Community

Charity warns older people to be wary during digital switchover

Published

2 years ago

April 4, 2024

AS the telephone industry upgrades from analogue to digital landlines, Age Cymru is warning older people to be wary of rogue traders trying to take advantage of the switchover.

The change will see calls made over a broadband line instead of the old analogue network, which is becoming increasingly unreliable.

The charity says for most customers, all aspects of the switchover will be free of charge with no home installation work required. If customers require additional support with set up, they will be contacted by their telephone provider.

Age Cymru therefore warns that if somebody offers to carry out work relating to the switchover, in return for some form of payment, it’s likely to be a scam that should be reported to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.

People can also check with their telephone provider about what work is or isn’t taking place in their area. However, if anyone feels threatened or in any danger from a rogue trader they should call the police as soon as possible.

Age Cymru’s chief executive Victoria Lloyd says “It’s such a shame that we must warn older people to be on their guard in relation to the digital switchover as this is something that should improve people’s experiences of phone services.

“We’ve been told that lines will be clearer, which will help those who are hard of hearing. There’ll be a facility to enable three party lines which will help people to have mini group chats with friends and family and thereby help reduce loneliness. And there’ll be increased protection against unwanted marketing or nuisance calls.

“However, given our experience of how rogue traders work we want to forearm older people so they can avoid potentially expensive and emotionally damaging scams and instead take full advantage of the new phone services without any unnecessary fears.”

Understanding the digital switchover process

BT, the biggest supplier of landlines in Wales, is holding dozens of events across the country to advise customers face-to-face about the switch. Other phone providers may also be organising similar events.

Age Cymru understands that for most customers, digital switchover will simply involve connecting your home phone handset to a router rather than the phone socket on the wall. And for BT customers, if you don’t have the correct router, they will send you one completely free of charge.

At this stage, BT will be writing to all their customers to make them aware of the changes, and following up with those who are ready and eligible to make the switch. BT will not be switching customers who may have difficulty making the change just yet and will give these customers additional support when the time comes.

If you think you’ll have a problem with the transition, think you are vulnerable, or use a healthcare alarm connected to your landline, please contact your phone provider and tell them.

And if anyone uses a personal healthcare alarm, they should also check with their suppliers that they have everything they need prior to the switchover.

BT customers who are ready and eligible to make the switch will be contacted four weeks before making the move to ensure they have everything they need.

While BT are by far the biggest provider of telephone services in Wales, this is an industry-wide change and other telephone providers are managing their own switchover process so contact your provider to understand how the change will affect you.

How big is the issue of scamming in Wales?

According to the Wales Against Scams Partnership (WASP) older victims of scams in the UK lose an average of £1,200 over their lifetimes.

WASP also cites Action Fraud data showing that they receive around 15,000 cases of fraud from Wales each year. However, Action Fraud believes that the reported figure is just the tip of the iceberg and that the actual number of scams undertaken, or attempted, is seven times bigger.

And according to recent BBC research it is estimated that the UK is losing £2,300 per minute to scam activity.

Community

Creative adventures at Oriel y Parc to celebrate St David’s Day

Published

47 minutes ago

February 9, 2026

Tom Sinclair

FROM the dragon’s fire to the boar’s roar, legends are on the move again this February half-term as Oriel y Parc, National Park Discovery Centre invites families to step into a world of myth, creativity and celebration in the lead-up to St David’s Day.

Running throughout half-term and into St David’s Day weekend, the programme brings together hands-on creative activities, immersive storytelling and one of Pembrokeshire’s most colourful annual celebration, the St David’s Day Parade. This year’s parade features Taith y Chwedlau /The Journey of the Legends, funded by the Welsh Government.

From Saturday 14 February to Sunday 1 March, young adventurers can take part in the Journey of the Legends Trail, following the troublesome Twrch and the determined Ddraig Goch as their story unfolds across the city of St Davids. Families can search for story stops along the trail, complete the challenge and earn a reward. Trail sheets are available from Oriel y Parc (£4 per child).

Creativity takes centre stage inside Oriel y Parc throughout half-term. The Discovery Room will be open from 14 to 27 February (excluding 17,18 and 19 February), offering free, drop-in sessions where families can create dragon headdresses and boar masks using a wide range of art materials. Suitable for all ages, these sessions give young makers the chance to become part of the St David’s Day celebrations by wearing their creations in the parade.

A special Make & Take Workshop: Dragon Wings & Giant Daffodils takes place on Wednesday 18 February, 11am–3pm, where children can create bold, wearable pieces ready for parade day (£4 per child, drop-in).

The celebrations reach their peak on Saturday 28 February, when the St David’s Day Parade fills the city with music, colour and creativity. Storytelling plays a key role in the day, with Taith y Chwedlau / The Journey of the Legends storytelling sessions taking place in the Oriel y Parc courtyard before and after the parade from 1.30pm, bringing the characters of the trail to life for audiences of all ages.

The parade begins at 2pm and is free to attend. Everyone is invited to line the streets and cheer on schoolchildren, community groups and local residents as they transform St Davids’ High Street in honour of Wales’ patron saint. The parade is funded by the Welsh Government.

Visitors are encouraged to bring pots and banging sticks to add to the atmosphere, and participants can enter the best parade outfit competition, with prizes for both the best dressed child and adult.

Following the parade, families can continue the celebrations with Celebrate St David’s Day with Clay! A relaxed, hands-on workshop inspired by Welsh themes and traditions from 3pm–4.30pm (£2.50 per child).

