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

The countdown is well and truly on, with just over two weeks to go to the start of the first Carmarthen Bay Film Festival. The team behind the festival – the first of its kind to be held in Llanelli – is busy putting together a varied programme of events. It all kicks-off with a special charity screening of the classic comedy film Grand Slam. Macmillan Cancer Support will benefit from the event, which will be held at Parc y Scarlets on Tuesday May 1. Special guests will include Glyn Lloyd Evans, Maldwyn Novello Pugh and Josephine – also known as Dewi Pws Morris, Sion Probert and Elizabeth Morgan. The evening will feature a question and answer session with the stars and will be held in The Quinnell Lounge, Parc y Scarlets. Tickets are on sale, priced at £10, from Parc y Scarlets ticket office - call 0871 871 8088. The charity screening will be a ‘scene-setter; for the main festival, which will start on May 8, running through to the weekend of May 12-13.  “The aim is simple,” ...

Adam Cousins, aged 16 from Newcastle Emlyn has won the Carmarthenshire High Sheriff's Award. Adam, who is currently studying for his GCSE’s at Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn, was nominated for the award by youth volunteering officer, Fflur Hughes of CAVS. Adam is an instrumental member of the CAVS Youth Grant Panel and is also the vice chair of Carmarthenshire Youth Council, a Carmarthenshire Funky Dragon representative and a member of the Teifi Youth Forum. When Adam was 15 years old he completed all levels of the CAVS Youth Volunteering Scheme, reaching 20,30,50 and 100 hours in a small space of time. Since turning 16 a few months ago, he has joined the Millennium Volunteers Scheme and has already received his 50 hours certificate within 2 months of registering. Adam is a passionate, dedicated and much valued volunteer with all the organisations his involved with. Through his volunteering, he has been able to have the opportunity to work towards recognised OCN qualifications in; Volunt...

It's hats off to the tenants at Llys Glanymor Sheltered Housing Scheme who have celebrated Easter with a traditional bonnet competition. Sheltered Scheme Officer Cindy Heath Thomas is pictured serving refreshments to tenants during the event. Meanwhile, 90-year-old tenant Maude Griffiths puts the finishing touches to her Easter bonnet. Pics Jeff Connell

Carmarthenshire County Council is planning to develop a Local Authority Mortgage Scheme aimed at helping first-time buyers on to the property ladder. Members of the Executive Board will hear about the scheme at their next meeting on April 16 when they will be asked to support the initiative. The council proposes to help people who can afford monthly mortgage repayments, but cannot provide the large deposit which most mortgage lenders now demand. Providing the buyer meets normal mortgage eligibility criteria, the council will provide an indemnity for 20 per cent of the total value of the mortgage. This would mean that the buyer would only have to find a five per cent deposit and could secure a 95 per cent mortgage on similar terms as a 75 per cent mortgage. They could then buy a property of their choice up to the value of £120,000 within the Carmarthenshire boundary. Chris Moore, Head of Financial Services, said: “This scheme would provide a relatively low-risk opportunity for us to hel...

Hywel Dda Health Board | Volunteering for Health helps young people get recognised Young people volunteering for Hywel Dda Health Board now get a nationally recognised certificate for their work. Volunteering for Health the Health Board’s volunteering service are now registered to deliver Millennium Volunteers. This is a scheme which provides certificates for 50, 100 and 200 hours completed by 16-25-year-olds. The last of the certificates is signed by the First Minister of Wales.

Gills sentenced in court | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys Dyfed Powys Police have welcomed the sentence handed to Reginald and Leila Gill at Swansea Crown Court. The convictions resulted from complaints from two separate victims made in May 2011, after receiving treatment at Mr and Mrs Gill's address in Cwmduad, Carmarthenshire.

Distressing of wild birds | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys At this time of year wild birds are busy building their nests and some are even already sitting on clutches of eggs. With such an early start to the breeding season this year due to a spell of good weather the breeding season is going to be a long and hopefully fruitful one for our wild bird population. With access to the countryside and local parks and lakes being used more for day trips by holidaymakers and recreational use by local people it is not a surprise that the police are receiving calls from members of the public reporting incidents involving wild birds.

