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Concerns over Tenby Museum’s future

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Tenby Museum and Art Gallery: At risk of closure

Tenby Museum and Art Gallery: At risk of closure

TENBY Museum and Art Gallery has received cross-party support from local AM’s after it emerged this week that it is facing closure due to local authority budget cuts.

The museum anticipates that the Local Authority funding will be nil or close to nil in future years. Tenby Museum is a successful tourist attraction with over 17000 visitors last year.

The Museum is an independent charitable trust and has been open in the town since the 1870s.

Among its many interesting displays and attractions is a recently updated gallery telling the fascinating story of Tenby from prehistory to modern times – including piratical legends and its involvement with the D-Day Landings.

The museum has won many awards over the years and recently the museum’s permanent art collection has been ranked at Number 6 in the Top 20 in Wales.

Every effort is being made by the Trustees to keep this important Pembrokeshire museum open and among the actions taken is a reduction in staff costs and a review of the admission charge.

The adult admission ticket, which is valid for one year after purchase, is a valuable stream of income; shop sales, the Friends organisation and commission from Art sales complement this. Accompanied children are welcomed free of charge at all times.

County Councillor Michael Williams, Chair of the Trustees, said; “The small admission charge keeps over 100,000 artefacts in good order. By regularly changing displays Tenby Museum is always constantly surprising local and tourist visitors. It is a special place with activities for the whole family and we believe that a visit to the museum and its galleries is Truly Memorable, Totally Magical. It would be a tragedy should it have to close.”

Plaid Cymru’s Simon Thomas immediately tabled a question to the Minister responsible for museums in Wales when he heard about the possible cut in funding to the museum by Pembrokeshire Council.

Party of Wales Assembly Member Simon Thomas said:

“I asked a question at the National Assembly for support for independent museums in Wales, such as the Tenby Museum and Art Gallery.

“The museum expects a massive cut in the money from Pembrokeshire Council. The museum is important for tourism in Tenby. The resource should be protected as a jewel in the crown of the town.

“Plaid Cymru will be asking people to support the campaign to keep the museum on Saturday when my team hold a street surgery in the town centre.”

His concerns were echoed by Angela Burns, the Conservative Member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, who has already met with Museum officials and has questioned Pembrokeshire Council officials as to whether the cuts are disproportionately affecting Tenby, with the Avenue Centre also facing closure:

“I have met with representatives of Tenby Museum and was surprised to learn of the scale of the cuts that Tenby Museum is being asked to absorb over the next few years and I have asked Pembrokeshire County Council to review the situation in order to ensure the proposals are not disproportionately affecting Tenby. I have also requested information on the cuts the museum services face across the county again because I want reassurance that areas such as museums, libraries and leisure facilities are not seen as an easy touch in comparison to the challenges of providing social care or education.

I hope that at my next meeting with the museum’s trustees I will be able to offer some possible alternative funding sources for them to apply too. Of course a key component in meeting the yearly costs are admission fees and in the rush of a busy life it’s very easy to forget about these gems such as Tenby and Narberth museums that are right on our doorstep. So I will also be suggesting ways of drawing more support from locals and tourists alike to keep these lovely places open”.

William Powell, Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales was equally concerned, stressing that it is important that future generations have an opportunity to discover Tenby’s unique history:

‘Tenby Museum and Art Gallery is in a real sense a Pembrokeshire gem – and I am very concerned indeed to hear that its’ future is in peril. The Tenby Museum Trustees have been proactive over the years in developing the attraction and have sought to build its sustainability, with revenue generated from the museum shop, art sales and admission fees.’

‘It is no secret that local authorities in Wales are under real budgetary pressure in the current fiscal climate, with austerity cuts coming down the track from Westminster. In this context, the Trustees are right to be alert to the danger of Pembrokeshire Council reducing its’ support. Whilst the Museum’s existing Service Level Agreement SLA does have another year to run, and the lease on the building continues for some time, it is timely for the Trustees to be reviewing the basis of the Museum and Gallery’s business model.’

‘Just as is the case with the threat to the Avenue Centre in Tenby, which I raised last week in the National Assembly with the Minister for Public Services, Leighton Andrews, AM, Tenby Museum and Gallery is an important part of community life in Tenby. I shall be attending the meeting on the Avenue Centre next week, with my friend and fellow Lib Dem campaigner, Alistair Cameron, our candidate for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire. I shall also be seeking a meeting with the Museum Trustees, to explore ways in which I may be able to assist. It is imperative that Tenby Museum is safeguarded for generations to come.’

You can help Tenby Museum and Art Gallery to stay open by purchasing a ticket to view their vast collection. All tickets purchased are valid for a year, and with the displays and collections regularly changing, it is great value for money.

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Rugby Weekly – Tenby’s promotion push continues

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It’s crunch time for all rugby clubs around the county, whether promotion is their aim or fighting relegation or even just trying to improve their league position, it’s now or never. 

Last weekend saw an important win for Fishguard in division two west which should put any relegation fears to bed completely. James Griffiths added an impressive 18 points for the Seagulls as they defeated Nantgaredig 33-19. 

Elsewhere in the second division, Milford were beaten 32-8 by a good Lampeter outfit. The Mariners are still a little too close for comfort with the drop zone but should have enough quality to see them safe. 

At the other end of the table Tenby sit in second place and have played fewer games than leaders St Clears and third place Lampeter. They won impressively again last weekend, beating Pontyberem 64-19 at Haywood Lane. Fletcher Broadhurst impressed with two tries as did Hywel Baker who also grabbed himself a brace. Another excellent performance in an outstanding season so far in which promotion would be the absolute icing on the cake. 

In Division Three West, Pembroke were well beaten by Laugharne 74-15 in which the outstanding Liam Price and Nico Setaro both crossed the whitewash 4 teams a piece. The latter also added 7 successful conversions. 

There was a local derby at Pill Parks where Llangwm hosted Pembroke Dock Quins and it was an exciting clash. The visitors won narrowly 28-23, Craig Barnett and Gethin Bradney both scored two tries for the Quins. The Wasps battled hard and will be proud of their performance, Gethin Thomas impressed for the hosts with two tries of his own but it wasn’t enough to secure the points. 

St David’s hosted the high flying Cardigan outfit and were unable to score in reply to the visitors 20 points, with it ending 20-0. The Saints however won’t be losing too much sleep over it as they have had a great season so far. 

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Business

Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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