BISHOP’S INTRODUCTION

The diocese of Menevia incorporates the unitary authorities of , Carmarthen, , and Neath/Port Talbot and part of Powys. (Fig. 1). It covers an area of 9,618 square kilometres which is just under half (46%) the land area of Wales. The area is essentially a coastal sub-region, and predominantly rural in character. The Resident Population in mid-2016, stood at 838,707 which was 27% of the Wales population. The population is concentrated in the towns and villages of the industrialised south east, stretching from Llanelli to Port Talbot, in the coastal resorts, ports and in the market towns. Swansea has been the principal focus of population growth. It is the main centre, and is the second largest city in Wales; a major centre for retailing and associated services and a significant industrial location. (Fig. 2)

Fig 1: Diocese of Menevia by component local authorities

Fig. 2: Main Settlements

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As an environmentally attractive area, Menevia has seen retirement led in-migration, but also with young people leaving because of a shortage of economic opportunities. The more urban and some of the more remote rural areas have seen a decline in population as a consequence of the emigration of their young people. This has resulted in a relative increase in the proportion of those in the older age groups (55+), compared with the national average.

There are two main languages spoken, English and Welsh. Table 2.2 shows the importance of the Welsh language in Menevia, with a quarter (24%) of persons aged 3+ able to speak Welsh. The comparable 2011 Census of Population figure for Wales was 19%. The farming communities of west Wales are the traditional strongholds of the Welsh language. In the more rural areas of Ceredigion and for example, the percentage of Welsh speakers is more than twice the national average.

Table 2.2 : Welsh speakers aged 3+, 2001 and 2011 Percentage able to speak Able to speak Welsh Welsh 2001 2011 2001 2011 Powys (part) 12,054 10,699 18 16 Ceredigion 37,918 34,964 52 47 Pembrokeshire 23,967 22,786 22 19 Carmarthenshire 84,196 78,048 50 44 Swansea 28,938 26,332 13 11 Neath Port Talbot 23,404 20,698 18 15 Menevia 210,477 193,527 28 24 Source: Annual Small Area Population Estimates, Office for National Statistics © Crown Copyright 2017

The Welsh language is an important factor in defining the identity of many parts. There is increasing concern about the decline of the language as a result of in-migration and other socio- economic factors. Between 2001 and 2011 the number of Welsh speakers in the area fell by 8%. There are an increasing number of Catholics whose home language is Welsh.

The landscape is one of great diversity. The north and east of the area is mainly uplands, whilst the majority of the southern area is gently undulating lowlands as is the northern coastal area. One of the area’s greatest landscape features is its long and varied coastline, much of it designated as a Heritage Coast. In recognition of the area’s environmental importance there are two National Parks, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park which is wholly within the area and the Brecon Beacons National Park that extends into Menevia. In addition the Gower area has been designated as an Area of Outstanding National Beauty. Pembrokeshire, parts of eastern Ceredigion and south Powys are classed as Environmentally Sensitive Areas.

The area has a rich historical legacy which has evolved through the close interaction of human and natural forces throughout the ages. It expresses itself in the characteristic settlement pattern of isolated farms, hamlets, villages and country towns, in the large number of archaeological and historic remains, and in its architecture and townscape.

The economy and life style of the rural area is closely linked to Agriculture. Traditionally the main products are potatoes, vegetables and flowers and sheep and cattle. Agriculture however, is

- 2 - heavily subsidised by the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy with farmers getting annual payments for the area they farm. Farm incomes have fallen over the years as a result of cheap food policies in the United Kingdom, the lowering of world commodity prices and the removal of production-based subsidies. Particularly hard hit have been the incomes of hill farms. The agricultural labour force has been dwindling for many years as a result of increased mechanisation and changes in farming practices. Another problem facing farmers is their distance from the main distribution centres used by supermarkets which are mostly located near centres of population in England. To increase their incomes, many farmers have diversified, mainly into tourism-related activities.

Traditionally the coal industry was dominant in the industrial south east of the area but has now virtually gone apart from some open cast mining. The area contains important sea-ports with Ferry services to Ireland from Fishguard (Rosslare), Pembroke Dock (Rosslare) and Swansea (Cork). Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales, handling bulk fuel, and also home to a small fishing fleet; Port Talbot is a main port for the import of raw materials for the steel industry, whilst Swansea handles tankers and freight.

