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

Carmarthenshire Trading Standards Services is warning businesses about the risk of falling victim to publishing scams. Traders throughout the UK have been targeted by rogue ‘publishers’ who use telesales techniques to try to sell advertising space in various publications such as yearbooks, wall planners/calendars or local guides. Some have told businesses that local schools or charities will benefit from drugs awareness or crime prevention booklets. Traders have been quoted anywhere between £100 and £1,000, depending on the size of the advert. Unfortunately in many cases, nothing is produced at all or if they are, only a few sample copies are printed and sent to the business for approval. However, these are not circulated in sufficient numbers, or in the right area, to be of any practical benefit to the advertisers. Trading Standards Manager Roger Edmunds said: “Although there are genuine companies that offer such publishing services, we would advise any local trader that is contacted ...

Carmarthenshire’s 50+ Forum recruited new members when they visited the National Botanic Garden of Wales at Llanarthne near Carmarthen The Forum joined forces with the Garden to offer cut price entry today to new and existing members of the Forum as part of a range of events to mark Older People’s Day on October 1. Pensioner Bendaf Evans, of Ffostrasol, Llandysul, said: “I went to the stall when we arrived and joined. I want to get involved in the Forum.” His cousin Sheila Jones, of Gorslas, said: “I’ve been a member of the Forum for a year or so and have explained what it’s about.” Friends Esme Thomas, of Brynderi, Pontyates, and Anne Gilroy, of Gertymawr, Carway, also joined this morning. Mrs Gilroy said: “I was just getting around to joining and thought why don’t we have a day out? I think it is well worth joining the Forum.” The 50+ Forum has teamed up with Leisure Services to provide a number of exclusive offers to celebrate Older People’s Day on October 1. Garnant Parc Golf Cours...

Dan Henry is the new Head Chef at ‘The Cricketers’, Cardiff's newest pub at 66 Cathedral Road on the former site of ‘Y Cadno’. Originally from Swansea, Dan has huge experience in working with fresh ingredients to create vibrant and interesting daily menus. Before leaving Cardiff for Swansea’s Tower Restaurant, Dan was head chef at the prestigious Cardiff Bay Hotel and, prior to that, the two AA rosette Elements restaurant, on Harbour Drive. Earlier in his career, Dan spent time in some of London’s top restaurants including the Charlotte Street Hotel, the renowned One Aldwych as well as Gordon Ramsey’s Boxwood Café. Overseeing a small and dedicated team, Dan will be responsible for the menu development and food creation at The Cricketers, an exciting new addition to Cardiff’s quality fresh food scene. Dan says: "The Cricketers is a fantastic location where our customers can enjoy freshly-prepared, quality food in the environment of a traditional city pub, complete with great lo...

It promises to be one of the musical highlights of the year in Llanelli. Cor Baroc Llanelli will be joined by Cor Meibion Llanelli for a ‘Classic Choral’ concert at Tabernacle Chapel on Saturday (October 9). And the marvellous mix provided by the two choirs gets some added zest with the addition of four young soloists to the concert platform. The evening promises to be a tribute to the long heritage of choral singing associated with Tabernacle Chapel (Capel Tabernacl) in Llanelli. “Followers of musical history will appreciate the major role that Capel Tabernacl has played in Llanelli,” said Eifion Thomas, who is musical director of both Cor Baroc and Cor Meibion. “During the 1940s and ’50s, a host of famous singers graced the concert stage in the chapel when taking part in the annual oratorio. “Names such as Kathleen Ferrier, Joan Hammond, Walter Widdop, Walter Glynn, David Franklyn, David Lloyd, John Cameron and a very young Joan Sutherland appeared on the concert programmes during th...

Music is the best medicine as far as Mike Harries is concerned. The veteran Welsh musician celebrated his 78th birthday with a swing at the music and beer festival staged at Cardiff's newest pub, The Cricketers. The Mike Harries Root Doctors are living legends on the Welsh music scene and they were the stars of the show at the free festival at The Cricketers, just a 'six-hit' away from Glamorgan's Swalec stadium in Cathedral Road. “The Cricketers was making its bow as a new venue for the very best in live music,” said owner Simon Buckley. “And having the Mike Harries Root Doctors topping the bill was the icing on the birthday cake for the star of the show. “Mike Harries is an icon on the Welsh music scene and it was great to see him in such great form – and at 78 years young! “We hope he’ll be back at The Cricketers again and that the venue will become a popular one for lovers of good music in Cardiff. We hope to have more seasonal music festivals on special occasions i...

