A NORWEGIAN vessel wrecked off the Pembrokeshire coast more than a century ago has inspired a new art exhibition at the Torch Theatre.

Professional artist Warren Heaton, from Pembrokeshire, will exhibit his paintings at the Joanna Field Gallery this June in a show titled Ragna – the link that connects two coastal communities.

The exhibition tells the story of the Norwegian vessel Ragna, which was wrecked at Aberfelin in 1900, and the dramatic rescue carried out by villagers from Trefin.

Warren, who has a gallery and studio in Solva, said the idea grew from conversations in the village while he and his wife Helen were living in Trefin.

He said: “My wife and I were living in Trefin when I got talking about the project with Andy and Richard over a pint at the Ship Inn.

“We arranged a small re-enactment down at Aberfelin. The villagers all dressed up and posed for me to photograph, and then paint. That’s where it all started.”

Warren and Helen, who live in Llangwm, have strong links to the sea. Helen has recently completed a row across the Atlantic, and maritime history and coastal communities are central themes in Warren’s work.

He added: “We’re trying to take the exhibition all over Pembrokeshire and eventually to Cardiff and maybe even Norway.

“So far it’s been to St Davids, Fishguard and Trefin Museum, but to take it to Norway would be amazing, as that is where the Ragna originated from.”

The Ragna Art Exhibition – the link that connected two coastal communities features paintings by Warren Heaton, interpretation panels by Richard Cotton and sound design by Andy Wheddon. It also features Mari-Anne Maddocks and Eleanor Bennett.

The exhibition can be seen at the Joanna Field Gallery, Torch Theatre, from Wednesday (Jun 3) to Monday, June 29, during Box Office opening hours.

For further information visit torchtheatre.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01646 695267.

WELSH businesses are being urged to tighten credit control after new figures showed a rise in overdue invoices across the country.

R3, the UK trade body for restructuring, turnaround and insolvency professionals, said its latest Quarterly Business Health report showed 475,000 late payments in Wales during the first quarter of 2026.

That was up 3% on the same period last year, when 462,000 late payments were recorded.

The report, based on data from Creditsafe, also found that around 57,000 companies in Wales had overdue invoices on their books in the first quarter of this year, slightly up from 56,000 in Q1 2025.

However, there was some positive news for Welsh firms, with insolvency-related activity falling year-on-year.

R3 said there were 212 cases of administration, voluntary liquidation and compulsory liquidation in Wales during Q1 2026, down 14% from 246 cases in the same quarter last year.

But the figure was still 24% higher than in the final quarter of 2025, when 171 cases were recorded.

Bethan Evans, chair of R3 in the South West and partner at Menzies LLP, said the figures should be treated as an early warning sign for local businesses.

She said: “Our latest Business Health report highlights an early warning sign for local businesses, with more companies being affected by late payments.

“With a worrying increase in the number of late payments locally, day-to-day cashflow remains under real strain.

“Late payments are a significant contributor to business failure, and mounting arrears can quickly turn manageable cashflow issues into a wider crisis, particularly for small and medium-sized companies.

“With businesses also facing higher energy and fuel costs linked to global uncertainty, our members expect pressure to intensify as the year progresses.

“With this in mind, business owners should prioritise credit control and seek professional advice early if they begin to struggle, rather than waiting until problems become unmanageable.”

Nationally, the number of overdue invoices rose to 17.48 million in Q1 2026, up 3% on the same period last year.

The West Midlands recorded the highest number, with 3.05 million overdue invoices, followed by Greater London with 2.91 million and Scotland with two million.

The UK Government has said late payments cost the economy £11bn each year and lead to the closure of 38 businesses every day.

Its proposed Small Business Protections (Late Payments) Bill would introduce maximum payment terms of 60 days, enforce interest on late payments and give the Small Business Commissioner new powers, including the ability to fine businesses that persistently pay suppliers late.

YOUTH unemployment in Wales is rising far faster than in Scotland and the UK average, according to figures highlighted by the Welsh Liberal Democrats.

The party said unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds in Wales rose by 9.5 percentage points between 2024 and 2025, compared with 1.1 percentage points in Scotland and 1.9 percentage points across the UK.

The figures show 32,800 young people are now unemployed in Wales, with a youth unemployment rate of 16.3 per cent. That compares with 12.6 per cent in Scotland and a UK average of 13.5 per cent.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats said the figures should act as a warning to both Cardiff Bay and Westminster, arguing that Wales risks creating a “lost generation” unless urgent action is taken to improve skills, jobs and economic opportunities.

The party has blamed years of weak economic growth, poor infrastructure investment and insufficient research and development funding. It also claims Labour’s increase in National Insurance contributions is adding pressure on employers and making some businesses less willing to recruit younger workers.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the new Plaid Cymru-led Welsh Government to reverse what they describe as Labour’s 25 per cent cut to the apprenticeship budget and to put skills and workforce development at the centre of economic policy.

They also warned that rising housing costs, student debt and a lack of well-paid opportunities are pushing young people to leave Wales, weakening local economies and reducing the future tax base.

David Chadwick MP, Welsh Liberal Democrat spokesperson, said: “Wales is heading in the wrong direction, and these figures should be setting alarm bells ringing in both Cardiff Bay and Westminster.

“The most alarming statistic is not where Wales is today, but how quickly the situation is deteriorating. This is not an unavoidable trend. Other parts of the UK are showing that far better outcomes are possible. The question is why young people in Wales are paying the price for years of economic failure.

“For too long, Labour and Conservative governments have failed to secure the investment Wales needs to succeed.

“At the same time, businesses are telling me that Labour’s National Insurance jobs tax is forcing them to scale back recruitment and, in some cases, let younger workers go altogether. That is the last thing Wales needs when youth unemployment is already rising so rapidly.

“The new Welsh Government must act immediately by reversing Labour’s damaging 25 per cent cut to apprenticeship funding and putting skills and job creation back at the heart of economic policy.

“If young people cannot build their futures in Wales, Wales cannot build a prosperous future for itself. The Welsh Liberal Democrats will continue to champion our younger generations in both Westminster and the Senedd.”