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

Photos of last night's Llanelli Rotary Club Ball now on - http://ning.it/hY7gP8 Llanelli Rotary Club Ball

Trostre Amateur Boxing Club are gearing up for a fundraising fight night in memory of former British super-featherweight champion Robert Dickie. Llanelli's Diplomat Hotel will play host to the annual show, which raises cash for charity, as well as much-needed funds to ensure the club can keep going. This year, members have chosen to support the coronary department at Prince Philip Hospital, in memory of Dickie, who passed away in October following a heart attack. Club secretary Del Phillips said: "Robert was with us at the show last year and he presented a trophy for us. He said he was honoured and humbled just to be asked to do it. "Being a humble sort of guy he didn't think he was worthy to do so, even though he was a British champion. "He was talking about trying to get more involved in boxing, by refereeing and judging, but unfortunately he didn't have the opportunity. "He was a friendly, down-to-earth guy and we are honoured to be raising money in h

Healing The Wounds, the Welsh charity which works to treat sufferers of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), benefited from a concert organised by the Royal British Legion Club in Llanrumney, Cardiff. Organised by Terry McDonald, the concert featured the band Earth Monkey and included a raffle and ‘throw-in’ of cash. The event raised £2,952. “The Legion club effort was hugely appreciated by the team at Healing The Wounds. They are very interested in the work we are doing to treat people with PTSD in Wales,” said charity secretary Carol Richards. Weblink – http://healingthewounds.co.uk/

Healing The Wounds, the Welsh charity which works to treat sufferers of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) will be holding a bucket collection in Carmarthen town centre on Monday, May 30. “The people of West Wales have always been very supportive of our aims and we hope they will turn out once again to support our street collection,” said charity secretary Carol Richards. Weblink – http://healingthewounds.co.uk/

The hit choir Only Boys Aloud will be performing at Cefneithin Rugby Club, near Cross Hands, on Saturday, June 4, in aid of the Healing The Wounds charity. The theme of the evening will be ‘Stars In Their Eyes’. Barclays Bank has agreed to match-fund the cash raised on the night. The Healing The Wounds charity works in Wales to treat sufferers of PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder. The Only Boys Aloud choir is trained by the team from Only Men Aloud. For more information, email Jason.mills@cassidian.com Weblinks – http://healingthewounds.co.uk/ http://www.onlyboysaloud.com/

A charity book fair and bric-a-brac sale is being held tomorrow (Saturday, April 23) in Porthcawl in aid of Healing The Wounds, the Welsh charity which treats sufferers of PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder. The venue is The Community Village Hall in Newton. It starts at 10am. For more information, contact Rachel on 07514 299825 or 01656 728281.

Here is the new Clay Shaw Butler 'Looking after business' column from the pages of the Carmarthen Journal - By Ann Thomas, leading Consultant at West Wales Chartered Accountants and Business Consultants Clay Shaw Butler The current difficult economic climate is a challenge for any business in West Wales. Timely, accurate information is vital so that you know where you stand on a day-to-day basis. Accounting software such as Sage can help you achieve this efficiently and add a number of benefits to your basic book keeping function. Bank account – most businesses have internet banking, but can you calculate your outstanding items quickly using your current system? Sage has a bank reconciliation facility where you can see how much your actual bank balance is after outstanding items and what these items are. There is also a facility to link your system to your internet banking where Sage can then also automatically reconcile items. Customers –by using a system such as Sage, a click

The latest 'View from Richmond Park' Carmarthen AFC column from the Carmarthen Journal - Carmarthen Town's Annual Dinner to be held on Friday 20th May 2011 at the Ivy Bush Royal Hotel Carmarthen with guest speaker Jan Molby is now sold out. ------------------------------------- There will be a bus for Carmarthen Town AFC supporters for the trip to Aberystwyth away – the last match of this season on April 30. The bus leaves at 10:30am and returns at 8:30pm. Price £10.00 Adult, £5.00 Child. Please book your seat at the Club Shop with Peter Price (07825 014062) or Paul Ashley-Jones (07775 820864) --------------------------------------------- Tote draw – April 12 draw, winning numbers 06 and 30. The winner of the prize £200 was Mattie Davies. This week’s draw for a prize of £200 was taking place on Tuesday night. ---------------------------------------------- The spotlight falls on the Carmarthen Town AFC Under-13 Academy this week. Here are some of the players who are members

