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

Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir leaders have been talking about their pride at performing in front of USA Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The Llanelli choristers were picked to perform at the closing event for Mrs Clinton’s visit to Swansea University. Mrs Clinton was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws in recognition of her commitment to promoting the rights of families and children around the world. Côr Meibion Llanelli secretary Fred Elias said: “We knew about Mrs Clinton’s visit a couple of months ago, but it was all hush-hush for security reasons. “But we sort of put two and to together when we were asked to rehearse The Star Spangled Banner, the American anthem we were already very familiar with from our tours to North Amercia. “Then, when Mrs Clinton’s visit was officially announced, we had to go through stringent security protocols, including getting our own special photographic ID tags for the occasion. “Most of the events for Mrs Cli...

The Regional Learning and Skills Partnership is set to launch the 2016 Regional Employment and Skills Plan for South West and Mid Wales at the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea on the 12th December 2016. The RLSP are delighted to welcome Julie James, Minister for Skills and Science who will officially be launching the Skills Plan which has been developed to inform and support the Welsh Government’s strategic approach to the delivery of employment and skills in the region. The morning will highlight the collaborative work that is being undertaken with employers and key partners from across South West and Mid Wales to drive investment in skills and create a strong and vibrant economy. Construction opportunities will be high on the agenda as RLSP partners and local employers will receive an insight into the latest innovative projects in the region including the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon and the Construction Wales Innovation Centre. Speaking ahead of the event, the Minister said: “Creat...

Latest news from Swansea Bay Business Club - May Lunch with MP Kenneth Clarke Join us for our May lunch with guest speaker, Kenneth Clarke MP. Conservative MP and businessman Kenneth Clarke will talk about his extensive experience in world economic and political matters. Renowned for his powerful performances in the House and credited with having taken the UK economy to a healthy state, Kenneth Clarke is one of the most impressive people on the political scene today. His business knowledge and extensive political experience will make for an interesting lunch. Guests will have the opportunity to ask Kenneth any questions that may relate to business or politics whilst enjoying a three-course meal and the opportunity to network with other businesses in attendance. The event will take place at the Liberty Stadium with places costing £42 per member (£47.50 per non member). For more information, click here . We have 30 places remaining for this lunch so prompt booking is recommended...

The Gower Chorale singers will be staging a special concert to celebrate the choir's 20th anniversary. On June 20 the choir will sing The Dream of Gerontius: with music by Sir Edward Elgar from poems written by Cardinal John Henry Newman. Since its first performance in Birmingham Town Hall in October 1900 the work has become regarded as Elgar’s finest choral composition. The Groves Directory of Music and Musicians rates it as one of his three finest works and many regard it as Elgar’s masterpiece. The last time this work was performed in the Brangwyn Hall was in 1984, more than 30 years ago, by Swansea Philharmonic Choir, so it is fitting that The Gower Chorale choose the work to celebrate its 20th year in the newly-revamped Brangwyn Hall. The concert will take place on Saturday, June 20, at 7 pm and, under the guidance of musical director Luke Spencer will be the Festival Orchestra of Wales, leader Mansel Hughes. Huw Tregelles Williams...

The Carmarthen to Swansea X12 bus has been saved for the time being. First Cymru introduced the service on a commercial basis after a public campaign but were to withdraw it from Easter because of low level use. But now the council has stepped in to enable it to run for a few more months. County passenger transport operations manager Alwyn Evans warned this was a last chance “use it or lose it” opportunity for supporters of the service. He said: “The council only has enough funding available to support the service for the next few months. This gives the service a bit more time to establish itself, but usage of the service will need to increase considerably over the next few months if First Cymru were to consider retaining the service in the longer term.” Some of the X12 service’s faithful passengers have already complimented the council for stepping in to save the service. “It would be a shame for it to have stopped running,” says one user The service supplies a vital public transpor...

Swansea Grand Theatre has announced that television celebrity, Dancing on Ice Judge, and West End theatre sensation Louie Spence will star as Spirit of the Beans in this year’s magical family pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk. An accomplished dancer and actor, Louie became a household name when he appeared on Sky1's smash-hit series Pineapple Dance Studios. One of the most flamboyant characters ever to grace a documentary series, he won an army of fans, spring-boarding his own series Louie Spence's Show business, which captivated audiences nationwide. Louie also appeared on TV as one of the Judges on ITV's Dancing on Ice, organised a wedding on Celebrity Wedding Planner for Channel 5, worked as the Entertainment Correspondent for ITV's Daybreak and last year entered the Big Brother House in Celebrity Big Brother. Louie’s international stardom has seen him voted one of the Top Ten Reality Show Judges in America. Louie’s work as a professional dancer has seen him tour th...

Harpist Claire Jones returns to her West Wales roots to help launch a new album celebrating her recovery from ME. ‘Journey: Harp To Soothe The Soul’ SIGNING AT TESCO, SWANSEA 12pm SUNDAY 1st MARCH Album release date - St. David’s Day – March 1st 2015 Claire Jones will be returning to her West Wales roots to launch a very personal new album ‘Journey’ on St David’s Day, with a special signing and in store performance of some of the tracks from the album at Tesco in Swansea at 12pm. Shoppers at the store can relax and take off the pressure of the weekly grocery shop by listening in and enjoying to this music to soothe the soul. Since taking up the role of HRH the Prince of Wales’ official harpist in 2007, Claire Jones’ feet have hardly touched the ground. She’s performed regularly at royal and state functions, at the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding in April 2011 and became a household name through the international media frenzy surrounding it. In September 2012, Clair...

