Connect with us
Advertisement
Advertisement

Community

£38,000 raised to purchase chapel at Hermon Village

Published

on

A TOTAL of £38,000 has been raised to date by community supporters for the purchase of a chapel for local housing and heritage centre at Hermon village, North Pembrokeshire. 

This could be an option for so many communities where chapels and churches are closing.

The community supporters from near and far have supported the volunteers in Hermon village in reaching their goal of raising funds to purchase  Brynmyrnach chapel located in the centre of the village for conversion into a new community asset with 2 flats for local people on the first floor and a community heritage centre on the ground floor. 

The chapel elders have decided to sell the chapel as repairs to the roof and walls would be a considerable sum but they are adamant that the building needs to be retained for community and local housing needs. 

The target sum needed to be raised is £50,000 and up to mid July a sum of £38,000 has been secured by people near and far. 

The next public meeting is on Sunday, July 17, at 3pm in Brynmyrnach chapel- SA36 0DX. 

Anyone who wishes to know more can attend along with those who have invested in the project.

The project is being promoted by Cris Tomos of PLANED. Cris explained “The new Heritage and Housing Trust would be a Community Benefit Society and limited company. Local people would be the shareholders in this cooperative housing venture that will have a local letting policy allowing affordable housing for local families and couples, this could be a blueprint for other communities to take on the chapels and churches that are closing” 

The project has seen 19 Peer to Peer community lenders to date who are asked to invest for 36 months and have a guaranteed return of 1.75% per annum on the investment to help purchase the chapel. 

Cris further explained. “We are seeking financial contributors in the same way as Canolfan Hermon Cooperative, 4CG Cooperative and Tafarn Sinc Cooperative attracted people to help save and develop local assets. 

“Todate we have seen locals and people from MIlford Haven, Saundersfoot and Carmarthen supporting us with community loans. We are now seeking a final 6 investors to reach the target of 25 people to put in £2,000 each that will then allow us to match the funding required to purchase and start developing the old chapel for local housing and a heritage centre”  

Anyone interested in knowing more can contact Cris on 07974099738 or email [email protected]

Additional information and a copy of the application form is now on the project Facebook page on www.facebook.com/hermonhousing

Community

Call for major rail improvements in South West Wales transport consultation

Published

on

HAVERFORDWEST County Councillor Thomas Tudor has strongly advocated for a significant overhaul of rail services in Pembrokeshire, as part of the ongoing consultation on the future of regional transport in South West Wales.

The consultation, which is being conducted by the Corporate Joint Committee (CJC) for South West Wales in collaboration with Swansea Council, Neath Port Talbot Council, Carmarthenshire County Council, and Pembrokeshire County Council, seeks public input on a new Regional Transport Plan (RTP). The plan aims to shape transport policy and infrastructure developments over the next five years, ensuring the network is reliable, connected, affordable, and accessible.

Wants better rail: Cllr Tom Tudor

Cllr Tudor has urged decision-makers to prioritise rail infrastructure in Pembrokeshire, arguing that Haverfordwest railway station should be demolished and rebuilt as a modern, state-of-the-art facility. He criticised the current state of services in the county, stating that residents should no longer be treated as “second-class citizens” when it comes to rail transport.

“There needs to be a significant improvement in rail services to and from Haverfordwest, and the train station needs to be completely redeveloped,” Cllr Tudor said in his response to the consultation. “No longer should the people of Pembrokeshire be treated as second-class citizens when it comes to our rail services.”

The draft Regional Transport Plan outlines proposed policies and projects aimed at improving transport infrastructure across the region. Residents, businesses, and organisations are encouraged to provide feedback on how the plan’s proposed improvements align with their needs and priorities.

A series of consultation events are being held to engage the public, with drop-in sessions planned across South West Wales. Full details of the events and the consultation document are available at www.cjcsouthwest.wales/2025consultation.

The consultation period remains open until midnight on Sunday, April 6, 2025. Feedback can be submitted online, and paper copies of the draft plan and response forms are available at local venues.

The Herald will continue to follow developments on this consultation and the response from local authorities regarding the call for better rail services in Pembrokeshire.

Continue Reading

Community

Big redevelopment at Pembrokeshire railway station planned

Published

on

PLANS for a new disability-friendly railway bridge at Tenby’s Victorian station have been submitted to the national park.

The Network Rail application at the Warren Street station seeks permission for the installation of an access for all footbridge and associated works at the Grade-II-listed Victorian station.

