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

Jenkins Bakery trainee Alex Cowell has enjoyed a master-class with one of TV's Fabulous Baker Brothers. Alex, 22, won her training day course at the Fabulous Baker Brothers' Hobbs House Bakery by being successful in a National Association of Master Bakers' bakery competition at the Bakers' and Butchers' Spring Fair at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern. "It was a great treat for Alex," said Jenkins Bakery operations director Russell Jenkins. "Not only did she receive the glory of winning a national prize, but she also won the chance to study with guys who are at the top of the profession." Alex won first in Malvern for her cupcakes. Alex said after attending her course at Hobbs House in The Cotswolds - "I really enjoyed myself on the course. It was a good experience and I learned loads of new things. I learned how to make different types of breads, including soda bread, and sour dough. It was also nice to meet Tom Herbert, one o...

Big Band Leader Willie Garnett is one of the UK's leading tenor and alto players and is an authority on all things saxophone. A jovial performer, his long and illustrious career spans the worlds of Jazz and Rock. Expect scorching readings of standards along with modernistic, populist original material when he plays at The Cawdor Hotel on Sunday July 7th accompanied by The John Gibbon Trio. It's all part of the Llandeilo Jazz Festival - July 5-7. Website -  http://www.jazzatllandeilo.co.uk/

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Staff at one of the best known family firms in South Wales have received recognition for their long service. The Jenkins Bakery rewards staff with more than 10 years service with an annual lunch at Llanelli's Stradey Park Hotel. This year's lunch saw more than 30 staff (some with more than 20 years' service with the business) attend the lunch, which was hosted by Jenkins Bakery Operations Director Russell Jenkins and Commercial Director David Jenkins. David Jenkins said: “We are a third-generation family business and we care passionately about what we do and the people who work in the business. We hold the Investors in People award and we take care in nurturing and developing staff to their full potential. We recognise staff loyalty and long service in a number of ways, including the annual lunch. “Our company history dates back to 1921, but we don’t plan on resting on our laurels. We have a proud tradition and reputation as a company, but we always have one eye on ...

Social entrepreneur Kevin Green was one of the keynote speakers at a major business conference in Carmarthen. The Burry Port businessman said he was delighted to get the opportunity to champion the business opportunities in Wales - and West Wales, in particular. The event was Spotlight West Wales 2013 and it was held at the Halliwell Centre at the University of Wales Trinity St David in Carmarthen. Spotlight West Wales was a one-day event designed to focus on the region’s achievements, identify new opportunities and offer a range of ways to boost business. This year’s theme was Creating Opportunities and the event was based on the highly successful Spotlight North Wales and Spotlight Mid Wales conferences. The aim of the day was to inspire, educate and bring businesses and organisations together to form positive working relationships in order to grow and prosper. The Welsh Government was the main sponsor and the event was made possible as a result of positive collaboration between...

Inspired to take up the sax after seeing Michael Brecker play at the age of 11, Llandeilo born Oliver Nezhati is a rising star on The London Jazz scene. It is a delight to welcome Oli back to his home town, where he will be accompanied by The Dave Cottle Trio - Saturday July 6th, 1.30 pm in the Cawdor Hotel Swansea Jazzland’s respected house trio has accompanied most of the UK’s leading performers and many international jazz artists over the past 15 years or so. It's all part of the Llandeilo Jazz Festival - July 5-7. Website - http://www.jazzatllandeilo.co.uk/

Hywel Dda Health Board is helping put the importance of a bilingual workforce on the UK map as it is shortlisted for a prestigious national human resources award. The Board has been shortlisted in the equality and diversity category at the Healthcare People Management Association (HPMA) Excellence in HR Management Awards 2013. The winner will be announced following an awards ceremony on Thursday 27 June. The short-listing recognises that Hywel Dda is the first Health Board in Wales to develop a bilingual skills strategy as part of its Welsh Language Scheme. Director of Human Resources Janet Wilkinson explained: “Both the human resources directorate and the health board’s welsh language have worked extremely hard to develop the bilingual skills strategy, to raise awareness of it, and to support its implementation. We are therefore delighted to be shortlisted in these prestigious UK awards. “This strategy will identify the language skills of the current workforce to ensure we have enough...

