News
£10m expansion for Folly Farm approved
A NEW £10m expansion for Folly Farm has been approved by Pembrokeshire County Council.
As well as developing a range of accommodation types split into three themed areas – Safari, Fairground and Farm – and all the necessary infrastructure including shower and toilet blocks, the attractions management team plans to regenerate existing farm buildings into a cafe, games rooms and reception area.
The development will aim to create a unique themed holiday destination that will increase the profile of Folly Farm and Pembrokeshire as a whole, attracting visitors from further afield.
The development of the 11.03 hectare site, which is currently used as grazing pasture, will comply with the relevant local authority’s Local Development Plan (2013) policies, which seek to support innovation, create new jobs and increase spend within the local economy.
The management team hopes the first phase of construction will begin in September, with the caravan sites ready for summer 2017.
Chris Ebsworth, Director at Folly Farm, said: “With the development of Folly Farm’s Holiday Village, our vision is to take the most successful and well-loved elements of the existing attraction and expand on them to offer a truly unique place to stay.
“At the moment, our plans will allow us to build 29 vintage showman wagons and shepherds huts, 27 timber lodges as well as space for 43 touring caravan pitches, and a range of safari, bell and circus tents.
“This is a natural step forward for us at Folly Farm. We’ve grown rapidly in the past three years investing approximately £2million per year on infrastructure, maintenance and new enclosures. We plan to continue this investment into the future alongside the Holiday Village.”
“By bringing another dimension to our offer, we aim to extend our trading seasons beyond the traditional May to September window. Our accommodation will attract new tourists to the area and provide an option to stay with us outside of the summer season, for long weekends and during half-term holidays. This development will also allow us to extend our Christmas and shoulder season opening.”
“The proposed accommodation would also create new jobs within the Holiday Village and Adventure Park, generating additional direct and indirect spend within the local economy, both during the construction and operation periods.”
“After many years of research, we have an exciting and unique proposal and we’re confident visitors will jump at the chance to have a magical stay at Folly Farm.”
Crime
Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in
A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.
Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.
The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.
Police find victim with four wounds
Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.
He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.
The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.
He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.
Defendant has long history of violence
Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.
Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.
Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.
News
BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story
THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.
The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”
Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”
A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old.
Business
First wind turbine components arrive as LNG project moves ahead
THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines docked at Pembroke Port last week, marking the start of physical deliveries for the multi-million-pound renewable energy project.
The Maltese-registered general cargo vessel Peak Bergen berthed at Pembroke Dock on Wednesday 26th November, bringing tower sections and other heavy components for the three Enercon turbines that will eventually stand on land adjacent to the existing gas terminal at Waterston.
A second vessel, the Irish-flagged Wilson Flex IV, has arrived in Pembroke Port today (Thursday) carrying the giant rotor blades.
The deliveries follow a successful trial convoy on 25 November, when police-escorted low-loader trailers carried dummy loads along the planned route from the port through Pembroke, past Waterloo roundabout and up the A477 to the Dragon LNG site.
Dragon LNG’s Community and Social Performance Officer, Lynette Round, confirmed the latest movements in emails to the Herald.
“The Peak Bergen arrived last week with the first components,” she said. “We are expecting another delivery tomorrow (Thursday) onboard the Wilson Flex IV. This will be blades and is currently showing an ETA of approximately 03:30.”
The £14.3 million project, approved by Welsh Ministers last year, will see three turbines with a combined capacity of up to 13.5 MW erected on company-owned land next to the LNG terminal. Once operational – expected in late 2026 – they will generate enough electricity to power the entire site, significantly reducing its carbon footprint.
The Weather conditions were favourable for the arrival of the Wilson Flex IV, which was tracking south of the Smalls at midnight.
The abnormal-load convoys carrying the components from the port to Waterston are expected to begin early next year, subject to final police and highway approvals.
A community benefit fund linked to the project will provide for residents in nearby Waterston, Llanstadwell and Neyland.
Further updates will be issued by Dragon LNG as the Port of Milford Haven as the delivery programme continues.
Photo: Martin Cavaney
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