Emotional tribute to Gethin Hughes

Members of Côr Meibion Llanelli stood for a minute’s silence at their weekly rehearsals in memory of their retired accompanist, Gethin Hughes.
The silent tribute followed an emotional speech to choristers by musical director Eifion Thomas.
He said: “Without a shadow of a doubt, Gethin was a phenomenon.
“His contribution to the musical life of Llanelli and the wider community of Wales was immense.
“He provided a platform for people to perform, from the very young to the not so young.”
Mr Hughes, who died days before his 76th birthday, was the principal accompanist for Côr Meibion Llanelli from 1997 to 2007.
He performed at venues around the world and during a colourful career made friends with a whole host of famous faces and celebrities. His charity work earned him the MBE.
He died while on a cruise of the North Cape and Norwegian Fjords aboard the Crown Princess liner.
His body was returned to Southampton on Saturday for a post-mortem before being returned to Llanelli.
Mr Thomas told choristers at their weekly rehearsal at Furnace Community Hall: “Gethin’s contribution to the choir was immense and always positive. He would argue about how different pieces were presented but it was never done with any edge. It was always done in the spirit of wanting the music to be presented in the best possible way.
“He might quarrel about it on occasions, but he never let the musical arguments get the better of friendships.
“It was a privilege to be his friend. His passing is a great loss to the local community.
“Gethin was a wealth of stories. He could entertain you with stories all day long and he also generated stories along the way because he was such a great character. We will still be talking about him in years to come.
“It’s a particularly poignant week for the choir as Saturday sees our ‘Annual Concert’ staged at the Selwyn Samuel Centre. We know that Gethin would have been in the audience to enjoy the concert.”
The funeral details have yet to be confirmed.
But the service is likely to be in Bethel Chapel, Seaside, with burial in his parents’ grave at the Llanelli and District Cemetery.