News
Badger knows best
IT’S NICE TO HAVE A HOBBY!
Like all keen collectors there is nothing that beats the sensation of having a complete set of something. Philatelists will tell you that they can’t stand having a gap where they know a purple sixpenny one with an inverted watermark should be.
And so it is with Pembrokeshire County Council.
It’s not enough having Morrison’s, Tesco, Lidl, Aldi, Iceland, and M&S. What the town of Haverfordwest needs – at least as far as the Council is concerned – is a Sainsbury’s. So, like all completitists with a gap in their album, they have invested a great deal of time and effort in acquiring one.
Now, Badger is not necessarily opposed to having a Sainsbury’s near his sett. At least he will get more opportunities to push a trolley around a big prefabricated shed and roll his eyes at the price of such delicacies as tinned pilchards, UHT milk and pork luncheon meat. And everyone knows just how much fun that is.
LIBRARY TO BE OVERDUE
Cllr Elwyn Morse is possessed of remarkable powers of foresight. In April, Mystic Morse said “Improving the site and making it work better will improve the whole service for the people of Pembrokeshire and its visitors,” he said.
At the same time the Cabinet member for Culture hailed the successful bid for a £300,000 grant to help with Council’s ambitious plans that the library be, according to Head of Cultural Services Mike Cavanagh, a “cultural and learning hub at the heart of the community of Haverfordwest and beyond.”
Oh dear.
The Council’s plans have now been re-assessed. Far from the site of the library being the type of glistening beacon of learning and culture of which Elwyn Morse dreamed, it now appears to be more of an albino pachyderm.
The ambitious and worthy plans have been shelved. It happens that the County Council’s estimates of the cost of redevelopment were, shall we say, ‘optimistic’.
But how quick the reassessment of the site’s viability was!
It was July that Mystic Morse revealed that his crystal ball had been subject to unexpected interference: “Unfortunately we are unable to go forward with the original proposals because the tender prices were well over the approved budget.
“In short, it is not feasible to proceed with the project in these straitened times.
“We are however actively considering other options to provide a 21st Century library in Haverfordwest and that could include re-locating to the town centre.
“Such a move would certainly provide a much needed boost for that area of Haverfordwest.”
One would have imagined that before closing a community facility, the Council would have done more than guess at the likely tender value of its replacement. The Council’s budget is less than the price of carrying out the works.
The whole process appears to have been less an exercise in replacing a tired facility than one in wishful thinking.
How can it be the case that it was okay to close the library in November 2012 or to receive a grant toward the replacement in April 2013 when the process of getting tenders for a replacement had not then been completed?
A closure intended to improve the service and the building now looks less part of a grand plan and more of a horrendous and avoidable misstep. Rather like trying to put out a fire in the County Council’s finances by throwing books on to it.
The Council remains so far silent on what it intends to do with the existing library site.
Badger has an idea, though.
We still haven’t got a Waitrose or an ASDA…!
We have a gap in the album.
Community
Loch Ness cruise boat Jacobite Queen makes stop in Milford Haven
A BOAT best known for carrying tourists on Scotland’s famous Loch Ness has been spotted alongside the docks in Milford Haven, drawing interest from locals and harbour users.
The Jacobite Queen, a traditional passenger excursion vessel built in nineteen forty-nine, was photographed tied up at Milford Dock earlier this week.
Originally launched as the Tyne Queen, the craft operated as a ferry and pleasure boat in the north east of England before later being renamed and used for sightseeing cruises on Loch Ness, where thousands of visitors boarded her for trips across the iconic Highland waters.
According to comments shared locally, the vessel is currently “on passage heading down on the south coast”, suggesting Milford Haven is a temporary stop rather than a permanent base.
The boat’s windows and lower sections appear boarded up, a common practice when older passenger vessels are laid up or travelling between seasons, helping protect interiors from weather and damage. There are no signs of incident or emergency repairs.
Her arrival has provided an unusual sight against the working backdrop of the docks, with the vintage white-and-purple hull standing out among commercial traffic.
For many, it is a small but welcome reminder of Britain’s surviving historic passenger fleet quietly passing through Pembrokeshire waters.