Police investigate discovery of woman’s body. | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys An investigation is underway after the body of a woman, thought to be in her 70s, was discovered in Caban Coch Reservoir in the Elan Valley.

The junior golfers of The Ashburnham Golf Club in Pembrey have forged new links with the famous Princes Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent. The junior sections of both clubs have agreed to play each other annually on a home and away basis. The winner over the two legs will receive the Friendship Bowl. Princes Golf Club is steeped in rich golfing history, having hosted the British Open in 1932, when it was won by the great American Gene Sarazen. More recently, it has hosted the final qualifying rounds for the British Open which was held at neighbouring Royal St George’s. The legends of the game, including Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods, have graced the links at Princes, while some notable honorary members include Gary Player and Phil Mickleson. Richard Brice, Junior Organiser at The Ashburnham Championship Links club, said: “We have worked extremely hard to develop junior golf at ‘The Ash’ and this fixture rewards the efforts of our lower handicap golfers with a fantastic opportunity to compe...

Three Aberystwyth University students have won £150 to develop and coordinate their own volunteering event which aims to bring together the local community. The competition, a collaboration between Ceredigion Association of Voluntary Organisations (CAVO), Aberystwyth University Careers Service and the Guild of Students, was held to encourage students to explore volunteering opportunities, develop enterprising behaviour and improve presentation skills. Held for the first time, this half-day workshop required students to work in groups, devise a volunteering event and pitch their presentation in front of a panel of judges. The winners were Emma Bradshaw, a second year History student, Ben Stevens and Kelly Jones, both second year Theatre, Film and Television students. Their idea is a games event involving children and the community, which will be held in Aberystwyth in the new academic year. Carolyn Parry, Acting Deputy Director of the University’s Careers Service and responsib...

Members of Carmarthen Town AFC are carrying on a tradition started by former treasurer Nigel Williams, who sadly passed away recently.  Nigel was instrumental in organising charity cycle events during his long relationship with the club. These events will continue in honour of Nigel. This year, club members will be cycling to raise money for Ty Cymorth (the club's nominated charity for this year) and the Carmarthen Town AFC Community Programme. The Ty Cymorth Day Care Centre in Carmarthen provides a service for people facing a life changing illness and their families. Their aim is to enrich the person’s quality of life, promote their independence, offer opportunities to empower the person to make their own personal choices within a safe therapeutic environment and provide education, information, support and advice for both patients and families. The Carmarthen Town AFC Community Programme, sponsored by EMC Services, is based at Richmond Park, Carmarthen. It incorporates a ...

The search is on for supporters and sponsors of the IWA / Western Mail Business Awards 2012. The awards are being held in association with PwC. In 2011 Institute of Welsh Affairs and Western Mail 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. The award scheme will launch in May and the awards ceremony will be in November 2012. The cut off date for sponsorship is Monday 30th April 2012. Sponsorship opportunities start at £1,000 + VAT. For information and details, contact - Emma Brennan, Events Manager, Institute of Welsh Affairs, 4 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9LJ T: 029 2066 0822 | F: 029 2023 3741 | E: emmabrennan@iwa.org.uk | www.iwa.org.uk

Six charged with fraud in Welshpool following lengthy investigation. | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys A lengthy police investigation in Welshpool has led to six people being charged with conspiracy to commit fraud and will appear before the local magistrates court on Tuesday 1st May.

Hywel Dda Health Board | It's Healthy Wednesday - get the kids active Have your children eaten too much chocolate over the Easter period? If so this Healthy Wednesday why not think about getting them active? All children and young people aged 5 -18 should engage in moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity for at least 60 minutes and up to several hours every day, according to the Hywel Dda Health Board.

Hywel Dda Health Board | Interactive tool wins top award An interactive tool for wound assessments has won a national award. Hywel Dda Health Board’s Primary Care Wound Care Template Project won a British Journal of Nursing Awards 2012 for innovative practice in tissue viability. This is the first electronic interactive wound assessment tool to be developed in England and Wales.

