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

Forthcoming events at The Ashburnham Golf Club in Pembrey include the following – Race Night on Friday, November 11, first race at 7.30pm. Tickets (£3) available at the bar. Proceeds to the Ladies’ Centenary Fund. The series of ‘Themed’ dining evenings continues, following the success of the Mediterranean and Asian/Oriental evenings. On Friday November 18, British Isles Menu; Friday December 9, French menu.

The Ashburnham Golf Club staged their annual dinner staged at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli. More than 60 members and guests from the Pembrey club attended. Pictured left to right – Captain Tony Washer, Ashburnham club manager Huw Morgan, President Brian Williams, Vice-captain Mel Williams and last year’s Club Captain Huw Dixon. For more pics from The Ashburnham, see -

The prestigious links championship course at The Ashburnham Golf Club in Pembrey has just been awarded another key tournament. The 2013 Men’s Welsh Amateur Championships has been awarded to The Ashburnham by the Welsh Golfing Union. The Ashburnham stepped into the breach when another club couldn’t fulfil the requirements to stage the championship. “We were asked if we could help by stepping into the gap and staging the championship and we were delighted to accept,” said Ashburnham club manager Huw Morgan. “The Ashburnham has a huge reputation as a championship course and there are only a handful of courses of our standard in Wales who could possibly stage such a championship. “We are absolutely delighted to host the 2013 Men’s Welsh Amateur as it now gives us four great years of championship events at The Ashburnham, proving that we are widely recognised as a quality tournament venue. “Our calendar for the next few years reads - “2012 Welsh Ladies’ Open Stroke Play Championships “2013 ...

Research by a scientist from Aberystwyth shows that marine life off the coast of Wales will need to react as quickly as wildlife on land to combat the effects of climate change. It also shows that climate warming is already having an effect in Welsh waters and animals and plants are already moving. The research challenges previous thinking that marine life in the ocean will respond more gradually than on land because of slower warming in the oceans. According to the new research published today in Science, some marine life may need to relocate faster than land species as well as speed up the timing of major life cycle events. The paper’s co-author is Dr Pippa Moore (pictured above) a lecturer in Aquatic Biology at IBERS, the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences at Aberystwyth University. “Analyses of global temperature found that the rate at which marine life needs to relocate in the ocean is as fast, or in some places faster, than for land species,” she says. “Thi...

The newest and biggest law firm in West Wales, Red Kite Law, is moving one wing of its business into the new high-tech Bridge Innovation Centre (BIC) in Pembroke Dock. The building, originally set up as a Technium and now rebranded as BIC, will house the Pembrokeshire Commercial department team of Red Kite Law. “It’s another bold move by Red Kite Law,” said managing partner Luke Smith. “The Pembrokeshire commercial team will be in a state-of-the-art 21st century building delivering 21st century quality services to our clients. “The move is part of our commitment to provide excellent client service. The BIC, near Cleddau Bridge, is a modern, purpose-built complex with state-of-the-art IT infrastructure, on-site parking and all the modern facilities you would expect from a progressive and forward thinking law firm. “The new office facilities will help us in delivering the first class legal services that our clients expect from us and in the months to come we will be holding a number of s...

Carmarthen couple fled crocodile and flood horrors in Thailand | This is South Wales A young couple from Carmarthen have spoken of how they fled crocodile-infested flood waters which have devastated parts of Thailand, claiming more than 370 lives. Nicola Gurney and her boyfriend Justin Bartlett, both aged 23, were living in the northern Thai city of Nakhon Sawan when it was engulfed in a catastrophic flood.

Fears for future of the Scarlets as £5.5m debt means accountants fear status as going concern - Wales News - News - WalesOnline Accountants who have audited the financial performance of the Llanelli Scarlets regional rugby club say there is uncertainty over whether the club can continue as a going concern. But last night the club’s chief executive said that while it had gone through tough times, a robust business plan was now in place that should see it break even by 2013.

Machete find denied by trio in Llanelli | This is South Wales Three men have appeared in court after a routine police stop allegedly uncovered two machetes in their car. Dean Dolan, 38, Stephen Cummings, 34, and Dale Wade, 38, were arrested when police stopped their car for a routine check in Norton Road, Penygroes, in the early hours of Saturday morning.

BBC News - Sir Deian Hopkin is National Library of Wales president A former vice-chancellor of London South Bank University, Sir Deian Hopkin, has been appointed the new president of the National Library of Wales. Sir Deian, who was born in Llanelli, read history at Aberystwyth University, where he lectured for 24 years.

Firms in Wales encouraged to take advice sessions | inspiresme.co.uk Small businesses in Wales are being encouraged to take advantage of specialist business advice on offer during Business Advice Week, which runs from November 28 until December 2 at 12 regional centres. The 12 regional centres that will play host to the one-to-one sessions are located in Bangor, Wrexham, Llandudno Junction, Brecon, Newtown, Aberystwyth, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport, Cardiff, Swansea, Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

Busy morning - Business breakfast with the BNI Llanelli branch at The Diplomat Hotel, Llanelli. Then, at Aberglasney House and Gardens in the lovely Tywi Valley.

Today, Wednesday 2 November, members of the Senior Management Team at Aberystwyth University will be joining Guild representatives and supporting its students whilst they compete in a range of sports. This Wednesday, the University will host 18 games between Aberystwyth and 10 different Universities, arranged as part of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) league. With students competing in sports ranging from Fencing to Football and Badminton to Basketball in locations across Campus and in the town, the University and Guild are hoping that the home teams succeed in a number of the games. “It’s fantastic to see so many teams competing at home today,” comments Alun Minifey, Activities Officer at Aberystwyth Guild of Students. “Wednesday afternoons have traditionally been kept free for sporting activities and we’re very keen that this tradition is upheld so that as many students as possible are able to benefit from the multitude of advantages associated with team and indivi...

