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

Aled Edwards and Eleri Owen Edwards are launching a new CD of uplifting and inspirational duets. The Llandovery farming couple were featured on Swansea Bay TV this week. The mezzo-soprano and baritone have combined to produce what they describe as “a CD of uplifting and inspirational duets”. The 15 songs on the CD include “Dau fel ni”, the song that has given its title to the CD, and translates as “Two like us”. The tracks on the CD are varied in style and will appeal to all listeners. They span most musical eras and many genres, from classical to contemporary, encompassing five languages, but mostly in Welsh and English. A special treat is a track featuring one of Wales’ most popular sopranos, the media personality Shân Cothi, who performs with Aled and Eleri in a Trio by Mozart. The new CD “Dau fel ni” is available now. Price, £12.95 incl. p&p. There is also a website for Dau Fel Ni (Two Like Us) and you can order online. See - www.aledaceleri.co.uk The CD will be available soon...

Hywel Dda University Health Board has agreed on the grounds of safety issues, to temporarily reduce the opening hours of the Paediatric Ambulatory Care Unit (PACU) at Withybush Hospital, but has not agreed to any longer term changes to services for children. At a meeting of full health board on Thursday November 24, the Board agreed the recommendation to temporarily reduce the opening hours from 10am-10pm by four hours a day to 10am-6pm in light of the reduced availability of consultant paediatricians. However, they did not agree to the recommendation to permanently merge the consultant overnight rota with Carmarthenshire. They did accept this was necessary temporarily due to reduced availability of consultant level staff. This will mean if there is a paediatric emergency out-of-hours at Withybush Hospital, the on-call paediatric consultants in Glangwili Hospital will offer remote advice to emergency and anaesthetic staff at Withybush. Whilst board members agreed the commitment to retu...

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. It’s usually very near the top of the agenda for small businesses – VAT, or Value Added Tax. If you are starting or have recently started a business, you need to comply with the VAT regulations. VAT registered businesses act as unpaid tax collectors and are required to account both promptly and accurately for all the tax revenue collected by them. The VAT system is policed by HMRC with heavy penalties for breaches of the legislation. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse for not complying with the rules. We highlight below some of the areas that you need to consider. It is, however, important for you to seek specific professional advice appropriate to your circumstances. What is VAT? A transaction is within the scope of VAT if: there is a supply of goods or services  made in the UK  b...

Cor Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir musical director D Eifion Thomas was the special guest on the Down The Bay lunchtime show on Swansea Bay TV today. He was interviewed in both English and Welsh. Both versions are below -

Swansea Bay City Region leaders have welcomed news that the UK Government has recommitted its support for a Swansea Bay City Deal. Chancellor Philip Hammond made the announcement during his Autumn Statement to parliament earlier this afternoon (Wednesday November 23). The region’s City Deal bid, if approved, could be worth billions of pounds to Swansea Bay over the next 20 years. Focussing on the region becoming a digital superhub through major investment in digital infrastructure, the 'Internet Coast' City Deal proposals would have major benefits for Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire. It’s estimated the approval of the City Deal would be worth £3.3bn to the south west Wales economy, helping deliver thousands of job opportunities for Swansea residents and others. Sir Terry Matthews, Chair of the Swansea Bay City Region, said: “The Chancellor’s recommitment to the Swansea Bay City Deal in today’s Autumn Statement is great news. “We are pleased to ha...

People in Carmarthenshire are being urged to have their say in decisions which affect their future. Consultation on the county council’s budget is starting with a number of proposals for changes being put forward for discussion. They include suggestions from a range of areas including day care services, leisure, street cleaning, special educational needs, music service, school meals and educational psychology. The council needs to save £8.8million for the next financial year – 2017-18 – and a total of £24.6million over the next three years. All views gathered from the consultation will be included in the budget report which will go before County Councillors for decision in February. In the meantime, extensive consultation is taking place with seminars for county councillors, town and community councils, a public forum, scrutiny committees, schools budget forum and trade unions meetings. An Insight day is being held in December to consult with young people, including Carmarthenshire Y...

