News

HaverHub: Haverfordwest’s new community venue officially opens

Published

4 years ago

July 5, 2021

HAVERHUB, the community venue designed to help the regeneration Haverfordwest Town Centre has officially opened.

The HaverHub Opening Weekend took place over three days from Friday, July 2^nd to Sunday, July 4^th. The ribbon was cut outside the front door at 2pm on Friday by the Sheriff of Haverfordwest.

A number of bands and DJ’s performed over the three day period of celebration including Honey Fungus, La Loba, Sky Barkers, DJ Uncle Frank, Filthy Lucre, DJ OneZ, Llewellin Duo, David Pepper, Bella Voce. Entertainment was broadcast on Pure West Radio, who sponsored the socially distanced event.

Founding director of the project Gitti Cotes said she was excited about the opportunities it would bring the town.

Gitti hold The Pembrokeshire Herald: “Everybody is really excited about it. It will bring people into the town and bring economic benefit and give people reasons to come here.

“The idea for a hub for the town came from walking past too many empty, special buildings. I got into the whole idea of regeneration. The most obvious thing is to have a central place for people to come together.

“People came together quickly and it has snowballed. Jerry ended up buying the building in 2017 to enable the project to happen, we have had funding from the Welsh government and the local council. It has been a massive jigsaw puzzle.”

Talking about the challenges of a post-covid Pembrokeshire, she added: “We’re excited to be a pilot for post-Covid working. Upstairs, we have got collaborative workspace. People can rent hot desks and wi-fi for a few hours.”

The old Post Office building in Quay Street, Haverfordwest, is underwent a major refurbishment project with help from the Haverfordwest Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI).

The grant funders to the THI are the Heritage Lottery Fund, Cadw and Pembrokeshire County Council, which has awarded £100,000 towards the project. “We’ve been working with the committed HaverHub team for many months now and I’m pleased we’ve been able to support their efforts through this Grant award,” said Cllr Paul Miller, Cabinet Member for Economy, Tourism, Leisure and Culture.

The building, which has been empty for many years, is an example of the high quality neo-Georgian post offices of the inter-war period. It is constructed from Bath stone ashlar, with its Doric colonnaded door and richly carved royal arms providing striking architectural features. All the windows will be refurbished or replaced as necessary, with necessary repairs undertaken for the masonry and architectural roof lantern.

Speaking a few years back, Steven Jardine, Project Co-ordinator, said the old Post Office was one of the last projects to benefit from the Haverfordwest THI.

“Haverfordwest THI has provided grants of more than £1.5 million in the town since 2016, enabling more than £2 million worth of renovation work to take place to historic properties,” he said. “The buildings refurbished during the two years include commercial properties at Castle Square, Victoria Terrace, High Street, Mariners Square, and now at Quay Street.”

Haverfordwest County Councillor Tom Tudor, whose ward includes Quay Street, said: “It’s wonderful to see the restoration work providing real regeneration action for Haverfordwest.”

He added: “I am very pleased that this project is coming on so well and whilst I was Chairperson for the Haverfordwest Town Centre Initiative THI I was delighted that grant funds could be provided to support this important community project.”

“HaverHub received a THI grant payment of £135,176.26. PCC also managed the award of a TRI (Welsh Government – Targeted Regeneration Investment) grant of £237,713.76.”

Education

School issues safeguarding alert over children’s use of Roblox

Published

2 minutes ago

December 15, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi warns parents about addictive gameplay, unsafe chat functions and scammers

YSGOL PENRHYN DEWI in St Davids has issued a safeguarding warning to parents after concerns were raised about children’s use of the popular online gaming platform Roblox.

In a letter sent to families today (Dec 15), Assistant Headteacher Louise Gray said the school had been made aware of a series of risks linked to the platform, which is widely used by children aged 8–13 – and in some cases younger.

Roblox allows users to create and play games developed by other players. However, the school says this user-generated model can expose children to inappropriate or harmful content depending on which games they access.

