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Reports continue about holiday businesses receiving visitors and second homes use

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Reports of holiday businesses receiving visitors and second homes
being occupied locally continue to be received by Pembrokeshire
County Council.

The regulations are clear that residents should stay at their primary
residence and that travel to holiday accommodation or second homes
is not essential travel.

Police officers have the power to issue fixed penalty notices and turn
those travelling around.

Across the Easter weekend police and Council officers stopped 1,660
vehicles with 39 fixed penalty notices issued to those deemed to have
left their homes without reasonable excuse.

Further traffic checks are continuing day and night.
Travelling to a second home or holiday accommodation risks
introducing the virus to rural communities from areas where the
disease might be more prevalent.

It also places additional strain on local health services where
provision is based on resident population.

There are also concerns of increasing anxieties and possible tensions
in rural communities.

For clarity, all holiday accommodation businesses listed below are to
remain closed to the public until further notice, apart from the certain
limited exceptions described.

 Holiday sites

 Camping sites

 Hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation

 Other holiday accommodation (including holiday apartments, hostels
and boarding houses)

These businesses can be specifically requested to operate by the
Welsh Ministers or by Local Authorities for a limited number of
reasons. Such reasons include:

 accommodating key / critical workers (as defined by Welsh
Government)

 accommodating those who have been displaced or are
homeless, or;

 providing accommodation for health patients.
If a business is specifically requested to open by Welsh Ministers or a
Local Authority, this provision should not be taken to mean that the
whole site or business can reopen.

Any permitted re-opening will be specific and limited to the purposes
set out in the request.

The fact the Welsh Ministers or Local Authorities may request a
business to open for a specific purpose does not authorise it to open
for any other purpose and nor does it oblige the business to open.
Some holiday businesses in the County are currently accommodating
key workers but if such businesses have not yet been asked to do so
by the Welsh Ministers or a Local Authority, they must make
Pembrokeshire County Council aware of this as a matter of urgency.
They need to ensure that a written request is forthcoming from the
Welsh Ministers or Local Authority and they may only remain open in
response to such a request.

Enforcement action will be undertaken against any holiday
accommodation business that continues to operate without such a
request having been made.

Our communities continue to be monitored in partnership with Dyfed
Powys Police and officers of the Council’s Public Protection team for
compliance.

If you have information that causes you concern in your community
relating to the use of holiday accommodation and buildings please
contact the Council at [email protected]
There is also currently a particular challenge in terms of securing
sufficient accommodation for vulnerable groups.

Holiday accommodation businesses in Pembrokeshire are being
requested to consider providing accommodation for such groups.
If you currently own or manage holiday accommodation businesses in
Pembrokeshire and would like to make this accommodation available

for this purpose, please email [email protected] with
contact details.

If you have already responded to the Welsh Government’s request,
please let the Council know to update records.

If you are operating a business in Pembrokeshire and want to make
sure that you are only operating within the correct permission under
The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Wales) Regulations
2020  please contact email [email protected]

 

Crime

Ceredigion man sentenced for selling £150,000 in illegal DVDs

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A CEREDIGION man has been sentenced for selling counterfeit DVDs worth £150,000 under major brand names without authorization.

David Robert Thomas, 47, from Sarnau, ran a sophisticated online operation, producing and selling fake DVDs labeled with brands like Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Sony, and Universal City Studios LLC. Thomas used seven different websites and managed multiple bank and PayPal accounts, including those of family members, to carry out his business.

Councillor Matthew Vaux, Ceredigion County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Protection, said: “Counterfeiting is often thought of as a victimless crime, but it harms the local economy by undermining legitimate businesses that pay taxes and create real jobs. This result sends a clear message that counterfeit sales will not be tolerated, and we will act against offenders.”

Thomas pleaded guilty at Swansea Crown Court on Monday (Nov 11) and was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. His sentence includes a four-month curfew and fifteen Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days.

Under the Crime Act 2002, forfeiture proceedings will follow to reclaim the financial benefits from Thomas’s criminal activities. Judge Richards took into account the market value of equivalent genuine goods, the sophisticated setup of Thomas’s business, and his previously clean record in reaching the sentencing decision.

The case was brought forward successfully by Ceredigion County Council’s Trading Standards Service.

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News

Poignant Poppy Walk created in Milford Haven following Remembrance Day

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YOUNG people have again created a fitting tribute in honour of Remembrance Day with a Poppy Walk established along Hamilton Terrace.

On Monday (Nov 11) veterans working for the youth service identify young people to support them in using wreaths laid at the cenotaph to mount them along the railings between the Royal British Legion in Milford down to the Cenotaph itself.

This has now become an annual event with the service, in previous years young people from Milford Haven School and members of Milford Haven Youth Club have completed this work. This year it was young people and staff from Futureworks who helped youth workers.  

In previous years the feedback from the public has been extremely positive and this year was no exception with members of the public stopping and speaking to the young people to ask what they were doing and to share their thanks for adding to the community in a respectful way. 

Milford Town Council has supported the Poppy Walk since its inception and again were grateful to the youth service and the young people for leading on this work.

Jimmy Wilson, youth worker and former member of the Kings’ Own Royal Border Regiment said: “The fact that these young people have come in on their day off to volunteer their time to create the poppy walk shows that they value the service of the armed forces and understand the significance of remembrance day and the sacrifices made by both serving and ex forces members.”

The above picture includes Alfie, Kaden, Lily, Megan and Jenna with staff from Pembrokeshire Youth Service and Futureworks.

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Entertainment

Creatives connect in Fishguard: Mastering social media and sparking collaborations 

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Musicians, photographers, filmmakers, and content creators gathered for an inspiring evening of collaboration and conversation at Creative West Wales’ latest event.

A well-attended panel discussion and networking event held in Ffwrn, Fishguard last month, focused on the use of social media and digital images to market the music sector.

A panel of experts from the music industry including Siân Adler of Trigger Happy Creative, Alun Llwyd CEO of PYST Ltd and Owain Elidir Williams, founder of music magazine Klust, discussed the use of social media platforms as a tool for the creative industries.

A speed-networking session enabled those attending to connect with fellow creatives from across the sectors and explore potential collaborations, business opportunities and support.

Siân said: “It’s really exciting to see projects like Creative West Wales exist – it can be difficult to make new connections in the industry especially outside of the city but having opportunities like the panel/networking event held at Ffwrn was great. 

“Every year our company films at Other Voices Festival and are always looking for local crew so to be able to meet and connect with local creatives was a great opportunity for us.”

The Creative West Wales event was funded by the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund and supported by Pembrokeshire County Council’s business team.

Creative Industries Officer Anwen Baldwin said: “It was great to get so many talented local people with a range of skills together in one room. Often people are unaware of fellow creatives who may be living and working just down the road. 

“Hopefully this will lead to many future collaborations. We’ve already had positive feedback about the value of this event, and plan to arrange more networking events of this kind to bring people together from across the sectors.”

Creative West Wales aims to facilitate conversations and connections. Primarily focusing on the music, screen, gaming, publishing and animation sectors, the network links people working in the creative industries across the counties of Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, in a bid to share opportunities, information and encourage collaboration.To find out more about the available activities or to join the Creative West Wales Network please visit: www.creativewest.wales

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