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

Street Robbery: Parcyllyn Estate | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys Dyfed-Powys Police are investigating a street robbery, which occurred at approx 11:50pm on Tuesday 27 March on the Parcyllyn Estate, Llanbadarn Fawr. The male victim was approached by man on the cycle path behind Morrisons supermarket and demanded £20, which he took from the victim.

Witness appeal following fatal RTC in Pwll | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys An 88-year-old woman died following a road traffic collision on the A484 at Pwll in Llanelli which happened at 12.10pm on Wednesday 28th March 2012. Police are now appealing for witnesses to come forward to help them determine what happened.

The young choristers of Llanelli’s Hywel Girls’ Choir & Hywel Boy Singers and Llanelli conductor John Hywel Williams will be featured on BBC Radio Cymru in mid April. The broadcast will feature songs by the choir and an interview with John Hywel Williams. In an interview with BBC broadcaster, Dei Tomas, the programme will cover a variety of topics – John Hywel’s awards and achievements, plans and performances for the Hywel choristers, exciting developments with the Llanelli Choral Society as well as John Hywel’s recent honorary Fellowship by the London College of Music. The programme will be broadcast BBC Radio Cymru on Sunday 15th April.

Carmarthenshire Citizens' Panel’s latest newsletter! | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys : The Carmarthenshire Citizens' Panel’s latest newsletter (involving the Police, Council and Health Board) is now out and can be found on the following link - http://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/sites/default/files/documents/haveyoursay/carmarthenshire_newsletters/carmsnletterissue32.pdf

PACT: Change of Location - Milford Haven Rural | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys As part of its commitment to the community its serves, Dyfed-Powys Police would like to highlight a change of venue for its Neyland PACT meeting. The Milford Haven Rural Neighbourhood Policing Team will now be taking place at the Johnston Institute, on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 7pm.

Looking after business, the new business page column from the Carmarthen Journal By David Butler, of Carmarthen-based accountants and business consultants Clay Shaw Butler Partnerships are all important in an area like West Wales, which has an abundance of community spirit. Here at Clay Shaw Butler, we like to work hand-in-hand with other businesses to make sure that people get the best possible financial service. We were particularly glad to hear the news that an independent financial expert from Carmarthen is embarking on a mission to make more people aware of the ‘Attendance Allowance’. Huw Jones, of KHL Trust Services, suspects that many people are missing out on claiming the benefit. He is worried that many people don’t realise the ‘Attendance Allowance’ scheme exists and that those who know about the benefit cannot face the paperwork involved in filing a claim. If you are receiving care from family members or paying for care either at home or in a residential care home you are ...

There is a special open day at Ashburnham Golf Club in Pembrey this Saturday from 9am-4pm. There will be free tea, coffee and cakes and a chance to meet staff at the Ash, one of the premier golfing venues in Wales. You can find out more about the club's special membership offers. Anyone signing up for membership during the open day will get a free Ashburnham golf shirt and a taster lesson with club professional Martin Stimson, who is celebrating five years as the club's pro.

Rugby fanatics in Llanelli are being given the chance to relive the emotions of the Grand Slam — with added laughs. A special charity showing of the 1978 comedy Grand Slam is being shown on the big screen at Parc y Scarlets next month. Some of the film's stars will also be appearing in the flesh at the showing. The event, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, will also form the launch for the first Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, taking place between May 8 and 13. A Scarlets spokeswoman said: "With team Wales currently celebrating the success of yet another Grand Slam themselves, why not join us for an evening of fun, film and laughter as we welcome special guests Glyn Lloyd Evans, Maldwyn Novello Pugh and Josephine — Dewi Pws Morris, Sion Probert and Elizabeth Morgan respectively — to the Quinnell Lounge."

The latest Iechyd Da beer column written by Simon Buckley, chief executive of the Llandeilo-based Evan-Evans brewery, for the Carmarthen Journal . . . It’s Easter and it’s time to look forward, but to what? Predictably, perhaps, Budget Week was yet another bad week to be a brewer. I have always believed in the great Liberal tradition of fair play, and giving everyone opportunity, but hey-ho, the answer seems to be that the further you are from Westminster the less your shouts are heard. The Lib-Dems feed on the belief that it is wrong to be wealthy and to create wealth and the Tories lurch from one ‘idea of the moment’ to the next ‘idea of the moment’. Between them, they attack the very thing that we in small business are here to create - jobs and personal wealth opportunities. The Budget will impact on the social drinking of many thousands of people in Wales. We are being punished by Government for the actions of a small minority of binge drinkers, who do not represent the th...

