A PEMBROKESHIRE village pub which reopened its doors last year after being bought by the community has now been given permission for a restaurant extension and outdoor seating area.

Last December, the Tafarn Crymych Arms reopened after being closed in September 2021 when its current owners retired and put the pub up for sale.

Crymych Football Club coordinated the community purchase of the historic pub in the heart of the village, with volunteers raising more than £200,000 to buy the pub. They also secured a significant Community Ownership windfall from the UK Government.

A dedicated team had helped with repainting, wiring, moving the furniture and pool table, and sorting all issues ready for reopening.

Speaking at the time, former county councillor Cris Tomos who had helped with the purchase process “It is hard to believe that it was just one year ago from now, on December 13, 2022 that the first public meeting took place at the Crymych Market Hall to see if there was any interest within the community to take on the challenge of raising the funds and organising the process of purchasing and reopening the Tafarn Crymych Arms.

“The tremendous support over the following months soon demonstrated that people have missed having the traditional pub at the heart of the village.”

Since that successful reopening, Tafarn Cymunedol Crymych, through agent Harries Planning Design Management, has applied to Pembrokeshire planners for a dining room extension and external seating area.

The scheme was supported by Crymych Community Council which said: “We are pleased to see an application to develop a community resource.”

An officer report for the application said: “The proposed development is to erect a flat roof extension to the front of the building to create a dining room extension and lobby entrance area.

“A formal enclosed seating area which is partially raised would also be created to the front of the public house.  The retention of pavement to allow pedestrians to walk across the front of the development, outside of the seating area is to be included within the scheme.”

The application was conditionally approved by Pembrokeshire County Council planners.

PEMBROKE Dock’s Anchorage day centre is to close in less than two months, following a decision by senior councillors today, September 9.

The county council is currently changing care provision for older adults and those with learning disabilities, and fears have been raised recently that Pembroke Dock’s Anchorage day care centre is to close.

A series of engagement events have taken place at The Anchorage recently, outlining the reasons and the options in continued service, part of which is much-needed building maintenence costs at the centre, set against a background of increasingly tight budgets, councillors have heard.

The Anchorage Day Care Centre in Pembroke Dock has been a “safe and happy place” for adults with learning difficulties and additional needs for decades.

In more recent years it has expanded to support elderly dementia sufferers.

At the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members received a petition calling for the council to keep the centre open, with an impassioned plea by Peter Welsh for the centre to remain open, saying of the service users: “They are a family, a happy group of individuals that enjoy being together in safety at their home, the Anchorage.

“They are effectively voiceless, we will be their voice.

“It’s an injustice; inexcusable targeting of the vulnerable. Please don’t use these vulnerable individuals as pawns for a money-saving gain.

“We may lose this battle today, but I hope not; they need your support. Just imagine if it was your son or daughter or grandchild being put through this uncertainty that is affecting their lives; you would feel the same sense of anger as us.”

Despite a plea by local councillors Tony Wilcox and Brian Hall to give the centre a breathing space ahead of a potential move to an as-yet-unbuilt facility in Pembroke, the matter was brought to the September meeting of the council’s Cabinet.

In a report presented at the September 9 Cabinet meeting by Cllr Tessa Hodgson, Cabinet Member for Social Care and Safeguarding, it was recommended members “close the Anchorage Day Centre with effect from November 1, 2024,” along with, as part of wider changes in the service, establishing social enterprise models in the Crymych’s Bro Preseli and Narberth’s Lee Davies Centre with effect from April 1, 2025.

The recommendation, one of three presented to Cabinet, said it “will provide a longer time period to establish social enterprise models in two of the three centres, ensuring time for scrutiny from members and further engagement from families and users in the final model,” adding: “The model will further strengthen the links between PCC and the third Sector.

“The Anchorage Day Centre would be closed in [two of the three options], but the timescales set out would provide a transition to a new service before the winter and ensure that service users would not need unplanned placement if the building does require emergency closure.

