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

A special sustainability themed lunch has been enjoyed by thousands of Carmarthenshire schoolchildren. Carmarthenshire County Council’s Catering Service laid on the special dinner to celebrate Wales Sustainability Week. On the menu was traditional roast beef sourced from Cig Calon Cymru, Cross Hands, with an alternative of homemade vegetable roast. This was served with Yorkshire pudding, cabbage, organic carrots, Pembrokeshire boiled, and roast, potatoes and gravy, followed by a delicious portion of Frank’s vanilla ice cream, which is produced in Capel Hendre, Ammanford. The lunch brought together several food products that are sourced locally, and organically, for school meals throughout the year. The council follows a Local Sustainable Food Strategy, which it launched in 2004, to ensure the development of sustainable food chains, reduce environmental impacts, and produce healthier school meals using as much local produce as possible. Following this strategy has also helped give the l...

Staff at Carmarthenshire County Council are being reassured that hundreds of compulsory redundancies are not imminent. It follows media coverage after a letter was sent to all staff in a bid to establish any interest in a change to the way they are working. This includes a reduction in hours, term-time working, early retirement for those aged 55 and over, and career breaks. The letter was part of the planning process which the authority is carrying out in order to identify the millions in savings it must make over the next few years. All councils face the same challenges due to budget cuts expected both from central government and the Welsh Assembly. The intention of the letter was to give staff the opportunity to express an interest in taking one of the opportunities offered. It also called on staff to get engaged in the debate and put forward any ideas that they may have to assist in the process. The council announced some months ago that, along with all other Welsh local authorities...

Llanelli Reds have announced that the following pre season games have been confirmed. SATURDAY 31st JULY AFC TELFORD UNITED at Stebonheath Park KO 3pm SATURDAY 7th AUGUST TAMWORTH at Tamworth KO 3pm The club are still in negotiations with both Cardiff City and Swansea City regarding games with them, both at Stebonheath Park. Tamworth are in The Blue Square Premier League while AFC Telford United play in the Blue Square North Division. Meanwhile, Reds keeper Ashley Morris has agreed new terms with club and signed for the new season. Ashley joined the Reds in January 2009 on loan from Merthyr Tydfil and signed full time for last season. Ashley joins Chris Venables, Chris Holloway, Stuart Jones, Jordan Follows and Antonio Corbisiero in committing themselves to Llanelli for the forthcoming season. In addition, the club have agreed terms with Chris Thomas (Carmarthen Town) and Martyn Giles (Newport County). Manager, Andy Legg,is currently away on holiday and hopes to final...

“All the world’s a stage,” William Shakespeare once suggested. And, judging by the recent explosion of interest in the theatrical world, he was correct. Theatrical developments are certainly followed very closely at Trinity University College at Carmarthen. The university has launched two new MA courses which give students a chance to explore theatre. “Both courses are very innovative and rewarding,” said Mair George, a marketing associate with the university’s theatre wing, The School of Theatre and Performance. The university is offering a MA Drama and Education course and a MA in Theatre and Society. “The courses allow you to explore theatre in two very different ways and provide a whole host of ways for students to develop their career potential.” The MA in Drama and Education is ideal for teachers or other professionals who want to work in drama or want to use drama as a classroom tool. The course covers topics such as – Educational Drama Pioneers and Practitioners Classroom Drama...

As the Westminster Parliament reassembles following the General Election, 12 Aberystwyth University alumni (four Conservative, two Labour, three Liberal Democrats, two Plaid Cymru and one Independent) have been celebrating election victories. Professor Noel Lloyd, Vice Chancellor of Aberystwyth University said: “The University is proud of its alumni and their achievements and we are delighted that the University is so well represented at Westminster by its graduates. “I am sure that the experiences gained during their time at university have strongly influenced their career paths and I would like to think that Aberystwyth University, and the diverse experiences available here, have helped them to achieve their current leadership roles. I, and everyone at the University, congratulate them and wish them every success in the future.” Aberystwyth alumni MPs Guto Bebb MP (Conservative) has been elected to represent the new constituency of Aberconwy in North Wales. Mr Bebb is a BA History gr...

