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

The popular South Wales-based Jenkins Bakery has launched a special range of products to mark Halloween. "We always like to do something special to mark different occasions throughout the year," said Russell Jenkins, operations director at the Jenkins Bakery. "Our customers have come to expect us to do something special and this year we have six different products for people to enjoy as they party over Halloween. "We hope our customers enjoy them." The products are - Pumpkin Biscuits (£1.00) Our top quality shortbread biscuit with a hand decorated pumpkin in sugar paste & chocolate – packed with shelf life label underneath.  Halloween Cupcakes (£1.00) Our top quality plain sponge, covered with chocolate frosting, decorated with a halloween sugar paste plaque, and a sprinkle of bats or pumpkin figures.  Skeleton Biscuits (£0.80) Our top quality shortbread biscuit covered with a sugar paste skeleton plaque.  Frankenste...

Children enjoyed Halloween games during half term holidays as part of a busy programme of events in Ammanford Library. Other activities during the week included Halloween Bingo, a film show, an Actif Story Time for pre-school children and a Halloween Treasure Hunt.

Some 60 children from the Morfa area joined in a Halloween party at Carmarthenshire Council’s Morfa Integrated Children’s Centre enjoying dance sessions with numbers like Ghost Busters and Monster Mash. They were joined by Scooby Doo, and a snow machine added to the shivers for scary-faced painted children and plastic spiders abundant in the fun session. All the children received prizes for their fancy dress and party tricks. County executive board member for Carmarthenshire Council's Children Services, Cllr Gareth Jones, said :"The centre is extremely innovative putting a number of these fun events together at holiday times to engage with the children from the community."

Hundreds of pumpkins blanketing a hill overlooking Llanelli have been ripening in time for Halloween And they have been rolling on down to the Market Garden stall of Miriam and Stephen Phillips at Llanelli Market ready for Halloween enthusiasts to carve their own masterpieces or make pumpkin pie or soup. From football size to giant pear shaped monster pumpkins more than two feet across, they adorn the stall almost begging to be carved to smile, grimace, happily gaze and even scare with twinkling lights on All Hollows Eve. Whilst quite an attraction at the Cowell Street entrance to Llanelli Market, the pumpkins always draw wide-eyed children in awe at the size of Jack-o-Lanterns on the Phillips family stall. They also attract the Mary Berry serious cook and, capitalising on this, the Phillips market stallholders give away helpful recipe sheets for making pumpkin pies and soup. The stall also supplies hotels and schools about Llanelli with the produce of their bountiful autumnal harves...

Parents across Carmarthenshire are being reminded to make sure their children can ‘Be seen this Halloween’. The council’s road safety team is launching its annual ‘be seen’ campaign to coincide with the clocks going back on Sunday, October 30. With the darker mornings and nights coming in, children are being encouraged to wear bright clothing. Parents could also consider investing in fluorescent / reflective armbands or tabards to help keep their children safe when out and about near roads. Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “On dark nights and in bad weather all pedestrians; and children in particular, are vulnerable on the roads because they are less visible to motorists. “We want to encourage parents to ensure that their children are made aware of the importance of wearing bright clothing this time of year. “Anyone travelling near traffic, for example children walking to and from school in the winter, should wear or carry something reflective in poor...

Parents are being urged to take care when dressing their children up in costumes for Halloween. Carmarthenshire County Council’s Trading Standards team and the Community Safety Partnership are warning parents to ensure flammable costume materials are kept well away from naked flames. The flammability of costumes has featured in the media since a tragic accident involving the eight-year-old daughter of Strictly Come Dancing star Claudia Winkleman, who suffered severe burns when her witch costume caught fire after allegedly coming into contact with or close to a pumpkin candle on Halloween 2014. Cllr Jim Jones, Executive Board Member for Public Protection, said: “We urge parents to take extra care when children are wearing costumes near candles and naked flames this Halloween.” Cllr Pam Palmer, Chair of the Carmarthenshire Community Safety Partnership, added: “The tragic accident involving Claudia Winkleman’s daughter should serve as a reminder of the dangers of flammable materials. ...

The popular South Wales Jenkins Bakery has launched a special range of products to mark Halloween. "We always like to do something special to mark different occasions throughout the year," said Russell Jenkins, operations director at the Jenkins Bakery. "Our customers have come to expect us to do something special and this year we have six different products for people to enjoy as they party over Halloween.” The products are - HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN BISCUIT – £1.00  Our top quality shortbread biscuit with a hand decorated pumpkin in sugar paste and chocolate. HALLOWEEN MALLOWS - £1.00  Chocolate covered marshmallow. HALLOWEEN KRISPIES - £1.10  Chocolate Krispie Cake with edible figure. HALLOWEEN CUP CAKES – £1.00  Our top quality plain sponge, covered with orange icing and hand decorated with chocolate for the spiders legs and two mini eggs for his body. HALLOWEEN MALLOW CONES – 85P  Our popular marshmallow cones specially dec...

