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Llangwm: Restoration of church nearing completion

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Effigy: Saved from damp

AN AMBITIOUS project involving more than 100 volunteers is finally reaching its conclusion with the completion of restoration work on a historic Pembrokeshire church.

Llangwm’s medieval Church of St Jerome was closed for 18 months for the extensive renovations and is now due to reopen its doors next Monday (March 6).

A re-dedication service will be performed by Bishop John Saxbee, former Bishop of Lincoln.

Not only is the building now free from the damp that was threatening its two 700-year-old effigies, it’s now the proud possessor of a state-of-the art air source underfloor heating system,  a first for any medieval church in Britain.

It also has a modern audio visual system which can be used not only for services, but for concerts and other events.

The interior – and the exterior if you know where to look – certainly appear different. The pews have gone, replaced by comfy chairs, there’s new carpet on the floor and modern LED lighting.

The two effigies, now known to date back to around 1300 for the woman and 1340 for the man, were saved from further damage by having damp-proof sheets  slipped between them and their plinths.

But perhaps the biggest change of all will be the addition of ‘The Talking Tapestry of Langum’, a five-metre long permanent display telling the tale of Llangwm’s Flemish founders and stitched by 30 Llangwm women who gave more than 2,000 hours of their time.

The tapestry, housed in a side chapel, will be declared open in a special ceremony on March 25 by the Flemish government’s representative in Britain, Nic van der Marliere.

It can be visited by groups between then and Easter, when it will be open to all visitors.

The tapestry will be accompanied by a downloadable app giving the story of the Flemish settlers, spanning almost 400 years from the time the Flemings arrived with William the Conqueror, to the death of the last of the main line of descendants of the original family.

The app will be ‘narrated’ by Mabel the Fleming, who appears with her husband Hugh in Haverfordwest’s extensive 13th century property records – and who 800 years on, has now been given a voice.

But the church renovation wasn’t without its problems.

After removing the floor to install the heating, workmen found bones, thought to date back to the 15th or 16th centuries, which had probably been scattered by builders the last time this type of work was carried out in 1835.

A Victorian-era central heating system was also discovered – proving perhaps that nothing is new.

To add to the problems, having removed the cement render from the walls of the North Transept, which houses a chapel thought to have been built in 1349, the walls were in fact found to be standing on nothing more than mud.

One theory is that experienced stonemasons of the time were in short supply, many having lost their lives in the Black Death.

The church renovation and the creation of the tapestry were part of a larger project, backed by the Heritage Lottery Fund and others, which also included DNA testing of Llangwm men (which found a link to men now living in Flanders),  an archaeological dig, podcasts, extensive documentary research into the history of the Flemings in Pembrokeshire, and a DVD which will be on sale later in the spring.

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Thousands of homes in rural Wales gain from faster 4G boost

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RURAL Wales is seeing a major upgrade in mobile connectivity, with faster 4G now live in several areas. Seven locations across North, South West, and West Wales are benefitting from new 4G mast upgrades funded by the UK Government’s Shared Rural Network (SRN), aimed at closing the digital gap between rural and urban areas.

The upgrades, which went live on Thursday (Nov 14), bring improved 4G coverage to communities including Bontddu, Llanelltyd, Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog, Penmaenpool, Tabor, Snowdonia National Park, and Bontgoch. Local businesses, emergency services, and residents are expected to benefit from faster internet access, which supports daily communication, business opportunities, and economic growth.

There is a £170 million agreement with Openreach to provide gigabit-capable broadband to 70,000 remote Welsh properties

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “Fast, reliable connectivity is essential for modern life and should be available from Cardiff to the remotest parts of Wales. Today’s upgrades bring us closer to making this a reality.”

SUPPORTING DIGITAL INCLUSION

As part of the rollout, Peter Kyle and Telecoms Minister Sir Chris Bryant visited Ebbw Vale to discuss digital inclusion with charity and industry leaders. They met with representatives at BGfm, a digital inclusion hub in Blaenau Gwent, to learn about how connectivity impacts daily life in Welsh communities.

Telecoms Minister Bryant said: “We are working tirelessly to make sure rural communities aren’t left behind online.

“These upgrades mean businesses can now operate without connectivity limitations, 999 services are better equipped to respond, and residents and tourists can stay connected across the Welsh countryside.”

