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

Llanelli Rotary Club will be holding their annual charity fund-raising Golf Day at The Ashburnham Championship Links Golf Club on Thursday, July 14. The weekly meeting of the club will be at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli, at 1pm on Friday, July 15. The guest speakers will be Huw and Carolyn Thomas, who have spent the past year riding 10,000 miles around the world on a tandem, towing a large green ShelterBox. The Friday luncheon meeting on July 22 will feature a visit from Rotary’s District Governor Mike Parry. The Wednesday evening meeting on July 27 will feature a Job Talk by the club’s newest Rotarian, Alison Evans. Anyone interested in finding out more about Llanelli Rotary Club and how you might be able to become a Rotarian can contact Robert Lloyd on 07777 683637.

Llanelli Rotary Club staged a ‘Celebrity Ladies Sleepover’ in one of the world-famous Shelterbox tents – and raised £2,040 for Cancer Research Wales. The tents are designed for use in ‘disaster zones’ and have been airlifted into Japan and Haiti in recent years. “We have a tent which we use for demonstration purposes to show the people of Llanelli how Rotary is able to help in emergency situations in disaster zones,” said Melanie Carroll-Cliffe, the immediate past-president of Llanelli Rotary Club. “As one of the last fund-raisers for my year of office as president of Llanelli Rotary Club, we staged a ‘Celebrity Ladies Sleepover’ at Parc Elin Mair in Five Roads, Llanelli. “The club picked some special ‘victims’, sorry ‘volunteers’, to spend a night in the Shelterbox tent. “Fellow campers were Rotarians Sue Roberts and Alison Evans, Llanelli MP Nia Griffith, Eleanor Marks, Director of the Communities Division with the Welsh Government, Stradey Park Hotel owner Angela Saunders and our Ro...

Lleisiau Hardd will be performing this Saturday at Theatr Elli, Llanelli. Tickets are priced £7 each and it will be a fabulous evening with music for everyone. The choir was fromed in 2005 and is made up of choristers from 6-11 in Cor Bach to 30 something in the senior choir. This makes the choir unique in Wales. The choir will be singing everything from Hafan Gobaith to One day More and Chasing Cars to Sister Act.

Llanelli Rotarian Mark Evans completed the Carten 100 charity cycle ride from Cardiff to Tenby, raising £2,000 for charity. Mark, in the orange jacket, is pictured with fellow members of Llanelli Rotary Club and supporters just after completing the leg to Loughor Bridge. In the yellow jacket is the president of the Rotary Club of Gower and Llwchwr, Ian Hughes. Since the inception of the Carten 100, a staggering £49,000-plus has been raised for charity. The name Carten reflects the names Cardiff and Tenby and the 100-mile distance of the ride.

I am quoted by the BBC in the story about the launch of a new paper in Pembroke Dock - http://ning.it/oJ5S0T

The six candidates who will battle it out to win a full-time paid construction apprenticeship with a Carmarthenshire building firm will be unveiled on Monday (July 11). The lucky ones chosen to take part in the Next Steps 2011 competition will have their first chance to show their skills at a construction event being held at Trimsaran’s Ffos Las racecourse. They are all in the running to win the two-year apprenticeship being offered by Lloyd and Gravell Ltd, supported by Carmarthenshire County Council’s Property Services department, Coleg Sir Gar and Carmarthenshire Construction and Training Association Ltd (CCTAL). The lucky six are:- • Robert Goodman, aged 16, from Cynnwyl Elfed, Carmarthen • Jamie Owens, aged 20, from Trimsaran • Nathan Jenkins, aged 18, from Llanelli • Darren Thomas, aged 16, from Trimsaran • Gareth John, aged 24, from Caebryn, Ammanford • Eric Meighan, aged 31, from Ammanford They were chosen from 10 selected to take part in a two-week college course which gave th...

