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

The trust in charge of plans to develop Llanelli’s historic Railway Goods Shed will be showcasing the project at the Carmarthenshire National Eisteddfod in Llanelli. The Llanelli Railway Goods Shed Trust is bidding to restore and redevelop the derelict Grade II listed building near the town’s railway station Plans for the shed site currently include a community hub, arts centre, workshops, offices and a café and heritage centre. The trust will be staging an exhibition of the latest proposals for the site at the CAVS (Carmarthenshire Association for Voluntary Services) stand at the Eisteddfod Maes at Festival Fields. The display will be staged on Tuesday, August 5, and Wednesday, August 6. Trust secretary Richard Roper said: “There has been a great deal of groundwork on the project since we set up on trust in 2011. We are now moving to the stage where we will be making some exciting announcements on the future of the project. “This is a journey where we need the support of the people ...

Carmarthenshire County Council has teamed up with the Alzheimer’s Society to help people relive some happy memories through song. ‘Singing for the Brain’ sessions are being held in several venues as part of a range of services to support people with dementia. The sessions provide service users and carers with the chance to meet as part of an informal group to socialise and sing. Cheryl James, West Wales Locality Manager for the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Participants are encouraged to sing along to a variety of music, from wartime to 60s music and hymns. “Activities build on the well-known preserved memory for song and music in the brain. Research has shown that even when memories are hard to retrieve, music is especially easy to recall. “Song sheets are given to gently remind participants of the words and they are encouraged to interact throughout, being asked questions on names of singers and composers.” Sessions are currently held in the community by the Alzheimer’s Society at ...

A new grant and open evening will help breathe new life into Cwmamman Youth Club. CAVS Youth Led Grants has recently awarded Cwmamman Youth Club £425 to improve the facilities and activities on offer to its young attendees. The decision to award the grant was made by representatives from across Carmarthenshire and will be used to boost the youth club’s membership and provide new and exciting opportunities to the young people of Cwmamman. The club will be organising an open evening on December 15 to celebrate both the grant and the lead up to the Christmas holidays. The event welcomes anyone that is interested in finding out more about the youth club or potentially participating in its activities. Attendees of the event will get the opportunity to meet existing members and find out more about the club itself. The evening will also include a number of games, quizzes, a disco and even a special visit from Father Christmas, who will be giving a small gift to everyone at the event. Cari M...

People are being urged to give something back this Christmas – including any unused crutches, walking frames and wheelchairs they may have been loaned by the health and social care services. Carmarthenshire’s Integrated Community Equipment Service is teaming up with the Carmarthenshire Association of Voluntary Services (CAVS) to hold an Equipment Amnesty during the first week of December. From Monday, December 5, to Friday, December 9, members of the public will be able to drop off any equipment they no longer require at one of four collection points – the Bigyn Communities First office in John Street, Llanelli; Communities First Llwynhendy in Pemberton Road; Felinfoel Communtiies First at the Community Resource Centre off Ynyswen Road; and Glanymor and Tyisha Communities First in Inkerman Street. People are also welcome to drop items off directly at the CICES base on the Dafen Industrial Estate, or call to arrange having items collected. Martin Figg, Operational Manager of the service...

The Carmarthenshire Youth Grant Panel has £10,000 available to organisations working with young people across Carmarthenshire between the ages of 11 - 25 years old. The closing date for applications is October 25. Application packs can be obtained by contacting the Carmarthenshire Association of Voluntary Services (CAVS) on 01267 245555 and fflur@cavs.org.uk or by visiting www.cavs.org.uk . The Carmarthenshire Youth Grant Panel, made of young people from across the county, have been given £10,000 of the Welsh Assembly Government Youth Service Revenue Grant (allocated to Carmarthenshire Youth Service) to give to organisations with an idea that gives young people new opportunities. Young people from the Carmarthenshire Youth Council have been nominated to sit on the Grant Panel and will work with CAVS and Carmarthenshire’s Participation Team on setting the criteria, assessing project applications and deciding which projects will receive funding. The total fund available this year is £10,...

