£1000 Gethin Hughes memorial bursary prize to be awarded

An exciting £1,000 musical bursary prize will be awarded for the first time this month to honour the man known as Llanelli’s Mr Music, Gethin Hughes MBE.
It is the biggest prize of its kind on offer in Wales and the aim is to find the very best young musical talent in Carmarthenshire.
The prize is the brainchild of Cor Meibion Llanelli musical director Eifion Thomas, a close friend of the late Mr Hughes.
“Gethin was a great pal and a long-serving accompanist for Cor Meibion Llanelli,” said Mr Thomas.
“We travelled the world to concerts and festivals and Gethin was famous the world over for being a real character and a wonderful ambassador for Llanelli.
“Gethin made an outstanding contribution to music in Llanelli and in Wales. It is wonderfully fitting that we should honour his memory and celebrate his life with a musical bursary prize.
“Gethin cared very much about supporting and promoting youngsters on their musical careers. Hopefully, this new award will go a long way to encouraging, supporting and developing musical talent in Carmarthenshire.”
The bursary prize, sponsored by the Carmarthenshire-based Jenkins Bakery, will be presented at the Gethin Hughes Memorial Concert at Greenfield Chapel, Llanelli, on Saturday, October 19.
The winner of the bursary will be announced in next week’s Llanelli Star.
The bursary organisers, led by Mr Thomas, also include Cor Meibion Llanelli chorister Richard Christopher, Gethin’s second cousin. (Mr Thomas and Mr Christopher are pictured above)
Mr Christopher explained: “The aim is to perpetuate Gethin’s memory by making this an annual concert and to include a competition for young Carmarthenshire musicians. The prize will be a bursary of £1,000 to the winner to help them in their first year of music college.
Russell Jenkins, operations director of sponsors the Jenkins Bakery, said:“The death of Gethin Hughes robbed Llanelli and Wales of one of its best-loved musicians and characters.

"We are one of the oldest businesses in Llanelli and we have a long association with Gethin and his family. My grandfather was a deacon at Triniti Chapel. Triniti, of course, was very dear to Gethin’s heart. Gethin’s contribution to the musical life of Llanelli and Wales was immense.

"He died just a few days short of his 76th birthday after a wonderful musical career. The memorial bursary is a cause very dear to our hearts here at the Jenkins Bakery and we are happily supporting the plan with a £1,000 donation.”
The concert at Greenfield will feature the bursary winner, award-winning contralto Eleri Owen Edwards and Cor Meibion Llanelli.