Range of risks highlighted

The letter sets out several specific safeguarding concerns, including:

Inappropriate content in user-created games
Highly addictive gameplay, with daily quests and reward systems designed to increase screen time
Easily changed parental controls, allowing children to adjust settings without verification
Chat features that expose younger players to inappropriate messages
Peer pressure from in-game ‘connections’, with children believing they know other users
Emotional dysregulation linked to heavy use of the platform
Scams, including fake offers of free Robux or cosmetic items

Parents are being urged to closely monitor how their children use the platform, who they interact with, and what content they can access.

Guidance available

The school has directed families to the Welsh Government’s Hwb website for further advice on parental controls and safe use of Roblox.

Community

Festive creativity shines as Kurtz MS meets card competition winner

Published

53 minutes ago

December 15, 2025

Tom Sinclair

SAMUEL KURTZ, Member of the Senedd for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, visited Pembroke Dock Community School on Friday 12th December to present a prize to the winner of this year’s Christmas Card Competition.

The competition invited pupils to design a festive Christmas card, with entries received from schools across the area. The standard of artwork was exceptionally high, showcasing the creativity, imagination and talent of young people in the community.

During the visit, Samuel Kurtz congratulated the winning pupil and thanked all those who took part, as well as the teachers and staff who supported the competition. Each child who entered also received a certificate in recognition of their hard work and effort.

Speaking after the presentation, Samuel said, “It was a real pleasure to visit Pembroke Dock Community School today and announce the winner of my Christmas Card competition. This year the winner is Mair Moseley, aged 10, and she designed a wonderful Santa image that really stood out. She has won a chocolate selection set and a £20 book token to enjoy over Christmas.”

He added, “ The creativity and enthusiasm shown by all the children was fantastic, and it made choosing a winner extremely difficult. I want to congratulate all the entrants and thank the staff for their ongoing support.”

Pembroke Dock Community School Headteacher, Mrs Katie Crockford-Morris, added, “We were delighted to welcome Samuel Kurtz MS to the school to present the prize. The children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the competition, and they were incredibly proud to receive their certificates.”

The winning design will now be used as Samuel Kurtz’s official Christmas card this year, with one copy already on its way to His Majesty, King Charles.

Charity

Two Welsh families fund Childline across the UK on Christmas Day

Published

1 hour ago

December 15, 2025

Staff Writer

Joint £40,000 gift ensures vital support is available when children need it most

TWO Cardiff families have joined forces to fund the NSPCC’s Childline service across the whole of the UK on Christmas Day, ensuring children have somewhere to turn during one of the toughest times of the year.

The Peterson family and the Bowles family are each donating £20,000 as part of the charity’s One Unforgettable Day project. Their combined £40,000 contribution will cover the entire cost of running Childline for 24 hours on 25 December.

Childline operates 12 bases nationwide and offers a free, confidential service to anyone under 19, available day and night, 365 days a year. The festive period is often one of the most demanding for counsellors and volunteers; between 24 December 2024 and 4 January 2025, Childline delivered 4,261 counselling sessions.

Young people reach out to Childline for a range of reasons at Christmas, including mental health struggles, family tensions, financial worries, loneliness, and increased risks of abuse or domestic violence. With schools closed and regular support networks unavailable, demand for help typically rises.

Childline relies heavily on donations, fundraising and charitable partnerships. The support of Alan, Maggie and Hywel Peterson, and Nathan and Claire Bowles and their four children, will ensure counsellors are available throughout Christmas Day for any young person who needs them.

Hywel Peterson MBE, Chair of the NSPCC Cymru Fundraising Board, said:
“It’s an honour to help fund Childline across the whole of the UK this Christmas. This joint donation will ensure our dedicated staff and volunteers are there to support any child who needs us.”

Cardiff entrepreneur Nathan Bowles added:
“We know that Christmas can be a difficult time for some children, so our family is delighted to be joining forces with the Petersons this year to support this vital service.”

Louise Israel, Childline team manager at NSPCC Cymru’s Cardiff base, said:
“While children and young people need Childline all year round, we speak to many who find this time of year particularly difficult. It is only with the support of such generous people as the Peterson and Bowles families that our staff and volunteers can continue to be here throughout the Christmas holidays. This kindness will genuinely make a difference.”

Children can call Childline free on 0800 11 11 or visit www.childline.org.uk.
Anyone concerned about a child’s welfare can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or visit www.nspcc.org.uk for advice.