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

Carmarthenshire’s Housing Services has joined forces with the national Warm Homes Campaign to tackle fuel poverty in the county. Two awareness events will be held later this month and in February. The campaign is run by fuel poverty charity National Energy Action (NEA), which aims to raise awareness of the problem and some of the solutions available for those struggling to heat their homes affordably. People will be able to get advice on energy efficiency at the event, with practical hints and tips on insulating their homes. The events will take place on Thursday January 26 in Pencader Pavilion from 3-6pm and on Wednesday February 8 in the Aberduar chapel vestry, Llanybydder, from 3-6pm. NEA Cymru Director Carole Morgan-Jones said: “Sadly, we know that many already vulnerable people will be struggling to afford to keep themselves warm in their homes this winter. “Wales had the highest winter excess mortality rate at 17 per cent last year and one of the prime causes of excess w...

Residents in Llanybydder are being urged to have a clear out. A waste and tyre amnesty is being held in the main car park on Tuesday, March 15 between 8am and 1pm. Most household waste can be taken along including unwanted furniture, carpets and mattresses, electrical items such as fridge-freezers and televisions, as well as black and blue bags. A maximum of four tyres can also be disposed of; however, tractor or lorry tyres will not be accepted. Hazardous waste such as paint, fluorescent tubes, batteries, chemicals, gas bottles and asbestos will not be accepted along with glass, garden waste, trade waste, construction waste and agricultural waste. Residents can pick up a free bag of Merlin’s Magic Compost (while stocks last) courtesy of CWM Environmental Ltd. Half-price compost bins will also be on sale for just £6 instead of the usual £12. Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “I hope residents take advantage of this opportunity to dispose of their waste...

Residents in Llanybydder are being urged to have a clear out. A waste and tyre amnesty is being held in the main car park on Tuesday, September 22 between 8am and 1pm. Most household waste can be taken along including unwanted furniture, carpets and mattresses, electrical items such as fridge-freezers and televisions, as well as black and blue bags. A maximum of four tyres can also be disposed of; however, tractor or lorry tyres will not be accepted. Hazardous waste such as paint, fluorescent tubes, batteries, chemicals, gas bottles and asbestos will not be accepted along with glass, garden waste, trade waste, construction waste and agricultural waste. Residents can pick up a free bag of Merlin’s Magic Compost (while stocks last) courtesy of CWM Environmental Ltd. Half-price compost bins will also be on sale for just £6 instead of the usual £12. Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “I hope residents take advantage of this opportunity to dispose of their w...

A man has been fined after he dumped a load of blue bags at one of Carmarthenshire Council’s recycling sites. Council environmental enforcement officers received a complaint of waste being dumped on the ground next to the recycling banks in Llanybydder car park. The site has recycling banks for glass, cans, paper, textiles and shoes, small electrical and books, CDs and DVDs. There is no facility for recycling blue bags at the site. Officers managed to trace the man responsible for dumping the bags and he was issued with a fixed penalty notice for £75. If he doesn’t pay he could be prosecuted in court and fined up to £2,500. People are being reminded that blue bags should be put out for collection at the kerbside or taken to a main household waste centre. Glass bottles and other recyclable waste must be placed into the banks and not left on the ground. If they are full please report it to the council. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said:...

A man has been fined after he dumped a load of blue bags at one of the council’s recycling sites. Council environmental enforcement officers received a complaint of waste being dumped on the ground next to the recycling banks in Llanybydder car park. The site has recycling banks for glass, cans, paper, textiles and shoes, small electrical and books, CDs and DVDs. There is no facility for recycling blue bags at the site. Officers managed to trace the man responsible for dumping the bags and he was issued with a fixed penalty notice for £75. If he doesn’t pay he could be prosecuted in court and fined up to £2,500. People are being reminded that blue bags should be put out for collection at the kerbside or taken to a main household waste centre. Glass bottles and other recyclable waste must be placed into the banks and not left on the ground. If they are full please report it to the council. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “We are ver...

