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

Carmarthenshire County Council has been recognised at a top award ceremony which celebrates good practice in the social care sector. Two of its projects were announced as finalists for the Social Care Accolades 2011, held in Cardiff recently. The council's work in recruiting and supporting newly qualified social workers in Adults and Children's Services was recognised in the 'Effective Recruitment and Retention' category. A joint initiative with Barnardo's Cymru to provide more support for children and families affected by drug and alcohol misuse was also recognised in the 'Supporting Effective Intervention with Children and their Families' category. The project employs a full-time social worker to work with families to provide direct, timely support and rapid access to specialist services. Bruce McLernon, Director of Social Care, Health and Housing, said: “It was a huge achievement to have two finalists in the strongest categories of the awards, and althoug...

A new Integrated Children’s Centre has been launched in Felinfoel, Llanelli. The modern centre, which provides range of family services to the local community, was developed alongside the newly constructed Ysgol Maes Y Felin – part of Carmarthenshire County Council’s £240million Modernising Education Provision programme. It provides key links and support for children and parents from early years. It also offers childcare provision, provided by Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin; family centre provision run by Plant Dewi; and Family Support services offered by Flying Start. Cllr Gwynne Wooldridge, Executive Board Member for Children’s Services, said: “This new integrated children’s centre will become a central point for families in the Felinfoel area, providing a range of support services which will help families to function together and engage with others.” For further information contact 01554 775390. Carmarthenshire County Council Leader Cllr Meryl Gravell; Executive Board Member for Children’...

Busy morning - farewell to Rotary world tour cyclists this am then down to Carmarthen. Lunch @Cwmcerrig. Back to Llanelli to get work done.

Splendid lunch with Llanelli Rotary Club at Stradey Park Hotel. Guest speakers: two round-the-world ShelterBox cyclists. Inspiring stuff! You can find out more - http://tandem10.wordpress.com/

A woman has been fined for failing to clean up after her dog at Llanelli’s Millennium Coastal Park. The council’s environmental enforcement officers issued the fixed penalty notice for £75 in the Festival Fields area. Failure to pay could lead to prosecution in the magistrates court and a maximum fine of £1,000. The council hopes this fine will act as a warning to others that anyone caught failing to clean up after their dog will be prosecuted. Executive board member for the environment Councillor Philip Hughes said: “Dog mess left anywhere is a serious health risk, the Festival Fields are used by families with young children and this type of anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated. “The majority of residents take their responsibilities seriously but there is still a small minority who do not listen. “The council is determined to stop the problem of dog fouling in Carmarthenshire and improve the environment for both residents and visitors.” Owners are being encouraged to always kee...

A man has been fined for failing to clean up after his dog at Burry Port harbour. The council’s environmental enforcement officers issued the man with a fixed penalty notice for £75. Failure to pay could lead to prosecution in the magistrates court and a maximum fine of £1,000. The council hopes this fine will act as a warning to others that anyone caught failing to clean up after their pet will be prosecuted. Executive board member for the environment Councillor Philip Hughes said: “Dog mess left anywhere is a serious health risk, the harbour area is used by families with young children for recreation and leisure and this type of anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated. “The majority of residents take their responsibilities seriously but there is still a small minority who do not listen. “The council is determined to stop the problem of dog fouling in Carmarthenshire and improve the environment for both residents and visitors.” Owners are being encouraged to always keep a supply o...

Residents in Pencader 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 23 in the primary school 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 f...

Day behind with my news log - Splendid picture story in the Llanelli Star about the Jenkins Bakery continuing their shirt sponsorship of the Llanelli Reds football team. Spotlight on the latest news from The Ashburnham Championship Links Golf Club in the Llanelli Star today. Cor Meibion Llanelli's silent tribute to Llanelli musical legend Gethin Hughes is reported in the Llanelli Star today. Nice feature in the Llanelli Star on Cor Meibion Llanelli's 'Annual Concert' at the Selwyn Samuel Centre on Saturday. Nice tribute in the Llanelli Star to Cor Meibion Llanelli member Anthony 'Biffo' Richards, who died last week. Carmarthen Town AFC featured as the back page sport lead in the Carmarthen Journal today. 'View from Richmond Park' Carmarthen Town AFC column is in the Carmarthen Journal today. Excellent picture spread on the Carmarthen Town AFC fete and football festival in the Carmarthen Journal newspaper today.

