PEMBROKE has been named as the most desirable place to live in Wales, and the sixth most desirable place in the whole of the UK, beating well-known list toppers like Padstow, Whitby, Bude, and even Chelsea and Kensington.

A survey of 24,000 people by property experts Rightmove saw Pembroke sharing company with desirable locations such as St Ives, the seaside resort of Woolacombe, the market town of Callington, and the Isle of Sky.

The only other Welsh entry in the top 20 was Tenby, at number 16, still ahead of Bude, Bakewell and Kensington.

Pembroke Mayor Dennis Evans welcomed the top 10 placing: “I’m not surprised; Pembroke is a very nice place to live, I’d like to think people are very friendly in Pembroke and there’s a nice community and it’s a safe place to live; and the things we’re doing as a council to regenerate the town have probably helped push Pembroke up the list. I’m very, very pleased, but not surprised.

“I would think people want to get out of the hustle and bustle of conurbations like London, Liverpool and Manchester; they would probably see Pembroke as a desirable place to visit.”

Cllr Evans felt that scenes of Pembroke in recent hit films may have helped bring the town to a wider audience.

“I think the other thing that has helped is the couple of films that have taken place in Pembroke; people are probably looking at the scenes of the castle and thinking: ‘Wow, that would be a nice place to live or go to see’.”

One particular movie which brought the town to a wider audience was a major feature film based on British writer Jojo Moyes’ bestselling romantic novel Me Before You, which was filmed in the town in 2015, and screened earlier this year.

Big draws for fans were The Hunger Games' Sam Claflin, Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke, and writer Jojo Moyes.

Extensive shots of the town’s castle, along with scenes filmed in Pembroke’s Main Street, including a magical winter scene, showed the town to Jojo Moyes’ legions of fans.

Jojo Moyes marvelled: “When we were filming, Pembroke and the castle looked so extraordinarily beautiful when we looked at the footage on the monitor. It was fantastic.”

Cllr Evans praised the work of Pembroke Castle Manager Jon Williams in helping to promote the town.

“I’m sure the work that Jon Williams is doing in the castle, such as the three concerts, have got out on social media; it’s amazing how that information is spread, I’m sure social media is playing a big part in presenting Pembroke in the best light,” said Cllr Evans.

He added: “We’re constantly trying to do things to increase the footfall in the town, hopefully this will improve the economy. Maybe this will be something for coach companies, maybe they realise there’s a lot more for them to see; it’s Pembroke as a destination, not just of an hour-and-a-half to see the castle but to stay longer, and hopefully it will increase the prosperity in the town.”