The manufacturing sector is concentrated in the urban south east of the area, with metal manufacturing especially steel and tinplate important in the Neath Port Talbot , Swansea and Llanelli areas. The service sector plays a significant role in the rural economy with employment in the retail trade, public administration and education being especially important.

All of Menevia except southern Powys forms part of the ‘West Wales and the Valleys area’. In European terms it is regarded as a deprived and peripheral area and considered as one of Europe's poorest regions, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) less than 75% of the EU average. Powys falls within the ‘East Wales’ area and is a "more developed region", with GDP, 90% or more of EU average.

European funding falls in three broad categories. European structural funds cover everything from supporting people into work and training to urban development. The Common Agricultural Policy is a £200 million a year scheme providing payments to more than 16,000 farms in Wales "to help protect and enhance the countryside". One pillar of this is the Welsh Government Rural Communities rural development programme, a £957 million programme running from 2014-20 supporting businesses and farms in rural areas. In addition there are several other funds covering everything from the arts to biodiversity.

Wales, (including most of Menevia) - along with Cornwall - are the only two areas of the UK which have now had that money three times in a row. There has been concern that both the first and second tranches of money were not used as strategically as they might have been and there had been not enough involvement of businesses. In 2000, GDP in the West Wales and the Valleys region was 62.1% of the UK average, but 15 years later, with its third injection of money, GDP was still only a little higher at 63.3%.

Cash will already have been allocated for the 2014-2020 projects. Between 2014 and 2020, West Wales (and also Cornwall) will receive over €1,000 (£800) per person from the EU Structural and Investment Fund - similar to that received by Romania and Bulgaria. West Wales receives more economic aid from Brussels than any other part of the United Kingdom. It is significantly higher than the Great Britain average of €170 per person. There are therefore major concerns about

- 3 - what the UK's withdrawal from the EU will mean for the funding Wales receives. After 2020, Wales will no longer be eligible for EU funds. It is unlikely that the present UK government will continue to pay for poorer communities in the same way it has been. The Welsh Government’s plan for the UK’s exit from the EU is set out in Securing Wales’ Future which outlines proposals for replacing EU funding from UK sources after 2020, but it remains to be seen comparable regional aid money will be forthcoming from the UK government.

The world financial crisis of 2008-09 brought job losses in significant numbers to an area of Britain that had already been adversely affected by economic decline in coal-mining, in the steel and tin works, in ship-building, in port traffic, and in car manufacturing. Owing to its distance from centres of distribution, legislation promoting the Welsh language as equal to the use of English, and a lack of financial resources available to the Welsh Assembly, there are few incentives to attract new businesses to South Wales (other than Government agencies like the Royal Mint and the DVLA – the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Authority). Employment opportunities are not easy to find.

Following a national Referendum in 2016, a majority in only one county authority voted to remain in the EU (Ceredigion), whereas the national vote was 52% to leave and 48% to remain. The terms on which the UK will leave the EU, and the effects of implementing the mandate to leave the EU, remain undecided at this present time of writing.

Since my installation as Bishop of the Diocese on 01 December 2018, my main task has derived from pursuing a ministry of presence throughout the diocese, communicating with clergy and people through AD CLERUMs and the diocesan website, which replaced the printed publications of The Menevian; and exercising a pastoral ministry through the celebration of the sacraments in Parishes and Schools, particularly the Sacrament of Confirmation and the well-attended Lenten Station Masses. In responses from the clergy about Pastoral Letters, their content and their frequency, there was unanimity that: a. Parish-Priests should be allowed to preach on key Sundays like the First Sunday of Advent and the First Sunday of Lent, and even to tell their own story on Vocations Sunday. b. Many Sundays were already high-jacked by glossy packs promoting agencies and other charitable ventures in the Church. c. Priests and people would prefer to hear from their Bishop, not about theological and doctrinal matters, but on issues of a practical nature, affecting their daily lives, e.g. everyday morality (euthanasia, assisted suicide, stem-cell research, human and sexual relationships, gender identity, the financial crisis, unemployment, children, education, etc).

