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

Communities First in Carmarthenshire is organising new 50+ Yoga sessions following the success of last year’s course. The new sessions at Felinfoel Community Resource Centre will be announced soon. The course that finished before Christmas was full with both previous participants and new members. The group is growing over time and offers low level exercise and a great opportunity to have a social gathering on a weekly basis. The programme is tailored to each individual’s ability and needs.

Residents in the Felinfoel area of Llanelli are being urged to have a clear out. A waste and tyre amnesty is being held in Ysgol Y Felin on Tuesday, October 27 between 8am and 1pm. Most household waste can be taken along including unwanted furniture, carpets and mattresses, electrical items such as fridge-freezers and televisions, as well as black and blue bags. A maximum of four tyres can also be disposed of; however, tractor or lorry tyres will not be accepted. Hazardous waste such as paint, fluorescent tubes, batteries, chemicals, gas bottles and asbestos will not be accepted along with glass, garden waste, trade waste, construction waste and agricultural waste. Residents can pick up a free bag of Merlin’s Magic Compost (while stocks last) courtesy of CWM Environmental Ltd . Half-price compost bins will also be on sale for just £6 instead of the usual £12. Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “I hope residents take advantage of this opportunity to disp...

Householders in Llanelli have increased the amount of rubbish they are recycling. Recycling advisors have been knocking on doors in the Morfa, Dafen and Felinfoel areas to encourage people to recycle as much of their rubbish as possible. It followed a monitoring exercise to find out how many residents were using their food bins and putting out blue bags. As well as offering help and advice to residents, replacement food bins and more blue bags were provided if needed, as well as information booklets and collection calendars. It has led to a 12% increase in the recycling /composting rate in the Morfa, Dafen and Felinfoel areas. Recycling Advisor Geinor Lewis said: “By talking to residents we can sort out any issues they may have. From something as simple as not having a green food bin to not knowing when their collection day is or just by explaining how the scheme works and why it is important that we all take part.” As an incentive to take part in the recycling scheme, householder...

New interactive technology has given adults with learning disabilities at a Llanelli Day Opportunities Centre the tools to communicate and get creative. An interactive IT screen installed at Maes Lliedi, Felinfoel, has become a massive hit with service users, many of whom have profound disabilities. Now, they are able to paint, write, watch videos and listen to music, all at the touch of their fingertips on a specially adapted screen. Senior Specialist Support Worker, Tanya Haddock, said it has given them a new lease of life. “This new technology has empowered them to use and develop their individual skills, whilst giving them a new way to communicate with each other,” she said. “Now, just by touching the screen, they can create and store their own work, or they can put on a video or some music that they enjoy – they wouldn’t usually be able to do these things without help. Now, they can make their own choices. “Our ultimate goal is for them to create a disk of their own work, whi...

Members of the Danybanc and Llundain Fach Playgroup, based in Felinfoel, Llanelli, have had an eggs-cellent Easter thanks to supermarket giants Asda. The superstore donated a haul of Easter Eggs to the group in recognition of the voluntary work they do in their communities. Tenants Hannah Oliver and Emma Davies are pictured with children, and Simon Evans of Llanelli’s ASDA store, local members Cllr Hugh Richards and Cllr John Evans, PCSO Tony Jones, and Carmarthenshire County Council Community Engagement Officer Pat Evans.

A teenager fresh out of school has landed his dream job in the construction industry after winning Next Steps 2012 – a unique competition to find a new building apprentice for Carmarthenshire. Thornton Boswell, of Felinfoel, Llanelli, has only just picked up his GCSE results from Bryngwyn School, but this week he started work for Llanelli and Gwendraeth-based building firm Lloyd & Gravell Ltd. Thornton was one of six candidates who have taken part in the competition throughout the summer in a bid to win a fast-track to their chosen career. And whilst competing against each other for the coveted job, they worked together as a team to complete a project that would benefit the community and leave a lasting legacy. The 16-year-old said he was ‘over the moon’ to have won the competition, and started his first day of his carpentry apprenticeship on Monday. “I really didn’t expect to win – I’m really happy,” he said. “Chances like this don’t come around often for young boys like me.” The ...

