Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Before the typing gets erratic, a very Merry Christmas to everyone!

Gorseinon Diamond Day couple help Healing The Wounds charity - story in Llanelli Star this week.

'View from Richmond Park' Carmarthen Town AFC column in the Carmarthen Journal this week.

Catching up on work - story and pic, Nigel Roberts joins Clay Shaw Butler team in the Western Mail on Wednesday.

Llanelli v Carmarthen Town match at Stebonheath, Llanelli 26 December 2010 has been postponed due to a frozen pitch. No Welsh League action again!

The Scandinavian Redwing has found a snow-locked undisturbed home from home at Gelli Aur Country Park. The 60-acre 600-year-old parkland managed by Carmarthenshire County Council has become a snow-bound winter wonderland for more than a week only accessible by 4x4 park rangers because of more than a foot of snow that is blocking entrance roads and park trails. The redwings, just a little smaller than the song thrush, have been arriving in flocks to escape their Scandinavian homeland winter but have found the conditions at the Llandeilo park not much better. Senior park ranger Mike Smith, one of only three rangers who have been able to access the park in their 4x4’s, said it had been quite amazing to see how the wildlife, birds and animals had adapted to the weather conditions where humans had failed. He said: “The woodlands are a maze of animal tracks including fox, rabbit and deer and bird prints with on the odd ranger boot treads in contrast. It is a privilege to look after this 600-

If you decide to get a real Christmas tree this year, make sure you recycle it! Carmarthenshire County Council is holding a Christmas Tree Amnesty so that residents can take along their real trees to be recycled after the festive season. This is the first time the council has organised a Christmas Tree Amnesty. The trees will be taken to the In-Vessel Composting Unit at Nantycaws where they will be turned into compost/soil conditioner. Collection points will be set up between 8am and 10.30am on Saturday, January 8 at the following locations: • Kidwelly, Co-op • Tumble, Heol Y Neuadd Car Park • Pencader School • Llanybydder Main Car Park • Llandovery Castle Car Park • Llandeilo, Carmarthen Road Car Park Executive board member for the environment Councillor Philip Hughes said: “We produce more rubbish at Christmas than during any other time of the year, but Christmas tree recycling is an eco-friendly, convenient way of getting rid of your real Christmas tree and doing your bit for the en

A letter has been sent to some town and community councils in Carmarthenshire asking if they would like to take over the public toilets in their areas. It follows a review of public conveniences in Carmarthenshire carried out by a Task and Finish Group from the county council's Environment Scrutiny Committee. The group looked at a range of options for future provision and concluded that the cost of operating 33 grade 2 public facilities – currently £226,000 a year – was not sustainable. The move – which was backed by the council’s Executive Board - will help to improve the quality of the service and provide it in a more cost-effective way. Town and community councils which agree to take over facilities will be given a one-off payment of £500 to assist with any minor upgrades. Director of Technical Services Richard Workman said: “Over the last 10 years there has been an increasing trend for local communities to take on a greater responsibility for the delivery of local services, suc

Hopes for Llanelli v Carmarthen Welsh Premier League match - http://www.carmarthentownafc.net/

Youngsters from across South and West Wales took part in a very eco-friendly Christmas tree decorating competition at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. More than 450 pupils from 24 schools – from as far afield as Merlin’s Bridge, Newcastle Emlyn and Pontarddulais – took part in the challenge to decorate a tree using remade, reused or recycled materials. The competition was jointly organised by the Garden and Careers Wales West and sponsored by Carmarthenshire County Council, Cwm Environmental Ltd and Welsh Water/Dwr Cymru. Environmental workshops were held throughout the day by various community groups and there were prizes for the best dressed trees. Council sustainability officers Tina Brice and Sharon Griffiths led a workshop entitled ‘Our World’ and Executive Board Member for the Environment Councillor Philip Hughes was one of the judges. Councillor Hughes said: “This was an excellent opportunity for schools, particularly those in the Eco Schools Programme, to take part in a

Last chance for Christmas Trees. One day to go. See Welsh Christmas Trees website at - http://welshchristmastrees.co.uk/

Carmarthenshire County Council is to consult on proposals to develop West Carmarthen. The local authority approved the Carmarthen West Planning and Development for public consultation on October 20. The consultation period will run from January 4 until the 28th February 2011. An exhibition will be held at St Peters Civic Hall, Carmarthen, and will be manned for the first three days. The principle of development at West Carmarthen was established in the Unitary Development Plan adopted in 2006. Given the scale of the proposal and the need to ensure a comprehensive and integrated development scheme, the Unitary Development Plan designated the area as being subject to the preparation of a Planning and Development Brief. The Brief would set out a coordinated approach to the development to successfully incorporate the various elements of the scheme including a new link road, housing developments, employment sites, community facilities and landscaping and open space. The Planning and Develo

Don't agree with Robert Winston re Big Bang. I'm a Micro Chip man! - http://ning.it/dVVDot

What chance me seeing some live sport this Christmas? Suffering from withdrawal symptoms. The Trivial Pursuit may even have to come out!

Grateful thanks to the wonderful team at Gravells in Kidwelly. They fixed my little 'Megan' in time for Christmas!

TV chef Hazel Thomas cooked up a festive feast to tantalise the tastebuds of shoppers in Cross Hands. The ‘Food for Thought’ event at Cross Hands Co-op was organised by Carmarthenshire County Council’s waste awareness team. Hazel, who is a regular face on S4C, showed shoppers how our Christmas leftovers can be used to make another meal. Dishes included turkey noodle soup, turkey mango and lime salad, quick tomato and lentil soup, Spanish omelette and fruit skewers with a toffee sauce. Waste officers gave lots of hints and tips on how residents could cut down on their food waste and Radio Carmarthenshire were also there to broadcast the event to the rest of the county. Figures show that a family of four throws away £50 worth of food every month. But given the size of the typical Christmas shopping trolley, the amount of money we waste during December is likely to be much more. A few simple changes however can make a big difference to your festive food bills and the environment. Council

Halfway School is the proud owner of two child-friendly picnic table and bench sets, thanks to a group of budding carpenters. Men and women who have been taking part in a unique construction taster project visited the school to hand over the furniture sets for the school playground. The bench sets were built as part of a carpentry session on the Building Your Own Future In Sir Gar project, which is currently being rolled out to Communities First areas in the county. The project aims to give people living in deprived areas the chance to learn some basic DIY skills, build confidence and to encourage them in to further college-based training. Over a period of four weeks they are taught the basics of carpentry, plumbing, tiling, plastering, and painting and decorating. Members taking part with Felinfoel and Glanymor and Tyisha Communities First groups have been amongst the first to complete the course, which culminated in the presentation of their hand-made bench sets to the local school,

Residents in Carmarthenshire are being reminded to use their green bins and blue bags this Christmas. As Christmas Day and New Year’s Day fall on a Saturday this year, there are no changes to refuse/recycling collections. This means your waste will be collected on its usual day throughout the festive period. With all the eating, drinking and merry-making we tend to produce a lot more rubbish at this time of the year which is why it’s more important than ever to recycle our waste properly. Unavoidable Christmas food waste such as turkey bones, nutshells and tangerine peel should go in your green bin so that it can be treated and made into compost, rather than mixed up with black bag rubbish which is then sent to landfill causing harm to the environment. Remember paper, including Christmas cards and wrapping paper (although not foil wrapping paper) can go in your blue bag along with cardboard, cans and plastic. From the second week of January you can also take your Christmas cards along