News
Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society elect Mansel Raymond as new President

MANSEL RAYMOND, whose family farm in Letterston, has been unanimously elected to become the new President of Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society for the year ahead. Brian Jones, the Founder of Castell Howell, has also been voted in as President-elect.
Both were elected at the Annual General Meeting of Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society which was held at the Pembrokeshire Showground on Wednesday, 30 March 2022.
Mansel Raymond’s agricultural activities are centred on a family partnership, with his twin brother, their wives and sons. Mansel has held a variety of high-level positions across the agricultural industry over many years including President of Copa Cogeca; European Milk Chairman as well as Chairman of the NFU’s Milk Board and Pembrokeshire County Chairman for NFU Cymru.
Speaking on his aspirations for his time as President, Mansel said, “What I’d like to see during my term in office is a further increase in the membership of the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society. I’d like farmers of all ages and all farming sectors to see the value of joining us and being involved with the Society.
“Covid-19 has highlighted how fragile the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society is and how we all have perhaps taken it for granted in previous years. We’re determined to come back stronger after the past two difficult years and we hope our members and supporters will help us to do that.”
The Officeholders elected at the AGM for 2022 include: Mrs Carys Phillips voted in as the Ambassador; Mrs Nicola Owen is the Honorary Treasurer and John Evans was re-elected as one of the Honorary Show Governors.
Stephen James, the outgoing Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society President, took the opportunity to pay tribute to the army of volunteers and Board Members who have kept the Agricultural Society running during the past two years of Covid-19 restrictions and said he was pleased to see the Society coming back stronger after the dark days of having to furlough the staff.
Pembrokeshire County Show, the largest county agricultural show in Wales, is going ahead this year, over two days on 17 and 18 August. Everyone is invited to attend the event this year which is a celebration of rural life in the county.
The last full-scale show was held in 2019 followed by a virtual event in 2020 and a scaled down version in 2021 for animals and members only.
Community
Showmen’s lucky scape as fairground lorry bursts into flames

A FIRE broke out in the cab of an articulated lorry at Pembroke Fair in the early hours of Sunday (Mar 16), prompting a call-out for Pembroke Dock firefighters.
Showmen sleeping in their caravans at the Commons had a lucky escape when their generator truck caught fire in the middle of the night. By the time the alarm was raised, the vehicle was already well alight.
Thanks to the swift actions of those at the scene, the blaze did not spread to nearby caravans—a potentially deadly situation due to the presence of sleeping occupants and Calor Gas bottles used for heating and cooking.
The incident occurred near Commons Road, Pembroke, with Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) receiving the call at 2:42am.
A MAWWFRS spokesperson said: “The crew responded to a vehicle fire involving the cab of an articulated lorry.
“The main fire was out on the crew’s arrival, and firefighters used one hose reel jet to dampen down the area. A thermal imaging camera was deployed to check for remaining hot spots.
“Safety information and guidance were given to the vehicle’s driver.
“The crew left the scene at 3:18am.”
No injuries were reported.
(Pictures: File images)
Community
Native oyster success story on the Milford Haven Waterway

AFTER more than a year of careful rearing, thousands of juvenile native oysters have now been returned to the Milford Haven Waterway, marking a major milestone in an ambitious restoration project involving the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.
Since the project began in late 2023, Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences has been nurturing native oyster broodstock collected from Angle Bay and Burton Ferry. These oysters spawned multiple times in controlled conditions, producing hundreds of thousands of larvae. The tiny larvae were then reared until they were ready to settle on to shells, where they mostly remain fixed as they grow. Some scallop shells held as many as 160 individual oyster spat, ranging from 4mm to 10mm in size.
In February, an estimated 200,000 baby oysters were released into the Waterway by students from Paddle West. Braving a strong easterly wind, the team (assisted by Sky the dog, and with rescue cover support from Rudders Boatyard) successfully deposited the oysters onto the seabed. While not all will survive, many are expected to take hold and contribute to the recovery of the native oyster population.
Once abundant in UK waters, native oyster populations have dramatically declined due to habitat loss, pollution, over-harvesting and disease
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority Biodiversity Officer, Sarah Mellor, said “This collaborative project is a major step forward for native oyster restoration in Wales. Achieving complex native oyster reefs once again in the Daugleddau may seem a distant dream, but this project has accelerated our learning and made the dream tangible. These oysters will play a vital role in improving water quality, storing carbon and creating habitat for marine life.”
To further support the restoration effort, some of the oyster-covered scallop shells have been placed into oyster hotels at Rudders Boatyard, where they will be closely monitored. Atlantic Edge Oysters will also oversee a selection of the young oysters to assess their growth rates.
The oysters will be tracked as part of the Natur am Byth! Mòr restoration project, delivered by the Marine Conservation Society with assistance from Sue Burton, the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC Officer.
Sue said,“Native oyster restoration needs oyster suppliers and growers, and this project has proved that we can deliver this in Wales with our home-grown native oysters and expertise.”
The project is being delivered in partnership with Bangor University, the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC Officer and Tethys Oysters in Angle Bay. It forms part of the Blue Carbon Strand of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority’s Wild Coast! Sustainable Landscapes, Sustainable Places Programme, funded by the Welsh Government and co-ordinated by Tirweddau Cymru Landscapes Wales.
The restored oysters will now be closely monitored to assess their survival and growth, helping to inform future restoration efforts and strengthen the long-term recovery of the species in the Milford Haven Waterway.
News
Oriel y Parc opens its doors to a world of peace and tranquillity

An exhibition featuring the work of two leading artists and illustrators is to open at the National Park Discovery Centre in St Davids.
Featuring the work of Jackie Morris and Elly Morgan, ‘Tangnefedd Rhyngom: Peace Between Us’ invites visitors to explore the theme of peace, creating an opportunity for people to pause, reflect and connect with the quiet beauty of the world around them.
The exhibition brings together two distinct approaches to peace. Jackie Morris – illustrator, artists and writer best known for The Lost Words and The Lost Spells – presents a series of prints depicting painted doves, using her signature style to convey peace as a dynamic force. In contrast, Elly Morgan, known for her intricate ceramic work, offers a tactile interpretation of peace through her ceramic doves which draw inspiration from Pembrokeshire’s natural landscapes.

On World Poetry Day (March 22), Jackie Morris will host a talk and a question and an answer session which will provide a deeper insight into the exhibition as well as themes that inspire her work. The free event will take lace between 2 pm and 3 pm.
Meanwhile Elly Morgan will lead a family-friendly workshop from 11 am to 3 pm on Sunday, March 23. The drop-in invites participants of all ages to contribute to a collaborative installation using recycled materials and acrylic paints.
The exhibition will be on display at Oriel y Parc until Sunday, April 27.
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