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

Carmarthenshire is joining countries from all over Europe to celebrate European Sustainable Energy Week next week. From Monday to Friday (June 18-22) has a programme of activities highlighting initiatives and projects under way aimed at reducing the county’s carbon footprint and energy consumption. The West Wales European Centre, part of the Europe Direct EU information network, is working in partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council Sustainable Development Team to raise awareness of the county’s ongoing sustainable drive. The council’s Sustainability Adviser Eurgain Powell said: “We are doing a huge amount of work to reduce our energy consumption. The measures we are putting in place will lead to financial savings, as well as reducing the authority’s energy use and carbon emissions. “From energy monitors being installed in Carmarthenshire schools, energy-efficient lighting being fitted in all county council’s buildings, to leisure centres looking at re-using waste water, the cou...

Youth organisations in Carmarthenshire are invited to attend a free information session on EU funding opportunities for youth activities. The session is aimed at groups and organisations in Carmarthenshire working with young people aged between 13-30 years old outside school. It is for those who want to know more about the funding and support available to organise and participate in EU exchanges and small projects in a wide range of themes, from art, music, dance and theatre to sport and outdoor activities. In addition, there will be an opportunity to hear first-hand experiences from youth organisations and groups who have organised EU exchanges and projects as well as to ask questions on the day-to-day management of their links. The information session will take place on Wednesday March 9 from 11.30am until 1.30pm in Trinity St David, University of Wales, Carmarthen. To attend, please register by contacting Lorena Prist, on 01267242369 or at lprist@carmarthenshire.gov.uk before March ...

Two short information sessions on EU links for primary and secondary schools teachers in Carmarthenshire were a great success. The event organiser, Lorena Prist, European Networking Officer at the West Wales European Centre, organised the information sessions with the aim of informing teachers of the support and funding available to schools that might be interested in starting links with other schools in Europe. It is hoped it will encourage more schools in Carmarthenshire to participate in European projects. Lorena, who manages the Europe Direct service, a Europe-wide network of information centres which aims to raise awareness of the EU and its institutions, gave a brief overview of the support and resources available to teachers. There was also instructive information on how to introduce the EU into the classroom. There were several presentations from teachers and students, who already have or have had EU links, on some of the projects schools could be involved with. There were very...

Ammanford Nursery School is taking part in a new international environmental education project. The programme is part of a Comenuis Project with links to schools in Spain, Bulgaria, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Romania, Poland and Sweden. The objectives of the project are to promote positive attitudes towards European environmental issues. Pupils will experience different environmental issues such as climate and soil types and how different countries can grow vegetables and fruit at different times of the year. All of the schools involved will exchange tasks every term regarding their school gardens. Education executive board member Cllr Gwynne Wooldridge said: “This is an excellent initiative which will help pupils care for their own environment and appreciate other cultures.” Staff have recently returned from Perugia in Italy where they met with the other countries’ representatives to organise tasks for the year, and visited a number of schools to observe how the garden project is introdu...