Healing The Wounds, the Welsh charity which helps treat sufferers of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), has moved into a new HQ. The charity, which recently announced actor Michael Sheen as a new patron, now has an office and treatment rooms at The Enterprise centre in Bryn Road, Tondu, Bridgend. “The move to new offices takes the charity to a new level,” said charity founder and Executive Director Kevin Richards. “Previously, we were working from home. Now, we have a professional office which will help us raise the charity’s profile in the community. “The new office also has treatment rooms which will allow our trained practitioners to treat PTSD sufferers. “This work is crucially important to us as a charity as we have a waiting list of people who need to receive PTSD treatment. “We have members of the armed forces waiting for PTSD treatment and we also have people from the civilian sector of the emergency services. “At the outset, we always said that we would spread our wings an

Eco-friendly schoolchildren in Kidwelly are doing their bit to clean up the town for both residents and visitors. Pupils from Ysgol Y Castell have been carrying out litter-picks and encouraging residents to help keep the town clean. Members of the school’s eco-council have been looking at the number of litter bins in the town and were pleased to see the council had installed a new recycling litter bin on the square. The new-style bin has two separate sections – one for general litter and the other for paper, cans and plastic bottles making it easier for recycling and reducing the amount of waste going to landfill. Ysgol Y Castell is committed to looking after the environment and tackling climate change. It has won the Green Flag three times under the Eco Schools programme and is now working towards achieving the Platinum Award. Pupils study topics including litter, biodiversity, water, energy, waste, transport, healthy living and global citizenship. Headteacher Jan Wareham said: “Looki

Residents in Carmarthenshire are being urged to go green and take advantage of a half price compost bin sale. It’s Compost Awareness Week from May 1 – 7 and to celebrate Carmarthenshire County Council’s waste section is selling compost bins for just £5 for one day only. The sale is being held at the Co-op car park in Cross Hands on Thursday, May 5, from 10am to 2pm. The 330 litre compost bins are available to Carmarthenshire residents only and must be collected on the day (no delivery) with only one bin per address. It includes a free composting guide with every purchase. Creating your own compost couldn’t be easier, and it’s a brilliant way of turning waste into a resource. What could be greener for example than using vegetable peelings for compost to grow more vegetables? You can compost all sorts of garden waste, including twigs, leaves and grass cuttings, as well as fruit and vegetable peelings and even paper and card. Council waste minimisation/recycling officer Karen Fulham said:

Carmarthenshire families are being encouraged to tie up the laces on their walking shoes and enjoy the fresh air over the Easter holidays. Carmarthenshire’s Local Public Health Team has launched a county-wide programme ‘Am Dro am Glonc Sir Gâr’ (Walk and Talk Carmarthenshire) to encourage local families to walk together as a regular activity in order to improve their health wellbeing. The aim is to get more people to ‘Walk and Talk’, providing valuable family time together whilst undertaking gentle exercise and enjoying the outdoors. As part of the programme launch, children in Carmarthenshire’s primary schools were asked to design a poster to promote walking as a great activity for children and families. A competition was run as part of Living Streets Walk to School Month in 2010 and in partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council’s Healthy Schools and Road Safety programmes. The winners were Lee Thorne and Nathan Thomas, year four pupils at Laugharne VC Primary School whose design

Children across Carmarthenshire will be getting their first taste of the new summer menu when it launches in the county’s primary schools on Tuesday, May 3, 2011. The menu, designed and implemented by Carmarthenshire Catering Service – part of the county council – follows the Welsh Assembly’s Appetite for Life recommendations to improve the health of children by offering nutritionally-balanced school meals. Each meal is nutritionally analysed using sophisticated computer software to ensure it contains the right balance of vitamins and minerals. Over 19,000 two-course meals are served to school children every day, with vegetarian options and specially produced meals to cater for individual special dietary requirements. The new summer menu is packed full of tasty homemade meals, with usual favourites including chicken or vegetable Korma, rice and Naan bread, and spaghetti bolognese with garlic bread. New additions include a meal designed by Elen Jenkins, a year six pupil at Llanelli’s Ys

