News

West Wales protesters call for final say on Brexit

Published

7 years ago

October 26, 2018

OVER 100 protesters from Pembrokeshire joined the 700,000 other people from across the country at the People’s demonstration in London last weekend (Oct 20) ) to call for a People’s Vote on whether we should still leave the European Union once we know the leaving terms.

A bus left Haverfordwest coach station at 6am with around 25 people on board, with the rest of the passengers getting on at Bridgend making it a full coach load. Others who could not fit on the bus made their own way up from the county, some staying overnight in hotels, The Herald has been told.

Alistair Cameron from Pembrokeshire for Europe said: “With its reliance on tourism, trade and farming and its ferry links to Ireland, Pembrokeshire’s interests are best served by remaining within the EU. I hope the county’s two MPs will vote in Parliament to give the British people a say on the final deal with the option of remaining within the EU.”

He added: “If I was going to say something to our local MP’s Stephen Crabb and Simon Hart now I would say to them that they should support the people having a final say.”

In neighbouring Carmarthenshire, members of Plaid Cymru Llanelli also attended the People’s Vote Plaid Cymru’s 2017 Westminster candidate, Mari Arthur, was one of those members who attended.

She said: “Brexit was the issue that propelled me into getting involved more actively with Plaid Cymru. I could not trust our current politicians to represent Llanelli at Westminster through the Brexit process, our current MP’s voting record shows she repeatedly does not put Wales first. I can’t accept seeing my home town suffer because of the deception of the Leave campaign.

“While Brexiteers said an extra £350 million would be given to the NHS, they have since said they’d like to see private firms running hospitals in the UK. While Brexiteers said Brexit would provide an economic boost, businesses are leaving the UK and there’s no sight of a trade deal with the EU. While Brexiteers said Brexit would be a chance to “take back control”, powers have been taken away from Wales in an attempt to rebuild Westminster’s dominance post-Brexit.

“There’s no doubt that many people voted for Brexit as a backlash against the status-quo, but every day, it’s becoming more and more clear that Brexit isn’t what it was hyped up to be. It is not going to deliver for Wales!”

The same frustration regarding the EU referendum was expressed by Plaid Cymru regional AM, Helen Mary Jones, during a motion calling for a People’s Vote in the National Assembly for Wales. In her speech she said:

“I remember campaigning with Lee Waters in Llanelli and two young men saying to me, ‘I can’t get into this at all. This is posh English blokes shouting at each other. This doesn’t feel as if it’s anything to do with me.

“I am convinced that none of those voters who voted for Brexit voted for drug shortages, unemployment, a hard border in Northern Ireland, visa requirements to visit our nearest neighbours and threats to environmental protection and our human rights. And all of those are real risks of a hard ‘no deal’ Brexit.”

Community

Pembrokeshire to receive its first banking hub in Pembroke Dock

Published

21 minutes ago

March 11, 2026

Tom Sinclair

LINK, the UK’s Cash Access and ATM network, has today announced local people and businesses in Pembroke Dock will benefit from a new banking hub. The town has been recommended a hub following community requests for an access to cash review.

Pembroke Dock is the first banking hub to be recommended in Pembrokeshire and to date, LINK have recommended more than 270 hubs across the UK.

Banking hubs are a shared banking space, similar to a traditional bank branch, but available to everyone. When opened, the hub will consist of a counter service where customers of any bank can withdraw and deposit cash and make bill payments. In addition, there will be private spaces where customers can speak to community bankers from their own bank for more complicated matters that require specialist knowledge or privacy. The banks work on a rotating basis, so there will be staff from different banks available on different days. 

The banking hub will now be delivered by Cash Access UK. Over the next few weeks, it will begin to engage with the local community and will start to look for potential sites. There are currently 12 hubs open in Wales, and over 200 across the UK.

Dr Chris Ashton, Chief Commercial Officer, LINK: “While more people are choosing to bank and pay for things digitally, we know that many people still rely on cash and face-to-face banking. That’s why we’re delighted to recommend a new hub in Pembroke Dock – the first in Pembrokeshire. When it opens, the hub will be a huge boost for the local community and high street.”

Henry Tufnell, MP for Mid and South Pembrokeshire: “I am delighted that LINK has recommended a banking hub for Pembroke Dock following our constructive engagement last month. This is something I have been pushing for over a year, working with LINK, government ministers, the regulator, Lloyds Bank, the Post Office, and my constituents.

A banking hub will provide much-needed face-to-face banking services for residents in the south of the county, many of whom have had to travel significant distances since the closure of the Lloyds branch.

Access to in-person banking services remains vital for communities across Pembrokeshire, and I will continue to work hard to ensure these services are delivered.”