Cover Photo: Jacobite Queen alongside Milford docks this week (Pic: Berty Barrett).

News
Eating habits revealed by wearable cameras and AI
NO single tool can accurately measure people’s diets, but new research shows that combining different methods — from wearable cameras to analysing dietary biomarkers — could be the most reliable picture of what people eat.
In a review published in ‘Nature Food’, an international team of scientists highlights long‑standing problems with traditional self‑reported dietary tools, which often rely on memory and guesswork and place a heavy time burden on participants.
These limitations make it difficult for researchers and policymakers to reliably link diet with health outcomes, and to understand how diets are changing in response to global sustainability challenges.
The review brings together emerging evidence from nutrition science, metabolomics, microbiome research, computer vision and sensor technologies.
Dr Thomas Wilson, from Aberystwyth University’s Department of Life Sciences and a co‑author on the review, said: “Accurately capturing what people eat and drink is one of the biggest challenges in nutrition research. Traditional methods rely heavily on self‑reporting, which we know is imprecise. By integrating modern tools – such as biological biomarkers and digitally assisted reporting – we can dramatically improve accuracy while reducing the burden on participants. This opens the door to much more reliable research and helps us better understand the role of diet in long‑term health.”
The paper highlights new technological advances, from wearable cameras that capture meals in real time, identifying foods and estimating portion sizes with the help of artificial intelligence, and smartphone apps that prompt users to reduce memory‑related errors.
The authors also highlight biomarkers of food intake (BFIs) as a promising advancement in dietary assessment. BFIs detect chemicals in urine, blood or poo that correspond to specific foods or dietary patterns, offering objective insights into what people have eaten.
The authors emphasise that no single technology can solve all the challenges of dietary assessment. Instead, they propose an integrated, flexible framework that can be tailored to different research settings – from controlled dietary interventions to large‑scale population studies.
The authors argue that emerging dietary assessment tools will be essential for advancing precision nutrition, improving dietary recommendations, and supporting evidence‑based policies for human and planetary health.
Dr Wilson added: “As we confront global challenges – from rising diet‑related diseases to the need for more sustainable diets – getting a clearer picture of what people truly eat is crucial. The technologies now emerging give us a real opportunity to build the next generation of dietary assessment and, ultimately, to support healthier lives and food systems.”
The international research was led by scientists from the University of Copenhagen, in collaboration with Aberystwyth University, Medical University of Graz, the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, and Wageningen University & Research.
News
Sponsors secure future of Pembrokeshire Coast Triathlon
Valero and Mainline back award-winning Broad Haven event ahead of July championships
A MAJOR sponsorship deal has been agreed to support one of Wales’ longest-running triathlon events, giving a boost to this year’s Pembrokeshire Coast Triathlon in Broad Haven.
Pembrokeshire Triathlon Club has confirmed that Valero Pembrokeshire Oil Terminal and Mainline Pipelines Limited will act as main sponsors for the 2026 race, providing financial backing to help deliver the popular community event.

First staged in 1994, the Broad Haven competition is widely regarded as the longest-running triathlon organised by a grassroots club in Wales. It was named Welsh Triathlon Event of the Year in 2025 and regularly attracts competitors from across the country.
Organisers say the 2026 event will host both the Welsh Standard Distance Triathlon Championships and a round of the Welsh Triathlon Super Series. The race is also set to be filmed for broadcast on S4C.
Jamie Dow, Senior Manager at VPOT, and Tim Rudd, Senior Manager at MLP, said supporting the event was a way of giving back to the local communities where staff live and work.
They said: “Being the longest-running triathlon event in Wales organised by a grassroots club makes this event really special to the communities we live and work in. We are delighted to be able to sponsor the Pembrokeshire Triathlon Club.”
Club chair Helena Tollick said the sponsorship would help keep entry costs affordable while maintaining high standards.
She said: “This support, alongside backing from other sponsors and the local community, enables us to deliver a top-quality event at a fair price in a stunning setting. It also helps the club continue to thrive.”
This year’s Pembrokeshire Coast Triathlon takes place on Sunday, July 5. Entries and further information are available via the club’s website.
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