'Gilmore' lands community champion prize
Delighted to hear that 'Gilmore' Jones won the Community Champion award at the Llanelli Star community awards night at Parc y Scarlets last night.
Doubly delighted as I was one of the people who nominated him.
Here's what I said in the nomination -
Community champion
Thomas Henry Gilmore-Jones.
Thomas Henry Gilmore-Jones is better known to one and all in Llanelli as ‘Gilmore’.
If you’ve shopped in Llanelli for the last 30-plus years, then you will recognise Gilmore as a familiar face.
He managed the old Cooperative store when it straddled the old town centre precinct and Murray Street (anyone remember the famous pedestrian footbridge which spanned Murray Street?)
When the store closed to make way for town centre redevelopment, ‘Gilmore’ could have found himself redundant and consigned to the history books in Llanelli.
But Gilmore is as tough as Llanelli steel and tinplate and bounced back to manage the new St Elli Shopping Centre.
The success of the shopping centre is there for all to see – seven million visitors in 2009 and an estimated footfall of 135,000 a week.
Gilmore’s role today is now regional manager for the firm of property consultants who run and manage the St Elli Centre.
His work takes in other shopping centres in South Wales, as far up the M4 as Bridgend.
Although he now wears a regional hat, he is still actively involved in Llanelli, standing in as the duty manager when required.
Gilmore is a passionate supporter of town centre shopping and has lent his support to the Love Llanelli campaign run by the Llanelli Star.
His advocacy for a strong and vibrant Llanelli town centre has seen him champion the cause in meetings of Llanelli Chamber of Trade (he is a past president of the lobby group).
During his time at the St Elli Centre he made sure the shopping centre put the accent on community spirit – encouraging fun days, making sure people took a pride in the local shopping centre and supporting all sorts of community activities in the centre.
For example, the Llanelli Hospice Christmas lights campaign in the run-up to the festive period is one of the highlights of Llanelli’s winter.
Always interested in all aspects of Llanelli life (he is a keen Scarlets fan) and always approachable, Gilmore Jones has been the face of shopping in Llanelli for more years than he may care to remember.
But he retains an almost boyish enthusiasm for shopping in Llanelli.
He has championed his community in the best way possible, by making sure Llanelli succeeds as a business and trading centre.
In addition to his busy working life, he finds time to support his daughter Llinos in competitions for the GB Special Olympics team.
Gilmore is an active participant with SOGB and is the Vice Chairman for SO Wales and the treasurer for their local group.
He said in a recent interview -“Special Olympics has been a fantastic opportunity for Llinos to do sports, travel, see the world, and make new friends! I always volunteer for the team so I can travel with her – I will always encourage Llinos to be involved with Special Olympics and if I can help in any way I will do just that!”
Gilmore Jones wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to Llanelli.
He actively promotes the town at every available opportunity.
He works tirelessly to encourage news businesses to invest in the town.
He takes the time to care about the shopping experience in Llanelli.
He supports all aspects of life in Llanelli and the helping hand he provides to charity and community groups in Llanelli is legendary.
It has been a privilege to know Gilmore Jones for more than 20 years. He would be a thoroughly deserving winner of the Llanelli Star’s Community Champion award.
At the same awards bash, Jayne Howarth was Highly Commended in the Charity Champion category.
I was one of the people who nominated Jayne.
Here's what I said -
Jayne Howarth
Charity champion nomination
Jayne Howarth is made of the right stuff to be Llanelli’s charity champion.
Her most visible role has been that of chairman of the Llanelli branch of Cancer Research UK.
The Llanelli branch has always been one of the major Welsh fund-raisers for Cancer Research.
The branch has been running 50 years and has the ambitious target of hitting the £500,000 target for fund-raising this April.
Currently, the branch regularly raises more than £20,000 every year for the charity.
The branch has received regular certificates of merit from Cancer Research UK for its innovative fund-raising.
Mrs Howarth has been chairman of the Llanelli branch since April, 1999, virtually from the day she joined the local committee.
She trained as a nurse before becoming well known in Llanelli as the matron of the old Glasfryn Nursing Home.
She has found time to juggle her busy family life with her responsibilities as chairman of the Llanelli branch of Cancer Research.
In addition, she is president of the Llanelli branch of the MENCAP charity.
Her fund-raising work for Cancer Research, in particular, has been known for innovation.
You name it, and Mr Howarth has organised it –
Mad Hatter’s Tea Parties, fun runs, sponsored walks, ceilidhs, folk dancing evenings, barn dances, formal balls and dances, curry nights, murder mystery evenings, St David’s Day dinners, coffee mornings, charity suppers, gourmet evenings, quizzes and rugby club lunches.
Mrs Howarth and the hard-working members of the Llanelli Cancer Research committee have worked tirelessly to ensure that their fund-raising covers all sections of the community.
Mrs Howarth’s leadership has been inspirational.
She is as dogged as one of her beloved corgis when it comes to getting the job done.
The terrier-like qualities she brings to appeals for sponsorship and donations will be familiar to most businesses in Llanelli.
It is done with smile and charm, but there are many in Llanelli who have found themselves on the receiving end of a Jayne Howarth ‘charity mugging’!
She has always displayed fine ambassadorial qualities in leading the Llanelli Cancer Research team.
Above all, she has led the Cancer Research fund-raising effort with a smile.
More than 10 years in the chair at Llanelli Cancer Research is a magnificent achievement.
Mrs Howarth is part of a dying breed – the selfless and tireless volunteer charity worker who puts massive amounts of energy into making the world better for others.
She would not seek any recognition for herself – pointing to the work of every member of her Cancer Research committee.
