Victorian market to revive town's fortunes

Milford Haven's economy has suffered in recent years

A market square in Pembrokeshire was taken back in time and transformed into a Victorian Christmas fair on Friday as part of plans to revive the seaside town.

About 50 traders, offering a range of goods including crafts, plants and food, donned period costume for the event in Milford Haven.

Milford Haven has been seen as one of the more downtrodden areas of Pembrokeshire

Dewi Smith, Planed

It was organised by Milford Business Group, which was set up last September to help regenerate the area.

The local economy has been hit by a number of closures and job cuts including the loss of 900 ITV Digital jobs at a call centre in Pembroke Dock earlier this year.

There was more bad news on Thursday when the new owner at the call centre - Vertex - revealed it was pulling out with the loss of more than 200 jobs.

During the Victorian weekend in Milford Haven, schools, bands and choirs will perform carols, and there will also be a carousel, a pantomime and a period costume competition.

Dewi Smith, from the local enterprise organisation Planed, said that townspeople were fighting back after a lack of investment in the area.

"It has been seen as one of the more downtrodden areas of Pembrokeshire recently, and traders are keen to attract new shops.

"The group has a draft action plan for tourism, business and energy, which include a mixture of short and long-term aims," he added.

Exciting opportunity

About 30 local businesses have joined together to form the action group, following the decline of the local fishing and oil refining industries.

The group has arranged a bus link between Milford Docks up the steep hill to the town's main shopping area.

This is just the start of a process of regeneration for this famous old seaport

Sarah Hearne, Milford Business Group

Three pilot markets were also held during the summer, featuring street performances by actors from the Torch Theatre.

Backed by the Welsh Assembly, other schemes include developing the docks and regenerating the Rath area of the town.

Milford Business Group spokeswoman Sarah Hearne said the market was an "exciting Christmas trading opportunity".

"But this is just the start of a process of regeneration for this famous old seaport," she said.

"We want to unlock the economic potential of this area."

The Milford Business Group is supported by the Welsh Assembly Government's Rural Recovery programme, the Welsh Development Agency and the EU rural development initiative Leader Plus.