Penally Village

First, I would like to say that I am deeply sorry that a comment I attached to images I submitted to the geograph.org.uk web site have caused concern and anger among the Penally community in general. They were never meant to be disparaging but in retrospect having now re-read them for the first time since I wrote the comments, I can also fully understand how they could be, and were so interpreted.

The comments I wrote were undeserved and I have immediately replaced the original with another which better reflects the location. I shall shortly return to add more details and provide an enhanced comment that the image and your village deserves.

The comments were made on the back of a single incident that happened around the time the original picture was taken which I personally found rather disturbing and my comment was a knee-jerk reaction written that evening after a very long day on the road when I wasn't thinking straight. I realise that this doesn't excuse the comments I made at the time, but I am now deeply repentant and saddened that such words would have ever come through my fingers to my computer’s keyboard.

The probable circumstances behind this specific incident have since been explained to me and I know that it was totally unrelated neither to the pub pictured nor to anyone who may be recognisable in the picture.

I have written a personal apology to the proprietors of the Cross Inn, to which's image the comments had been placed (and unfortunately directed to) and have also issued a personal apology to the town council as the representatives of the village community.

Apart from the single incident, I have had very pleasant and productive dealings with the people and community of Penally while visiting on two occasions last summer. I feel compelled also to apologise unreservedly that my comment appeared to put the residents of Penally in a bad light - something I honestly didn't intend on doing, though in retrospect I feel quite ashamed of writing what I did now. In all other cases the people in your community went out of their way to help me and I truly appreciate this.

The Geograph project itself is something I’m only a tiny part of – it’s a web site initiative set up to collect geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of the UK and the Republic of Ireland and I also feel I've let this online community down with a single slip of judgement too. I hope you don’t – they’re nothing to do with me other than the fact that I contribute a lot of photographs to them.

You can find my original image of the Cross Inn and revised comment here and you can see pictures taken by others in the Geocaching community of your community here (and by using the "GO" compass not far from the top of the screen.

I hope the community of Penally can find it in their hearts to forgive me for my brief act of insensitive, but now I realise offensive behaviour.

Hywel

Speaking as a Penally resident and Webmaster of this site, I can speak upon behalf of many of the members of this community in thanking you for the swift corrective action that you have taken.

The modified caption is an ideal endorsement and must now be pleasing to any reader, including the author. We trust that we may look forward to a happier relationship in the future and I would now welcome you to visit this community.