 A 10-year-old student at the Stagecoach Theatre Arts School in Carmarthen is making a name for herself with ‘big name’ model shoots in London. Grayce Davis, from Pembroke Dock, has just completed a shoot for the Marks and Spencer’s new school range of clothes. The shoot comes hot on the heels of Grayce being featured in the new Emma Bunton fashion range in the current Argos catalogue. “It’s been something of a mad whirl of events and photo-shoots in recent weeks,” Grayce’s mum, Vanessa, admitted. “But it’s been great fun. Grayce is very grounded and a very level-headed young girl and while she loves all the big name photo-shoots she doesn’t get too carried away with it all. “Every weekend, we seem to have some event to attend in London. It’s hard work, but Grayce thoroughly enjoys it and she has had the chance to meet and work with some very talented people.” Stagecoach Theatre Arts Carmarthen Principal Liane Davies said she was delighted at Grayce’s success. She added...

Leading West Wales Brewer Evan-Evans is to sponsor the first ever Llandeilo Jazz Festival.  The event will be known as the Evan-Evans Llandeilo Jazz Festival and will take place from July 6-8. The event will be based on four of the town’s pubs and is designed to be a free music festival, starting on the Friday night and finishing in the late afternoon on the Sunday. Evan-Evans Brewery Chief Executive Simon Buckley said: “As a company, we have for a long time wanted to promote a series of music events in our brewery town of Llandeilo. “We have teamed up with the local pubs to create a group of high quality venues to launch this fantastic new jazz festival. “Having been involved with the Brecon Jazz Fringe for the last four years, we were delighted that our idea for a Llandeilo Jazz Festival was so warmly embraced. “There will be a mix of classic ‘Trad Jazz’, Gypsy and Rag Time Jazz. “On the Sunday, we hope to have a massive picnic in Penlan Park, where young musicians from...

The latest 'View from Richmond Park' Carmarthen Town AFC column from the Carmarthen Journal newspaper - Thanks go to the generous supporters who helped raise more than £180 for Carmarthen Town’s 2012 nominated charity Tŷ Cymorth through the bucket collection held at the home game with Aberystwyth. A special thank-you to Jake Ashley-Jones, Catherine Hopkins, Julian Lewis and the students from Trinity St David Carmarthen for undertaking the collection. ------------------------------------- Members of Carmarthen Town AFC are carrying on a tradition started by former treasurer Nigel Williams, who sadly passed away recently. Nigel was instrumental in organising charity cycle events during his long relationship with the club. These events will continue in honour of Nigel. This year, club members will be cycling to raise money for Ty Cymorth (the club's nominated charity for this year) and the Carmarthen Town AFC Community Programme. The Ty Cymorth Day Care Centre in Carmarthe...

Great voices of Wales will unite in June to help homeless children in Kenya at an exciting event at The Brangwyn Hall, Swansea.  The ‘Brangwyn Hall Gala Concert’ will bring together powerhouses of Welsh song, the Llanelli Choral Society, Morriston RFC Male Voice Choir (pictured above) , acclaimed soprano Adele O’Neill and organist Huw Tregelles Williams for a magical musical journey in aid of an exciting Welsh Kenyan children’s charity, the Kenya Children of Hope. The Kenya Children of Hope is a wonderful story of how a Welsh-Kenyan couple have made an incredible difference to the lives of hundreds of homeless and family-less children on the streets of Nairobi. Clydach-based Heddwyn Williams met his Kenyan wife Lydiah 25 years ago and spent a number of years in Kenya where he saw at first hand the desperate need of homeless children on the streets of Nairobi, Kenya. “Seeing young children living and sleeping in rubbish and rotting fruit and vegetables made us see that someth...

Pupils from Pantycelyn School held an event to raise awareness of the Carmarthenshire Schools Torch Relay and the London 2012 Olympics. The ‘Silly Olympics 2012’ event was held on Wednesday March 14 and young people took part in activities including obstacle courses, a mystery munch, Haribo chopsticks, balloom slalom and various races. The events were a mixture of individual and team efforts and prizes were awarded by Assistant Head Teacher, Elin Forsyth, to each event winner along with a certificate of participation to all involved. Ownzone is an after school provision aimed at pupils in years 7-9; the programme is delivered in partnership between Carmarthenshire Council’ s Youth Service and Secondary School Teachers. Ownzone takes place in Pantycelyn School on Wednesdays between 3:15 – 5:15pm and activities include cookery, arts and crafts, computer games and homework support. School Support Youth Worker, Rachel Davies said: “The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the ‘Silly Olympics Even...

