Community

Firm fundraising plans for town library

Published

10 years ago

April 28, 2016

Newport Library literary festival: National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke will be headlining the fundraising event (Pic. BBC)

THE SMALL and quaint coastal community of Newport in Pembrokeshire may be small, but they are most certainly thinking big when it comes to fundraising for the running of their town library.

The National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke, is just one in an exciting line up of well-known artists who are taking part in a series of literary and musical events in support of the Newport Library Working Group.

The group was initially set up in response to a series of governmental cuts, which would have meant the town’s library would been closed down and replaced by a mobile service.

Because there has been a lending library present in Newport for more than 100 years, Newport residents decided that this mobile service wasn’t an option.

So, from Friday July 1, the group will be in charge of running the community-led library in partnership with Pembrokeshire County Council.

On Wednesday afternoons, the library will be manned by the current council librarian, but on Fridays between 10am and 2pm and on Saturdays between 9.30am and 12.30pm the service will be maintained by volunteers, with a view to expanding the hours and facilities offered.

So far, the Newport Library Working Group have had an incredible response to appeals for help, which now means that there are in the region of 40 different volunteers willing to undertake a wide variety of different duties.

Kate McEvoy, Chair of the Newport Library Working Group, said: “We are progressing really well and are on track to take over on July 1. We have had a fantastic response and volunteers have already undertaken initial training for working in the library – though we would love to hear from anyone else wanting to get involved.

“We are tremendously grateful to Richard Wheeler, who has been responsible for organising this fantastic series of events which are taking place at Llys Meddyg on Saturday April 23 and at Ebeneezer Chapel on Sunday May 8.”

The celebrated author and documentary maker John Gower will be the first to speak at a series of literary talks and readings in Newports at Llys Meddyg.

The programme of events for Llys Meddyg will commence at 1pm and will continue on throughout the day into the evening, allowing people to attend as many of the items as they wish.

The line-up will then continue with a host of different fasincating talks and readings from Welsh author and presenter Trevor Fishlock as well as author Jane Blank. Also there will be Newport’s own author of the popular Angel Mountain series, Brian John, and poet Menna Elfyn who will be reading in both Welsh and English.

Between 3pm and 4.30pm, there will be a special children’s event, with Pembrokeshire authors Eloise Williams, who penned ‘Elen’s Island’, and Diane Doona, whose first book ‘The Keeper’s Secret’ was released last year.

Rounding off the lively literary day at 7.45pm will be acapella group Scaramella, who are taking to the stage for a joyous musical finale.

Cost of entry to the event, which will have something for all the family to enjoy, is £10 for adults and free for children.

Community

Narbelles WI support Food Bank with festive donation

Published

7 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Group marks December meeting with charity collection and Christmas celebrations

NARBELLES WI rounded off the year with a festive December meeting featuring a bring-and-share buffet, party games and a Secret Santa gift exchange.

Members also used the occasion to support families in need across the county, collecting food items and presenting a £120 cheque to Ann Watling from Pembrokeshire Food Bank. The donation represents the proceeds of the group’s bucket collection during Narberth Civic Week 2024.

A spokesperson for the WI said the group was delighted to finish the year “with fun, friendship and a chance to give something back to the community.”

(Photo: Narbelles WI members presenting the cheque to Ann Watling, Pembrokeshire Food Bank.)

Community

Annual charity carol service raises funds for good causes

Published

1 day ago

December 13, 2025

Tom Sinclair

MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service held its annual Charity Carol Service on Wednesday (Dec 10) at Ebeneser Baptist Chapel in Crymych.

The event brought together members of the local community alongside Fire Service staff for an evening of carols, readings and festive refreshments, marking the Christmas season in a warm and inclusive atmosphere.

This year’s service supported two important charities — the Fire Fighters Charity and Cancer Research Wales — with all proceeds going directly towards their ongoing work.

A total of £597 was raised on the night, which will be shared equally between the two charities.

The Service thanked the congregation at Ebeneser Baptist Chapel for hosting the event, as well as everyone who gave their time, support and generosity to make the evening such a success.

Community

3 Amigos toy bike run under way across Pembrokeshire

Published

1 day ago

December 13, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Castle Inn fun runners back festive charity event

THE ANNUAL 3 Amigos Christmas toy bike run is under way this afternoon (Saturday), with hundreds of motorcyclists setting off from Pembroke to raise funds for children’s services.

Riders gathered at The Commons car park in Pembroke from around midday before departing shortly after 1:00pm. The festive convoy is travelling along its traditional route, taking in Pembroke Dock and continuing through parts of the county including Neyland, Milford Haven and Haverfordwest.

The event is organised by the 3 Amigos and Dollies Motorcycle Group and has become a much-anticipated Christmas tradition in west Wales, with toys and donations collected for children receiving care within the Hywel Dda University Health Board area.

Also supporting the event are fun runners from the Castle Inn in Pembroke, who have been fundraising in aid of the 3 Amigos. The group are pictured alongside participants from today’s run.

The 3 Amigos have been raising funds for children’s wards and health charities for more than twenty-five years, with their Easter and Christmas events continuing to make a positive difference to young patients and their families.

Organisers have thanked the public for their support and asked road users to be mindful of the large convoy as it passes through towns and villages this afternoon.

Photo caption:
Festive fundraising: Fun runners from the Castle Inn, Pembroke, pictured supporting the 3 Amigos Christmas toy bike run (Pic: Martin Cavaney/Herald)