Scientists at Aberystwyth University are developing a system to identify miniscule traces of faecal contamination on chicken carcases in abattoirs that can cause deadly food poisoning outbreaks. Although invisible to the human eye, the smallest trace of contamination can harbour millions of potentially pathogenic micro-organisms and enter the human food chain. The Improved Food Safety initiative - a Collaborative Industrial Research Project undertaken by the University’s Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) - aims to develop a natural additive to poultry feed that will result in ultra-violet fluorescence of faeces. The additive, a water soluble chlorophyll based marker approved by the Food Standards Agency, would be fed to poultry during the last few days of finishing. When screened in abattoirs using fluorescence imaging, the markers would show up and identify any contamination. The research project is supported with funding from the Welsh Government’s Aca...

Splendid evening last night at the Parliamentary Beer Group annual awards dinner in Westminster. Heading home now with, ssshhh, a bit of a headache!

Heading off to London. 'Posh-nosh' function in Westminster this evening.

Anyone who ever wanted to be a stone age hunter or to find out how prehistoric people made survival tools should head for Carmarthenshire County Museum. An archaeology day is taking place at the museum in Abergwili on Saturday, July 16, from 11am to 4.30pm. Karl Lee of Primitive Technology UK will give visitors a flint-knapping demonstration in the morning, followed by afternoon workshops. Workshop places are open to all but places are limited, so advance booking is recommended. Whatever items people make, they can take home. A range of other activities will also be provided, including the popular mini-dig for children and stone carving. For adults, there are talks by Dr. Matthew Stevens and Dr Rhianydd Biebrach from Swansea University’s History Department on town culture in 14th Century Wales and effigies in medieval churches. All the events are free, children must be accompanied at all times, and old clothes and sensible shoes are recommended for those who want to take part in the di...

Two men have each been fined £75 for leaving cardboard boxes on the ground at the bring site in Cross Hands. The council’s environmental enforcement officers were on duty at Cross Hands Co-op when they saw the men unloading boxes from the rear of a car They watched them deposit a number of bottles into the recycling banks, but then they threw some of the boxes amongst the bins and left a pile of boxes near to where they had unloaded them from the car. There is a sign at the bring site which clearly advises people not to leave any items on the ground. The officers approached the men, explained what they had seen and issued them with fixed penalty notices. Failure to pay could lead to prosecution in the magistrates court and a maximum penalty of up to £2,500. The council hopes these latest fines will act as a warning to others that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated. Two women were fined in separate incidents for similar offences at the Cross Hands site back in February. People...

The BBC’s award winning Business Editor Robert Peston was presented as Fellow of Aberystwyth University today. Widely acclaimed for his work during the Northern Rock banking crisis, Robert Peston has won numerous awards for his journalism, including Journalist of the Year, Specialist Journalist of the Year and Scoop of the Year (twice) from the Royal Television Society, Performer of the Year from the Broadcasting Press Guild, and Broadcaster of the Year and Journalist of the Year from the Wincott Foundation. Prior to joining the BBC, he was political editor and financial editor of the Financial Times, City Editor of the Sunday Telegraph and a columnist for the New Statesman and Sunday Times. Robert Peston was presented as Fellow of Aberystwyth University by Mr Nicholas Perdikis, Director of the Aberystwyth School of Management and Business. Mr Perdikis told the audience - Robert Peston needs no introduction to this audience. As Business Editor of BBC News, his face and voice are well ...

Llanelli Rotary Club will be staging their annual charity golf day at The Ashburnham Championship Links Golf Club on Thursday, July 14. Latest results from ‘The Ash’ – Gold and Silver Medals 1, Olwen Davies, 70, 75, 145; Eleanor Roberts, 78, 71, 149; 3, Fiona Halpin, 73, 81, 154. Fred Cheeswright Cup 1, Andrew Wayne Joinson, 42 pts (12); 2, Elliot Anderson, 41 pts (04); 3, Keith Pearman, 41 pts (15). May E Jones Foursomes 1, Barbara Buckland and Eleanor Roberts, 105 - 24.5 = 80.5; 2, Frances Hart and Anne Walker 96 - 15.5 = 80.5; 3, Cathereine Jones and Mari Jones, 101 - 19.0 = 82.0. Olwen Davies Trophy 1, Wyn Parsons, 37 pts (27); 2, Frances Hart, 34 pts (15); 3, Olwen Davies, 32 pts (06). Broomhill Cup (Men) 1, Carl Stimson, 78 - 09 = 69; 2, Roger Bowen, 78 - 09 = 69; 3, Terry Morgan 77 - 06 = 71. Centenary Trophy 1, Susan Collard 83 - 12 = 71; 2, Maria Davies 100 - 20 = 80; 3, Joyce Thomas 107 - 27 = 80. Past Captains’ Gold Medal 1, Huw Dixon, 40 pts (04); 2, Philip Watts, 39 pts (1...