The latest 'Iechyd Da' column written by brewer Simon Buckley in this week's Carmarthen Journal - The annual pilgrimage to the Abergavenny Food Fair is over for another year. If you have never been, then pencil in the middle weekend of September next year, it’s an event that you should not miss. A shop window for Welsh food? Well not quite; there were more stalls from across the Severn and from the hinterland of Wales than from down West. Nevertheless, it is unquestionably one of the finest food fairs in the UK. You could not escape the cosmopolitan crowd looking for new and exciting products, conservative in what they taste, but nevertheless looking for the new trends in what to cook and eat. Beer was not a centrepiece of the show. The simple fact is that what was once the natural accompaniment of our nation with food, has now been relegated to the fridge for special one-offs when it’s too cold or wet to go to the pub. However I sense a change is coming, with supermarkets ...

The latest 'View from Richmond Park' column from the Carmarthen Journal - The experiment of playing a mini-football match at half-time was a great success during the recent derby match between Carmarthen Town and Haverfordwest. Children from Richmond Park and St Mary’s primary schools took part in the evening. They also formed a guard of honour for the two teams when they took the pitch and acted as mascots for Carmarthen and Haverfordwest. The children were also delighted to receive free refreshments in the Alan Latham lounge at the refurbished clubhouse at Richmond Park. They were also given goodie bags full of treats. The evening was made possible by the support of Neil Alexander and his EMC electrical services firm. EMC are proud sponsors of Carmarthen Town’s community programme. Town vice-chairman Robert Lloyd said: “The evening was a great success and we are now looking forward to staging further half-time mini-football matches. It was great to see the crowd in the Clay S...

Older People’s Day happens on Friday and there is a wide range of special offers for people aged over 50. Carmarthenshire 50+ Forum has teamed up with Leisure Services to provide a number of exclusive offers to celebrate Older People’s Day on October 1. The move follows the popularity of last year’s offers. Garnant Parc Golf Course is offering free use of its excellent five-hole par three course throughout October. This offer proved very popular last year. Tel. 01269 823365, www.parcgarnantgolf.co.uk Next Tuesday (September 28) the National Botanic Garden of Wales is offering £4 entry to all 50+ Forum members and those who join on the day. See the autumn colours in all their glory. Theatrau Sir Gar is celebrating the day by offering all over 50's two for the price of one on cinema tickets. For further information please call 0845 226 3510, http://www.carmarthenshiretheatres.co.uk/ There will be free parking at Gelli Aur, Llyn Llech Owain and Pembrey Country Parks on October 1 where...

A total of 32 youngsters gathered at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli to celebrate the completion of their Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award. The evening, facilitated by Carmarthenshire County Council’s Youth Service, was held to congratulate local participants from around the county on their fantastic achievement before their official award ceremony in the presence of the HRH The Duke of Edinburgh early next year. Councillor Gwynne Woolridge, Young People’s Champion and Executive Board Member for Children and Education Services presented each of the successful young individuals with a certificate and praised them on their accomplishment. Cllr Wooldridge said: “With nearly 190,000 university applicants left without confirmed places on A-level results day, and competition for new job opportunities being at an all time high, it is more important than ever before for youngsters to gain as many skills and achievements as possible before heading out into the big wide world.” To gain their Gold...

Carmarthenshire County Council has been shortlisted in the same category as retail giant M&S for a National Business Award. The council is lining up alongside the big-hitter for the Health, Work and Well-being Award. Others shortlisted for the award include the Metropolitan Police and the Northern Bank. Staff are now working on a video presentation to present to an independent judging panel, ahead of the glittering awards ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House in November. Elin Cullen, head of business and specialist services, said: “To be in an award category with such big and well-known organisations is obviously a huge achievement of which we are very proud. “We have decided to produce a small in-house video to illustrate our service to save on the cost of travelling to London, so we hope this also proves that we can be innovative in our thinking.” The award entry was based on the council’s commitment to reinforcing the link between healthy staff and improved performance. The subm...

