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Fantastic Lanterns light up Cardigan for a Giant Christmas Celebration

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THOUSANDS gathered for the revival of this year’s major event created by Cardigan-based Small World Theatre to mark the start of the festive season. Cardigan’s mayor Sian Maehrlein and the mayor’s escort David Maehrlein were in attendance. Musicians and giant lanterns led hundreds of people through the town and into Cardigan Castle to the delight of thousands of spectators.

This year ‘upmarket’ Cardigan was named by The Times as one of the prettiest towns for Christmas shopping. Last weekend saw the switch-on of the Christmas lights and Cardigan’s independent cafes, shops and galleries transformed their windows into winter wonderlands to welcome shoppers.

“We’re all delighted to see the Cardigan Giant Lantern Parade return.’ said Councillor Elaine Evans. “It is the cherry on the cake for this bustling town, and for a lot of people this will be the highlight of their Christmas. Congratulations to Small World Theatre and the community.”

Fifteen giant paper and willow lanterns were inspired by the ‘Fantastical Beast’ theme including a minotaur, griffin, boar, phoenix, rainbow, dove, and a life-size baby elephant puppet made by Small World Theatre. With Space to Create artists lending a hand at the event and creating a beautiful swan and a unicorn. Other large lantern creatures were made by Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi’s sixth formers as well as a beautiful show of pyramid lanterns by pupils from Ysgol Gynradd Aberteifi.

In the run up to the event, the parade received funding from Cardigan Town Council, Ceredigion County Council, Leafed Through community bookshop and a public fundraising campaign.

“Let’s hope that the resounding success of this year’s Parade is recognised, and we get the support we need to make this an annual event” said Small World Theatre’s director Ann Shrobree. “Thanks to everyone who helped; stewards from Cardigan Show and Barley Saturday Committees, Cardigan Castle, Cardigan Town Council, Cardigan’s traders, musicians, performers, volunteers, St John’s Ambulance and so many more.’ “Well done everyone – you were all stars!”

(Photos: Jennie Caldwell)

Business

Small business briefing hosted by Local MS

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A BRIEFING event which considered how to best support small businesses in Wales has been hosted by Preseli Pembrokeshire Senedd Member Paul Davies. Mr Davies hosted the event in partnership with the Development Bank of Wales, Economic Intelligence Wales and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Wales at the Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay. The theme of the event was ‘productivity’, given that Wales has had a persistent productivity gap with the UK as a whole and with other international competitor regions.

Mr Davies said, “It’s always a pleasure to help facilitate discussions on how we can support small businesses across Wales. 99.3% of businesses in Wales are small or medium enterprises (SMEs) and it’s important for us to explore the opportunities there are to boost SME growth.”

“Business-friendly policies are needed to address Wales’s persistent productivity gap, and we heard from the speakers today that more support is needed in areas like skills development, infrastructure enhancements and planning.”

“As I’ve said before, the Welsh Government has some significant economic levers, and it must now use those levers to create conditions for growth in Wales. We know that when small businesses thrive, they create jobs, spread prosperity and keep our communities vibrant and it’s crucial that governments at all levels do more to support our small businesses and enable them to grow.”

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Bristol Trader to temporarily serve menu at the Castle Hotel

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The team of a popular riverside pub in Pembrokeshire, devastated by a recent fire, will relocate to a new town centre location while repair work is carried out on the original site.

On Wednesday, 6 November, a fire broke out at The Bristol Trader, situated on Haverfordwest’s riverside, causing significant damage to the building. The fire affected two floors of the pub as well as the roof space, forcing its closure. Smoke from the blaze was visible across the town as firefighters from Haverfordwest and Milford Haven worked for two hours to extinguish the flames.

Following the incident, the pub’s owners expressed their sadness, describing the team as “absolutely heartbroken” but determined to reopen and come back stronger. They extended their gratitude to the regulars, locals, friends, and family who have offered their support during this difficult time.

In the meantime, The Bristol Trader team will continue operating from an alternative venue. Beginning Monday, 18 November, the pub will relocate to the restaurant of the Castle Hotel, located on Haverfordwest Square, where they’ll serve the same menu.

“While repairs are being made to The Bristol Trader, Team Trader are being temporarily relocated to The Castle Hotel Restaurant from Monday the 18th of November,” announced the team in a social media post. “All our menus are attached to our Facebook page, and the phone lines are being redirected.”

Anyone with a booking at The Bristol Trader who hasn’t been in touch since the fire on 6 November is encouraged to contact the team at 01437 762122.

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Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigns following child abuse report

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THE Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has announced his resignation following the publication of a damning report that reveals the Church of England covered up decades of abuse by prominent barrister John Smyth QC.

Welby stated: “Having sought the gracious permission of His Majesty The King, I have decided to resign.”

The resignation follows the release of the independent Makin review last week, which detailed how Smyth, over a span of five decades, abused children and young men in the UK and Africa. The report estimates that as many as 130 boys and young men suffered severe physical, sexual, psychological, and spiritual abuse at Smyth’s hands, leaving lasting scars on their lives.

The review highlighted a critical missed opportunity, concluding that Smyth might have faced justice had Archbishop Welby reported the abuse to police a decade ago. Smyth, who died in Cape Town in 2018 at age 75, was under investigation by Hampshire Police but was “never brought to justice for the abuse,” according to the report.

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