A Llanelli-based youth worker has come runner-up in a prestigious Youth Work Wales Excellence Award. Ali Price, a community youth worker based at Bwlch Rangers, Morfa was nominated for the award by a young person she worked with for four years. Kirsty Davies, 21 from Llanelli, said:“I’m so happy that Ali was recognised for her hard work and I’m delighted she came runner-up in the awards. She has helped me so much and if it wasn’t for her I don’t think I would have made it into university. The support she provides young people is amazing and I know she will turn other young people’s lives around just like she’s done with me.” Ali Price added: “I was so touched to be nominated and to come runner up was a fantastic feeling. “It’s so rewarding when you’ve worked with a young person and witnessed them developing, I just hope I can help more young people overcome their difficulties during my career with the Youth Service.”

‘The Business Brief’ is the new column from QualitySolictors Redkite in the Carmarthen Journal. Dymphna Powell, solicitor, QualitySolictors Redkite puts the spotlight on landlord and tenant law. Landlord and Tenant law is governed by technical and often complex legislation. Frequently, novice landlords (in an attempt to save on legal fees) are turning to internet chat rooms for advice on tenant problems, including the process of obtaining vacant possession. Increasingly, landlords are completing ‘do it yourself’ Notices to Quit a property by downloading sample notices from websites. Landlords should be aware, if you get the Notice wrong, it can be costly and time consuming. Frequently, the courts receive possession applications from landlords based on reliance on a defective Notice. Unfortunately, for the unsuspecting landlord, if they have served a defective Notice for Possession upon a Tenant, the Court is unable to order a Tenant to vacate a property. Where a landlor...

Animal magic in the Garden | The National Botanic Garden of Wales Come and meet a meerkat at the National Botanic Garden of Wales at Llanarthne near Carmarthen. Worcester-based Tropical Inc will be showing off some incredible creatures at Mini-Beasts Weekend, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday (April 21-22). The Mini-Beasts shows are part of the Garden’s ‘Month in the Mediterranean’, which focuses on the Mediterranean plant collection in Lord Foster’s Great Glasshouse – which is at its best in April and May.

Hywel Dda Health Board | Appointment and Re-Appointment of Board Members to Local Health Boards and NHS Trusts Health Minister Lesley Griffiths has announced the appointment and re-appointment of board members to Local Health Boards and NHS Trusts. They include - Hywel Dda LHB Independent Member: Eifion Griffiths.

Missing man: Simon Andrew Jones | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys Dyfed-Powys Police is concerned for the welfare of a 24-year-old male who has been missing since Monday 9 April 2012. Simon Andrew Jones, who is from Llandysul area, was last seen in the early hours of Monday morning (01:10hrs) in Lip Licking chicken takeaway on Pier street Aberystwyth.

Smashing picture story in the Llanelli Star - Llanelli Rotary Club award Paul Harris Fellowship to rugby legend Derek Quinnell. Nice story about the junior open golf tournament at The Ashburnham golf club in the Llanelli Star today. Splendid picture story in the Llanelli Star about Llanelli Rotary Club giving a Paul Harris Fellowship to Angela Saunders (Stradey Park Hotel). Review of Handel's Messiah in the Llanelli Star following performance by 'Three Choirs' including Llanelli's Cor Baroc. Nice piece in the Llanelli Star today about Cor Meibion Llanelli wining praise from the Mayor of the London Borough of Richmond. Smashing spotlight in the South Wales Evening Post on movie star Michael Sheen helping the Healing The Wounds Welsh PTSD charity. Nice story in the Carmarthen Journal about Stagecoach Theatre Arts in Carmarthen expanding to cope with demand with new afternoon classes. The latest 'View from Richmond Park' Carmarthen Town AFC column is in the Carmart...

