News
Who the heck are the reporters behind Pembrokeshire Cachu News?
WE’RE reading it, we’re laughing over it and there’s no denying that the people of Pembrokeshire have grown to love it.
But who the heck are Barri Bryth, Ceredig Pysgod-Jones and his co-editor in chief, Gito Goch? In other words, the team responsible for Pembrokeshire Cachu News?
This week the Pembrokeshire Herald tracked them down to a pub in Pembroke town centre.
Gito, like all true journos, was knocking back the vino sacramento, and Ceredig was sticking to shandy because of a hangover from the previous day’s funeral.
The landlord ushered the GPT (the gutter press trio), to an upper room, well away from his other customers. No surprises there, then.
“I’ve always wondered what was up here,” said Gito.
And so began two hours of ceaseless comedy as they launched from one story to the next with that dynamic spark that typifies Pembrokeshire Cachu News.
As they talked, they played with Lego and drew on brown paper bags with their crayons. I kid you not.
“Here you are,” says Gito, shoving a packet of biscuits across the table.
“ Here’s a packet of Hobnobs from Barri Bryth. Why does he eat hobnobs? Because he’s a nob, that’s why.
“God knows where he’s got to this afternoon. In fact we often wonder whether he really exists, but he exists in our head.
“Our ultimate goal is to bring Barri to life and turn him into a black and white ‘film noir’ played by Rhod Gilbert and that man who goes on about Welshness…What’s his name?
“Michael Sheen. That’ the one. He’ll play Gito Goch.
“Barri, see, is your typical reporter in his corduroy trousers, collarless shirt, an ill-fitting tweed jacket, coke-bottle glasses and suspenders.”
Ceredig Pysgod-Jones takes a measured slurp of his shandy.
“I think you mean braces, Gito. Barri doesn’t wear suspenders.”
“Ah yes, braces. And Barri just wanders around the place saying ‘I don’t f****** know who I am’. That’s Barri.”
Brith, Psygod-Jones and Gito Goch were born during the Covid lockdown of 2020.
“It was all because of Nick in the sandwich shop in Pembroke Dock. She started telling us about the council watch page and so we started reading it and realised just how daft most of the stuff on it was.
“Remember that bloke who was complaining to the council that the grass was never being cut? And then when it was cut, he started complaining all over again, that it had gone all over his car?
“So during lockdown, Ceredig and I started writing our own stories for our own amusement and we launched Pembrokeshire Cachu News.”
They initially set their sights on attracting a couple of hundred followers but, following their Cleddau Bridge story, they realised that things were starting to turn.
“We said the Cleddau Bridge was going to close for six months because ‘Newky and Brown’ were going to repair one of the main pillars with a new formula super concrete called ‘Uber Beton’,” says Gito.
“I wrote that story in seven minutes. Within ten minutes I could see it being shared 50, 60, 70, 80 times.
“And this was only a few weeks after we launched Pembrokeshire Cachu News, so we knew that that story was our catalyst. Overnight we’d gained 500 followers.”
Today, their figure stands at well over 8,000.
“We never imagined this happening as even today, me and Gito are just doing it for our own amusement and for our own mental sanity,” says Ceredig.
“But we try and latch onto local history, and that seems to wind people up quite a bit which helps the figures.
“We’ve really got it in for Whitland because the people of Whitland complain about everything. And then we try and cause rivalry between the Tenby Sharks and the Penally Crows and as for the Mount Estate….you’ve only got to mention it and there’s hell to pay.”
Mr Chizzit from Birmingham is another PCN character who’s good at raising hackles.
“During the covid lockdown we ran a story saying that Mr Chizzit had driven his Volvo down from Birmingham to Tenby and my God, did it make people angry. We were laughing all the way to the bank with that one, but it made us realise that that’s what we had to do. Make people angry.
“And so Mr Chizzit travelled from Birmingham to Tenby again last year and said he wanted the Gosker Rock to be bulldozed down as it was spoiling his view.
“And the fantastic thing is that people actually believe this stuff.
“The one that really got people angry was in the summer of 2021 when we said that the refugees had escaped from the Penally Camp and were squatting in the abandoned Imperial Hotel in Tenby and were going to turn it into a Welsh kebab restaurant. People were writing in and saying they were never going to go to Tenby again.
“Only once we’ve had a pull a story, and that was when we said that the airfield in Carew was going to house 8,000 refugees from Penally Camp. We didn’t know that the airfield was owned by a private company so naturally they weren’t too happy when they read this.”