Council properties in the Morfa area of Llanelli are among the first in the county to be externally insulated. Homes in Heol Tregoning and Westbury Street have been plastered using insulated over-render – a process which prevents heat loss through solid walls. The work has been carried out as part of the £203 million Carmarthenshire Homes Standard, which will see every one of the council’s 9,200 brought up to Welsh quality standards by 2015. As part of the programme, all homes have received cavity and loft insulation to improve energy efficiency, and to make homes more comfortable and affordable for tenants – a programme that has been completed four years ahead of schedule. There are a small minority of homes though with solid built walls, unsuitable for cavity wall insulation. The programme in Morfa, funded through a grant from the Welsh Assembly and British Gas, is seen as a pilot for similar types of properties elsewhere in Carmarthenshire. CHS manager Rachel Davies said: “Work is n

Llwynhendy Children’s Centre hosted a family fun day with a Royal Wedding theme this week. The centre was turned into a mini Buckingham Palace when children from the community, parents and staff got dressed up for a wedding party. The centre was decked out with Union Jack bunting, and children made wedding dresses, crowns, tiaras and armoured costumes out of recycled material with the help of Trysordy Arts Care. There was also face painting, jewellery making, bouncy castle and trampolines. Pictured above is five-year-old Summer Nelmes-Palmer enjoying the family fun day with a Royal Wedding theme at Llwynhendy Children’s Centre, Llanelli. Pic Jeff Connell Hoping to get a slice of the Royal Wedding cake are local children with centre manager Janine Patrick and Flying Start leader Marie Jones. Pic Jeff Connell

Residents in Carmarthenshire are being reminded that their waste collections will take place as normal over the forthcoming bank holidays. Refuse/recycling crews will be working as usual on Good Friday, Easter Monday, the Royal Wedding and May Day. Householders are being encouraged to cut down on all that 'eggstra' rubbish this Easter by reducing, reusing and recycling wherever possible. Suggestions for reducing your waste include making your own chocolate goodies and Easter cakes instead of shop bought Easter eggs, decorating your own cards with foil from any leftover packaging or even sending your Easter greetings by email. And if you can’t resist a shop bought egg, don’t forget to reuse and recycle the packaging wherever possible. Council sustainability officer Tina Brice said: “We are appealing to residents to recycle the cardboard packaging and the moulded plastic shell from their eggs in their blue bags or by using local recycling facilities. Clean card packaging can be r

Latest 'View from Richmond Park' Carmarthen Town AFC column from the Carmarthen Journal - There will be a bus for Carmarthen Town AFC supporters for the trip to Aberystwyth away – the last match of this season on April 30. The bus leaves at 10:30am and returns at 8:30pm. Price £10.00 Adult, £5.00 Child. Please book your seat at the Club Shop with Peter Price (07825 014062) or Paul Ashley-Jones (07775 820864) --------------------------------------------- Tote draw – April 5 draw, winning numbers 22 and 52. The winner of the prize of £500 was Dale Griffiths. This week’s draw for a prize of £200 was taking place on Tuesday night. --------------------------------------------- Now we are well into tail end of the Welsh Premier League campaign, it’s time to focus on some of the players who have joined Carmarthen Town AFC for the second half of the season. DANIEL SHEEHAN (Defender) 22.12.90 Sheehan is a product of Swansea City's youth set up and won a first year professional contr

Welsh Icons puts spotlight on Lamphey Court Hotel art hunt - http://ning.it/ihikGJ Spotlight on latest Clay Shaw Butler success story in the Carmarthen Journal last week. Spotlight on Healing The Wounds charity's first PTSD treatment course in the Carmarthen Journal last week. Spotlight on disabled races at Carmarthen Mayor's fun run in the Carmarthen Journal last week. 'View from Richmond Park' Carmarthen AFC column in the Carmarthen Journal last week. New head chef at Lamphey Court Hotel featured in business supplement of Western Mail last week. Nice story and pic about Jennifer Bowen qualifying with Clay Shaw Butler in business supp of the Western Mail last week. Nice story about disabled athletes joining Carmarthen Mayor's races in the Evening Post on Saturday. Splendid feature on Llanelli Cancer Research stalwart Jayne Howarth in the Evening Post and Llanelli Star last week. My '10 things you didn't know about Laugharne' is in Carmarthenshire Life m