Communities First is asking residents – are you ready for the future? A workshop day has been organised by Tyisha, Felinfoel, Llwynhendy, Pantyffynnon and Bigyn 4 Communities First. The event will give residents an opportunity to make a difference in their community and help shape environmental projects in their Communities First area. The workshop day at the Felinfoel Resource Centre, Recreation Ground, Felinfoel, on Thursday August 23 will run from midday until 3pm. A free buffet will be available from midday. There will be children’s play activities provided on the day.

Dai Greene fever takes over the Harry Watkins hostelry in Felinfoel on Monday. It becomes centre of the universe on Olympic 400-metre hurdle final night. Radio Five Live are homing in on the pub for a live broadcast that will be filled with Dai Greens fans screaming their support for Dai to win a Gold medal in the final. Mine hosts Rowland and Linda Cross have organised a special Dai Greene buffet and the whole village is expected to pack in to cheer Dai along. For more than a month the pub has posted a banner outside the pub pledging their support for Dai who has been known to pop in on the rare occasion when he is home. Dai may be at the London Olympics but his cardboard cut out which has been all around Llanelli in the last six weeks will be there. Linda said: “We are huge Dai fans and fever is running high for support for Dai. Most of our customers are wearing the much sought after Dai go for gold wrist yellow bands. We have a few more left top give out to those lucky to clai...

A Llanelli teenager has been fined for not cleaning up after her dog. The council’s environmental enforcement officers were driving through Felinfoel when they saw the dog fouling in the grass verge. The woman with the dog failed to pick up the mess and walked off. The officers stopped the car and identified themselves explaining what they had seen and that it was a criminal offence. The 19-year-old was issued with a fixed penalty notice for £75. Failure to pay could result in prosecution in the magistrates’ court and a fine of up to £1,000. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said he hoped this fine would act as a warning to others that anyone caught failing to clean up after their dog will be fined. “There is nothing worse than stepping into dog mess not to mention the fact that it is a serious health risk. The majority of dog owners are responsible but unfortunately there are still a few who do not listen. “The council’s enforcement officers...

Residents raise concerns about lane and police pledge action | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys Concerns were raised by residents at a recent meeting of the Felinfoel Pact about motorists using a lane in Dafen as a short cut. The lane, which is off Maescanner Road, has been tarmaced to make it safer for children going to school, but not motorists appear to be using it too.

Côr Meibion Llanelli musical director Eifion Thomas sang a wonderful solo of Myfanwy at the funeral for choir vice-president Marion Lawson (widow of the late Ernie Lawson, Westwinds, Llethri Road, Felinfoel) at Holy Trinity Church, Felinfoel, Llanelli.

An investigation is underway after two brothers were assaulted in what they say was an unprovoked attack which happened in Felinfoel at 9pm on Monday 12th December. “One One of the brothers sustained a fractured cheekbone in the incident,” said Sergeant Eddie Donnelly. “The other cuts and bruising." The incident is reported to have taken place near Felinfoel Brewery and Salem Road. One of them has claimed that two members of a large gang have assaulted him and his brother. One of the men is described as white, aged 19 or 20, standing about 6ft tall. He was of large build, had a shaven head. He was wearing a navy blue baseball cap with a white frontal area, a white hoodie with sm...

Splendid send-off to Ernie Lawson MBE and JP, one of Llanelli's nicest guys, at Holy Trinity Church in Felinfoel this afternoon.

Residents of a Llanelli housing estate are fighting back against the ‘bad image’ being given to them in the local press. Following recent newspaper reports branding Cae Glas, Felinfoel, ‘hell on earth’, local councillor Hugh Richards and a team from the council’s housing department carried out their own door-to-door enquiries to speak directly to tenants. Of those that gave their views as part of the informal survey, tenants in 20 properties stated that they had not encountered any problems. Only six agreed that there were problems on the estate. Cllr Richards said: “We realise that there have been problems in this area, but we do feel that this has been blown out of proportion. The way to deal with problems is to talk to people – and that is why we wanted to give residents the chance to have their say.” Of the tenants that did share concerns, the problem highlighted most was an apparent rise in young people from other areas of Llanelli congregating in Cae Glas to drink alcohol an...

