Garnant man receives royal award after 25 years of service
Mr Alan Jones was recruited by the Home Office and attached to His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, assisting 7 HMIs with their duty's country wide.
This came after Mr Jones was a police officer for 33 years, joining Birmingham City Police after he left school and progressing from bikes, firearms and then ending up on the special branch.
Mr Jones served the home office for 25 years and was a police officer for 33 years. (Image: Alan Jones) Mr Jones said: 'It has taken me by surprise. I retired and I knew nothing about it before that medal came through the post. But it goes to the King first who approves the award and then gets sent off.
'This came out of the blue. The people who I used to work said they had never heard of such an award. When you're in the force you usually get a medal after 22 years of service, if you have a record of good conduct.
'It was an interesting job working for the Home Office, making sure he or she got there in one piece. I was sent all over the UK.'
The medal was received in the post. (Image: Alan Jones) Mr Jones was born in Glanaman Hospital on July 9, 1945, and went to Garnant junior school before attending St Michael's School, Bryn, Llanelli.
His grandmother Elizabeth Jones lived until she was 102 years old and was cared for by her daughters Hannah and Nancy.
The award was an 'Imperial Service Medal.' (Image: Alan Jones) Mr Jones continued: 'My extended family are in Glanaman. I left when I was 17 years old and I never came back. But I still go there to see my relatives.
'Back then, to join the police force you had to speak Welsh. But I didn't, so I applied to become a police officer in Manchester and Birmingham. Birmingham got back to me first, so I decided to go there and have been there ever since.
HM The King gave the royal stamp of approval. (Image: Alan Jones) 'Being a police officer is still a really good job because you are serving the public. There is more pressure nowadays, yet if you can deal with you that, you can deal with anything.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
4 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Call for tribute to Terrence Higgins in Haverfordwest
Tuesday June 10 marks 80 years since Terrence Higgins was born in Haverfordwest, and he spent almost half of his short life in the town. His name is now synonymous with the fight against HIV and AIDS, with his partner and a friend setting up the Terrence Higgins Trust following his death at the age of 37 in July 1982, to campaign to counter prejudice against those who have the disease. As Haverfordwest Town Museum stages a new display to mark what would have been the 80th birthday of Terrence Higgins, its curator, Dr Simon Hancock said: 'I would love to see a blue plaque in his memory put up in the town. Terrence Higgins as a young man. (Image: Terrence Higgins Trust) "He was an important campaigner and social activist who deserves to be better remembered in his home town. "The national charity which bears his name has helped countless thousands of people since its inception. ' Dr Simon Hancock and Tracey Bartlett, volunteer co-ordinator Cymru for the Terrence Higgins Trust are pictured with the two portraits. (Image: Haverfordwest Town Museum) A representative of the Terrence Higgins Trust has visited the museum to present two pieces of artwork relating to his life of Terrence Higgins, who spent five years in the Royal Navy and later worked for Hansard and as a bartender in Soho, and was known to family and friends as Terry. Dr Hancock said the museum was 'very honoured' to receive the two pieces of artwork. One is a donation from the Terrence Higgins Trust to the museum - a portrait of Terry during his school days in Haverfordwest by contemporary Welsh artist Nathan Wyburn. This is a signed limited edition print. Artist Nathan Wyburn created the original portrait in 2022. (Image: PA) The original was created to mark the charity's 40th anniversary in 2022 and the image was built up with red and green stamps in the shape of the charity's heart logo. The other is a coloured pencil portrait, The Three Ages of Terry (2023) by Curtis Holder. This shows Terrence at three life stages, a navy teen, young man and towards the end of his life. The portrait has been on display at the National Portrait Gallery and is loaned to Haverfordwest Museum s until January 2026. The items were presented by Tracey Bartlett, volunteer co-ordinator Cymru for the Terrence Higgins Trust.
