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

Whilst thousands of people are limbering up for the  Swansea Memory Walk in aid of the  Alzheimer’s Society , a team from Pontyberem’s Nantyglo Sheltered Scheme are checking their walking sticks and zimmer frames are in good shape as they prepare to take it on themselves. The ‘Nantyglo Warriors’ are determined to complete the full 2km walk with the assistance of their walking aids, putting on a united front against the disease. Amongst them is Malcolm Hammond, who at age 83 is the oldest member of the team. He said: “I am a sufferer of this disease and I’m doing this walk to help fund a cure – it might not come in my lifetime but something needs to be done to help others.” The tenants of Nantyglo, a sheltered scheme run by Carmarthenshire County Council, regularly support charities and agreed at this year’s annual general meeting that they would support the Alzheimer’s Society as each of them have known someone close who has suffered the cruel disease. One of the tenants, ...

The latest Clay Shaw Butler Money Matters column from the Carmarthenshire Herald. By Mark Jones, director of Carmarthen-based Clay Shaw Butler chartered accountants and business consultants. Whisper it, but have you noticed that the price of fuel has been coming down? We are not quite at the magic £1 a litre mark, but we are seeing some benefits – and there are some big bonuses for diesel drivers! Here’s a table on the average cost of fuel for petrol, diesel, super unleaded and lpg gas based on the Carmarthenshire postcode area SA31.                   Unleaded            Diesel          Super Unleaded         LPG Max             114.9              109.9                119.9                     62.9 Avg  ...

Past songsters who have travelled the world spreading the joy of Welsh choral singing will reunite in their home town of Llanelli for a historic and televised reunion. This Saturday (Sat 5 September) will see throngs of past choristers from Llanelli’s famous Hywel Girls’ Choir & Hywel Boy Singers will unite in the beautiful surroundings of Llanelli’s Stradey Castle. The giant chorus of Welsh singers are uniting from across the world for a unique and historic reunion performance – a reunion sadly catalysed by tragedy. Past-members of Wales’ famous children’s choir, Llanelli’s Hywel Girls’ Choir & Hywel Boy Singers, have been stirred into a giant reunion performance after the recent shock and tragedy which saw their founding conductor and pianist involved in a car crash within minutes of a standing ovation and leaving the concert stage. Conductor John Hywel was seriously injured in the crash and sadly his wife and pianist Jean Hywel was killed. The event is the inaugural ...

Aberglasney in Carmarthenshire is set to be an important part of this year’s national ‘Open Doors’ event by offering special tours of the upper floors of Aberglasney’s grade II* listed mansion, never before opened to the public. The fully restored ground floor of the mansion was opened in 2013 by award winning actor Damian Lewis and is open daily. The unrestored upstairs rooms are not usually accessible but on the weekend of Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th of September you’re invited to join expert historic guides on a series of special tours. These tours will give a unique insight into the history of what was once one of Carmarthenshire’s most important houses. Speaking ahead of the event Aberglasney’s Operations Manager, Simon Campbell-Davies said: “I’m delighted that we’re going to be able to open the upper floors of the mansion for this one weekend. This is a unique opportunity to see parts of the building that people are very inquisitive about out but never get to see for t...

A mother from the Llanelli area has been prosecuted for allowing her children to miss school. The mother pleaded guilty at Carmarthen Magistrates Court last Friday to two offences contrary to Section 444 of the Education Act 1996. The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council. The court was told the 14-year-old daughter only attended school 14 per cent of the time and the five-year-old son half the time. The local education authority made repeated efforts to get them to go to school. The mother was given a conditional discharge for twelve months and also ordered that she pay £54 costs and £15 victim surcharge. Executive board member for education and children Cllr Gareth Jones said: "We offer support to parents and look at all the alternatives before prosecuting. “It is important that children attend school regularly or they will quickly fall behind. If parents refuse to respond when we offer help then we will prosecute.”