A supporting statement says: “The purpose of the proposals recommended in this report is to introduce, within the Network Rail controlled infrastructure, an unobstructed ‘accessible route’ from at least one station entrance and all drop-off points associated with that entrance, to each platform and between platforms served by passenger trains via the installation of an Access for All (AfA) footbridge.

“At Tenby Station there is currently no unobstructed and obstacle free accessible route between platforms 1 and 2. Access between the platforms is currently via a barrow crossing, which does not offer a suitable step free access.

“The design offers a confident structure using key design principles of the listed station to complement the existing buildings and wider setting while incorporating modern standards for design and construction, accessibility and the operational use of the station.”

It adds: “Although Tenby Station is wheelchair assessable it is not compliant with the Equality Act 2010, and the platform 1 is only accessible for wheelchairs via an unmanned barrow crossing. The station is unstaffed, and therefore any assistance is provided by the train crew.”

It says the current footbridge is a modern structure, dating back to 1986; the proposal to replace it with “a 400/700 series footbridge with through lifts that will traverse the station to facilitate the step free access,” adding: “The proposed stairs and footbridge will be a minimum of 2m wide to facilitate the passenger flow and two wheelchair users to pass each other or for one wheelchair user to make a full turn.”

It finishes: “The design offers a confident structure using key design principles of the listed station to complement the existing buildings and wider setting while incorporating modern standards for design and construction, safeguarding accessibility and the operational use of the station.”

The application will be considered by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park planners at a later date.

Continue Reading

Community

The life of a crime scene cleaner: Ben Giles shares his harrowing experiences

Published

on

SOME of the images that Ben Giles has confronted over the past three decades have been stomach-churning.

He’s seen the brutality of murders, corpses left to rot for weeks on end, young children who have been mauled to death by dogs, victims of fatal car crashes, and an ever-increasing number of tragic suicides.

As he tackled each new scene as founder and director of Ultima Cleaning, Ben’s sole focus was on ensuring that the job was executed professionally. But it was only when he began working on his recently published book The Life of a Crime Scene Cleaner, that the true extent of those harrowing experiences began to hit home.

“Arriving at a crime scene, my main drive was to get the job done properly, but this meant not really thinking about what had happened,” Ben told The Pembrokeshire Herald.

“It was only when I began working on the book and started going over some of the scenes I’d confronted that I began to realise what some of those families had gone through.

“Yes, some of the things I’ve seen have been horrific.”

One image that will never leave Ben is that of a middle-aged woman who had been bludgeoned to death by her husband at their home in Birmingham.

“It made me realise that people sometimes die in ways that we don’t think possible,” he said. “I’d recently got married, and I just couldn’t accept how anything like this could happen between a husband and his wife.”

The woman had survived for three days on the kitchen floor but sadly died as she was being taken to hospital by ambulance. The entire room in which she’d been murdered was covered by a fine mist of blood, and bloody handprints and fingerprints were all over the kitchen units. The drawers had blood inside them and their runners, while the washing machine had so much blood on it that it had seeped into the door and into the seal.

“In a few hours, we’d completely cleaned the room and were travelling back home to our own wives and families. But the emotion that we were all feeling as a team will never leave me.”

Dealing with the unimaginable

On another occasion, Ben and his team were asked to attend a property in Penrhiwllan, near Newcastle Emlyn, where a man had lain dead for eight weeks.

“The smell was horrendous,” recalls Ben. “His face and legs had been eaten by his dog, and the man had begun decomposing through the carpet. His body fat had gone into the concrete. There were swarms of bluebottles everywhere.

“This was one of the very first biohazard cleaning jobs I’d ever done, so obviously the expectations were considerable. And in those days, we didn’t have Google to refer to, so it was a question of using our own knowledge and initiative to ensure the job was done well.”

Building a business from scratch

In many ways, this strong sense of self-belief has been the undercurrent of Ben’s life journey.

He left school at the age of 16 with a handful of GCSEs and no inclination to pursue further education.

“I knew I wanted to carry on living here in west Wales but I also knew that the qualifications I had weren’t going to get me the job or the salary I wanted,” explains Ben.

And so he set up his own window cleaning business.

“I managed to make a success of it,” he explains. “By the time I was 17, I was earning more money than my schoolteachers, and when I was 18, I was able to buy my first house and car.”

That same year, Ben decided to diversify into different methods of cleaning, focusing on offices and schools. By the time he was 23, he had a workforce of 20 people.

His first job came courtesy of a client who worked with the Aberystwyth branch of Age Concern.

