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

The latest research undertaken by i-Graduate reveals that Aberystwyth University enjoys very high satisfaction ratings amongst our international and European Union students. Students ranked Aberystwyth University 1st in the world for “Managing research”, 7th in the world for “Personal tutors” (95.4%), 4th in the UK for “Financial support” and in the top 10 in the world for “safety”. The findings are based on data collected during autumn 2013. Professor John Grattan, Pro Vice-Chancellor International and Student Experience said; “Aberystwyth is a truly international university, welcoming undergraduate and postgraduate students from more than 90 countries. These latest i-Graduate findings underline the students’ satisfaction with the language and research management support we provide for international students, the fantastically warm welcome they receive here, and their appreciation of the safe studying environment Aberystwyth offers. “i-Graduate is one of a number of studies undertaken...

Passenger satisfaction with train companies in Wales has dropped below 50 per cent. A new survey reveals by Which? reveals First Great Western scored a satisfaction rating of 45 per cent, while Arriva Trains Wales had a score of 48 per cent. The survey conducted in November sought views from 7,415 adults, and also showed more than one quarter of commuters experienced a delay on their last train journey. Full story on the headline link to the South Wales Evening Post.

A huge response from nearly 7,000 Carmarthenshire pupils to a schools sports survey shows they are right on track to being more active more often. Although county pupils have a greater variety, and spend more time on sports than most other areas of Wales, the detailed report will help develop even better future results. The county’s leisure and education departments have worked closely with Sport Wales and the county’s primary and secondary schools to ensure maximum participation in the survey. Carmarthenshire County Council’s Executive Board Member for leisure services, Cllr Meryl Gravell, said: “There has been a fantastic response from schools. It has led to 2463 primary and 4584 secondary school pupils participating. “It means that all secondary schools and 43 primary schools will now receive a school-specific report with a raft of information and data about pupil wellbeing and participation in physical activity. “We will listen to the information that young people have given us, an...

Carmarthenshire County Council is undertaking a study into the transport needs of he key settlements of Llandeilo, Llandovery and surrounding areas. The Survey, which is funded by the Rural Development Plan is designed to give bus passengers and the residents of rural Carmarthenshire an opportunity to express their views on issues such reliability, cleanliness and accessibility. This online review will also give respondents the opportunity to give their opinions on whether the buses meet their needs and suggest ways in which they feel the service could be improved. All responses will be treated confidentially in accordance with the Data Protection Act. Responses will be complied and used to develop the emerging Rural Transport Strategy. Executive board member for rural affairs Cllr Jim Jones said: “I would urge local residents to take part in this survey which will help us plan for the future.” As a thank you for taking part a prize draw will take place on Friday 13th September. One...

Carmarthenshire County Council is undertaking a study into the transport needs of rural Carmarthenshire, focussing specifically on the key settlements of Llandeilo, Llandovery and surrounding areas. The survey, which is funded by the Rural Development Plan is designed to give bus passengers and the residents of rural Carmarthenshire an opportunity to express their views on issues such reliability, cleanliness and accessibility. This online review will also give respondents the opportunity to give their opinions on whether the buses meet their needs and suggest ways in which they feel the service could be improved. All responses will be treated confidentially in accordance with the Data Protection Act. Responses will be complied and used to develop the emerging Rural Transport Strategy. Executive board member for rural affairs Cllr Jim Jones said: “I would urge people to take part in this survey which will help us plan for the future.” As a thank you for taking part a prize draw wil...

Almost half of the public (47%) get most of their legal knowledge from TV programmes, films, magazines, newspapers, and online. That’s the result of an online YouGov survey commissioned by QualitySolicitors Redkite, the biggest legal firm in South West Wales. The survey found that people in Wales rely more on the internet for most of their legal knowledge than any other region in England and Wales, with 27% citing it as their main source of legal information. A further 24% of people in Wales rely on TV programmes, films, magazines, and newspapers for most of their legal knowledge. Books ranked last as a source with just 2% - the lowest across all regions in the UK. The results follow the UK’s first televised sentencing in a criminal court. During the sentencing at the High Court in Edinburgh, David Gilroy was sentenced to 18 years in prison for murdering his former lover and colleague, Suzanne Pilley, 38. The initial decision to televise proceedings prompted prominent QC, Bria...

Aberystwyth University is among the top three places in the world to be a student and has the highest level of student satisfaction, according to the 2012 International Student Barometer which has just been published.  Aberystwyth ranks number 3 of 238 Higher Education institutions worldwide for the elements ‘good place to be’ and ‘overall student satisfaction’. The International Student Barometer is the largest annual survey of students and has gathered information from more than 600,000 students worldwide since its establishment in 2005. It incorporates over 500 institutions in 150 countries on 5 continents.  The University performed exceptionally well in all aspects of a student’s experience. From the initial welcome on their first weekend, through to the teaching and learning facilities and academic support, students at Aberystwyth reported that the quality of the academic experience available to them was amongst the very best.  Professor April...

BBC News - BBC Wales poll: Voters back tax power, but not independence Almost two-thirds of voters think the Welsh assembly should have at least some influence over the taxes people pay, according to a poll for BBC Wales. Only about one in three wanted to keep the current system where the assembly has no power to vary taxes. Support for Welsh independence remains weak, with 7% backing it, rising to 12% if Scotland leaves the UK.

