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

Residents of Glanymor and Tyisha have learned new ways of making their homes warmer, more comfortable and less expensive to heat. They were invited to a Warm Homes event which was hosted by the local Communities First team, a Welsh Assembly initiative run locally by Carmarthenshire County Council. The event was arranged to raise awareness about fuel poverty and energy efficiency issues and to make people aware of the role that energy efficiency can play in making homes warmer and more efficient. Activities and information on the day included a model house, constructed by local school children, which demonstrated fuel efficiency measures. There were also advisers from various service providers on hand, along with information about available services and grants. Winter warm packs and energy efficient bulbs were distributed, and local school children picked up prizes for making informative posters on energy conservation. Farah Aziz, Communities First development officer, said: “The event ...

Carmarthenshire County Council is encouraging visitors to Prince Philip Hospital to cycle there. The local authority has been granted planning permission to put up a new cycle shelter on land in front of the hospital in Dafen as part of its Safe Routes in the Community initiative promoted by the Welsh Assembly Government. The scheme involves a new shelter over part of the existing cycle storage facility to the front of the hospital and the provision of a temporary staff changing facility and associated cycle lockers behind the hospital. The new shelter is to provide a covered storage facility for visitors to the hospital with the existing facility being open to the elements and offering no weather protection to cyclists. An officers’ report to today’s meeting of the county planning committee says: “Shelters of this nature are now becoming common place within the grounds of schools and colleges in the county and are reflective of the authority’s policy of encouraging more sustainable mo...

The Llanelli Reds Under-19s host football league side Yeovil Town Youth at Stebonheath Park tonight. Kick Off is at 7.30pm.

There's a festive flavour to the stock list at Carmarthen Town AFC's club shop in Richmond Park. Shop supremo Paul Ashley-Jones says, "We’ve got lots of stock in the Club Shop ready for Christmas. From new home and away replica shirts; fleeces; jackets etc. We should have something for everyone. Please call into the shop and purchase whatever you need or call me (Paul) on 07775 820864 to arrange delivery/collection." Rain Jackets £33 Fleece £25 Adult Replica Shirts £30 Child Replica Shirt £25 Child Socks £5 Long Sleeve Black Polo Shirts £16 Old Gold Polo Shirts £13 Black Polo Shirts £13 Red T Shirts £10 Cufflinks & Tie Pin Set £10 Bobble Hats £6 Baseball Cap £5 Scarf £5 Mug £4 Key Rings £4 Club Badge £3 Mouse Mat £2 Car Sticker £1 SPECIAL CHRISTMAS OFFERS Children’s Kit (Shirt; Shorts & Socks) - £40 Stocking Filler Bundle A (Scarf; Hat or Cap; Mug and Car Sticker) - £12 Stocking Filler Bundle B (Scarf; Mug; Key Ring; Mouse Mat & Car Sticker) - ...

Carmarthen Town v Neath FC in the Welsh Premier League - Friday evening 4th December 2009 at Richmond Park. KO 7:30pm. Neath have promised to bring a busload of fans, so make sure you turn up to cheer on Carmarthen Town.

David Gravell, Dealer Principal at Gravells of Kidwelly, Renault’s longest established UK dealer, received the prestigious Tom Pryce Award at a ceremony in Wales on Saturday. Thomas Maldwyn Pryce (11 June 1949 – 5 March 1977) was a British racing driver from Ruthin, Wales. He was famous for winning the Brands Hatch Race of Champions in 1975. Pryce is the only Welsh driver to have won a Formula One race and is also the only Welshman to lead a Formula One World Championship Grand Prix: two laps of the 1975 British Grand Prix. Pryce's career was cut short by a tragic fatal accident at the 1977 South African Grand Prix, where he collided at high speed with a track marshal. Following his death, an award was instigated in Pryce's name, the Tom Pryce award was created by the Welsh Motoring Writers' group in Tom's memory and is presented annually to person or persons making 'a remarkable contribution to contemporary Wales - to business life, to culture and to sport'. On...