A door-knocking exercise carried out in an area of Carmarthen has led to an 11% increase in the number of people recycling. Council recycling officers took to the streets to help and advise residents on recycling their rubbish. The aim was to find out how much people were recycling and what their views were on the council’s kerbside schemes as well as give advice on how they can recycle more of their household waste. The Environment Scrutiny Committee was told that the two-stage approach included a set out survey in the first instance, followed by a doorknocking exercise to target residents that were not fully participating in the scheme. The survey was carried out at a total of 1,326 properties and, of these, 452 households were selected for face-to-face visits. Housing officers and customer service staff as well as local councillors also went along to help understand the common barriers to recycling. As well as giving advice, officers also distributed additional blue bags and green f...

Bryngwyn Comprehensive School has won a £3,000 prize for its work to go green. The Llanelli school took third place in the council’s first ever Eco Challenge Award scheme. The aim of the challenge was to find out who was the cleverest when it came to energy conservation, reducing waste and environmental best practice. It was open to all secondary schools in the county. The panel of judges were particularly impressed with the way in which the school was recycling its waste and reducing litter by minimising packaging. The school has also installed energy saving devices; undertaken safe routes to schools initiatives and is creating an outdoor classroom for learning. As well as the prize money, the school has also received litter recycling bins so that pupils can recycle in the school yard as well as inside the classroom to further reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Carmarthenshire County Council’s Executive Board Member for Education Cllr Gwynne Wooldridge and local member Cl...

The Institute of Welsh Affairs and Western Mail have joined forces to launch a new national awards scheme – Business Awards for Wales. The awards scheme is designed to recognise and honour the achievements of Welsh Businesses in all their variety. Categories cover all aspects of Business Activity and entries are sought from all business sectors right across Wales. Our nine categories are: • Company of the Year • New Startup Company of the Year – sponsored by Gocompare.com • Go Green Environmental Awards – sponsorship available • Creative Marketing Award – sponsored by Orchard • The Excellence in eCommerce Award – sponsorship available • Training & Development Staff Award – sponsored by University of Glamorgan Commercial Services • Young Achiever – sponsored by Hopkins Law • Company of the Year >£10m – sponsored by Cardiff Business School • Entrepreneur of the Year – sponsored by Cardiff Business School The exclusiv...

The Coracle project at the University of Wales Trinity St David is holding a number of short courses for any creative practitioner who considers themselves professional or who has an aspiration to be commercially viable. All courses are free, but places are strictly limited and registration is essential. These short courses are coordinated by Coracle. Coracle is part funded by the European Regional development Fund through the Interreg IVa programme in association with the South West Wales Vocational Support Initiative (part funded by the Higher education Funding Council for Wales and JISC) www.coracle.eu.com To register interest please contact Coracle by e-mail courses@coracle.eu.com or telephone 01267 676785 / 07875 576347 Short courses include: - • Video Camera Workshop half day course (Brett Aggersberg) - Monday 25 July • Final cut Editing 2 day course (Brett Aggersberg) - Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27July • Introduction to Digital Enhanced Photographs (Carol...

The Itchy Fingers Textiles group will stage its Autumn exhibition in Swansea Museum. It will open on October 5 and run for about four weeks. Last year, the group exhibition was held at Swansea Library. This year’s show will include exhibits in mixed media, dyed and stitched textiles and printed fabrics - in both 2D and 3D.

Arrangements for a new festival in mid Wales are well underway. During October and November 2011, FfotoAber will be celebrating the art of photography through a series of exhibitions and events in Aberystwyth. FfotoAber is the first festival of its kind for Aberystwyth, if not Wales, and is arranged by residents of the town for residents of the town, the local area and visitors from all parts of Wales. Catrin M S Davies, one of the festival coordinators explains: “During the past few months, a group of local business people, photographers and volunteers have been meeting on a regular basis to arrange an event which celebrates photography here in Aberystwyth. All members of the local community are invited to participate in the range of events and exhibitions currently being organised. “This annual festival will start during October half term and conclude with the Lens festival at the National Library of Wales on the 18-19 November. We hope that it will provide a focus for the town du...