But she would be a worthy and hugely popular winner of the Llanelli Star’s charity champion award.
Doubly delighted as I was one of the people who nominated him.
Here's what I said in the nomination -
Community champion
Thomas Henry Gilmore-Jones.
Thomas Henry Gilmore-Jones is better known to one and all in Llanelli as ‘Gilmore’.
If you’ve shopped in Llanelli for the last 30-plus years, then you will recognise Gilmore as a familiar face.
He managed the old Cooperative store when it straddled the old town centre precinct and Murray Street (anyone remember the famous pedestrian footbridge which spanned Murray Street?)
When the store closed to make way for town centre redevelopment, ‘Gilmore’ could have found himself redundant and consigned to the history books in Llanelli.
But Gilmore is as tough as Llanelli steel and tinplate and bounced back to manage the new St Elli Shopping Centre.
The success of the shopping centre is there for all to see – seven million visitors in 2009 and an estimated footfall of 135,000 a week.
Gilmore’s role today is now regional manager for the firm of property consultants who run and manage the St Elli Centre.
His work takes in other shopping centres in South Wales, as far up the M4 as Bridgend.
Although he now wears a regional hat, he is still actively involved in Llanelli, standing in as the duty manager when required.
Gilmore is a passionate supporter of town centre shopping and has lent his support to the Love Llanelli campaign run by the Llanelli Star.
His advocacy for a strong and vibrant Llanelli town centre has seen him champion the cause in meetings of Llanelli Chamber of Trade (he is a past president of the lobby group).
During his time at the St Elli Centre he made sure the shopping centre put the accent on community spirit – encouraging fun days, making sure people took a pride in the local shopping centre and supporting all sorts of community activities in the centre.
For example, the Llanelli Hospice Christmas lights campaign in the run-up to the festive period is one of the highlights of Llanelli’s winter.
Always interested in all aspects of Llanelli life (he is a keen Scarlets fan) and always approachable, Gilmore Jones has been the face of shopping in Llanelli for more years than he may care to remember.
But he retains an almost boyish enthusiasm for shopping in Llanelli.
He has championed his community in the best way possible, by making sure Llanelli succeeds as a business and trading centre.
In addition to his busy working life, he finds time to support his daughter Llinos in competitions for the GB Special Olympics team.
Gilmore is an active participant with SOGB and is the Vice Chairman for SO Wales and the treasurer for their local group.
He said in a recent interview -“Special Olympics has been a fantastic opportunity for Llinos to do sports, travel, see the world, and make new friends! I always volunteer for the team so I can travel with her – I will always encourage Llinos to be involved with Special Olympics and if I can help in any way I will do just that!”
Gilmore Jones wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to Llanelli.
He actively promotes the town at every available opportunity.
He works tirelessly to encourage news businesses to invest in the town.
He takes the time to care about the shopping experience in Llanelli.
He supports all aspects of life in Llanelli and the helping hand he provides to charity and community groups in Llanelli is legendary.
It has been a privilege to know Gilmore Jones for more than 20 years. He would be a thoroughly deserving winner of the Llanelli Star’s Community Champion award.
At the same awards bash, Jayne Howarth was Highly Commended in the Charity Champion category.
I was one of the people who nominated Jayne.
Here's what I said -
Jayne Howarth
Charity champion nomination
Jayne Howarth is made of the right stuff to be Llanelli’s charity champion.
Her most visible role has been that of chairman of the Llanelli branch of Cancer Research UK.
The Llanelli branch has always been one of the major Welsh fund-raisers for Cancer Research.
The branch has been running 50 years and has the ambitious target of hitting the £500,000 target for fund-raising this April.
Currently, the branch regularly raises more than £20,000 every year for the charity.
The branch has received regular certificates of merit from Cancer Research UK for its innovative fund-raising.
Mrs Howarth has been chairman of the Llanelli branch since April, 1999, virtually from the day she joined the local committee.
She trained as a nurse before becoming well known in Llanelli as the matron of the old Glasfryn Nursing Home.
She has found time to juggle her busy family life with her responsibilities as chairman of the Llanelli branch of Cancer Research.
In addition, she is president of the Llanelli branch of the MENCAP charity.
Her fund-raising work for Cancer Research, in particular, has been known for innovation.
You name it, and Mr Howarth has organised it –
Mad Hatter’s Tea Parties, fun runs, sponsored walks, ceilidhs, folk dancing evenings, barn dances, formal balls and dances, curry nights, murder mystery evenings, St David’s Day dinners, coffee mornings, charity suppers, gourmet evenings, quizzes and rugby club lunches.
Mrs Howarth and the hard-working members of the Llanelli Cancer Research committee have worked tirelessly to ensure that their fund-raising covers all sections of the community.
Mrs Howarth’s leadership has been inspirational.
She is as dogged as one of her beloved corgis when it comes to getting the job done.
The terrier-like qualities she brings to appeals for sponsorship and donations will be familiar to most businesses in Llanelli.
It is done with smile and charm, but there are many in Llanelli who have found themselves on the receiving end of a Jayne Howarth ‘charity mugging’!
She has always displayed fine ambassadorial qualities in leading the Llanelli Cancer Research team.
Above all, she has led the Cancer Research fund-raising effort with a smile.
More than 10 years in the chair at Llanelli Cancer Research is a magnificent achievement.
Mrs Howarth is part of a dying breed – the selfless and tireless volunteer charity worker who puts massive amounts of energy into making the world better for others.
She would not seek any recognition for herself – pointing to the work of every member of her Cancer Research committee.
But she would be a worthy and hugely popular winner of the Llanelli Star’s charity champion award.
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