News

Remembrance service will mark 70 years since the end of the Korean War

Published

2 years ago

November 4, 2023

THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY will take its support for integrated travel to new heights thanks to support from a Royal Navy helicopter in its latest Poppies to Paddington operation.

Partnering with The Veterans Charity, the Royal Navy Air Station Culdrose will deploy a Merlin helicopter to carry poppy wreaths from their base to Plymouth on Monday ahead of the GWR Remembrance service on Friday 10 November.

With planned engineering work preventing trains from running between Penzance and Plymouth, it means the fourth Poppies to Paddington operation will still serve Cornwall.

Further strengthening this year’s integrated travel approach, Go South West has also kindly provided a bus to collect wreaths from stations through the region and carry them to Plymouth.

This year GWR is remembering 70 years since the end of the Korean War as it once again carries swathes of poppy wreaths from across the network to London Paddington for the special Remembrance service.

Six ‘Poppy’ trains are expected to collect more than 200 wreaths from GWR stations, including Carmarthen, Llanelli and Swansea ahead of the service at Paddington’s iconic war memorial on Platform 1.

GWR will especially remember the 81,000-Armed Forces personnel who took part in the Korean conflict, particularly those of the Gloucester Regiment and the Royal Fusiliers, who were involved in some of the heaviest fighting.

Amanda Burns, GWR Sales and Marketing Director, said:

“We’re incredibly grateful to RNAS Culdrose and Go South West for supporting our fourth Poppies to Paddington operation and ensuring poppy wreaths from Cornwall can be placed by the war memorial at Paddington.

“Poppies to Paddington was conceived in 2020 to ensure communities within the GWR network could honour our fallen heroes despite the restrictions in place around Covid-19, and this kind-hearted gesture by RNAS Culdrose and Go South West sums up the very spirit of the occasion.”

Danny Greeno, CEO of The Veterans Charity, said:

“We are very proud to have wonderful support from GWR for this Remembrance initiative which is now in its fourth year. Poppies To Paddington will once again be hugely poignant, paying respects to the fallen. Thanks to great support from the military and railway communities, wreaths are still able to complete their journey from across the South-West to Paddington to form the backdrop to the annual Remembrance service on Platform 1.

“Bringing communities, service personnel and Veterans together to remember in this special way is so important to ensure the sacrifices of the fallen are never forgotten. Our sincere thanks to everyone who is helping to make this happen, especially to GWR and RNAS Culdrose.”

Military personnel and veterans attending services of remembrance can travel to and from the events by train for free on Saturday 11 November and Sunday 12 November.
Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train companies, said the offer was open to serving military personnel in uniform or who show a current Ministry of Defence-issued identity card. Veterans can show a Veterans Railcard, a Veterans Oyster card or other proof of service – such as a Ministry of Defence-issued Veterans ID card.

GWR is also allowing free travel for military personnel and veterans travelling to remembrance events on Friday 10 November.

Poppies to Paddington trains on Friday 10 November:

Carmarthen 0618
Llanelli 0653
Swansea 0720

Community

Milford Haven paddling pool open daily at 10:00am — safety reminder issued

Published

2 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Town council urges parents to supervise children at all times

MILFORD HAVEN TOWN COUNCIL has reminded visitors to the children’s paddling pool on The Rath that the facility opens daily at 10:00am, and that children must be supervised by a responsible adult.

In a bilingual safety poster shared online, the council set out simple but essential rules to help ensure the pool remains a safe and fun space throughout the summer holidays. While the pool is popular with families, the council warns that it is not officially supervised, and users do so at their own risk.

The key rules include:

Children must be accompanied by an adult.
No running or diving in or around the pool.
No food, drink, or glass bottles in the water area.
No dogs are allowed within the paddling pool zone.
Littering is strictly prohibited.

A council spokesperson said: “Hi everyone, a polite request: we ask that all children be supervised by a responsible adult while using the pool. Thank you.”

There is no formal age limit for the pool, but younger children will be given priority, especially during busy times.

Local families have praised the pool since it reopened, with one visitor, Linda Phillips, commenting: “We’ve just spent two hours there. Great effort everyone! The youngsters are really enjoying it.”

Milford Haven Town Council thanked her for the feedback, calling it “lovely to hear.”

Opening times or access arrangements may change due to weather or maintenance — updates will be posted on the council’s official Facebook page.

Caption:

Splash safely: Milford Haven Town Council’s new bilingual poster reminds families to supervise children and follow the rules while enjoying the paddling pool on The Rath this summer (Pic: Herald).

News

Stricken boat rescued off Ramsey Island after gearbox failure

Published

7 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Off-duty RNLI crew member steps in to assist with tow to safety

ST DAVIDS RNLI all-weather lifeboat launched at 6:20pm on Wednesday (July 9) to assist a 28-foot motorboat that had suffered drive shaft failure near Ramsey Island.

The vessel, which had departed from Porthclais harbour with two people on board, was left without propulsion due to gearbox issues and was drifting dangerously close to cliffs.

The call for assistance was received at 6:09pm, and the lifeboat was launched just over 10 minutes later. Calm sea conditions allowed the volunteer crew to reach the scene swiftly. A local recreational boat from Voyages of Discovery had been standing by the stricken vessel until the lifeboat arrived.

Given the boat’s proximity to the cliffs and inability to manoeuvre, the coxswain made the decision to tow it back to Porthclais. However, the harbour is inaccessible to the RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat.

Fortunately, off-duty crew member Robin was nearby on his own vessel and was able to take over the tow and bring the motorboat safely into the harbour.

The lifeboat and crew returned to station by 7:40pm.

Crime

Motorist sentenced over crash that left biker with life-changing injuries

Published

8 hours ago

July 10, 2025

Court Reporter

A PEMBROKESHIRE man who caused life-changing injuries to a motorcyclist in a serious crash at Merlin’s Bridge has been sentenced at Swansea Crown Court.

JAMES IAN PUTTOCK appeared before the court on Wednesday (July 2), where he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving, contrary to section 2C of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

The collision occurred on December 20, 2022, at Merlin’s Bridge, near Haverfordwest, and involved a red Suzuki Splash driven by Puttock and a motorcyclist.

The rider suffered what police described at the time as “life-changing injuries” and was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. The road was closed for several hours while crash investigators examined the scene.

Puttock had originally been due to stand trial, as previously reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald in January 2024. However, he entered a guilty plea ahead of trial.

At sentencing, the court imposed the following:

20 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months
10 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) days
12-month driving disqualification

The Herald understands the crash had a profound impact on the injured rider and their family, who are still dealing with the long-term consequences of the incident.