‘The Business Brief’ is the new column from Red Kite Law in the Carmarthen Journal. By Donna Purchase, partner, Red Kite Law There is always plenty debate in West Wales about the rights of Agency Workers. Agency workers gained additional rights to pay and benefits under new laws that came into force on 1st October. Business groups have complained that the changes could cost employers up to £2bn a year. An agency worker is someone who provides work or services to an organisation, but is contracted via an agency. Contractors and workers on secondment may also be covered. Day one rights: Various legal protections are already in place for agency workers, so they have the right to the minimum wage and basic holiday rights. They will also now be allowed to use the same facilities as staff. So, for example, from the first day of employment they should be allowed to use the canteen, crèche, staff room and car parking. They must also be given access to information about job vacancies at the co...

The latest 'View from Richmond Park' Carmarthen Town AFC column from the Carmarthen Journal - There are special offers for the forthcoming Carmarthen Town v Neath match. This game was originally scheduled for Friday the 11th of November. It was then chosen as the live game on S4C and the date changed to the 12th of November. Subsequently, the FAW have announced that the Welsh Senior team will be playing a friendly international in Cardiff against Norway on that date. Therefore the game has been switched back to the original date on the Friday with a 7.30pm kick off. In order to boost the gate on that evening, Carmarthen Town are happy to offer Swansea City season ticket holders admission to Richmond Park on a 2 for 1 ratio. The club will also be sending free tickets to both Ysgol Bro Myrddin and Queen Elizabeth High School. Ianto Howells, Carmarthen Town’s Local Clubs liaison officer will also be supplying Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire league clubs with free ti...

Smashing feature in the Llanelli Star today on the successful junior golfers of the Ashburnham Championship Links Golf Club. Lovely story in the Llanelli Star putting the spotlight on Cor Meibion Llanelli stalwart Rev Viv Roberts and his 50 years in the Ministry. Nice picture spotlight in the Llanelli Star today on 'Peggy' Jones and her farewell to Ashburnham Golf Club. The latest 'View from Richmond Park' Carmarthen Town AFC column is in the Carmarthen Journal today. Lovely piece in the Carmarthen Journal today about the Healing The Wounds charity Only Boys Aloud show in Cefneithin. The latest 'Business Brief' Red Kite Law column is in the Carmarthen Journal this week. Splendid picture story on Page 18 of the Evening Post about Cor Meibion Llanelli's visit to The Netherlands to sing at liberation events. Good story by Martin Shipton in yesterday's edition of the Western Mail putting the spotlight on the work of the Healing The Wounds PTSD charity.

Tax and Trust expert Steve Meredith has joined Red Kite Law, the newest and biggest law firm in West Wales. Mr Meredith, 50, has moved from Gabb & Co in Abergavenny, where he was Head of Private Client for 10 years, specialising in family trusts and tax planning work for individuals, farmers and family businesses. “My experience is in dealing with people with high net worth and I am looking forward to developing this part of the portfolio for Red Kite Law, “he said. Under Steve’s leadership Gabb & Co’s Private Client Department was named in the top 25 in the UK in 2010 and ranked Number 1 in Wales by Legal 500, which described Mr Meredith as “highly rated”. Gabb & Co was the only law firm in Wales in the UK Top 25. “My aim now is to help Red Kite’s Private Client Department to reach the Number 1 spot! “It may surprise people, but there are a significant number of people in Wales with high net worth value – by that, I mean people with wealth running into tens of millions of ...

There are special offers for the forthcoming Carmarthen Town v Neath match. This game was originally scheduled for Friday the 11th of November. It was then chosen as the live game on S4C and the date changed to the 12th of November. Subsequently, the FAW have announced that the Welsh Senior team will be playing a friendly international in Cardiff against Norway on that date. Therefore the game has been switched back to the original date on the Friday with a 7.30pm kick off. In order to boost the gate on that evening, Carmarthen Town are happy to offer Swansea City season ticket holders admission to Richmond Park on a 2 for 1 ratio. The club will also be sending free tickets to both Ysgol Bro Myrddin and Queen Elizabeth High School. Ianto Howells, Carmarthen Town’s Local Clubs liaison officer will also be supplying Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire league clubs with free tickets. This follows on from a similar offer held during the Llanelli game back in September. Trinity S...

Côr Meibion Llanelli with Gemengd Koor s’Hertogenbosch (s’Hertogenbosch Mixed Choir) and soloist Llio Evans at the ‘Jheronimus Bosch Art Center’ and other venues. Côr Meibion Llanelli, the Llanelli Male Voice Choir, took part in special concerts and services to mark the World War Two liberation of the city of s’Hertogenbosch in The Netherlands. The programme took in open air services at concerts at venues in Rosmalen and the city centre of s’Hertogenbosch. The highlight was the main veterans’ concert at the prestigious Jheronimus Bosch Art Center in s’Hertogenbosch. Surrounded by some of the famous artist’s unusual works of art, Côr Meibion Llanelli put the accent firmly on capturing the emotion of the liberation commemorations. The real tear-jerkers proved to be Gwahoddiad, Nearer My God to Thee and Myfanwy, the last a special request for one of the guests of honour, World War Two veteran Emrys Davies of Tonyrefail. Mansions of the Lord, Pie Jesu, Sosban Fach, Anthem and When I Survey...