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

A Carmarthen bowls committee has taken over the day to day running of its club. Bro Myrddin Bowls Club is now being managed by a board of trustees as part of Carmarthenshire County Council’s Community Asset Transfer scheme. The board, made up of seven bowls members, secured the 25-year lease following a handover this week. Community Asset Transfer (CAT) is the transfer of land or buildings from the Council to the management of a local organisation. This transfer is typically arranged via a long lease with the organisation responsible for the running and management of the asset and all associated costs. Trustees’ chairman, Arthur Collinge said: "This is a wonderful occasion, something we have been working towards for two years and it’s a win-win situation for both the council and the Indoor Bowls Committee. Already we’re taking steps for greater use of the facility and have introduced a bingo club which is proving successful. We want as many people as possible to use this magnifi...

There is still time to give your views on new orders drawn up to tackle dog fouling and the control of dogs in public places in Carmarthenshire. Residents and stakeholders are being urged to please visit the Carmarthenshire Council  website and fill in the survey to tell us what they think. The orders include cleaning up after your dog on all public land in the county, putting your dog on a lead when directed to do so by an authorised officer and excluding dogs from children’s play areas. When completing the survey please view the supporting documents including Frequently Asked Questions as it will help to address any concerns you may have. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “I would urge people to please fill in our survey and tell us what they think. Although the majority of dog owners are responsible, we do receive complaints that there are a minority who don’t care and what can we do about it. “We believe the orders will make...

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. In last week’s Herald ‘Money Matters’, we looked at some of the costs involved in buying a home. Buying a property is one of the biggest financial decisions you’ll ever make. But, is it the right decision for you right now – or would you better off renting? It’s important to weigh up the pros and cons of owning first. Benefits of owning - Once you’ve paid off your mortgage, your home will be yours and you won’t have to worry about paying for somewhere to live. If your home increases in value you could use the equity to help buy a bigger home or fund a comfortable retirement. You can spend money improving your home and increasing its value without having to ask a landlord. Sometimes it can be cheaper to buy than rent. Potential downsides of owning It’s a big commitment – you need to be sure you ca...

There's a job opportunity for an accountant with the Clay Shaw Butler team of  chartered accountants and business consultants in Carmarthen. See below -  ACCOUNTANT We are looking for a QBE or AAT Qualified Accountant to join our dynamic team. The job will be working out of our Carmarthen office. We have a client base spread throughout South West Wales and have a wide range of clients ranging from personal clients to large companies and offer a variety of services. The successful candidate will have previous experience working in a practice environment. The main responsibilities for the successful candidate will include preparing accounts files for companies, partnerships and sole-traders across a broad client base for partner review. You will work on a varied portfolio of clients’ files whilst enjoying mentorship from the senior management team. Other duties include management accounts preparation and VAT return preparation. Experience and skills The ability to communica...

Carmarthenshire Council has distributed more than £21,000 to help sport clubs across the county. Some 18 clubs have benefited from Community Chest grant funding after applying through the sport and leisure team. The bulk of the money will be spent on developing junior and youth sections, improving and increasing the level of coaches, as well as training courses including first aid, umpiring and refereeing. Equipment such as mats, training bibs, balls, tennis nets, posts, first aid kits will also be purchased from the money. Community Chest is funded by Sport Wales and distributed via the council’s sport and leisure section. The closing date for the next round of funding is November 18. Youth clubs/groups, sports clubs/organisations and non-sporting organisations with an interest to provide physical activity (eg community hall associations, community councils) can apply for up to £1,500. The council’s executive board member, Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “This continued investment helps cl...

Carmarthenshire Council is looking to engage a leading specialist for advice on a major dredge at  Burry Port Harbour . A tender has gone out for consultants to provide detailed information on the best options and costs for dredging the entire harbour basin to remove silt. It comes after members of Carmarthenshire County Council agreed to tender for the full dredge following a severe build up of silt in the harbour over the last decade. Historically, the harbour has always filled with silt and has to be removed every 10-20 years. Already the council has a robust dredging regime in place to remove sand at the harbour entrance. This is done every year in April ahead of the summer season when the harbour is at its busiest. The amount of sand drifting into the harbour is dependent on the weather and due to severe weather conditions over the last few years has seen more being drifted into it. The council’s executive board member for leisure, Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “Burry Port Harbou...