BBC News - Wales farmland prices among UK highest and above average Welsh farmland is among the UK's most expensive, and has doubled in value in five years, according to a survey. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said the average price per acre increased by £400 to £6,900 in the last six months of 2011. It is higher than the UK average of £6,514 while only the West Midlands and north west England are more expensive.

BBC News - Report says Welsh language 'losing 3,000 people a year' The number of fluent Welsh speakers is falling by around 3,000 people a year, a new report suggests. The Welsh Language Board (WLB) said deaths and people moving from Wales are having the biggest impact. The report says that around 6,500 Welsh speakers die annually and 5,200 move away, out-pacing adult learners and children learning or raised in Welsh. It found the number of people who say they speak Welsh fluently is approximately 300,000.

BBC News - Welsh language status needs to be improved, BBC survey suggests Nearly three in five people in Wales believe that there is a need to improve the status of the Welsh language further, a survey suggests. It was commissioned by BBC Radio Cymru to mark 50 years since Tynged yr Iaith (Fate of the Language), seen as Welsh politics' most famous lecture.

Carmarthenshire County Council housing tenants are being asked to take part in an innovative study to assess the health impact of home improvements. The authority is currently updating each of its 9,200 council homes as part of its £203million Carmarthenshire Homes Standard. The majority of homes have already been upgraded, with improvements including new kitchens and bathrooms, cavity wall and loft insulation, double glazed windows and doors and new energy efficient gas boilers. Now, the council wants to understand how the programme may have benefitted tenants’ health. Housing officers have linked up with Cardiff and Swansea universities to undertake what is believed to be the first Health Impact Survey in Wales. Throughout February, short surveys will be delivered to all council homes. Tenants are being encouraged to answer a series of questions designed to assess their health and wellbeing since the improvements. The data will be compared to a similar survey carried out before ...

The National Survey for Wales is a study of adults across the whole of Wales. It covers a range of topics, and asks for people’s views on: Local public services, such as transport, education, and health services Local area and neighbourhood How well the government is performing, both locally and nationally This research is being conducted on behalf of the Welsh Government by two independent research organisations, TNS-BMRB and Beaufort Research. For further information about this research, or to arrange an interview, please contact Sam Sullivan at TNS-BMRB on the freephone number 0800 015 2479 or at nationalsurveyforwales@tns-bmrb.co.uk .

Survey: Llanelli’s shops on top | This is South Wales Llanelli has proved itself to be top of the shops. The town centre has come up trumps during an evaluation of its independent shops and stalls. A team of mystery shoppers gave the town the thumbs up in a September survey aimed at evaluating its shopping experience.

A 'set out' survey is underway in the Sandy area of Llanelli to find out how many people are using their kerbside recycling scheme. Council waste officers have been out and about early in the mornings before the crews to count the number of blue bags and green food bins put out for collection. The exercise will then be followed up with letters to those households that are not fully participating in the scheme. A total of 346 homes in the Sandy Water Park, Denham Avenue and Penywern area will be targeted. Officers hope to find out how much people are recycling and what their views are on the scheme. They will also be able to give advice on how to recycle more household waste. The aim is to increase participation in the scheme and subsequently the county’s recycling rate which currently stands at approximately 48%. A similar exercise has already been carried out in the Carmarthen area which led to an 11% increase in participation. Council sustainability officer Tina Brice said: “...

A survey is being carried out to find out what people think of Carmarthenshire’s Household Waste Recycling Centres. Residents are being urged to visit the council’s website www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk and complete the survey, which is being carried out by the council’s Street Scene division. Paper copies of the survey are also available at the council’s Customer Service Centres and all five of the HWRCs in the county. The survey is being carried out at the request of the Task and Finish Group, set up by the Environment Scrutiny Committee, which is currently undertaking a review of the sites. Group chair Cllr Jim Jones said: “We have already visited the five sites and we were very impressed by what we saw. However, it is important we find out what the public think of the facilities provided at the sites and if they can be improved in any way. I would urge residents to please complete the survey either through the website or by filling in a paper copy if they prefer, it will only tak...

Can you add to the list here? This is survey released today. It's called Lactofree's Annual Intolerance Survey. Top 100 most annoying things in UK - 1. Chavs 2. People driving close behind you 3. People who smell 4. People who eat with their mouth open 5. Rude shop assistants 6. Foreign call centres 7. Stepping in dog poo 8. People who cough and do not cover their mouths 9. Slow internet connections 10. Poor customer service 11. Dog owners that don't clean up after their dog 12. Noisy Eaters 13. Cold-callers 14. Door-to-door salesman 15. Stubbing your toe 16. Bullying 17. Computer crashing losing work you've spent three hours doing 18. People who talk loudly on their mobile phones 19. Spam email 20. The nation's obsession with Z-list celebrities 21. Leaving a tissue in a pocket and putting it in a washing machine 22. Driving slow in the fast lane 23. Adverts in between programmes 24. Toilets you have to pay for 25. The nation's obsession with the Katie & Pet...