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

Carmarthenshire residents are being reminded that there are changes to bin collections over the May Bank Holiday. From Monday, May 2 until Friday, May 6, collections will take place one day later than usual. Remember to put out either your blue or black bags depending on what colour week it is and your food bins a day later than usual. These changes also affect council trade waste customers. The recycling centres in Trostre (Llanelli), Wernddu (Ammanford), Nantycaws (Carmarthen) and Whitland are open as usual except Llangadog which closes on all Bank Holidays. Did you know that you can now sign up for text or email alerts on a range of council services including recycling at i-Local. You can also visit i-Local to find out when your bins are being collected and if it is a blue or black bag week, just click on My House. Go to the council website for more information on recycling. Links i-Local Council website - recycling information

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. The spotlight in ‘Money Matters’ this week falls on employment taxes as we attempt to bring you up to speed with latest changes in rules and regulations. Here are some areas of interest - NIC (National Insurance Contributions) for apprentices under 25: From 6 April 2016 employer NICs are 0% for apprentices under 25 who earn less than the upper secondary threshold (UST) which is £827 per week (£43,000 per annum). Employers are liable to 13.8% NIC on pay above the UST. Employee NICs are payable as normal. An apprentice needs to: be working towards a government recognised apprenticeship in the UK which follows a government approved framework/standard  have a written agreement, giving the government recognised apprentice framework or standard, with a start and expected completion date.  ...

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 ................................. Dirty habits:  I’m a mind reader. Ammanford’s own Derren Brown, if you like. But with a lot less cash in the bank and a lot more hair on my head than the mysterious maestro of magical manipulation. And to demonstrate my pseudo-supernatural skills, I predict that when I tell you I’m talking rubbish this week, many of you will ask, “So what’s new?” Nevertheless, I will talk rubbish, because I see it everywhere I go. Crisp packets, cans, bottles, polystyrene food containers from well-known burger chains and paper bags from equally well-known bakers/sausage roll emporiums. They pollute our streets, parks, grass verges, back alleys, front gardens and even our driveways. We’re under attack from an army of idiots who think it’s okay to drop their litter outside our houses at ...

The latest On Song column - about the choral scene in and around West Wales - from the Llanelli Star - Carmarthenshire concert promoter Cerith Owens has announced details of two major autumn concerts – one in Llanelli and one in Carmarthen. ‘A Night with the Stars’ has now become a very popular annual fixture in the concert calendar and is an opportunity to see existing stars performing alongside some potential stars of the future. It takes place at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, on Saturday, November 12. The Loud Applause Productions concert features the much-loved Welsh singer Shân Cothi and the ever-popular Morriston Orpheus Choir. The evening will also feature violinist Charlie Lovell Jones and members of the Loud Applause Rising Stars team. Tickets are available from all Carmarthenshire Theatres Box Offices – 0845 226 3510 Promoter Mr Owens said: “Our Night with the Stars evening is always one of the most popular events of the year at Ffwrnes. As a showcase, it is a great opportunity ...

Babs, the racing car famous for breaking the land speed record at Pendine in April 1926, will return to the sands tomorrow (Thursday, April 28) to mark her 90th anniversary. Driven by John Parry-Thomas, Babs reached a speed of 170.624 mph - smashing the records set by Malcolm Campbell at Pendine in 1925 and Henry Segrave at Southport in March 1926. Tragically Parry-Thomas was killed the following year attempting to win back the title, taken again by Malcolm Campbell in his Blue Bird Sunbeam in February 1927, and Babs was buried in the dunes. In 1969, the car was exhumed and brought back to life by automobile restorer Owen Wyn Owen, and to the delight of many is displayed each summer at Carmarthenshire County Council’s Museum of Speed at Pendine. Now, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Parry-Thomas’s successful land speed record run of April 1926, Babs’s wheels will take to the sands once again. Spectators can watch her run on the beach at 2.30pm on Thursday before she goes on publi...

A man has been fined for failing to clean up after his dog in the Latimer Road area of Llandeilo. Council environmental enforcement officers were on patrol in the area at the time of the offence. He was issued with a fixed penalty notice for £75 and also asked to clean up the dog’s mess, which was left on the pavement over a distance of approximately 20metres. Failure to pay could result in court prosecution where the maximum fine is £1,000. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “Our enforcement officers carry out patrols across the county and this is one of a number of fixed penalties issued recently for dog fouling. “As well as being extremely unpleasant; if left, dog mess can have serious health implications. We are determined to clean up the county and punish those responsible for dog fouling.” Link Report dog fouling online

People who want bring their community together are being invited to a workshop that explains how they can get involved in the nationwide Big Lunch event in June. The Big Lunch is a lottery funded project that inspires thousands of people across the UK to get together with friends and neighbours for lunch or a picnic. The national event takes place on Sunday, June 12 (2016), but anyone can organise an event on or near that date. Big Lunch and Big Picnic events have been successfully held in Pembrey Country Park and Carmarthen in recent years, but now community engagement organisation Spice, working with Carmarthenshire County Council’s community engagement teams, are hoping more communities will hold events across the county. A workshop will be held at St John's Church Hall, Priory St, Carmarthen, on Tuesday, May 3, from 9.30am to 12pm, which will be repeated at Felinfoel Resource Centre, Llanelli, at 1pm to 3.30pm on the same day. People will be able to find out more about the ev...