Community
Charity warns older people to be wary during digital switchover
AS the telephone industry upgrades from analogue to digital landlines, Age Cymru is warning older people to be wary of rogue traders trying to take advantage of the switchover.
The change will see calls made over a broadband line instead of the old analogue network, which is becoming increasingly unreliable.
The charity says for most customers, all aspects of the switchover will be free of charge with no home installation work required. If customers require additional support with set up, they will be contacted by their telephone provider.
Age Cymru therefore warns that if somebody offers to carry out work relating to the switchover, in return for some form of payment, it’s likely to be a scam that should be reported to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
People can also check with their telephone provider about what work is or isn’t taking place in their area. However, if anyone feels threatened or in any danger from a rogue trader they should call the police as soon as possible.
Age Cymru’s chief executive Victoria Lloyd says “It’s such a shame that we must warn older people to be on their guard in relation to the digital switchover as this is something that should improve people’s experiences of phone services.
“We’ve been told that lines will be clearer, which will help those who are hard of hearing. There’ll be a facility to enable three party lines which will help people to have mini group chats with friends and family and thereby help reduce loneliness. And there’ll be increased protection against unwanted marketing or nuisance calls.
“However, given our experience of how rogue traders work we want to forearm older people so they can avoid potentially expensive and emotionally damaging scams and instead take full advantage of the new phone services without any unnecessary fears.”
Understanding the digital switchover process
BT, the biggest supplier of landlines in Wales, is holding dozens of events across the country to advise customers face-to-face about the switch. Other phone providers may also be organising similar events.
Age Cymru understands that for most customers, digital switchover will simply involve connecting your home phone handset to a router rather than the phone socket on the wall. And for BT customers, if you don’t have the correct router, they will send you one completely free of charge.
At this stage, BT will be writing to all their customers to make them aware of the changes, and following up with those who are ready and eligible to make the switch. BT will not be switching customers who may have difficulty making the change just yet and will give these customers additional support when the time comes.
If you think you’ll have a problem with the transition, think you are vulnerable, or use a healthcare alarm connected to your landline, please contact your phone provider and tell them.
And if anyone uses a personal healthcare alarm, they should also check with their suppliers that they have everything they need prior to the switchover.
BT customers who are ready and eligible to make the switch will be contacted four weeks before making the move to ensure they have everything they need.
While BT are by far the biggest provider of telephone services in Wales, this is an industry-wide change and other telephone providers are managing their own switchover process so contact your provider to understand how the change will affect you.
How big is the issue of scamming in Wales?
According to the Wales Against Scams Partnership (WASP) older victims of scams in the UK lose an average of £1,200 over their lifetimes.
WASP also cites Action Fraud data showing that they receive around 15,000 cases of fraud from Wales each year. However, Action Fraud believes that the reported figure is just the tip of the iceberg and that the actual number of scams undertaken, or attempted, is seven times bigger.
And according to recent BBC research it is estimated that the UK is losing £2,300 per minute to scam activity.
Community
Community pub hopes for closed Pembrokeshire inn dashed
HOPES a closed south Pembrokeshire inn could become the latest community pub in the county have been dashed after a lack of funds were raised; the owner now planning to turn it into two homes.
Earlier this year, The Parsonage Inn, St Florence closed its doors to the public, and a public meeting – at the behest of St Florence Community Council – was held in early February with hopes it could be run as a community venture.
Western Telegraph: The Parsonage Inn, St Florence. Picture: Google Street View.
In the last 20 years has seen eight tenants, with the closure coming about “due to the prolonged and sustained pressures faced to both the economy though the cost-of-living crisis with less trade, along with increases in utility, food and alcohol bills, as well as increases in business rates, minimum wage increases and further legislation on waste disposal”.
Local county councillor Rhys Jordan, who supported the meeting, said there was a strong desire to see The Parsonage Inn reopen its doors, but there was a need to temper enthusiasm with realism.
Western Telegraph: The packed meeting to discuss The Parsonage Inn, St Florence.
However, hopes the Parsonage would become a community pub have come to no avail, as just three per cent of the funds needed were raised.
Owner Daniel Scriven is now hoping, in a recently submitted application, to turn the pub into two homes.
Referring to the hopes The Parsonage could become a community pub, an application before Pembrokeshire planners says: “Following its closure in January 2024 a community meeting was held on February 5 in the village hall to discuss its future, during the meeting the challenges facing the hospitality industry were discussed and the community reviewed raising funds to take the Parsonage Inn into community ownership.
“Regrettably we understand following the meeting it has become evident that only three per cent fundraising of the asking price has been raised and no offer or approach to the applicant/owner has been made by the community to the owner to put forward a viable proposal, it would therefore appear unviable.
