News

Local students perform with Welsh Guards

Published

9 years ago

February 9, 2017

Fantastic performance: A video of the Welsh Guard playing in the evening

THE BAND OF THE WELSH GUARDS attended The Torch Theatre in Milford Haven today (Feb 6) for a special performance for schools across Pembrokeshire.

The Band gave a presentation in the afternoon to the students, and explained to them all of the fantastic places where they’ve had the opportunity to perform, such as The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, The Royal Albert Hall and Will and Kate’s wedding.

After this, children from local schools enjoyed an hour-long performance by the Band of the Welsh Guards. However, it wasn’t just any performance. Skilled and talented young musicians joined them on stage to perform famous pieces from classical music to hit movie scores.

Before the musical afternoon began, the conductor said: “We have had the great pleasure of welcoming some young musicians from the local area. We’ve had a few rehearsals, but some of the music is very difficult.

“The students have done extremely well, and some are even sight reading.”

Kicking off the performance was the score of the Pirates of the Caribbean. This familiar music was performed so eloquently that it made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. The students fit in perfectly with The Guards and didn’t miss a beat. So much so, that you would never be able to tell that there were any inexperienced musicians among them. Only their uniforms gave them away.

The score from The Pirates of the Caribbean is beautiful as it is, but played by The Welsh Guards, it lended itself excellently to the majestic sounds that comes with the band itself.

After the first performance, a loud applause erupted from the auditorium.

Next up was the famous pop song, Just Haven’t Met You Yet by the world class vocalist, Michael Buble. Buble’s music is often associated with orchestras and brass bands, and the popular singer has performed live with orchestras in the past.

It was played so beautifully, that you had to stop yourself from trying to sing the melody, which was instead being carried by the trumpets. The break however, was carried by the saxophone, which gave it an extremely romantic feel.

The percussionists at the back of the stage – Guards and students alike – moved around and swapped instruments periodically, showing how dynamic and versatile their musical talents truly are.

A solo performance by Welsh Guard, Davey Jones was up next, who played a 1920s piece, Robin Harry on the xylophone and the vibraphone, accompanied by the band. The imagery created by this piece sent your mind reeling off into thoughts and memories of watching Charlie Chaplin’s famous silent movies.

Using four mallets toward the end of the piece, this enabled Jones to play four notes at once, in order to create chords and harmonies.

After this solo performance, it was time for a bit of fun. The conductor addressed the room, and explained that up next would be a solo performance from Sergeant Dan Evans on he post-horn.

He said: “When the post carriage would come into town, the men on the back of the carriage would sound their horn to inform them that their post had arrived.”

He added: “We were supposed to have two, but the other played has forgotten his and left it in London.”

A bow of shame was performed by the musician who had sadly forgotten his post-horn, and he took his place at the front of the stage, making his way there on crutches. The conductor explained that unfortunately, he has injured his leg since being in Pembrokeshire.

After a huge amount of sympathy given by the audience members, he sat in his chair while Sgt Evans played The Huntsman.

However, minutes into the performance, a fellow guard appeared with what seemed to be a metal tea pot. It was then to our surprise, that he joined in with Sergeant Evans, and began playing The Hunstman.

His next brilliant idea, was to take the mouth piece he had produced from his pocket, and places it on the end of his crutch. And – you guessed it – he started playing that too!

With laughter from the children in the audience, this spurred him on to go a step further. He took the chair he had been sitting on, placed the mouth piece on the end of a leg and began to play that, too.

It was after this fun performance that they decided to get back to business, and performed heir rendition of an ABBA medley they like to call ‘ABBA Gold’, which consisted of popular favourites, Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, Fernando and The Winner Takes It All.

Finally, the audience were treated to a rendition of Tocatta in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach – but with a “twist!”

This extremely famous piece of music was performed traditionally to begin with, when it suddenly was accompanied with fantastically accomplished upbeat percussion.

Just when everybody thought it was time to go, the Band agreed to perform one more piece on one condition. The children in the audience agreed immediately without asking what the condition was, whereas the adults in the room weren’t quite so eager to agree before hearing what the bargain was!

The condition in actual fact, was no problem at all. The Band agreed to play Uptown Funk by world class Bruno Mars, on the condition that everybody gets out of their seats, sings along and has a dance. And so, they did! Adults and children alike all joined in, clapping, singing and dancing in their seats.

Before the close of their show, the band thanked the schools for attending the concert, and said they had been “bowled over” by the standard of the young musicians who had joined them on stage.

The Band of the Welsh Guard will play again this evening (Feb 6) at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven.

Farming

Basic Payment Scheme 2025 balance paid to 95% of Welsh farmers

Published

7 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Final year of BPS as transition to Sustainable Farming Scheme begins

The WELSH Government says more than ninety-five per cent of farm businesses have now received their full or balance payment under the final year of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), ahead of the introduction of the new Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) in 2026.

Announcing the update on Friday (Dec 12), Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, confirmed that over 15,400 Welsh farm businesses have been paid £68.7m. This comes on top of the £160m issued in BPS advance payments since 14 October.

Final round of BPS payments

The Basic Payment Scheme, which has been the backbone of farm support in Wales for a decade, provides direct income support to help farmers plan and manage their businesses. BPS 2025 marks the last year in which full BPS payments will be made before the scheme begins to be phased out.

The Cabinet Secretary said officials would “continue to process the outstanding BPS 2025 claims as soon as possible,” adding that all but the most complex cases should be completed by 30 June 2026.

Payments issued today represent the main balance due to farmers following earlier advances, giving many businesses the cash flow they need during the quieter winter period—traditionally a challenging time in the agricultural calendar.