Tickets are now on sale for the second Llandeilo Jazz Festival, which takes place over the weekend of Friday July 5 to Sunday July 7. The cost of two weekend wristband passes is just £3. To ensure entrance to the festival, those wishing to attend should register online at www.jazzatllandeilo.co.uk The festival is presented by the award-winning Evan Evans Brewery of Llandeilo, who are donating funds to the music programme at Llandeilo’s two primary schools, both of which also appear as part of the community/street music entertainment which is open to all. The 2013 Festival After a succesful launch year, the festival has doubled in size and has 40 events on four stages across three venues in the heart of town - The Cawdor Hotel, The Angel and The White Horse Inn. The upbeat line up has a strong representation of the Welsh Jazz community and covers a wide jazz spectrum including Mainstream, Traditional, Big Band, Ragtime, Jazz Rock, Funk, Gypsy Jazz and Blues. The Festival includes...

  There's a big BeeGees Tribute Night at The Diplomat Hotel, Llanelli, on Friday, July 5. Tickets are limited and are only £7 The 3G’s are the star attraction. Here's a few comments – “soundalike perfection”, “as near as Dammit”, “is it real is it a CD – no it's the 3G’s”,“is that really Robin Gibb?” Three top South Wales Musicians come together to offer a new take on the band. Robin Gibb looks like Robin Gibb and after a few drinks the other two look like the other two! Book your tickets now on 01554 756156

The next meeting of the Rugby Business Network in Llanelli will be held on Tuesday 9th July 2013 The July meeting of Llanelli Rugby Business Network marks the second anniversary of this popular event and will again be held at the Scarlets Heart and Soul Café, Parc y Scarlets. The purpose of these meetings is to promote and enhance business in South West Wales and in particular the local area. The event is friendly and mainly informal and all attendees will be provided with the opportunity of introducing their business, the services they offer and the type of leads and introductions they are seeking, plus there will be ample opportunity for informal networking. The first speaker will be Amanda Russell (a regular attendee of RBN), who is employed as an accountant, at Clay Shaw Butler, Carmarthen. Amanda’s talk is on the theme of “Getting the Basics Right”. Her talk will include a summary of basic book keeping, how to interpret figures, vat registration and how to ke...

The Pembrokeshire branch of Headway, the brain injury association, is getting ready for a busy summer schedule. Top of the agenda will be a major Headway Wellness Day at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Llanarthne, near Carmarthen, in September. “We have been doing a lot of work to spreading the word about Headway, particularly since the national Brain Injury Awareness week earlier this year,” said Rebecca Proctor, the treasurer of the Pembrokeshire branch of Headway. “The association works as a registered charity and works very hard to raise awareness of what support is available to brain injury victims and their families. “It is estimated that across the UK there are around 500,000 people (aged 16 - 74) living with long term disabilities as a result of traumatic brain injury.” Some of the members of the Pembrokeshire branch of Headway attended the recent South and West Wales brain injury Conference in Swansea. The event included a number of excellent guest speakers and gave ...

The Evan-Evans Brewery flagship pub at The Cricketers in Cathedral Road, Cardiff, has been shortlisted in the National Tourism Awards for Wales. The pub has been picked in the 'Best place to eat (pub)' category. A record number of Welsh tourism businesses have entered this year’s National Tourism Awards for Wales, with 59 now shortlisted for the prestigious awards. More than 420 applications were made for the 19 National Tourism Award categories that will name the Best Place to Eat, the Best Place to Stay, the Best Visitor Experience and the Regional Tourism Awards, among others. The awards are staged by Visit Wales, in partnership with the Wales Tourism Alliance and in commercial partnership with Quadrant Media and Communications, to recognise and reward the very best in Welsh tourism. In total, there are 15 businesses short-listed from the Capital Region, which covers South East Wales, 12 from mid Wales, 16 from North Wales and 16 from South West Wales. The short-listed bu...

Latest special offers from the Jenkins Bakery - WEEK COMMENCING 17/06/13 3 MEDIUM CORNED BEEF PASTIES £1.60 4 CHICKEN & STUFFING PARCELS £1.70 2 LARGE CORNED BEEF PASTIES £1.90 2 EGG CUSTARD TARTS £1.10 2 STRAWBERRY MANCHESTER TARTS £1.70 SANDWICH OF THE WEEK – SWEET CHILLI CHICKEN £2.25 BAGUETTE OF THE WEEK – CHICKEN TIKKA £2.30 ROLLS OF THE WEEK – BROWN BAPS - PACK of 4 £1.00 LOAF OF THE WEEK – SMALL WHITE TIN £1.05 SPECIALITY LOAF *weekend only* – RUSTIC BROWN BREAD £1.15 LOAF CAKE OF THE WEEK – LEMON MADEIRA *special price* £1.20 Website - http://jenkinsbakery.co.uk/