Public funding for community newspaper start-ups could be provided in Wales under plans being discussed by politicians in the principality. The Welsh Assembly has already earmarked £500,000 worth of financial support to community radio stations over a five-year period. Now Welsh nationalists are calling for a similar initiative for new community newspaper start-ups in the wake of the crisis in the regional newspaper industry. One Plaid Cymru AM has revealed she has already had discussions with three local groups seeking to plug the gap left by the axeing of two Trinity Mirror-owned paid-for weeklies earlier this year. Taken from Hold The Front Page - http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/news/091201startups.shtml

The first young people's Café Sci in Wales was launched at Pembroke School library by Jason Bradbury, writer and presenter on Five's Gadget Show. Café Sci is a network of school-based cafés designed to bring science to students in an informal and discussion-based format which is anything but boring. The aim is to link up schools with some of Britain's most fascinating scientists and stimulate free-thinking conversation about contemporary issues in science and technology. Jason, who was invited to be the first guest speaker at Pembroke's Café Sci, said he would have loved to have taken part in one when he was at school. "I would have set up a Café Sci if they had been around at the time," he told the pupils. "I was really into science and physics at school. I was mad about it! " The Café Sci at Pembroke School was organised by Year 7 pupils Joseph Davies (chairperson) Evan Phillips and Megan Hunter (co-ordinators), Niamh Clarkson and Laura Edward (pu...

‘Marketing the care sector' was the theme of a recent conference to highlight social care in Pembrokeshire. The Pembrokeshire Social Care Workforce Development Partnership (SCWDP) conference is part of their work to ensure that the care sector work together to raise the profile of social care across the county. The partnership also aims to tackle workforce training and development, recruitment and retention challenges. Statutory, private and voluntary care service providers were kept in touch with progress by presentations on the 2008-2009 Action Plan, learning from workforce data, and Pembrokeshire Social Care e-learning Induction Package. Feedback was sought from attendees on last year's Induction Portfolio using an electronic voting system. The key speaker at the event, which took place at the E-Commerce centre in Pembroke Dock, was Jon Skone, Pembrokeshire County Council's Director of Social Care and Housing, while Customer Liaison Officer Mel Richards, using the elect...

The bus lane by Trostre Retail Park in Llanelli is to be opened to taxis. Carmarthenshire County Council’s transportation and engineering division has put in place traffic orders to change the lane to dual bus and taxi use. Council traffic management and parking services manager John McEvoy said: “On Friday December 11 the lane will be opened to taxis and appropriate signs will have been erected. “It is the first phase of a bigger scheme for the bus lane. We have plans to put in a bus shelter, pavement and more lighting.”

Reds Academy Director Bob Jeffrey has won the prestigious W. Jack Hughes Coach of the Year Award and will receive the trophy at tonight's annual Brin Isaac Awards at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli. Bob has won the award as recognition for his work at the Reds Academy and guiding the Under 19s to The Championship, League Cup and Welsh Youth Cup titles last season.

Farming Connect has announced that its three subsidised services will be available to all eligible businesses at the increased rate of 80%. The new rates, approved by the European Commission earlier this week, will result in significant savings for many farmers and is in direct response to industry feedback. Farming Connect’s new range of partially funded services, launched in July 2008 by the Minister for Rural Affairs Elin Jones, includes: * the Whole Farm Plan (business, environment and technical advice); * the Farm Advisory Service (on-farm advice on cross-compliance issues), and; * the Skills & Training Development Programme (which provides skills assessments and access to practical and statutory training courses). More than 2,500 farmers have already registered for the new range of Farming Connect services. The new higher rate of subsidy will apply to all applications received after 1 January 2010. All other Farming Connect services, including knowledge transfer provided t...

Peter Bowen 14:40 Hereford Mayor Of Kilcock D Devereux Rebecca Curtis 12:20 Southwell Tacinja (GER) M D Grant Alison Thorpe 13:10 Hereford Tabaran (FR) O Dayman 13:40 Hereford Ibbetson (USA) J W Farrelly Tim Vaughan 14:20 Southwell Holoko Heights Dean Coleman 15:40 Hereford Mr Heaven (IRE) R Johnson

"If you think acting is full of queens, you should see the number of queens among academic archaeologists" - Baldrick actor and archaeologist Tony Robinson.

A local authority apologised to a woman who was wrongly told to remove two ornamental gnomes from outside her home on health and safety grounds. Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council said a letter sent to Linda Langford, which also instructed her to withdraw a pottery tortoise from a communal area outside her flat in Tipton, West Midlands, had been based on a misunderstanding of its fire safety rules. The note from Sandwell Homes to Mrs Langford, 57, ordered her to take down a welcome plaque as well as the gnomes - one of which is hitting an anvil, the other reading a book.