A Llanelli man has been fined £300 by magistrates for failing to clean up after his dog. Kevin Hector Goddard, aged 49, of New Dock Road, was also ordered to pay £288 prosecution costs and a £30 victim surcharge. Goddard failed to attend Carmarthen Magistrates Court and the case against him was proven in absence. He was prosecuted by the council for an offence contrary to section three of the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996. The court heard that on January 22 earlier this year environmental enforcement officers were on patrol in New Dock Road when they witnessed a man failing to clean up after his dog. Goddard was issued with a fixed penalty notice for £75 for the offence but he did not pay it and was prosecuted in court as a result. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “ Dog fouling is not only extremely unpleasant but it can have serious health consequences. “We will not hesitate to take action against anyone who fails to clean up aft...

Hywel Dda University Health Board (UHB) is a joint full partner, representing the interests of local people, in a collaboration formed to modernise health, wealth and wellbeing of the whole of the south west Wales region. It joins Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University (ABMU) Health Board and Swansea University to form ARCH - A Regional Collaboration for Health – spanning six local authority areas from Ceredigion to Bridgend. Whilst still in the early days, ARCH is a world-class, visionary project, focused on keeping people healthy or better managing disease when they are ill. It aims to modernise health care system set up more than 50 years ago to better meet the needs of the current population. It will align business, research, academic and health sectors to promote research, training and skills, to deliver a vibrant health economy through investment and innovation and attract and retain a world class workforce. It will do this through regional planning for a population footprint of ...

Latest news from the 'Jazz in the Bar' team at Brecon -  Hope you had a great summer, including of course, selections from last month's Brecon Jazz Festival or the 'Major Swing' events! The club had three outstanding concerts and rave reviews, we're really pleased about these, and thank you lovely audience for supporting these, including also a recent concert in Ebbw Vale at the Beaufort theatre. Quotes from the reviews are below. We are also collecting feedback, so if you have any thoughts, please send them in (and thank you for those who've emailed already). Our concerts were: (1) Major Swing (from France) with Remi Harris and Ashley Long, (2) Martin Taylor (solo), (3) Deirdre Cartwright with Alison Rayner, Will Barnes, Tom Ollendorff and Greg Evans. September's jazz club is Tuesday 15 September, 8pm, the Mañana Collective - Latin rhythms (poster has details). Supper will be 6.30 at the Clarence Pub. RSVP. We'll pre-select from their m...

Calling all 'Old Boys' of the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Carmarthen. It's that time of year again - the annual reunion dinner for the Old Maridunians Association, former pupils of the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School for Boys in Carmarthen. The venue is the Ivy Bush Royal Hotel on Saturday 3rd October at 5.00 for 5.30pm. Dress code: Lounge suit or blazer. To attend, please email Ian Stone (stoneian@btinternet.com) or James Ward (james@jonesward.co.uk). The ticket price is £20. Cash or cheque to James Ward at Jones Ward Accountants, 103 Lammas Street, Carmarthen, SA31 3AP.  The guest speaker is Phillip Evans. Here is a pen picture in his own words . . . Attended the Gram from 1962/67 - head boy and 1st XV captain 1966/67,when the greatest achievements were getting the old outside toilet block knocked down to stop smoking and leading the team that stuffed Llanelli Gram with all their super stars, 3-0! After school, I did a degr...

A Gwendraeth Valley man has been fined £300 for leaving bags of glass on the ground at a recycling site. Joseph Edward Malcolm Smith, aged 19, of The Dingles, Cwmgwili, was seen by council environmental enforcement officers leaving three bags of glass next to the recycling banks in the Co-op car park in Cross Hands. He was issued with a fixed penalty notice for £75 for the offence, which happened on February 15 this year, but failed to pay it. Smith failed to attend Carmarthen Magistrates Court and the case against him was proven in his absence. He was prosecuted for an offence contrary to Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and was also ordered to pay £158 court costs and a £30 victim surcharge. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “Our recycling sites are important facilities for the local community and they need to be kept tidy but unfortunately some people are too lazy to use the recycling banks so just leave them on t...

