Stores nine years after closing. With a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £586,500, Pauline along with other volunteers made the project possible. At the time of the museum’s reopening she paid tribute to the work of local people and an active “friends” group in helping to keep the campaign going. She said people had thought it would take three years to open a new museum, but it eventually took nine due to the time to raise and source funding.

“It has been an endurance test and testament to the volunteers,” she told The Herald. In Carmarthenshire, Mrs Rosalie Mary James has received an MBE or services to Agriculture in Wales. She is from Llandeilo. In local healthcare, Ms Wendy Angharad Churchouse from Carmarthenshire who is an arrhythmia nurse at Morriston Hospital has received a British Empire Medal for services to cardiac patients in south west Wales.

Also in Carmarthenshire, Mrs Erika Walker has received the MBW for voluntary services to the community and Social Enterprises in her home town of Ammanford. William Bruce McLernon from Swansea has received the OBE for services to Social Care and Local Government particularly in Carmarthenshire.

In Ceredigion, Mrs Maureen Spowart Davies who is the Secretary of Trustees for the HUTS Workshop bas also received an MBE for voluntary service to people with Mental Health Challenges. She is from Newcastle Emlyn. Also in Ceredigion Miss Valerie Joy Cook has received the British Empire Medal for voluntary service to her local community in Borth.

LOCAL STAR HONOURED

One of Carmarthenshire’s most famous residents says she is overwhelmed with news of her award. Veteran actress Sian Phillips has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours. Phillips, who stole the show in The Archers’ version of Calendar Girls this Christmas, has been made a dame, Buckingham Palace has confirmed. The 82-year-old, who says she has no plans for retirement, is one of Wales’ most successful stage and screen stars and swaps her CBE for a damehood for services to drama.

Sian Phillips, who is from Gwaun- Cae-Gurwen, near Ammanford, told reporters: “It’s a very nice thing to happen. When I first heard about it I was a bit overwhelmed – it was totally unexpected. “It’s something I’ve never thought about during my life. I got my first pay check in Wales at the age of 11 and a damehood would have been so remote to me as an ambition at that time and that’s the way it’s stayed. “I just wanted to become an actress and then when I became one I just wanted to get better and better (at the job). I’m not a celebrity – I don’t belong to that culture at all.”

Crime

Knife allegation after clash with enforcement officers

Published

5 minutes ago

April 7, 2026

Sarah-Jane Absalom

Castlemorris man denies affray and criminal damage charges

A PEMBROKESHIRE man has appeared before magistrates accused of threatening enforcement officers with a knife during an incident at his home near Mathry.

Simon Coll, 59, is charged with affray and two counts of criminal damage following the incident at Pant y Blodau, Castlemorris, in the early hours of February 26.

Prosecutor Sian Vaughan told Haverfordwest magistrates this week that three Excel enforcement officers had attended the property to secure vehicles.

“The officers had a conversation about securing some of the vehicles at the property, and then knocked on the door wearing body worn cameras,” she said.

“The defendant opened the door and immediately became aggressive towards them, brandishing a knife, and asking, ‘Do you want some?’”

Body worn camera footage was shown to the magistrates, in which the enforcement officers could be seen running away while shouting at Coll to put down the knife.

Coll is further accused of causing £387 worth of damage to a windscreen and wheel clamp belonging to Excel Enforcement.

He denies all three charges.

Although magistrates agreed to retain jurisdiction, Coll elected for trial by jury.

The case has now been sent to Swansea Crown Court, where proceedings are due to begin on Friday (May 8). Coll was released on unconditional bail.

Crime

Pembroke woman denies assault charge

Published

6 minutes ago

April 7, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

Defendant accused of assaulting woman at Pembroke Leisure Centre and will stand trial in June

A PEMBROKE woman has appeared before magistrates charged with assaulting a woman at Pembroke Leisure Centre.

Kaycee Blake, aged 35, of Devon Drive, Pembroke, is accused of assaulting a woman by beating during an alleged incident at the leisure centre on September 27, 2025.

Blake appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court this week, where she denied the charge.

Her trial has been listed for June 1 at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court. She was released on unconditional bail.

Crime

Scaffolder banned from road after cocaine drug-drive offence

Published

8 minutes ago

April 7, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

A PEMBROKESHIRE scaffolder has been banned from driving after being caught with cocaine in his system while on his way to work.

Alex Williams, 41, was stopped by police on the morning of November 3, 2025, as he drove his Peugeot 207 along the A4076 at Dredgemans Hill, Haverfordwest.

A roadside drug swipe proved positive. Subsequent blood tests showed he had 133 micrograms of benzoylecgonine in his system. The legal limit is 50.

The court heard other drugs were also detected, but all were below the legal limit.

Probation officer Julie Norman told magistrates: “He’d been to a party the weekend before where he’d consumed some cocaine.

“He was stopped by officers on Monday morning as he drove to his place of work in Waterston. But now, as a result of the offence, he is unsure whether he will be able to remain in his employment.”

Williams, of Summerhill, Keeston, was represented by solicitor Fenn Richards, who said the offence came at a time of increasing anxiety over his health.

“There’s a defective gene in his family which increases the risk of gastric cancer,” said Ms Richards.

“The defendant found out he had this gene just a few months before the offence. Several of his family members have passed away as a result of the gene, and naturally this has had a great impact on his mental health, which is why he consumed the cocaine.”