“She told me that a warden-assisted flat hadn’t been cleaned for ten years. The bath was full to the brim with human faeces, as was the toilet, and the place was crawling with flies. Both the flats on either side were empty because of the smell.

“We cleaned the property that same day for a fee of £2,000, and I knew that by deodorising it and doing everything possible to clean it, we’d created an opportunity for the other flats to be let out too.”

A business built on expertise

Under Ben’s directorship, Ultima has been split into three categories:

  • Ultima Cleaning, specialising in crime scene and biohazard cleaning;
  • Ultima Academy, which offers specialist biohazard training to organisations such as police and prison officers, British Aerospace, and immigration officers;
  • Ultima’s Environmental Network, facilitated by some 400 operatives throughout the UK.

The company has also worked closely with leading pharmaceutical companies to develop pioneering cleaning materials for severe cleanup operations, while a mental health specialist is always on hand to support any staff members affected by their work.

Ultima remains the sole British company that can offer a two-hour call-out, operating from its centre in Newport, Gwent.

Selling Ultima Cleaning

In 2022, Ben made the difficult decision to sell Ultima Cleaning.

“When COVID hit, I was going to bed at 3am and waking up at 6, when there’d be 20 jobs already in, waiting to be sanitised. We were absolutely everywhere, and it nearly exhausted me and the team.

“So I suppose it was this that made me take stock of where I am today.

“Over the years, it’s become obvious that people love hearing about the work we do as loads of people love crime, and the most popular question I get asked has to be ‘What’s the worst thing you’ve ever had to clean up?’

“But people are also interested in my own personal journey.

“And this is why I decided to write the book. OK, so I’m a much better cleaner than I am a writer, but I’ve always kept a diary of my jobs, and this has helped me to select between 30 and 40 of the most interesting ones for the book.

“At the end of the day, I’m a normal guy from Cardigan who’s worked hard, who’s had a firm belief in everything I’ve done, and who’s succeeded.

“But the business has made me appreciate my life, my family, the wonderful people around me, and my home near Cardigan.

“Ultima has taught me a great deal about life, but perhaps the greatest thing is to forget the word ‘no’. If I’d said no to so many of those jobs over the years, there’s no way I’d be where I am today.”

The Life of a Crime Scene Cleaner is available from Amazon on Kindle (£7.99) and paperback (£15.99).

Continue Reading

Health7 hours ago

NHS Wales workforce crisis: Audit Wales report highlights key challenges

A NEW report from Audit Wales has exposed critical workforce challenges in NHS Wales, citing gaps in workforce planning, recruitment...

News8 hours ago

High court quashes Pembrokeshire council’s planning approval

Judge rules council failed to justify decision on Heritage Park expansion THE HIGH COURT has quashed Pembrokeshire County Council’s approval...

Crime18 hours ago

35 arrests as police disrupt £12 million cannabis operation

DYFED-POWYS POLICE has carried out its most significant drugs operation to date, seizing more than £12 million worth of cannabis...

Crime22 hours ago

More than 2,000 child sexual abuse image crimes recorded in Wales last year

Private messaging platforms exploited by criminals MORE than 2,000 child sexual abuse image offences were recorded by police forces in...

Charity1 day ago

RNLI on the lookout for new beach lifesavers in Pembrokeshire

LOCALLY, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is seeking budding lifeguards to launch their lifesaving careers on some of Wales’...

Crime2 days ago

Garage boss to stand trial for rape at Swansea Crown Court

A PEMBROKESHIRE garage owner will stand trial after denying a charge of rape. Ceri Morgan, 61, is accused of raping...

Crime2 days ago

Police-chase teenager remanded in custody over drug and firearm offences

A PEMBROKESHIRE teenager who was previously granted bail on drug-dealing charges has now been remanded in custody after facing additional...

News2 days ago

Paddleboarders rescued off Aberporth by Cardigan’s lifeboat crew

CARDIGAN lifeboat launched on Friday (Feb 16) after two paddleboarders were spotted struggling against an outgoing tide south of Aberporth....

News4 days ago

The Sea Empress Disaster: Remembering the catastrophe 29 years on

IT WAS exactly 29 years ago. On the evening of February 15, 1996, at approximately 8:07pm, the oil tanker Sea...

Business5 days ago

Council take legal action against 686 Pembrokeshire-based businesses

Scores of firms listed in court for non-payment of business rates HUNDREDS of businesses across Pembrokeshire are facing court action...

Popular This Week