Calls for a drastic reduction in livestock numbers and cutting meat consumption is not the way to tackle climate change in the UK, according to Hybu Cig Cymru - Meat Promotion Wales (HCC). Westminster Health Minister Andy Burnham yesterday supported a report in The Lancet which called for a 30 per cent reduction in livestock figures across high producing countries. Flock and herd numbers in Wales are already falling and further reductions will impact on the UK's ability to feed a growing population. In Wales, breeding ewe numbers have fallen by 5 per cent since 2008, while cattle numbers have also fallen by 2 per cent. HCC Chairman Rees Roberts says the report fails to recognise that large parts of the UK are unsuitable for growing crops, with nearly 80 per cent of land in Wales only useful for growing grass or feeding sheep. This is backed up by David MacKay, the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, who has said that the Welsh hills are unsuitab...

Three first half goals saw Town get back to winning ways at Maes Tegid after Ross Jefferies had opened the scoring for the hosts on four minutes, heading in unopposed at the back post from an Osian Jones flag kick. Having been rocked by the early opener Town were back level on sixteen minutes when Tim Hicks glanced in Chris Thomas' cross from the edge of the 18 yard area. The front man then bagged his brace to put Town ahead ten minutes later. Richard Hughes' floated ball forward picked out Mark Pritchard who released Hicks to drive in from an angle. With twins Ross and Brett Jefferies linking well Mark Dodds looked to shackle John Toner. But having taken the lead Town took control as Chris Thomas broke down the flank. With Danny Thomas pulling his namesake's cross down well in the box he turned and fired beyond keeper Leon Bimpson to make it 3-1 at the break. The second half saw the hosts press to reduce the deficit. But with Town's back four in miserly mood it took a ...

Two goals in each half for Llanelli ensured that they stayed at the top of the Principality Welsh Premier League on goal difference with TNS scoring the same amount of goals in their game. Andy Mumford scored after just eight minutes at Stebonheath to give the Reds a perfect start. Defender Lee Jarman then scored his first for the club in just his third start, having overcome a series of injuries since his arrival at the club. It wasn't until the last two minutes of the match that the hosts scored again and in the 88th minute with midfielder Chris Venables scoring against his former side. In the final minute of the game, leading scorer Rhys Griffiths struck the fourth to inflict a first defeat on new Aber chief Alan Morgan.

Pupils at Ysgol Bro Dewi in St David's are planning to create a bluebell wood, as part of their work for their bronze Sustainable Schools Award. Councillor Huw George, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People, Learning and the Welsh Language, presented them with the award at a special assembly recently. The project 'How Green is our School?' enabled pupils to investigate ways of making the school more environmentally friendly. The Eco Team purchased pans for use in sinks to save water, while younger pupils grew vegetables in an African Bag Garden. Nature walks and studying the rainforest led to the plans to plant a native bluebell wood. "The Sustainable Schools project is a vital tool in enthusing and inspiring pupils to take an active role in protecting and enhancing their environment," said Sharon Osborne, deputy head teacher. "Because of the project, pupils are now more appreciative of the fact that they are actually able to make a difference!" The P...

Pupils at Mary Immaculate School in Haverfordwest have been celebrating different cultures as part of their work for the bronze Sustainable Schools Award. The award was presented by Councillor Huw George, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People, Learning and the Welsh Language, at a special assembly. Waste and litter minimisation, global citizenship and healthy living have been on the agenda at the school during the past year. Pupils have enjoyed finding out about people from other countries, tasting food, learning about Fair Trade and also taking part in the popular Chinese club. Picnic benches made from recycled plastic have been bought for the school grounds and pupils were involved in the 'Haverfordwest goes Plastic Bag Free' scheme. "We were impressed with the way the school has been celebrating cultures across the world" said Janie Pridham, Sustainable Schools Project Officer, "as well as making their school more sustainable." The Pembrokeshire Susta...

An extra temporary free car park was opened today in Haverfordwest for the run-up to Christmas. The car park at the Bridge Meadow was made available by the Bridge Meadow Trust and will be open to the public free of charge until 4th January. Temporary directional signage will be provided on the main road approaches to the car park.

