Adam’s Bucketful of Hope says vulnerable users, elderly volunteers and charity drivers have paid more than £1,000 after Ateb introduced camera-controlled parking at the former library car park

LOCAL cancer victims, many of whom are battling their final months of life, are being targeted with unnecessary parking fines by local housing company Ateb.

Since taking over the former library in Haverfordwest town centre, together with the adjoining car park, Ateb has been claiming car parking fees monitored by Parking Eye Limited.

But the system means that patients attending the nearby cancer support centre, Adam’s Bucketful of Hope, are being issued with multiple fines, court summonses and even bailiff action.

Many fines are being served on vehicles which drop patients off at the centre and immediately drive off.

These include an 89-year-old volunteer who, despite paying her parking tickets, has received three separate threatening letters; a courtesy van which was fined £100 for transporting charity equipment to a fundraising event; a motorist who recently accrued a £200 fine for delivering a patient and returning later that afternoon to pick her up from the centre; and a Polish van driver who collects the charity’s ragbags for Wilcox Recyclers, who has paid £120 in parking fines.

“Why should these people have to pay?” said Chris Evans-Thomas, who co-founded the charity with her son Adam, who sadly died of leukaemia at the age of 35.

“We don’t pay when we go to the hospital, we don’t pay at the doctor’s surgery, so why are our patients, many having reached the last months of their lives, being dealt all this stress whenever they visit our support centre?

“We’ve repeatedly asked to meet Ateb face to face in order to discuss the issue, but they’re ghosting us.”

Chris claims that when Ateb purchased the library back in April 2022, the housing company assured the charity that the existing arrangement would be honoured, enabling regular charity volunteers to use their five allocated car parking spaces free of charge.

“But the parking system is now all on camera, so even if we just drive in to drop somebody off, the driver of the car is fined,” she continued.

To date, the centre’s cancer patients and volunteers have spent a total of £1,062 on tickets issued on vehicles using the five designated parking spaces. A full refund has now been requested by the charity.

“We’ve been based at this site for almost 20 years and have always operated from the back entrance. But since Ateb took over the car park, all this has changed.”

Support for patients

The charity’s principal purpose is to support cancer sufferers, many of whom are terminally ill, by providing a wide range of free treatments to boost their personal rejuvenation and respite.

These include contemplative sessions in the respite and rejuvenation room, hair and beauty treatments, and a wide range of craft and singing sessions.

The charity works closely with the VC Gallery and also welcomes anyone undergoing hospital treatment for other illnesses, both physical and mental. People who are too sick to attend can use the “messenger wall” to interact with others attending the centre.

“A lot of people finish their treatment at hospital and are then told they can go home, and for many this can be daunting,” continued Chris Evans-Thomas.

“Suddenly they no longer have all the camaraderie they received from the medical staff and they start feeling anxious and lonely. This is why the centre is so important to so many of our users.

“But since Ateb bought the library, our numbers have seen a steady decline because a lot of our users don’t want to risk using the car park and get a £100 fine, so they’ve stopped attending.”

The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that some of the centre’s older users are unable to use the car park’s card and phone payment system.

Terminal diagnosis

One of the centre’s regular attendees is Yvonne who, last November, was told that her cancer is terminal.

“I was told that I’ve got a year to live, maybe two years maximum,” she said.

“I’m already serving a life sentence, so why should I have to deal with all this added trauma from Ateb?

“They’ve sent me four letters and threatened me with court proceedings, but I’m in the middle of my cancer treatment. Having to deal with all this just adds to the stress.

“Everyone in life has come across people who are suffering from cancer and it hits the heart of everybody. But Ateb is just carrying on with their threats without giving any thought to what it’s doing to us.”

Moving to Foley House

Meanwhile Chris Evans-Thomas said that Adam’s Bucketful of Hope is currently preparing to relocate to another part of town.

“All we’re asking is for Ateb to listen to our plea and help our patients continue using the centre until we move to our new location in Foley House, having outgrown the building here in Dew Street,” she concluded.

“The feasibility studies have all been completed, with the result that we’re hoping to move in the next two years. This means we only need Ateb’s support for a short period of time.

“If we can give them our users’ registration numbers, there would be no problems.”

Ateb response

Meanwhile Ateb responded by stating it has “worked closely” with local residents, businesses and Pembrokeshire County Council to offer solutions to local parking needs.

“We’ve looked at offering various solutions and concessions to local parking needs, including aligning our parking terms to that of other nearby public car parks,” commented an Ateb spokesperson.

“We will continue to operate the parking within the displayed terms of operation and engage in issues that are made aware to us at the relevant time.”

A Pembrokeshire chef has admitted driving when he was over four times the legal drink-drive limit.

Brian Worrall, 44, who is employed as a chef at The Griffin pub in Dale, was arrested in the early hours of April 27 after driving his Citroen into a hedge on a minor road close to the village.

“Police received a call concerning a road accident and when they got to the road leading to Dale, they discovered two intoxicated males walking,” Crown Prosecutor Dennis Davies told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

“One of them was the driver and had the car keys in his possession.”

After giving a positive roadside breath test, Worrall was conveyed to the police station where he gave further breathalyser tests, the lowest reading being 150 mcg.  The legal limit is 35.

But Worralls’ solicitor, Jess Hill, said that a substantial amount of alcohol had been consumed by the defendant following the collision.

“The offence took place on his birthday and he’d drunk alcohol after work to celebrate,” she said.  “He’d drunk a couple of beers before going out in the car with his colleagues.  They were on their way to get some more drink when he misjudged the corner and went into the hedge.  “They tried to retrieve the car, but when they failed to do so, they decided to go back the next day to get the vehicle.

“The defendant was shaken up by what had happened and drank a bottle of wine on the way back before he was breathalysed.”

Jess Hill added that Worrall, who is South African by birth, was unaware of the British licensing laws, despite having resided in the UK since 2000.

“He has no previous convictions but accepts that he binge drinks and when this happens, it may affect his ability to drive,” she concluded.

“He also accepts he should be aware of the rules in the country in which he is now living.”

Worrall, of Castle Way, Dale, pleaded guilty to drink driving, failing to stop after an accident, driving without third party insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

He was sentenced to 18 weeks in custody suspended for two years.  During this time he must carry out 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 300 hours of unpaid work.  He must also pay a £154 court surcharge and £85 costs.

He was disqualified from driving for 36 months.

RNLI senior lifeguards Harry and Nia represented the charity at the annual Landing Craft Memorial Service at Freshwater West on Saturday (Apr 25).

The service is held each year to remember those connected with the wartime landing craft exercises and the area’s military history.

Freshwater West is one of 16 beaches across Pembrokeshire covered by RNLI lifeguards during the summer season.

The charity is reminding beachgoers to choose a lifeguarded beach whenever possible, swim between the red and yellow flags, and call 999 and ask for the Coastguard if they see someone in difficulty in the water.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the RNLI Lifeguard Service.