Hollywood A list actor Michael Sheen has fulfilled a long-standing promise to Healing The Wounds, the Welsh charity which helps treat PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). The actor pledged to get first-hand experience of the charity’s work when he agreed to become a patron of Healing The Wounds. Today, he attended one of the charity’s treatment courses held at the Parc y Scarlets rugby stadium in Llanelli. Healing the Wounds founder and executive director Kevin Richards said: “We have been very fortunate to have Michael as a patron of the charity and feel privileged that a Welsh actor, whose roots are in Port Talbot, has taken such a genuine interest in the charity and the plight of our veterans suffering post traumatic stress disorder. “Michael has requested that he be kept up to date on the charity’s progress toward its quest to acquire a short-term residential treatment facility in Wales to enable the continued support of our veterans and their families.” Mr Richards added: “...

Concern for missing teenager – Jasmin Bouchami | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys Police officers in Powys are concerned for the welfare of 16 year old Jasmin Bouchami. She was last seen on the evening of 4th of April 2012 at her temporary address in Buttington, Welshpool, Powys.

It’s Spring Festival time at Evan-Evans Brewery pubs across Wales.  The award-winning brewery’s festival runs until April 15. “The Easter break gives everyone a chance to sample our prize-winning beers,” said Evan-Evans Brewery Group Chief Executive Simon Buckley. “We have pubs in Cardiff, Llandeilo, Brecon and Maentwrog in North Wales. “They all pride themselves on serving quality real ales in a great atmosphere. “During our Spring Festival, there will be entertainment at the pubs, together with special promotions. “Our regular favourites – the award-winning Cwrw and our Warrior beer – will be joined on the bar by some seasonal special ales. “They will include our new Easter Ale. “The Evan-Evans Easter Ale is 4.2% ABV (what we call a Premium Bitter). “It is a richly coloured beer, distinct and malty, with a fruit palate and slightly floral hop. “This is a great spring beer and just right for Easter.” The beer will sit alongside other seasonal spring ales in the Evan-Evans port...

skidmore's island: FAINT DAVIDS DAY I may have mentioned that I once fell asleep in the middle of an interview for a Radio 4 series. Ian Skidmore on form again as he explains interviewing technique!

It was billed as the best job opportunity ever - Official Beer Taster! And it came as no surprise to bosses at the award-winning Evan-Evans Brewery that applications flooded in. The lucky winners of ‘taster’ jobs with Evan-Evans have now been chosen and the brewery has pulled the shutter down on applications. “The response was massive,” said Simon Buckley, chief executive of the Evan-Evans Brewery Group. “We know that our beers are hugely popular and that they have a very local ‘fan club’, but we were overwhelmed with the response. “The quality of the response was such that we revised our earlier views and extended the number of people we admitted to the ‘taster’ project from 30 to 57. “We now have 57 ‘tasters’ on board at Evan-Evans and we have just announced that we will be holding two tasting weekends in Cardiff on May 7 and 14.” The beer tasters will be responsible for helping shape the company’s new beer brands in 2012. Mr Buckley added: “This is a landmark year for us at Evan-E...

Pembrey library and school are already next door neighbours but they have now become even closer. The relationship between the school and the library has always been good with classes making regular visits to borrow books and make use of the IT facilities. The children also utilise the service outside of school hours for their homework and leisure reading. Now the room occupied by the school library is needed for teaching. But rather than lose the library space for the children by spreading books around the classrooms the school and the county library service are joining forces. The school’s books have been relocated to the public library and have been merged with the existing stock to make one joint collection. Regional Library Manager, Mark Jewell said: “We feel that the pupils will benefit from this change as they will have access to a wider range of titles. The resources will be available to them after school and during the holidays, as well as when they come to the library a...

Pupils at a Kidwelly school are going green. Ysgol Gwenllian held an ‘eco week’ before the Easter holidays. Pupils carried out a litter-pick of the park; they made a special trip to the recycling banks to recycle their rubbish; and they had a visit from the council’s eco-friendly elephant Eco Eli. Council education and awareness officers also went along to the school to speak to the children about why it’s important to reduce our waste and reuse/recycle as much as possible. They were also shown a series of animated films on what happens to our rubbish once it’s picked up from our homes – from plastic bottles to food and garden waste. Headteacher Gareth James said: “The eco week has been a real success. It has raised awareness of key environmental issues, and the need to live more sustainably. The pupils, staff and friends of the school are keen to achieve Green Flag status before the year is out.” Ysgol Gwenllian is working towards achieving a Green Flag under the Eco Schools pr...

