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The ‘Macaroni Mafia’ has landed at Folly Farm

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A BACHELOR group of four macaroni penguins has arrived at Folly Farm. Named after gangsters, the ‘Macaroni Mafia’ is made up of Tony the Don, 13, Vinny the Voice, 7, Frankie the Fish, 5, and Little Nico, 3.

The group of males moved to Folly Farm from Living Coasts zoo and aquarium in Torquay. They’ve already made their mark at Folly Farm where the four now live in harmony with the zoo’s existing group of Humboldt penguins at Penguin Coast, Folly Farm’s £500,000, state-of-the-art penguin habitat set over two acres.

Best known for its distinctive yellow crest feathers and prominent orange beak, the macaroni penguin is a large species of penguin found in the Sub-Antarctic and Antarctic Peninsula. Its common name is thought to have been inspired by its crest feathers; the term ‘Macaroni’ was used in 18th-century Britain to describe a man whose style of dress was flamboyant and excessively ornamented.

Macaroni penguins live on cliffs and rocky areas above the ocean and get around by hopping, rather than waddling. Larger than the Humboldt species, an adult macaroni penguin has an average length of around 70 cm. Male and females are similar in appearance although females tend to be smaller. Macaroni penguins can live up to 20 years.

Although it’s one of the most numerous species of penguin, macaroni numbers have decreased by an estimated 30% over the last 30 years. The species is classed as vulnerable, meaning it’s likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival – climate change, commercial fishing and oil pollution – improve.

Folly Farm is one of only three zoos in Europe home macaroni penguins and is currently on the waiting list for females to begin its own conservation breeding programme.

Catrin Thomas, penguin keeper at Folly Farm, said: “We’ve really been looking forward to the arrival of the macaroni penguins and it’s been great getting to know their personalities over the past few weeks. They definitely live up to their namesake – they’re a very proud species and spend a lot of time preening, but they’re also very gentle and a real pleasure to work with.

“Tony is definitely the Don. You can tell the others really admire him, they all follow his lead. Vinny is the vainest one of the group, he loves looking in the mirror and likes to help clean the enclosure by chasing after the brushes. Nicky fancies himself a bit of a stud, he likes to show off on the rock in the middle of the pool, and Frankie spends most of his time following Tony around learning the ropes. They’re really good friends and they’re settling in well.

“It’s also really satisfying to know that, in taking on this group of surplus males from Living Coasts, we’re helping in the conservation of a vulnerable species of penguin. We’re looking forward to introducing them to the public and hope our visitors love them as much as we do!”

For further information please visit www.folly-farm.co.uk search Folly Farm on Facebook www.facebook.com/FollyFarm and follow @follyfarmwales on Twitter.

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Rugby Weekly – Tenby’s promotion push continues

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It’s crunch time for all rugby clubs around the county, whether promotion is their aim or fighting relegation or even just trying to improve their league position, it’s now or never. 

Last weekend saw an important win for Fishguard in division two west which should put any relegation fears to bed completely. James Griffiths added an impressive 18 points for the Seagulls as they defeated Nantgaredig 33-19. 

Elsewhere in the second division, Milford were beaten 32-8 by a good Lampeter outfit. The Mariners are still a little too close for comfort with the drop zone but should have enough quality to see them safe. 

At the other end of the table Tenby sit in second place and have played fewer games than leaders St Clears and third place Lampeter. They won impressively again last weekend, beating Pontyberem 64-19 at Haywood Lane. Fletcher Broadhurst impressed with two tries as did Hywel Baker who also grabbed himself a brace. Another excellent performance in an outstanding season so far in which promotion would be the absolute icing on the cake. 

In Division Three West, Pembroke were well beaten by Laugharne 74-15 in which the outstanding Liam Price and Nico Setaro both crossed the whitewash 4 teams a piece. The latter also added 7 successful conversions. 

There was a local derby at Pill Parks where Llangwm hosted Pembroke Dock Quins and it was an exciting clash. The visitors won narrowly 28-23, Craig Barnett and Gethin Bradney both scored two tries for the Quins. The Wasps battled hard and will be proud of their performance, Gethin Thomas impressed for the hosts with two tries of his own but it wasn’t enough to secure the points. 

St David’s hosted the high flying Cardigan outfit and were unable to score in reply to the visitors 20 points, with it ending 20-0. The Saints however won’t be losing too much sleep over it as they have had a great season so far. 

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Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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