Sam Kurtz, MS for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire: “I am absolutely thrilled to welcome LINK’s decision to recommend a banking hub in Pembroke Dock, a landmark moment for our town and the wider South Pembrokeshire community.”

“This hub will provide residents and businesses with the vital banking services they need, right here in our town, reducing the need to travel long distances and strengthening the local economy. It’s a win for fairness, accessibility, and for every resident who has campaigned tirelessly alongside me for the past 12 months.”

“I look forward to working with LINK, local stakeholders, and residents to turn this recommendation into reality and ensure Pembroke Dock gets the service it deserves.”

Anyone can contact LINK at this website: https://www.link.co.uk/initiatives/bank-branch-closures/

Additionally, to check for your nearest free access to cash point, you can download the app or visit the Cash Locator tool here: https://www.link.co.uk/consumers/locator/

Local Government

Register now to vote in May’s Senedd election

Published

1 hour ago

March 11, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Deadline approaching for Pembrokeshire residents ahead of Wales-wide poll

PEMBROKESHIRE residents are being urged to make sure they are registered to vote ahead of the upcoming Senedd election.

Voters across Wales will go to the polls on Thursday (May 7) to elect 96 Members of the Senedd who will represent constituencies across the country.

The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Monday (Apr 20). Residents can register online in just a few minutes at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

Anyone aged sixteen or over and living in Wales is eligible to register.

Changes to constituency boundaries mean there will now be sixteen constituencies across Wales instead of forty. Pembrokeshire will form part of the new Ceredigion Penfro constituency alongside neighbouring Ceredigion.

Those wishing to vote by post or by postal proxy must apply by 5:00pm on Tuesday (Apr 21). The deadline to apply for a proxy vote is 5:00pm on Tuesday (Apr 28).

Pembrokeshire County Council Chief Executive and Deputy Constituency Returning Officer, Will Bramble said: “It is really important that everyone who is eligible to vote is able to do so. Registering to vote ensures you can have your voice heard at the upcoming Senedd election.”

Further information about voting in Pembrokeshire can be found on the council’s elections page at:
https://www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/elections-and-voting

A new voter information website, vote.wales, has also been launched by the Electoral Management Board for Wales, part of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, providing guidance and details about the election.

Community

Modern-day maritime hero backs exhibition marking 200 years since launch of HMS Erebus

Published

2 hours ago

March 11, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A MODERN-DAY maritime hero has welcomed plans to commemorate the launch of HMS Erebus from Pembroke Dockyard two centuries ago.

Admiral Lord West has congratulated the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre after learning it has secured funding for its forthcoming exhibition, HMS Erebus: From Dockyard to Discovery.

He said: “I am delighted to send my warmest good wishes for the HMS Erebus: From Dockyard to Discovery exhibition.

“With strong family links to Pembroke Dock, it is wonderful to see this remarkable maritime story being celebrated and shared with new generations.

“I wish everyone involved every success with what promises to be a truly inspiring and fitting tribute.”

The exhibition comes as 2026 marks the 200th anniversary of HMS Erebus being launched from Pembroke Dock. (Pic: Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre)

Admiral Lord West – who served as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff from 2002 to 2006 – can trace his family links back to Pembroke Dock, where his great-grandfather worked at the Royal Dockyard.

He went on to enjoy a distinguished naval career.

In 1982, aged 34, he was the commanding officer of the frigate HMS Ardent when it was sunk by Argentine forces during the Falklands War. He was the last to leave the sinking ship, earning him the Distinguished Service Cross.

After retiring from the Royal Navy, Lord West went on to advise successive UK governments on defence and foreign policy.

***HMS Erebus: From Dockyard to Discovery will open to the public on Monday (June 8, 2026) at the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre.***

Praise for the exhibition has also come from the much-loved British adventurer and storyteller Michael Palin, who has written a book about the famous vessel.

The Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre’s forthcoming exhibition, HMS Erebus: From Dockyard to Discovery, will mark the 200th anniversary of the ship’s launch.

HMS Erebus was built and launched at the Royal Dockyard on June 7, 1826, thanks to the exceptional skill of Pembrokeshire’s 19th-century shipwrights and the region’s proud maritime craftsmanship.

The ship went on to play a pivotal role in some of the most important explorations of the age, including the pioneering Ross Antarctic Expedition, before being lost during the ill-fated Franklin Expedition to the Arctic.

Her rediscovery beneath the icy waters of the Canadian Arctic in 2014 reignited worldwide interest in the mystery and legacy of polar exploration.

The exhibition will feature recovered artefacts never before shown to the public, alongside interactive displays and video footage telling the dramatic story of the ship’s construction, service and discovery.

Cover image: Painting by François Etienne Musin (1820-1888) – HMS ‘Erebus’ in the Ice, 1846 – BHC3325 – Royal Museums Greenwich