Llanelli’s first under-18s music venue and coffee bar has received almost £4,500 from the Carmarthenshire Community Safety Partnership (CSP). The Vestry in Cowell Street is an alcohol free, live music venue for 11 to 18 year-olds giving them somewhere safe to hang out. Run by a group of volunteers, the project has been funded by the Presbyterian Church of Wales, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Community Fund and County Collaboration Fund and CAVS Community Development Fund. The CSP grant will now be used to improve security at the venue, for example, the installation of CCTV, and will allow it to open on Saturday evenings as well as Saturday afternoons. Susan Hughes, Chair of the Presby and Children Youth Scene (PCYS), said: “We are very grateful to the Community Safety Partnership for this grant as it will help us to improve security and pay for a doorman to be employed on Saturday evenings. We have received a lot of support from the police and they advised us to have a doorman if...

Police and Carmarthenshire Council are to crack down on naturists at Cefn Sidan, Pembrey. Although signs at the entrance to the Blue Flag beach and literature given out at Pembrey Country Park clearly state “Nudity is NOT permitted,” websites and social media opportunities have been promoting the beach to naturists. More than 40 nudists have been seen at one time - men and women - getting an all over tan in the recent scorching weather on the beach. Many have been frolicking and cooling off in wreck pools in view of and upsetting families walking and cycling on the hard sands. After complaints from the public in the run up to Easter the message from the council and the police is that naturists will not be tolerated. County parks manager Neil Perry said: “The Council’s position towards Naturism on Cefn Sidan has not changed since 1998. “We do not encourage nudism on the Council owned beach and to that end we have ‘Nudity is NOT permitted’ text on the beach section of the map on our main...

Young people’s efforts and developments were recognised at the Engage Project celebratory event at Ffos Las, Trimsaran. A total of 150 Engage participants between the ages of 14 and 19 participated in a range of interactive workshops during the day; workshops were delivered by Coleg Sir Gar, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Youth Service, Menter Bro Dinefwr, CAVS, Menter Cwm Gwendraeth, Llanelli Centre Project and the Youth Offending Prevention Service. Young people had taster sessions on multi media, volunteering, the dangers of substance misuse, how to build your own future, team building, a fashion show based on recycled material and bike maintenance. Some 80 members of staff also attended the event and took part in the workshops; staff included youth officers from Carmarthenshire County Council, Coleg Sir Gar, Neath Port Talbot CBC, Pembrokeshire, Neath PortTalbot College, Gower College, Careers Wales West, Adult Community Learning, Llanelli Rural Council, the Basic Skills Ser...

Llanelli's Eifion Thomas was featured in the Western Mail's My Cultural Weekend column yesterday. Here is what he had to say . . .  As any musical director knows, there is a balance between what you would like to happen and what actually happens. So it is with a cultural weekend . . . One Saturday morning you are busy putting together Handel’s Messiah with three choirs - Côr Baroc Llanelli, Llandudno’s Côr Cymysg Dyffryn Conwy and Côr Glandulais from Pontarddulais. The next Saturday, you find you have a free weekend and you wonder what to do with it . . . Weekends are rarely ‘free’. In fact, last night (Friday) I was busy immersing myself in our rich Welsh musical heritage by performing at a Gymanfa Ganu at Grove Place Chapel in Port Talbot. Rest and relaxation on Saturday starts with a stroll around Parc Howard in Llanelli, a short walk from my front door. The historic park mansion house contains a museum which may be Llanelli’s best-kept secret. Check out the harmonium wi...

Staff and volunteers at Llandeilo’s Maes Elfryn Sheltered Housing Scheme are celebrating their new refurbished kitchen. New units and worktops, flooring and electrical sockets are amongst the new fixtures installed at the scheme as part of the Carmarthenshire Homes Standard, a £203million programme led by the council to improve its housing stock. Among those that make use of the kitchen are staff and volunteers of the WRVS, which runs a luncheon club at the scheme for older people living in the Llandeilo area. Steffano Rezebeck, Sheltered Scheme Officer, said: “The new kitchen is great and has really made a difference.” Carmarthenshire County Council operates several Sheltered Schemes across the county, providing a mixture of self-contained bungalows and flats for tenants aged over 60. Each scheme benefits from a communal area where tenants can enjoy shared meals and entertainment should they choose. Every scheme is also staffed by a Sheltered Scheme Officer who provides support fo...