Beach Break Live organisers are totally committed to making Pembrey Country Park their long term home for the event. The three-day festival in June attracted more than 12,000 students to the park. Managing director of Student Seed Ltd Ian Forshew, who co-ordinates the event, said: “We will continue to work with stakeholders to make the event a success for everyone involved.” Park owners Carmarthenshire County Council have granted BBL a premise license to run the festival on an ongoing basis. It will remain in place unless it is revoked, withdrawn or amended in such a way that a new license needs to be applied for. Following the success of the event at Pembrey Country Park in June county executive board member for leisure services Cllr Clive Scourfield said:” This was an outstandingly well organised event which even won praise from the police. “The event introduced more than 12,000 students from across the UK and many parts of the world to Carmarthenshire in glorious weather who were tr...

The dredged channel inside Burry Port harbour to ease access to the open sea for marina-berthed vessels is holding up well. Problems occurred last winter when onshore winds drove sand laden waves into the harbour resulting in sand banks forming inside. This made it difficult for vessels to get in or out of the harbour on anything other than high tide marks. Hundreds of tonnes of sand were shifted and removed from the harbour over several weeks of dredging to remove the sand bank obstacle. Harbour Master Rory Dickinson said the end of the access channel to the sea outside the harbour had a mind of its own but that was to be expected because it is open foreshore and had always been designed by winds and tides. “The dredged inner channel has behaved extremely well. We will be performing depth dips over the next few weeks within the harbour to check the persistent but varying issue of sedimentation. “This will show us if there has been any changes since the dredging operation in June. “We ...

A 10-year three-tonne weight restriction imposed on the Burry Port Station Road bridge spanning the main railway line could soon be relaxed. Following approaches from Carmarthenshire County Council, engineering colleagues at Network Rail have been checking the strength of the bridge. Since restrictions were imposed in 2,000 new reserves of strength have been found in the bridge which could potentially mean with little work the seven-tonne restriction would be reimposed enabling buses and heavy goods lorries to use it once again. Network Rail say more tests have to be undertaken but they are reasonably confident the original weight limit for heavy goods vehicles can be reinstated. County executive board member for transport services Philip Hughes said: "This news will be welcomed in Burry Port. "Currently many heavy goods vehicles are having to negotiate the busy town to service shops in the main street. "Relaxing the restrictions on the bridge will mean that these vehicl...

National housing developers are showing interest in ambitious plans to deliver a new 1,000-home extension on the outskirts of Carmarthen. A new road is being designed to serve the Carmarthen west development which will also have a new school, small retail, business park and recreational opportunities. This will be delivered by the developers themselves. Carmarthenshire County Council leader Meryl Gravell says the need for the expansion is being driven by their tremendous regeneration successes achieved within the county over the last 10 years. The authority’s planning development brief provides for sustainable development on 129.5 hectares to be delivered over five to 10 years. A landowner’s agreement is being drawn up and a planning application has been submitted for a Carmarthen west link road from Travellers Rest on the A40 to the junctions of College Road, Jobs Well Road and Pentremeurig Road, Johnstown. The main body of more than 300acres of land is to the west of College Road wit...

Housing chiefs in Carmarthenshire are among the best in the UK for their home insulation works. Thousands of tenants are enjoying warmer homes thanks to a huge energy saving project. Carmarthenshire County Council is installing cavity wall and loft insulation in all its houses. It is rolling out the scheme as part of the £200 million Homes Standard programme. The authority has now been highlighted as one of the top performing councils in the UK for the amount of insulation carried out. Figures released by the Energy Saving Trust show the council is in the top three in the UK for providing insulation in its own housing stock, and in private homes in the county. Officers say the figures are proof of their commitment to the energy efficiency drive. In the past two years the insulation programme has exceeded its targets. Some 94 per cent of council homes that are suitable have been provided with cavity wall insulation and 87 per cent with loft insulation. Housing officers say the works are...

