News

Oakwood announces brand new rides and season pass

Published

7 years ago

March 22, 2019

WALES’ largest theme park Oakwood has announced two new rides for this year, as part of wider future investment plans.

The Pembrokeshire attraction is set to unveil a new family ride ‘Dizzy Disk’ for Easter, as well as bring back popular thrill ride Bounce, after a £400,000 refurbishment.

Joining Oakwood’s eclectic collection of 27 rides and experiences, Dizzy Disk will see riders face outwards as they glide back and forth while simultaneously spinning in circles. Aimed at families, it will offer fun for everyone.

A firm visitor favourite, Bounce originally closed in 2016 but will reopen its doors this summer
following a full restoration, becoming Oakwood’s fifth large thrill ride.

As well as new rides, 2019 will see the launch of the Oakwood season passes, in addition to the park’s already popular annual tickets. Costing fractionally more than a regular day pass, the new ticket will allow holders entry into the park for the entire season, running from 15 April to 3 November, representing great value for Pembrokeshire residents and regular visitors.

Parent company Aspro has invested more than £8.5m into the park in the last five years

The changes come on the back of a number of multi-million-pound investments in the park over recent years by parent company Aspro since it acquired Oakwood in 2008.

In the last five years alone, Aspro has spent millions of pounds upgrading the park including £4.5m developing new Peter Pan themed children’s area ‘Neverland’ in 2013, complete with seven rides and play areas including a kid’s coaster and water slide, as well as £1.5m in 2018 to create ‘Spooky Street’– a major new family zone featuring new rides, attractions and catering facilities.

Employing over 300 people a year, including 20 full time year-round employees, in addition to hundreds of seasonal staff, Oakwood is one of the largest employers in Pembrokeshire and plans to create further jobs through future investments.

Park Director, Phil Verbinnen at Oakwood Theme Park said: “We are excited to welcome our new ride ‘Dizzy Disk’ and reinstate Bounce to Oakwood, adding to our repertoire of fun, family friendly attractions at the park.

“We have invested significantly into the park in recent years, creating exciting new thrills for the family market, along with new catering and retail facilities which will add to the visitor experience.

“This new destination marks the start of our ambitious plans for further investment in the coming years, designed in response to visitor feedback. We especially want to give our local customers added value so our season pass is a great way of making sure they get great bang for their buck!”

Community

Woman rescued from coast path after ankle injury

Published

7 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Coastguard teams called to Dinas Island near Pwllgwaelod

A WOMAN was stretchered from the coast path near Pwllgwaelod after suffering an ankle injury.

HM Coastguard Fishguard was tasked at 5:22pm on Friday, June 27, alongside HM Coastguard Teifi, to assist the casualty on Dinas Island.

The teams attended the scene near Hendre Farm Campsite and Cottages and, with help from the landowner, were able to quickly locate the injured woman.

Her injured limb was immobilised before she was carried by stretcher to her nearby car, where family members were able to take her on to hospital.

Fishguard Coastguard thanked the landowner for their help.

Entertainment

This Ain’t Texas organisers admit Carmarthen festival ‘didn’t go exactly as planned’

Published

7 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Tom Sinclair

ORGANISERS of a country music festival held in Carmarthen have thanked visitors for their support while admitting that parts of the event “did not go exactly as planned”.

This Ain’t Texas Festival took place at the United Counties Showground on Saturday (Jun 27), promising live country music, line dancing, American BBQ, street food, western-themed stalls and family-friendly entertainment.

The event was part of a UK-wide tour, with the Carmarthen date promoted as a Nashville-style day out for families and country music fans.

But after the event, a number of attendees took to social media to raise concerns about queues, parking, food options and the overall organisation of the day.

In a statement posted online, organisers said: “Thank you, Carmarthen. What a day.

“Firstly, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who came out and made this event so special. The support, energy, and positive feedback we’ve received across the country has been incredible, and we’re truly grateful for every single one of you.

“That said, we also know that not everything went exactly as planned. We’ve received some constructive feedback from attendees, and we want you to know that we’ve listened carefully.”

Some visitors said they had enjoyed the atmosphere, music and line dancing, while others said the event had fallen short of expectations.

One attendee said the day had been “very disappointing” after booking early-bird tickets and looking forward to the festival for months.

Another visitor said the bar queue was long, adding that they had queued for more than an hour, although they still felt the ticket price had been good value.

Others called for more food choice, including vegetarian options, and said parking and space on site would need to be reviewed if the event returned on a larger scale.

There was also praise for the local line dancing element, with one attendee saying it had “definitely added to the experience”.

The festival had been advertised as a one-day country and western-themed event, with live tribute acts, dancing, food, drink, stalls and activities.

Community

Civic service brings Pembrokeshire towns together in Haverfordwest

Published

9 hours ago

June 28, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A CIVIC service has been held at St Mary’s Church in Haverfordwest, bringing together civic leaders, councillors, cadets and community representatives from across Pembrokeshire.

The Mayor’s Civic Service took place at 11:00am on Sunday, 28 June 2026, at the historic High Street church, one of the county town’s most familiar landmarks.

The service was hosted by Haverfordwest Town Council and attended by the Sheriff of Haverfordwest, Cllr Dani Thomas-Turner, Deputy Lord Lieutenants, the mayors of Pembroke, Pembroke Dock, Neyland and St Davids, members of the Guild of Freemen, the Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet and the Mayoral Cadet.

St Mary’s Church has stood at the heart of Haverfordwest for more than 800 years. Built in about 1200, its size and position have made it one of the town’s dominant historic buildings.

Cllr Randell Izaiah Thomas-Turner said the occasion had been “truly special and humbling”.

He said: “It was an honour to gather in one of our town’s most historic and beautiful buildings, a church that has stood at the heart of our community since the 12th century, bringing people together in faith, service and reflection.”

Cllr Thomas-Turner and the Sheriff thanked all those who attended, saying the presence of civic representatives from neighbouring towns reflected the “strong spirit of friendship and partnership across Pembrokeshire”.

They also paid tribute to fellow town councillors, the Guild of Freemen, and the cadets who supported the service.

Cllr Thomas-Turner added: “Days like today remind us that civic life is about more than titles and chains of office. It is about service, community, friendship and working together for the good of our towns and our county.”

He said the event had been a proud day for Haverfordwest, adding: “Haverfordwest truly is the Best in the West.”