News

Meet ‘Penfro’ – the county council’s new chatbot

Published

6 years ago

June 28, 2019

WHEN’S the end of term? What time does my library close today? How do I report a broken street-light?

These are just a few of the 4,592 questions answered by Penfro – Pembrokeshire County Council’s new chatbot – in its first month of going live.

The new virtual webchat assistant was launched on the Council’s website and Facebook messenger pages in April.

And it’s already proved to be a success, says Cllr Neil Prior.

“The aim is to give our customers a quick and easy way to find out the information they need,” said Cllr Prior, Cabinet Member for Transformation.

“Penfro is available 24/7 and can deal with the vast majority of queries.

“It means customers don’t have to wait in a queue for a call to be answered – or trawl through a list of information on our website for a specific piece of information.”

He said Penfro is also beneficial for the Council’s contact centre team by freeing up resources to deal with the more complex questions.

“There will always be queries which need to be dealt with by a member of staff on the phone or face-to-face, especially with more complicated issues,” he said.

“But a lot of the time, the questions our customers are asking us are very simple. And they’re the same! We have lots of queries about orange bag collections, leisure centre classes, library opening times and so on. Penfro can help with all these, and more.”

Although Penfro is pre-programmed with frequently asked questions, it also uses artificial intelligence to learn from the questions people ask most often in order to develop quicker and better responses.

Any questions which Penfro can’t answer are passed straight on to the Council’s contact centre team.

Cllr Prior praised the expertise of the team which developed Penfro and said he was excited about its future.

“Log on and see what you can find out – you might be surprised!”

Charity

Letterston dog show raises over £750 for local charities

Published

18 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

ON SUNDAY (Dec 22), Letterston Ring Craft successfully raised £755.55 for two Pembrokeshire-based charities during a fun dog show event. The funds were equally split between South Pembrokeshire Cat Rescue and Letterston Memorial Hall.

The event featured a variety of well-attended classes, including child handling and fancy dress, drawing participation from dog enthusiasts of all levels.

This fundraiser marked the first charitable event supporting South Pembrokeshire Cat Rescue. Founded and managed by Lizzy Austwick, the rescue organisation aids unwanted, feral, and sick cats across Pembrokeshire and responds to urgent cases in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. The rescue provides neutering support for stray and feral cats, directs owners to available resources, and specialises in helping stray cats with severe injuries, raising essential funds for their care.

For assistance, Lizzy can be contacted via the rescue’s Facebook page or at 07575 131443.

Letterston Ring Craft welcomes new members interested in training and showing their dogs, from local companion shows to prestigious events like Crufts. The club meets every other Sunday in Letterston, and further details can be found on their Facebook page.

Looking ahead, the next fun dog show is scheduled for early next year and will support Belle’s Story Charity. For more information or to get involved, contact Gentle Lowe at 07956 653401.

Charity

£3,800 donated to services across Withybush Hospital

Published

19 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE CAMROSE VINTAGE WORKING DAY team has donated £3,800 to services across Withybush Hospital.

Their 37^th annual event raised a record breaking £25,000, which has now been distributed among 26 local charities.

They donated the funds to the Stroke Ward, Specialist Respiratory Team, Chemo Day Unit and Heads Up! Hair Loss Initiative at Withybush Hospital. Each service received £950.

The Heads Up! initiative provides a person-centred, holistic hair loss service for cancer patients. It brings together healthcare and haircare professionals from local communities to give patients the knowledge and products needed to manage their hair loss with dignity and choice.

Katie Hancock, Fundraising Officer, said: “Thank you to Andrew, the team and the supporters of the Camrose Vintage Working Day for your generosity once again. Your donation to each service is amazing and will make a big difference. We are hugely grateful for your wonderful support.

“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.”

Pictured above: Andrew James, Chairman of Camrose Vintage Working Day with Withybush Hospital staff from the Stroke Ward, Specialist Respiratory Team, Chemo Day Unit, Heads Up! Hair Loss initiative.

Community

Neyland Community Christmas Lunch a festive success

Published

20 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

NEYLAND TOWN COUNCIL rolled up their sleeves to support this year’s Community Christmas Lunch, spreading festive cheer and warm hospitality to attendees on Christmas Day at the Alumchine.

Councillors Steve Campodonic, David Devauden, Steve Thomas, and Brian Rothero began their efforts as early as 7:30am, working tirelessly to ensure the event ran smoothly.

The dedicated organisers, including Trish Campodonic, Pam, and Lloyd Hamilton, along with other volunteers, created a welcoming space filled with festive spirit and a delicious meal with all the trimmings.

The event brought together members of the community who might otherwise have spent the day alone, highlighting the warmth and generosity that Neyland is known for.

A heartfelt ‘Well done’ to everyone involved for making this Christmas lunch a resounding success and spreading joy to so many.