A new and innovative Teachers’ Pack, developed by Aberystwyth University and aimed at teachers of the Welsh Assembly Government’s flagship Welsh Baccalaureate qualification, will be launched at the University’s world-renowned Department of International Politics on today (Friday 21 May). The pack provides a range of resources focused on the Wales, Europe and the World element of the Welsh Baccalaureate, and has been produced in response to the increasing demand by teachers in Wales for relevant materials, especially through the medium of Welsh. The launch will be attended by representatives from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Department for Children, Education, and Lifelong Learning, Higher Education Funding Council for Wales, the WJEC, the Centre for Welsh-medium Higher Education, Ceredigion and Powys 14-19 Learning Pathways Networks, and teachers of the Welsh Baccalaureate from all parts of Wales. The pack itself has been produced in Welsh and in English, and is organised around fou...

Wide ranging measures introduced by Aberystwyth University to reduce carbon emissions have been rewarded this week with the announcement that it has been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard. Over the past four years the University has invested nearly £1,000,000 in energy saving measures. These included new metering systems to monitor energy use and identify potential future energy savings, improved insulation, new double glazing units and energy efficient lighting. An assessment of the University’s energy use by the Carbon Trust Standard Company for the period from August 2006 to July 2009 showed a reduction in annual carbon dioxide emissions of over 400 tonnes, from 12,700 to 12,300 tonnes, a decrease equivalent to 3%. The Carbon Trust Standard is the world’s first carbon award that requires organisations to measure, manage and reduce their carbon emissions across their own operations. Dr John Harries, Pro-Vice Chancellor with responsibility for Estates, said: “We’re delighted to have a...

Thanks to you, folks, this blog is continuing to pick up a momentum. It's now hit the 9,000 page views mark. That's a 1000 views since April 27. Keep the hits coming, folks! Many thanks. See earlier blog - http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/8000-visits-chalked-up.html Meanwhile, the blog has chalked up its first visitor from Oman. The full country by country list (figures from January 6) is as follows - United Kingdom (GB) 1,937; United States (US) 336; Europe (EU) 33; Qatar (QA) 29; India (IN) 23; Australia (AU) 19; Germany (DE) 18; Canada (CA) 14; Ireland (IE) 12; Malaysia (MY) 9; Belgium (BE) 7; France (FR) 7; United Arab Emirates (AE) 7; Russian Federation (RU) 6; Singapore (SG) 6; Italy (IT) 6; New Zealand (NZ) 6; Philippines (PH) 5; Netherlands (NL) 5; Denmark (DK) 4; Spain (ES) 4; Bahrain (BH) 4; Sweden (SE) 3; Bulgaria (BG) 3; Greece (GR) 3; Romania (RO) 3; Ukraine (UA) 3; South Africa (ZA) 3; Hungary (HU) 2; Poland (PL) 2; Austria (AT) 2; Croatia (HR) 2; Portugal (...

Everything’s on the rise at a leading South Wales bakery business as they celebrate two landmark achievements. Jenkins the Bakers, a third generation family business based in Llanelli, has achieved the Gold Standard Welsh Food Hygiene Award. And the firm has also had the rubber stamp put on its Investors in People award, a benchmark certificate which was first awarded to the firm back in 2004. “They are great achievements for us and a huge amount of praise is due to our hard-working staff, who have helped us land these two major awards,” said Operations Director Russell Jenkins. Commercial Director and Company Secretary David Jenkins said the company first picked up an Investors in People award back in January 2004. “In order to keep the award, we had to be reassessed,” he said. “Investors in People is a very rigorous benchmark award and have to make sure we have everything in place for health and safety, food hygiene, staff training and a whole host of other things. “We are a business...

Gwendraeth Youth Forum teamed up with CAVS and Keep Wales Tidy to do the biggest ever clean up of the streets of Carway. Everyone taking part was provided with equipment to help clear litter hotspots in the village and surrounding areas. Youth link worker, Rhys Morris said:“It was great to see the community working as a team and taking such pride in their village. By encouraging children and young people to participate in clean-up activities at an early age it is hoped they will develop and interest in the environment and take responsibility of their own surroundings.” Executive Board Member for Education and Children’s Services, Councillor Gwynne Wooldridge added:“Seeing young people giving up their time to do something positive for their communities is very inspiring. Young people tend to get blamed for littering but we all have a responsibility to keep our streets clean. We should all learn from these young people and work together to maintain cleaner villages.”

