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

They’ve been a hit on TV and now they are storming the cultural fortress that is the National Eisteddfod for the second year in a row. Armed only with large quantities of the medicine called laughter and well-rehearsed comic timing, the mini rugby team of Welsh comics will be performing at the Denbighshire and District National Eisteddfod on Wednesday (August 7). Led by Daniel Glyn (top), Gary Slaymaker (second from top) and Phil Evans (above), the comedians were let loose in the Eisteddfod Pavilion at the 2012 Vale of Glamorgan National Eisteddfod. “That gala night, called ‘Gala Comedi’ turned out to be a big hit,” said Ammanford-based funnyman Phil Evans. “The evening has since been screened twice on S4C and the public reaction has been great. “It was brave move by the Eisteddfod organisers to put us on in the hallowed arena of the Eisteddfod pavilion, but it worked a treat. “Now, we are delighted that we have been invited back to stage a brand new comedy night in Denbigh....

Three of Wales’s leading links courses - Ashburnham Golf Club, Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club and Southerndown Golf Club – have been announced as host venues for the Monday Qualifying event prior to The 2014 Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex, which takes place at Royal Porthcawl from July 24-27. After a record number of entrants in 2013, it is expected that more than 300 golfers will participate in the qualifying event on Monday July 21 hoping to earn a place in Wales’ first Major Championship. They will be vying for approximately about 30 spots in the field for The Senior Open Championship and the chance to play alongside some of the game’s all-time greats, such as 2012 champion Fred Couples, Bernhard Langer and home favourite Ian Woosnam. Ashburnham Golf Club celebrated its centenary in 1994 by hosting the Amateur Home Internationals. Previously it hosted the PGA Championship in 1959, won by Dai Rees, and again 10 years later when Bernard Gallacher triumphed. Another Ryder Cup...

A new bursary fund has been announced to help businesses across Wales enhance their computational skills. The fund, made available by High Performance Computing (HPC) Wales, will boost the skills and experience of graduates and professionals, while providing expert computing support to businesses. The new bursary scheme will enable business professionals in North, West Wales and the Valleys - otherwise known as Convergence areas in Wales - who wish to build skills in the area of advanced computation, to benefit from up to four weeks’ training. It will also part-fund 10-week work placements with additional training, some in conjunction with Go Wales. These placements will enable businesses to select graduates to suit their business needs and benefit from specialist knowledge, while graduates work towards obtaining a professional qualification, gaining valuable business skills and experience. Typical training includes an introduction to supercomputing, OpenMP (a standard for writing pa...

The Big Knit is 10 years young! For a decade, budding milliners up and down the country have been supporting Age Cymru and innocent’s Big Knit by knitting funky little hats as part of the charity’s Spread the Warmth campaign. This year Age Cymru Sir Gâr is calling on nimble-fingered knitters in Carmarthenshire to whip out their wool and needles and help create little woolly hats. Knitters are being asked to flex their creative muscles and knit little woolly hats which will adorn innocent smoothie bottles in stores nationwide from November. For each be-hatted smoothie sold, innocent will give a donation to the Spread the Warmth campaign, helping to fund national and local winter projects. Age Cymru Sir Gâr has been tasked with knitting 400 hats by end September 2013 and needs knitters of all ages to help make this a reality. Ann Dymock Chief Officer at Age Cymru Sir Gâr said: “People in Carmarthenshire have been supporting The Big Knit for a number of years now showing they c...

Healthy Wednesday advice from the Hywel Dda Health Board -  This Healthy Wednesday we are reminding mums about our breastfeeding buddies. World Breastfeeding Week starts tomorrow and aims to draw attention to the importance of Peer Support in helping mothers to establish and sustain breastfeeding. At all our maternity units in Hywel Dda Health Board we have volunteer breastfeeding buddies to help new mums. All of the volunteers on the ‘buddy’ scheme are mums themselves and the scheme is particularly designed for new mothers so the volunteers can share their experiences and offer reassuring support. Rachel Allan, from Freshwater East, benefited from peer support when she had her baby Jack. She said: ”I had a great deal of support to help me breastfeed from the arrival of my first baby Jack. “When in hospital the volunteer came to offer advice, just when I happened to be feeding. “She was really encouraging and in order to explain fully about latching on she used a knitted wool...

Nia Greville clinched the Welsh Girls golf title to round off a perfect week which included qualifying for the stages as the No1 seed. The 17-year-old from Ashburnham Golf Club, Pembrey, played well all week in Caernarfon and managed to maintain her strokeplay form through the matchplay stages, beating Huddersfield’s Megan Lockett 2 and 1 in the final. Ysgol y Strade, Llanelli, schoolgirl Greville was delighted to win the title in her last year before moving up to the Ladies and was also delighted to be picked in the Wales Girls team for the Home Internationals in St Anne’s next month. Greville beat Rebecca Ogden from Rhuddlan in the semi-final, while Lockett came through against Jordan Ryan of Newport at that stage. “It was fabulous to win, I was delighted to keep my cool and hold my nerve to carry on playing well,” said Greville. “I played well in the strokeplay section but the matchplay stage is different. Winning the strokeplay can seem a bit like winning the Par 3 contest a...

The 5th Carmarthen Scout Group spent Community Week beavering away placing bird and bug boxes in the grounds of Glangwili Hospital. The beavers placed the bug boxes in hedges and bushes around the hospital, and the cubs hung a range of bird boxes in trees on the site. The boxes were built by the cubs and beavers during a family camp in St Bride's, Pembrokeshire. Paul Williams, Head of Property Performance for Hywel Dda Health Board, said: “The Health Board is keen to support such community initiatives as they contribute greatly to our biodiversity plans. “The beavers and cubs had a wonderful time making the bird and bug boxes, and we hope the birds and insects will enjoy their new homes.”

On Thursday, August 8 at 12 noon, the St Davids Diocese Mothers' Union is holding a Service of Commemoration for stillborn and miscarried babies at St David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire. Brenda Evans, president of the St Davids Mothers' Union, said “The arrival of a new baby brings with it great joy and hope for the future. "Sadly, in some cases these hopes are dashed before they come to fruition and families are left grieving for a baby who would have been much loved. "Before the Mothers' Union decided to hold this service, there was no means of recognising this tragic loss publicly. "I hope this service will be a help to grieving parents and bring families together in remembering their little one.” This service is open to everyone and all are welcome to attend. There will be an exhibition mounted by the Mothers' Union at St David's Cathedral from 5 – 30 August and this will be open to all visitors to the Cathedral.

Haverfordwest Healthcare Centre in Pembrokeshire is being temporarily closed to the public for essential maintenance. The healthcare centre in Winch Lane will be closed from Wednesday 7 August and the planned re-opening is Wednesday 5 September 2013. The services relocating includes nutrition and dietetics, community dental, podiatry, sexual health, Parkinson's Disease nurse, cardiac rehab and Macmillan nurses however they will retain their existing telephone numbers. When re-opened the Hywel Dda Health Board healthcare centre will see an improvement in facilities such as an extra clinical treatment room. David Morrisey, assistant general manager for community health and social care, said: “We have tried to ensure that disruption to patients is kept to a minimum and we appreciate their co-operation. The essential maintenance will result in better facilities for patients."

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