Off to a meeting at the Ashburnham (hotel not golf club) with festival organisers from s’Hertogenbosch. Cor Meibion Llanelli's visit in October is on the agenda.

Forest fires, floods, windstorms and getting hit by a truck – just a few of the hazards faced by two tandem riders pedalling across South Wales this month as part of a truly epic cycle challenge. Huw and Carolyn Thomas have spent the past year riding 10,000 miles on a tandem, towing a large green box on a trailer behind them. The green box is a ShelterBox – more normally used for delivering emergency aid to families who have lost their homes in disasters all over the world. Averaging 50 miles a day in the saddle, the two riders have already crossed North America, New Zealand and parts of Australia and Europe to promote ShelterBox, a charity based in Cornwall. Now on the final leg of their mammoth journey, the couple are due to arrive in Fishguard on Wednesday 13th July. From there, they continue via Haverfordwest, Saundersfoot, Llanelli, Gower and Cardiff – giving a number of talks to Rotary Clubs along the way. They will be in Llanelli on Friday July 15. Carolyn, 43, said: “We have ha...

For the first time, Welsh Rugby Union Tickets are going to be available from your local Tesco store - and they will be Buy One Get One Free! From this weekend, tickets will be available from the Customer Services Desk at Tesco Stores across South Wales for the following matches, to be played at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff - Wales v England - Saturday 13th August KO 2.30pm Tickets £30. Wales v Argentina - Saturday 20th August KO 2.30pm Tickets £25.

Residents in Llanybydder are being urged to have a good clear out and recycle any rubbish they have lying around the home. A waste amnesty is being held on Saturday, July 16 in the main car park between 8am and 10.30am. Householders can take advantage of this one-off chance to dispose of any large items of rubbish for free. Most household waste can be taken along including bulky waste items such as furniture and electrical goods. However, asbestos, tyres, paint, garden chemicals, batteries, gas bottles, construction waste and trade waste will not be accepted. The amnesty has been organised by Carmarthenshire County Council and the aim is to encourage residents to dispose of waste that may otherwise be fly-tipped as well as encourage them to recycle and/or reuse as much of their rubbish as possible. Executive member for the environment Councillor Philip Hughes said: “I hope residents take advantage of this opportunity to get rid of any rubbish they may have. Bulky waste such as furnitur...

A rural Carmarthenshire family business that aims to change lives has expanded the services it offers thanks to a grant from the Rural Conversion Grant Fund. Peter, Hazel, Stephen and Samantha Saville, owners of the Golden Hill Centre, are celebrating a £77,093 grant to convert three redundant buildings into a therapy room, two small offices, a multi purpose IT training room, art studio and gallery and an innovations workshop. The Golden Hill Project will create three new full-time positions, a part-time position and safeguard a part-time position. The enterprise, which was established in 2001 under the banner of Life Change Therapy, officially opened its new business premises at Panteg, Whitemill, near Carmarthen, on Friday July 1. Carmarthenshire County Council is behind the Rural Conversion Grant Fund which is aimed at creating jobs and regenerating rural parts of the area. The authority has received funding to deliver the project through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-20...

Tidy Towns has received funding of £93,000 towards environmental projects across Carmarthenshire. The council’s Tidy Towns team secured the cash from the Welsh Government’s Local Authority Projects funding 2011-12. The Welsh Government approved nine out of the 10 local environmental quality improvement projects that were applied for, a result that compares favourably with other local authorities in Wales. They range from large scale rubbish clearing to an invasive weeds control and removal project to tackle the problem of Japanese Knotweed to environmental school roadshows. The projects will be delivered between now and the end of March 2012. Tidy Towns project officer Simon Troake worked in partnership with officers from the council’s physical regeneration, housing and street scene departments to develop the applications for submission to Welsh Government. He said: “I am delighted that Tidy Towns has been awarded this funding so that we can continue to support Carmarthenshire by helpi...