Haverfordwest-born solicitor, Mark Layton, has been appointed HM Coroner (part-time) for Pembrokeshire. He succeeds Michael Howells who has held the post for 29 years. Mr Layton, 47, is the founder of Haverfordwest solicitors Layton and Co., and is now employed at the firm as a consultant. Educated at the former Milford Haven Grammar School, he studied law at Cardiff University. In 2004 he was appointed Assistant Deputy Coroner for Pembrokeshire and Deputy Coroner two years later. Mr Layton takes up the post in the New Year. Like his predecessor, he will be based in the Coroner's Office in Milford Haven town hall.

Pembrokeshire's Spatial European Team (SET) has launched its first Convergence Skills Forum event. Funded by the European Union's 2007-2013 Convergence programmes, it offers a free service for organisations from all sectors to help maximise the delivery of European Structural Funds within Pembrokeshire. The aim of the Forum is to gain a shared understanding of European Funded Convergence skills projects within the county. The event - held at the Bloomfield Centre in Narberth - introduced five recently approved European Social Fund (ESF) Convergence projects: COASTAL Genesis Cymru Wales 2, ENGAGE, South West Workways and Want2Work. All these projects seek to assist those individuals farthest away from the job market to re-engage with society through a series of vocational guidance, employment, learning opportunities and skills training services. The Forum was attended by over 40 people representing 18 different organisations from the public, private and third sectors. Attendees ...

A charity shop has been given an unusually generous donation in the form of an unused Louis Vuitton handbag worth almost £1,400. The designer bag was taken into a Cancer Research shop by a woman who urged staff to have it valued because it was "definitely real". When a member of staff at the branch in Bedford High Street took it to Louis Vuitton's New Bond Street store in central London, he was told it was a genuine article with a retail price of £1,395. The shop is selling it on online auction site eBay.

"I have had it for 40 years, so it is more a case of dogged determination than rebellion" - Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth when asked whether he regarded his moustache as an act of rebellion.

Llanelli Reds Manager Andy Legg has set the record straight after being misquoted in the local press. He is quoted in the match programme for Friday night's game with Aberystwyth Town stating, “I must say that what was printed in the press recently about the youth players was taken out of context. There are players who can come into the first team and do well i.e. Ryan Batley, Declan John and Craig Frater to mention a few, but you could not put seven to eight players in at one time. "One or two and that's fine! Our youth players are decent but we must take time to make sure of their progress.” The Reds Youth team are unbeaten during the past three years and under the guidance of Academy Director, Bob Jeffrey and his Assistant, Mike Hurley, they won the Welsh Youth Cup last season, beating Swansea City in the final. Four of that Swans team have made Championship appearances this season!

Pupils from Pembroke and Greenhill schools have been congratulated for their surfing success at an action-packed 5x60 Surf Club Presentation evening. More than 170 people attended the evening at Greenhill School on Monday, which celebrated the accomplishments of the 5x60 After School Surf Clubs and showed what they have achieved over the last two terms. Junior Surf Scheme certificates and surf goody bags from Outer Reef Surf School were presented to 150 pupils, and a short film was screened to demonstrate the clubs' achievements. Pupils had a chance to go on an indoor surf simulator and compete in a RNLI challenge to see who could put on drysuits and oilskins the quickest, with Tenby surf shop ‘Underground' donating prizes to the fastest pupils. The junior surfers also enjoyed looking around stalls from Tenby Lifeboat Station, Tenby beach lifeguards, Surfers against Sewage, Underground and Outer Reef Surf School. The evening was organised by Wyndham Williams from Sport Pembroke...

A group of young Russian musicians, singers and dancers have been entertaining senior citizens in Pembrokeshire. Skylark and Artforge - a group from the Karelia region of Russia - performed traditional music, song and dance at the Hillside Home in Goodwick and Meadow Park day centre in Haverfordwest. Pembrokeshire's ‘Champion for Older People', County Councillor David Wildman - who visited the Hillside performance - said the young visitors delighted their audience. "They were extremely talented and many of their audience would not have experienced anything like it before" he added.