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 39,000 page views mark. That's 1,000 more views since July 6. Keep the hits coming, folks! Much appreciated. Many thanks. See earlier post - http://sirgarblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/38000-visits-chalked-up.html Meanwhile, the blog has chalked up its first visitor from Panama. The full country by country list (figures from January 6, 2010) is as follows - United Kingdom (GB) 12,930; United States (US) 1,523; India (IN) 110; Belgium (BE) 103; Canada (CA) 87; Australia (AU) 80; Germany (DE) 79; France (FR) 75; Ireland (IE) 62; Taiwan (TW) 60; Europe (EU) 52; Netherlands (NL) 34; Italy (IT) 33; Spain (ES) 30; Philippines (PH) 29; Qatar (QA) 29; New Zealand (NZ) 25; Pakistan (PK) 22; United Arab Emirates (AE) 20; Poland (PL) 20; Malaysia (MY) 20; Russian Federation (RU) 19; Japan (JP) 17; Singapore (SG) 15; Brazil (BR) 14; South Africa (ZA) 14; Norway (N...

Semi-clear bags for non-recyclable rubbish are now available for residents in Carmarthenshire. The bags have been introduced as a pilot initiative to help encourage householders to separate their waste for recycling. They are available free of charge for collection only at the council’s Customer Service Centres in Spilman Street, Carmarthen; Ty Elwyn, Llanelli; and Ammanford Town Hall as well as the council offices in Llandeilo. People can continue to use black bags and/or a mixture of both black and the semi-clear bags if they wish. Director of Technical Services Richard Workman said: “We must reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill and recycle as much of our waste as possible or we risk large fines. We are looking at ways of how we can improve our recycling rate by making it easier for residents to recycle their rubbish and the semi-clear bags are just one of a number of pilot schemes we are introducing over the next few months.” Householders are being reminded that blue recyc...

Seven Fellows will be honoured by Aberystwyth University during the 2011 Graduation Ceremonies which take place this week. The title of Fellow is awarded to honour distinguished people who have a close association with Aberystwyth University or who have made an outstanding contribution to professional or public life in Wales. The 2011 Honorary Fellows (in order of presentation): Robert Peston: Business Editor of the BBC; Founder of ‘Speakers for Schools’. Mr Peston will be presented by Mr Nicholas Perdikis, Director of the Aberystwyth School of Management and Business, at 3.00 p.m. on Tuesday 12 July. Professor Mary Elizabeth King: Former Aberystwyth University student; Author; Civil Rights and Gender Activist; US Presidential Advisor. Professor King will be presented by Professor Michael Foley, Head of the Department of International Politics, at 11.00a.m. on Wednesday 13 July. Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Pill: Lord Justice of Appeal. The Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Pill will be presented by Wins...

Aberystwyth University has welcomed today’s announcement by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales that its fee plan for the 2012/13 academic year has been approved. Professor Noel Lloyd, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University said: “I welcome the Funding Council’s acceptance of Aberystwyth University’s fee plan. The plan encompasses a number of important initiatives that are designed to ensure the further enhancement of the already excellent student experience at Aberystwyth University and enable all those who can benefit from Higher Education to do so. “Aberystwyth University is committed to widening opportunities for all students, to contribute to social justice, and offer robust packages of support that ensure that our students will be supported at all levels of their study through to graduation. “The University’s aim is to produce students who have the required range of skills for employment, to offer them excellent facilities for learning and teaching, and for their st...

Off to sunny Cardiff for a day-long meeting about the HPC Wales supercomputer project.

Carmarthen Town were pleased to announce some more important signings for the club over the weekend Firstly, on the managerial and coaching side, Colin Staples (pictured above) has rejoined the club as the Academy Director and also will form part of Tomi Morgan’s managerial team. With Terry Boyle having taken on a full time role with Neath, Morgan has appointed Staples as his new right-hand man. Staples brings a wealth of experience to the club. He is currently a Welsh Football Trust Football Development Officer and also holds coaching roles with several National squads. Colin has just returned from Germany – analysing and reporting on current Women’s World Cup. His Qualifications include being an UEFA “A” Licence holder since 1996, and also he has a Diploma in Sports Psychology. “Not only will Colin have a key role with the first team squad but he will also oversee the future development of our Academy. Therefore I consider the appointment of Colin Staples as Academy Director as a maj...

