News

Cabinet approves Ocky White purchase at £250K

Published

8 years ago

October 9, 2018

CABINET members praised the intervention of a key scrutiny committee in helping to secure a reduced price for the former Ocky White building.
On Monday (October 8), members of the County Council dealt with the purchase of the department store on Bridge Street, Haverfordwest.
Members agreed on a purchase price of £1/4m for the building and praised scrutiny committee members for helping to add impetus to what had been ongoing negotiations with its owners.
The landmark retail outlet has become increasingly dilapidated since its closure in 2013 and is a key part of the Council’s scheme to regenerate Haverfordwest’s Town Centre.
On September 10, the Cabinet had – with some misgivings – approved a proposal that the building should be bought at a price of £460,000 pending a decision on redevelopment or demolition. The Council had secured Welsh Government grant support towards the cost of redeveloping the building.
However, six councillors – Mike Evans, Phil Kidney, Pearl Llewellyn, Mike Stoddart, Viv Stoddart and Jacob Williams exercised their right to ‘call in’ the Cabinet’s decision for further scrutiny by the Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee, chaired by Conservative leader Rob Summons.
The grounds for the call-in were:
– That the decision represents particularly poor value for taxpayers’ money
– That the report to cabinet does not present the full financial picture
That meeting took place on September 28. At it, several councillors took the chance to attack the Cabinet’s decision, including – ironically – Cllr Jamie Adams, whose late IPPG administration was behind the original development scheme to buy and redevelop the property.
Those plans were subsequently discounted as unviable when the current administration decided to seek an assessment of the site’s commercial prospects.
A common theme to the Committee’s complaints was that the price agreed of £460,000 was ‘vastly over the top’.
Jacob Williams described it as ‘scandalous’, before adding: “The significance of the building is overhyped. It has a listed building as an annexe and we would be rewarding a property owner of a not particularly attractive building with taxpayers’ money.
Cllr Jamie Adams said although the scheme had been in the offing for a long time he could not support the decision to invest in the building saying ‘it is incompatible with financial demands’.
Then Head of Property, Barry Cooke, told the Committee that the price agreed was too high but added that the owners won’t sell for anything less than that. “If we can’t acquire the property we will not able to proceed with the first step. It is a difficult building to value but we did get them down to £450,000 but they have quoted more than that,” he added.
It was those committee discussions and the pressure that they placed on the Ocky White buildings’ owners that were credited by Cabinet members with driving down the purchase price.
Reintroducing the matter to his Cabinet colleagues, Labour leader Paul Miller emphasised that the regeneration of Haverfordwest Town Centre was something to which he was passionately committed. Cllr Miller added that the Council’s intention was not simply a ‘one-off’ purchase but part of a much larger regeneration scheme and should be seen in that context.
Cllr David Lloyd said that the effect of scrutiny on the purchase price previously agreed was ‘proof that local democracy works’ and urged his Cabinet colleagues to use ‘courage and ambition’ to drive the regeneration project forward.
Cllr Bob Kilmister, who had at best been sceptical about the original plans to buy the premises, said that while he had been won over on the purchase price element, he still had concerns about the potential for an ongoing revenue cost to the Council if the building remained under-occupied or unoccupied after the project’s completion. He added that the Council simply could not afford that revenue cost but that he was encouraged that Cllr Miller and officers were examining ways to avoid further liabilities building up.
Cllr Neil Prior, who was sceptical of the wisdom of buying the Ocky White building in September, commended those negotiating on the Council’s behalf for achieving such a significant reduction in price in the ten days between the Services Committee’s meeting on September 28 and the Cabinet meeting.
It was proposed by Cllr Paul Miller and seconded by Cllr Bob Kilmister that the former Ocky White building be bought for £250,000 and that further plans be drawn up for the redevelopment of the site with all options – including demolition – remaining on the table.
The motion was carried unanimously.

Cllr Paul Miller

News

150 years of Mothers’ Union marked at St Davids Cathedral

Published

2 hours ago

June 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A SPECIAL service has been held at St Davids Cathedral to celebrate 150 years of the Mothers’ Union.

Members and officials gathered for the anniversary celebration on Sunday (Jun 21), where Bishop Dorrien welcomed those attending and spent time speaking with the Provincial Chaplain.

The occasion had particular significance for Bishop Dorrien, who is the third generation of his family to be a member of the Mothers’ Union.

The organisation, founded in 1876, continues to support families, communities and church life across Wales and around the world.

Those attending said the celebration was a fitting tribute to the work of generations of members, with hopes expressed for the next 150 years.

Caption:

Celebration: Members and officials gathered at St Davids Cathedral to mark 150 years of the Mothers’ Union (Pic: Diocese of St Davids).

Entertainment

Harbour Fest to bring music, food and maritime magic to Milford Waterfront

Published

3 hours ago

June 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Free family festival will celebrate Milford Haven’s seafaring history and coastal community

MILFORD WATERFRONT will burst into life on Saturday, June 27, as the first Harbour Fest sails into town for a day of music, food, family fun and maritime celebration.

The free event will run from 10:00am to 6:00pm at Mackerel Quay and across the waterfront, bringing together local traders, live entertainment, coastal organisations and independent businesses for a packed day beside the water.