The latest 'View from Richmond Park' Carmarthen Town AFC column from the Carmarthen Journal newspaper - There’s an ‘end of season’ Welsh concert being staged at the Carmarthen Town AFC Clubhouse and Community Centre on Friday night (March 30). The concert features Neil Rosser a’r Band Bromas (Neil Rosser and the band Bromas). It starts at 8pm. For tickets, please ring 07968 379119. ------------------------------------- Popular Carmarthen comedy entertainer Phil Doyle will be staging a fund-raising evening at the Carmarthen Town AFC clubhouse and community centre on Saturday, May 26. The show starts at 7pm. Tickets are £12 per person, including buffet. Phil has appeared on many TV shows including New Comedians and Talking Telephone Numbers. Phil has won the Jersey Variety Club Award for Best Comedian for three years running. Phil will be supported by the talented young vocalist Natasha Doyle. To book: Telephone, Allan, 07976 973693, or Jeff, 07813 697774. -------------------...

The latest Carmarthen Journal gardening column from Aberglasney head gardener Joseph Atkin -  With the weather being kind and finally some dry weather spring has really begun in the garden. The bulbs and shrubs are out in force at Aberglasney and everything else is bursting into growth. With so much going on it’s almost impossible to keep up with everything that’s coming into flower. The Narcissus and even some Tulips are coming out the Magnolias have started to flower and everything seems to have appreciated the milder winter. Between all this elegance and spectacular flowers there are also some very interesting bulbs although they should technically be called tubers. The Arisaema which is related to Arum and Calla Lily is an excellent plant that deserves much more interest than it often gets. Often known as the Cobra Lily due to the sinister shape of the flowers they are something very different for spring and summer. For many years they have been really expensive ...

The Cefn Sidan Rotary Club meeting report in the Llanelli Star puts the spotlight on the latest guest speaker, someone called Robert Lloyd! Nice spotlight on the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival 'Grand Slam' charity night in the Llanelli Star today. Nice story about the Ashburnham Golf Club Open Day (this Saturday) in the Llanelli Star today. The Ashburnham Golf Club's new 'Fab Fore' membership offers are featured in the Llanelli Star and the Carmarthen Journal. The latest 'View from Richmond Park' Carmarthen Town AFC column is in the Carmarthen Journal today. The latest Looking After Business column from Carmarthen accountants Clay Shaw Butler is in the Carmarthen Journal today. Llandeilo brewer Simon Buckley's latest Iechyd Da brewing column is in the Carmarthen Journal today. Aberglasney head gardener Joseph Atkin's latest gardening column is in the Carmarthen Journal newspaper today. Smashing picture story in the Carmarthen Journal today about Stagec...

The dress code was very different for the ladies at the Ashburnham Championship Links Golf Club in Pembrey.  Ladies taking part in a special tournament to mark 100 years of women's golf at 'The Ash' arrived at the first tee in costumes from days gone by. Ladies captain Iris Jacob said: "It's just one of a number of ways we are marking the centenary of the formation of the ladies section at 'The Ash'. "The ladies section started in 1912, so we encouraged everyone playing in a special tournament to dress in 'period costume'. "Fair play, all the ladies made the effort and it made for a very colourful and entertaining event."  Photos: The lady golfers at The Ashburnham, with ladies captain Iris Jacob, centre, fawn skirt and brown top and tie and hat. Photos by Graham Harries of GPhotography www.gphotography.org.uk - capturing life, LIVE! www.tourdates.co.uk 07713 990244 Official photographer at - Beach Break Live - Winner of...

The award-winning Lewis Partnership is playing a key role in the £2million refurbishment of Llanelli’s Coleshill Social Centre.  The centre is being transformed into an innovative ‘one stop shop’ for disabled and disadvantaged people. “This is a very exciting project for Llanelli and we are very proud to be associated with it,” said Philip Lewis, managing director of the Lewis Partnership. “As the architects for the project, we are closely involved with delivering the vision for the centre. “When it is complete, it will be called a ‘centre for economic inclusion’. “But that only goes a part of the way to describing the work which will go on there, “It will play a huge part in helping disabled and disadvantaged people to live independent lives.” Building work is progressing swiftly at the site on the edge of Llanelli’s People’s Park and should be completed by the end of May. Mr Lewis added: “This is a very innovative project for Llanelli involving all sorts of partnerships and ...