A Task and Finish Group has been set up to carry out a review of Carmarthenshire’s Household Waste Recycling Centres. The review is being carried out on behalf of the council’s Environment Scrutiny Committee with the aim of increasing the county’s recycling rate. There are five HWRCs – formerly known as civic amenity sites – in Carmarthenshire for the public to recycle any rubbish that is not collected at the kerbside as well as dispose of other household waste. Four of the sites at Trostre (Llanelli), Wernddu (Ammanford), Nantycaws (Carmarthen) and Whitland are operated on behalf of the council by CWM Environmental Ltd and the fifth site at Llangadog is operated by AWS Ltd. One of the main aims of the review is to look at the recycling rates being achieved at the sites and how they could be further improved. The group, which is being chaired by Cllr Jim Jones, will look at the resources and provision at each of the sites and compare the recycling rates with other sites as well as best...

Thank you very much, folks. Thanks to you, dear readers and visitors, this blog is continuing to pick up more hits. It's now hit the 38,000 page views mark. That's 1,000 more views since June 28. Keep the hits coming, folks! Much appreciated. Many thanks. See earlier post - http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/37000-visits-chalked-up.html Meanwhile, the blog has chalked up its first visitor from Reunion. The full country by country list (figures from January 6, 2010) is as follows - United Kingdom (GB) 10,703; United States (US) 1,330; India (IN) 101; Canada (CA) 76; Germany (DE) 68; Australia (AU) 67; Ireland (IE) 54; Europe (EU) 53; France (FR) 49; Taiwan (TW) 45; Japan (JP) 41; Belgium (BE) 35; Netherlands (NL) 29; Italy (IT) 29; Qatar (QA) 29; Spain (ES) 25; New Zealand (NZ) 23; Philippines (PH) 21; Pakistan (PK) 21; United Arab Emirates (AE) 19; Malaysia (MY) 19; Russian Federation (RU) 17; Poland (PL) 14; Singapore (SG) 14; Sweden (SE) 13; Brazil (BR) 12; South Africa (...

The latest Iechyd Da beer column written by Llandeilo brewer Simon Buckley in the Carmarthen Journal - How consumer tastes have changed! Some 20 years ago, at the first hint of warm weather, the consumer would move from traditional cask ale to cold drinks such as cider and lager. Each year we would see a mass exodus from ale to the lighter and colder drinks. In 1996, I launched the first Welsh summer ale. Called Cwrw Haf, the beer was a golden beer brewed using little or no coloured malt, with a fresh and citrus blend of continental hops, that gave a thirst-quenching beer that moved some way towards the trend for colder, lighter beers. We advocated that the beer should be served cooler than normal cask ale. Overnight Cwrw Haf became a phenomenon and the trend for new lighter summer beers was established. We now brew six through the summer, each one reflecting a careful shift in flavour and colour. From straw-coloured beers to richer golden beers. The combination of a hint of sweetness ...

The latest 'View from Richmond Park' column from the Carmarthen Journal newspaper - There was a bumper crowd at the annual Fete and Football tournament staged by Carmarthen Town AFC at Richmond Park on Saturday. The Mayor of Carmarthen, Councillor Tom Defis, officially opened the tournament and was on hand to present the trophies at the end of the event. Dewi Sant A won the Boys Years 5 and 6 category. Maesllyn won the Boys Years 3 and 4 competition. The Y Castell 2 team won the girls tournament. The event was sponsored by the St Catherine’s Walk shopping centre. Carmarthen Town AFC chairman Gareth Jones said he was delighted with the success of the event. “It was great to see so many youngsters enjoying their football at Richmond Park. We hope many will visit us again. Many thanks go to everyone who helped organise and contributed to a splendid day.” ------------------------------------- Dates for your diary: The Reserves resume training at Trinity Fields at 6.30pm on July 13....

