HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY AFC Women and Girls marked a milestone last Saturday (Aug 31), with the launch of their Girls Development Centre at a highly successful open day event. The sun shone brightly on a day packed with excitement, camaraderie, and, most importantly, brilliant football.

Girls’ teams from across age groups took to the pitch in friendly matches, delivering standout performances that thrilled spectators throughout the day. Local boys’ teams also participated, adding to the spirit of community and competition. The club expressed their gratitude to the boys’ teams for their sportsmanship and the entertaining football displayed.

A special mention was given to the following clubs for their contribution to the day’s matches:

• Camrose Football Club and Prendergast Villa AFC for the Under-10 girls’ games
• Clarbeston Road AFC and Narberth AFC for the Under-12 girls’ matches
• Johnston FC for the Under-13 fixture
• Goodwick United FC for the Under-14/16 matches

Spectators were treated to a fantastic display of football from all the teams involved, with the club praising the impeccable behaviour and sportsmanship of everyone who took part. The atmosphere was electric, and the games were a joy to watch, with supporters commenting on the high standard of play across the board.

The success of the event extended beyond the pitch, thanks to the contributions of local businesses. Pembrokeshire & West Wales Bouncy Castles provided inflatables, keeping the younger attendees entertained, while Pure West Radio’s Darren was on hand to provide music throughout the day. In addition, Princes Gate Water generously donated refreshments to keep all the players hydrated, and face painting, ice cream, and hot food added to the festivities, creating a carnival-like atmosphere.

The club also gave heartfelt thanks to their fundraising team for their hard work in organising the event, collecting raffle prizes, and ensuring the day ran smoothly. A separate post will acknowledge the local businesses that contributed raffle prizes, demonstrating the strong community spirit that underpinned the day.

First-team players Alaric Jones and Zac Jones were in attendance, showing their support for the girls in the morning, while several U13 boys academy players, including Zach, Owain, Bobby, and Iestyn, assisted throughout the day.

Coaches Arron Thomas, Rhys Mansell, Imi Scourfield, Leanne Jones, Martyn Lewis, and Gareth Owens were recognised for their dedication and commitment to developing the girls, with the club commenting on the remarkable progress made in such a short time.

Haverfordwest County AFC Women and Girls are looking forward to an exciting future, with this event marking just the beginning of their journey. A special thanks was extended to all involved, with the club noting that the future looks bright for the development of girls’ football in Pembrokeshire.

SOLVA AFC has been left reeling after vandals targeted the club’s junior football pitches, causing significant damage to all of the goals. The incident, which occurred overnight, has prompted the club to issue a public appeal for information and left the local community outraged.

The damage was discovered on the pitches near the road, where the goals for the junior teams had been vandalised. The club quickly took to social media to alert the public and to encourage anyone with information to come forward, using police reference DP-20240907-163.

Shaun Barcoe, a local resident, expressed his frustration on the club’s post, highlighting that similar incidents have happened at other local football clubs, including Milford Athletic FC. He noted that although catching the culprit may not undo the damage, he hoped the club could resolve the situation swiftly.

Many other community members shared their disappointment and anger. Heidi Holland, a dedicated volunteer, expressed her sadness, noting how much effort volunteers put into creating a welcoming environment for children and young people. She urged the responsible party to come forward and offer to cover the costs of the damage, so the junior teams wouldn’t suffer due to “a random act of silliness.”

Further concern was raised by local resident Nicola Schoenenberger, who reported seeing police near the football club around 2am with searchlights and a drone. This information was passed on to the authorities, who are actively investigating the incident.

Susan Williams, another local, called the act “spiteful,” expressing her sadness that the children who enjoy playing football are being affected by such mindless vandalism. Others, like Luke Phillips, were hopeful that the shop’s CCTV footage would help identify the individuals responsible.

The police are currently reviewing the evidence, and Solva A.F.C. is urging anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the area to come forward. The community remains hopeful that those responsible will be caught and held accountable for their actions.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the police or reach out to club officials directly.

For further details or to report any information related to this incident, please contact the police using reference number DP-20240907-163

A COUNCIL scheme to build 24 affordable homes for the elderly at the site of the former Motor World building in Milford Haven has been submitted to planners.
W B Griffiths & Sons Ltd, on behalf of Pembrokeshire County Council, is seeking approval for the construction of a new residential redevelopment to comprise 24 affordable apartments for the elderly at 70A-80A Charles Street.
It is proposed to build 21 one-bed apartments and three two-bed apartments at the four-five storey building, along with a communal residents’ lounge on each floor, 10 on-site parking spaces, soft landscaping and trees.

The proposed building will be four-storeys from Charles Street to the north and five-storeys from Barlow Street to the south due to the change in topography from north to south.
The former Motor World site was cleared in 2018 to enable redevelopment, with planning permission granted on the site for the development of 15 affordable apartments for over-55s in 2020.
The area had been an eyesore for several years before demolition; former councillor Stephen Joseph saying at the time the flats scheme would fill “a great big ugly hole in the town centre that’s been there a long time now,” adding at the time: “The previous building was an eyesore.”
Back in 2021, site contractors WRW construction, which had a number of projects ongoing in Pembrokeshire, including building 33 affordable homes on the site of the former Johnston CP School, as well as work in Tiers Cross, was put into administration by its directors under what was described as, ‘significant financial stress’.
The latest application, submitted through agent DPP Planning, follows a public consultation earlier this year.
DPP Planning, in its consultation statement for the latest application, has previously said: “The council has now instructed W B Griffiths, a Pembrokeshire-based construction company, to develop the site subject to a number of changes.
“The main change is to increase the number of apartments on site to 24 to make best use of the site by increasing the availability of affordable homes for over-55s.”
In its new supporting statement, which references flats for the elderly, it says: “In March 2023, Pembrokeshire County Council re-tendered the scheme to a number of contractors based on the original scheme, but with a revised brief to increase the number of dwellings.  This initiated a significant material amendment to the scheme. The new brief increased the number of apartments from 15 to 24 to be achieved within the footprint of the original scheme.”
It adds: “The design proposals aim to place a new building within Charles Street which respects the existing character of the street in terms of form, scale and materials, but which also delivers a building, which is immediately recognisable within the street through its design quality and the sense of place it creates.”
The application will be considered by planners at a later date.