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

A one-time-only spectacular light and sound show is being staged in Llanelli town centre early next year. The event is one of the public art projects being delivered through the ADREF environmental improvement programme, funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government and Carmarthenshire County Council. It will include photographs, memories, music and memorabilia from local people and groups which will all be put together for the show. The event will take around three hours, people will be able to stay for the whole show or just see small sections of it. People can upload material onto the website to be part of the ‘LightingUpTime’ project, a ‘Son et Lumiere’ show, which is being created by externalGalleries artists’ Andy McKeown and Peter Walker, and musician David Harper. Drop-in sessions are also taking place at the Showcase in Stepney Street on Monday, October 29, and Tuesday, October 30, between 11am and 3pm. People can call in for more information,...

The river crossing footbridge in Llanelli’s Penygaer Fields is to be replaced and improved to allow shared use with cyclists. It is an important element of the linkages element of the ADREF (town centre improvement) project. More than £725,000 is being invested to upgrade footpaths between the town centre and the surrounding communities into shared pedestrian/cycle path facilities, allowing safer, improved access to the town centre and Millennium Coastal Park. The existing bridge, with a width of 900mm, is insufficient for shared use. The new, galvanised steel bridge, with 1.4m high parapets and high grip surface, will facilitate all non-motorised users. County executive board member for regeneration and leisure Cllr Clive Scourfield said: “There is so much going on in and around Llanelli town centre it is hard to keep pace with all the improvements and developments. “This new bridge is an important element ensuring there are better links in the area for pedestrians and cyclists. Getti...

ADREF is an exciting new project funded jointly between Carmarthenshire County Council, the European Regional Development Fund and TMF through the Welsh Government. The project will connect and strengthen links between the exciting new developments within Llanelli Town Centre and the sustainable, wider regeneration of the town and its surrounding communities. A planning application has been submitted for the core £4.5million element of the scheme at Llanelli town centre involving improvements in Vaughan Street and Stepney Street including creating a new central square at the entrance ADREF aims to create an environment which will encourage inward investment, economic growth and the provision of quality jobs. The project consists of three elements aimed at improving the town centre: Environmental Enhancements; to improve the public realm in and around the town centre including new canopies and furnishings. Upgrade key gateways into the town centre. Improve pedestrian/cycle linkages betw...

Llanelli residents are being urged to dig around in their attics for old photographs that may help shape the future of the town centre. Pictures of Llanelli Town Centre as it has looked over the ages are being sought by ADREF, the European-funded project group which is undertaking a major redevelopment of Stepney Street, Vaughan Street and surrounding areas. The group has teamed up with CultureNet, an organisation funded by the Welsh Government which promotes and celebrates the history and heritage of Wales by helping communities to create digital stories and exhibitions. Members of the ADREF team will be collecting and collating old images, from the Victorian era right through to the 1990s, at a BBC roadshow being held at Parc Y Scarlets on Sunday, July 3. They are hoping members of the community will share their pictures and stories to help create a digital timeline exhibition to be displayed at the ‘hub’ – a central information point in the town centre which will allow people to get...