ADDRESSING CONNECTIVITY GAPS

An estimated 1.5 million homes across the UK remain without internet access, limiting people’s ability to access essential services such as banking and healthcare. In addition to the SRN upgrades, the Chancellor has allocated over £500 million in next year’s budget for digital infrastructure expansion, targeting these underserved areas.

Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens highlighted the importance of this investment, particularly for rural Wales, where fast, reliable internet can be transformative.

“Connectivity is critical for day-to-day life in rural areas – from supporting local businesses to ensuring emergency services are just a call away,” Stevens said.

The upgraded masts, previously limited to EE customers and emergency 999 calls, now serve a wider user base, bringing essential internet access to more people without requiring new infrastructure.

Ben Roome, CEO of Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, said: “With the activation of five new SRN sites, Wales is seeing the tangible benefits of the Shared Rural Network, bringing crucial connectivity to rural communities.”

GOVERNMENT INVESTMENT IN REMOTE WALES

The improvements come alongside a £170 million agreement with Openreach to provide gigabit-capable broadband to 70,000 remote Welsh properties, helping future-proof digital access in even the most isolated locations.

The latest upgrades mark another step in the Government’s mission to improve mobile coverage and close the connectivity gap across Wales, creating opportunities and supporting economic growth across rural communities.

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Milford Haven man admits to downloading indecent images of children

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A MILFORD HAVEN man has been sentenced after admitting to downloading over 1,000 indecent images and videos of children, including highly explicit content involving young children. Gareth MacDonald, now 23, appeared before Swansea Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images and videos across various devices.

The court heard that police visited MacDonald’s home, which was the scene of protests after his arrest, last year following intelligence suggesting that child abuse images had been accessed there.

There were protests outside MacDonald’s house in September 2024 (Pic: Herald)

Officers spoke with MacDonald’s mother at the door before entering to conduct a search.

During the operation, two mobile phones, a tablet, a laptop, and two hard drives were seized.

MacDonald initially spoke to one of the officers privately, admitting to downloading the images and saying, “It’s me.” Later, in formal interviews, he revealed that he had grown “bored with legal pornography” roughly a year earlier, knowing that what he was doing was illegal but continuing regardless.

Prosecutor Emily Bennett informed the court that MacDonald’s devices held 15 Category A images, the most severe classification, 26 Category B images, and 960 Category C images. Some content depicted children as young as nine, and the most serious material involved pre-teen children in distressing situations.

Bennett also noted that MacDonald had briefly joined an online group where members self-identified as paedophiles, although he left without sharing any material. Cleaning software was also found on his devices.

Defense counsel Dan Griffiths acknowledged that MacDonald’s actions had crossed the custodial threshold, but argued that there was “a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.” He highlighted MacDonald’s cooperation with police and his willingness to comply with rehabilitation programmes.

Judge Geraint Walters, presiding over the sentencing, addressed MacDonald, saying, “For some considerable time, you have accessed this kind of imagery, fully aware of the harm it represents.” He acknowledged that MacDonald largely isolated himself and stayed at home, factors he considered in the sentencing.

MacDonald was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, with a requirement to complete 20 rehabilitation activity days and participate in the Horizon programme. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years and is subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same duration.

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Welsh teenager jailed for creating 3D-printed gun at home

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A TEENAGER who assembled parts for a viable semi-automatic firearm using a 3D printer has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison.

Owain Roberts, 19, purchased nuts, bolts, steel barrels, and metal rods online, constructing components of an FGC-9 gun with the aid of a 3D printer.

Detectives said that this case marks the first of its kind in Gwent, where Roberts admitted to manufacturing a firearm component. He appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday (Nov 14).

In April, firearms officers executed warrants at two Newport addresses connected to Roberts. Seized items included a 3D printer, two laptops, six plastic reels, and parts for an FGC-9 firearm.

PC Tom Meazey, from Gwent Police’s East Serious Organised Crime team, stated: “Illegally-held firearms can lead to tragic consequences and devastate innocent people’s lives. To own a firearm, including a printable one, is illegal in the UK without a valid firearms certificate. Roberts’s reckless actions in buying items capable of manufacturing a firearm placed people at direct risk.”

This rare and complex investigation involved support from the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Roberts received a prison sentence of four years and nine months.

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