Bro Myrddin in Carmarthen is set to become the first official Welsh Medium secondary school in Carmarthenshire. Carmarthenshire Council's executive board discussed the issue at its meeting this week and endorsed the proposal to proceed with the statutory consultation process. It means every subject apart from English, including science and maths, will be taught through the medium of Welsh. An informal consultation with pupils, governors, staff, parents and prospective parents has been completed and has shown support for the move. Traditionally, all lessons apart from maths and science are taught in Welsh, and figures now reveal that most pupils have already chosen to learn these subjects in Welsh also. From years seven to 12/13 a total of 43 pupils learn maths through the medium of English, compared to 723 in Welsh. In science, almost twice as many pupils are taught in Welsh than English, with 509 and 274 with numbers increasing year on year from 48/58 in years 12/13 to 107/30 in...

The leading Welsh farmshop at Cwmcerrig, near Gorslas, Carmarthenshire, has picked up another national award. The latest prize for Cwmcerrig Farmshop and Grill comes in the shape of a National Trust Fine Farm Produce Award. The award was for the following products stocked on the butcher's counter at Cwmcerrig -  Venison Steak Venison Red Wine and Onion Sausage Venison, Red Wine and Onion Burger They were first time wins for all products in the National Trust awards. The Venison sold by Cwmcerrig is reared on the nearby 800-acre Dinefwr Estate in Llandeilo, a property looked after by the National Trust. Will Watkins, whose family have farmed in the area since the 1950s and decided to open the shop in 2008, said: “We sell the Venison when it’s in season and it’s really popular. Particularly with people who have visited the estate and seen the deer running wild.” The shop has been selling Dinefwr Venison, sausages and burgers for the last five years. “The sausages and b...

Ammanford-based Lauryn Davey is making a major mark in the world of Welsh athletics. At just 16, she is the best all-round athlete of her age in Wales. She's chalking up Welsh championship victories and has been honoured by her club, the Carmarthen Harriers. Lauryn's been earmarked as a future international star, but knows the road to the big championships is difficult, demanding and expensive. Ammanford businessman and well-known comic entertainer Phil Evans has launched a campaign to get cash backers for Lauryn's athletics career. "Everyone in the area is hugely proud of her achievements in athletics to date," said Phil. "But we also want to see her go on and do bigger and better things. "Together with some friends, I am helping find ways of generating much-needed sponsorship cash for Lauryn. "She has massive potential to succeed on the international stage and I am sure a little bit of financial help will help to smooth her ...

The latest 'On Song' column (about the choral scene in and around Llanelli) from the Llanelli Star newspaper - It’s going to be a busy autumn for Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir. On September 29, the choir will be hosting a visit from the Vancouver Orpheus Male Voice Choir. But, before that, Côr Meibion Llanelli will be taking part in a very special 'Cariad' night of entertainment planned for Llanelli on Friday (September 4). The Selwyn Samuel Centre in Llanelli will be the venue for a night to help raise the awareness and importance of defibrillators. The concert will feature Brit and Mobo award winner Lemar. Also appearing with be top tenor Wynne Evans. Tickets can be pre-purchased at £25.00 from Anyone Waiting, Halfway Hotel, Llanelli, 01554 773571 (card payments welcome). All proceeds from the show go towards providing more Zoll AED Plus defibrillators and basic life support training to schools and communities across Wales. This event will be publicised across...

Dr Brian Campbell has been appointed to the role of Chair of the Bronglais Hospital Innovation Sub Group for Hywel Dda University Health Board (UHB) in the Mid Wales Collaborative, which was established to take forward the changes highlighed in the independent study into the future provision of health services in the region. The study by the Welsh Institute of Health and Social Care (WIHSC) at the University of South Wales, led by Professor Marcus Longley, spent nine months listening to the views of patients, the public and NHS staff across Mid Wales. Following its publication, the Welsh NHS organisations providing services in Mid Wales have set up the Mid Wales Healthcare Collaborative to bring about changes set out in the report, including a focus on Bronglais Hospital to identify new models of care to meet the needs of our local population, as well new opportunities for staff and addressing recruitment and retention challenges. As Chair of the Bronglais Hospital Innovation Group, Dr...

