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

Research by Aberystwyth University on the emotional impact of art and literature has been chosen as one of the highlights of the Being Human Festival showcase to be held at Senate House, London. The ‘Quantified Romantics’ project is being led by Professor Richard Marggraf Turley from the University’s English & Creative Writing Department, and Professor Reyer Zwiggelaar from Computer Science. Together, they’ve been developing a technique to measure our emotional response to art – in particular, the poetry, prose and paintings of the Romantic period. Do gothic novels really stir the pulse, as their Romantic authors claimed? Can paintings of yawning chasms, nightmarish creatures, ruined abbeys in dark forests and rocky precipices actually cause measurable chills of terror? In their pursuit of answers, Marggraf Turley and Zwiggelaar, with Research Associate Tom Blanchard, have been using a specially-designed ‘smart’ wristband to collect biometric data on how people react emotionally ...

HRH The Princess Royal was presented with a cheque for £50,000 for Carers Trust at a private dinner hosted by South Wales millionaire businessman Kevin Green. The money raised will help the charity, for which The Princess Royal is president, to support unpaid carers across the UK. Gail Scott-Spicer, CEO of Carers Trust, said: “We had a great evening talking about carers, the support they need and how the money raised will support many unpaid carers who are caring tirelessly around the clock. “Carers Trust would like to say a huge thank you to Her Royal Highness, Kevin Green and everyone involved, for their kind generosity.” Mr Green, 52, hosted the VIP dinner at a private suite in Claridge’s Hotel, London. He said: “I love networking and helping others. “The opportunity of combining both interests by organising a private dinner to raise funds for the Carers Trust, such a deserving charity, had massive personal appeal. “The support of Carers Trust President, HRH The Princess Royal g...

A team of three Aberystwyth University students have been selected from more than 25,000 applications to compete in the regional finals of the world’s largest student competition to solve some of the toughest challenges facing the world today. Undergraduates Brandon Ribatika from the School of Management and Business, Mohammed Waqas from the Department of International Politics and Sohail Iqbal from the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, are representing Aberystwyth University in the London regional final of the Hult Prize on 11-12 March 2016. The Hult Prize is an annual competition which sees budding young social entrepreneurs from universities across the world competing in teams to create innovative start-up enterprises that tackle global challenges such as poverty, food security and affordable housing. The winning team is given the opportunity to make their ideas reality with the help of $1million in seed funding, as well as mentoring and advice from the in...

This spring the Royal Academy of Arts in London presents an exhibition of prints by Stanley Anderson RA (1884-1966) curated by Professor Robert Meyrick and Dr Harry Heuser of the School of Art, Aberystwyth University. It is one of a series of exhibitions and catalogues raisonné celebrating the work of Royal Academician printmakers. A fully illustrated and annotated catalogue raisonné of prints published by the Royal Academy coincides with the launch of the exhibition. Written by Robert Meyrick and Harry Heuser, it provides an in-depth assessment of Anderson’s oeuvre. Today, Stanley Anderson is best known for his series of engravings memorialising Britain’s vanishing crafts, trades and farming practices. These carefully observed and meticulously executed portraits of traditional occupations provide us with a pictorial record of life and work in mid-twentieth century rural Britain. Presented together with Anderson’s earlier, lesser-known drypoints of urban life, they form a composite...

Campaigning MP Zac Goldsmith was the guest of honour at the opening of the new Abaca showroom in Richmond, London. The former editor of The Ecologist magazine and MP for the Richmond constituency cut the tape on the new showroom at 12C Eton Street, Richmond. It was, the MP admitted, something of a first – “I’ve never been asked to open an organic mattress shop before,” he smiled, before adding, “This is not any old mattress shop!” Mr Goldsmith praised Abaca MD Rhiannon Rowley for the quality of her firm’s products and for taking the bold step of expanding with a London showroom. Mr Goldsmith said: “I genuinely believe there will come a time when people will look at the junk that gets put into mainstream mattresses nowadays and wonder how it was ever possible, how it was ever sanctioned by the regulator, for such things to be produced. “Thankfully, the story is very different with the mattresses produced by Abaca. There is a great provenance in the product and you can tell this is ...

Hywel Dda University Health Board team members Sian Hall and Tony Hall have won the Aston OD award for team-based working at the HPMA Excellence Awards 2014 in London! They have been recognised for their work in adapting the training provided to staff to include Aston Core teamwork principles to improve outcomes for patients on our wards. The courses allow multi-professional teams consisting of healthcare support workers, registered nursing staff and foundation year one and two to be trained together in one session. To date, there has been a decrease in the incidence of cardiac arrest calls from the general ward areas. Sian and Tony oversaw the development of ward-based simulation scenarios to recognise and escalate the unwell patient to allow for timely medical management. The education environment was also adapted to allow for reflective simulation. Although Aston teamwork concepts are not new, it is thought that this is the first time they have been integrated into Rapid Resp...

