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

A bubbly waitress is staying silent in a bid to raise money for good causes. Amanda Jones who works at Cwtch Bach Cafe in Carmarthen Market will once again be taking part in a sponsored silence to raise money for Children in Need on Friday, November 14. Last year she raised almost £600 thanks to customer donations. The sponsored silence is one of a number of things staff at the cafe will be doing throughout the week in order to raise as much money as possible for Children in Need. Amanda, who has worked at the cafe for five years said: “It’s quite hard to serve and take people’s orders whilst staying silent but I wear a sign explaining what I’m doing and customers are great. We raised a fantastic amount last year and hopefully we can do the same this year.” Why not pop along and see what staff at Cwtch Bach Cafe are getting up to for Children in Need this year. Find out more about our county’s markets and upcoming events by visiting www.carmarthenshiremarkets.co.uk

The team at the Jenkins Bakery had great fun helping to raise money for the BBC's Children In Need appeal. The bakery made special Pudsey biscuits to mark the occasion. A total of 1,633 'Pudseys' were sold, with the biscuits helping the bakery make a total donation of £1,400 to the appeal fund. Jenkins Bakery operations director Russell Jenkins said: "As always, we are very grateful to our customers for their support. They bought the biscuits and also put donations into the tin. "Five of our shops excelled in their efforts - Llanelli's Thomas Street shop, Bridgend, Ystradgynlais, Skewen and Neath." At the Thomas Street shop, staff wore onesies as part of the charity effort. Pictured above are Thomas Street staff Janice Page, Caroline Davies, Kirsty Howells.

There's a free concert coming up at Y Ffwrnes theatre in Llanelli. 'Super Sing' is being organised by Llanelli Choral Society in aid of the BBC Children in Need appeal. The event will be a fun community sing-a-long and workshop featuring magical moments from musicals, heart-rousing hymns and great classical choruses. There will be expert music leadership from John Hywel Williams MBE and Huw Tregelles Williams OBE. There will be spotlight performances from Llanelli Choral Society, the Hywel Girls’ Choir and Hywel Boy Singers. Singing highlights will include - Les Miserables - Singing in the Rain - You’ll Never Walk Alone - Hallelujah Chorus - Zadok The Priest Aida’s Grand March - O Fortuna - Tydi a Rhoddaist - Climb Ev’ry Mountain- Guide Me Now O Great Jehovah - Jerusalem - Edelweiss . . . and many more. Free admission tickets available from 01554 774822 / 01554 774437 or info@LlanelliChoralSociety.com The event is being supported by Cefn Sidan Rotary Club. The club is al...

Jenkins Bakery shops throughout South West Wales raised £1,600 for the BBC's Children In Need appeal through sales of Pudsey Bear biscuits. Jenkins Bakery operations director Russell Jenkins said: "Our thanks go to our customers, who are always generous with their support for our charitable fund-raising."

The Jenkins Bakery is doing its bit to help the annual BBC Children in Need appeal. The bakery has produced special fund-raising Pudsey Bear biscuits, which are now on sale in 25 shops across South Wales. Operations director Russell Jenkins said: "It is Children in Need night on Friday and we like to do our bit to support many charitable causes. The Pudsey Bear biscuits have been favourites with our customers over the last few years and will help us make a contribution to the appeal fund." Picture: Lorraine Charles, Fiona Snook and Natasha Fuge show off the Pudsey Bear biscuits now being sold in Jenkins Bakery shops to raise money for the BBC's Children in In Need appeal. The Jenkins bakery employs 300 people, full and part-time, with headquarters in Trostre, Llanelli. Weblink - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008dk4b

This week, in the run up to Children in Need, staff at the Careers Service at Aberystwyth University are asking students to pitch a career choice for Pudsey. With the aim of raising funds for Children in Need whilst also asking students to consider not only Pudsey’s choice of future career but their own, the Careers Service will be spending three days engaging with students in and around Aberystwyth University’s Guild of Students. “We’re hoping to raise a reasonable amount of money for Children in Need by asking people to donate when they choose a future job for Pudsey.” explains Carolyn Parry, Acting Deputy Director for the Careers Advisory Service. “We’re also raising awareness of the services we provide to students and graduates of the University in helping them to choose and develop their own career. Students participating in this fundraising exercise will also be photographed with their suggested choice and their photos will be uploaded to the Careers’ Facebook page.” Ben Meakin...

The Jenkins Bakery is doing its bit for the BBC’s annual Children In Need appeal. The bakery, which has 25 shops across South Wales, has produced a special biscuit in the shape of the Children In Need mascot, Pudsey Bear. For every biscuit sold, the Jenkins Bakery is donating 10p to Children In Need. “Our target is to sell 3,000,” said Operations Director Russell Jenkins. “In addition, we find that our customers also boost the appeal by putting donations in boxes in our stores. “The public are very generous when it comes to supporting a charitable event such as Children In Need. “The Children In Need day captures the public’s imagination and we are doing our small bit to get into the spirit of it all by producing the Pudsey Bear biscuit. “They are very popular with the customers and, hopefully, we will raise a decent sum of money for Children In Need.” The Pudsey Bear biscuits are selling for 80p. Last year, Children in Need raised more than £18 million on the night thanks to the gener...

Carmarthenshire County Council staff dug deep in to their pockets and came up with more than £4,000 for Children in Need. All departments entered into the fun of the event and organised various activities, from tea bag throwing competitions to book swaps. One of the biggest fundraisers was a sponsored relay run, which saw a team of staff covering the county on foot, calling in at several council offices to collect £1,500 in cash along their way. The Housing Benefit team, supported by colleagues in the council tax section, also stood out on the day – contributing £1,200 to the total through various activities, including a rugby match and busking. Other events included a ‘wear a wig to work’ day at County Hall, Carmarthen, Nintendo Wii competitions at Ty Elwyn, Llanelli, and a chilli challenge at Trostre Depot. There was also dress-down days, cake stalls and raffles to add to the total. Council leader, Cllr Meryl Gravell, said: “Staff raised a fantastic amount of money on the day, and I’...

A team of council staff have run across Carmarthenshire to raise money for Children in Need. Between they ran a distance of around 50 miles and raised £1,560 – most donated by council staff. The runners - Lynn Price, Simon R Davies, Gareth Jones, Simon J Williams, Val Brown, Rachel Parkinson, Tracey Thomas, Penelope Graepel, John Arnold, Ben Grice, Emyr Phillips and Noelwyn Daniel – ran in pairs in a relay format, with each pairs covering over 10 miles. The route was Llandeilo - Llandybie - Ammanford - Tycroes - Hendy - Llanelli - Burry Port - Kidwelly - Johnstown - and finished in Carmarthen. All the main council buildings were visited along the route with donations being received from shoppers and shop owners along the way. They were greeted at County Hall by Vice Chair Cllr Ivor Jackson who said: “This was an amazing effort by staff, congratulations to all who took part and thanks to everyone who donated money, contributing to the excellent sum raised.”