The day also features a Handmade Craft Market by Makers Bizarre, running from 10.30am–4.30pm, showcasing hand-picked local stallholders selling handmade crafts and produce (free entry).

Further details about events, opening times and a rich programme of changing exhibitions, both in partnership with Amgueddfa Cymru, Museum Wales and local artists and makers can be found at www.orielyparc.co.uk and www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/events.

Community

Communities invited to bid for Armed Forces Day funding as £500,000 pot announced

Published

1 hour ago

February 9, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Grants of up to £10,000 available for local events across Wales and the UK

COMMUNITIES across Wales are being encouraged to organise their own Armed Forces Day celebrations after the Ministry of Defence announced a £500,000 funding package to support events nationwide this summer.

Grants of up to £10,000 are available to help towns, schools, charities and community groups stage local events, with funding designed to match money raised from other sources.

The support forms part of preparations for Armed Forces Day on Saturday, June 27, 2026, and the wider Armed Forces Week programme aimed at strengthening ties between the military and the public.

Wales is home to nearly two thousand serving personnel, while the defence sector supports close to four thousand jobs. The MOD says it spent £1.1 billion with Welsh businesses during the 2024–25 financial year, underlining the industry’s importance to the nation’s economy.

Previous events have drawn huge crowds. In 2018, Llandudno hosted the national celebrations, attracting an estimated 100,000 visitors and a parade of around 1,000 service members.

‘Extraordinary sacrifices’

Defence Secretary John Healey said the funding would help communities properly recognise the contribution of service personnel and their families.

He said: “Our Armed Forces make extraordinary sacrifices to keep us safe. But they can’t do what they do without the support of their families, friends and communities across the country.

“In June we look forward to coming together as a proud nation to celebrate Armed Forces Day, and I want this funding to help make this year the best yet.

“If you back our Forces and want to thank them with a celebration in your local area, do apply for a grant and register your event with us so we can help you spread the word.”

Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens added that the grants would allow communities across Wales to show their appreciation.

She said: “Armed Forces Day is a chance for people across Wales to come together to show their support for the service men and women who we all rely on to keep us safe.

“These grants mean that communities can put on special events to celebrate the contribution of our Armed Forces and their families and thank them for their sacrifice.”

Cover Image:

Armed Forces day celebrated in Haverfordwest in 2019 (File pic)

Community

New canons appointed at St Davids Cathedral

Published

2 hours ago

February 9, 2026

Tom Sinclair

THE DEAN of St Davids has welcomed the appointment of a Canon Chancellor and three new Canons, describing the move as a significant boost for the life and work of Pembrokeshire’s cathedral church.

The appointments have been made by the Bishop of St Davids, the Rt Revd Dorrien Davies, with the new team bringing experience from education, community work and a range of professional backgrounds alongside ordained ministry.

The Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids, said: “I’m delighted that Canon John Cecil will be our new Canon Chancellor. Our three new Canons – the Revds Heather Cale, Jonathan Parker and Ali Reeves – all bring a very welcome breadth of experience from outside the church, alongside ordained life, which will greatly enrich the Cathedral in its extensive roles.”

Canon Chancellor

Canon John Cecil, who has served as a member of Chapter since 2022, lives in Steynton with his wife Lorna and one of their two sons. He is Local Ministry Area Dean of Roose and Diocesan Director of Education, overseeing Church schools across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

Before ordination, he spent twenty-one years in secondary education, finishing his teaching career as an assistant headteacher in Haverfordwest.

He relinquishes his current stall as 5th Canon Cursal on taking up the new role, following the resignation of his predecessor, now Canon Chancellor Emeritus Dewi Roberts.

Canon John said: “Being Canon Chancellor is a great honour and I look forward to further supporting the life of the Cathedral, the mother church of the Diocese.”

Broad experience

Originally from Stoke-on-Trent, the Revd Heather Cale moved to Pembrokeshire in 1992 and worked largely in education before her ordination in 2014. She continued teaching alongside her ministry, most recently as head of St Mark’s VA Church in Wales Primary School in Merlin’s Bridge.

Now vicar and Local Ministry Area Dean in the Daugleddau area, she is appointed as the 6th Canon Cursal.

She said: “I feel deeply humbled by this appointment. I hope to contribute positively to the Cathedral’s life and work.”

The Revd Jonathan Parker, originally from Warwick, has lived in West Wales for much of the past thirty-five years. After careers in tourism, social care and teaching at Ysgol Dewi Sant, he discerned a call to ordination through the school’s close links with the Cathedral.

Ordained in 2017, he has served across the Diocese and now works as chaplain to the Bishop. He is appointed to the Stall of Caerfarchell.

He said: “To be a member of Chapter is a great privilege and I hope to play at least a small part in the Cathedral’s continuing witness and story.”

The Revd Ali Reeves brings a varied professional background, including service with the Army, Ministry of Defence, NHS and construction, as well as time as a complementary therapist. Ordained in 2019, she previously served in Llandaff and the Afon Nedd ministry area before moving west in 2024 to become Bro Aman Local Ministry Area Dean.

She is appointed to the stall of the 5th Canon Cursal.

Revd Ali said: “I feel honoured to be invited to become a Canon of St Davids Cathedral and am looking forward to the new challenges this will bring.”

Service of installation

The Canon Chancellor and the three new Canons will be licensed by the Bishop and installed by the Dean during Choral Evensong at 6:00pm on Thursday, March 26.

The service is open to the public and all are invited to attend.