A new partnership of organisations is calling on local people to come and share ideas and opinions at a series of public meetings around train stations across Pembrokeshire. Meetings have already taken place in Milford Haven and Haverfordwest, which have brought to light several ideas to improve the arrival experience and enhance community wellbeing around the railway stations.

In Milford Haven, proposals are moving forward to improve facilities at the station, and there’s a competition for local children to visualise what they want to see, using Minecraft. Following discussions with the community, the new Community Rail Partnership, working closely with the Visit Milford Haven team, is exploring ideas to promote what the town has to offer, make more of the available green spaces, and highlight the walking and cycling connectivity from the station.

In Haverfordwest, the local football club, community organisations such as Haverhub, along with local town councillors, are collaborating with local young people on the design of a new welcome banner for the station, to highlight some of the things they love in the area. Local people also talked about opportunities for community gardens, maps of local walking routes, and how to ensure more collaboration among local partners - ideas which it is hoped can be taken forward with support from local and regional partners.

Now, new meetings are being organised in Pembroke Dock, Fishguard & Goodwick, and a follow up discussion in Milford Haven, supported by Pembrokeshire Council and Transport for Wales, and organisers are keen to point out that everyone is welcome!

“These shared vision meetings are exactly what they sound like - an opportunity for people, businesses and local organisations to come together to create a shared vision of what they would like to see happen around their nearby railway station,” said Jennifer Barfoot, community rail officer with South West Wales Connected. “We really want local residents to come along and bring their hopes, aspirations and ideas. It’s not about telling the council what to do, it’s about asking, what can we all do, by working together, to make the most of the station and the area around it. We are delighted to have the support of Pembrokeshire County Council to host these events, which are all about listening to what local people think."

In Pembroke Dock, the town team and the community council are keen to discuss ideas to make more of the town’s history and heritage, as well as its links with the ferry port. A new project, Ports Past & Present, wants to hear local peoples’ stories, whilst other local people want to discuss opportunities for community gardens, and visitor tours. Residents, local businesses and organisations are invited to come and discuss all this and more at the online meeting on March 24.

Dawn Lyle, chair of the Community Rail Partnership and director of the independent regeneration organisation, 4theRegion, said, “As our region starts to re-open post COVID, there is a lot that could be done to improve the experience people have when they arrive in local towns by train - and to serve the wellbeing of people living near train stations. So we want to empower local people to talk about what they want to see, and help them make those changes and improvements. In Llanelli, for example, the community wants to create a local food growing project on disused land owned by Network Rail. These are the kinds of projects we want to facilitate, but they need to be led by local residents because they are the ones that know what’s needed and have the passion to take things forward.”

South West Wales Connected has also launched a Community Changemakers Fund to offer financial support for local community initiatives around railway stations.

To get involved in any of the upcoming meetings, or to invite South West Wales Connected to host a similar conversation around your local station, email [email protected] or go to www.southwestwales.co for more details.

Upcoming meetings in Pembroke Dock and Milford Haven are listed on Eventbrite - search “shared vision meeting” to register your free place.

South West Wales Connected is the new community rail partnership for Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, funded by Transport for Wales. It is hosted by 4theRegion and aims to ensure that local communities feel more involved and better served by the railway and nearby stations.

Shared Vision Meeting for Pembroke Dock: Wednesday, March 24 (Online via Zoom), 1 pm to 3 pm.

Shared Vision Meeting for Milford Haven:

Wednesday, March 31 (Online via Zoom), 10.30 am to 12.30 pm.