Former Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer MP (pictured above) is to speak at a Labour Party constituency fundraiser in Llanelli. The dinner will also act as a 'Welcome Campaign Dinner' for Labour's new candidate for the Welsh Assembly elections. The constituency party is currently going through the selection process and will be announcing the new AM candidate before the Keir Starmer dinner. The night will consist of dinner followed by Keir's speech and a question & answer session. The date is Thursday 1st October at 7pm and the venue is the Ashburnham Hotel, Pembrey, SA16 0TH. Tickets - £18 per person payable at time of booking by cash or cheque £14 for students/children. Dress code - smart but not black tie Contact Suzy Curry for further details or to book 0756 1566 456 or 01554 757511 or email  suzycurry@btconnect.com If you have already booked can you please send a cheque for the correct amount made out to Llanelli Labour Party to: C/O Suzy Cur...

The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post. Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy. www.philevans.co.uk -------------------- Is this hard to believe? Are you ever shocked by things you read in the ‘papers or see on the TV news? I mean, really shocked to such an extent that you find it hard to believe them? Such as the news that Katie Price (formerly known as Jordan – that name takes you back, doesn’t it?) is publishing her fifth autobiography at the advanced age of 37! Apparently this latest volume of her memoirs moves her life story on quite a bit, dealing with how she fearlessly confronted one of the most traumatic events in her life. Sitting her GCSEs. To be fair, Katie’s quite upfront (You’re making-up your own jokes now!). She doesn’t actually write her books....and can’t be bothered to read them! An attitude millions of us can relate to. I read acres of newsprint every day and sit through the same rol...

Members of Llanelli Rotary Club will be in the St Elli Centre, Llanelli, on Saturday, September 12 as part of the club's annual Back Pack Appeal for schoolchildren in Africa. Members of the public are being asked to donate old back packs or satchels (together with any other school kit) to the appeal. Llanelly House and the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli will be acting as collection points for the appeal from September 11-19. Llanelli Rotary President Sue Roberts said:" Very often the children we support don’t have even basic things like pens and notepads to allow them to make the most of their education. You can help solve this problem by filling an old school bag or backpack with some everyday educational items. "All help for the appeal is gratefully received."

An Amman Valley woman has been fined £200 by magistrates after she was caught dropping a cigarette end on the ground. Michaela Jackson Griffiths, aged 39, of Heol Felen, Garnant, was also ordered to pay £200 prosecution costs and a £25 victim surcharge. Griffiths failed to attend Carmarthen Magistrates Court and the offence contrary to Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 was proved in her absence. The court heard that on March 5 earlier this year she was caught by council environmental enforcement officers dropping a cigarette end in Lloyd Street, Ammanford. Griffiths was issued with a fixed penalty notice for £75 for the litter offence but she failed to pay it. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “We are determined to clean up the county and will take action against anyone who is caught dropping any type of litter. “Cigarette ends in particular are a nuisance as not only do they look terrible but they are difficult and ...

Carmarthenshire's executive board is calling for a court presence to be kept in Carmarthen. It follows a meeting today where members discussed the proposal by the Ministry of Justice to close both courts in the town. The plan is to shut both the Carmarthen Law Courts at the Guildhall and the civil, family, tribunal and probate hearing centre at Hill House. Figures show that usage of the Guildhall is low and Hill House operates at a capacity of around 51%. The proposal is to transfer the court business to either Swansea, Haverfordwest or Aberystwyth. The Ministry of Justice has included predicted travel times within its consultation document. However, Carmarthenshire’s executive board has questioned the accuracy of the figures which they say underestimate travel times from rural areas, and do not take into account frequency of buses or other modes of public transport. Council Leader Cllr Emlyn Dole said the board’s concern was that it would be very difficult for many people living...