Carmarthen Town AFC is delighted to be playing host to two of its principal sponsors on Saturday afternoon. Representatives of Dyfrig Dalziel Ltd and Specsavers Carmarthen will be enjoying the match against Prestatyn Town in the comfort of Town's newly-refurbished hospitality suite. Club chairman Gareth Jones said: “All of us at Carmarthen Town are delighted to welcome key sponsors who do so much to support us here at Richmond Park. “The support of all principal sponsors is highly-valued and without their contributions Carmarthen Town would not be such a success story. “On Saturday, we will be pleased to welcome Dyfrig Dalziel and his son Mathew from Dyfrig Dalziel Ltd, sponsors of the shorts in our kit this year. “We will also be delighted to welcome Kevin McCarthy and Samuel Hodson, store directors at Specsavers in Carmarthen. Specsavers are sleeve sponsors. “We hope they all enjoy their day here at Richmond Park. We would also like to take this opportunity of reminding other bus...

Residents of Ammanford have had the chance to have their blood pressure tested as part of Know Your Numbers Week. Communities First Pantyffynnon and the Carmarthenshire Leisure Services Department were among around 1,400 official ‘pressure stations’ that took part in the nation’s biggest blood pressure testing event last week. The event in Ammanford was to raise awareness of risk factors and health conditions relating to high blood pressure, such as stroke and heart disease. According to the Stoke Association, one in three adults in the UK (16 million) have high blood pressure, which is the biggest known cause of premature death and disability in the UK, and is a risk factor for kidney disease and dementia. Communities First Pantyffynnon development worker Emma Martin-Jewell said: “As a lot of our work is focussed on improving the health and wellbeing of people, it was important that we raised awareness of the effects of high blood pressure. “It proved to be a big hit with locals, with...

Older people in Carmarthenshire have had the chance to tell the Welsh Assembly Government what services they regard as being priorities. Members of the 50+ Forum Steering Group met WAG Minister for Business and Budget Jane Hutt when she visited the county council’s Carmarthenshire Direct contact centre in Llandeilo. The Steering Group spent about 45 minutes discussing with the Minister which services they thought it was essential to protect during public sector cuts. Members then toured Carmarthenshire Direct. 50+ Champion Cllr Kevin Madge said: “This was a good opportunity to ensure that the interests of people are taken into account. “The meeting confirmed the steering group’s status as a credible voice for older people.” Carmarthenshire County Council 50+ Champion Cllr Kevin Madge with WAG Minister for Business and Budget Jane Hutt at Carmarthenshire Direct. Pic Terry Morris

Cor Baroc Llanelli will be joined by Cor Meibion Llanelli for a 'Classic Choral' concert at Tabernacle Chapel on Saturday, October 9, 7pm. The concert will feature works by Gounod, Donizetti and Verdi. Soloists will include Adele O’Neill (soprano), Sarah Pottinger (mezzo-soprano), Richard Allen (tenor) and Trystan Lewis (bass). The organist will be Allan Fewster. Both choirs will be under the baton of Eifion Thomas. The concert will also feature the Glamorgan Chamber Orchestra (leader Mansel Hughes). Tickets are £8 and available from 770751 and 756438.

Carmarthen Town fixtures for October – Welsh Premier League Saturday, October 2 home v Prestatyn Town, 2.30pm. Sunday, October 10, away at Neath FC, 2.30pm Saturday, October 16 home v Bala Town, 2.30pm. Friday, October 22 away at Aberystwyth Town, 7:30pm. Saturday, October 30 away at Airbus UK Broughton, 2:30pm. A reminder that all Welsh Premier clubs are reverting to 2.30pm kick-off times on Saturdays after this season's earlier starts proved unpopular with supporters. “As you may be aware there has been a great deal of criticism from some clubs regarding Saturday kick-off times,” league secretary John Deakin said in a letter to clubs. “Therefore with immediate effect, all Saturday games in the Welsh Premier League, with the exception of that on live TV, will kick off at 2.30pm.”