Gala Dinner tickets on sale | The National Botanic Garden of Wales Tickets for the popular West Wales Food Festival ‘Gala Dinner’ are now on sale. The dinner, on Sunday May 13, is the climax of the two-day festival and offers food fans a unique chance to enjoy a four-course meal cooked by some of Wales’ top chefs. It begins with a ‘champagne and canapes’ reception in the Great Glasshouse, followed by dinner. This year, the chefs taking part in cooking the courses for the Gala Dinner are Stephen Terry and Ludovic ‘Ludo’ Dieumegard. Other chefs demonstrating their skills at the Festival over the weekend (May 12-13) are Bryn Williams, Dudley Newbury and Angela Gray.

Rose’s mural message takes root | The National Botanic Garden of Wales The work of  climate change champion Rose Stevens is going on show at the National Botanic Garden of Wales at Llanarthne, near Carmarthen. During her year as a ‘green’ champion, the former Cardiff Cathedral School pupil created a colourful mural encouraging everyone to contribute towards a brighter, ‘greener’ future.

Pirates, plague and plants for health | The National Botanic Garden of Wales Visitors to the National Botanic Garden of Wales at Llanarthne, near Carmarthen, will be transported back in time 400 years this Easter. Actors from Chance Encounters Theatre will tell the story of the spice-trading Middleton family who moved to the land where the Garden now stands in the early 1600s. In ‘Pirates, Plague and Plants for Health’, visitors will take an interactive trail where they will meet sailors, servants and wise-women who will help them find out how the Middleton’s made their fortune and how they tried to avoid getting the plague.

Hywel Dda Health Board | Public Health Wales finalist in NHS Wales Awards 2012 Public Health Wales is celebrating after being selected as a finalist in the NHS Wales Awards 2012. The annual Awards showcase new and innovative work that is improving patient care across Wales and the winners will be announced in a ceremony on July 4. Public Health Wales’s work with partners to develop a weight management programme in Bridgend has been shortlisted in the Promoting Better Health and Avoiding Disease category.

Hywel Dda Health Board | Securing the finances to deliver highest quality healthcare Hywel Dda Health Board has succeeded in reaching a break-even position at the end of the financial year. At the same time, clinical care has been of the highest quality, with the Board reaching or exceeding the vast majority of clinical performance targets, bosses say. HDHB Chairman Chris Martin, and Chief Executive Trevor Purt announced the news and thanked staff for their continued hard work and dedication towards patient care at the latest Health Board meeting.

Hywel Dda Health Board | Case for change leaflet and DVD Hywel Dda Health Board has been informed that one of companies hired to coordinate delivery of the 'case for change' leaflet and DVD has ceased to trade pending administration. Link Direct Ltd was employed to organise the leaflet distribution across the area and this included through Royal Mail and an independent leaflet distribution company.  The Health Board has received assurances from Royal Mail that 81,000 leaflets in mainly rural areas have been delivered. Prior to cease of trading, Link Direct also confirmed that around 50,000 leaflets were on course to be delivered in more urban areas.

Record drug seizures take drugs off Llanelli’s streets. | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys Significant drug seizures in Llanelli have seen more Class A drugs than ever before taken off the streets, making it harder for suppliers and their customers. Over the last12 months, Dyfed Powys Police’s Carmarthenshire priority policing team’s detectives have been relentlessly targeting known drug suppliers. Their efforts have resulted in substantial drug seizures and many offenders brought to justice for their actions. “The figures we’ve seen over the past twelve months are testament to the hard work and dedication of the officers working in the priority policing team”, said Detective Inspector Gary Phillips.

CCTV released of people police wish to trace following robbery | Dyfed Powys Police | Heddlu Dyfed Powys : Police are continuing to trace two people seen in the vicinity of a robbery in Ammanford which happened in the early hours of Sunday 1st April. CCTV images of the pair have been obtained, and police are now circulating them in the hope they will come forward.