Shoppers at Llanelli market are going ‘bananas’ for Minion-shaped pumpkins. The Minion mayhem has been fuelled by pumpkins grown by Miriam Phillips and her husband Steve of Mr and Mrs H Phillips Fruit and Vegetables. Miriam said: “We’ve grown nearly 400 pumpkins on our farm this year. It’s been a great year for them. We noticed that a few of them were shaped like minions, so we thought it would be great to turn them into the characters because you see them everywhere in the shops.” The minions have caught the attention of a number of shoppers already, with many stopping to take selfies with them. “They’re very popular, and we’re now looking at different characters. I’d like to do an Olaf one from Frozen next,” said Miriam. Last year, H Phillips Fruit and Vegetables sold out of their giant pumpkins before Halloween. “I thought people would find them too big, but they were really popular as people want them bigger now to carve larger designs,” said Miriam. “It’s never too soon to buy y...

A very spooky Halloween event was held in Ammanford last Friday. The well attended event was organised by the “Support Your High Street” team from the Town Council and Ammanford Enterprise Partnership. Hundreds of parents with young children turned out for the free event which offered free goody bags, Toffee Apples and Hot Chocolate. There was a costume parade with prizes for best costume in several categories, as well as best decorated pumpkin, spooky music and images from the Bandstand and a Halloween trail with supernatural happenings and horrible characters. Carmarthenshire County Council physical regeneration project officer Andrew Shufflebotham said: “Some of the eateries benefited from families visiting the event. On the spooky night families were reminded of what Ammanford town centre has to offer in the run up to Christmas.

Children enjoyed spooky stories at one of Llanelli Library’s Halloween events. The storytime and crafts session for under-fives was one of the free activities taking place at the library in Vaughan Street throughout this week. Tomorrow (Thursday) there will be an active storytime session for under-eights, taking place from 10.30am to 11.30am. On Friday, October 31, there will be a HalloWii-n challenge, youngsters aged over five are invited to go along in fancy dress and scare staff with their Wii skills! Also during that day, from 10am to 4pm, there will be a Hair-Raising Halloween crafts session for children under 10. All activities are free, children need to be accompanied by an adult during the sessions. Carmarthenshire’s executive board member for cultural services Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “There’s all sorts of spooky fun going on at Llanelli Children’s Library during this half term week. “We welcome children and families to come along and join in the activities, they may also ...

Swansea City stars have got behind this year’s Operation Bang campaign, urging everyone to have fun, but stay safe this Halloween and Bonfire Night. Strikers Alex Samuel and Bafétimbi Gomis, and club ambassador Lee Trundle, are backing  Carmarthenshire County Council , Dyfed Powys Police and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service - all part of the Carmarthenshire Community Safety Partnership - in encouraging people to be considerate to anyone who doesn’t wish to join in the celebrations. Operation Bang runs throughout the Halloween and Bonfire Night period, and spreads the message that we can all have fun without being a nuisance. Youth star Alex Samuel said: “I remember going trick or treating as a child and having a great time. It is important that children have fun but without causing concern for others. I hope everyone has a good time on Halloween and on Guy Fawkes night.” Swans ambassador Lee Trundle added: “Trick or treating is a tradition which a lot of children en...

Everyone is going pumpkin crazy in Llanelli. Llanelli market stallholders Miriam and Steve Phillips cannot get their monster pumpkins on the stall fast enough. They are flying out without broomsticks - and there is still three weeks to go to Halloween. Steve said it has been a fabulous pumpkin growing year on their farm above Pwll. “They are bigger and wider ribbed than ever and are causing quite a stir when they go out on the stall.” He said: “We have already harvested 160 and most of those are spoken for. They are flying out because they are so big and beautiful.” Carmarthenshire theatres manager Carwyn Matera Rogers was walking through the market and was gobsmacked by the display of giant pumpkins, ordering 20 immediately for his Ffwrnes Theatre Halloween display. Miriam said orders for scores of giant pumpkins had been coming from Llanelly House, Stradey Park Hotel and the North Dock Sosban Restaurant. She said: “Llanelly House has decorated fireplaces and been producing pumpkin ...

Age Cymru is wishing trick-or-treaters a happy Halloween for Thursday night (October 31). We want everyone to have a fun and trouble-free night as our Safeguarding Manager, Louise Hughes, says: “We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable Halloween on Thursday. “But we also need to remember that not everyone wants to be involved in the celebrations. “This is why we’ve put a list of tips together which will allow everyone to have a happy Halloween.” Here are Age Cymru’s Top Halloween tips: Parents or guardians should accompany children who are trick-or-treating; Parents or guardians should call in on neighbours in advance to make sure that it will be okay to trick-or-treat them on Halloween; Older people who may not want trick-or-treaters calling in on them on Halloween can put a note in their window to ask people to stay away; If you are a trick-or-treater, please stay away from any houses that have got a note in the window asking you not to knock on their door; Be com...