Aberystwyth University has been shortlisted in the category for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’ by the Times Higher Education Awards 2010. Aberystwyth is one of six universities to be nominated in this category, the others being Bradford, Derby, Northampton, London Queen Mary and Winchester. Over the past five years Aberystwyth University has made a significant commitment to becoming a more sustainable organisation and the way is sources locally produced food. This work was acknowledged at the 2009/10 Wales the True Taste Food and Drink Awards at which the University was awarded Gold for Sustainable Development. Today, up to 90% of the University’s food is sourced from the University’s own farms and other local suppliers, with food miles reduced significantly. Now in their sixth year, the Times Higher Education Awards are a highlight of the academic calendar and a glittering celebration of the best of the sector. This year, more than 500 entries have been receive...

The recent half-time mini-football match staged during the derby game between Carmarthen Town AFC and Haverfordwest AFC was a big success. I am grateful to Phil Grice for the following match report - Richmond Park School 1 St Mary's School 0 This was the first match in the new EMC sponsored half-time mini-football matches for local schools at Carmarthen Town AFC home games. Earlier both school teams had escorted the senior players onto the field and two ”mascots” from the teams had participated with the referees in the centre pitch coin-toss. Many spectators will have enjoyed the mini-football game as much as the senior game! The star of the mini-football was Candice Ford, the only girl on the pitch and the scorer of the only goal. This goal came in the second half with the first half a very even for both sides. St. Mary's goal-keeper Sebastian Sidych pulled off a number of fine saves while Keiron Davies in the Richmond Park goals was equally in form. In the second half, Richmo...

Trinity Mirror is planning to make redundant the four editors running the weekly titles in its Welsh Celtic newspaper series and replace them with a single editor-in-chief. Media Wales – the division which publishes the weeklies – informed staff last week of its intention to restructure the management of its Celtic titles and put their editorial teams under the immediate control of a one editor. http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=46049&c=1

Housing chiefs are celebrating a cash windfall for a new insulation and central heating programme in Llanelli. Carmarthenshire County Council has secured £500,000 for the works in the Glanymor ward of the town. Specialised wall insulation will be carried out at 62 homes which are unsuitable for cavity wall works. New central heating boilers will be installed in 111 privately owned homes in the area. The measures will help tenants save hundreds of pounds on their heating bills. The funding has been granted as part of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Arbed programme, which is aimed at making homes more energy efficient and stamping out fuel poverty. Housing officers say they are delighted with the grant, which will build on a huge energy saving project already being rolled out across the county. Thousands of tenants are enjoying warmer homes thanks to the authority’s cavity wall and loft insulation scheme. It forms part of the £200 million Carmarthenshire Homes Standard, which is improvin...

The latest 'View from Richmond Park' column from the Carmarthen Journal - There’s a new look to Tomi Morgan’s Carmarthen Town AFC Welsh Premier League squad this season. So this column continues to put the spotlight on individual squad members. ANTONIO FACCIUTO (Defender) Date of birth: 27.02.91. Antonio is a former Llanelli youngster. The Wales Schools U16 and Cardiff City Youth Cup player was signed on transfer deadline day. BOBBY BRIERS (Defender) 27.09.88. Briers is a product of Swansea City's Centre of Excellence who joined Haverfordwest in 2006 before moving to Welsh League outfit Bridgend Town in 2010. Summer signing. DARREN GRIFFITHS (Forward) 
15.09.87 Signed from Welsh league Champions Goytre United. Darren can operate up front or in mid-field. Brother of Dale Griffiths. ANDY EVANS (Forward) 01.04.78 A trainee with Cardiff City, where he won a Welsh Under-21 cap. Following spells at Merthyr, Ebbw Vale and Aberystwyth attracted the interest of First Division Barnsl...

Acoustic Zeppelin were one of the hits of the music and beer festival at The Cricketers pub in Cathedral Road, Cardiff. They are currently touring a few South Wales venues - October 2 Cwmaman Institute, Aberdare October 9 Milkwood Jam Swansea October 23 Princess Gwenllian Hall, Kidwelly November 6 The Chattery, Uplands, Swansea November 13 The Cellar Bar, Cardigan November 27 The Markets Tavern, Brecon For more info, see - http://www.myspace.com/acousticzeppelin