MEMBERS of Narbelles WI gathered this November for a warm and lively Annual General Meeting, marked by friendship, fundraising and a touch of friendly competition.

The meeting opened with a heartfelt President’s Address delivered by Kayla, setting an uplifting tone for the evening. Laughter soon followed as members took part in an entertaining quiz, ultimately won by the aptly named No W-Idea team — Alyson, Sharon and Jo — who secured bragging rights for the night.

A highlight of the AGM was the visit from Rosie-Faye Hart, attending on behalf of the Paul Sartori Foundation. She received the group’s 2025 fundraising cheque for £333, raised through the Narbelles WI’s sunflower bucket collection during Narberth Civic Week as well as proceeds from their September guest talk on the Ocky White Finds. That talk was delivered by Fran Murphy of Heneb, The Trust For Welsh Archaeology and proved both popular and informative among members.

The Narbelles WI look ahead to the coming year with pride in their community efforts and gratitude for the continued support that makes their charitable work possible.

Swansea Crown Court sets trial for April 2026

A MAN accused of a string of violent offences against a woman in the west Wales area over several months has pleaded not guilty and will face trial at Swansea Crown Court next spring.

Patrick Smyth, born in 1975 and formerly of Oaks Avenue, Romford, appeared before Swansea Crown Court this (Dec 10) where he denied all charges put to him.

The case follows an earlier appearance at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court in November 2025, where the allegations were first sent to the Crown Court due to their seriousness.

Multiple allegations across several dates

Smyth is accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on multiple occasions, with alleged incidents said to have taken place on September 25, October 24, and October 26 this year.

He also faces two counts of false imprisonment, with the prosecution alleging that a woman was unlawfully detained on July 9 and again on October 26.

In addition, Smyth is charged with engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour between November 2024 and November 2025, an offence brought under the Domestic Abuse Act.

Prosecutors further allege that Smyth made threats to kill and that he threatened a person with a bladed article or offensive weapon on October 26.

No details of the evidence were opened during today’s short plea hearing.

Not guilty pleas entered

Smyth denied all counts and a trial date has now been set for April 21, 2026, at Swansea Crown Court.

He remains on bail until his trial.

REPEATED flooding on The Commons in Pembroke has prompted renewed concern among residents, with local councillor Jonathan Grimes, County Councillor for Pembroke St Mary South & Monkton, seeking clarity from Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC). He has now shared an update following a response from the council’s Coastal, Rivers and Drainage Team.

Cllr Grimes said he had raised the issue after further problems in the area, and the council confirmed that teams are currently stretched due to widespread flooding across the county.

A spokesperson for the team stated: “PCC Highways Maintenance teams are attending a high number of locations across the county, to ensure that trash screens, culverts and highway drainage (plus others) are not blocked and free flowing. The Commons will be on their list to attend and inspect. I appreciate residents are concerned but their situation is not unique at this time, and there is widespread flooding across the county.”

The council confirmed that the barrage tipping gate remains out of action and will not be working until mid-January due to unforeseen issues with its ram. Despite this, a sluice within the barrage is currently open and helping to reduce Castle Pond water levels, although only when the water level in the pond is higher than in the estuary.

The update continued:
“The barrage tipping gate is not operational, and will not be operational until mid-January due to unforeseen issues with the ram. However there is a sluice within the barrage which is open, and is able to assist with lowering the levels of the Castle Pond, when the head of water is greater in the pond, rather than the estuary. Once the tide is high, the flap valve at the outfall of the sluice is unable to open and this prevents tidal water entering the Castle Pond, which is a positive feature.”

Council officers added that current conditions are being made worse by a combination of high tides and ongoing yellow weather warnings for rain and wind, which have contributed to tidal surges.

They also addressed comments from residents questioning why maintenance work had not been completed during the summer.
“There have also been comments that the maintenance work at the barrage (and associated infrastructure) should have been completed in the summer, but we were advised that the school summer holiday season was not an appropriate time to do the work. Castle Pond would have become stagnant, no one would be able to use the pond recreationally, the coastal path would need to be closed in peak season, and this would have negatively impacted on the biodiversity. We were not able to foresee the extremely poor weather we have experienced lately but overall, last winter was mild. December 2024 was the 5th warmest on record, and only Storm Darragh (red weather warning for wind) was noted (Storm Bert didn’t really affect Pembrokeshire when compared to other Local Authorities in Wales).”

The barrage tipping gate is expected to be operational again by mid-January. The coastal path will then be closed for three weeks from 12 January 2026 to allow works to be completed, with new signage to be installed shortly.

Cllr Grimes added that he would continue to keep residents informed as further updates become available.

(Pic: Martin Cavaney/Herald)