Events for special groups are also held or attended by the Bishop, usually associated with a diocesan organization: e.g. the St Vincent de Paul Society (material support for the poor), the Catenians (mutual support among Catholic businessmen), the Knights of St Columba (fraternity of Catholic men engaged in charitable works), and the Apostleship of the Sea (meeting the needs of seafarers in 5 major ports in the diocese). Pilgrimages take place, not only to Lourdes every year as a Diocese, but also to Cardigan on the west coast of the Diocese, which is the National Shrine in Wales to Our Lady of the Taper. The tour of relics associated with Saint Theresa of Lisieux, and then of St John Bosco, drew large numbers of people to pray and revere the memory and significance of these Saints in their lives. These were moments of enormous grace and blessing.

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They reminded everyone that physical death seals their “dying with Christ” and the absorption of their earthly life into the divine life of the Redeeming and Merciful Christ by the example that the lives of the Saints give them. The turnout showed the need for people to access the saints of our Church and the hunger for what they have to say to us concerning our faith, the Gospel, and the Church.

These are always vibrant occasions of expressing the Catholic faith, of learning about the Church and the Gospel, and of gathering as an ecclesial community supporting one another in prayer and social interaction. The value of a well-prepared yet spontaneously delivered homily, devoid of gimmicks and distractions, is enormously appreciated. It lifts people and renews them in their allegiance to the Church. Each liturgical event is always followed by a social gathering, when the Bishop is available to anyone who wishes to approach him. The Bishop rarely takes steps himself to initiate or suggest any of these visits; local initiative ensures that he is never short of invitations.

Standards of morality in secular society continue to deteriorate. There is emerging a widening gap between the passing of national government legislation of a permissive nature and the acceptance of its effects in the everyday lives of ordinary people. Much legislation seems to deal more and more with enhancing the purposes of small groups, often of an atheistic, agnostic, a-sexual or secularist character, at the expense of other groups based on sound Christian principles and motivated by charitable and Gospel principles. The small, well-organized interest-groups cry discrimination unless and until their demands are met. The larger, more stable and sensible groups are subsequently discriminated against, but are more complacent and reticent about retaliating or at least defending their corner. Hospital chaplaincy work is rendered increasingly difficult by Chaplains being denied information by the hospital authorities about who is Catholic. This arises from a perverse interpretation of the Data Protection Act (1998), which is used by secularists to their advantage and to obstruct spiritual care being provided. As a result, Catholic patients are neither being identified nor served in what ought to be a holistic, health-care environment. Reminders to people at Mass that on entering hospital they should not only state that they are Catholic but also ask to see a Chaplain, are proving ineffective and of course do not reach the lapsed. One consequence is that too often people undergo distress, and even die, without the Sacraments. An approach to the Welsh Assembly and Hospital Trusts for a clearer and less discriminatory application of the law was made, but to no avail. By getting to know those who work in the Patients’ Records Centre, a number of hospital chaplains have built up a personal rapport with the staff that has often achieved the required result.

Integrity in public life and service has also been discredited by the collapse of the banking and financial systems, where greed happened in secret and the trust of the general public was lost. This was exacerbated by the large-scale and wide-ranging, shady distortion and abuse of allowances by Members of Parliament for personal financial gain. But not only that, too many of these elected representatives of the people protested their innocence and denied that they had done anything wrong. Their personal sense of morality was called into question and found to be wanting. In addition, “Equal Opportunities” legislation was surely never designed to remove Catholic Adoption Agencies from the invaluable service that they provided in placing some of the most difficult cases ever experienced in the whole adoption sector. An invaluable Christian and charitable facility has been largely lost, for reasons that have more to do with “political correctness” and anti-religious fervor than catering for those who through no fault of their own have no home to receive them. Good relationships between clergy and Bishop are essential for development of the Faith among our people and for personal satisfaction in ministry among our clergy. Our clergy are hard-