Three scientists at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University are part of an international consortium which has agreed upon a standard ‘fungal DNA barcode'. The conclusions of the study, which provides the foundation for the use of standardised DNA technologies for identifying fungi, are featured in the current issue of the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA) which is published this week. Dr Gareth Wyn Griffith (pictured above), Dr Joan Edwards (pictured above), and Brian Douglas from IBERS are members of a 140 strong team of scientists from more than 20 countries who collaborated on the work. DNA barcoding is the use of a standardised region of DNA for identifying species. However, an appropriate barcode region needs to be defined for each group of living organisms. Therefore, zoologists have opted for a barcode based on mitochondrial DNA while botanists use chloroplast DNA. Contrary to...

Carmarthenshire dad's death shocks village | This is South Wales Tributes have been paid to a popular Llangennech pub landlord who died suddenly. The village has been left shocked and in mourning for Mathew Lewis, of The Old Bridge Inn, who is believed to have suffered a blocked artery while out cycling, on Sunday.

Senior citizens benefit from police grant | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys Llanerch Senior Citizens in Llanelli were awarded £149 from the Dyfed Powys Police Force’s incentivisation fund to help pay for a new bingo machine. This fund is made up of money that’s been recovered as proceeds of crime from convicted criminals, which is then ploughed back into our local communities.

Aberystwyth University has announced the creation of five new Welsh-medium lecturing posts that have been funded by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.  The announcement was made by Professor April McMahon, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University, at a meeting to launch the University’s branch of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. The Coleg is a national organisation that plays a key role in planning, maintenance and development of Welsh medium education and scholarly activity in Welsh universities through the activities of the branches. The new posts will be available to view on the Aberystwyth University Human Resources website http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/hr/jobs/vacancies-external/ within 24 hrs.  The new posts are in Education, Agriculture, Geography, Mathematics, and Part-time studies - a multidisciplinary scheme through the medium of Welsh which will offer part time students an opportunity to study towards a degree in a humanities or science subject.  All five le...

Aberystwyth University Vice-Chancellor, Professor April McMahon, is to give the Sir D O Evans lecture for 2012, comparing the accents of English, past and present. The Lecture, which is open to the public, will be delivered on Wednesday, 28th March at 6pm and will be held in the main hall at the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University. Professor McMahon will discuss whether linguists can develop methods for comparing accents and measuring the differences between them. Professor McMahon notes that; “It sometimes seems that the way we speak is as important as what we say, so understanding how accents differ from one another and how they change is as intriguing for a general audience as for academic researchers.  “We are also very lucky that we know so much about the history of English, and I will be talking about how we can reconstruct the way people spoke long ago and make comparisons with the modern English of today”. The Vice-Chancellor’s own academic...

It wasn’t so much ‘Bore da’ as ‘Zdrávstvuite’ at the Jenkins Bakery HQ in Trostre, Llanelli. The bakery rolled out the welcome mat for a delegation of 28 Russian bakery managers and owners. The bakers, some of the most well-established and well-regarded in Russia, were visiting the UK as part of a trade mission. “The visit was arranged by the Swansea bakery equipment manufacturer, Mono Equipment, which has long-standing links with bakery businesses in Russia,” explained the Jenkins Bakery’s operations manager Russell Jenkins. “As an award-winning bakery business, we at Jenkins were delighted to play hosts to the Russian delegates and give them a factory tour and samples of our extensive product range. “Some of the delegates had travelled from far-flung corners of Russian and were delighted to find that they had left temperatures of minus 14 behind at home to experience our splendid warm spring sunshine.” Mr Jenkins said the delegates were very interested in all aspects of product...

Young people from across mid Wales will be having fun getting hands-on experience with ‘Wearable Technology’ and ‘Sailing Robots’ Bootcamps to be held over three days at Aberystwyth Arts Centre during the first week of the Easter holidays (Monday 2nd April to Wednesday 4th April). The Bootcamps are the second in a series of free workshops being run by the Technocamps team based at the Department of Computer Science at Aberystwyth University, giving young people aged between 11-19 years old a chance to develop their computing skills beyond the usual screen and keyboard. Participants will be introduced to programming microcontrollers (small single chip computers) using a range of electronic sensors. Both Bootcamps will focus on building a ‘control system’ based on the popular Arduino system. Wearable Technology Bootcamps will give insight into how technology is incorporated into clothing and accessories. Sensors are placed on or in garments so that, for instance, the technology resp...

