News
New schools to open thanks to £70m investment
THREE brand new secondary schools are set to open in the county this month, funded by more than £70 million by Pembrokeshire County Council and the Welsh Government.
Welcoming hundreds of pupils through their doors for the first time are Ysgol Harri Tudur/ Henry Tudor School in Pembroke; Ysgol Caer Elen in Haverfordwest and Ysgol yr Eglwys yng Nghymru Penrhyn Dewi in St Davids.
The schools are part of the 21st Century Schools investment programme run by the County Council in collaboration with the Welsh Government.
Darren Thomas, Programme Manager and the Council’s Head of Infrastructure, said he was delighted that the three major projects had been delivered successfully.
“We’d like to thank the staff, governing bodies and local communities of the three schools who have undertaken a tremendous amount of work to ensure that the new schools have opened on time and within budget,” he said.
Ysgol Harri Tudur / Henry Tudor School is an entirely new build on the Bush school site in Pembroke, accommodating all pupils from the former Pembroke School.
The flagship project cost £38.3 million and is the largest ever project undertaken by the County Council.
The 11-19 secondary school was built by construction company Bouygues UK and provides education for 1,463 children and an autism centre for 30 learners.
Work will now begin to demolish the old Pembroke School and the former Pembroke Grammar School buildings, with the aim of completing all work on site by August 2019.
Headteacher Fiona Kite said: ”Last year we held a competition among staff and students to create a motto for our new school.
“The winning entry, ‘Learners Today, Leaders Tomorrow’ embodies the aims of Ysgol Harri Tudur / Henry Tudor School to fulfil the potential and dreams of all pupils and students who learn with us, whether onto further academic study at A Level or undergraduate level or into employment and training.
“The impressive new school building is just the beginning of an exciting time for education for everyone who works and learns at Ysgol Harri Tudur / Henry Tudor School.
The school will open its doors to pupils on Thursday, 6th September.
Ysgol Caer Elen is a brand new £28.1million Welsh medium school in Haverfordwest for children aged 3-16.
The school replaces the former Welsh-language primary school in the town – Ysgol Glan Cleddau – and provides secondary education in Welsh for children aged 11-16 for the first time ever in the centre of the County.
Headteacher Mike Davies said it’s an exciting time for the Welsh language in Pembrokeshire.
“The establishment of Ysgol Caer Elen is a celebration of the success of Welsh medium education in the county. Our aim will be to develop a pioneering 3-16 school which will deliver Welsh medium education of the highest quality in partnership with the feeder primary schools and Ysgol y Preseli.
“One of the main strengths of our school will be its caring, open and happy ethos where pupils feel at home and enjoy their education in a totally Welsh environment.
“One of our main aims will be to make learning an exciting and pleasurable experience and we are confident that our pupils will be proud of their new school, proud of their Cymreictod and their bilingualism.“
Ysgol Caer Elen includes a 600-place secondary provision, 315-place primary provision and 45-place nursery, as well as a 24-place Cylch Meithin (Welsh-language playgroup).
Separate entrances have been provided for the different age groups. Post-16 Welsh-medium education will continue to be provided at Ysgol y Preseli in Crymych.
Contractors Wilmott Dixon will continue to work on some parts of the site not required by the current year groups until late autumn (as scheduled).
The school’s first day of the new term is Thursday, September 6th.
Ysgol yr Eglwys yng Nghymru Penrhyn Dewi is a new 3-16 school for the St Davids Peninsula, operating across the three sites formerly known as Ysgol Dewi Sant, Ysgol Bro Dewi and Solva Community School.
Penrhyn Dewi will be the first Church in Wales secondary phase school to open since the 1920s and the Church’s first 3-16 school.
The former Ysgol Dewi Sant site has seen £4 million investment into a part-new build and remodelling of teaching accommodation.
Post-16 provision for pupils is available at the new sixth form centre in Haverfordwest as part of a formal collaboration between the County Council and Pembrokeshire College.
Penrhyn Dewi will welcome its first intake of pupils across all three sites on Thursday, 6th September.
Headteacher David Haynes said: “‘I am thrilled that we are about to open the doors to Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi VA and I am sure that the pupils will benefit greatly from the improvements that have been made to the buildings.
“I would personally like to thank the older pupils who have been travelling to Haverfordwest over the last year while the work has been completed, together with the parents and the teachers who have supported them greatly during this time.
“Many thanks also to WB Griffiths and Pembrokeshire County Council who have worked tirelessly with the temporary governing body in order to deliver the project on time.”
Pembrokeshire County Councillor David Lloyd, Cabinet Member for Education, said: “The transformation of the schools’ estate of the county is a testimony to the vision and drive of a group of officers lead by the former Leader, Councillor Jamie Adams.
“The fact that it has been the second largest 21st Century Schools Programme in Wales gives the scale of this achievement.
“It was badly needed. The Victorian primary schools and the 50’s secondary schools were no longer fit places for our children to be taught in.
“We are now able, however, to offer some of the best education centres in Wales for the benefit of future generations.”
Two more brand new schools are also coming into existence this week.
Sir Thomas Picton School and Tasker Milward VC School are merging to form Haverfordwest High VC School, with pupils continuing to receive their education on the two sites for now.
In July, at a meeting of full Council, members expressed their preference for a brand new school building at the Sir Thomas Picton site. The Council will now proceed to submit a business case for the development to the Welsh Government.
The other new school starting this week is Milford Haven Community Primary School, which will replace the Meads Infants School and Milford Haven Junior School. Pupils will continue to receive their education on the two sites.
Business
Thousands of homes in rural Wales gain from faster 4G boost
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.
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.
News
Milford Haven man admits to downloading indecent images of children
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.
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.
News
Welsh teenager jailed for creating 3D-printed gun at home
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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