Llanelli Library has hit the headlines after being declared the busiest centre in Wales. Over half a million books borrowed in 2014 makes it the fourth busiest centre in the UK and the busiest in Wales. According to Womens Weekly research 601,182 books were issued at the refurbished Vaughan Street library in 2014. Elsewhere in Wales, Cardiff Central Library made 581, 779 loans in 2014. Significant investment in IT has enabled library services to become more accessible to the public with new, high speed PC’s, Wi-Fi including access to social networking (Twitter and Face book), downloadable books, Net Library – e audio books, News Bank- e access to over 20 Welsh and over 350 UK daily newspapers, Oxford Grove Art and Music being available from the libraries web site to name just a few. Self service points are also being looked at with terminals planned for all centres in the New Year. The council’s executive board member for leisure, Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “The ...

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 ------------------------------------------ What’s the greatest gift anyone can give you? Would a £500,000 yacht, moored in Swansea Marina, float your boat? Or, perhaps, you’d rather give a Rolex watch the time of day? There’s something to be said for £100,000 being paid into your bank account. Something like...“Yippee!” No, the greatest gift we can give anybody is time – although donating a kidney runs a close second. I’ve noticed BBC One and ITV One are incredibly mean with their time when it comes to ‘opting out’ for ‘The news, travel and weather where you are’ during their breakfast programmes. They’ll happily repeat the same news stories every 15 minutes, then grudgingly hand over to the regions for the minimum possible time, before repeating the same news stories all over again. BBC Wales’ three-minu...

Latest 'On Song' column (about the choral scene in and around Llanelli) from the Llanelli Star. (Technical glitch this week; they didn't run it!) There’s something of a dilemma for lovers of good singing this weekend – two excellent concerts on the same night. On the one hand, you have Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir and Côr Meibion Dyffryn Tywi (Vale of Towy Male Voice Choir) performing in Kidwelly. On the other, you have the Morriston Orpheus Choir performing in Llanelli. You’ll have to pay your money and take your choice. Whatever you decide, you will be rewarded with some first class singing from our finest male voice choirs. The Kidwelly concert featuring Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir and Côr Meibion Dyffryn Tywi is part of the year-long anniversary celebrations of Kidwelly’s great history - ‘Cydweli 900’. The concert is at the Princess Gwenllian centre, Kidwelly, on Saturday, November 7 (7.30pm). The choirs will be sharing the bill with the popular Welsh...

Latest special offers from the Jenkins Bakery - WEEK COMMENCING November 2, 2015 3 Medium Corned Beef Pasties, £1.70 2 Large Corned Beef Pasties, £2.00 2 Minced Beef and Onion Pies, £2.20 2 Egg Custard Tarts, £1.10 Sandwich Of The Week, Chicken Tikka, £2.30 Rustic Baguette Of The Week, Chicken Tikka, £2.45 Filled Softie Of The Week, Turkey Salad, £2.25 Website - http://jenkinsbakery.co.uk/

Carmarthenshire County Council is helping ensure bonfire night doesn’t end up a damp squib. Thirty six outlets across the county have been granted licenses to store and sell fireworks for 2015, and Trading Standards officers have been busy inspecting premises to ensure fireworks meet safety standards, are stored safely, and are only sold to people aged over 18. The council is also helping to share important safety messages as part of Operation Bang (#OpBANG) – a Carmarthenshire Community Safety Partnership initiative which ensures a joint approach to safety and policing over the Halloween and Bonfire Night period. Whilst people are being encouraged to attend organised displays, anyone who does wish to purchase their own fireworks is advised to only buy through an approved seller which will have been inspected by Trading Standards officers. Cllr Jim Jones, Executive Board Member for Public Protection, and enforcement, said: “We would prefer that people enjoy fireworks from a safe di...

Holidays are coming, Holidays are coming...  They certainly are in Llanelli which has been chosen as one of a select few locations across the UK to host the famous Coca Cola Christmas truck! Cllr Emlyn Dole, Leader of Carmarthenshire County Council, has exclusively revealed that the iconic 38-tonne truck has been secured for a one day show-stopper in Llanelli town centre on Wednesday, December 2. The truck - made famous in the magical TV advertisement which heralds the arrival of Christmas – is expected to attract thousands of families who will descend on the town centre for a chance to have their pictures taken in front of its illuminations. It will be parked at the junction of Stepney Street and Cowell Street, with other festivities planned in the adjacent Spring Gardens and the town centre. Families will queue for their turn to have photographs taken between 12pm and 8pm. Santa’s little helpers will be on hand to entertain the waiting crowds, amidst faux snowfall and festive ...