Kim Whitby, who graduated with an MA in Fine Art from the Aberystwyth School of Art in 2014, has reached the final of Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2016. Kim, who was brought up in Aberaeron, was one of 300 ‘wildcard’ artists who pitted her skills against professional artists in the competition. The semi-final which was screened on Tuesday 22 November, was held in Margate, Kent, and saw artists using Margate’s Harbour as their inspiration. Kim completed a Bachelor of Education Art degree at King Alfred's College, Winchester, before teaching full time for many years as an infant teacher, initially in Devon and then in Ceredigion. In December 2014 she completed a Fine Art Masters degree at Aberystwyth University, and has since focused on developing her artwork. “My time on my Fine Art MA in Aberystwyth was a Ronseal experience. It did everything it said in the tin!” Kim commented. “I certainly finished my course in a place professionally that I could never have imagined get...

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 ------------------------------------------ Jurassic Larks: On my 11th birthday, which also happened to be my pet dog’s 11th birthday, I was given a magic set, which included the classic ‘How to saw someone in half’ illusion. As none of my family volunteered to be my assistant – probably because I’d borrowed my Dad’s hacksaw to add an element of danger – my only option was to rope-in the dog. His name was “Stay”, which confused him whenever he was taken for a walk. But “Stay” had a cheerful disposition, ate almost anything put in front of him and was prone to expelling loud noxious gasses almost every hour on the hour. So, he fitted-in with my family perfectly. Anyway, as I approached the animal, he took one look at my cardboard wizard’s hat and the sharp-edged hacksaw blade glinting in the sunl...

The latest 'On Song' column (about the choral scene in and around West Wales) from the Carmarthen Journal and the Llanelli Star newspapers - Tickets are now available for a very special charity concert being held in Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, in February. The concert is being organised on Saturday, February 4, 2017, by the Chairman of Carmarthenshire County Council, Councillor Eryl Morgan, to support his chosen charities for his year of office. Councillor Morgan is raising cash for the Ty Bryngwyn Hospice in Llanelli and for a new MRI scanner for Prince Philip Hospital, Llanelli. Top of the bill will be the sensational Valli Boys, South Wales based performers who specialise in the ‘Jersey Boys’ catalogue made famous by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. The Valli Boys are made up of four very talented West End performers. The Valli Boys members have appeared in musicals such as Les Miserables, Mamma Mia, The Lord Of The Rings, Merrily We Roll Along, Starlight Express, Miss Sai...

Visitors to Llanelli Market are in for a treat this Christmas with a whole host of festivities going on. Primary schools from across the town will be keeping the crowds entertained with Christmas carol singing in the run up to December 25. Denny Twp and the cast from this year’s Friendship Theatre’s pantomime, Robinson Crusoe, will be making appearances in their costumes to meet and greet the crowds as well as posing for those wanting selfies for their social media accounts. New for this year is a Children’s Christmas Wish tree. Children can make their own special bauble at home, attach a wish message and bring it to the tree which will located outside The Teapot Café. Alternatively, there will be a stall in the market on Saturday, November 26 and 10th where children can make their own with the help of Santa’s elf. Decorations, glitter and crafts will be provided. Father Christmas will collect all wishes on Christmas Eve. The Reindeer Parade, organised by Carmarthenshire Cou...

An official opening is taking place to celebrate the £18.4million investment at Ysgol Maes y Gwendraeth. Council Leader Cllr Emlyn Dole will unveil the plaque as part of the ceremony taking place at the school on November 30. The scheme included a new two storey design and technology and science block, linked to the existing building. A new sports hall houses four badminton courts, together with an adjoining classroom and changing rooms. An energy centre has been constructed, and external work included a new school entrance, hard play areas, car park, bus parking area and games courts. Various areas within the existing buildings have been refurbished together with re-modelling of playing fields. The investment at Ysgol Maes Y Gwendraeth was made through Carmarthenshire County Council’s Modernising Education Programme , delivered with funding from the Welsh Government through its 21st Century Schools programme. The official opening will include performances from school pupils, and add...

An Aberystwyth University student has been dubbed as Snowdonia’s new ‘Rhodocop’. Gruffydd Jones from Pwllheli is on a mission to control the aggressive alien plant invader Rhododendron using soil science and deduction. According to Gruffydd, who has just started a PhD at Aberystwyth, it is difficult to control Rhododendron and consequently Wales’ biodiversity is under threat. Gruffydd will be working with Snowdonia National Park and Natural Resources Wales and is funded jointly by Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and Aberystwyth University. Rhododendron spreads rapidly, invading vast areas of land. It is estimate that the total area covered by Rhododendron in Snowdonia National Park is equivalent to around 5,000 football pitches. Snowdonia National Park Authority (SNPA), National Trust (NT) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) have been very successful in controlling this species in North Wales using slash and burn plus application of herbicide to any regrowth. However this process is costly ...