The 2014 winners of the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) Beer Academy Beer Sommelier of the Year awards were announced at the BII’s prestigious Annual Lunch held at the Grosvenor House Park Lane. The winning sommelier for the UK is Jane Peyton, who is a beer writer and drinks event organiser. Jane will be invited to present the beers at the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group’s Annual Dinner held in Westminster on July 9. The judges also awarded a second prize for the first time this year for International BII Beer Academy Beer Sommelier of the Year to Hans Tryggvason. Hans, an Icelander, works in the gastropub, Håndverkerstuene, in Oslo. Applicants were whittled down to a shortlist of eight, from which four contenders were selected for a rigorous interview with the judging panel. They were asked to suggest beer matches for the three course BII Annual Lunch menu, conduct a tutored tasting of a bottled craft beer and demonstrate how to present a beer in perfect condition in...

Llanelli’s leading young choristers will later this year join a celebrity line when they perform at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall. The Hywel Girls’ Choir & Hywel Boy Singers – under the direction of their magical maestro John Hywel Williams – will be part of a celebrity line up at the Royal Albert Hall for the acclaimed Salvation Army Christmas Celebrity Performance in November. The traditional sell-out event with a 5,000-strong audience, will see the Hywel Choir join forces with singer Cerys Matthews and other celebrities along with the Salvation Army’s International Staff Band and Chorus. In their planned performance, the Hywel choirs will be performing O Holy Night, a song they will also be recording and releasing for Christmas. Llanelli’s star choristers have a prestigious yet whirlwind November planned which will see them perform at the Royal Albert Hall, a return performance to St David’s Hall Cardiff for the Wales Festival of Remembrance, performing for the...

Social entrepreneur Kevin Green will be speaking to business leaders in London this evening on 'Encouraging Entrepreneurship in Wales'. Mr Green will be speaking at the Welsh Government's London HQ in Victoria Street at an event hosted by the Prince's Trust. Mr Green said: "As a member of the Entrepreneurship Panel for Wales, I am delighted to be given the honour of addressing a select audience of London-based business leaders. "I care passionately about Wales and encouraging entrepreneurship in Wales, so the topic of the talk is right up my street!" Other speakers at tonight's event include Edwina Hart, the Welsh Government Minister for Economy, Science and Transport; Lesley Kirkpatrick, Director, Prince’s Trust Cymru, young ambassadors from Prince’s Trust Cymru and Cilla Davies, Chair, Prince’s Trust Cymru. Mr Green will highlight the strong private sector engagement with Welsh Government in Wales through his role with the Entrepreneurship Panel...

Rising star Samira Mohamed Ali, an aspiring young actress of mixed Dubai and Portuguese parentage, is having an inspirational effect on her adopted country of Wales. Her father passed away when she was just eight and Samira had to share family responsibilities from an early age. After many years of successful international modelling contracts, at the age of 21 she qualified in here banking exams and started to work alongside top Banking Directors at global giant HSBC to present on the HSBC TV channel, but now she is following her dreams and venturing into the world of feature films. Samira, 28, currently lives in Swansea, the birthplace of Hollywood Actress Catherine Zeta Jones, but is tipped by film critics to be one of the big emerging stars of 2014. Her first lead role will be by the side of BAFTA nominated actor George Newton ("Dead Man's Shoes" and "This is England") in the soon-to-be-released British horror movie "Molly Crows". ...

A summer season of beer tastings kicks off at the White Horse at Parsons Green (London SW6 4UL) in April. Each of these monthly 90 minute sessions is hosted by a Beer Academy Sommelier who will explore a different aspect of the fascinating world of beer. 23rd April St George’s Day Beers Peter Haydon 21st May Beer and Cheese Nigel Sadler with Nigel White from the British Cheese Board. 11th June Love London Beers Debbie Parker 6th August Hallelujah to Hops Debbie Parker 8th October Old World vs. New World Beers Steve Livens Beer Academy Director Simon Jackson said “The Beer Academy’s role is to enlighten, educate and enthuse people about beer. These short courses are all about the enthusing part. There is no exam; just a fun evening discovering more about one aspect of beer with a leading expert. And the chance to sample a range of magnificent beers. For most people it will just be a great night out. But for others, it can be the first step to more advanced courses and formal recog...

The ladies at the 'A Passion for Homes' website have just posted a video of their launch party. If you look closely, you can see yours truly edging into some of the shots! Entrepreneur Kevin Green was the guest speaker at the launch at a swish location in the shadow of The Shard in London. There's a secret about the launch: it isn't tea in the lovely china cups, but champagne and elderflower sparkling wine! Here is the latest press release from the A Passion for Homes team - Video support vital to the launch of A Passion for Homes website Using video to ensure the launch of A Passion for Homes in February was caught on film, including an interview with TV presenter and A Place in the Sun presenter Laura Hamilton, was an important aspect for this new company. ‘We felt it was important that this landmark day in our history was made into a short film that summed up who we are, our passion and why companies have wanted to get involved with A Passion for Homes.’ explains An...