Gito admits to being the PCN editor who tends to throw caution to the wind and tell it just like it is, while Ceredig is more restrained, extremely dry and exceptionally cutting.
“But our intention is never to hurt or belittle people,” says Ceredig. “Except our friends, of course.
“We’re doing it just to amuse ourselves and hopefully to bring a smile to the people of Pembrokeshire. And one of the best things is when we see one of our rival newspapers asking people what’s the best thing about Pembrokeshire. And more and more people are saying it’s ‘Pembrokeshire Cachu News’.”
The way things are looking, this trend is set to continue for a very long time indeed.
Community
Tractor run lights up Pembrokeshire and raises funds for charity
THE PEMBROKESHIRE ILLUMINATED TRACTOR RUN took place today (Dec 21), raising funds for two vital charities: the Catrin Vaughan Foundation and Wales Air Ambulance.
Starting at Clarbeston Road AFC at 6:00pm, the brightly lit convoy of nearly 200 tractors made its way through Withybush Hospital and Haverfordwest High Street before finishing at the Pembrokeshire County Showground.
The annual event has become a highlight of the festive calendar, drawing large crowds to witness the spectacle of tractors adorned with colourful lights and decorations.
Funds raised from the event will support the Catrin Vaughan Foundation, which provides crucial assistance to families facing hardship, and the Wales Air Ambulance, delivering life-saving emergency medical care across the region.
Organisers praised the dedication of local farmers and volunteers, whose commitment ensures the event’s continued success year after year.
(Image: Nia Marshall/Facebook)
Business
Ferry Terminal ‘extremely busy’ due to ongoing Holyhead closure
PEMBROKE DOCK Ferry Terminal has been experiencing significant congestion today as ferry services remain under immense pressure following the closure of Holyhead Port earlier this month.
The disruption, caused by storm damage, has rerouted ferry traffic through Pembrokeshire, leading to long queues and crowded facilities at the terminal.
The Herald can confirm that it has been very busy today with cars, lorries, and foot passengers queuing in large numbers. Staff are working tirelessly to manage the influx, directing vehicles and assisting passengers as they prepare to board the heavily booked ferries.
A spokesperson for the Port of Milford Haven said: “We are working closely with ferry operators and local authorities to ensure traffic flows as smoothly as possible, but the sheer volume of vehicles is causing unavoidable delays.”
Travelers are being urged to arrive early for their sailings and to remain patient as the terminal operates at full capacity.
Both Stena Line and Irish Ferries have increased capacity on their Pembrokeshire routes, deploying larger vessels, including the Stena Adventurer and the MV James Joyce, to handle the surge in demand.
From our position at the terminal, our photographer has captured photos showing long lines of vehicles, groups of foot passengers carrying luggage, and port staff coordinating efforts to ease congestion.
Authorities are advising non-essential travelers to consider rescheduling their journeys where possible and to monitor updates from ferry operators closely.
(Photos: Martin Cavaney/Herald)
Community
Festive celebrations at St Davids Cathedral this weekend
ST DAVIDS Cathedral is set to host two special events on Sunday (Dec 22), offering a blend of joyful participation and traditional carol singing to mark the Christmas season.
In the morning, families are invited to the Scratch Nativity at 11:00am. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed as wise men, angels, sheep, or shepherds and take part in an unrehearsed retelling of the Christmas story. Canon Leigh described the event as: “Complete, wonderful chaos for an hour… but with some poignant, thought-provoking moments to centre ourselves on the real meaning of Christmas.”
Later in the evening, the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols by Candlelight will take place at 7:00pm, featuring the Cathedral Choir. The event, steeped in tradition, will see the cathedral bathed in candlelight as carols and scripture readings fill the historic space.
Doors will open at 5:45pm for those seeking unreserved seating, and a large turnout is expected for this beloved Christmas celebration.
-
News3 days ago
Ferry accident causes delay on new Dublin-Fishguard route
-
Top News7 days ago
Pembrokeshire man jailed after repeatedly punching pregnant wife
-
Education4 days ago
Home Education: Delays and missed opportunities risk further tragedy
-
Top News6 days ago
Police investigate dogs seen persistently chasing sheep on Pembrokeshire airfield
-
Top News7 days ago
Milford man dealt ‘persistent’ blows on girlfriend after urinating in flat
-
News7 days ago
Children seen kicking and ‘egging’ doors near Pembrokeshire train station in early hours
-
Business7 days ago
Wales’ biggest Specsavers store opens in Haverfordwest
-
Business4 days ago
Pembrokeshire care home group hit by £150,000 budget blow