Two Pembrokeshire schools have won awards at an Oscar-style film ceremony in London. Sageston CP School and Ysgol y Preseli both won their categories in the 2009 National Schools Film and Animation awards at the British Film Institute's Southbank Centre. They received their prizes on stage from popular television presenter, Floella Benjamin. Two other Pembrokeshire schools - Tavernspite CP and Portfield Special School in Haverfordwest - were also nominated in their categories and were at the awards evening. The schools were up against 75 films from across the UK. Pembrokeshire was the only county in South and Mid Wales to have films shortlisted for the awards. Sageston's entry, ‘Flame', won for Best Film in Key Stage Two while Ysgol y Preseli's ‘Whisper of Time' - a solo effort by Year 10 pupil Danielle Tose - won Best Animation in Key Stage Three. ‘How Night Came' was Tavernspite's entry in the category for Best Animation in Key Stage One, while Portfield S...

Youngsters are getting in to the Christmas spirit by decorating trees for the Cwmmaman Illuminations Project. Pupils from Ysgol y Gwendraeth and Ysgol Maes-Yr-Yrfa have given up their free time to participate in the project as part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The Award, delivered by youth workers from the Amman and Gwendraeth Youth Team, encourages young people to discover and develop personal interests and social and practical lifelong skills. Youth Worker, Christopher Cray, said:“The young people have had a great time decorating the trees and are looking forward to seeing them on display in Cwmamman. “By involving young people in community activities, it encourages them to develop ownership and respect for their areas. “This is an opportunity to unite the community and provide the setting for the festive spirit in the run up to Christmas.” The Cwmmaman Illuminations Project is run in partnership between Cwmamman Town Council, Carmarthenshire’s Youth service and Cwmamman Youth...

Students at Trinity University College in Carmarthen celebrated Thanksgiving in style. They made decorations and cards before a celebration feast at the University’s Halliwell Centre. “This is an annual event involving all our international students and its great to be able to come together celebrate with our students from the United States,” said international officer Kathleen Adnum.

Carmarthenshire Trading Standards Officers are warning residents to be on their guard against distraction burglars and opportunist rogue traders especially in the aftermath of the recent stormy weather. Householders may have suffered damage to their property during the bad weather. Trading Standards are now urging residents to be extra vigilant to doorstep callers and sellers who may not be offering bona fide work. They are being advised to be very careful who they employ and to be extra vigilant to doorstep sellers. The advice is to always keep doors locked and if any unexpected callers come to the door do not let them in until you are completely satisfied that they represent the agency they purport to come from. Any bona -fide caller will be pleased to wait at the door whilst you check that they come from the relevant company. If you are agreeing to work in your home (over £35), then you should also be given written cancellation rights. Trading Standards Services Manager Roger Edmun...

The Tenovus cancer charity is bringing its mobile cancer support unit to Carmarthen tomorrow (Dec 1). Carmarthenshire County Council has agreed to allow the unit to set up in the centre of the John Street car park for the day. The unit delivers cancer services – such as chemotherapy - to its patients in the local community as well as practical advice to sufferers on benefits, bereavement support, health awareness and many other topics. Council John McEvoy said: “It is a gesture of goodwill. Tenovus is bringing cancer treatment closer to the people.”

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Registered Traders Scheme is five years old this autumn. Trading Standards established the scheme in 2004 in an attempt to combat the rising level of complaints about home repair and domestic improvements. The service believed the public was being let down by cowboy builders and that reputable businesses were fed up with the image that all builders are incompetent or worse. The traders on the scheme have signed to say that they agree to run their business in accordance with certain terms and conditions, as laid down by Trading Standards. Since its implementation, the scheme has grown to include all the main sectors of the building trade, as well as general builders. There is also a separate list of Gardeners and Handypersons and there are plans to include Pest Control companies in the near future. To mark the occasion of this anniversary, members of the Trading Standards Team will be in Carmarthen, Ammanford and Llanelli in the next few weeks to promot...

A warning has been issued not to allow oil to get into the drains after sewers in Carmarthen became contaminated with oil causing a stench in people’s houses. The incident, which affected homes in Water Street and Pentrefelin, took place in the early hours of Friday morning. Council staff, police and the fire service were called out after residents complained about the smell rising into their homes. Carmarthenshire County Council head of public protection Philip Davies said: “We had a significant incident where light fuel oil or paraffin had been released into the sewer system and ventilated through the drainage system into houses in the Water Street and Pentrefelin area. “Fuel that enters the drains can lead to fumes entering people’s houses through the kitchen or bathroom sinks. It was an unpleasant odour but not explosive or poisonous. “We opened the Myrddin Day Centre in case people felt unhappy staying in their own homes overnight. Council staff ventilated the sewer and gave peopl...