“Following its closure in January 2024, in March 2024 the final tenant along with some members of the community have opened a small community social club in the village hall during evenings on a more ad-hoc basis which would appear more reflective in scale and usage to the community it serves, alongside The [nearby] Sun Inn.”
The application will be decided by county planners at a later date.
Community pubs have become something of a Pembrokeshire story, with the Tafarn Sinc, Rosebush becoming community-owned after a huge fund-raising effort that attracted worldwide interest – including support from Hollywood star Rhys Ifans.
Other community pubs include The Cross Inn, Hayscastle, and the Tafarn Crymych Arms, Crymych, where volunteers raised more than £200,000 to buy the pub.
Community
Badger cub rescued and released after cliff fall at beach near St David’s
A young badger cub who had fallen onto rocks at Porthlysgi Beach, St Davids, has been released back into the wild after a period of RSPCA specialist care.
The male cub – which weighed just 1.455 kilograms (3.2 pounds) – which is the same weight roughly as three loaves of bread – was found on Saturday 20 April at around 1pm. He was understandably in a frightened state and was making distressed noises.
RSPCA Inspector and Wildlife Officer Keith Hogben attended the location – a rural cove off the Pembrokeshire Coast Path – to collect the badger and take him to a place of safety.
A video taken by Keith shows when he was initially spotted as he was hidden amongst the rocks. On this occasion a specialist bag designed for wildlife was used instead of a cage due to the difficulties accessing the location safely.
“The cub was found directly below a larger badger sett so we knew where he came from,” said Keith.
“Luckily he was spotted and we were able to find him amongst the rocks and able to get to him before anything happened to him. He would have been very vulnerable out in the open and in the daylight.”
The badger cub was then assessed by Keith and RSPCA Wildlife Officer Ellie West who provided specialist care for the cub.
Ellie said once the badger was fully recovered from his ordeal they were able to return him to his sett.
“On Monday 22 April he was taken back to the sett at dusk and released,” she said.
“We were really pleased he was able to be released so soon as he was still at a suckling age and would have not been out and about yet at this age much at all.”
If you encounter a badger who is injured or in distress please visit our website https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/badgers
or call the RSPCA’s emergency line on 0300 1234 999.
To mark the RSPCA’s special anniversary the animal welfare charity wants to inspire one million people to join their movement to improve animals’ lives. To find out how you can join their million-strong movement for animals visit www.rspca.org.uk/200.
Community
Plea to save at-risk Anchorage day care centre
AN ONLINE plea to save a Pembrokeshire day centre from being closed has been lodged with the county council.
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.
But now the centre is expected to close, with services instead being offered elsewhere in the county, including Haverfordwest and Milford Haven.
A series of engagement events have taken place at The Anchorage recently, outlining the reasons and the options in continued service.
One parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “The parents and carers are all very upset at the way we have been treated, kept in the dark and then presented with what is a fait accompli to close the Anchorage, while at the same time going through the motions of a ‘consultation’ with us.
“The clients at The Anchorage have friendships with each other and staff going back decades in some cases.
“One young woman who attends ran out of the first meeting sobbing when she was told it was going to close. Another, at the second meeting, tried to address the meeting but was so chocked up at the thought of not seeing her friends anymore she could hardly speak.”
She added: “The Anchorage has been a respite in the day for parents and a safe, happy place for the clients.
“Everyone feels that the county council is not considering the feelings of the clients, most of whom are upset and frightened by change to their routine.”
Another person raising concerns said: “The centre is set to close as early as next month – meaning the sudden retraction of a service which, for many families in the area, is nothing short of a lifeline.
“I’m not sure PCC understand the gravity of the impact that closing the centre will have on the lives of many people, particularly the customers, some of whom may not understand or cope well with such a total upheaval of the familiarity of their daily routine.
“It’s so upsetting that the people who will be most affected by the closure of the centre are as much a part of the Pembrokeshire community as anybody else that the council claims to represent, and yet in this decision, I feel they’re not being seen as such.”
Since then, an online e-petition, on the council’s own website has been launched calling for it to stay open.
It says: “The centre provides day-care support to a number of vulnerable adults with varying levels of disability who are unable to process, and understand, the implications of such a decision.
“Some of those attending the centre have been doing so for over 20 years and continuity is a vital part of their lives. Removing this service will have nothing other than a huge detrimental impact on their health and mental wellbeing.”
The petition has attracted 284 signatures to date.
A Pembrokeshire County Council spokesman said: “Following the engagement sessions held with families and service users regarding the future of the centre on April 10 and 17 at the Anchorage, families said that they would like to maintain the Anchorage Day Centre and explained that they would write to the council in order to ask for the decision to be overturned.
“People who attend the service will be offered alternative care, all service users are currently having their individual care needs assessed by social work teams to fully understand which other services best meet those care needs.”
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