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

Hywel Dda University Health Board Chairman, Chris Martin bids a fond farewell to staff and colleagues as he retires from his role as Chairman of the organisation. Mr Martin has given over 14 years of public service in the NHS in Wales and during that time, he has worked with every Health Minister since devolution and numerous professional and dedicated colleagues on many different Boards. Chris said: “I would like to pay tribute to all the fantastic staff and colleagues on all the Boards I have served in Pembrokeshire Local Health Group, Pembrokeshire Local Health Board, Hywel Dda NHS Trust, and most recently Hywel Dda University Health Board.” “Their support and resilience is a credit to them and their dedication to this organisation is unsurpassed. We all know the last few years have not been easy and it is important to remember that change is never easy but change has to take place to ensure we have high quality safe sustainable services for our patients in the future.” Some of the

Carmarthenshire's Carers Champion has paid tribute to the county’s army of carers. Cllr Jane Tremlett, who is the council’s Executive Board Member for Health and Social Care, has been speaking during Carers Week, which is taking place across the UK from June 9-15. In Carmarthenshire alone, there are an estimated 22,000 carers, including 500 young carers, collectively saving social care and health services around a quarter of a million pound every year. Cllr Tremlett said: “Their devotion to caring for relatives, friends or neighbours deserves to be recognised, because without them there would be a much heavier burden on health and social care services. “Carers Week is the perfect opportunity to reflect on that, and say a big thank you to each and every carer for all that they do. “Caring for someone who is sick and vulnerable is not easy, and it often means that carers themselves have to give up many things that are dear to them – that could be their job, or a hobby that they no

Carmarthenshire remains a low crime area and the Community Safety Partnership is working hard to build on this success. Crime levels have remained at similar levels compared to last year. A slight increase of 0.1 per cent, amounting to 10 crimes, was seen in the April 2013– March 2014 period, giving a total of 7,480 reported incidents during the year. Reductions have been seen in drug offences (down 19.2 per cent and 339, to 1,426), other burglaries (down 15.6 per cent with 53 fewer crimes to 287) and down two robberies to 10 over the period. A slight increase was seen in domestic burglary levels (up 4.5% to 209, an increase of nine), and other increases noted were in criminal damage (up 104 crimes and nine per cent to 1,264), vehicle crime (up 11.4 per cent, 45 crimes to 440) and violence against the person (up 214 crimes and 12 per cent to 1,999). Anti-social behaviour incidents have continued to fall with 8,345 reported during the year, a reduction of 8.4 per cent compared to the

Carmarthenshire County Council has agreed to proposals to promote the Welsh Language from a cross party working group formed last year. The group was set up by the council after the 2011 census results were published showing that the number of Welsh speakers in the county had declined dramatically between the 2001 and 2011 census. The Cross party working group of nine councillors received evidence from a wide cross section of people and organisations before agreeing on 73 recommendations covering education, planning, business, youth and community engagement. Go to Carmarthenshire County Council’s website for more information www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk and http://www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/english/welsh/pages/home.aspx

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Ainsley Hillard will be exhibiting at Aberglasney Mansion House and Gardens in the Tywi Valley, Carmarthenshire, from October 10, 2014, and is interested in bringing together the past and the present. Her arts practice is site-referential, being informed by specific places and the memories they hold. Over the past year, Ainsley has been collaborating with acoustic engineer Rhys James to create a site-specific audio-textile exhibition, that will be installed in the interiors of Aberglasney House as well as the Cloister Gardens. Born and living in Carmarthenshire she is interested in the social-history of Aberglasney which has acted as a catalyst, inspiring her to develop and create a new body of work informed by the original archival materials and records both past and present. Ainsley has also been inspired by the poetry of John Dyer, ‘Grongar Hill’ and ‘A Country Walk’ to develop audio-textile installations. Ainsley’s aims: • To reveal stories both individual and collective tha

The space mission launched from Ysgol Gymraeg Aberystwyth has provided some stunning images of Wales from the sky. The mission was launched from the School’s playground at 10.45am on Thursday 12 June with the help of a robotics expert at Aberystwyth University. Images from the mission are shown above courtesy of Dr Mark Neal / Prifysgol Aberystwyth University. Images include breath-taking views of Aberystwyth, mid Wales, Cardigan Bay, the Llyn Peninsular, the south west of England and a stunning image of the moment when the weather balloon burst and the parachute deployed. The images were taken by an on-board GoPro camera housed within a polystyrene capsule, which was tethered to the weather balloon. The technology for the mission was developed by Dr Mark Neal, co-ordinator of the Intelligent Robotics Research Group at Aberystwyth University’s Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, and a parent at the school. As well as the camera, the capsule also ho