Work is starting on the Old School in Llanybydder in February to create a cardio room, community space and wet room following grant support from RDP Sir Gâr and CWM Environmental. Llanybydder Old School committee purchased the building in 1998, with the vision of developing the building into a community space. A small community gym has developed, which is maintained by the committee. The Committee is now aiming to further develop the building in to a community space for residents of Llanybydder village and the wider community, and to address the gaps in service and leisure provision within the community. A joint package of support from RDP Sir Gâr will see Innovative Communities fund the wet room, community space and works to develop a cardio room and the Rural Community Inclusion project will fund building works on the ground floor. RDP Sir Gâr’s Innovative Communities, part of the Axis 4 Innovative Hubs scheme, and Rural Community Inclusion have provided funding of £45,000 towards ...

A waste and tyre amnesty in being held in Llanybydder. Residents are being urged to have a good clear out and take advantage of this one-off chance to to get rid of their household rubbish. The amnesty, organised by the council’s waste and recycling section and Tidy Towns, is taking place on Wednesday, February 19 between 8am and 1pm at Llanybydder car park. Most household waste can be taken along including unwanted furniture, carpets and mattresses, electrical items such as fridge-freezers and televisions, garden waste and tyres (maximum 10 tyres per household / no tractor or lorry tyres). However, paint, garden chemicals, car batteries, gas bottles, asbestos, construction and trade waste will not be accepted. Residents that dispose of any waste items will also get a free bag of Merlin’s Magic Compost (while stocks last) courtesy of CWM Environmental Ltd. Executive Board Member for Technical Services Cllr Colin Evans said: “The aim of the amnesty is to encourage people to recycle mo...

Two people have been fined for littering in Llanybydder after being caught on camera. Council environmental enforcement officers installed CCTV cameras at the recycling site in Station Road following complaints from residents of fly-tipping. All types of rubbish was being dumped around the recycling banks. A man was seen getting out of his car and dropping a cigarette end onto the ground. Officers used the vehicle registration number to identify him. In another incident, a woman was seen leaving a cardboard box on the ground. Both were issued with fixed penalty notices for £75. If they fail to pay, they could be taken to court where the maximum fine is £2,500. Further offences are also being investigated, which could result in further fines being issued. There are signs in the car park warning people that surveillance cameras may be in operation. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “These sites are important facilities for communities but...

A Community woodland is flourishing in Llanybydder thanks to a joint effort between residents and stakeholders. The area between Bro Einon and Heol y Deri has been transformed from an overgrown area of rough woodland to a vibrant communal area where people can get in touch with nature. Picnic areas have been created, with benches, interpretation panels, bird and bat boxes. The project has been funded by the Environment Agency, the Welsh Government’s Tidy Towns project and the Environmental Works Project, which is part of the council’s Carmarthenshire Homes Standard - a £200million programme to renovate council homes and communal areas through environmental improvements. It followed an extensive consultation by members of the Developing the Environmental Works Project group, which consists of tenants from across Carmarthenshire, who worked with the Llanybydder Tenants and Residents Association and housing officers. Maria Evans, Community Engagement Officer, said: “A door to door s...

A Llanybydder man has been prosecuted for failing to fill in the appropriate documentation for the waste he was carrying. Richard Walter Hopson, aged 58, of Arlyn, Llanllwni, Llanybydder; pleaded guilty to an offence under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 at Ammanford Magistrates Court. The prosecution was brought by Carmarthenshire County Council. The court heard that Hopson was stopped by police and the council’s environmental enforcement officers in a Blue Ford Transit in Cross Hands as part of a joint operation targeting scrap metal dealers in Carmarthenshire. The vehicle was carrying a substantial amount of scrap metal including three wheel barrows, vehicle body parts, computers, fencing and heating boilers. The officers asked Hopson if he was registered with the Environment Agency as a waste carrier. He said he was and provided his waste carriers licence. He was then asked if he had any waste transfer notes for the waste he was carrying as required by law. The ...

A man and a woman have been fined £75 for dropping cigarette ends in Llanybydder. The two were caught littering in separate incidents in Lampeter Road by the council’s environmental enforcement officers. Failure to pay the fixed penalty notices could result in prosecution in the magistrates court and a maximum fine of up to £2,500. It follows a council campaign to highlight the problem of smoking-related litter and encourage people to put their cigarette butts in the bin. Director of Technical Services Richard Workman said: “We do not want to fine people, but we will not hesitate to do so if they continue to litter in this way. Many people do not think of cigarette ends as litter, but they are. They make an area look unsightly and they are difficult and very expensive to clean up - the ends fall into grates and cracks in the pavement which makes them almost impossible to remove by normal cleaning.” Research shows that discarded cigarette ends make up the largest proportion of litt...