- 5 - working, stretched, yet faithful and loyal to their calling and their support for one another. Re- modelled structures in the diocese, based on the principle of subsidiarity, have shown that the Council of Clergy (composed of all Priests and Deacons working in the diocese) is a most important element in addressing key issues of personal, diocesan, and national concerns. The conduct of the Bishop’s Council and the two-way conduit of information and dialogue between it and local Deaneries depend on the energy and attentiveness of both bodies to address current issues and to take responsibility and initiatives individually and collectively for discerning a workable way- ahead, even ways of resolving problems, but especially of discerning new opportunities. There is still room for improvement at these levels of administration. The Board of Trustees of the Diocese, meeting separately and also joined by the diocese’s Professional Advisors (in Finance, Property, Education, Legal Matters, and Safeguarding) for the major part of its 5-6 meetings a year, has both a canonical remit as the official Finance Committee of the diocese, as well as a civil role to comply with the requirements of the Charity Commission. The diocese’s remit is to comply with CC policies and practices, in handling the assets and liabilities of the diocese as a registered charity, as well as taking responsibility for matters that may have financial and/or legal implications. In other words, the Board is held to account on any matter affecting the “trust” that others have vested in it to act with integrity, honesty and frankness in ensuring that the resources of the diocese are applied in the best possible way for the benefit of the diocese, the charity, and the Church generally.

In order to meet the pastoral and sacramental needs of our people, the diocese relies on a combination of “home-grown” clergy, members of religious congregations, and invitations to priests from overseas, mostly from Europe, the Philippines, India, and Africa. Foreign clergy count for about one-third of the total number, and have brought with them a cultural distinctiveness. They have integrated well with Welsh life and customs. Currently, 33 priests, secular and religious, cover the needs of the diocese: 15 have more than one church in their remit, 18 have only one, and additionally there are 2 Ordinariate priests, plus a community of 15 Cistercian monks on Caldey Island, which is outside the canonical jurisdiction of the diocese. Besides being a parish priest a number of priests serve the diocese through additional responsibilities: e.g. as Vicar General, Chancellor, Trustees, UKBA Liaison, Historic Churches rep, Sick & Retired Liaison, Directors of Catechetics-Vocations-Liturgy-Music-Ongoing Formation-Communications, as Chaplains to Youth-Ethnic Communities-Hospitals-University-Schools-Prison-Military-Police Forces-Seafarers-Travellers-CareHomes-diocesanorganizations-Pilgrimages, Website Manager, Deliverance Ministry, etc. There are 13 priests in retirement. The personnel plot changes frequently and rapidly, according to circumstances. In the last 10 years, 27 priests have moved out of active ministry in the diocese (through retirement, ill-health, return to their religious congregation, transfer elsewhere) and 26 have been welcomed from outside (from another diocese or religious congregation within E&W, from overseas, through ordinations). The diocese and its parishes and schools are assisted by 4 permanent deacons (two of whom ae retired) and laity who hold official appointments: as Trustees, Professional Advisors, Headteachers and their Staffs, Secretaries, Treasurers and Bookkeepers, leaders of Music and Choirs, Committee Members, Archivist & Registrar, YearBook Editor, Safeguarding Commission members, Organizers of Pilgrimages, Missio, APF-Mill Hill, Mission Club, Catholic Certificate in Religious Education, Schools Leadership Course, and many other activities.

Providing an invaluable ministry of witness to prayer, presence, and apostolic work is a large number of religious sisters resident in the diocese, whether in care homes at Stella Maris or at St Teresa’s in Fishguard, or in twos and threes here and there. Several Sisters hold key offices: e.g. as

- 6 - a member of the Diocesan Board of Trustees, Director of the Religious Education Course for Teachers, and Diocesan Co-Ordinator for Religious. Without the Sisters’ presence Mercy, Missionaries of Charity, Union of Irish Ursulines, Ursulines of Jesus, Society of the Sacred Heart, Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary, St Joseph of Anecy, and their outstanding work in a number of areas, the Diocese would not be able to meet all of its existing pastoral commitments. Members of the laity also hold key positions in the Diocese and at local parish level: e.g. as Treasurers and Bookkeepers, leaders of Music and Choirs, Archivist, Editor of the Annual Diocesan Year Book, Diocesan Trustees (male and female), salaried employees responsible for Finance, Accounts, Legal, Property, Safeguarding, Ecumenism, and other pastoral and administrative areas.