Postal voters in Carmarthenshire are being reminded to follow the instructions carefully to make their vote count. There are now more than 27,000 postal voting packs being sent out to people across the county. When voting by post, people need to fill in a form that accompanies their ballot paper, giving their signature and date of birth. As a security measure, these are matched against the signature and date of birth the voter provided when they applied to vote by post. Mark James, Returning Officer for Carmarthenshire said: “Postal voting is growing in popularity as a convenient way to have your say. But at every election, some postal votes are invalid, because the voter either forgot to sign the postal voting statement or wrote down the date they filled it in, rather than their date of birth. “We’ve provided a guide to completing your postal ballot in your pack, so please do take the time to read it and provide the right information so that we can count your vote. We need to receiv

Burry Port Library is to re-open on Saturdays from this week thanks to a group of volunteers. An appeal was made for people to come forward following the news that the county council facility was to shut on Saturdays due to low numbers of people using it. Now a number of volunteers have come forward, and training and relevant checks have been done. Regional Library Manager Mark Jewell said: “Thanks to the generosity and community spirit of a group of volunteers, Burry Port Library will be open once more each Saturday morning, from this weekend. “Carmarthenshire County Council, in conjunction with Burry Port and Pembrey Community Council, have secured the services of volunteers from the area that are ready to undertake library work on a voluntary basis as to secure and extend library opening hours to the public. “The volunteers will be supported by staff from Carmarthenshire Libraries, and relevant training and workplace checks are being made.” Initially the service operated by the volu

Carmarthen Reserves v Ponthenri tonight (19 April) @ Richmond Park KO 6:00pm

The Lamphey Court Hotel in Pembrokeshire is looking to make its mark as a centre for art. An appeal has been launched this week for Pembrokeshire artists interested in displaying their works at the stunning Georgian parkland mansion. “We know there are some hugely talented artists in the community in Pembrokeshire and we want to help showcase their talent,” said the hotel’s manager, Phil Thomas. “As venues go, we have possibly one of the finest buildings in Pembrokeshire, with rooms which lend themselves to displaying quality art. “Our visitors are always interested in the finest things that Pembrokeshire has to offer and what could be better than adorning the historic walls with examples from the talented artists living and working in the county. “The idea is to display the works of local artists in the public areas. Ideally, we are looking for art which reflects our glorious Pembrokeshire landscapes and seascapes and paintings and drawings which show off our community and the people

A campaign against smoking-related litter has helped clean up Llanelli. Carmarthenshire County Council, supported by Tidy Towns, is encouraging people to put their cigarette ends in the bin. A campaign has been launched to raise awareness of this type of litter which not only looks unsightly but is also very difficult and expensive to clean up as the ends fall into grates and cracks in the pavement which makes them almost impossible to remove by normal cleaning. Discarded cigarette ends make up the largest proportion of litter in Carmarthenshire with visible evidence of smoking-related litter found on 83 per cent of the streets inspected by Keep Wales Tidy. Council officers were in the St Elli Shopping Centre giving out free pocket ashtrays to help keep the town clean and to warn people that anyone caught dropping a cigarette end in public can be fined. The council’s environmental enforcement officers regularly carry out patrols and anyone caught throwing litter can be issued with a fi

The Queen has approved the appointment of Miss Sara Edwards DL as Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Dyfed Sara Edwards has deep family roots in the area. She is the daughter of John M. Edwards, a former Harley Street Surgeon who now farms full time in Carmarthenshire, and the actress and broadcaster Gwenyth Petty. She is married to Lieutenant General Jonathon Riley and lives in north Carmarthenshire. She is a distinguished broadcaster and is active in a number of charitable organisations in Wales. Having been brought up mainly in London, she re-learned Welsh and is delighted that her daughter Hannah attends a Welsh-medium primary school.