Letting the grass grow has led to a new home for endangered water voles in Llanelli. The population of the species has declined by over 90 per cent in the UK, but they are hanging on in the ditches and wetland areas around Llanelli. A partnership of organisations – Carmarthenshire County Council, the Countryside Council for Wales and Environment Agency Wales - are working together in the Llanelli area to help one of the most endangered mammals in the UK. Loss and fragmentation of their habitat have been significant causes of their decline and now water voles and their habitat are protected by law. Recently, there were signs of water vole burrows at an unexpected site in the grassland alongside Delta Lakes, adjacent to the A484. The grassland is managed by the council and is regularly mown. However the best solution to help the water voles was to stop mowing the grass alongside the lake. This will allow a habitat to form that will help the water voles and provide them with valuable feed...

Help is at hand for residents in Carmarthenshire who want to cut their carbon footprint and save money at the same time. Householders can now borrow an energy monitor for free from libraries across the county just as they would borrow a book, CD or DVD. Energy monitors can be used at home to help save energy and money on bills as it shows how much electricity you are using and what it is costing. In fact, householders typically save between £25 and £75 off a £500 electricity bill after using a monitor by changing their behaviour in the home. The council’s energy monitor loan scheme was launched this week - during Wales Sustainability Week – by executive board member for the environment Councillor Pam Palmer. The aim is to encourage residents to reduce their energy use and cut the amount of greenhouse gases going into the environment. The monitors come with an instruction booklet and are easy to install and residents can borrow them for up to two weeks. They are available for loan from ...

The new chair of Carmarthenshire County Council has taken up office. Cllr Tegwen Devichand was unanimously elected as the chair for 2010-11 at the annual meeting of the county council. She replaces outgoing chair Cllr Tyssul Evans. Cllr Devichand lives in and represents Dafen in Llanelli, and originally comes from Porth, Rhondda. She is a Governor of Halfway CP School and Bryngwyn Comprehensive School, and represents the county on the area management committee for Community Education Centres in Felinfoel/ Llwynhendy/Pembrey, and is on the Community Health Council. Cllr Devichand is President of the Co-operative Women’s Guild, an Area Committee Member of the Co-operative Group, Llanelli Labour Party Women’s Officer, and Appeals Manager under the Mental Health Act for the Hywel Dda NHS Trust. Cllr Ivor Jackson of Llandovery was unanimously elected as vice chair. Cllr Jackson, who has lived all his life in Llandovery, represents the county on the Consortium of Local Authorities in Wales, ...

A Llandovery man has been prosecuted by claiming benefit without saying that his wife was working. John Andrew Penman pleaded guilty at Ammanford Magistrates Court to five offences under the Social Security Administration Act 1992 of dishonestly failing to report changes in circumstances. The court was told that housing and council tax benefit had been awarded on the basis that 58-year-old Penman and his wife were in receipt of income support and living at Victoria Crescent, Llandovery. They have since moved to Dolau Bran, Llandovery. The Department for Work and Pensions Fraud Investigation Service invited Carmarthenshire County Council to undertake a joint investigation when they had reason to believe Mrs Penman was working as a shop assistant. Her husband was interviewed and admitted failing to declare a change in circumstances. Total overpayments were £902.26 in housing benefit, £277.55 in council tax benefit and £5,011.19 in income support. A joint prosecution was taken by the coun...

A Carmarthenshire community is celebrating a £430,000 Lottery windfall for a new state-of-the-art village hall. Villagers in Myddfai have secured the huge grant to create and sell a new ‘Myddfai, made in a great tradition’ brand of products. The flagship social enterprise will draw on the 13th Century legend of the Physicians of Myddfai, who were renowned for their homeopathy skills. Local people will grow and sell herbal medicines under the new range, and skilled craft workers will use the brand to sell quilted, pottery and glass products. All the goods will be sold at a new purpose built community hall, which will replace the dilapidated 60-year-old village hall. The innovative project has received funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s Village SOS scheme, which is aimed at supporting business ventures that create jobs and improve the quality of life for local people. Residents, working under the village hall charity, Ty Talcen, have been supported in their bid by Carmarthenshire County...

