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

HRH the Prince of Wales is to give road safety initiatives the royal seal of approval at the Llandovery Motorbike Weekend. The Prince will launch the motorbike weekend by starting a parade of bikes around the town on Friday, July 8. Bikers from the emergency services and the county council’s road safety team will take part in the parade. The two-day event, taking place on July 8 and 9, will include stalls, attractions, display bikes, a motorcycle treasure hunt, fairground rides and show bikes. Road safety officers from the council, Dyfed Powys Police and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service will attend to promote initiatives such as Bikesafe, Dragon Rider Cymru, Biker Down Cymru and the CRASH card scheme. A number of other organisations will be in attendance including the Institute of Advanced Motorists; RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders, Motorcycle Action Group; Blood Bikes Wales; and GoSafe Wales Casualty Reduction Partnership. Activities available over the weekend include a ...

West Wales businesswoman Rhiannon Rowley has been appointed a patron of HRH The Prince of Wales’s Prime Cymru initiative. Ms Rowley, 59, owner of the Abaca organic mattress business in Tycroes, Ammanford, is delighted to be joining the team behind the Prince’s project to boost mature enterprise in Wales. Prime Cymru is a registered charity and is the only organisation in Wales dedicated to providing practical support for people aged 50 and over who want to become and remain economically active. “It’s a great privilege to be joining the Prime Cymru team as a patron,” said Ms Rowley. “I’ve been watching the development of the project and I know the charity is meeting a great need in Wales. “The Prince has been hugely supportive of our work at Abaca. He’s visited us here at our base in Tycroes and during conversations I have had with him he has always been full of encouragement and praise for what we are trying to do as a business. “His knowledge and passion about everything from woo...

Social entrepreneur Kevin Green was delighted to give the Prince of Wales first hand feedback on how The Prince’s Trust is helping change lives. The multi-millionaire from Burry Port was one of a number of businesspeople who met the prince at the youth charity’s new Cardiff centre. “It was, of course, a great honour to meet the Prince,” said Kevin. “The enthusiasm that he has for The Prince’s Trust really shines through. “In recent months, I have been able to see first hand what good work The Prince’s Trust does in Wales. “As an entrepreneur and businessman, I hope I was able to give the Prince some great feedback on what The Prince’s Trust means to so many people and how it works so hard to help our young people realise their full potential. “The Prince’s Trust is obviously close to the Prince’s heart and he had some excellent questions about the small part I am trying to play in helping the charity as a supporter of The Prince’s Trust.” The prince is the youth charity’s Founder ...

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall officially reopened the Llandovery Railway Station building. The Royal Couple unveiled a plaque commemorating the reopening of the Station Waiting Room and spent an hour looking around the newly refurbished facility and meeting guests. Carmarthenshire County Council’s regeneration department has been responsible for attracting more than £40,000 funding for the project to renovate and reopen the building which has been out of use for almost 20 years. This project received funding from the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development under two Axis 3 initiatives, a Developing Identity and Distinctiveness Project grant of £16,500 and an Access to Services grant of £25,000. Llandovery station building was erected in 1858 and the sale of the last ticket took place in its ticket hall in 1992 when it became an unmanned halt. The station buildings clos...

Prince Charles has given a royal seal of approval to Carmarthenshire’s Ffos Las Racecourse. His Royal Highness flew in to the course by helicopter from his nearby residence at Llwynywormwood in Myddfai to spend the day at the races which had been laid on in his honour with a slice of proceeds from ticket sales being donated to his chosen charities. It is the first time Ffos Las has hosted a royal visit, which helped raise funds for The Prince’s Charities in Wales – the largest multi-cause charitable enterprise in the UK. As well as meeting Ffos Las officials, trainers, stable staff, vets and jockeys, the Prince also took time to meet and chat to representatives of the various charities, including those from the Prince’s Trust and PRIME Cymru. The Prince also took time to plant a tree, grown on the Duchy of Cornwall estate as part of The Woodland Trust’s Jubilee Woods Project, which aims to plant six million trees across the UK to celebrate the 60-year reign of Her Majesty the Queen. Af...

A community challenge is being launched by the Prince of Wales at the first Start Wales Festival taking place in Carmarthenshire next month. Groups, individuals and communities are being asked to commit themselves to a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly lifestyle. It follows the success of the Byw Sir Gar project piloted in Ferryside last year, when residents took part in a number of initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint. His Royal Highness will officially open the Start Festival, taking place at the National Botanic Garden of Wales on September 7 and 8, and launch Carmarthenshire’s Community Challenge. Start is a national initiative, inspired by the Prince of Wales, to promote and celebrate sustainable living. The Size of Wales will also be launched at the event, which aims to engage people in protecting an area of tropical forest the size of Wales, as part of a national response to climate change. Carmarthenshire County Council will host a marquee at the festival, whe...

Come to the Start Wales Festival, Inspired by The Prince of Wales, at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. Start is a new initiative to help people across the UK lead more sustainable lives and to show what a more energy efficient, cleaner and healthier future could look like. The Start Festival will feature presentations and exhibits on the simple steps we can all take to make better use of our natural resources - energy, food, transport, buildings, waste - at home and in our workplaces. Start wants to make sustainability simple, positive and inspirational. 7th-8th SEPTEMBER For further information contact: 01834 814955 wales@princescharities.org.uk http://www.startuk.org/about-start.aspx

Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, is to make a royal visit to Carmarthenshire this week. The Prince and the Duchess of Cornwall will arrive in the county as part of their annual Wales Week. They will join in the centenary celebrations at Ysgol Rhys Prichard, visit Corgi Hosiery, which has a Royal Warrant, and attend Dyfed Powys Police’s long service award ceremony, as part of the five day tour. There will also be visits to Carmarthen and District Youth Opera, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary , and the National Wool Museum at Drefach-Felindre. His Royal Highness will visit Ammanford’s Corgi Hosiery on Friday, where he will be received by the Lord Lieutenant the Hon Robin Lewis and his wife Mrs Judith Lewis. He will meet staff and dignitaries and will be entertained by local schoolchildren. The Prince will be given a tour of the factory, and view demonstrations in the machine room, the sock finishing area and the knitwear area. He will see how garments are put together, meet ...

BBC News - Inquiry call on bomb deaths before prince's investiture

Gold Medal winning brewer Evan-Evans has chalked up record sales for the start of 2010. The West Wales brewer, based in Llandeilo, has seen sales up nearly 60% on the same period last year, despite many pubs seeing a significant drop in trade as a result of bad weather and the recession. Chief Executive Simon Buckley said: “We have spent the last five years building a portfolio of high quality cask conditioned beers that are well respected and anticipated by the real ale drinkers of Wales. “We are now brewing at peak summer levels, with ever increasing demand coming from all over the UK. West Wales is now a major trading area for us, and the company is set to fill the void created by the abandonment of West Wales by Heineken Wales, who bought the former SA Brains free trade business. “Our award-winning Cwrw brand is now achieving sales growth of 20% per month year on year, and our seasonal beers are achieving acclaim all over the country. So much so, that the brewery is now running at ...