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

The latest 'On Song' column about the choral scene in and around Llanelli from the Llanelli Star -  Llanelli ladies choir Côr Curiad will be performing at a Gala Concert being organised by the Llanelli Masonic Festival Committee at Ffwrnes Theatre on Saturday, July 19. The evening will be compered by the hilarious TV comedian Owen Money and will also feature the award winning Burry Port Town Brass Band and the renowned National Eisteddfod winning soloist tenor Richard Allen. On the same night (July 19), over in Kidwelly, there will be a Trebor Edwards Gala Concert staged by Loud Applause Productions. The concert is being held at the Princess Gwenllian Centre, Kidwelly, with Theatrau Sir Gar selling tickets on behalf of Loud Applause Productions. Well known for his rendition of ‘Un Dydd ar y Tro’,Trebor Edwards is one of Wales’s famous lyrical tenors. Surprisingly, he has not performed in the area for a number of years. Trebor will be joined by the Kidwelly Festival Choir under ...

Latest 'Healthy Wednesday' advice from the Hywel Dda Health Board -  This Healthy Wednesday Here Comes the Sun – we hope! With the summer on the way this Healthy Wednesday we are highlighting the risks of skin cancer in the summer sun. A national public health campaign is running in all community pharmacies in Wales throughout May to raise awareness about the causes of skin cancer, how to recognise the symptoms and what steps people can take to reduce their risk. Skin cancer is now one of the most common types of cancer in people between the ages of 15 to 34. Early diagnosis has a big impact on skin cancer survival rates, but many people delay seeking advice if they are worried. During this month, pharmacies will engage with people who are at greater risk of getting skin cancer to advise them on the steps they can take to reduce their risk, like seeking shade in the middle of the day, and keeping sunscreen with a high SPF topped up. Tenovus, Wales' leading cancer charity, ...

Patients, visitors and staff across Hywel Dda University Health Board are being reminded to Clean their Hands. The World Health Organisation’s SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands Day on 5 May, 2014 is part of a major global effort to support healthcare workers to improve hand hygiene in healthcare. Sharon Evans, Senior Infection Prevention and Control Nurse for Hywel University Dda Health Board, said: “Proper hand washing with soap and warm water is the single most important thing you can do to help reduce the spread of infections and help protect you, your family and those around you. “Most healthcare associated infections are preventable through good hand hygiene and it can also protect you in the community as the most common way germs are spread is by people's hands. “When visiting a friend or relative in hospital or any environment where healthcare is provided, it is especially important to ensure you clean your hands by cleaning them with both soap and water and alcohol gel in order ...

Review: Pendyrus Male Choir, Lleisiau’r Cwm, Samuel Morris, Andrew Pike and other soloists at Loud Applause charity concert staged at Greenfield Chapel, Llanelli, to raise funds for a new ultrasound scanning machine to diagnose prostate cancer at Prince Philip Hospital. They came, they saw, they sung and they conquered. It takes a brave group of choristers to venture into the choral heartland of Llanelli, home to so many top class choirs. But the men of Pendyrus Male Choir have never shown faint heart. More the 70-strong and with a solid contingent of younger choristers (the envy of other male voice choirs), they were paying only their second visit to Llanelli. Celebrating 90 years of singing in the Rhondda, they have a new lease of life under talented musical director Stewart Roberts. From the opening bars of Llanfair, they set their stall out for a packed house at Greenfield Chapel. It was male voice singing at its very best, with a repertoire which displayed the choir’s stre...

Recent storms that hit Wales left the coastline in devastation and with summer just around the corner; Keep Wales Tidy (KWT) is searching for volunteers in Carmarthenshire and surrounding areas to help get our local beaches back to looking beautiful! The second annual Clean Coasts Week, sponsored by McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd, takes place from the 10th – 18th May 2014. Keep Wales Tidy along with McDonald’s restaurant staff, community groups, schools and businesses will take part in clean-up events across the country, after high winds and severe flooding battered our coasts and left some beaches unrecognisable. Cefn Sidan lost a large amount of sand dune, and all along the Carmarthenshire coast, damage was caused causing transportation issues and problems for wildlife. A huge amount of marine litter was also washed onto the beaches with the large swells. Daniel Snaith, KWT Carmarthenshire Project Officer said: “After last year’s successful Clean Coasts Week in Carmarthenshire, we are ...