The Llanelli Reds Under-19s and Under-18s held their awards Night at The Reds Social Club at Stebonheath. The Winner of the Under-19s Manager's Player of the Season Award went to midfield dynamo Declan John, while the Players' Player of the Season Award went to Craig Richards. Both received their trophies from Under-19s managers Bob Jeffrey and Mike Hurley along with Llanelli AFC Patrons, Gerald Barton and Keith Thomas, who kindly sponsored the awards. The Under-18 Trophies were awarded to Ben Williams, who was the manager's choice of Player of the Year, and Gethin Davies, who won the Players' Player of the Year award.

One of Llanelli Rotary Club’s newest members has helped raise more than £3,000 by completing a marathon cycle ride. Rotarian Mark Evans joined a team of cyclists who completed 100 miles from Sophia Gardens in Cardiff to Tenby as part of the Carten 100 Cycle Challenge. Mark was joined on the ride by Craig Tout, of Llanelli Round Table, Kim Griffiths and Matt Stephens. The cyclists were raising cash for Llanelli Rotary Club’s HARK appeal which aims to donate a mobile audiology (hearing) unit to the University of Education in Winneba, Ghana. The unit will be used to hold clinics deep in the Ghana countryside to help deaf children improve their hearing and speech. When asked how the ride went, Rotarian Mark replied that he hoped it would become an annual event. Matt Stephens, son of Rotarian Roger Stephens, commented “What time do we start back to Cardiff?" Anyone who wishes to contribute to Rotary’s HARK appeal should contact Llanelli Rotary Club secretary Anthony Jones on 01554 7528...

An event aimed at attracting more adult volunteers to work with youth organisations in Carmarthenshire was held at CAVS (Carmarthenshire Association for Voluntary Services) HQ in Carmarthen. Uniformed services including Dyfed Powys Police, the Urdd, Carmarthenshire Youth Council, Girl Guides, Scouts and the Cadets were the organisations present on the day. The event gave people an insight into volunteering and information on the Uniformed Services within the county. As a result, members of the public were keen to work with young people to develop their skills and interests. The event was held as part of the Young Dragons Scheme; following an initial idea from The Prince of Wales, Uniformed Services delivering activities for young people in Wales have signed a memorandum of understanding to work together under the banner of Young Dragons. Carmarthenshire is one of two areas in Wales to pilot this scheme. Neil Gutteridge from Pontiets said:“The event was great. It was very inspiring and ...

Many playgrounds, parks and changing rooms may have to be given up by Carmarthenshire County Council. They will be offered to town and community councils and sporting organisations to help the authority achieve £26 million savings. County Leader Meryl Gravell said: “We have to make tough decisions in critical times and prioritise. “It is going to come down to choice of making decisions on protecting children’s services and adult centres or spending on leisure services. “We also have to make sure there is a level playing field. Some communities already look after their own facilities receiving no subsidy from the Authority yet the current cost of the service to others is more than £600,000. “Where communities are in charge and provide for themselves there is zero vandalism. The attitude seems to be the county will always pick up the tab for repairs. That has to stop.” There are more than 200 playgrounds across the county and the authority manages 120 of them. A task and finish group rep...

Aa part of Adult Learner’s Week, Carmarthenshire Learning Festival will be holding fun learning events across the county as a way of empowering people to take control of their future. The events will take place in various venues across the county until May 22. In the past, the Carmarthenshire Learning Festival has given people the confidence to find the right course which has led to them gaining employment. Thanks to the Carmarthenshire Learning Festival, Gordon Craig, now a Carmarthenshire Youth Service employee, enrolled on an IT course with JobForce Wales which then led on to him attending STEPS, a motivation course, where he achieved qualifications in numeracy, literacy and ICT. While at JobForce Wales, Gordon’s efforts were recognised by staff from the Llanelli SMART Project where Gordon has now been seconded. Gordon said:“I would encourage anyone wanting to improve their skills to attend the Carmarthenshire Learning Festival; there are so many organisations out there that can hel...