Carmarthen Town AFC Welsh Premier League signings latest - story in the sports pages of the South Wales Evening Post tonight. Carmarthen Journal's back page puts the spotlight on Tomi Morgan's latest recruits for the next Welsh Premier League campaign. Nice pic of Andrew Thomas, Carmarthen Town AFC's Clubman of the Year, in the Carmarthen Journal today. The 'View from Richmond Park' Carmarthen Town AFC football club column is in the Carmarthen Journal today. Lovely pic in the Carmarthen Journal of the Carmarthen Warriors rugby sevens team - now being backed by Clay Shaw Butler of Carmarthen. Brewer Simon Buckley has his Iechyd Da beer column in the Carmarthen Journal today. Nice piece about Scarlets hero Dafydd Jones and his weekend testimonial dinner in the Carmarthen Journal today. Story on bike ride idea for the annual Carmarthen Mayor's races in the Carmarthen Journal today. Spotlight on Towy Quilters and their regular meetings at Carmarthen Town AFC footbal...

More than 6,000km of grass verges throughout Carmarthenshire are getting their annual cut. Carmarthenshire County Council has a statutory duty to maintain the highway in a safe condition for motorists and pedestrians. The council generally carries out one cut a year, however, a second cut may be carried out in some areas in early September, depending on weather and growing conditions throughout the season. Head of Street Scene David Hughes said: “The maintenance of road verges is an important service provided by the council. In the interests of safety, vegetation on verges is kept trimmed to avoid obscuring of signs and visibility splays. “It is unavoidable, however, that on some stretches of minor roads, the growth of verge vegetation will occasionally reduce visibility, and so we would advise motorists to drive carefully.” The importance of the road verge network for nature conservation must also be considered and is reflected in the council’s verge maintenance policy. The county’s r...

Essential maintenance works are underway on roads across Carmarthenshire. The equivalent length of about 54 miles of a standard single carriageway will be treated – the distance from Carmarthen to Bridgend! The resurfacing works are carried out annually by the county council to help prevent potholes and make the roads safer and better to use. It involves applying a coating of hot bitumen onto the road surface followed by layers of hard stone chippings. A mechanical sweeper then removes the excess chippings after a day or so. Some 8,000 tonnes of aggregate and 233,000 gallons of bitumen emulsion will be used covering an area of 663,000 square metres. Head of Street Scene David Hughes said although it caused some inconvenience for drivers, it was an essential maintenance operation. “This work prevents water seeping into the road foundation and weakening it, thus reducing the chances of potholes developing, and prolongs the life expectancy of the road,” he said. “It is the most cost effec...

Welsh farmers in 2011 face just as many pressures as their fore-fathers did pre - World War Two. This is the conclusion of a new book - ‘Farming in Wales 1936–2011’ launched to celebrate the Farm Business Survey’s 75th anniversary. Farmers in the 1930s faced hard times but were self-contained and self-sufficient, whilst today pressures imposed by the demands of environmental management, public indifference and how domestic food production and local sourcing has come full circle following decades of reliance on imports, are among the challenges facing the industry. The Farm Business Survey has been conducted by Aberystwyth University since 1936 and is widely recognised as the most authoritative survey of the financial position and performance of farm incomes. The Farm Business Survey team is now part of IBERS - the Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences. Written by former Aberystwyth University Professor and renowned local historian Richard Moore- Colyer, ‘Farming in W...

Sad news about Llanelli musical legend Gethin Hughes - http://ning.it/m3EpMO Tributes have been paid to Llanelli's popular 'music man', who died while on a Norwegian cruise. Here is the full text of what I told the Evening Post - Robert Lloyd, former editor of the Llanelli Star and the Carmarthen Journal, said: "It was a privilege and a pleasure to know Gethin Hughes. "I had the honour of writing the foreword to his book, which was based on the Solo Note column he regularly contributed to the Llanelli Star. "The title of the book was 'Always be natural'. It was a title given to him by the late great entertainer Roy Castle, who told Gethin - 'Never be sharp, Never be flat, Always be natural'. "Gethin's stories were always liberally sprinked with stardust. The list of stars and celebrities he met and accompanied was endless. He was lucky enough to call many of them his friends. "From Sir Malcolm Sargent to Gracie Fields, from Betty...