Shift to Sustainable Farming Scheme in 2026

From 1 January 2026, the Welsh Government will begin rolling out the Sustainable Farming Scheme, a major reform to how agricultural support is delivered. The SFS will reward farmers for environmental outcomes such as habitat management, carbon reduction and biodiversity improvements, alongside continued food production.

The government has argued that the new scheme is essential to meeting Wales’ climate and nature targets while ensuring long-term resilience in the sector. However, the transition has been closely watched by farming unions, who have raised concerns about the administrative burden, income stability, and the speed at which BPS is being phased out.

Mr Irranca-Davies reaffirmed the government’s stance, saying: “This government is steadfastly committed to supporting Welsh farmers to sustainably produce quality food. This is demonstrated today in our payment of the BPS 2025 balance payments and will continue throughout the transition period.”

Sector reaction

Farming unions are expected to scrutinise the detail of today’s announcement, particularly around remaining unpaid cases. Last year, late payments led to frustration in parts of the sector, with unions calling for greater certainty as the industry faces rising input costs, supply chain pressures and continued market volatility.

The move to the SFS remains one of the most significant agricultural policy changes in Wales since devolution. Ministers insist the shift is designed to support both food production and environmental stewardship, while critics warn the transition must not undermine farm viability—especially for family-run livestock farms that dominate rural areas such as Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.

What happens next

Farmers still awaiting their BPS 2025 balance will continue to be processed “as soon as possible”, the Welsh Government said. Officials will also publish updated guidance on the Sustainable Farming Scheme ahead of its launch.

The coming year will therefore become a pivotal moment for Welsh agriculture, as the long-standing BPS framework—which provided over £200m annually to Welsh farmers—makes way for a new results-based model that will shape the industry for decades to come.

News

Improved train timetable launches across Wales

Published

7 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Extra services, later trains and boosted Sunday routes as £800m rail investment takes effect

An improved train timetable has come into force across Wales today (Sunday, 14 December), with Transport for Wales (TfW) introducing more frequent services, stronger connections and additional late-night trains on key routes.

The winter timetable update brings one of the most substantial uplifts in recent years on the Wales and Borders network, forming part of the Welsh Government’s ongoing £800 million investment in brand-new rolling stock and reliability improvements.

More trains and later journeys

Among the upgrades, passengers will see:

A new hourly additional service between Chester and Wrexham, effectively doubling the frequency on one of the region’s busiest commuter corridors.
An extra train in each direction every day on the Heart of Wales line between Swansea and Shrewsbury.
Three later last trains from Cardiff to Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil, supporting shift workers and the night-time economy.
A new hourly Sunday service on the Coryton line in Cardiff.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, said improved connectivity was “absolutely vital” for economic growth and passenger confidence.

“These changes will make a real difference to customers, who will benefit from more services and greater connectivity,” he said. “This has been made possible by our £800m investment in brand-new trains for the Wales and Borders network.

“We will see the doubling of trains between Wrexham and Chester and a later service from the capital to valley communities. In South Wales, people will continue to benefit from simpler, fairer fares through TfW’s Pay As You Go service, and its forthcoming introduction in North Wales will help even more passengers access easy, transparent pricing.”

Full details of the updated timetable are available at: tfw.wales/service-status/timetables

News

Wrecked guard boat still under watch off north Pembrokeshire coast

Published

7 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Tidal changes monitored after dramatic early-morning rescue

A GUARD VESSEL that ran aground off the north Pembrokeshire coast in the early hours of Thursday morning (Dec 11) remains under close observation as tides continue to shift.

The Resolute, a 24-metre guard boat understood to be working for an offshore wind project off the Irish coast, had been sheltering in worsening weather when she was pushed onto rocks near Aber Hywel, Dinas, shortly after 3:25am.

Four crew members were onboard when the vessel grounded in rough seas and a strong southerly wind.

Major rescue effort launched

The crew issued an emergency alert, prompting a full multi-agency response.
A coastguard rescue helicopter, both Fishguard RNLI lifeboats, and coastguard teams from Fishguard and St Davids were sent to the scene.

Turbulent air made a winch rescue impossible and Fishguard’s all-weather lifeboat was unable to get close due to cliffs and submerged hazards. The inshore lifeboat was instead deployed to attempt a transfer in extremely challenging conditions.

During the evacuation, the third crew member descending to the vessel’s life raft slipped, fell into the water and was swept away. Speaking afterwards, RNLI crew member Cedwyn Rogers said the team immediately switched into “hyper-focused” mode as training took over.

Despite the casualty drifting, helm Warren Bean — a volunteer with more than 30 years’ RNLI experience — manoeuvred the lifeboat alongside, allowing crew to haul the man to safety. The remaining crew member was then retrieved, and all four were taken aboard the all-weather lifeboat and brought ashore to Fishguard.

All rescue units were later stood down.

Vessel still stranded and taking on water

The Herald understands that the Resolute remained aground on the rocks yesterday and was taking on water. The crew were later assisted back onboard by a local fisherman to assess damage on behalf of the vessel’s operators.

Management representatives from Ireland were due to arrive to draw up a recovery plan, including arrangements to remove fuel to prevent any potential environmental impact.

Further inspections have been taking place today as the team evaluates the next steps.

Coastguard statement

A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: “At 3.28am on Thursday morning, HM Coastguard was made aware of a vessel with four persons onboard aground on rocks at Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. RNLI lifeboats and coastguard rescue teams from Fishguard and St Davids were sent to the scene. The four people aboard were rescued by lifeboat, and the helicopter was stood down. The vessel, which is still aground, is being monitored as tidal conditions change.”