The first ever 'W-Ales Beer Festival' held at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, is being hailed a huge success by Wales’s leading specialist brewer Evan-Evans. With more than 6,000 visitors, the festival was a great shop window for the very best in Welsh brewing. Simon Buckley, Chief Executive of the Evan-Evans Group, said: "The 'W-Ales Beer Festival' was a great event. "Obviously, this being the first year there are things that can be done to improve the event, but hats off to the Millennium team. It was a great event - and what a triumph to let the sun in by having the roof open. What other venue in Cardiff can do that? "The festival was a huge success for us; we launched our new London beer brand Porter Street Brewery, which received rave reviews. "We had 10 great beers on show from all our brands. "We had more than 2000 beer drinkers visit our stand in three days. "We sold out of cask ale by the end of Saturday. "The opportunit

The latest 'On Song' column, about the choral scene in and around Llanelli, from the Llanelli Star -  Burry Port Male Choir will be staging a special concert at the Memorial Hall on Friday, June 13, as part of the fund-raising campaign for the Carmarthenshire National Eisteddfod. The special guests will be Côr Meibion Mynydd Mawr (Male Choir), who will be joined on stage by Robert Jenkins, tenor, and Gwyn Morris, baritone. Tickets are £5 and the evening starts at 7pm. Llanelli ladies choir Côr Curiad will be performing at a Gala Concert being organised by the Llanelli Masonic Festival Committee at Ffwrnes Theatre on Saturday, July 19. The evening will be compered by the hilarious TV comedian Owen Money and will also feature the award winning Burry Port Town Brass Band and the renowned National Eisteddfod winning soloist tenor Richard Allen. The ladies of Côr Curiad have been busy with fund-raising work. They spent time busking at Tesco superstore in Ammanford to raise more than

The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post -  Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I am writing this column in the departures lounge at Manchester airport, waiting to board a flight to Toronto in Canada. At stressful times like this (I am a nervous flier), the old powers of concentration can desert you. For example, I can do without the Canadian teenagers discussing the latest disaster movie and the regular news bulletins giving theories about the missing MH370 Malaysia Airways flight. Nervous tension is a strange thing. For example, I’m probably far more nervous taking this transatlantic flight than I am speaking to an audience of 1000-plus. For that is what I face in Toronto as I will be one of the keynote speakers at the world’s biggest financial services conference, The Million Dollar Round Table being staged at the massive Toronto Convention Centre.

The theft of a flag from the top of Carmarthen Castle has been condemned as a dangerous stunt which could have caused loss of life. The six foot square flag was flying above the castle gates approximately 30 feet from the ground. Valued at £200, the flag representing Owain Glyndwr pictured a yellow lion against a red background. To reach it, the thief must have scaled the castle walls and climbed along the top. To get the flag, the rope attaching it to the pole was burned through. The flags on the castle were put up by the county council’s tourism department as part of an enhancement scheme to make the area more attractive to residents and visitors. It will now cost taxpayers money to buy a replacement flag and to carry out the work associated with putting it up and making it safe. Executive board member for tourism Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “Whilst at first glance this may seem like a childish prank, it was in fact a very dangerous stunt. “The person, or people, who did this would ha

Whether it is a latte or espresso you prefer, young people seeking employment and work experience can come together over the sounds of clattering cups and chat. Work experience and apprenticeship opportunities will be discussed over a free coffee and cake at the Portakabin at Penyfan Park, Llanelli, next Wednesday (June 18) between 2-5pm. Jobs Growth Wales in partnership with Communities First teams, are helping young people aged 16-24 that are job ready but have had difficulty securing employment by offering exclusive job opportunities, paid at or above the national minimum wage for a minimum of 25 hours per week. Communities First Jobs Growth Wales Mentor Hannah Evans said:” These events are more relaxed and are proving to be very popular. “After the success of the breakfast clubs, we are determined to continue offering opportunities for quality jobs that present young people with genuine opportunities to gain valuable work experience.” The programme focuses on helping young people l

People are being urged to vote for the Dylan Thomas mobile writing shed in a national competition. It has been entered into the #shedoftheyear competition, run by www.Readersheds.co.uk . The bespoke replica of Dylan’s writing shed in Laugharne has been made specially as part of the DT100 celebrations. The interior and exterior recreation is as true to the original as possible, down to the wood panel walls and corrugated tin roof. It even has the curled pictures on the walls and the view over the estuary. The shed has been created by Carmarthenshire County Council’s arts and culture department, which owns and manages Dylan’s famous Boathouse . Principal Arts Officer Eleri Retallick said: “The shed allows people to experience the creative writing environment in which Dylan escaped into. “It has become an educational tool and has been embraced by schools nationwide. It has become a visitor attraction in its own right and demand for the shed has been phenomenal. “Since its launch on the

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