Support from Carmarthenshire County Council is helping to provide first class community facilities in Felinfoel, help people escape the debt trap, find work or enjoy their retirement. The council’s Chief Executive Mark James toured projects in the Llanelli area with officers from the regeneration and leisure department to see for himself the benefits being enjoyed by the local community. He visited the Glanymor and Tyisha Communities First base in Station Road, Llanelli, to meet staff and volunteers from the Llanelli Communities First Debt and benefit Support, Volunteering Demonstration Project. The three year project is now at his halfway mark and is already exceeding expectations with more than 2,000 people helped by the volunteers, more than three times the whole project target. The target for dealing with almost £1.4m of domestic debt has already nearly been met. Communities First Volunteer Development Officer Bryony Wiffen said: “The figures speak for themselves and are evidence o...

A bench handcrafted by people taking part in a construction taster course has been placed in the heart of a Felinfoel community in memory of one of their closest friends. A group of people from the Llundain Fach and Danybanc areas of Felinfoel were among those taking part in a Building Your Own Future in Sir Gar course, which offers people six weeks of tasters in the building trade. Each course offers participants the chance to hand make a picnic table and bench set as part of the carpentry session, but a course recently hosted by Felinfoel Communities First saw the group making an extra special effort when they began making the bench in memory of their friend Gavin Evans, who died last year at the age of 24. The bench set has now been placed in a park in the Llundain Fach estate in a fitting tribute to Gavin, who loved to socialize with friends and neighbours in the area. His parents Nigel and Tania Evans, and his sister Ashleeann, were amongst friends and family when the bench was u...

Phyllis Morgan, a tenant at the council-run Tirynys Sheltered Scheme in Felinfoel, Llanelli, has celebrated her 90th birthday with a lavish birthday bash. ‘Fabulous Phyllis’, as she is known to fellow tenants and staff at the scheme, where she has lived for the past 22 years, was joined by family and friends for the special occasion. A former employee of Llanelli’s Morris Motors car factory (now known as Calsonic Kansei) for many years as she was sadly widowed during WWII. Tenant Participation Officer Pat Evans said: “Phyllis is an accomplished pianist and achieved her cap and gown from the Royal College of Music - she has taught piano locally in Felinfoel for many years and is fondly remembered by former pupils. She is kept very busy and is much loved by fellow tenants and staff at Tirynys as she always finds time to help and support other people.”

Young people from Felinfoel and Llwynhendy have been learning about why it’s not a good idea to ‘get hammered’. They attended an Alcohol Awareness Training event in Calsonic Social Club. The training, funded by the Carmarthenshire Community Safety Partnership, was organised jointly through Felinfoel Communities First and Llwynhendy Communities First. Felinfoel Communities First community development officer Gaynor Price said: “The training was identified by the local Neighbourhood Police who thought it would be of benefit to the youth of both areas. The training titled ‘getting hammered’ focused on alcohol awareness for the young people, including the effects of combining alcohol and drugs. “Pupils from Bryngwyn School, youth and residents of both areas were invited to join the training that discussed and demonstrated through DVDs the harmful effect of alcohol. All that attended enjoyed the course and were shocked by some of the stories that were shown.” Community safety manager Kate T...

Residents in Danybanc in Felinfoel took part in a spring clean with a difference. They took part in a ‘bring and take’ skip day organised by Communities First Felinfoel and Tidy Towns with part funding from Llanelli Rural Council. Householders were able to take along any unwanted items such as toys, books and furniture which were in good condition as well as get rid of other household rubbish in the skips provided. They were then able take away any item of use to them for free! Three skips were filled by residents which resulted in two tonnes of waste being disposed of and as much of that as possible was recycled. Items exchanged included bicycles, a vacuum cleaner, a stainless steel flip-top bin and a child’s scooter. Tidy Towns project officer Simon Troake said: “The event was well received by local residents who had a good clearout and were also able to pick up some bargains. Events like this are good for the environment as they reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and help ...

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Leader has praised a project which is literally changing people’s lives. Cllr Meryl Gravell was invited to visit a group of people who were taking part in a ‘Building Your Own Future in Sir Gar’ session in Felinfoel, Llanelli. The project offers people living in some of the most deprived communities of the county the chance to take part in a basic construction skills course. So far, over 120 people have picked up basic skills training in carpentry, plumbing, plastering and tiling through weekly courses held within their own communities. Almost all the participants have said that the course has given them renewed confidence, and has also encouraged them to think about further education, training or employment. The project is run as a partnership between Carmarthenshire County Council’s Property Services division, Coleg Sir Gar, Carmarthenshire Construction and Training Association Ltd (CCTAL) and Communities First. Cllr Gravell visited as members of the ...