Winds of up to 65 mph throughout last weekend forced Pembroke Castle to cut short their popular Christmas Market for safety reasons.

The market, which takes place in a large marquee each year, managed to withstand strong winds on Friday and visitors enjoyed the shopping experience, music from school choirs and the big arrival of Father Christmas.

However, the winds were forecast to rise considerably on the Saturday and Sunday and it left the organisers with no choice other than to call off the rest of the weekend.

Castle manager Jon Williams explained: “It was disappointing to call it off on Saturday morning, as a lot of effort and hard work had gone into setting everything up. However, the severity of the weather made the decision a pretty straightforward one in the end, and the safety of all of our visitors, staff and stallholders was the priority.

“The marquee is very sturdy, but winds of 50-60mph make such structures very unstable. It was a credit to our staff, volunteers and to the services of Blue Sky Marquees that we managed to get all of the stallholders and their goods out of the marquee before the heavy wind arrived at around lunchtime on Saturday.”

Pembroke Castle is now looking forward to hosting the start and finish of Pembroke’s first ever Jingle Jog which is being arranged by Golden Grove School tomorrow (Saturday). Registration will take place in the castle from 9.15, with the jog starting at 10 am.

Santa will also make an appearance in Pembroke Town Hall tomorrow when Breakfast with Santa is once again being arranged by St. Mary’s Church, Pembroke. It is a chance to speak personally with Santa and receive a gift, hand in ‘wish lists,’ enjoy a hearty cooked breakfast (or just a cup of tea or coffee if you prefer), and browse the goods. It is a great morning out for all ages, and certainly one not to be missed. Admission (to include breakfast, Santa visit and present) is £5.