Members of Côr Meibion Llanelli stood for a minute’s silence at their weekly rehearsals in memory of their retired accompanist, Gethin Hughes. The silent tribute followed an emotional speech to choristers by musical director Eifion Thomas. He said: “Without a shadow of a doubt, Gethin was a phenomenon. “His contribution to the musical life of Llanelli and the wider community of Wales was immense. “He provided a platform for people to perform, from the very young to the not so young.” Mr Hughes, who died days before his 76th birthday, was the principal accompanist for Côr Meibion Llanelli from 1997 to 2007. He performed at venues around the world and during a colourful career made friends with a whole host of famous faces and celebrities. His charity work earned him the MBE. He died while on a cruise of the North Cape and Norwegian Fjords aboard the Crown Princess liner. His body was returned to Southampton on Saturday for a post-mortem before being returned to Llanelli. Mr Thomas told ...

Côr Meibion Llanelli will be playing their part in honouring a rugby legend at Parc y Scarlets on Friday night. The Welsh Charitables RFC are holding a charity fund-raising ‘Dinner With A Legend’ to toast former Llanelli, Barbarian, Wales and British Lions second-row legend Delme Thomas. Choir members were delighted to fit the dinner into their busy schedule; Côr Meibion Llanelli stage their ‘Annual Concert’ at the Selwyn Samuel Centre the following evening.

Scarlets rugby announcer and local radio hero Tommo has been awarded a Presenter of the Year prize at prestigious national awards. From the thousands of presenters on stations across the UK, Tommo was one of just three nominees in his category. Tommo has been a regular voice on radio stations in West Wales for a number of years and has hosted the Breakfast show on Radio Carmarthenshire for the past two years. You can hear his programme from 6am on 97.1FM across Carmarthenshire and 97.5FM in Carmarthen Town. Tommo also hosts programmes on sister stations Radio Pembrokeshire, Radio Ceredigion and Scarlet FM. Tommo is also the pitchside announcer for the Scarlets during home fixtures. The Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards 2011 were held in London. Tommo won Presenter of the Year (small territory). Global Radio’s Classic FM took home the Station of the Year for 1m, Smooth Radio’s David Kid Jensen was awarded Lifetime Achievement Award and Bauer Media’s Dee Ford was given the Arqiva Gold. The ...

Côr Meibion Llanelli have a triple-whammy of crowd-pleasers lined up for their much-anticipated ‘Annual Concert’ on Saturday night. The choir will be accompanied by their very own ‘Adele’ at the Selwyn Samuel Centre on Saturday, July 16. They will also have support from one of the UK’s leading brass bands, the multi-award-winning Tredegar Town Band. And the choir will feature a repertoire as varied as any they have ever performed, ranging from songs from the shows and movie favourites to negro spirituals. “It’s a wonderful programme which is sure to entertain,” said Côr Meibion Llanelli musical director Eifion Thomas. “The concert programme is ideally suited to a summer’s evening in July - and whatever the weather outside you can be assured you will be basking in the glow of a musical treat inside the Selwyn Samuel Centre. “The choir programme will feature familiar songs from West Side Story, Les Miserables and The Sound of Music. “But that only tells part of the story. We can promise ...

West End singing star and Classical Brits nominee Alfie Boe will thrill local audiences in September when he comes to Llanelli for a spectacular performance. Alfie will join the great voices of the Llanelli Choral Society, Hywel Girls’ Choir & Hywel Boy Singers, soprano Adele O’Neill, pianist Jean Hywel, organist Huw Tregelles Williams – all under the direction of John Hywel Williams MBE. Alfie – regarded as the nation’s favourite tenor – is no stranger to the world famous stage of both opera and the West End and television and radio broadcasts. Currently enjoying record sales of his albums, Alfie is currently reprising the starring role of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables in London’s West End at the personal request of Sir Cameron Mackintosh, ahead of Alfie’s sell-out UK “Bring Him Home Tour” later this year. “The performance will undoubtedly be a sell-out”, explains acclaimed local conductor, John Hywel Williams, pictured above. “It is always exciting to bring great and popular art...