Hywel Dda Health Board | Caring for sick and premature babies Sick and premature babies could be cared for closer to home if there is support for establishing the first Level 2 specialist neonatal care unit within the Hywel Dda Health Board area. Currently, none of the Special Care Baby Units in Hywel Dda are able to provide ongoing specialist care to sick babies, who have to travel out of county to Swansea, Cardiff, Newport or further afield. This leads to family separation as the babies can’t return to the area until almost ready to go home. Whilst this ensures that babies have access to highly specialised units with the most up-to-date equipment and appropriate staffing levels, it does place a burden on the family who are forced to travel in order to be with their baby. The Health Board wants to create a Level 2 unit within the boundaries of the three counties so that babies can be cared for closer to home. The bid is being discussed by the Board with doctors, staff, stakeho...

Hywel Dda Health Board | Young people in Ceredigion - Get Into Health A programme to help young people get an insight into the roles in the NHS has been a success. Hywel Dda Health Board and The Prince’s Trust Cymru ran the Get into Health programme in Ceredigion. Working in partnership, Hywel Dda Health Board and The Prince’s Trust Cymru provided five week placements for 13 young adults, aged 18 -25, in many different areas in healthcare from fire safety to mental health administration and health records to estates. It is the third time the health board has run the programme which helps young people improve their teamwork and communication skills, boost their confidence, develop interview skills and enhance their CV.

On Saturday 14th April, Burry Port Town Band will host their famous Twmpath at the Memorial Hall, Burry Port. Doors open at 7pm and the wonderful evening will include a Welsh Cawl (vegetarian option available) and themed Welsh dessert followed by a traditional Twmpath, which is always well received as a highlight of this convivial evening. Musical entertainment will be provided by young brass players of the Burry Port Town Band’s Tenuto group to welcome guests on arrival. Refreshments will be available from the licensed bar and Mr Huw John will lead the evening's Twmpath. Tickets cost just £12.50, which includes the cost of the meal and Twmpath and these can be obtained by contacting Mr Edmond John on 01554 833749 This Welsh Night is not limited to the people of Burry Port and we are extremely keen to welcome visitors from further afield to experience the tremendous friendship and community spirit that exists in this wonderful part of West Wales.

Llanelli Rotary Club has awarded a prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship to Llanelli businesswomen Angela Saunders. Ms Saunders is the managing director of the Stradey Park Hotel and a director of Gryphon Leisure Ltd. She is a member of the organising committee of the Ray Gravell Memorial Trust and works tirelessly to help numerous charitable and community causes. Ms Saunders was recognised by Llanelli Rotary Club for her community work. The Paul Harris Fellowship is the highest award which can be bestowed by a Rotary Club. It was established by Rotary International in 1957 to recognise people who fulfil Rotary's motto of 'Service Above Self'. Ms Saunders was presented with her Paul Harris Fellowship gold pin by Llanelli Rotary Club President Graham Williams.

BBC News - Neath RFC given 'final' tax date to avoid winding up order Neath RFC has been given one final chance to pay its tax debts or face being wound up at London's High Court. The Principality Premiership side have until 21 May to settle the undisclosed debt to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC). With the case against Neath Rugby club Ltd marked as final, any further application for an adjournment is unlikely. If the club fails to pay, it could be wound up. Neath are joint top of the Premiership with Aberavon. The town's football club, Neath FC, which also plays its games at the Gnoll, are due in court on 14 May to face a winding up order brought by Barclays Bank.

Householders in Carmarthenshire are being encouraged to use their food waste bins to cut down on the amount of black bags we send to landfill. New figures from the Welsh Government show that homes in Carmarthenshire could produce an estimated 10,000 tonnes of food waste each year. Despite Wales being the first country in the UK where all local councils collect food waste and almost every household in Wales now having a food waste bin, an estimated 30% of our food waste still goes into black bags. Carmarthenshire County Council and Waste Awareness Wales are now urging householders to use their food waste bins to reduce the amount of food waste going to landfill and ensure Wales continues to lead the way on recycling. Director of Technical Servicers Richard Workman said: “Separating food waste from your regular black bin waste is easy. All food types are accepted, including meat and fish both cooked and uncooked, fruit and vegetable peelings, dairy products, bread, cakes and pastries...

The hottest tickets in Llanelli have now sold out. There are no more places left at the Carmarthenshire County Council Chairman’s Curry Night. Cllr Ivor Jackson has organised the event at the Masala restaurant in Llanelli next Wednesday in aid of his chosen charities. He has raised almost £9,000 so far Macmillan Cancer Support, the Alzheimer’s Society and Plant Dewi, which works with children and their families in the Diocese of St David’s. To date the Chairman has raised £8,918 from a number of events including taking part in the Walrus Dip at Cefn Sidan on New Year’s Day which raised nearly £2,000 from sponsorship. On Saturday April 28 there will be a Charity Concert at Ysgol Pantycelyn in Llandovery featuring Llandovery Male Voice Choir with Gwawr Edwards and Aled Wynne Davies. The president for the evening will be Tom Lloyd OBE. The concert starts at 7pm and tickets are £10 or pay on the door. Anyone interested in going to the concert can contact Eira Evans on 01267 224060.

