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New project launched to help Milford Haven families for ‘when the going gets tough’

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Pictured from the MCA project are Fiona Griffiths from Milford Haven School, Scott Powell from Team around the Family, and Chris Davies from Milford Haven Rotary.

A NEW pilot project has been launched to support some of the most vulnerable families in the Milford Haven area, helping them to get through what is perhaps the most difficult part of the pandemic so far.

The ‘Milford Community Action’ project is aiming to help up to 100 local families who are experiencing financial hardship, require additional support from local services, or whose children care for other family members.

There will be a variety of practical support given in an attempt to help families both in the short term, and also guidance to help them build for a brighter future.

Resources will include food packs, the provision of slow cookers, cook books and live cookery sessions, educational activity packs for children, IT resources for pupils without access to digital devices, budgeting tools, and signposting to helpful organisations.

The 12-week project has been designed and developed in a partnership between Milford Haven School, Milford Youth Matters and Pembrokeshire County Council.

“There will be widespread engagement across Milford Haven, with local businesses and groups already pledging their support,” said Gemma Baker from Milford Haven School, who is co-ordinating the project with Dayle Gibby from Milford Youth Matters.

“Milford Haven Rotary Club were the first local group to contribute to the project, assisting with the delivery of meal packs as well as generously donating 30 slow cookers to be given to families in need.

“This collaborative approach is vital to enrich the experience of those families taking part, as well as strengthening community links and making the project sustainable for the future.”

Cllr Tessa Hodgson, Cabinet Member for Social Services, said it was a very welcome and timely initiative.

“This prolonged period of lockdown is difficult for everyone, but for those for whom life is already tough, it’s even harder,” she said.

“Hopefully this project will provide ongoing support for families, and hope where it is needed most.”

One aspect of the project is tackling food poverty, and so families will receive guidance on life skills such as meal-planning and household budgeting, as well as weekly food packs.

Another aspect is family wellbeing and welfare, and so the TAF (Teams around the Family) and Sport Pembrokeshire teams in the Council will put together activity and play packs, baking kits and craft kits, as well as increasing access to books and traditional games to encourage family participation.

Home-schooling will be supported by providing IT resources for digitally disadvantaged pupils, and period poverty is being addressed through the supply of feminine hygiene packs.

And alongside this, families are being signposted to useful advice and support from CAB (Citizen’s Advice Bureau) and other local organisations which can help with employment skills or training.

Pictured is Emma Kedward (Futures Leader for Numeracy at Milford Haven School) who has generously donated a selection of games that support numeracy skills in young people, such as telling the time. 

Darren Mutter, the Council’s Head of Children’s Services, said the aim is to create a range of positive outcomes.

“We hope that beyond their engagement with the project, families will feel more positive about their ability to improve their own circumstances; more confident in knowing where to seek support and more connected to their community,” he said.

“This isn’t just about dealing with the issues of food poverty or financial hardship but more about providing ongoing community support for the children and young people and their parents who need us.”

Headteacher of Milford Haven School, Ms Ceri-Ann Morris, said:

“We are immensely proud to support this project and utilise the school facilities to help our community. Schools are at the heart of every community, they are the common link that ties everyone in the community together.

“Everyone knows someone connected to the school, and the work of Miss Baker (Milford Haven School) together with Dayle Gibby will be the driving force in getting resources out to the people most in need within our catchment area.”

Cllr Guy Woodham, Cabinet Member for Education & Lifelong Learning, said: “Once again Milford Haven School and Milford Youth Matters are demonstrating the fantastic things that can be achieved when you work with others for the benefit of the local community. Gemma Baker and Dayle Gibby continue to find ways to seize opportunities as they arise and make great things happen in Milford – they are excellent ambassadors and role models for not just young people but everyone in our community.”

The pilot project is funded by Pembrokeshire County Council with numerous contributions, both financial and time, from local groups and businesses which will further develop the positive reach of the project.

If successful, the County Council will be looking to roll it out with local partners in the Fishguard area.

● If you have any questions about the project, or would like information on how you can get involved, please contact Gemma or Dayle at [email protected] or [email protected]

News

Milford Haven man admits to downloading indecent images of children

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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.

There were protests outside MacDonald’s house in September 2024 (Pic: Herald)

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.

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News

Welsh teenager jailed for creating 3D-printed gun at home

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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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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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