“Service users at the Anchorage have all received support from senior social workers to review alternative placements and all have chosen options should the decision be made to close the Anchorage. Several additional options to retain services within the Pembroke Dock area have been included mitigating journey time to Haverfordwest.

“Meadow Park [in Haverfordwest] has capacity to support all of the current service users from the Anchorage and has the capacity and skill set to provide a single point of excellence. South Wales Advocacy will be approached once a decision has been made to support service users.

“Whilst Option 2 would not secure all of the budget savings required of adult services in 2024/25 it will ensure full recovery next year and reduce the need to enact any further budget savings which would require loss of staff and additional redundancy costs.”

Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services Cllr Rhys Sinnett said: “It’s a sensitive issue  and one that really – if I was a parent, I would want to protect my young person or adult as much as possible – I guess part of all that is about the peer group or the friendship group that they have; wherever possible we must seek to offer something that preserves that as much as possible and is as close to wherever they live as possible.”

Council leader Cllr Jon Harvey stressed the need to keep the “cohort of Anchorage users together,” later quoting the reasoning behind the choice of options, as outlined in the report to members.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Hodgson said: “In Pembrokeshire, we want older people and people with disabilities to have a range of meaningful things to do, in their local communities that provides purpose, connection and where appropriate, progression.

“We have at every step tried to balance the needs of the service users and their families with the requirement for change and we will continue to support all service users as we go through this process.

“We have worked hard to identify alternative and suitable provision for all service users and put the direct bus in place from the Anchorage to Meadow Park after listening to feedback.

“I wish to emphasise that no service users will be left without provision following the decision here today and we will continue to work closely with everyone to ensure a positive outcome for all day opportunities users.”

National Trust Cymru, in conjunction with Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, has closed the public access route leading to Traeth Llyfn beach sooner than planned due to increased seal and seal pup activity at the beach. The Blue Lagoon is scheduled to close to the public as planned from 21 September 2024 until 2 November 2024.

Mark Underhill, National Trust Cymru’s Countryside Manager for Pembrokeshire said: “We are fortunate to host grey seals year-round here in Pembrokeshire and the breeding season is vital for the ongoing health of these colonies given that it is estimated that around half of the world’s population of grey seals breed on our coastline. The total number of grey seals in West Wales is estimated to be about 5,000, with some 1,400 pups being born each year, making it extremely important that we take care to ensure the safety of these colonies.

“With this in mind, we ask that visitors refrain from accessing Traeth Llyfn from 5 September 2024 and the Blue Lagoon from 21 September, whilst also following guidelines laid out by the Seal Alliance and Pembrokeshire Marine Code when on the rest of the coastal path. It is also imperative that dogs are kept on short leads and away from beaches during seal breeding season at the coast in Pembrokeshire.”

The Blue Lagoon closes to the public each year from late September to November, with recent years seeing increasing numbers of the grey seal population breeding in and around Traeth Llyfn as well, leading to its temporary closure in 2023. The Blue Lagoon’s sheltered location, making it so attractive to seals, combined with high visitor numbers in this area, creates a situation where there is a high potential for disturbance to seals.

The time seals spend resting on land is vital to their health and that of their pups as they digest recent meals, socialise, and feed their young. Visitors will still be able to watch these wild creatures in their habitat from a distance on the Wales Coast Path, but to avoid disturbing seals at this important time of year, National Trust Cymru recommend following the Pembrokeshire Marine Code: stay quiet, keep your distance (at least 50m away from seals), never come between a seal and her pup, or a seal and the sea, and don’t take dogs near a seal breeding area.

They also ask that if a seal is spotted in distress or alone, never approach the pup. Seals are often left alone on the beach and distress can be caused by contact with people. To raise any concerns about seals or seal pups, contact the conservation group Welsh Marine Life Rescue on 01646 692943 or 07970 285086 who will be able to offer you further guidance.