Similarly, without the exemplary work being done by religiously professed priests (Benedictines, Dominicans, Carmelites, Salvatorians, Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament), who come in mostly ones or twos from Britain as well as a number from overseas, the Diocese would be so stretched for clergy that it would inevitably have to consider the closure of a number of churches and Mass centres.

Apart from the larger urban areas, low numbers for Mass attendance are common throughout the Diocese, because of its geographically extended nature. It is through the goodwill of clergy, religious and secular, as well as the efforts of the religious sisters, that so much is able to be done by so few for so many far-flung places, albeit often in small congregations, but without any alternative Mass centre nearby. This clearly indicates the missionary nature of the Diocese of Menevia, and the willingness of so many to pull together in the service of the Gospel. In the past 10 years, only two small churches have been closed (Crickhowell and Cwmer), when their congregations fell to the mid-teens. In each case, parishioners willingly accepted that their situation was no longer tenable or viable, and another parish or church was not far away.

Groups from overseas living in the Diocese continue to increase. They are well catered for and include members of the Filipino community and the Kerala community, especially as the Diocese enjoys having experienced priests from their countries of origin working here on a permanent basis. Generally, the people are integrated into their local parish, and appreciate coming together from time to time to celebrate a special Mass according to their own rite or style. Already, the Bishop has led a Mass for the Filipino people and addressed the Kerala people during a Mass celebrated in the Syro-Malabar rite. Since the appointment of a Syro-Malabar Cardinal and a Syro- Malabar eparchy in England & Wales, the tempo of allegiance to the Syro-Malabar rite has increased. Steps are being taken to reverse the integration process that has made such progress in recent years. Many Syro-Malabar adherents are happy to remain as they are, especially where families have young children in Catholic schools. Nevertheless, this is causing divisions within the Syro-Malabar community. Reminding everyone of their roots, an elitist group is pushing for more separatist provision. Others prefer to remain with the parish communities that they have joined and are content with what is provided for them and their families. Attempts to divide up already small congregations is not a recipe for consolidating and growing community spirit.

Some areas of the Diocese have large numbers of different ethnic communities, which enrich Church life and celebrations. It is a constant task to integrate these communities into the life of a Parish and thus prevent them from feeling isolated. This is especially so with the large Polish community, where many young Poles risk being lost to the faith, although the successful ministry

- 7 - among them of the current chaplain seconded by the Polish Mission is recognized. Currently, grandparents make little attempt to learn English; many parents have found jobs that do not require English (e.g. a meat-packing centre employs only Polish people, and its managers and supervisors are all Polish); and children pick up English very quickly in primary school. It is therefore estimated that, for reasons of language, it will take the passage of at least 3 generations before integration into parishes and society is fully comprehensive or complete. One parish in the Swansea area puts on classes in the English language to assist this process of integration.

It has always been the Bishop’s experience that friendship and contact with his episcopal colleagues is essential. This is a feature no less in Wales than anywhere else. The 3 Bishops of the Welsh Province (Cardiff, Wrexham, and Menevia) meet three times a year to share common issues or to seek advice on particular matters, and communicate by phone and mail on other occasions. There is a close working relationship between Cardiff and Menevia for Marriage Tribunal cases and Safeguarding issues, where personnel and procedures are shared in common to good effect. The Diocese supports two Bishop Emeriti: Bishop Daniel lives in a care-home, and Bishop Mark lives in a house in north London put at his disposal by the Archdiocese of Westminster.

Most if not all bishops throughout the world operate by virtue of two major appointments: ordination generally as a bishop of the Universal Church, and appointment specifically to a local Church (or an historic diocese). The current Bishop ensures that his absences from the Diocese do not impinge adversely on the work or governance of the Diocese. He is assisted by a very able Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia, who chairs several diocesan committees and oversees the administration of several measures requiring clergy co-operation. The Bishop’s Personal Secretary provides an efficient, reliable and discreet conduit for handling information and organizational matters. Nearly always, wherever I go, whether on work or vacation, I take with me my mobile-phone and lap-top computer for internet messages, so that the Diocese is able to keep in immediate contact with me, if needed – and so it has been!