A range of free activities area available to young people in the Llanelli area during the half term break. The Llanelli Youth Team, based at Bwlch Rangers, has put on a programme of activities for young people to get involved in during May 31 and June 4. Activities will include motorbike scrambling, swimming, coasteering, mountain biking, football and an opportunity for young people to develop their media skills aboard Carmarthenshire Council’s Multimedia Bus. Huw Thomas, Senior Youth Worker for the Llanelli Area said:“As a result of the activities we put on during the holidays, many young people have joined our youth clubs, have made new friends and have taken part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. “Our projects and activities aim to bring out the best in young people and help develop essential skills.” For a full programme of events, please contact Huw Thomas at Bwlch Rangers Youth Centre on: 01554 749782

At a very successful presentation evening held at the club’s Richmond Park Community Centre, defender Chris Thomas was named as the club’s player of the year and Tim Hicks took the Supporter’s Player of the Season Award. The award for Clubman of the Year went to Kieran Davies, one of the club’s young coaches, for his outstanding work with the club’s Academy. Carmarthen Town’s Head of Youth, Emlyn Schiavone, was quick to praise his young coach. “Kieran is a committed, enthusiastic and forward thinking coach. He has worked hard to identify and recruit some of the better players in West Wales. Kieran has a very good rapport with the youngsters at the club and is currently undertaking his UEFA C licence. He’s a credit to himself and the club." Davies is currently a Sports science student at Coleg Sir Gâr. With Tim Hicks named the fans’ favourite manager Deryn Brace praised his front man for his all round contribution to the squad during the season. “The award is richly deserved as Tim...

The Scarlets have presented Carmarthenshire’s Fostering Recruitment Team with 10 free places on their summer rugby camp. The places will be taken by three lucky foster children who are placed in the county with local authority-approved carers. The free camp places were presented at the launch of Fostering Fortnight on Monday, May 17. The two-week campaign will see recruitment teams touring the county with information stands, handing out leaflets and inviting people to consider becoming foster parents. Part of the publicity campaign for the fortnight is the sponsorship of the Scarlets Summer Camp which will take place at Parc Y Scarlets in August. Jackie Sloane, Fostering Recruitment Team Manager, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Scarlets to give more exposure to the fostering opportunities here in Carmarthenshire. “We are very grateful that as part of that the Scarlets have offered us these free places on their summer camp, which I’m sure will be enjoyed.” Scarlets Commer...

Carmarthenshire householders are being asked to donate unwanted household items – from crockery to beds – to help homeless people furnish their first place of their own. The Wallich organisation has launched an appeal to the public for help for homeless people setting up home. An email to all Carmarthenshire County Council staff has already received an enthusiastic response with donations of furniture and household items. Assistant team leader Mary Jones said: “We regularly move young people on from the project and often grants are not available to furnish accommodation.” Twenty five-year-old Nathan Denton, who has been provided with furniture after recently moving into a house in Dafen, Llanelli, said: “It has made such a difference. I have furniture, a place to stay and a roof over my head. The Wallich is still giving me support.” If you contact The Wallich on 01554 780259, staff can arrange to pick up items from your home. They are interested in household items such as kitchen utens...

Students at Trinity University College in Carmarthen are gearing up to run their very own ‘Fringe’ during June’s Trinity Arts Festival. It’s the fourth time for students to stage a week-long programme of events they proudly label as their own Ffrinj. “As a series of events, it’s all neatly packaged up into five days from the 7th of June,” said Kevin Matherick, Head of the Faculty of Arts and Social Studies. “It may not attract the big headlines that the main arts festival attracts, but it is just as important to the students who work very hard to stage the Ffrinj. “The purpose of the Ffrinj is to give creative and performing students the chance to share in a wide range of exciting events, providing them with a fitting climax to their academic year. “The Ffrinj is a very important part of college life and I am sure it will continue to go from strength to strength and be an important addition to the Trinity Arts Festival. “My job is easy – chairing the organising committee. It’s the stud...

