News

Army and Jobcentre combine to combat unemployment

Published

12 years ago

January 31, 2014

A CAMPAIGN to attract thousands of new recruits to the British Army will target job seekers in Wales with a series of Jobcentre Plus recruitment clinics throughout January. The clinics come as research reveals unemployed people are only half as likely as those already working to consider a job in the Army.

According to research commissioned by the British Army and carried out by One Poll, just one in 20 unemployed people said they would consider signing up to the Army, compared with one in 10 employed people who said they viewed it as a potential career choice.

The Army’s new campaign — ‘More than Meets the Eye’– aims to highlight the huge range of full-time and part-time careers available, with thousands of different roles on offer across hundreds of jobs. Some of the jobs currently open to new recruits include bricklayers, communications specialists, logistics, drivers, welders, veterinary technicians, musicians, environment health technicians, health care assistants and infantry soldiers.

Jobcentre Plus in Wales is supporting the British Army in its recruitment drive, and will be hosting clinics at various Jobcentre Plus locations including Cardiff, Newport and Mold throughout January.

People will be able to speak to serving members of the Regular Army and Army Reserve, get more information about the wide variety of roles available to new recruits and find out about the online application process. Potential recruits will be able to talk to local careers advisors about what they could gain from joining the Army.

Brigadier Andrew Jackson, Director of Training and Recruitment for the British Army, said:

“Regardless of their skills or background, young people who are interested in taking on a challenging and exciting new career should look at the hundreds of opportunities we have across the Army and Army Reserve. We want to do as much as we can to encourage potential recruits to come forward and find out more about what’s on offer.

“There is so much more to learn in the Army and Army Reserve than combat and military skills, and we are always recruiting. With the support of Jobcentre Plus, these clinics will provide a great opportunity for us to reach out to job seekers face-to-face and help them make the first step towards a successful Army career.

“I would urge anyone in Scotland who’s looking for a new career challenge to head down to one of our many Army Careers Centres and speak to our recruiting team.”

Neil Couling, Director for Jobcentre Plus, said:

“With the economy growing, there are lots of opportunities out there for jobseekers and we are always looking for innovative ways to work with recruiters to help people find their perfect career, or help them move into a new role. Following a similar programme of Army clinics last year, more than 100 events in Jobcentres across the country will be held over the next few weeks to make sure jobseekers are aware that the Army is recruiting.”

Anyone aged upward of 16 can apply for a job in the Army, or 18 for the Army Reserve, regardless of background, skills, or experience. There is no one type of person that the Army is looking to recruit, and the current campaign aims to show there is a role to suit everyone.

Crime

Tenby man due in court charged with rape and sexual assault

Published

12 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

Court Reporter

A TENBY man is due to appear before the court on Tuesday (Mar 3) charged with rape and sexual assault following an alleged incident last year.

Wayne Allen, aged 57, of St Julians Street, Tenby, is listed for a first hearing at 2:00pm.

He faces one count of rape, contrary to Section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, relating to an allegation that on May 20, 2024, he intentionally penetrated a woman without her consent and without a reasonable belief that she was consenting.

Allen is also charged with sexual assault, contrary to Section 3 of the same Act, relating to alleged sexual touching of a woman between May 19 and May 20, 2024.

Rape is an indictable-only offence, meaning the case can only be dealt with at Crown Court, so the case will be sent up.

The Herald will report the outcome after the hearing.

Community

Martyn Butler dies aged 71 months after Haverfordwest visit

Published

23 minutes ago

March 2, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Co-founder of Terrence Higgins Trust attended local plaque unveiling honouring friend Terry Higgins

A LEADING figure in the UK’s response to the HIV/AIDS crisis has died aged 71 — just months after attending a plaque unveiling ceremony in Haverfordwest honouring his close friend Terry Higgins.

Martyn Butler, who helped establish the Terrence Higgins Trust in 1982 following Higgins’ death from an AIDS-related illness, died on Friday (Feb 21). He had remained active in awareness work for more than four decades and was widely recognised for his contribution to public health campaigning.

The Terrence Higgins Trust confirmed his death, paying tribute to his lifelong commitment to supporting people living with HIV and improving sexual health education across the UK.

Butler’s connection to Pembrokeshire was particularly strong. Terry Higgins, after whom the charity is named, grew up in Haverfordwest and attended Tasker Milward School. Higgins is widely recognised as one of the first people in the UK known to have died from AIDS-related complications in 1982.

Last year, Butler travelled to Haverfordwest to attend the unveiling of a blue plaque commemorating Higgins’ life. The ceremony marked an important moment in recognising both Higgins’ story and the wider history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which claimed thousands of lives in the UK during the 1980s and 1990s.

Friends and colleagues described Butler as a tireless advocate who helped shape the national response to the emerging AIDS crisis at a time when fear, stigma and misinformation were widespread.

In the early days of the epidemic, Butler famously used his own home telephone number as part of one of the UK’s first AIDS helplines, offering advice and support to people who had nowhere else to turn.

Over the decades that followed, the Terrence Higgins Trust grew into the country’s leading HIV and sexual health charity, providing testing services, education programmes, support networks and national campaigning.

Butler was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2022 in recognition of his services to people affected by HIV.

Tributes have been paid from across the UK health and charity sectors, with colleagues describing him as compassionate, determined and instrumental in changing public attitudes towards HIV.

His death comes at a time when medical advances mean people living with HIV can now expect near-normal life expectancy with treatment — a transformation many campaigners say would not have been possible without the groundwork laid by early activists such as Butler.

Local figures who met him during the Haverfordwest plaque unveiling said he remained passionate about ensuring the stories of those affected by HIV — including Terry Higgins — were remembered by future generations.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been publicly announced.

Image:

Martyn Butler at the Terry Higgins plaque unveiling in Haverfordwest (Pic: Martin Cavaney).

Education

School in lockdown after reported phone threat

Published

1 hour ago

March 2, 2026

Tom Sinclair

DYFED POWYS POLICE are dealing with an incident at a secondary school after a threat was reportedly made by telephone.

Officers were called to Maesydderwen Comprehensive School in Ystradgynlais on Monday (Mar 2), where the school implemented its lockdown procedure as a precaution to prioritise safety.

A police spokesperson said officers are working with the school following the report and parents have been informed through the school messaging app.

Police confirmed there are no reports of anyone injured and that all pupils and staff on site are safe and secure.

Officers remain at the scene and further information will be shared when available.