A one-stop funding fair is being staged for groups and charities in Carmarthenshire. Officials from the Big Lottery Fund, Sports Council for Wales and the Heritage Fund will converge on the county next month. The high profile event will bring together a host of high profile funders under one roof, including WREN, CWM and the Coalfields Regeneration Trust. Community groups, charities and organisations will be able to access top level advice on grant support and funding streams. Help will also be given on developing ideas and there will be talks from guest speakers who have run successful organisations in the region. Workshops based on the theme of sustainability will be held throughout the day. The South West Wales Regional Funding Fair will be held at the Ffos Las Racecourse on Tuesday 8 June from 10am-4.30pm. It has been jointly organised by Carmarthenshire County Council, Carmarthenshire Association of Voluntary Services, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, Neath Port Talbot Co...

An event aimed at attracting more adult volunteers to work with youth organisations in Carmarthenshire was held at CAVS (Carmarthenshire Association for Voluntary Services) HQ in Carmarthen. Uniformed services including Dyfed Powys Police, the Urdd, Carmarthenshire Youth Council, Girl Guides, Scouts and the Cadets were the organisations present on the day. The event gave people an insight into volunteering and information on the Uniformed Services within the county. As a result, members of the public were keen to work with young people to develop their skills and interests. The event was held as part of the Young Dragons Scheme; following an initial idea from The Prince of Wales, Uniformed Services delivering activities for young people in Wales have signed a memorandum of understanding to work together under the banner of Young Dragons. Carmarthenshire is one of two areas in Wales to pilot this scheme. Neil Gutteridge from Pontiets said:“The event was great. It was very inspiring and ...

Gwendraeth Youth Forum has teamed up with CAVS and Keep Wales Tidy to do the biggest ever clean-up of the streets of Carway. The community litter-pick hopes to encourage all members of the community, young and old, to get involved and clean up their streets. The group will be targeting litter hotspots in the village. Youth link worker, Rhys Morris said:“It is hoped that children and young people will also support the project; by encouraging them to participate in these activities at an early age they will develop and interest in the environment and take responsibility of their own surroundings.” Gwendraeth Youth Forum Chairperson, Charlene Davies added:“The Youth Forum is annoyed with the amount of rubbish on the roads and outside houses so this is a chance for the whole community to get together to make Carway a cleaner village. I would like to encourage everyone from the village to join in with the clean up.” The group will meet at Carway Hall on Monday May 17 at 4:45pm. All equipmen...

Acting on the recommendations of the Russell Commission to make volunteering truly youth led, a grant is available for groups to support a range of small volunteering projects and activities, led and carried out by young people, between 16-25 year olds. The project is in its third year in Carmarthenshire and is growing stronger each year with numbers of application forms increasing. Groups who work with 16-25 year olds with an idea that involves youth volunteering can apply for a grant up to £1500. These can be school groups, youth groups and constituted groups. Projects can be one-off events or ongoing activities, but must benefit the local community in some way. Young people from the Carmarthenshire Youth Council have been nominated to sit on the grant panel and will work with CAVS on setting the criteria, assessing project applications and decide which projects will receive funding. Carmarthenshire Council’s Youth Participation Officer, Sarah Powell said: “Youth Council members have...

Mandy Jones has taken up her appointment as the new Executive Director for CAVS, the Carmarthenshire Association for Voluntary Services. Mandy, who lives locally, was previously Head of Community Regeneration at Swansea Council and has many years experience of working in partnership with the third sector, volunteers and statutory agencies. Mair Stephens, CAVS chair said, “We are pleased to have Mandy on board. Her appointment is good for CAVS as Mandy brings with her knowledge of working with both the voluntary and statutory sector.” Mandy aims to spend the first few months familiarising herself with the world of CAVS and gaining an insight into how CAVS is viewed by its members and partners. Mandy said, “I am pleased to be joining CAVS at an exciting time when our members’ views of our work and future direction are being sought to help us develop a new strategic plan for the organisation. I look forward to working with staff, trustees, members, volunteers and partners to ensure the th...