A major project is underway to educate people about Carmarthenshire’s role in Europe. The county has again been selected as a centre of excellence to champion links with the continent. The County Council’s West Wales European Centre has received grant funding from the European Commission to provide the Europe Direct Information Service. It is one of only three centres in Wales and one of 400 others across Europe. A huge drive to educate people of all ages about the continent is now being rolled out across the area. The Council’s European Networking Officer Lorena Prist is visiting schools, groups and organisations of part of the awareness raising scheme. Seminars are being arranged for teachers, regular Town Twinning Forum meetings are held and schools are being supported to take part in the Euroscola programme, where students spend a day in the EU Parliament in Strasbourg. The aim is to let people know about the EU’s institutions, legislation, policies, programmes and funding opportun...

The Llanelli Reds Under-18s look destined to finish second in The West Division of The South Wales FA Youth League after main rivals, Cogan Coronation, of Penarth, won their last two games by 6-0! They now have only one game remaining, against bottom club Cwmavon Boys Club. A win will give them the title.

The Welsh Assembly Government’s Minister for Rural Affairs, Elin Jones AM, joined staff and students at Aberystwyth University for breakfast to mark the launch of a week-long programme of events at the university to celebrate Wales Sustainability Week. The breakfast was served at the University’s award winning restaurant TaMed Da which was awarded gold for Sustainable Development at the 2009/10 Wales the True Taste Food & Drink Awards. Over the past four years Kevan Downing, Head of Hospitality, and Huw McConochie, Farms Manager, have been working together to introduce a healthy eating menu at the University’s restaurants comprising of meat and vegetables grown on the University’s own farms. Their vision for quality local produce means that up to 90% of the University’s food is now sourced from its own farms and other local suppliers such as Rachel’s Organic and Birchgrove Eggs. This has also led to a significant reduction in food miles with University-produced meat clocking up jus...

Wales Sustainability Week events programme at Aberystwyth University. All week: Exhibitions of research and teaching in the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) and the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences (IGES). TaMed Da – award winning campus restaurant will feature a special lunch-time menu of locally sourced and some University produced foods. Tuesday 1.00pm Eco-walk on campus – Can’t tell your pines from your petunias? Then a guided walking tour of campus noting some of the celebrated flora and fauna might be just the thing. Pop along to the Sports Centre at 1.00pm and discover the blossoms and birdsongs on the new campus walking trails. It’s certainly better than sitting watching the AstroTurf grow. Wednesday ‘Cycle to Work’ Day – Reduce your carbon footprint by joining our cycle to work scheme. Staff and student participants in the University’s ‘cycle to work’ scheme will formally launch the initiative. 8.00 - 9.00am Cycle to Work Breakf...

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has announced its final decision on licensed clubs for next season - putting the finishing touches to who will play in the elite Welsh Premier League. Llanelli and Carmarthen will both feature in the new-look 12-team league next season. The FAW announced the licensed clubs following the decisions by the Club Licensing Appeals Body, which met in Cardiff today. The Appeals Body is compiled of individuals who are independent of the FAW, any club or league. The meeting lasted five hours. The clubs successful on appeal today were- Airbus UK Broughton Bala Town Bangor City Llandudno Porthmadog The decisions of the so-called First Instance Body which were upheld (therefore no domestic licence granted for season 2010/11) were for the following clubs - Afan Lido GAP Connah's Quay Llangefni Town Rhyl FC The Welsh Premier League for Season 2010/11 will now consist of the following 12 clubs - Aberystwyth Town Airbus UK Broughton Bala Town Bangor City Car...

