News

Haverfordwest: Hospital supporters snub Labour’s Withybush protest

Published

8 years ago

April 29, 2018

PRESELI Pembrokeshire Labour Party, who say they are opposed to plans to downgrade Pembrokeshire’s main hospital staged a protest in Haverfordwest on Saturday (Apr 28).

However local Conservative activists have accused Labour of hypocrisy, as it is they who are in charge of health as the party running the Welsh Government. The protest was not well attended, with some locals telling The Herald that they did not want to attend a politically-led protest. Some people took to social media said Labour was just ‘political point-scoring’.

Hywel Dda health board announced proposals to radically alter services at its hospitals under three options. All would involve changing Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest from a general hospital to a community one, with the A&E having to close. A public consultation on the proposed options is to run for 12 weeks.

As The Herald reported on Friday (Apr 27), more than 18,000 people have signed a petition opposing the downgrade of their local hospital.

Shop assistant Myles Bamford-Lewis, the campaigner who started the petition was against Labour’s protest said: “This is quite disappointing, there needs to be a joint effort to protect our services from all parties but this does very much look like Labour are trying to get one up on political rivals in the county as no one outside the Labour Party had been invited.

Taking to Facebook, he added: “I haven’t got time for people who are out for personal gains and that’s why my petition was made with no mention of any single political party. The fight for Withybush needs to be inclusive and not exclusive and by “taking the lead” this will no doubt upset the conservatives and other parties in the county who also feel very strongly about the state of play with our hospital. Divisiveness can only cause divisions in our cause.”

Preseli Pembrokeshire Labour Party group organised the protest on Saturday which comes just over a week after the plans were announced.

A spokesman for the Preseli Pembrokeshire Labour Party told The Herald: “Any such proposal is strongly opposed by the Constituency Labour Party and we will be campaigning against any such moves by Hywel Dda to remove or downgrade current services provided by the hospital and provide them outside of Pembrokeshire.”

There were only up to fifty people at the protest according to those who attended.

Hywel Dda’s chief executive Steve Moore has said the trust, with Wales biggest budget deficit of around £69m, does not have the option of doing nothing, which they had considered.

Hands off our hospital: Local Labour campaigners are opposed to reform (Pic: M Hillen/Herald)

Charity

Christmas jumper fundraiser raises £360 for youth counselling

Published

10 minutes ago

January 14, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A CHRISTMAS Jumper Day fundraiser held by staff at W.B. Griffiths & Son Ltd has raised £360 for the Megan’s Starr Foundation, helping fund vital mental health support for young people.

The money, presented to the charity by Carla and Liam, will pay for 10 professional counselling sessions for young people who are struggling and in urgent need of support.

The Megan’s Starr Foundation said the sessions provide a safe space for young people to talk, be listened to, and feel supported at a time when it matters most.

In a statement, the charity thanked the firm and its staff for getting involved, adding that access to timely support can be life changing and can help young people realise they are not alone.

The foundation said it was grateful to everyone at W.B. Griffiths & Son Ltd who took part, describing the donation as one that will have a real and lasting impact on local young people and their mental health.

News

Investigation launched after man found dead near Carmarthen railway line

Published

18 minutes ago

January 14, 2026

Tom Sinclair

POLICE are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a man whose body was found in a field close to the railway track near Carmarthen railway station.

Emergency services were called to the area at just after 8:30am on Saturday (Jan 10). Officers from Dyfed-Powys Police attended alongside paramedics from the Welsh Ambulance Service.

Witnesses reported seeing police and ambulance vehicles outside the station’s main entrance, with officers also in an adjacent field near a railway bridge.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the man’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.

A police spokesperson said enquiries are ongoing and the death is currently being treated as unexplained.

No further details, including the man’s age or identity, have been released.

Crime

Former Gwent detective would have been sacked after off duty assault conviction

Published

1 hour ago

January 14, 2026

Rieve Nesbitt-Marr

Ex officer found guilty of gross misconduct following Devon incident and magistrates court conviction

A FORMER Gwent Police detective sergeant has been found guilty of gross misconduct after being convicted of assaulting a man while off duty in Devon.

Joanne Marston resigned from the force shortly before an accelerated misconduct hearing was due to begin at Cwmbran on Monday. The panel went ahead in her absence.

The hearing was told the incident happened in February 2024 while Marston was off duty in Devon. She was later arrested and charged with common assault, and was convicted at Exeter Magistrates’ Court in March last year.

A professional standards investigation concluded she had breached the police standards of professional behaviour relating to discreditable conduct. The panel upheld the allegation and found it amounted to gross misconduct.

Had she remained a serving officer, the panel ruled she would have been dismissed without notice.

Assistant Chief Constable Vicki Townsend, who chaired the hearing, said the former officer’s actions were “shocking and unacceptable” and warned that such behaviour damages public confidence in policing.

Marston will now be placed on the College of Policing barred list, preventing her from serving with any police force in the UK.