HYWEL DDA Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, has supported the Older Adult Community Mental Health Teams (OACMHTs) and Older Adult Mental Health Inpatient Wards by funding board games and paint packs.

Generous donations to the NHS charity have funded seven ‘All About Us’ board games, a game developed for people living with dementia to focus on the power of life story telling and mindfulness, and seven ‘Aqua Paint Packs’ which have also been specifically designed for people living with dementia to express themselves creatively and find calm.

Lara Schmidt, Occupational Therapist (OT), said: “We’re incredibly pleased that charitable donations have allowed us to purchase these items for the OACMHTs and Older Adult Mental Health Inpatient Wards across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

“The ‘All About Us’ board game offers the opportunity to utilise as a one-to-one assessment tool as well as in group settings.

“From an OT perspective, the board game invites our service users to think and talk about who they are, their experiences, feelings and values as well as their life roles. This will support strengthening of identity, independence and sense of purpose whilst enabling OTs to build a therapeutic relationship and better understand personal histories of our service users.

“The illustrations on the Aqua Paint Packs are specifically designed for the older adult population and offer opportunities for reminiscence and conversation. For our service users, aqua painting is a low-risk activity that still offers an enriching experience as aqua painting can exercise imagination, and enable people to experience joy and a sense of accomplishment.”

Nicola Llewelyn, Head of Hywel Dda Health Charities, the official charity of Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “The support of our local communities enables us to provide services over and above what the NHS can provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive.”

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has rejected claims that the new pedestrian bridge in Haverfordwest has been fabricated 300mm too short.

The bridge, which forms part of a wider town centre regeneration scheme, was delivered to the site in late May and is scheduled for installation on the weekend of August 16–17.

In recent weeks, The Herald has received multiple reports alleging that the structure was slightly too short and that adjustments were being made to the concrete bases to compensate. One trusted source said the bridge was “300mm too short” and claimed: “They aren’t extending it, but they are re-doing the concrete bases to receive it.”

A town councillor, speaking anonymously, also told The Herald they had heard the fabricators used the old bridge as a reference and ended up “around 15 to 20 centimetres out.”

However, the council has issued a firm denial.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: “This is incorrect/false information. There hasn’t been any modification undertaken to the concrete bases as originally designed and constructed. No adjustment was made or required. There are no contractor or design errors.”

According to the council, the crane required for lifting the bridge into place is due to arrive on site on August 11. The booking for the crane was made in February.

The bridge has been promoted as a visual centrepiece for the town, with ambitions to boost footfall and appeal to visitors and social media users. Some residents, however, have voiced frustration over delays and limited visible progress.

The Herald will continue to monitor the situation.

Thirty sites across Wales benefit from improved 4G under Shared Rural Network scheme

THIRTY mobile phone mast upgrades have now been completed in Wales under the UK Government’s Shared Rural Network (SRN), bringing improved 4G coverage to some of the country’s most remote communities.

The SRN is a joint initiative between the UK Government and mobile network operators, designed to tackle poor mobile signal in rural areas. Across the UK, 56 masts have now gone live as part of the programme.

Coverage boost for rural Wales

Villages and towns including Llangernyw, Pandy Tudur, Gwytherin, Cwmystwyth and Llanymawddwy are among the latest to benefit from faster and more reliable coverage. The upgrades also enhance connectivity in the Bannau Brycheiniog and Eryri National Parks, as well as in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty such as the Wye Valley and Bryniau Clwyd a Dyffryn Dyfrdwy.

Over 2,500 kilometres of Welsh roads now benefit from 4G coverage from all four mobile operators – EE, Three, Vodafone and Virgin Media O2 – thanks to the upgrades.

Tenby ‘desperate’ for upgrade

While progress is being made, some areas in Pembrokeshire are still in urgent need of attention. Tenby, one of Wales’ most popular seaside resorts, is frequently overwhelmed during the summer months, with thousands of tourists reporting poor or unusable mobile coverage.

Local businesses have raised concerns that the lack of reliable signal affects card payments, online bookings and even basic communication with customers. Residents have also complained of frequent signal dropouts and black spots in and around the town.

Despite its popularity, Tenby remains a digital black hole during peak periods – prompting renewed calls for it to be prioritised for future SRN upgrades.

Upgrades without new infrastructure

The improvements to date have been made by enhancing existing masts that previously only supported EE customers and emergency 999 calls. This means better coverage without the need to construct new infrastructure.

Ben Roome, CEO of digital infrastructure company Mova, said: “Thirty new EAS masts are now live in the Welsh hills. For the first time, signals from every mobile network are threading through valleys and reaching a further 2,500 kilometres of road—bringing connectivity to residents, businesses, and anyone passing through. Thanks to the Shared Rural Network, not-spots are shrinking, connections are growing, and more coverage is on its way.”

Backing rural growth

Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens, added: “Funded by UK Government investment, 30 new sites in Wales now have fast and reliable mobile internet access in areas which were previously poorly served. Reliable connectivity improves every aspect of day-to-day life in rural Wales and makes a huge difference for local businesses, residents, and visitors.

“This is an important step forward in our mission to kickstart the economy and unlock opportunity in rural areas across Wales.”

UK-wide progress

Since the launch of the SRN in 2020, mobile coverage from all four operators has extended across an extra 34,000 square kilometres of the UK – equivalent to double the size of Northern Ireland.

So far, the programme has delivered 4G to an additional 280,000 premises and 16,000km of roads. The UK Government is contributing £184 million to upgrade Extended Area Service (EAS) masts, with mobile operators investing a further £500 million to tackle ‘partial not-spots’ – areas where only one or two networks provide coverage.