Wales Online
5 hours ago
- Wales Online
Explosion in Welsh town sees pub and chippy shut and people left in darkness
Explosion in Welsh town sees pub and chippy shut and people left in darkness People reported a 'big bang' and smoke was seen rising National Grid at the scene of the incident in Gorseinon on Monday night (Image: Michael Tiley ) Businesses were forced to close and households were left without power after residents heard a "big bang" and saw smoke rising from a substation. People living in the Gorseinon community of Swansea reported the incident in Lime Street shortly before 5pm on Monday night, June 9. As well as causing a power outage for residents, local businesses were also affected including Wetherspoons restaurant, The Mardy Inn, which was forced to close until the issue was resolved. A spokesman for Wetherspoons said: 'A power cut occurred at 5.48pm last night (Monday) with the pub, the High Street and surrounding areas all without power until 8.50pm. As a result, The Mardy Inn had to close but re-opened, as normal, at 9pm.' Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here . Some people hoping to get a takeaway for dinner were also affected, with Roma Fish Bar confirming it was among those forced to close from 5pm until the morning. SOS Shelters Wales, a food bank based in Gorseinon, which now gives out 4,500 meals every week, decided to welcome anyone affected to its base at 63 Lime Street, serving up teas, coffee and hot food. Michael Tiley, who runs the not-for-profit community organisation with his son, David, said: "A lot of people rang me up because we are right next to the substation. I was told there was a massive bang there and all the power was off. Article continues below "I shot up there just to double check everything was alright, and when I got there, I could see a lot of smoke coming from it. I contacted the fire brigade which came and I think shut the whole thing down. There was about 15 National Grid vans there then. "I popped up and asked how long they thought it was going to be. They said about three to four hours, and I thought, right, I'm going to open our gates and prepare hot food, teas and coffees for the workers and anyone affected in the community who wanted to pop along. "I make my own chicken curry, pies and chips, and I served that up too using power from our generator. "I must have been there until 11pm. I stayed there so I could give all the working men curry and chips, or pie and chips, or coffees and teas. I didn't charge for it, it's just something I wanted to do. "The catering side of what we do, that's what it's for, and we do a lot more with it too. I've got about 25 volunteers now - we do seven days a week and we're pushing out around 4,500 meals a week." A footpath was closed as National Grid worked to restore power (Image: Michael Tiley ) A National Grid Electricity Distribution spokeswoman said: 'A fault on our underground network caused a power cut affecting 87 properties on Monday. We'd like to thank customers for their patience and understanding as our engineers made repairs as quickly as possible. 'Anyone who experiences a power cut should call us on 105. Customers who need extra help and support should sign-up to our free priority services register so they can receive additional support during a power cut.' A spokesman for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: "At 5.02pm on Monday, June 9, the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service crews from Pontarddulais and Morriston fire station were called to an incident at Lime Street in Gorseinon. Article continues below "Crews responded following an explosion at a substation. Crews assisted National Grid personnel to isolate the substation and to manage traffic at the scene. "Crews left the scene at 5.56pm."
Western Telegraph
12 hours ago
- Western Telegraph
Call for tribute to Terrence Higgins in Haverfordwest
Tuesday June 10 marks 80 years since Terrence Higgins was born in Haverfordwest, and he spent almost half of his short life in the town. His name is now synonymous with the fight against HIV and AIDS, with his partner and a friend setting up the Terrence Higgins Trust following his death at the age of 37 in July 1982, to campaign to counter prejudice against those who have the disease. As Haverfordwest Town Museum stages a new display to mark what would have been the 80th birthday of Terrence Higgins, its curator, Dr Simon Hancock said: 'I would love to see a blue plaque in his memory put up in the town. Terrence Higgins as a young man. (Image: Terrence Higgins Trust) "He was an important campaigner and social activist who deserves to be better remembered in his home town. "The national charity which bears his name has helped countless thousands of people since its inception. ' Dr Simon Hancock and Tracey Bartlett, volunteer co-ordinator Cymru for the Terrence Higgins Trust are pictured with the two portraits. (Image: Haverfordwest Town Museum) A representative of the Terrence Higgins Trust has visited the museum to present two pieces of artwork relating to his life of Terrence Higgins, who spent five years in the Royal Navy and later worked for Hansard and as a bartender in Soho, and was known to family and friends as Terry. Dr Hancock said the museum was 'very honoured' to receive the two pieces of artwork. One is a donation from the Terrence Higgins Trust to the museum - a portrait of Terry during his school days in Haverfordwest by contemporary Welsh artist Nathan Wyburn. This is a signed limited edition print. Artist Nathan Wyburn created the original portrait in 2022. (Image: PA) The original was created to mark the charity's 40th anniversary in 2022 and the image was built up with red and green stamps in the shape of the charity's heart logo. The other is a coloured pencil portrait, The Three Ages of Terry (2023) by Curtis Holder. This shows Terrence at three life stages, a navy teen, young man and towards the end of his life. The portrait has been on display at the National Portrait Gallery and is loaned to Haverfordwest Museum s until January 2026. The items were presented by Tracey Bartlett, volunteer co-ordinator Cymru for the Terrence Higgins Trust.