This National Transplant Week (7-13 September), the Penparcau Organ Donor Memorial Garden in Aberystwyth is holding a coffee morning on Sunday 6 September (between 10am and 2pm) to help support NHS Blood and Transplant in its efforts to get the whole nation talking about organ donation and the importance of sharing decisions on being an organ donor with family and close friends. The Garden, which marked its first anniversary in July, is inviting everyone to come along to show support towards organ donors and their families during National Transplant Week. The event will also give an opportunity to find out more about organ donation, including the important legislation changes coming into force in Wales on 1 December 2015. Under the new law, unless you have registered a decision not to be a donor, you will be regarded as having no objection to donation, so it’s vitally important that we all talk to our families and friends now about our own wishes. You will also have a chance to meet H...

Residents in Ammanford are being urged to take up the challenge to recycle at least one more item from around the home. The council’s recycling team will be in Quay Street in the town centre on Friday, September 11 between 10am and 3pm to encourage people to recycle as much as possible, and not just in the kitchen. They will be able to answer any general recycling questions and will have information leaflets as well as blue bags and replacement food bins for those that need them. Executive Board Member for Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “Most people regularly recycle items like plastic milk bottles and glass jars, but it’s just as easy to recycle many other items from the bathroom, living room and even the bedroom. “Empty aerosol cans, plastic coat hangers, toilet roll tubes, toothpaste boxes, shampoo/shower gel bottles, bottle tops, receipts and envelopes can all be recycled in your blue bag.” Figures show that approximately 60% of rubbish in Carmarthenshire is being recycled, b...

Residents across Carmarthenshire are being urged to join in a nationwide clean-up campaign. Keep Wales Tidy (KWT) is asking everyone to Be involved, Be proud and Be Tidy this September and help clean up Wales. The council is supporting the campaign which gives people of all ages the opportunity to volunteer and get together to spruce up their local community. To get involved register on the Keep Wales Tidy website to receive a free Be Tidy pack full of helpful information, contacts and resources. The council will provide free clean-up kits on loan which includes litter-pickers, bags and gloves as part of the Pride In your Patch project, a joint initiative between the council’s Housing Services and the Environment department. Originally designed to involve housing tenants in improvement works on their gardens and outdoor spaces, Pride In Your Patch has since evolved to include all residents in Carmarthenshire and to promote all kinds of community activities from shared allotments to...

Attendance figures across Carmarthenshire have improved with schools reporting an all time high of 94.1%. Parents and carers are being thanked for their co-operation in helping the county achieve the figures, which are well above the Welsh average of 93.8%. It comes as new Welsh Government data shows that the number of pupils being absent from secondary schools across Wales is at the lowest level ever recorded. Education Minister Huw Lewis has welcomed the falling rate as excellent news. Carmarthenshire Council's education executive board member Cllr Gareth Jones said: “Improving attendance has been a key priority for Carmarthenshire and further improvement in attendance rates has been realised with our schools achieving an all time high of 94.1%which is well above the Welsh average of 93.8%. “Authorised absence has improved and our unauthorised absence rate is still one of the best in Wales. “This is primarily due to co-operation from parents and carers, the diligence of schools...

Latest special offers from the Jenkins Bakery - WEEK COMMENCING August 31, 2015 3 Medium Corned Beef Pasties, £1.70 2 Large Corned Beef Pasties, £2.00 4 Medium Sausage Rolls, £1.85 2 Strawberry Manchester Tarts, £1.80 Sandwich Of The Week, Salmon and Cucumber, £2.15 Rustic Baguette Of The Week, Chicken and Bacon, £2.45 Filled Softie Of The Week, Turkey and Stuffing, £2.25 Website - http://jenkinsbakery.co.uk/