News

A genuinely engaging story

Published

12 years ago

February 27, 2014

IN 1778 John Theophilus Potter (Theo to his friends) came to Haverfordwest from Dublin with a group of actors to put on two performances of Romeo and Juliet.

A careless accident left him unable to return with the other players – and then he met Elizabeth Edwardes, from a family of local gentry. Friendship turned to love and whilst some in the town wondered (in a rather loud voice) that the Edwardes should allow Elizabeth’s friendship with an actor, Theo was no strolling player without a penny to his name.

He was a ‘gentleman player’ with a considerable fortune and a very respectable income. He was also a restless man, constantly driven to achieve.

Ideally he would have wanted to return to Dublin and continue acting with the Smock Alley Players, but Elizabeth was disinclined to leave Haverfordwest. She wanted nothing more than to build a home and fill it with children. Theo relished his part in bringing the children into being but lacked much in the way of patience when it came to their upbringing. The Wayward Gentleman is the story of the years that followed.

Now there is some intriguing background to this story. Theo Potter is the great-great-great-grandfather of author Patricia Watkins and The Wayward Gentleman is her lightly fictionalised retelling of the years Potter spent in Haverfordwest, close to where she has lived since returning after decades spent in the USA.

My heart inevitably sinks at the thought of reading about an author’s forebears – families are usually only interesting to family – but I lived in Swansea for a time and I’ve a soft spot for south Wales. Then, when I began reading, I realised that this book is very, very well written and the story of Theo Potter is one which deserves to be told.

Theo Potter flies off the page fully costumed. He’s used to being in the limelight and he’s personable in a way that many actors are not.

Skillful writing meant that we watched him mature over the course of the book, whilst we saw Elizabeth become more and more of a homebody. Even the ‘bit players’ have real, individual personalities. There’s an obvious affection for the characters, but it’s an honest telling of the story: I howled with laughter at the events of the masked ball and I cried over Theo’s horse, Hercules – twice. There’s a real sense of Haverfordwest too and best of all it comes from an author who knows her subject rather than someone who has done a lot of research to flesh it out.

I read the book in two sittings and the time simply flew by. It’s a genuinely engaging story with characters who stay in your mind when you’ve turned the final page.

Community

Stix Noodle Bar in Haverfordwest rewards visitors who park and shop local

Published

1 hour ago

May 18, 2026

Cerys Lafferty

A POPULAR restaurant is taking on one of the town centre’s biggest frustrations with a new initiative designed to ease parking stress and encourage more visitors into the heart of the community.

Stix Noodle Bar has announced a new scheme offering customers money off their bill when they show proof of paid parking in the town.

Under the initiative, diners who present an active parking ticket or parking app booking will receive the equivalent cost of one hour’s parking deducted from their meal bill.

The business says the idea was created in response to ongoing concerns about local parking pressures, while also supporting neighbouring independent traders and encouraging more people to spend time in the town centre.

In a statement released alongside the launch, the restaurant said: “Tired of Haverfordwest’s parking stress? So are we. That’s why we’re doing something about it.”

The team behind the noodle bar is encouraging visitors to “park up, come in, eat well, then go explore some of the brilliant businesses right on our doorstep,” adding that “Haverfordwest is worth stopping for.”

The scheme has already received support from local representatives, including Reform Councillor, Scott Thorley, who praised the move as a practical way to support the town centre economy.

“This is an excellent idea,” he said. “Tackling parking stress while boosting local businesses and footfall in Haverfordwest — this is exactly the practical support our town centre needs.”

Community

Pembrokeshire named UK’s most photographed coastal national park

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2026

Tom Sinclair

County’s coastline places sixth in UK-wide photo study

PEMBROKESHIRE has been named the most photographed coastal national park in the UK, according to new data from photo curation app Popsa.

The study, which analysed metadata from millions of customer photos uploaded in 2025, ranked Pembrokeshire Coast National Park sixth overall out of the UK’s 15 national parks.

It was the highest-ranked coastal park in the list, ahead of destinations including the Cairngorms, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, the Yorkshire Dales and Dartmoor.

Popsa gave Pembrokeshire a Photo Index Score of 28, representing 5.76% of all UK national park photography included in the study.

The company said the county’s 186-mile coastline, with its limestone arches, sea stacks, beaches and hidden coves, offered “photographic variety that few parks can match”.

Barafundle Bay was highlighted as one of the most photographed locations, particularly at low tide, while Skomer Island was noted for its puffin colonies, which attract photographers between April and July.

Wales performed strongly overall, with all three national parks appearing in the UK top ten. Eryri, formerly Snowdonia, ranked fifth, Pembrokeshire sixth, and Bannau Brycheiniog, formerly the Brecon Beacons, tenth.

Together, the three Welsh parks accounted for 16.46% of all UK national park photography in the study.

The Lake District topped the list, followed by the South Downs, the Peak District and the New Forest.

Popsa CEO Liam Houghton said: “Wales has three genuinely world-class national parks and this data shows they are clearly on photographers’ radar.

“But there’s a real gap between the quality of the landscapes and the volume of photos being taken there compared to the English parks.”

The findings suggest Pembrokeshire remains one of the UK’s standout destinations for landscape, wildlife and coastal photography, while also underlining the continued importance of the national park to the county’s tourism economy.

Crime

Pembroke woman accused of scrap fraud to appear in court

Published

2 hours ago

May 18, 2026

Court Reporter

Defendant accused of dishonestly selling vehicle for scrap in Haverfordwest

A PEMBROKE woman is due to appear before magistrates charged with fraud after allegedly selling a vehicle for scrap in Haverfordwest.

Natalie Morris, aged 42, of Corston Lodge, Axton Hill, is accused of fraud by false representation under the Fraud Act 2006.

The allegation relates to an incident said to have taken place in Haverfordwest on Tuesday (Aug 9), 2022, in which Morris allegedly dishonestly made a false representation by selling a silver Toyota Corolla, registration CU52 XBR, for scrap.

The court heard the alleged offence was carried out with the intention of making a financial gain of £313.

The case was listed before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court on Monday (May 18), where a previously issued warrant was withdrawn.

No plea was entered and the matter was adjourned.

Morris is now due to appear before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court at 10:00am on Tuesday (May 26) for a plea hearing, where she will be asked to enter a guilty or not guilty plea.