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

An exciting £1,000 musical bursary prize – thought to be the biggest of its kind in Wales – will be awarded to a Trimsaran teenager on Saturday night (October 19). Megan Thomas has been picked as the first winner of the Gethin Hughes Memorial Bursary Scholarship. The prize celebrates the life of Gethin Hughes MBE, who was known as Llanelli’s ‘Mr Music’. Megan joined other bursary prize hopefuls at competition auditions for the prize. “She is a very worthy winner,” said the chairman of the judging panel, Eifion Thomas. Mr Thomas, musical director of Côr Meibion Llanelli and Côr Baroc, said the judges were impressed by the quality of the young musicians and singers who applied for the bursary. He added: “The bursary is being supported by a £1000 cash contribution by the Llanelli-based Jenkins Bakery and we are grateful for their support in helping talented youngsters continue their musical education.” Megan, 19, has just taken her place at the Royal Welsh College of Music an...

An exciting £1,000 musical bursary prize will be awarded for the first time this month to honour the man known as Llanelli’s Mr Music, Gethin Hughes MBE. It is the biggest prize of its kind on offer in Wales and the aim is to find the very best young musical talent in Carmarthenshire. The prize is the brainchild of Cor Meibion Llanelli musical director Eifion Thomas, a close friend of the late Mr Hughes. “Gethin was a great pal and a long-serving accompanist for Cor Meibion Llanelli,” said Mr Thomas. “We travelled the world to concerts and festivals and Gethin was famous the world over for being a real character and a wonderful ambassador for Llanelli. “Gethin made an outstanding contribution to music in Llanelli and in Wales. It is wonderfully fitting that we should honour his memory and celebrate his life with a musical bursary prize. “Gethin cared very much about supporting and promoting youngsters on their musical careers. Hopefully, this new award will go a long way t...

The musical bursary fund set up to remember the man known as Llanelli’s Mr Music, Gethin Hughes MBE, is off to a flying start. The fund is already being backed by a £1,000 donation by the Llanelli-based Jenkins Bakery business. It received an extra shot-in-the-arm when the first Gethin Hughes Memorial Concert was held at Greenfield Chapel, Llanelli. “The concert was well attended and we reckon that we raised close to £1000 on the night,” said Richard Christopher, secretary of the Gethin Hughes Memorial Bursary Fund. “There was also a wonderful surprise for us on the evening as we received news from the elders of Triniti Chapel, the chapel where Gethin was organist and such a faithful member. “Gethin was one of the prime movers in the chapel’s Cymdeithas Glyd (cosy society) and the elders of Triniti have agreed to earmark money left over in the Cymdeithas fund for the musical bursary prize. “That sum of money comes to nearly £2000, so it is a massive boost for us in our first y...