Tasks that have taken me away for only a day or two at a time have included extra duties as: (1) Bishop Promoter for the Apostleship of the Sea (AoS), which is a national Catholic charity, whose 20 full- and part-time chaplains support the welfare of seafarers visiting British ports and their chaplaincy centres. After 14 years in post I recently stood down and handed over to an Auxiliary Bishop in Southwark, who more recently (and ironically) took up an additional appointment as Bishop of the Forces; (2) the St Luke’s Centre (SLC) in Manchester, which offers assessments and programmes for the rehabilitation of clergy and religious (women and men) who need support, guidance, and even treatment of a personal, welfare and sometimes clinical nature in order to be restored to healthy ministry. Nearly every single priest returned to ministry means a congregation is cared for – and that priest’s well-being is advanced. In 2005, I was asked by the Bishops’ Conference to find a way of continuing the facilities offered by Our Lady of Victories in Stroud. SLC in Manchester opened just over a year later, and I have remained a member of the Board of Trustees and Directors ever since. The Chair is the CEO of the St Luke Institute (SLI) in Maryland USA, which monitors the SLI programmes that SLC runs;

(3) Bishop Liaison with the Catholic Police Guild since 2015 to offer a network of support for Catholics serving in the 24 separate Police Forces within England & Wales. (4) a member of the Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales (E&W), and specifically of the Department for International Affairs. In October 2017, this included a visit to Brussels

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for conversations with EU officials, not so much about Brexit, but more about ethical issues and human rights.

On 01 December 2018, I marked 10 years as Bishop of Menevia. Now I approach the canonical retirement age of 75 on 03 June 2019. As seems to be the custom experienced in other dioceses, it is likely that the Holy Father will re-appoint me nunc pro tunc until he chooses my successor in due course. None of us knows how long that will be, though the average length of time in E&W would appear to be 18 months. There is no record of anyone in E&W being replaced on the date of his actual 75th birthday – other than my illustrious predecessor Bishop Mark on his 75th birthday in October 2018! It has been my privilege to serve the Church as a priest in a wide variety of capacities: Assistant-Priest, Parish Priest, Teacher, Naval Chaplain, Bishop of the Forces, and Bishop of Menevia – and to have felt the support and friendship of my fellow clergy. Throughout these years I have treasured being a religious as a Marist, devoted to Mary, and reliant upon her for so much support.

I hope that this introduction may be of some help to you my fellow clergy to have a snapshot of the diocese that you serve with such distinction – and with the gratitude and appreciation of its current bishop for all that you do and all that you are. All of you individually, and some of you collectively as members of canonical bodies in the diocese, have the right to participate in the process of advising the Papal Nuncio about the future nature of the diocese and its needs – especially for a new bishop who will take it forward with care and vision.

May this chapter of the first edition of the Diocesan Handbook, along with all the other chapters on different subjects compiled by a representative cross-section of people, be an informative background and context to the needs of this historic Diocese dating back to Saints Alban, Julius and Aaron, who were probably martyred by Valerian between 257 and 259 AD. The 6th century saw St David spread the presence of Christianity more widely and deeply in Wales – just as we try to continue his example of dedication and evangelisation in the third millennium. May the Lord bless you all and keep you safe in your respective ministries.

+ Tom M Burns sm Bishop of Menevia 31 January 2019

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SEMINARIANS

We pray in thanksgiving for the witness of so many consecrated men and women who've lived and worked in our diocese over the years. We pray that God will continue to call men and women from our own parishes to follow Jesus through the promises of poverty, chastity and obedience. Lord hear us... Please see the section on VOCATIONS for information about our seminarians and the training that is available for them at the following seminaries in the UK and overseas: - the Venerable English & Welsh College, Rome - the Beda College, Rome - St Alban’s College, Valladolid - Allen Hall, London - St John’s, Wonersh, Guildford - St Mary’s College, Oscott, Sutton Coldfield

For enquiries about vocations to the PRIESTHOOD please contact: Father Matt Roche-Saunders St David’s & St Patrick’s Church Presbytery 9 Fountain Row Barn Street HAVERFORDWEST SA61 1SX Tel. 01437 762284 [email protected]

For enquiries about vocations to the PERMANENT DIACONATE, please contact: Canon Michael Smith ‘Cwrt Coch’ 14 Bank Buildings LLANDEILO SA19 6BU Tel. 01558 824305 [email protected]

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