People in Carmarthenshire who have not yet returned their census forms are being urged to do so. Cllr Wyn Evans, Executive Board Member for Finance with Carmarthenshire County Council, said: "The information from the census will affect the future of public services in Carmarthenshire and will directly affect the amount of money coming to the county for the next 10 years. "The amount of money given to the local authority, and for other public services such as health and the police, is directly affected by the number of people recorded as living in the county. If the census undercounts the number of people living here then it will affect the amount of money available for those services and could even result in higher increases in council tax than are necessary for future years.” Cllr Evans added: "This opportunity only comes around once every 10 years and I would urge people not to miss out. It is not too late for people to complete their returns either online or by sendi

Carmarthenshire County Council tenants are being reminded of the importance of allowing staff to access their homes to carry out vital safety checks. The council’s Housing and Property Services teams undertake regular routine visits to each of the 9,200 homes throughout Carmarthenshire to check that appliances such as central heating boilers are regularly serviced and maintained, and that smoke detectors are fitted and working properly. There are an increasing number of occasions where operatives and approved contractors have visited properties on scheduled appointments, only to be unable to gain access. Tenants are being asked to ensure they are able to keep the appointments made for such visits, or to inform the council if they need to rearrange. Building Services manager Mark Davies said: “It is necessary on occasions, maybe once or twice a year, that our staff or approved contractors will need to gain access to tenants’ properties to undertake maintenance and service checks on appl

A campaign against smoking-related litter has helped clean up Carmarthen. Carmarthenshire County Council, supported by Tidy Towns, is encouraging people to put their cigarette ends in the bin instead of littering the streets. They want to raise awareness of this type of litter which not only looks unsightly but is also very difficult and expensive to clean up as the ends fall into grates and cracks in the pavement which makes them almost impossible to remove by normal cleaning. Discarded cigarette ends make up the largest proportion of litter in Carmarthenshire with visible evidence of smoking-related litter found on 83 per cent of the streets inspected by Keep Wales Tidy. Council officers were in Carmarthen town centre giving out free pocket ashtrays and to warn people that if they are caught dropping a cigarette end in public they could be fined £75 or more if prosecuted in court. The council’s environmental enforcement officers regularly carry out patrols across the county. They can

A Llanelli man has been fined £360 and ordered to pay £150 court costs for illegally carrying scrap metal. Cornelius Price, aged 51, of Pen-y-Bryn Caravan Park, was convicted in absence for an offence contrary to Section 1 of the Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989 at Ammanford Magistrates Court. The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council. The court heard that on Wednesday, October 6 last year police stopped a Ford Transit type vehicle carrying scrap metal along Trevaughan Road in Carmarthen. The driver’s details were taken and passed on to the council’s environmental enforcement section. Checks were carried out with the Environment Agency and it was established Price was not registered as a waste carrier. Various letters were sent asking him to attend for interview but he failed to make any contact. As a result, he was prosecuted through the magistrates court. The council now hopes this case will act as a warning to others and help prevent the illegal transpor

Residents in Danybanc in Felinfoel took part in a spring clean with a difference. They took part in a ‘bring and take’ skip day organised by Communities First Felinfoel and Tidy Towns with part funding from Llanelli Rural Council. Householders were able to take along any unwanted items such as toys, books and furniture which were in good condition as well as get rid of other household rubbish in the skips provided. They were then able take away any item of use to them for free! Three skips were filled by residents which resulted in two tonnes of waste being disposed of and as much of that as possible was recycled. Items exchanged included bicycles, a vacuum cleaner, a stainless steel flip-top bin and a child’s scooter. Tidy Towns project officer Simon Troake said: “The event was well received by local residents who had a good clearout and were also able to pick up some bargains. Events like this are good for the environment as they reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and help

Llwynhendy Children’s Centre is hosting a family fun day with a Royal Wedding theme this week. The centre will turn in to a mini Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, April 20, from 10am-2pm, when children from the community, parents and staff will get dressed up for a wedding party. There will be a grand Windsor (bouncy) castle, as well as a celebratory wedding cake. Children will be able to make crowns and tiaras with the help of Trysordy Arts Care, and the centre will be decked out with bunting. For further information, please contact Janine Patrick on 01554 775390.

