News

Milford Haven becoming ‘autism aware’

Published

9 years ago

June 19, 2017

DYFED-POWYS POLICE officers and staff are on track to make Milford Haven the first autism friendly community in Wales.

For the past three months the team has been out and about in the town raising awareness of autism, and helping shops and businesses learn how they can become more supportive and welcoming of autistic people.

The Neighbourhood Policing Team is leading the bid to become an autism friendly community, and so far a sergeant, seven PCSOs, two PCs and two volunteers have completed their online awareness training with ASDInfoWales.

On the force day of action alone, the team visited 16 businesses in the town to make them aware of the scheme and to encourage them to complete the online training. There are currently 30 businesses signed up and displaying their autism aware stickers, which are designed to promote awareness and understanding, and give autistic people and their carers the confidence to call in.

Schools, organisations and health centres are also working towards gaining the certification.

Milford Haven Sergeant Terri Harrison said the purpose of becoming an autism aware community was ‘about reducing hate crime, mate crime, and supporting the vulnerable’.

“We’re looking at the bigger picture of how autism awareness can improve the whole community,” she said.

“An extra five minutes spent in a shop or a business explaining what it’s about doesn’t take anything away from our role – if anything, it enhances it. We are getting to know parts of the community we didn’t know before.

“Protecting the vulnerable is one of the Chief Constable’s key messages. By making ourselves and others aware of autism and how it affects people we are protecting not just children, but vulnerable adults too.”

As well as helping to reduce crime, Sgt Harrison hopes becoming autism friendly will be beneficial for the whole of Milford Haven.

“There are so many families where there are people with autism that are looking for autism friendly destinations – somewhere they feel comfortable to bring their family for a holiday,” she said.

“With all the work that is going on here and everything we have planned for Milford Haven it will be perfect. We want to let everyone know that we are on board and we understand.”

PC Emma Smyth patrols Milford Haven, but when she’s not in work she cares for her four-year-old autistic daughter. She hopes the autism friendly initiative will eventually be rolled out across the force to support communities further afield, as well as police colleagues.

“It seems appropriate that we are a part of building the community that we look after,” she said.

“We hope to be the first autism informed community in Wales, and it would be nice if we could then become the first autism friendly force in Wales so we can support people across Dyfed-Powys, as well as officers with autism, and those who care for family members.

“There are so many people affected by autism, whether it’s the individual themselves, their parents or carers, and the first thing people say when I ask what they know about autism is ‘my nephew has it, or my friend’s child is autistic’ – it’s something more and more people are affected by.

“Other people we speak to don’t know anything about it at all, so it’s nice to bring it to the forefront. I think there is still a lot of work to be done, but there is more acceptance now. When I started in the police, autism would have been branded as a mental health issue – now there are people who think having autism is beneficial to them.”

Caring for an autistic child, PC Smyth knows full well the difficulties posed both at home and when out and about in the community. She said raising awareness of how autistic people might act or communicate would be of great benefit to parents and carers.

“I have days when I can’t cope,” she said.

“My day starts at 4.30am when my daughter wakes up, and I have to carry her downstairs – I might still be doing that when she’s a teenager, it’s not going to get any easier. I look after her until I come to work, and I’m not alone in caring for someone like this – it would be great if we could develop a network of people who are in the same boat and can support one another.

“She can have quite severe meltdowns and make noises that people don’t generally like. If I saw a sticker on the window of a shop or cafe that suggested that it’s an autism-friendly location I would have more faith that I would be able to cope in that situation, and wouldn’t have to worry.

“It’s really stressful for working parents with autistic children. It’s not just support for the person with autism that we need, but support for their families too.”

As part of the ASDinfoWales Can You See Me Campaign, people can choose to wear a wristband indicating that they are autistic. Alternatively, they can carry a card or download an app with a logo to show shop workers, café staff, police officers, or anyone else they might come in contact with to make them aware that they might have difficulties with communicating.

PCSO Paul Mayhew has taken the campaign to heart, and has dedicated time during every shift to make people aware of the scheme, as well as educating himself about autism.

He said: “If we break down our roles as police officers, not all of what we deal with is crime. Our role as a police service, rather than a force, is to protect the vulnerable in our communities, and you can’t get more protective than trying to make the whole community aware.

“It has really opened my eyes to how many people are living with autism in Milford Haven. One parent said to me that it was like her son was invisible, and that really brought the Can You See Me campaign to life.

“Nobody I have spoken to has questioned why we are doing it. They can see that we are looking out for the vulnerable people in our community. It’s like a Neighbourhood Watch scheme because if people can see that someone with a vulnerability is being taken advantage of they will let us know.

“Milford is such a community town, and it really shows in how people are taking this scheme on board. It has opened a new world to me.”

The team is now hoping to support ASDinfoWales to develop training specifically for the emergency services, and will encourage other officers to undertake this when the course has been developed.

Once all the targets have been completed, Milford Haven will officially become an Autism Friendly Community. There will be a launch event at the Torch Theatre on Thursday, July 6 to raise awareness and celebrate the campaign.

Education

Reform MS takes Church school row to Welsh Government

Published

17 minutes ago

June 10, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Claire Archibald says proposals affecting Cilgerran and Manorbier show rural families risk losing real parental choice

A REFORM UK Senedd member has asked the Welsh Government to intervene over the future of Church schools in West Wales, following growing concern about proposals affecting rural schools in Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.