From the delights of Aberglasney House and Gardens, it's off to the coast and a pow-wow at The Ashburnham Golf Club.

An activity-packed day has been organised at the newly developed Pen y Morfa site in New Dock, Llanelli. Glanymor and Tyisha Environment and Regeneration Action Group (ERAG) in collaboration with Glanymor and Tyisha Communities First held an event for local residents at the newly developed Pen y Morfa Park in Llanelli. As it has now been a year since the site was developed from a wasteland into a family recreational area, the event was designed for residents of the area to gain tips and advice on how to sustain greener living and how to maintain and upkeep the park for future use. Nearly 200 people attended the event at Pen y Morfa Park. There were speeches from Llanelli Town Mayor Linda Steadman, Deputy Mayor Hubert Hitchman, Charles Watson, chairperson of the Environment and Regeneration Action Group; Amy Wakefield, Senior Co-ordinator from Communities First Glanymor and Tyisha; and Faye Davies, Link officer from Communities First Glanymor and Tyisha. The day-long event had activitie...

Ammanford's Big Day Out explodes into life on Saturday July 9 with its immensely popular Mardis-Gras Carnival. The streets will be running with riotous colour when the mass parade takes to the streets wending its way to the Recreation Ground through anticipated crowds of 3-4,000 people. This year the festivities have the theme “Birds” so expect some flights of fancy on the parade. The Carnival Queen is Rebecca Jones from the Cwmamman Road area of Garnant and her Attendant is Lucy Tootle from the Walters Road area of Ammanford. This successful event, sponsored by for the third year running by Taylor Wimpey, has been given a new lease of life after the county council successfully secured a grant from the Western Valleys programme. The Valleys – Heart and Soul of Wales is a three-year campaign led by partnership organisations from the Western Valleys, Heads of the Valleys and The Valleys Partnership. The aim is to change perceptions of The Valleys, attract more tourists and bring long...

Off to the Stradey Park Hotel for the first business meeting of the day - then on to lovely Aberglasney.

Carmarthenshire's 50+ Champion has visited Llandovery Friendship Club to persuade its members to join the county’s 50+ Forum. Cllr Kevin Madge spoke at the club’s meeting in Vicar Prichard Hall about the role of the 50+ Forum in promoting the interests of older people in Carmarthenshire. Friendship Club chair Mary Jackson said: “Cllr Madge gave an interesting history of his role as a county councillor and as a member of Cwmamman Town Council. He told us about the 50+ Forum and asked if any of our members would be interested in joining. I think the majority were.” Cllr Madge said: “I am visiting clubs across Carmarthenshire on a membership drive to ensure that as many people as possible benefit from free membership of the 50+ Forum. “I’m delighted that most of the members of the Friendship Club decided to sign up to join.” Llandovery Friendship Club, which doesn’t have an age limit, meets on the last Wednesday of the month. Anyone interested in joining should contact Mrs Mary Jackso...

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall officially reopened the Llandovery Railway Station building. The Royal Couple unveiled a plaque commemorating the reopening of the Station Waiting Room and spent an hour looking around the newly refurbished facility and meeting guests. Carmarthenshire County Council’s regeneration department has been responsible for attracting more than £40,000 funding for the project to renovate and reopen the building which has been out of use for almost 20 years. This project received funding from the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development under two Axis 3 initiatives, a Developing Identity and Distinctiveness Project grant of £16,500 and an Access to Services grant of £25,000. Llandovery station building was erected in 1858 and the sale of the last ticket took place in its ticket hall in 1992 when it became an unmanned halt. The station buildings clos...