Carmarthenshire County Council staff working in the Ammanford area are being invited to give their bodies and minds an annual MoT. The authority’s Occupational Health team are holding a Health Day on Thursday, May 12, and are inviting staff who work in the Glanaman Depot and Parc Amanwy offices to get advice on health and wellbeing. As part of the event, staff will be offered lifestyle screenings and stress assessments to determine ways that their daily activities could be changed in order to improve their health, as well as nutrition and workplace advice. The morning session will be held from 9am-12pm at Parc Amanwy, where reflexology and massage taster sessions will also be offered, and in the afternoon, from 1.30-5pm at Glanaman Depot. Fran Wynne, Occupational Health Co-ordinator, said: “This will be the first opportunity for some years that we will have specifically visited a depot in order to offer both lifestyle screening and stress assessments. “The stress assessments have prove

Residents in Burry Port got rid of two tonnes of rubbish in a spring clean clear out. Two skips were provided by Tidy Towns for householders in Isgraig following a request from the council’s housing department. Residents were urged to take advantage of this one-off chance to dispose of any rubbish they had lying around at home. The aim is to encourage residents to dispose of waste that may otherwise be fly-tipped as well as to recycle and/or reuse as much of their rubbish as possible. Tidy Towns project officer Simon Troake said: “Bulky waste such as furniture, wood and cardboard left lying in and around homes is not only a fire hazard but can also result in fly-tipping. “Fly-tipping spoils our quality of life and enjoyment of the environment and it can cause serious pollution and harm to human health as well as wildlife and farm animals. “By working together, we can tackle the problem of fly-tipping and make a real difference to the area in which we live.” Tidy Towns is a Welsh Assemb

A woman from Ammanford has been fined £75 for dropping a cigarette end in Carmarthen town centre. The council’s environmental enforcement officers issued the fixed penalty notice to the 19-year-old in Cambrian Way. Failure to pay could result in prosecution in the magistrates court where the maximum fine is £2,500. It coincides with a county-wide campaign, supported by Tidy Towns, to raise awareness of smoking-related litter. Council education and awareness officers have been handing out free pocket ashtrays in Carmarthen, Llanelli and Ammanford. Discarded cigarette ends make up the largest proportion of litter in Carmarthenshire with visible evidence of smoking-related litter found on 83 per cent of the streets inspected by Keep Wales Tidy. The council’s director of technical services Richard Workman said: “We do not want to fine people, but we will not hesitate to do so if they continue to litter in this way. Many people do not think of cigarette ends as litter, but they are. They ma

Residents in Carmarthenshire are being warned not to use plastic bags in their green food bins – or they could be left behind. Approximately 75,000 households now benefit from a weekly food waste recycling collection to stop it going to landfill. However, householders are being reminded to only use compostable liners (this includes both paper and starch liners) in their green bins or use newspaper or kitchen towel to wrap their food/line the bins. Just look out for the compost logo or reference number EN13432 to tell if they are suitable. Plastic or biodegradable bags should not be used because any plastic would contaminate the food which could result in the whole vehicle load going to landfill. The council’s refuse/recycling crews have been instructed to tag and leave behind any green bins with plastic/biodegradable bags in them. Dealing with our food waste is a priority as it makes up 30 per cent of the waste we needlessly throw away to landfill. When we throw food away in a black ba

Jenkins Bakery's this week's special offers (inc 3 med corned beef pasties £1.60) now on the website - http://ning.it/dZZV8w

The Anglo-Norman Dictionary project (AND), since 2001 directed by Professor David Trotter and based in the Department of European Languages, Aberystwyth University, has been awarded the Prix Honoré Chavée by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres in Paris. The AND started life in 1947 when a “glossary committee” met in Oxford, to discuss the compilation of a dictionary (or at that stage, a glossary) of Anglo-Norman, the form of French in use in Britain as a result of the Norman Conquest in 1066. At first a spoken language, later increasingly used in writing alone, Anglo-Norman was extant from 1066 until the mid-15th-century, lingering on in legal language, and leaving a lasting impact on English especially in vocabulary. The AND set out, more than 60 years ago, to record this language and was thus also the beginning of a attempt to document the entirety of its usage, and the words it was made up of. Initially, the AND was very “literary” in its coverage, but towards the mid-19

Back from Dublin - five hours flat door to door, thanks to Aer Lingus/Aer Arann. Now back to work!

Heading home from Dublin today after three-day Rotary conference - guest speakers included the excellent Terry Waite.