Adult Learners’ Week is the UK’s largest and longest running learning campaign. Held each May, it encourages thousands of adults, whatever their age and background, to give learning a go. This year, thousands of interesting events and activities are taking place from 15 – 21 May 2010. Visit their website to find out all the ways that you can be involved: http://www.alw.org.uk/get-involved

An event aimed at attracting more adult volunteers to work with youth organisations in Carmarthenshire will be held at CAVS, Carmarthen, between 9:30am and 12pm on Saturday May 15. Following an initial idea from The Prince of Wales, Uniformed Services delivering activities for young people in Wales have signed a memorandum of understanding to work together under the banner of Dreigiau Ifanc/Young Dragons. The event will give people an insight into volunteering and information on the Uniformed Services within the county. Carmarthenshire is one of two pilots areas in Wales that will develop Young Dragons and organisations including Carmarthenshire Council, CAVS, Dyfed Powys Police, Scouts, Guides, Army Cadets, the Young Farmers and Urdd are all working together to get more people involved in activities available across the county. The overall aim of Young Dragons is to increase the number of volunteers to help run uniformed youth organisations and increase the numbers of young people acr...

Carmarthenshire Third Sector Health and Wellbeing Forum will meet on Thursday 29th April 2010 from 11.00 am at CAVS (the Carmarthenshire Association of Voluntary Services HQ), The Mount, Carmarthen. The forum will be preceded by CAVS Generic Forum from 9.30am to 11.00am and followed from 1.30pm by a facilitated workshop focusing on Sustainability – Building a Positive Brand (to which all forum members are actively invited to attend). A presentation on the Trust’s Volunteer for Health Project will be given and a buffet lunch will be provided from 1.00pm to 1.30pm. For more details about the forum please contact Debbie Bence, Health and Social Care Facilitator, 01267 228817, email dbence@cccpartners.org.uk.

The Sheltercymru charity is holding information workshops in Carmarthenshire during May and June. The 'Information matters to rural communities' project is working to help people in rural communities who are experiencing housing and financial difficulties, poverty and rural isolation. Local volunteers, community workers and professionals can attend the free workshops and receive expert training on housing, debt and welfare benefits. There will be an opportunity to discuss problems that are relevant to individual communities. By attending you will: * Participate in case study led sessions * Be better equipped to identify problems and find possible solutions * Gain greater knowledge to assist your community DATES AND LOCATIONS * 07 May 2010 Llandysul * 10 May 2010 Llanelli * 14 May 2010 Haverfordwest * 25 May 2010 Aberystwyth * 08 June 2010 Newcastle Emlyn * 15 June 2010 Narberth Time 10 am – 2 pm, Complementary lunch & refreshments Don’t let your community miss out – limited...

Business in the Community’s (BITC) South and West Wales ProHelp Network was officially launched at the CAVS AGM held at Pontyberem Hall to provide advice and support free of charge to community and voluntary organisations in their local area. Established in 1989, ProHelp is a UK network of over 600 professionals, from large corporate to SMEs including solicitors, accountants, architects, building surveyors. In Wales ProHelp operates across Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot and Carmarthenshire. BITC’s West Wales Co-ordinator, Catherine Palmer will be working closely with local agencies such as CAVS and the South West Wales ProHelp Network will complement the Skills Lending programme recently piloted by Giving Sir Gâr. Peter Loughran, chair of Giving Sir Gâr, said “A number of voluntary groups have benefitted from the expertise of staff from some of the leading companies in the county.” The recent Giving Sir Gâr grant scheme is designed to encourage voluntary groups t...