Older people in Carmarthenshire have been encouraged to surf the Net at a special event organised by Carmarthenshire 50+ this week. The Computers, the Internet and You event in Carmarthen Community Education Centre was a chance to encourage people to get online and to encourage those already online to make better use of the Internet. Those attending had a chance to see demonstrations on looking local, how to use Facebook or Skype and how to use Internet banking. 50+ Steering Group members went round conducting 1 minute interviews on ‘how can we get as many older people as possible on-line in Carmarthenshire?’ There were stalls to browse including CAVS media project, looking local/communities 2.0, community education and Age Concern. Mary Evans of Johnstown said she had found the event very informative. “I have a visual impairment and have come for one-to-one advice. When I worked I had that support from my employer but I’m retired now.” Carmarthenshire County Council deputy leader and ...

A Llandeilo man has been fined a total of £800 for fly-tipping. Nicky Benjamin John Lewis, aged 20, of Greenfield Place, Llandeilo, pleaded guilty to an offence under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Ammanford Magistrates Court. The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council. The court heard that the council’s environmental enforcement officers received a complaint of waste which had been dumped in a lane just off the main A40 Llandeilo to Llandovery road, approximately two miles from Llandeilo. It included general household waste, toys and clothes. The complainant had also recovered evidence from the scene which identified the waste coming from a house in Llandeilo. The investigation identified the offender to be Lewis. He was interviewed by the officers who were told that he had been paid to remove the waste from a property in Llandeilo, but his vehicle had broken down and that it hade been easier to push the vehicle without it being loaded. However, it became ...

An exhibition marking the centenary of the birth of the realist painter Josef Herman, is now showing at the School of Art Galleries, Aberystwyth University. Josef Herman O.B.E., R.A. was born in Poland to a Jewish family, but as an artist he will always be associated with Wales and with Ystradgynlais in particular. He fled from Nazi persecution in Warsaw, and following a period in Brussels, London and Glasgow, he first visited Ystradgynlais in 1944. Herman’s holiday in Wales turned into a 10-year stay, as he decided to make his home in Ystradgynlais, and the local mining community became a source of inspiration for the work that he created throughout the mid 1940s to mid 1950s. At the end of his life, he wrote that “... only Ystradgynlais changed my life and my work...When I left I took it with me”. ‘Joe Bach’, as he was affectionately known, died in February 2000. “The School of Art is proud to show this collection of works to mark the centenary of Josef Herman’s birth,“ said Dr Simon...

Following the Carmarthen Town AFC trip to the Wales v England match last season, Town are planning to run further trips to the remaining Welsh Euro 2012 qualification matches. Details are as follows: Friday 2nd September – Wales v Montenegro (Cardiff) Bus leaves at 4pm and returns straight after the game. Friday 7th October – Wales v Switzerland (Swansea) Bus leaves at 5pm and returns straight after the game. Through our EMC Services sponsored Community Programme, for each trip we are able to offer subsidised coach travel for our supporters. This offer is limited to the first 45 supporters for each game who book tickets through the club. Coach seats are available at £5 each and this offer is conditional on you purchasing your match tickets through the club. Ticket prices have yet to be released by the FAW, but to reserve your place please contact either Paul Ashley-Jones on paul.ashley-jones@pembrokeshire.gov.uk or by contacting Bwletin Y Dre - bwletin@googlemail.com. In order to confi...

Aberystwyth alumnus Jasper Kenter has recently won two prestigious European awards for his research in the Solomon Islands, a remote island chain in the South Pacific Ocean. The prizes include the first ‘European spotlight on student research award’ by the Society for Conservation Biology, and a prize from the European Society for Ecological Economics for best student paper. Jasper’s paper on valuing Solomon Islands rainforests was also recently published in the scientific journal Global Environmental Change, one of the top journals in environmental studies. Jasper graduated from Aberystwyth in 2010 with a first class degree in countryside conservation. Since then he has started a PhD in ecological economics and environmental sustainability at the University of Aberdeen. His ongoing research looks at why nature is important to people, and the economic benefits that nature brings, such as clean water, healthy soil, food and building materials. With support of his lecturers at the Instit...