Claire Archibald MS, who represents Ceredigion Penfro, has written to Education Minister Anna Brychan asking what safeguards are in place to protect Church schools, Christian education and parental choice.

Her intervention follows months of controversy over the future of rural education provision, including proposals affecting Cilgerran Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School and Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School.

Pembrokeshire County Council has consulted on plans to discontinue Cilgerran Church in Wales VC School and establish a new 3-11 community school in its place.

In Manorbier, the council has also progressed proposals to discontinue the village’s Church in Wales school, which has been at the centre of a long-running row following a serious fire.

Ms Archibald said the issue should not be treated as a simple administrative change.

She said: “Christianity has helped shape Wales for generations. It is part of our history, our values, and the life of many of our villages and towns.

“Church schools matter. They give parents the choice of a Christian education for their children, and in rural areas that choice can be lost very easily when a school is closed, reorganised, or stripped of its Church status.

“I fully understand that councils face financial pressures and difficult decisions, but we cannot allow those pressures to quietly erase Christian school provision from rural Wales.

“These are not just technical changes. They affect parental choice, community life, and the future of Christian education in Wales.”

Rural school concerns

The Herald has previously reported on strong opposition to changes at Cilgerran, where many parents and residents have argued that the school’s Church status is part of its identity and community role.

The Manorbier case has also attracted significant local attention, with campaigners arguing that the village school should be protected following the disruption caused by the fire and the temporary relocation of pupils.

Ms Archibald said the pattern across rural Wales was worrying.

She has also raised concerns about proposals affecting village schools in Ceredigion, including Ysgol Llanfihangel y Creuddyn, a community school on a Church in Wales-owned site.

She said: “Parents should not be told they have choice on paper when the nearest realistic alternative may be many miles away.

“In rural areas, distance matters. Transport matters. Community matters.

“I have asked the Education Minister to set out what safeguards are in place to protect Church schools, Christian education, rural communities, and parental choice before these decisions are allowed to go ahead.”

Questions for ministers

In her letter, Ms Archibald asked the Welsh Government to confirm what assessment has been made of Church schools closed, discontinued, or proposed for category change in Wales.

She has also asked whether stronger guidance will be issued to councils considering proposals that affect Church schools.

The MS has requested that the minister meet affected parents, governors, local representatives and the relevant dioceses.

Councils have previously argued that school reorganisation proposals must take account of pupil numbers, building conditions, budgets, educational standards and long-term sustainability.

However, campaigners say that in rural communities the closure or reclassification of a school can have consequences beyond education, including the loss of community identity, longer journeys for children and fewer realistic choices for parents.

Charity

Henry Tufnell visits St Davids RNLI lifeboat station

Published

47 minutes ago

June 10, 2026

Tom Sinclair

MP pledges to raise funding and regulation concerns after meeting volunteer crew at St Justinian

HENRY TUFNELL MP has visited St Davids RNLI lifeboat station to hear first-hand about the work of its volunteer crew.

The Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP met crew members at St Justinian, where he was briefed on some of the rescue missions carried out by the station off the Pembrokeshire coast.

Mr Tufnell said the visit had highlighted both the dedication of the lifeboat crew and the pressures facing the service.

He said: “It was a privilege to visit the RNLI St Davids Lifeboat at St Justinian and hear first-hand about some of the remarkable rescue missions the crew have undertaken.

“They do extraordinary work keeping our community safe.”

Mr Tufnell added that crew members had also raised concerns about ongoing challenges, including funding and regulation.

He said: “It was also important to hear about the ongoing challenges they face, particularly regarding funding and regulation.

“As your MP, I will continue to champion and protect the interests of our community heroes in Westminster.”

The RNLI station at St Davids is one of Pembrokeshire’s key coastal rescue bases, serving a busy and often challenging stretch of coastline popular with walkers, kayakers, boat users and visitors.

The charity relies on volunteer crews and public support to continue its lifesaving work.

Crime

Farmers fined in bovine TB scandal face fresh court action

Published

51 minutes ago

June 10, 2026

Court Reporter

Hartt family members listed at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court over unpaid penalties linked to major cattle prosecution

TWO PEMBROKESHIRE farmers convicted in a major bovine tuberculosis-related cattle case are due back before the courts this week over unpaid financial penalties.

Henry Hartt, 66, of Ciffig, Whitland, and Edward William Henry Hartt, 48, of Llandewi Velfrey, are both listed to appear at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (June 11).

Court records show both men face proceedings relating to the non-payment of fines of £94,739.64 imposed on March 4, 2024. Separate applications to lodge committal warrants are also listed, relating to unpaid fines of £22,300 and £22,400 respectively.

The pair were among three members of the Hartt family sentenced at Swansea Crown Court in March 2024 following a major prosecution brought by Pembrokeshire County Council involving bovine TB controls.

The court heard that cattle known to have reacted to bovine tuberculosis tests were knowingly kept on-farm, while substitute animals were allegedly presented for slaughter instead.

At the time, Henry Hartt, Edward Hartt and Charles Hartt admitted a total of 12 cattle identification offences connected to Longford Farm, Clynderwen.

The case centred on failures to comply with bovine TB restrictions and cattle tracing rules designed to prevent the spread of the disease.

Each defendant was fined £24,000, while confiscation orders and prosecution costs running into hundreds of thousands of pounds were also imposed.

Thursday’s hearing is expected to deal with enforcement proceedings connected to the unpaid financial orders rather than the original criminal offences.

The Herald will be attending court.