Organisers say the festival will celebrate everything that makes Milford Haven special, from its seafaring history and working harbour to its growing reputation as a destination for food, shopping, culture and family days out.

Visitors will be able to browse stalls from local makers and producers, enjoy street food and live performances, and explore a Marine Zone featuring organisations involved in sea safety, marine conservation and coastal life.

The Marine Zone will include Seagrass Network Cymru / Project Seagrass, Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Dyfed-Powys Police, NCI Wooltack Point, Rudders Marine Training, RNLI Milford Haven and RNLI Angle Lifeboat.

RNLI Angle Lifeboat is expected to be based on the Mackerel Stage, while the Sea Cadets will be giving rope-tying displays at Milford Haven Museum, where craft activities will also be taking place.

Live entertainment will run throughout the day, with performances from Tom & Abz, Will Scott, Ryan Bristow, Milford Haven Town Band, Kyle Kirkhouse and ShantyJacs Sea Shanties.

Businesses across the waterfront are also joining in. All Pets Vet Care will hold a family-friendly open day with a bouncy castle, treasure hunts, quizzes, craft activities and behind-the-scenes tours. Aurora Artisan Crafts will host vocal performances, Biffy’s Bar & Restaurant will feature solo acoustic music from Laurence Lewis, and Martha’s Vineyard will offer seafood street food with live music from Ryan Bristow and Steve Bartram.

At Tŷ Milford Waterfront’s outdoor plaza there will be face painting, children’s activities, pop-up artists and an afternoon DJ set, while Phoenix Bowl and Pirate Pete’s Adventure Play will have inflatables and glitter tattoos outside.

The Waterfront Gallery will host introduction to felt-making workshops with textile artist Carole Fletcher, giving participants the chance to create a woollen felt flower pin brooch or phone/glasses case. The workshops start at 10:30am, 1:00pm and 3:30pm and cost £5 per person.

A wide range of traders will also be attending, including 5th Flock Spirits Co, Cinnamon Grove Distillery, Cwm Deri Wines & Liqueurs, Ferncraft, Get Loaded, J.J. Pottery, Major Nuts, Orange Garden Design, Pembrokeshire Chilli Farm, Pembrokeshire Gold, Pembrokeshire Lottery, Plumstone Welshcakes and SlateArtSJ.

With music drifting across the marina, food stalls lining the waterfront and lifeboats, sea safety teams and coastal groups adding a strong maritime flavour, Harbour Fest is expected to bring a lively summer atmosphere to one of Pembrokeshire’s best-known waterside destinations.

Organisers say the event is suitable for families, friends and visitors of all ages, with plenty to see and do throughout the day.

Photo caption: Harbour Fest will take place at Milford Waterfront on Saturday, June 27 (Pic: Milford Waterfront).

Community

Artist explores memory, community and changing rural life in new Cardigan exhibition

Published

3 hours ago

June 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A NEW exhibition exploring memory, belonging and the changing face of rural life is opening in Cardigan.

West Wales artist Sue Dewhurst will present From the Outside Looking In at Oriel Cardi Bach, with the exhibition running from June 27 to July 30.

The collection brings together several new series of work reflecting on the people, places and traditions that shaped Dewhurst’s childhood in the 1970s.

At the heart of the exhibition are the Chapel Girls, a group of paintings focusing on women who might once have filled the chapels that dominated Welsh village life. In Dewhurst’s work, they are now seen finding new forms of belonging through shopping trips, bingo halls, dating apps, bottomless brunches and everyday rituals, while redundant chapels stand silent around them.

The exhibition also includes A Bit of a Do, a series inspired by weddings, family parties and village hall celebrations.

Among the familiar characters are the mysterious woman in her best hat who appears at every gathering, the accountant calculating buffet logistics, the retired nurse dancing barefoot long after everyone else has gone home, and Harry, a grumpy gent with a mysteriously missing fingertip that nobody dares ask about.

Dewhurst’s Ghost Town series will also feature, exploring the changing landscapes of northern mill towns and communities transformed beyond recognition. These works sit alongside expressive coastal paintings inspired by New Quay and the Ceredigion coast.

A further installation of miniature “party paintings” will be presented like treasured relics rescued from a forgotten village hall or working men’s club. Wrapped with handwritten stories and nostalgic memorabilia, the pieces invite visitors to remember people and moments that might otherwise disappear.

Sue said music also plays an important role in the exhibition.

She said: “Music is so evocative for me and can instantly transport me back to a certain point in time.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the lives we don’t usually celebrate – the women who held communities together, the odd characters who turned up at every family occasion, the places that shaped us and the memories that linger long after buildings and traditions have changed.

“This exhibition is really about looking back with affection and humour, while recognising that we are all, in one way or another, trying to find where we belong.”

Originally from Lancashire and now based near Llandysul, Dewhurst has spent more than thirty years working in the arts. She previously ran Oriel Haywire in Llandysul before its closure around eighteen months ago.

From the Outside Looking In opens at Oriel Cardi Bach, Cardigan, on June 27 and runs until July 30.

Visitors are invited to rediscover familiar faces, forgotten stories and the beauty found in ordinary lives.