Controversial author and columnist Julian Ruck will be the guest speaker at a meeting of Llanelli Rotary Club at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli, tomorrow evening (7.30pm Wednesday, November 23). Ruck is a novelist, broadcaster, columnist and political journalist/commentator. He is presently a columnist for two of Wales' biggest selling newspapers. Having studied and trained as a lawyer in London, he dedicated a portion of his life to dealing with Legal Aid contracts in the not-for-profit sector. He now lives in West Wales, where he is a regular contributor to Labour Uncut and The Daily Express. He has published six books, all with Dinefwr Press, and is currently writing another. In October 2015, Julian was involved in a hit-and-run accident that left him seriously injured, but as of 2016, he is on the road to recovery and writing again. Link - http://www.rotary-ribi.org/clubs/homepage.php?ClubID=936

Student records at Aberystwyth University dating back almost 150 years are being digitised and transcribed to make them more accessible. The records are contained in ten leather-bound manuscripts and date back to 1872 when the University opened its doors for the first time. To date, access to the fragile volumes has been restricted and the process of searching for information within them has been painstaking. Funded by donations from the University’s alumni, and matched by a significant donation from the Cardiff Branch of the Aberystwyth University Old Students’ Association (OSA), the finished result will be a fully searchable electronic record of students who studied at Aberystwyth in the 19th century. The project is a collaboration between the OSA Cardiff Branch, Aberystwyth University Archives, and the National Library of Wales (NLW). Before the project could begin, some preservation work was required which included encasing each volume in a custom-built archive box. Every page...

Violence against women will be debated at an international conference at Aberystwyth University Mauritius Branch Campus on Friday 25 November. Entitled Elimination of Violence Against Women, the conference is being held to mark the United Nations Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Speaking at the conference will be researchers and practitioners from the UK, the US, India, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mauritius. Conference organiser Dr Hannah Baumeister said: “Violence against women takes many forms – physical, sexual, psychological and economic.” “By organising this conference I hope to make violence against women an issue, to raise awareness and understanding of causes and effects, and to stir debate. “The exchange that an international interdisciplinary conference offers will challenge the passive approach to violence against women around the world. “I hope this conference shows that violence against women is not an inevitable part of socie...

Thousands of families turned out to enjoy the biggest ever Llanelli Christmas Carnival on Friday. The spectacular parade wowed the crowds who lined the route from Sandy, right through to West End and Town Hall Square where there was also a huge funfair and live music on stage from Heart FM DJ Jason Harrold and a host of singing stars. Street traders and local businesses have reported booming trade as people stopped to pick up refreshments and early Christmas gifts. The event was topped off with a dazzling firework display over Llanelli Town Hall and the switch-on of the Christmas lights. Organisers, Carmarthenshire County Council, Llanelli Rural Council, Llanelli Town Council and Llanelli Round Table, reported a successful event with everything running according to plan. Llanelli Christmas Carnival is famous as being the largest carnival procession in Wales, with visitors descending on the town centre from far and wide to enjoy the festivities. The Leader of Carmarthenshire County Co...

This week's special offers at Jenkins Bakery shops - 3 Medium Corned Beef Pasties, £1.75 2 Large Corned Beef Pasties, £2.10 4 Medium Sausage Rolls, £1.90 2 Fresh Cream Eclairs, £2.00 Sandwich of the Week, Festive Special, £2.75 Rustic Baguette of the Week, Ham and Cheese, £2.50 Filled Softie of the Week, Chicken Tikka, £2.45 Website - http://jenkinsbakery.co.uk/

Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election will be analysed at a special roundtable discussion at Aberystwyth University on Tuesday 29 November. Hosted by the Department of International Politics and the David Davies Memorial Institute, a panel of experts will debate the election results, raising questions and providing insights into the new world order. Chaired by the Head of the Department of International Politics and E.H.Carr Professor Richard Beardsworth, the panel will feature: • Professor Ken Booth, Senior Research Associate, Department of International Politics Department, Aberystwyth University • Dr Warren Dockter, Lecturer in International Politics, Department of International Politics, Aberystwyth University • Professor Patrick Thaddeus Jackson, Associate Dean, American University, Washington D.C and Visiting Professor, Department of International Politics Aberystwyth University. • Dr Jenny Mathers, Reader in International Politics, In...