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Herald columnist Matthew Paul scoops prize at the Wales Media Awards

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THE WALES MEDIA AWARDS took place last Friday (Mar 22), with Matthew Paul winning Columnist of the Year for his work at The Herald.

Held at the Mercure Holland House Hotel in Cardiff, the Wales Media Awards aim to celebrate and promote journalism in Wales. The awards are now in their sixth year, and act as a fundraiser for the Journalists’ Charity in Wales, which helps journalists and their dependants with advice, grants and other forms of financial assistance. The Wales Media Awards are judged by senior and respected journalists who are completely independent of the awards organisers and the Journalists’ Charity.

The judges look for entries which are compelling, revelatory, in the public interest, informative, exclusive, and/or entertaining, and take into account the level of journalistic skill, professionalism and effort employed to bring new information to light, or the efforts (ethically and legally) the journalist has taken to bring their story to life. The awards are open to all journalists, photographers, camera operators, video journalists, freelancers, student journalists, bloggers and vloggers who work in Wales.

Describing Matthew Paul, the Wales Media Awards website reads: “If local – as opposed to regional – journalism is to survive it is through columns like this. Hard-hitting, insightful, these articles surely set the tone for many a weekly argument among its readership. Matthew campaigns on a range of issues, from the way the local authority hounded a blogger who criticised them, to keeping a close eye on Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Stories that hit the nail on the end better than any so-called Fleet Street Thunderer, said the judges, who concluded that just because you’re local, it doesn’t mean you can’t take on issues of import from around the world.”

Among the other 22 awards handed out on Friday, Outstanding Contribution was won by Gilbert John, for his long career as a reporter at BBC Cymru Wales. A full list of the winners can be seen on the Wales Media Awards website at: https://www.walesmediaawards.co.uk/home

 

Community

Woman rescued from coast path after ankle injury

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Coastguard teams called to Dinas Island near Pwllgwaelod

A WOMAN was stretchered from the coast path near Pwllgwaelod after suffering an ankle injury.

HM Coastguard Fishguard was tasked at 5:22pm on Friday, June 27, alongside HM Coastguard Teifi, to assist the casualty on Dinas Island.

The teams attended the scene near Hendre Farm Campsite and Cottages and, with help from the landowner, were able to quickly locate the injured woman.

Her injured limb was immobilised before she was carried by stretcher to her nearby car, where family members were able to take her on to hospital.

Fishguard Coastguard thanked the landowner for their help.

 

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Entertainment

This Ain’t Texas organisers admit Carmarthen festival ‘didn’t go exactly as planned’

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ORGANISERS of a country music festival held in Carmarthen have thanked visitors for their support while admitting that parts of the event “did not go exactly as planned”.

This Ain’t Texas Festival took place at the United Counties Showground on Saturday (Jun 27), promising live country music, line dancing, American BBQ, street food, western-themed stalls and family-friendly entertainment.

The event was part of a UK-wide tour, with the Carmarthen date promoted as a Nashville-style day out for families and country music fans.

But after the event, a number of attendees took to social media to raise concerns about queues, parking, food options and the overall organisation of the day.

In a statement posted online, organisers said: “Thank you, Carmarthen. What a day.

“Firstly, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who came out and made this event so special. The support, energy, and positive feedback we’ve received across the country has been incredible, and we’re truly grateful for every single one of you.

“That said, we also know that not everything went exactly as planned. We’ve received some constructive feedback from attendees, and we want you to know that we’ve listened carefully.”

Some visitors said they had enjoyed the atmosphere, music and line dancing, while others said the event had fallen short of expectations.

One attendee said the day had been “very disappointing” after booking early-bird tickets and looking forward to the festival for months.

Another visitor said the bar queue was long, adding that they had queued for more than an hour, although they still felt the ticket price had been good value.

Others called for more food choice, including vegetarian options, and said parking and space on site would need to be reviewed if the event returned on a larger scale.

There was also praise for the local line dancing element, with one attendee saying it had “definitely added to the experience”.

The festival had been advertised as a one-day country and western-themed event, with live tribute acts, dancing, food, drink, stalls and activities.

 

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Community

Civic service brings Pembrokeshire towns together in Haverfordwest

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A CIVIC service has been held at St Mary’s Church in Haverfordwest, bringing together civic leaders, councillors, cadets and community representatives from across Pembrokeshire.

The Mayor’s Civic Service took place at 11:00am on Sunday, 28 June 2026, at the historic High Street church, one of the county town’s most familiar landmarks.

The service was hosted by Haverfordwest Town Council and attended by the Sheriff of Haverfordwest, Cllr Dani Thomas-Turner, Deputy Lord Lieutenants, the mayors of Pembroke, Pembroke Dock, Neyland and St Davids, members of the Guild of Freemen, the Lord Lieutenant’s Cadet and the Mayoral Cadet.

St Mary’s Church has stood at the heart of Haverfordwest for more than 800 years. Built in about 1200, its size and position have made it one of the town’s dominant historic buildings.

Cllr Randell Izaiah Thomas-Turner said the occasion had been “truly special and humbling”.

He said: “It was an honour to gather in one of our town’s most historic and beautiful buildings, a church that has stood at the heart of our community since the 12th century, bringing people together in faith, service and reflection.”

Cllr Thomas-Turner and the Sheriff thanked all those who attended, saying the presence of civic representatives from neighbouring towns reflected the “strong spirit of friendship and partnership across Pembrokeshire”.

They also paid tribute to fellow town councillors, the Guild of Freemen, and the cadets who supported the service.

Cllr Thomas-Turner added: “Days like today remind us that civic life is about more than titles and chains of office. It is about service, community, friendship and working together for the good of our towns and our county.”

He said the event had been a proud day for Haverfordwest, adding: “Haverfordwest truly is the Best in the West.”

 

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