With a month to go before the May elections, Tuesday 3 April is Register to Vote Day. Carmarthenshire County Council is urging residents to take five minutes to secure their vote. “Now's the time to make sure you can have your say in the local elections,” said Mark James, Electoral Registration Officer for Carmarthenshire County Council. “Make sure you are registered to vote, especially if you have moved house this year. And if you want to vote by post or proxy, rather than by going to the polling station, then this is the time to sort that out too. Residents can print off the relevant form from www.aboutmyvote.co.uk , or call 01267 228889. It just takes a few minutes, but you need to act now, before the deadline of 18 April. We don’t want anyone to miss their chance to have a say.”

A raft of new traffic calming measurers is planned for Ferryside with no humps. A public exhibition at the village’s community hall attracted 51 visitors to view the proposals which included: • Electronic driver feedback signs unit on Carmarthen Road (both east and west bound) • Traffic warning sign (double bend) on Port Way. • 20mph speed limit terminal signs (both sides of carriageway) on Carmarthen Road, Water Street, Port Way, and Brigstock Terrace • 20mph speed limit imposed on Carmarthen Road, Water Street, Eva Terrace, Port Way, and Brigstock Terrace • New bus shelter and raised kerbs adjoining the public car park and adjoining the level crossing. There are no plans to construct traffic humps in Ferryside. More than 370 letters were delivered by hand to all properties in the village before the exhibition event in early March. Several suggestions were made by consultees and these are now being assessed as to whether they can be incorporated into the overall scheme. Traffic s...

Students at Coleg Sir Gar have been learning about the consequences of throwing litter. Council education and awareness and environmental enforcement officers have visited the Pibwrlwyd and Ammanford campuses to talk to the students about rubbish. On average 40 tonnes of litter is removed every week by Carmarthenshire County Council at a cost of over £2.2 million per year – money that could be better spent. The council has launched a spring clean-up campaign and together with the Olympic flame travelling through Carmarthenshire in May, we want a county we can be proud of. The local authority is also taking part in a national chewing gum litter campaign, funded by the Chewing Gum Action Group. Following the talk at Pibwrlwyd, the students carried out a litter-pick around the college campus. New recycling litter bins have also been installed along the roads in the Pibwrlwyd area so that paper, plastic and cans can be separated from general rubbish to be recycled. Sustainability off...

Three people have been fined £75 for dumping household waste next to the recycling banks in Burry Port. The fixed penalty notices were issued by the council’s environmental enforcement officers at the recycling site which is located in the car park in Sea View Terrace. Failure to pay could lead to prosecution in the magistrate’s court and a maximum penalty of up to £2,500. The council now hope these fines will act as a warning to others that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated. Unfortunately, fly-tipping is becoming an increasing problem at recycling sites across the county. Residents are being urged to put their waste into the recycling banks and not leave it on the ground as it only attracts further fly-tipping. The banks are emptied regularly but if they are full then people should take their rubbish home until they are serviced or use a nearby recycling site. There are now more than 150 recycling sites throughout Carmarthenshire. Director of Technical Services Richard...

The Innovative Communities project, part of the Innovative Hubs scheme, has awarded its first grant to Llandovery Town Council. Innovative Communities(IC) aims to encourage those living in rural Carmarthenshire to take the lead with innovative ideas to benefit their community. Grants are available up to 100% of project costs to enable these communities to trial their ideas with a view to improving quality of life in their locality. Llandovery Town Council will receive this funding to conduct a feasibility study looking for solutions to improve the functionality of the Llandovery Heritage Centre and the service and facility it provides for the community. The Centre is owned by the Town Council and has been in existence since 1995 as a heritage museum and tourist information centre. Volunteers man the museum and Brecon Beacons National Park Authority (subsidised by CCC) staff the TIC. Unfortunately, there has been a decline in visitors recently to the point where the centre is now ...

The Tips and Advice page of the Aberglasney Gardens website has just been updated - http://www.aberglasney.org/index.php?page=advice Jenkins Bakery Easter product range now up on the website - http://t.co/cg0ObML7 This week's special offers from the Jenkins Bakery (inc 2 spicy chicken pasties £2) now up on the website - http://t.co/GoDzNNbM Carmarthen Town AFC website has been updated with the match report from a grim afternoon at Richmond - http://t.co/Ee0pRHKt