News
Withybush fundraisers make New Year’s honours list
TWO fundraisers for patients undergoing cancer care at Withybush Hospital are being recognised in the New Year’s honours list.
67-year-old Bernie George, and 64-year-old Trish George, from Hakin, have been chosen for the British Empire Medal.
Since 2008 the pair has raised more than £350,000 for Withybush Hospital.
The full list of New Years Honours for Wales is:
DCVO
Mrs Kathrin Elizabeth Thomas, CVO, JP. Lord-Lieutenant of Mid-Glamorgan.
MVO
Ian John Miles. Senior manager Specialist Operations, Dyfed Powys Police.
Mrs Audrey Williams. For services to the Lieutenancy of Dyfed.
ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE
CBE
Ms Clare Joanne Connor, OBE. Director of Women’s Cricket, England and Wales Cricket Board. For services to Cricket. (East Sussex)
Sean Nicholas Dennehey. Deputy chief executive Intellectual Property Office. For services to Intellectual Property. (Monmouthshire)
Professor Simon John Gibson, OBE. Chief executive, Wesley Clover Corporation. For services to the Economy in Wales. (Monmouth, Gwent)
Professor Karen Margaret Holford. Deputy vice Chancellor Cardiff University. For services to Engineering and the Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering. (Cardiff)
David Robert Michael Melding. For political and public service. (South Glamorgan)
Professor Philip Alexander Routledge, OBE. Consultant Physician, Llandough Hospital, Cardiff and Professor Emeritus of Clinical Pharmacology. Cardiff University. For services to Medicine. (Cardiff)
OBE
Professor Antony Chapman. Formerly vice Chancellor Cardiff Metropolitan University. For services to Higher Education. (Cyncoed, Cardiff)
Sam Kennedy-Warburton. For services to Rugby Union. (Cardiff)
Professor Hilary Margaret Lappin-Scott. For services to Microbiology and the Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering. (Swansea)
Ms Deborah Moggach. For services to Literature and Drama. (Powys)
Jonathan Howell Morgan. For services to Disability Sport in Wales. (Bishopston, Swansea)
David Arwyn Watkins. Managing director Cambrian Training Company. For services to Education and Training in Wales. (Welshpool, Powys)
MBE
Michael Bell. For services to the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra. (Roath, Cardiff)
Detective Constable Timothy John Bird. North Wales Police. For services to Policing and the community in North Wales. (Conwy)
Mrs Kathleen Nancy Burns. For services to Post 16 Education and Skills in Wales. (Abergavenny, Monmouthshire)
Mrs Catherine Vivian Lindsay Clay. For political and public service. (South Glamorgan)
Royston Vincent Court. For services to Inclusive Judo. (Penylan, Cardiff)
Alan Davis. Coach Maindy Flyers, Cardiff and Newport. For services to Youth Cycling and Diversity Inclusion in South Wales. (Cardiff)
Brian Timothy Exell. President Seashell Trust and Chair of Governors, Ysgol y Deri, Penarth. For services to Special Needs Education in Wales and England. (Ogmore By Sea, Vale of Glamorgan)
Dr Rosemary Fox. National director for Screening Programmes Public Health Wales. For services to Healthcare in Wales. (Whitchurch, Cardiff)
Sgt Scott John Gallagher. North Wales Police. For services to Policing and the National Police Air Service. (Flintshire)
Mrs Susan Yvonne Hollister. Headteacher, Cefn Hengoed Community School, Swansea. For services to Education in Swansea. (Neath, Neath Port Talbot)
William Thomas Hopkins. For services to the community, particularly Children and Maritime Safety, in South Wales. (Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot)
David Ellis Jenkins. For services to Maritime Safety. (Aberystwyth, Ceredigion)
Mrs Karen Jones. For services to Children with Life Limiting Illnesses in the North West and North Wales. (Neston, Cheshire)
Mrs Rowena Wendy Jones. Paediatric Oncology Outreach Specialist Nurse, Hywel Dda University Health Board. For services to Sick and Disabled Children and End of Life Care. (Aberaeron, Ceredigion)
Alexander Khan. Chief executive officer, Lifetime Training. For services to Apprenticeships. (Raglan, Monmouthshire)
Mark Ralph Langshaw. Managing director, Continental Teves Ltd. For services to the Economy and community in Blaenau Gwent. (Usk, Monmouthshire)
Mrs Margaret Lynne McCabe. Head, Welsh Tribunals Unit. For services to Administrative Justice in Wales.
Daniel McCallum. Co-founder and managing director of Awel Aman Tawe. For services to Community Energy in Wales.
Mrs Rachel Duncan Morgan. For services to UK Antarctic Heritage and Conservation. (Monmouthshire)
Constable Richard Hugh Morgan. South Wales Police. For charitable services to Armed Forces Veterans.
Mrs Elizabeth Julie Morris. Headteacher, Severn Primary School, Cardiff. For services to Education. (Highlight Park, South Glamorgan)
Ms Helen Margaret Phillips. For services to Welsh gymnastics and the Commonwealth Games Council for Wales. (Ducklington, Oxfordshire)
Gurmit Singh Randhawa. For services to community cohesion in the Vale of Glamorgan. (Barry, Vale of Glamorgan)
Mrs Louise Mary Rooney. Senior nurse and head of prison healthcare, HM Prison Usk. For services to nursing and prison healthcare in Monmouthshire. (Chepstow, Monmouthshire)
John Victor Frederick Voss. For services to Rugby. (Y Barri, South Glamorgan)
Edward John Watts. For services to the Scouting Movement, Mission to Seafarers and Community Cohesion in South Wales. (Newport, Gwent)
BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL
BEM
Mrs Catherine Cicely Beech. For services to the community in Ceredigion. (Borth, Ceredigion)
Mrs Mary Clarke. For services to Flood Defence and the community in Cardiff. (Rhiwbina, Cardiff)
Mrs Diane Gail Curtis. Manager, Bowel Screening Wales. For services to Cancer Patients. (Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taff)
Mrs Sheila Delahoy. For services to Cancer and Cystic Fibrosis charities in Flintshire.