Residents in Llanybydder are being urged to have a good clear out and recycle any rubbish they have lying around the home. A waste amnesty is being held on Saturday, July 16 in the main car park between 8am and 10.30am. Householders can take advantage of this one-off chance to dispose of any large items of rubbish for free. Most household waste can be taken along including bulky waste items such as furniture and electrical goods. However, asbestos, tyres, paint, garden chemicals, batteries, gas bottles, construction waste and trade waste will not be accepted. The amnesty has been organised by Carmarthenshire County Council and the aim is to encourage residents to dispose of waste that may otherwise be fly-tipped as well as encourage them to recycle and/or reuse as much of their rubbish as possible. Executive member for the environment Councillor Philip Hughes said: “I hope residents take advantage of this opportunity to get rid of any rubbish they may have. Bulky waste such as furnitur...

The last remaining residents at Carmarthenshire Council’s Annedd care home, Llanybydder, have successfully transferred to the county’s new integrated care scheme. All staff at Annedd have also moved across to the new care scheme – Cwm Aur – and all are settling in well. The move took place earlier this month, and the carefully managed transfer process has ensured that all residents have experienced minimum disruption. Cwm Aur - a partnership between the council and Grŵp Gwalia - provides one and two bedroom flats to people aged over 55. The scheme also offers extra care, provided by Gwalia Care and Support, which benefits those who require support whilst maintaining the privacy of their own home. Cwm Aur contains 40 self-contained flats, along with several respite and care rooms. Each flat has a lockable front door, and gives residents the freedom of having visitors, such as relatives and GP’s, to visit as they wish. Telecare systems are fitted throughout, and on-site staff provide 24-...

A community woodland in Llanybydder is to be blitzed as part of a huge land improvement scheme. Plans are afoot to clean-up and develop the site between Bro Einon and Heol Y Dderi. The land, which has been blighted by fly-tipping, will be restored and new seating areas and picnic tables installed. The pathways will be improved and litter picks will be carried out. The work is part of a multi-million pound Environmental Works Programme to improve the areas around council estates in Carmarthenshire. The county council is behind the scheme as part of the £200 million Carmarthenshire Homes Standard, which is aimed at improving the council’s 9,200 council homes. Huge refurbishment schemes are underway to improve houses, and officers want to ensure that the areas around estates are also improved. Groundbreaking work is underway to clear neglected land and create new play areas, allotments and community green spaces. Tenants and housing officers have joined together to create key projects and...

Residents in Llanybydder are being urged to have a good clear out and get rid of any rubbish they have lying around the home. A waste amnesty is being held on Saturday (June 19) and householders will be able to take advantage of a one-off chance to dispose of any large items of rubbish for free. A collection point will be set up in the main car park between 8am and 10.30am and most household waste can be taken along including bulky waste items such as furniture and electrical goods. However, asbestos, tyres, paint, garden chemicals, batteries, gas bottles, construction waste and trade waste will not be accepted. The amnesty has been organised by Carmarthenshire County Council and the aim is to encourage residents to dispose of waste that may otherwise be fly-tipped. It is also hoped the amnesty will encourage householders to recycle and/or reuse as much of their rubbish as possible. Executive member for the environment Councillor Haydn Jones said: “I hope residents take advantage of th...

Tenants and residents in Llanybydder have been given the opportunity to say what is important to them about the area where they live. They have been working together with Carmarthenshire County Council Housing staff. The Delivering the Environmental Works Project Group surveyed households living in council sites in Llanybydder to find out what is important to them about where they are living. The results of the survey where launched in a fun family event held in Bro Einon, Llanybydder. The day was a great success with lots of information and advice on the main concern from the survey, which was dog fouling. There was information and ideas gathering to assist in the development of the biggest request from the survey, which is for the local woodland area to be developed sympathetically for use by the community. Other highlights of the day where a visit by CHES, the polar bear mascot for the Carmarthenshire Home Energy Advice Service, face painting, play activities, refreshments, a prize ...