Revellers are being urged to be one of the good guys this Halloween and Bonfire Night. Scarlets players have joined police, fire and council officers to urge people to enjoy themselves without spoiling things for others. They are supporting Carmarthenshire’s Community Safety Partnership’s efforts as part of the all-Wales Operation Bang to encourage people to stay safe and not let celebrations get out of hand. Shops are being asked to not to sell eggs and flour to young people out to cause mischief, whilst pupils are being advised to act responsibly and are being given advice on the dangers of bonfires and fireworks, as the police and fire service visit local schools. Posters have also been produced for householders to display in their windows to say whether they welcome trick or treaters. They are being distributed amongst the community and are available at the council’s customer service centres and police stations. They can also be downloaded from the council’s website www.carmarthens...

Llanelli's popular Jenkins Bakery has launched a special range of products to mark Halloween. "We always like to do something special to mark different occasions throughout the year" said Russell Jenkins operations director at the Jenkins Bakery. "Our customers have come to expect us to do something special and this year we have six different products for people to enjoy as they party over Halloween.” HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN BISCUIT – 90p Our top quality shortbread biscuit with a hand decorated pumpkin in sugar paste. HALLOWEEN BAT BISCUIT - 75p Hand decorated coloured sugar paste bat on our top quality shortbread biscuit. HALLOWEEN GHOST BISCUIT – 75p Hand decorated coloured sugar paste ghost on our top quality shortbread biscuit. HALLOWEEN KRISPIES - £1.10 Chocolate Krispie Cake with edible figure. HALLOWEEN CUP CAKES – 90p Our top quality chocolate muffin topped with coloured frosting and decorated with sprinkles and sugar plaque. HALLOWEEN MALL...

The number of anti-social behaviour incidents over Halloween and Bonfire Night fell by a massive 85% this year. Police received 185 anti-social behaviour-related calls from across Carmarthenshire between October 25 and November 6 compared to 335 the previous year – that’s 150 less incidents. It shows partnership working between the police, council and fire service – as part of the BANG initiative which aims to tackle anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and fireworks misuse – is really making a difference. Sgt David Gaskins, responsible for community safety, said: “Tackling anti-social behaviour is a key priority for the partnership and a lot of hard work has gone into this initiative which aims to make the Halloween and Bonfire Night period safe, enjoyable and as trouble-free as possible. “This is now the fourth year we have been running this initiative and every year we have seen a reduction in anti-social behaviour, in particular, the results for this year are extremely pleasing a...

Halloween and Bonfire Night can be fun but ‘trick or treating’ or setting off fireworks can turn into a nightmare if things get out of hand. The Community Safety Partnership, which includes the county council, police, fire and rescue service and other partner organisations, is urging people to have fun but to stay safe and think of others. The BANG initiative, which is being supported by the Scarlets, aims to tackle anti-social behaviour, criminal damage and fireworks misuse. Police will be stepping up patrols during this period, visiting licensed premises and working with trading standards regarding the sale of fireworks. Remember, it is illegal to buy fireworks or have fireworks in a public place if you are under 18, and the police can issue on-the-spot fines of £80. It is also against the law to set off or throw fireworks in the street and if found guilty by the courts, you could get fined up to £5,000 and/or up to three months in prison. Again shops and supermarkets are being asked...

The number of anti-social behaviour incidents over Halloween and Bonfire Night fell by 10 per cent this year. Police received 335 anti-social behaviour calls from across Carmarthenshire between October 25 and November 6 compared to 372 the previous year. The number of fire service calls to deliberate rubbish fires was also more than halved. It shows partnership working between the police, council and fire service – as part of the all-Wales Operation Bang – is really making a difference. Inspector Tony Ward said: “We started planning for this initiative back in the summer and a lot of hard work has gone into it. We did not want to spoil people’s fun, but we wanted to make sure they stayed safe and thought of others. “This is the third year running we have carried out this initiative and every year we have seen a reduction in anti-social behaviour. There were some isolated incidents, however, positive police intervention resulted in seizures of a large quantity of fireworks, alcohol and ...

Shops are being asked to not sell eggs and flour to young people out to cause mischief, while pupils are being advised to act responsibly and are being given advice on the dangers of bonfires and fireworks, as the police and fire service visit local schools. Posters have also been produced for householders to display in their windows to say whether they welcome trick or treaters. They have been distributed amongst the community and are also available at the council’s customer service centres, police stations and can be downloaded from the council’s website www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk Scarlets star Dafydd Jones said: “We are happy to lend our support to this campaign and we’d urge the youngsters to have a great time but most importantly to make sure they stay safe. “We totally support what the partnership is doing to highlight the importance of playing safe at Halloween and Bonfire Night, while these big events are great fun, it is important everyone enjoys without causing any danger to...