Gareth Evans. Deputy Local Policing Inspector South Wales Police. For services to Community Cohesion and Engagement. (Cardiff)
Mrs Gay Sandra Fifield. For services to Older People in South Wales. (Barry, South Glamorgan)
Bernard Oswyn George. For services to Withybush Hospital Chemotherapy Day Unit Pembrokeshire. (Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire)
Mrs Patricia Elizabeth George. For services to Withybush Hospital Chemotherapy Day Unit, Pembrokeshire. (Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire)
Mrs Teifwen Mary George. For services to equality, young people, charity and the community in Merthyr Tydfil. (Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taff)
David Edward Gravell. For services to charity. Sport and Education in Wales. (Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire)
Mrs Jenny Griffiths. For services to Wrexham Maelor Hospital North Wales. (Llay, Wrexham)
Gareth Jones. For services to Church communities in Skewen and Neath South West Wales. (Neath, West Glamorgan)
Mrs Helena Jones. For services to Young People and the community in Wales. (Brecon, Powys)
Mrs Maria Kovacevic-Thomas. For services to the National Health Service and voluntary service in Merthyr Tydfil. (Heolgerrig, Merthyr Tydfil)
Mrs Angeline Margaret Lawson. For services to Children, the Judiciary and the community in Denbighshire. (Denbigh, Denbighshire)
Mrs Ellen Maisie Mann. Nurse, Cwm Taf University Health Board. For services to Children and Young People. (Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taff)
Alistair McInnes. Civilian assistant, Gwent and Powys Army Cadet Force. For voluntary service to Young People. (Brecon, Powys)
Elvet Owen Richards. For services to the community in Trelystan, Powys. (Marton, Shropshire)
William Robert Roberts. For services to in community in Tyn-y-Groes Conwy. (Conwy)
Mrs Jeanette Lavon Smith. County Youth Officer, West Glamorgan St John Ambulance. For voluntary service to First Aid and to Young People. (Swansea, West Glamorgan)
Mrs Sheila Lynnette Thomas. For services to Music, Education and the Welsh Language in Powys. (Brecon, Powys)
Dr Margaret Ruth Vincent. For charitable services in the UK and Abroad and the community in Swansea. (Swansea)
Ms Alyson Elizabeth Williams. For services to Young People and the community in Swansea. (Cwmbwria, Swansea)
QUEEN’S POLICE MEDAL
QPM
Matthew Jonathan Jukes. Deputy chief constable, South Wales Police.
Superintendent Lee Porter. South Wales Police.
QUEEN’S AMBULANCE SERVICE MEDAL
QAM
Mrs Kath Charters. Clinical Data Specialist, Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
David Roger Thomas John. Advanced Paramedic Practitioner, Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
Crime
Swansea man dies weeks after release from troubled HMP Parc: Investigation launched
A SWANSEA man has died just weeks after being released from HMP Parc, the Bridgend prison now at the centre of a national crisis over inmate deaths and post-release failures.
Darren Thomas, aged 52, died on 13 November 2025 — less than a month after leaving custody. The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has confirmed an independent investigation into his death, which is currently listed as “in progress”.
Born on 9 April 1973, Mr Thomas had been under post-release supervision following a period at HMP/YOI Parc, the G4S-run prison that recorded seventeen deaths in custody in 2024 — the highest in the UK.
His last known legal appearance was at Swansea Crown Court in October 2024, where he stood trial accused of making a threatening phone call and two counts of criminal damage. During the hearing, reported by The Pembrokeshire Herald at the time, the court heard he made threats during a heated call on 5 October 2023.
Mr Thomas denied the allegations but was found guilty on all counts. He was sentenced to a custodial term, which led to his imprisonment at HMP Parc.
Parc: A prison in breakdown
HMP Parc has faced sustained criticism throughout 2024 and 2025. A damning unannounced inspection in January found:
- Severe self-harm incidents up 190%
- Violence against staff up 109%
- Synthetic drugs “easily accessible” across wings
- Overcrowding at 108% capacity
In the first three months of 2024 alone, ten men died at Parc — part of a wider cluster of twenty PPO-investigated deaths since 2022. Six occurred within three weeks, all linked to synthetic drug use.
Leaked staff messages in 2025 exposed a culture of indifference, including one officer writing: “Let’s push him to go tomorrow so we can drop him.”
Six G4S employees have been arrested since 2023 in connection with alleged assaults and misconduct.
The danger after release
Deaths shortly after release from custody are a growing national concern. Ministry of Justice data shows 620 people died while under community supervision in 2024–2025, with 62 deaths occurring within 14 days of release.
Short sentences — common at Parc — leave little time for effective rehabilitation or release planning. Homelessness, loss of drug tolerance and untreated mental-health conditions create a high-risk environment for those newly released.
The PPO investigates all such deaths to determine whether prisons or probation failed in their duties. Reports often take 6–12 months and can lead to recommendations.
A system at breaking point
The crisis at Parc reflects wider failures across UK prisons and probation. A July 2025 House of Lords report described the service as “not fit for purpose”. More than 500 people die in custody annually, with campaigners warning that private prisons such as Parc prioritise cost-cutting over care.
The PPO investigation into the death of Darren Thomas continues.
Crime
Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in
A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.
Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.
The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.
Police find victim with four wounds
Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.
He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.
The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.
He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.
Defendant has long history of violence
Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.
Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.
Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.
News
BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story
THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.
The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”
Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”
A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old.
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