News
Poppit Sands gains Blue Flag award
POPPIT SANDS beach in Pembrokeshire has been awarded the Blue Flag award.
The Keep Wales Tidy’s Wales Coast Awards have also given awards to a number of beaches and marinas across Wales.
Other awards include the Green Coast Award and Seaside Award and the beaches are ranked amongst the best in the UK and across the world.
47 sites will proudly fly the Blue Flag Award in Wales this year.
Poppit Sands lies at the mouth of the Teifi Estuary and is a sandy beach backed by dunes.
At high water there is plenty of beach but it’s a low tide when the full extent of sand appears to go almost to Gwbert on the other side.
It is the start, or the end, of the 186 mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path which takes you right around the coast to Amroth in the south.
The Blue Flag beach award is widely considered the gold standard for beaches. Awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education, the Blue Flag is internationally recognised. Whilst most people are aware that Blue Flag certification guarantees the quality of bathing water this is only part of the criteria.
The Blue Flag award is ideally suited to resort beaches with plenty of facilities. It is for this reason that the other awards granted in the UK may be of equal or more use in choosing a suitable beach.
The Blue Flag criteria are divided into four categories with a total of 33 individual targets. These main categories include: Environmental Education and Information, Water Quality, Environmental Management and Safety and Services.
Wales has seen an increase in the number of international Blue Flag Awards with 44 beaches and three marinas being awarded a Blue Flag- five more than last year.
A further 26 beaches were awarded the Green Coast Award- an excellence award for the ‘hidden gems’ along our coastline and a total of 92 beaches have been awarded the Seaside Award.
The Blue Flag Award is a highly respected international award owned by the Foundation of Environmental Education (FEE) and runs in 49 countries across the world. In Wales, environmental charirty Keep Wales Tidy manages the award.
The prestigious award is only awarded to beaches, marinas and boats that have the highest quality of water, environmental education and management, safety and services. It acts as a guarantee to the public that a beach is among the finest not only in the country, but around the world.
Poppit Sands joins a number of other Pembrokeshire Blue Flag Beaches including Amroth, Tenby (South, North and Castle), Newgale and Dale.
Community
New town map unveiled in Fishguard
A NEW town map has been installed in the heart of Fishguard to help residents and visitors discover more of what the area has to offer.
The map, created by Visit Fishguard & Goodwick’s in-house graphic designer, has been placed on the Abergwaun Hotel tunnel, near Offshore Surfwear’s new shop.
The group said it was “incredibly proud” of the finished result and thanked the building owner for allowing the map to be installed on the premises.
Visit Fishguard & Goodwick is now hoping to create a similar map for Goodwick and is asking for help from a centrally located building owner who may be willing to host it.
Anyone who can help, or knows of a suitable location, is being asked to get in touch with Visit Fishguard & Goodwick.
Community
Tenby Summer Spectacular cancelled amid council row over harbour access
Organisers say popular charity events cannot safely go ahead without clear powers to control crowds
TENBY ROUND TABLE has announced that this summer’s Tenby Summer Spectacular events have been cancelled until further notice amid a dispute with Pembrokeshire County Council over crowd control at the harbour.
The events, which were due to take place on Sunday, August 16 and Sunday, August 30, have been a major feature of Tenby’s summer calendar for decades, drawing large crowds to the harbour for entertainment, food, drink and fireworks.
In a statement, Tenby Round Table said the decision had been made “with enormous sadness” and claimed it had been forced on organisers because of unresolved issues over the safe management of pedestrian access.
The organisation said it needed the council’s Public Realm department to use statutory powers to temporarily restrict pedestrian access through the event area when capacity is reached.
Organisers said the matter had first been raised with the council in September 2025 and again formally in writing in May 2026.
They said volunteers had attended meetings, commissioned professional health and safety consultants and worked on Event Management Plans, but claimed the council had still not provided a clear answer.
Tenby Round Table said: “PCC’s Public Realm department has had nine months to answer one question on safe and controlled access to the harbour. It has not done so.”
The group also alleged that recent written responses from the council contained factual inaccuracies and misleading statements about the relevant legislation.
It added that the council’s legal advice was understood to be provisional and still under internal review.
The cancellation is currently described as provisional, with organisers giving the council a final deadline of June 25 to provide what they describe as a clear, accurate and legally grounded answer.
Tenby Round Table said that if this is provided, it will do everything possible to reinstate the events.
The group said the Summer Spectacular had raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities, sports teams, community groups and worthy individuals since it began.
It said the cancellation would be a devastating blow to those who benefit from the funds raised.
The statement added that organisers are still working with Dyfed-Powys Police and other relevant authorities ahead of a council licensing committee meeting in July, which is expected to consider whether the event licence should be renewed, amended or withdrawn.
The Herald has asked Pembrokeshire County Council for comment.

Charity
Sea shanties and street food bring crowds to Cardigan RNLI festival
SUNSHINE, sea shanties and street food helped draw hundreds of visitors to Cardigan RNLI Lifeboat Station on Saturday (Jun 20).
The station’s Sea Shanty and Street Food Festival brought together families, supporters and visitors from across the region for a day of maritime music, food and community spirit.
Traditional sea shanty groups performed throughout the event, with songs echoing around the lifeboat station, while street food vendors served a range of refreshments.
The event also gave visitors the chance to learn more about the lifesaving work carried out by the RNLI and its volunteer crews.
Cardigan RNLI thanked the performers, food vendors, volunteers, sponsors and supporters who helped make the day a success.
Bruce Harris, Launch Authority and event organiser, said: “It was wonderful to see so many people come together to support the station, enjoy the entertainment, and celebrate our maritime heritage.
“The atmosphere throughout the day was fantastic, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who attended, performed, volunteered, and contributed to such a memorable event.”
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts.
The charity operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands.
Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved more than 146,700 lives.
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