South Wales millionaire and entrepreneur Kevin Green has spoken of his delight at sharing the stage with former US President Bill Clinton at a major UK business conference. The Entrepreneurs 2012 four-day intensive business conference attracted an audience of more than 10,000 to London's ExCel arena, with 3,000 packed into the hall for Clinton’s keynote address. “Obviously, it was one of the biggest events I’ve done in my role as a motivational and business speaker,” said Kevin. “The running order went from Bill Clinton, former US President, straight to Kevin Green, millionaire and entrepreneur. “Not bad, I thought . . . having Bill Clinton as your warm-up man!” Kevin joked. “As you would expect Clinton’s speech was very inspirational. The guy arrived with a massive security entourage and there is a real aura about him as a speaker. “Without a doubt, he is the biggest draw in the world at the moment in terms of public speaking. I'm very proud of the fact that I was invited to s...

Apologies for lack of blogging. It's been a bit manic getting ready for the Paralympic Games starting in London tonight. I am a GamesMaker volunteer with the Games press team.

It's a case of 'book early' for Kevin Green's next two-day Wealth Intensive Training seminar in September. He'll share his successful in-depth high-profit structures, giving delegates a complete toolkit to wealth creation. Approximately 50% of the training sessions focus on property/property related businesses and 50% on other high cash flow and profitable business start-up strategies. The price is just £20 per seat with proceeds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation UK. Kevin is an ambassador for the charity. You will learn the following :- How to become a 'Bank' Business start up tips High profit business examples How to start with no money Credit repair, build and growth Joint ventures How to grow significant value in business and property Forex trading Kevins 70/30 rule Exit strategies for safety You will also get access to 'Team Green' and Kevin's business systems Both days begin at 8.30 am and finish at 6pm. Venue: Radisson Edwardi...

Seats are going fast for South Wales entrepreneur Kevin Green's latest two-day 'Wealth Intensive Training' course taking place in London, July 21-22. Kevin writes - It's my pleasure to invite you to attend a Two-Day Wealth Intensive Training course. I'll share my successful in-depth high-profit structures and give delegates a complete toolkit to wealth creation. Approximately 50% of the training sessions focus on property/property related businesses and 50% on other high cash flow and profitable business start-up strategies. The price is £20 per seat, with proceeds to Make-A-Wish Foundation UK, of which I am an ambassador. You will learn the following :- How to become a 'Bank' Business start up tips High profit business examples How to start with no money Credit repair, build and growth Joint ventures How to grow significant value in business and property Forex trading Kevins 70/30 rule Exit strategies for safety You will get - Ac...

Much-loved bass-baritone Bryn Terfel is celebrated in this four-day festival of Welsh and international musical talent. At the heart of BrynFest are four Royal Festival Hall performances that see Bryn with West End stars performing songs from musical theatre’s golden age, and with opera stars treating audiences to an evening of classic opera arias. Both events are accompanied by the Orchestra and Chorus of Welsh National Opera. Equally roof-raising is a night with Super Furry Animals’ frontman Gruff Rhys, and Wales Choir of the World with Bryn and a 500-strong international male choir premiering Karl Jenkins’ new work. The festival climaxes with Bryn’s Big Sing where you can join Bryn and hundreds of others to belt out rousing Welsh songs on the Royal Festival Hall terraces. Plus you can prepare your vocals for Bryn’s Big Sing with after-work Choral Clubs, catch music from Huw Warren and Neil Yates, and see a showcase of the finest young Welsh vocal talent.

A group of long-term unemployed jobseekers were bussed into London to work as unpaid stewards during the diamond jubilee celebrations and told to sleep under London Bridge before working on the river pageant. See Guardian story.

The Mayor of the London Borough of Richmond heaped praise on Côr Meibion Llanelli (Llanelli Male Choir) after their concert at The Duke Street Baptist Church Theatre in Richmond. Councillor Mrs Clare Head described the choir’s performance as outstanding and said that the choristers were true ambassadors of Wales. The Mayor added: “The passion and commitment to Welsh choral singing really shone through in a wonderful evening’s entertainment. “We were regally entertained by one of the finest male choirs I have heard.” The concert was billed as a ‘St David’s Day concert in aid of the Mayor of the London Borough of Richmond’s chosen charity, the Citizen’s Advice Bureau. The Mayor added: “It was wonderful to hear the choir in full voice and the whole evening was held together wonderfully by some readings of Welsh prose and poetry by the choir’s musical director, Eifion Thomas. “Wales is very lucky to have a choir of the stature of Côr Meibion Llanelli and we were very lucky to hear them a...

'Quick hit' trip to London yesterday - Oxford Street ('things' for darling daughter'), art exhibition by Llanelli's Jane Greer in Piccadilly, lunch in Chinatown, The Ladykillers at The Gielgud Theatre . . . and home safe and sound!