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

Côr Meibion Llanelli continued their 50th anniversary celebrations with a special concert at Parliament in Westminster, London. The choristers were invited to sing before a select VIP audience by Llanelli MP Nia Griffith. The MP treated the choristers to a tour of Parliament before their concert. The event saw 17-year-old Ysgol y Strade pupil Osian Bowen make his performance debut with the choir. “It was an exceptional evening and an experience worthy of the choir’s 50th anniversary celebrations,” said choir chairman Mel Harries. “The experience of visiting Westminster and being so welcomed by a distinguished audience of peers, MPs and distinguished guests from the London Welsh Society will live long in the memory for choristers.” The choir and their distinguished musical director Eifion Thomas were officially welcomed to Parliament by Nia Griffith and Shadow Welsh Secretary Owen Smith MP. They were formally thanked for their concert by Baroness Jenny Randerson, junior ...

The team at Red Kite Law is all geared up for the launch of a new code of conduct for preparing wills. The new code for members of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) comes into force this month. It lays out a set of ethical principles that demonstrates openly the standard of transparency and service a client can expect from a STEP member preparing their will. “Preparing a will is one of those big ‘lifetime’ moments for our clients and it is essential that people get the correct advice and support through the process,” said Tim Haggar, a partner at Red Kite Law who is a full member of STEP. “Expert advice goes a long way in preparing a will and we are equipped with all the skills here at Red Kite Law to guide clients through the process in a manner which follows the most robust of ethical standards.” Mr Haggar (pictured above) is supported in his work with the Wills and Probate team at Red Kite Law by Mathew Bowen, who is currently a STEP ‘student’ member. The new...

Carmarthenshire County Council’s Executive Board have given their backing to proposals to promote the Welsh language from a cross party working group formed last year. The group was set up by the council after the 2011 census results were published showing that the number of Welsh speakers in the county had declined dramatically between the 2001 and 2011 census. Although there are still more Welsh speakers in Carmarthenshire than any other county in Wales, the decline in the number of Welsh speakers in the area was the biggest of any county in Wales during the decade between 2001 and 2011. The working group of nine councillors received evidence and comments from a wide cross section of people and organisations before agreeing on 73 recommendations covering education, planning, business, youth and community engagement. Chairperson of the working group, Cllr. Cefin Campbell said, “The future of the Welsh language is at a crossroad. The number of Welsh speakers in Carmarthenshire, and ...

Pembrokeshire-born Paul James has joined Red Kite Law as head of the Company and Commercial wing. Mr James previously worked for Eversheds in Cardiff and will be bringing his experience into play to help businesses of all shapes and sizes. Mr James’ clients at Red Kite Law include Ceredigion County Council, the giant Valero Pembroke refinery and a wide range of SMEs in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire. “I am very much a ‘can do’ lawyer,” said Mr James. “I enjoy learning how businesses tick and helping corporate clients achieve their aims and objectives. “The Company and Commercial wing of Red Kite Law is a very busy operation and I am enjoying applying my skills to the benefit of our commercial and corporate clients.” Red Kite Law partner David Sangster said he was delighted to welcome Mr James to the firm. “We are a very forward thinking business here at Red Kite Law. We care passionately about our local communities and it is great to have someone like Paul James on board. His loca...

Members of the ‘Performance Troupe’ from Stagecoach Theatre Arts Carmarthen are heading to the bright lights of London’s West End. The Carmarthen pupils have secured a place in a national Stagecoach extravaganza to be held in June at Her Majesty’s Theatre in the heart of the UK’s ‘Theatre-land’. Fellow pupils from Stagecoach Theatre Arts Haverfordwest have also secured a place at the extravaganza. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the pupils,” said Stagecoach school Principal Liane Davies. “Live shows give the youngsters a real chance to dazzle and show off their talents – and what better place for a live show than London’s West End? “Her Majesty’s Theatre is one of the premiere venues in the West End and has been home to the record-breaking Phantom of the Opera. “You can imagine what sort of a buzz the youngsters will get from working at such a prestigious venue.” The ‘set’ being prepared by the Carmarthen troupe includes a medley from the hit musical Wicked. The West End appe...

A team of pupils from Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn in Carmarthenshire made it to the semi finals of the Young Consumers of the Year Competition. They represented Carmarthenshire at the Welsh regional competition this week at Cardiff City Stadium but did not make it through to the finals. They represented Carmarthenshire and got to the semi final alongside teams from Bridgend, Torfaen, Powys, Monmouthshire, Ynys Mon, Flintshire, and Caerphilly. The team of four, Mark Ramsey, Liam Webb, Andrew Lemmon and Jack Davies, went with business studies teacher Dylan Williams, Carmarthenshire County Council executive board member for public protection Cllr Jim Jones, Lead Trading Standards Officer Huw Lloyd and Trading Standards Officer Kayleigh Phillips. The team enjoyed a tour of Cardiff City Stadium before the competition. The competition is organised nationally by the Trading Standards Institute and locally by the Carmarthenshire Trading Standards Services section. The council’s executive board memb...

The Jenkins Bakery has released details of its Easter range of products. "There's something for everyone to enjoy at Easter time," said the Jenkins Bakery's operations director Russell Jenkins. "Our staff always enjoy producing new ideas for Easter and I'm sure our customers will enjoy sampling the products we have on offer." Easter Sunday falls on April 20 this year. The long bank holiday weekend begins on Good Friday, April 18, and Easter Monday on April 21 is the final day in the bank holiday festivities. The Easter range includes - BUNNY KRISPIES £1.00 Our chocolate krispie confection with an edible sugar bunny and drizzled with white chocolate. EASTER FRUIT CAKE SLICE £1.10 Our delicious rich fruit cake with marzipan and ribbed rolled sugarpaste – a fruit cake lover’s delight! CHOCOLATE SPRING NEST £1.00 Moist chocolate swiss roll enrobed with chocolate and decorated with chocolate eggs in a nest of chocolate buttercream....

Christmas has come early for pupils at the Stagecoach Theatre Arts schools in Carmarthen and Haverfordwest. Some have just finished watching themselves taking part in the hit Sky1 TV series Stella. Some have been working on filming for the Christmas special for the popular comic tale of Valleys life. “It’s been a wonderful time for many of our students, being able to see themselves on national TV alongside such wonderful people such as Ruth Jones,” said Stagecoach school Principal Liane Davies. “And the fun just keeps on coming for the pupils as some of them are busy working on the Christmas special. “It seems very strange for them to be working on a Christmas show before we get to Easter, but such is the magic of television.” Liane added: “We are very lucky with our Stagecoach schools in that we have access to the national Stagecoach Agency, which is able to secure work and opportunities for our talented youngsters.” One pupil to benefit from working on the Stella show is Ffion G...

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