Carmarthen Town AFC Fete and Football Festival 2011 There was a bumper crowd at the annual Fete and Football tournament staged by Carmarthen Town AFC at Richmond Park on Saturday. The Mayor of Carmarthen, Councillor Tom Defis, officially opened the tournament and was on hand to present the trophies at the end of the event. Dewi Sant A won the Boys Years 5 and 6 category. Maesllyn won the Boys Years 3 and 4 competition. The Y Castell 2 team won the girls tournament. The event was sponsored by the St Catherine’s Walk shopping centre. Carmarthen Town AFC chairman Gareth Jones said he was delighted with the success of the event. “It was great to see so many youngsters enjoying their football at Richmond Park. We hope many will visit us again. Many thanks go to everyone who helped organise and contributed to a splendid day.”

Cor Meibion Llanelli will be accompanied by their very own ‘Adele’ when they stage their ‘Annual Concert’ at the Selwyn Samuel Centre on Saturday, July 16. She may not be quite as famous as the chart-topping English singer-songwriter, but soprano Adele O’Neill is a star attraction in her own right for South Wales concert-goers. Adele O’Neill is a celebrated soprano whose passion for singing was founded and inspired as a child by her grandmother’s old records of the opera greats and the beauty and emotion of such voices. A native of Pontarddulais, Adele’s singing talent was first spotted in her early years as she enjoyed various singing roles with regional societies before her singing career swept her to London, where she studied and graduated from the acclaimed Guildhall School of Music and Drama London under the tutelage of Professor Laura Sarti, the internationally celebrated Italian mezzo-soprano. Adele’s exciting singing career has see her perform with a wealth of choruses, orchest...

Amazed to discover I now have more than 1000 friends on Facebook. Didn't think I was that popular!

Welsh Premier League side Carmarthen Town have returned to pre-season training during the last week. New signing Jack Christopher has already settled in to the hard work of getting fit for the next season, which starts with a home game versus Newtown on the 13th of August. Several of last season’s squad have also committed themselves to the Old Gold. Geraint Passmore, Nick Harrhy, Steffan Williams, Lee Bevan and Kieran Howard put pen to paper last week and join Christopher and other new signing Kyle Graves in Tomi Morgan’s squad. Morgan was quietly confident that he would add some more fresh blood to the squad during the week and was in discussions with other members of last season’s squad. Morgan stated:“I hope to finalise my squad during the coming weeks but will be looking carefully at the performances during the friendly matches and during training session. I have already been impressed with youth team player, Declan Carroll, and hopefully will be able to see others from Peter Fear...

Latest 'View from Richmond Park' column from the Carmarthen Journal - Members of Carmarthen Town AFC saw a new face elected to the club’s Executive Committee at the Annual General Meeting held at the Clubhouse and Community Centre. Carmarthen solicitor Edward Friend was elected to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of former club treasurer Nigel Williams. Club chairman Gareth Jones paid tribute to the work of Mr Williams, who had contributed hugely to the success of the club over many years. Mr Friend, 26, is a solicitor at the Carmarthen firm of Ungoed-Thomas & King Solicitors, Carmarthen, dealing with property and contentious work. He is a member of the Carmarthenshire Community Broadband Committee (CCBP) trying to get broadband into rural areas of Carmarthenshire. ------------------------------------- Dates for your diary: Town’s first friendly of the season will be against one of manager Tomi Morgan’s old clubs, Tregaron Turfs on Saturday, July 16. Carmarthen Town...

Busy weekend helping out at the Carmarthen Town AFC Fete and Football Festival. Did eight hours on the public address system doing commentary yesterday. My voice has gone!