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

Meet the owl, the artist and the author at an event taking place at the Dylan Thomas Boathouse  next month. Lucy the barn owl of Hollywood fame will be spreading her wings alongside featured artist of the month Anthony Richards and author Lane Ashfeldt. Lucy recently featured in the new film version of Under Milkwood produced by Kevin Allen and starring Rhys Ifans. Anthony’s exhibition will feature the birds, creatures and natural elements that ebb and flow on the estuary tide. Lane will read a couple of short story extracts, one from the viewpoint of a bird, and one of which she wrote while staying at a bird observatory on an Atlantic island. Violin and sax playing musicians will help create a vibrant atmosphere for the event which will take place at the Boathouse in Laugharne on Sunday, November 2, from 10am to 12noon. The Boathouse is owned and managed by Carmarthenshire County Council, and the event is one of many taking place to celebrate DT100 , the 100thanniversary of Dyla...

He may have been born 100-years ago but Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas is still one of Carmarthenshire’s most powerful tourism assets. He composed most of his greatest works in his Laugharne shed, which continues to attract great numbers from far afield whenever events are staged in his adopted home of Laugharne. Carmarthenshire County Council commissioned Strategic Marketing to conduct a survey of visitors to Laugharne during this summer’s Dylan Thomas centenary celebrations. County marketing and tourism development officer Sarah Owen said: “The objective was to understand in more detail the profile of visitors and their overall experience and perception of Carmarthenshire as a place to visit. “There were quite a few surprises. A significant proportion of visitors travelled to the events from England with many making journeys of several hours. One in six travelled from South East England. Twenty per cent of Dylan’s events visitors had never been to Carmarthenshire before. These ...

Llanelli's Ffwrnes Theatre will be the venue for a special event to mark the Dylan Thomas Centenary on Friday night (October 17). The theatre will see a live performance of Stan Tracey's world-renowned 'Jazz Suite inspired by Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood'. The suite is recognised as an iconic jazz masterpiece. Renowned pianist Richard Roberts leads a Welsh all-star jazz quartet with readings from the text by Swansea actors Phylip Harries (Torchwood, Doctor Who. Tracy Beaker, City Central) and Caroline Berry (Inspector Morse, Stella, Blood Brothers, Doctor Who and who is currently appearing as "Val Phelan" in Coronation Street). Stan Tracey CBE (30 December 1926 – 6 December 2013) was a British jazz pianist and composer, whose most important influences were Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. The Under Milk Wood suite is Tracey's best known recording. Tracey's 1965 album (its full title is Jazz Suite inspired by Dylan Thomas' ...

Move over Obama! The replica of Dylan Thomas’s iconic writing shed is vying for pride of place at the NATO summit. The pop-up shed , which has been touring the country as part of the DT100 celebrations, is visiting the prestigious event at the Celtic Manor. The bespoke replica, complete with curled pictures on the walls, boiled sweets on the desk and the poet’s jacket still hanging on the back of his chair – is on tour as part of the year-long festival commemorating the centenary of the great Welsh writer’s birth. The original shed sits above the Boathouse in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, where Thomas lived with his wife Caitlin and three children, and where he penned some of his most famous works including Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night and Under Milk Wood. The Boathouse and the replica shed are owned by Carmarthenshire County Council’s cultural services division. Principal Arts Officer Eleri Retallick is with the shed at the summit. Ms Retallick said: “It is really e...

The replica of Dylan Thomas's writing shed is setting sail for Ireland as part of the DT100 celebrations. In partnership with the festival, British Council Ireland is to take the replica of the shed across the Irish Sea to the Mountains to Sea dlr Book Festival from 12th-14th September 2014. The shed will set sail on board the Stena Europe from Fishguard and makes the sea leg of its journey to Ireland courtesy of Stena Line ferries. The shed - complete with curled pictures on the walls, boiled sweets on the desk and the poet’s jacket still hanging on the back of his chair – is on tour as part of Dylan Thomas 100, the year-long festival commemorating the centenary of the great Welsh writer’s birth. The original shed sits above the Boathouse in the scenic seaside town of Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, where Thomas lived with his wife Caitlin (whose family hailed from County Clare), and where he penned some of his most famous works including Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night and hi...

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...

The replica of Dylan Thomas’s iconic writing shed is to visit St Catherine’s Walk in Carmarthen this weekend. It will make its first appearance in the shopping centre as part of the World Poetry Day  celebrations on Saturday. The Young People’s Poet Laureate for Wales – Martin Daws will be creating bespoke poems for everyone from the Shed in readiness for Mother’s Day. The poetry takeaway will be there throughout the day. People can have a chat with Martin at the Shed, then go shopping and collect their own unique poem from him later. Carmarthenshire County Council’s Principal Arts Officer Eleri Retallick said: “Our poetry takeaway offers the opportunity for a bespoke gift written from your thoughts by Martin. “The Shed itself has a full programme of visits planned as part of the DT100 festival, the replica shed has already attracted a lot of interest and will help promote Carmathenshire, and in particular, Laugharne, as the home of Dylan Thomas and the place which inspired so...

A replica of Dylan Thomas’s iconic writing shed is to be unveiled at an event in Laugharne this week. Welsh Government Minister Edwina Hart will officially open the shed on Friday, February 14, to give people their first glimpse inside. Hannah Ellis, granddaughter of Wales’ most famous bard, will announce the first new word to be published in a Dictionary of Dylan. Artist in residence at the shed Emily Hinshelwood will be delivering Poems on Prescription in celebration of Valentine’s Day, handing out love poems to the public. Children from Laugharne Primary School will perform a dramatic presentation of some of Dylan’s work, including A Child’s Christmas in Wales. Carmarthenshire County Council is organising the event and the Leader Cllr Kevin Madge, executive board member Cllr Meryl Gravell and Chair Cllr Terry Davies will all take part in the programme. People are welcome to go along to the event which is taking place in Laugharne Castle car park from 10am. The bespoke replica of D...

Special offers of accommodation for the Dylan Thomas 100 festival in April are now available on  www.discovercarmarthenshire.com The Dylan Thomas 100 festival is a year-long festival celebrating the birth of Dylan Thomas with a variety of special events running across South West Wales during 2014. Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Swansea Councils are involved under the umbrella of the Welsh Government. Carmarthenshire events are centred on the Dylan Thomas Boathouse in Laugharne, where Dylan wrote many of his most influential and important works and also across the whole of Carmarthenshire where Dylan found the inspiration for the many works he wrote about Carmarthenshire including such favourites as “Fernhill”, “Poem in October” and even his most influential work “Under Milk Wood”. This April will see the literary glitterati descend on Laugharne for the return of the well established and highly regarded Laugharne Weekend Festival, but will also see a further Laugharne Weekend fes...

A replica of Dylan Thomas’s iconic writing shed in Laugharne is to tour the UK as part of the  DT100 celebrations. The bespoke replica of Dylan’s shed even has the curled pictures on the walls and the view over the estuary. It will be popping up at places and events across the country, including the Hay Festival, the Royal Welsh Show and the National Eisteddfod. It is one of many features and events to celebrate DT100 – the 100th year of the anniversary of the birth of Dylan Thomas, Wales’s most famous bard. Visitors to the shed will be encouraged to make up a new word which will be published in a Dictionary of Dylan, in honour of his love of words. Writer in residence Emily Hinshelwood will tweet and blog words of the week, and run short workshops from the shed. Other activities are planned for the festival which will celebrate the life and work of the famous bard. They will include events in Laugharne, home of the Boathouse and Writing Shed made famous by Dylan. The Boa...