News
‘Safe and happy place’ day centre closure expected to be confirmed
PEMBROKE DOCK’S Anchorage day centre could close as soon as November if a recommendation before senior councillors on Monday, September 9, is backed.
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.
At the September 9 meeting of Cabinet, it is 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 report for members lists three options: to maintain the status quo, the favoured option listed above, and to close the Anchorage with a social enterprise centre in Bro Preseli and ending the service level agreement with the Lee Davies Centre on March 31 of next year.
A series of engagement events have taken place at The Anchorage recently, outlining the reasons and the options in continued service.
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.
Speaking at that meeting, petition creator Peter Welsh – who said there had been no real consultation on the proposals – was joined by many of the service users in the public gallery at County Hall, Haverfordwest.
He launched an impassioned plea 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.”
To thunderous applause from the gallery, he finished: “July 18, 2024; for those in the gallery, today it is their day, their lives; yet it could be today that is also your day. Today we appeal to you on their behalf, today you have an opportunity to right a wrong.”
At the July meeting, Chief Executive Will Bramble said the pressures on social services in the county were so high that the 12.5 per cent council tax increase did not even meet the demands of that department alone, adding: “The only reason we were able to have a balanced budget was by cutting services in order to have a balanced budget.”
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 expected to come before the September meeting of the council’s Cabinet.
The three options will be considered by Cabinet members on Monday.
Business
Llangwm brewery closes after entering liquidation
A SMALL Pembrokeshire brewing company has been formally wound up after its owners concluded the business could no longer continue.
Black Tar Brewing Co Ltd, which was registered in Llangwm, entered creditors’ voluntary liquidation following a meeting of company members on February 27, 2026.
The meeting was held at the Swansea offices of Stones & Co Insolvency Practitioners, where Gareth Stones was appointed to oversee the closure.
The company’s registered address was at Gail Rise in Llangwm, near Haverfordwest, and official records listed its activities as beer manufacturing.
No public details have yet been released about the size of the business, the value of its assets or the amount owed to creditors.
As liquidator, Mr Stones will now take control of the company’s affairs, identify any remaining assets and determine whether funds are available for those owed money.
Creditors are expected to receive further information as the process develops.
The liquidation was initiated by the company rather than through a court order, meaning its members voted to bring trading to an end and place its finances in the hands of an insolvency practitioner.
A public notice connected to the closure directs creditors and other interested parties to Stones & Co for further information.
The winding-up brings an end to the Llangwm-registered brewery, although the company’s recent level of trading and the number of people connected to the business remain unclear.
Crime
Murder investigation launched into death of Pembrokeshire man in 1991
A 67-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after new potential evidence emerged in connection with a death more than three decades ago.
Dyfed-Powys Police have launched a murder investigation into the death of 58-year-old Bentley Mathias, who died in hospital in 1991.
Mr Mathias died at Morriston Hospital on November 19, 1991, with his cause of death recorded at the time as a brain haemorrhage.
His death was not initially treated as suspicious. However, police said new potential evidence had since come to light, prompting the case to be investigated as a murder enquiry.
On Wednesday, July 22, officers arrested a 67-year-old man from the Llandewi Velfrey area of Pembrokeshire on suspicion of murder.
He has since been released on police bail while enquiries continue.
Dyfed-Powys Police said officers were not looking for anyone else in connection with the investigation.
The enquiry remains ongoing.
Education
Haverfordwest pupils impress judges with eco-friendly cleaning business
Ysgol Preseli also represented Pembrokeshire among five finalists at an all-Wales green skills competition
A TEAM of Haverfordwest pupils has earned national recognition after developing a range of environmentally friendly cleaning products aimed at hotels and tourism businesses.
The Sustainables, from Haverfordwest High VC School, presented their idea to business leaders, Welsh Government representatives and sustainability experts at the Tomorrow’s Changemakers Hackathon 2026.
The pupils gave a live demonstration of their product and explained how it could be priced and marketed to businesses across the hospitality sector.

Their combination of environmental thinking and commercial awareness impressed the judging panel, which awarded the team a Highly Commended prize.
Pupils from Ysgol Preseli also reached the final, meaning Pembrokeshire was represented by two of the five teams selected from across south and west Wales.
The competition, held at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David in Carmarthen, challenged Year 8 pupils to find practical solutions to environmental problems affecting tourism, hospitality and the built environment.

The overall winners were the Green Guardians from Llangatwg Community School in Neath Port Talbot.
Their design for a more sustainable school included an outdoor learning centre which could also operate as a pupil-run garden café.
The hackathon marked the end of a year-long programme in which pupils worked alongside teachers, employers and community organisations to research problems, develop ideas and present their solutions.
More than 1,000 Pembrokeshire pupils have taken part in the Tomorrow’s Changemakers programme since it was introduced in the county in 2023.
The Port of Milford Haven is the programme’s main partner in Pembrokeshire.





Anna Mullarkey, the Port’s stakeholder engagement and communications manager, said: “The creativity and innovation shown by these learners is truly inspiring.
“They transformed their ideas into practical solutions that could help build a more sustainable future.
“We’re proud to support young people in reaching their full potential and delighted to see schools across Pembrokeshire creating environments where ideas and talent can flourish.”
The programme has now worked with more than 3,000 young people across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Neath Port Talbot.
It is due to expand further from September, with Ysgol Harri Tudor and Ysgol Caer Elen joining the Pembrokeshire programme alongside schools in Swansea, Powys and Bridgend.
Cymbrogi Futures founder and chief executive Liza Lort-Phillips said Pembrokeshire remained at the heart of the initiative.
She said: “The county has extraordinary young people with bold ideas about the future of their communities.
“Our job is to give them the space, the tools and the confidence to act on those ideas.”
-
Crime2 days agoDrunken rail passenger tried to headbutt police after being refused travel
-
Crime2 days agoWomen jailed after man chased through Milford home and attacked with knives
-
News1 day agoBurnham more willing to listen on Welsh devolution, says First Minister
-
Crime1 day agoHaverfordwest man jailed for seven years for historic rape and sexual assault of girl
-
Crime2 days agoMother headbutted and clawed police officers after threatening social worker
-
Community2 days agoSenior councillors to consider call for ‘impartial investigation’ into Manorbier school closure
-
Community1 day ago£447,000 investment to train next generation of planners in Wales
-
Entertainment2 days agoAerial circus show exploring identity and belonging comes to Torch Theatre