The latest fishing report from Ty'n y Cornel Hotel and Talyllyn lake is as follows - A busy month saw lots of anglers on the water, pleasure fishing and a few small club competitions which resulted in a lot of nice brownies caught and released. Llandysul anglers had a day out with many members of the current Commonwealth team in their ranks. There were a lot of big bags of fish recorded and mostly returned. Jeff Thomson and boat partner caught approximately 30 fish; top sea trout guide Steffan Jones caught 15 fish, Andrew Banner and Jamie Harries boated 15 fish. But the winner on the day was Welsh international Dion Davies, who out-fished everyone, including his father Eric Davies, also a Welsh international. A few days later it was the turn of North Wales Police who had one of their eliminators for the Welsh Police Team. With more than 100 fish caught and released, good sport was had by all. The winner on the day was Simon Newport. David Morgan won the prize for best fish, which w...

Aberystwyth University's IBERS teaching and research institute is showing the way for farmers. While many people are becoming used to harvesting rainwater for their gardens, the university is using natural sources to provide water on an industrial scale. The farms, which are part of the University’s award winning Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), have found ways of meeting their massive demand for water through a variety of natural means. The expansion of the Aberystwyth University Farms dairy herd at Trawsgoed prompted farms manager Huw McConochie to explore new sources of water to meet the 50,000 litre daily demand of the farm. “The current system relied heavily on mains water” said Huw. It was simply not cost effective. After failing to secure an adequate supply from bore holes drilled on the farm the IBERS team turned their attention to rainwater and water collected in two ponds on the farm. It means a saving of almost £22,000 a year when compar...

The Welsh Youth fly-fishing team were on form at Talyllyn lake in the Snowdonia National Park. The team were given guidance on fishing the lake by resident ghillie (fishing guide) Phil Wood, of the lakeside Ty’n y Cornel Hotel. The top fisherman was Jamie Phillips, pictured with his wild brown trout. All the fish taken on the day were with the olive pattern fly. More fishing pictures from Ty'n y Cornel - http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/robertapvincent/Tynycornel02#

Two young swimmers made a splash at a recent charity swim. Eight year old Megan Rogers and 10 year old Ellie Parks - both from Milford Haven - took to their local pool for a charity swimathon. The girls were among 24 swimmers - both children and adults - who swam in aid of the Marie Curie Cancer charity. The swimmers swam 200 lengths of Milford Haven's Leisure Centre pool either as individuals or as part of a team. Both Megan and Ellie, who swim regularly for the Milford Haven swimming squad, swam 200 lengths each finishing in one hour and 43 minutes. "The two girls did very well and it was particularly great to see Megan take part as she was diagnosed with leukemia in 2008," said swimming teacher Tracy Parks. "She did extremely well to finish the event." Anyone wishing to join the Milford Haven swimming club should contact Tracy Parks on 01646 694515.

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Members of Llandysul Angling Association staged their annual club competition at the spectacular Talyllyn lake in the Snowdonia National Park. A club spokesman said: “The competition is normally held on Llysyfran Reservoir in Pembrokeshire, so Talyllyn offered a fresh challenge. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day and it really tested the skills of the fishermen. The whole experience was exceptional, from the hearty welcome at the Ty’n y Cornel Hotel to the wonderful breakfast and being prepared for fishing by the very cooperative staff.” More fishing pictures from Ty'n y Cornel - http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/robertapvincent/Tynycornel02#

The prestigious Ty’n y Cornel Hotel, sitting on Talyllyn lake in the Snowdonia National Park, has appointed a new head chef. Thomas Mansfield, 31, brings a wealth of first class experience to the hotel. A proud Welshman, originally from Cardiff, Mr Mansfield’s arrival follows quickly on the heels of the appointment of Phil Thomas as the new general manager of a hotel which occupies what is arguably the best location in Wales, just below majestic Cader Idris. Mr Mansfield said: “I’m delighted to be joining the new team at Ty’n y Cornel. “It’s a very exciting time at the hotel and I’m looking forward to working with the best local suppliers to compile a new a la carte menu as well as a lunch and dinner menu which will change daily. “I also intend to develop our great value lounge and bar menu, which will feature many old favourites as well as some hearty new dishes.” Mr Mansfield’s CV is extensive. He has worked at the Five Star St David’s Hotel in Cardiff Bay and the Newbridge Inn in Mo...

Grey Cardigan: Snouts in the corporate trough | Grey Cardigan (thegreycardigan@gmail.com) Worth a visit for Grey’s wise words.