Celebrated TV comedian Russell Kane is one his way back to South Wales for two shows which see him team up with some of the area's local comedy heroes. November 18 marks the return to Swansea of Kane as he comes to the Brangwyn Hall with more of the hilarious stand-up comedy that won him the prestigious Edinburgh comedy award and saw him hit TV screens as a regular on 'Live at the Apollo', host of 'Britain Unzipped' and 'Live at the Electric'. Following his sell out tour (which hit Swansea Grand Theatre earlier in the year), a sinister one-man play and the publication of his debut novel, Kane is booked into the recently-renovated Brangwyn and there genuinely couldn't be a bigger act than the energetic, Essex-boy-come-comedy-king. The idea to put on the show is a collaboration between '100 Voices', an organisation well known in Swansea for raising money for numerous local charity causes and 'Comedy Sheep' a stand-up comedy group ba...

HPC Wales, the high performance computer team, will be holding an Autumn School in Swansea next week. It consists of three separate workshops geared towards students, academics and business professionals looking to enhance their skills in parallel computing. Places are limited, so please book early to avoid disappointment. Autumn School Workshops · Introduction to HPC and Linux - 16th September 2014 · Parallel programming using MPI - 17th & 18th September 2014 · Debugging and Profiling - 19th September 2014 Location Digital Technium Lab 002, Singleton Park, University of Swansea Further information on these courses can be found via the links above and on the Events section of the HPC website. To reserve a place please contact info@hpcwales.co.uk .

Latest news from the Paul Popham Fund, Renal Support Wales -  ONE WEEK TODAY! Thursday 21st August, 5pm for Pre-Race Dinner @ Vesuvius, Landore £15 for a 2 course meal followed by Race Night 8pm @ The Globe HOST WITH THE MOSTEST! Mr Mark Wilkes HOW IT WORKS Click here  To book - Email:  paulpophamfund@gmail.com  or  joanne@coden.co.uk Call: 0333 2001 285 or 07896369977 Paul Popham Fund Renal Support Wales Telephone: 0333 2001 285 Email:  paulpophamfund@gmail.com

Ty Hafan Youth Gala Concert at Grand Theatre, Swansea, featuring, Only (West) Boys Aloud, Ariosa Singers, Hywel Girls' Choir and Hywel Boy Singers, Daniella Difede and Samuel Morris. Compere: Kevin Johns MBE. It was only right and proper that the spotlight was very much on youth in this dazzling charity fund-raiser staged at the Grand Theatre, Swansea. The average age of the artistes was somewhere in the lower teens, showing that West is Best when it comes to up-and-coming talent. The evening showcased the talents of Only (West) Boys Aloud, the Ariosa Singers and the Hywel Girls' Choir and Hywel Boy Singers. It also gave a great Grand Theatre opportunity to two rising stars from Llanelli, 18-year-old Ysgol y Strade pupil Samuel Morris and 16-year-old Coedcae student Daniella Difede. Samuel displays a maturity beyond his years in his handling of some great musical theatre show-stoppers. This time around, it was Bring Him Home, from Les Miserables, and Buo Doi, from Mis...

A Swansea man has been fined by Carmarthen magistrates after he was caught dropping a cigarette end in Llanelli town centre. Andrew Pardoe, aged 38, of Heaseland Place, Swansea, pleaded guilty by post to an offence contrary to Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The court heard that on June 7 last year he was seen by council environmental enforcement officers dropping his cigarette on to the ground outside Crown Buildings in Town Hall Square. He was issued with a fixed penalty notice for the offence, but he never paid it and has been prosecuted in court as a result. He was fined £100 by magistrates and ordered to pay £222.32 prosecution costs and a £20 victim surcharge. Figures show that around 83% of all litter found on the county’s streets is smoking-related. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones said: “Dropping litter is against the law and dropping a cigarette end is no different from throwing away any other sort of litter. “...

Secret Millionaire Kevin Green turned into the secret chauffeur to help make a wedding day dream come true. Mr Green, 50, donned a chauffeur’s hat and turned up in his cherished Aston Martin to help do the honours for Swansea couple Kevin and Wanda Harding. “As requests for help go, it was pretty unusual,” admitted Mr Green. “By all accounts, Wanda had been on the motorway when I overtook in my Aston Martin, which has a cherished number plate YE54 KEV (Yes for Kev). “There were only a few days to go before the wedding, but she thought it would be a wonderful surprise to ‘borrow’ the car to drive her new husband Kevin to church. “She tracked me down through a mutual friend and she was persuasive enough to convince me to hire myself out as chauffeur for the day. “The couple agreed to hold a special collection at the church for the Make A Wish Foundations, knowing that it is the main charity I support. I am an Ambassador for Make A Wish and was only too pleased to help out.” ...

The countdown is on for Wally’s 10 Mile Run for the Paul Popham Fund for Renal Support Wales. The aim of The Paul Popham Fund is to raise monies to be used to directly improve the quality of life of renal patients in Wales and their immediate family and to provide encouragement and financial support to renal patients from Wales in their participation in the annual transplant games. Entry closes for Wally’s 10 Mile Run on Friday 6th September. Details: DATE Sunday 8th September 2013. ROUTE The race will start at Life Gym , Llansamlet and head onto the Tawe River Path, down to The Liberty Stadium and up to Swansea Vale before heading back to Life Gym. The course has been mapped out and will be checked by an official course measurer for The Welsh Athletics. ENTRY FEE £15 START TIME 9.00am REGISTRATION 8.00am EMAIL paulpophamfund@gmail.com CALL 01792 584481 Weblink - http://wallys10milerun.eventbrite.co.uk/

It promises to be an ‘End of the Pier’ show with a difference. Four popular South Wales entertainers are getting together for ‘A Night of Music and Laughter’ for a landmark occasion at Mumbles Pier in Swansea. It will be the final night of live entertainment at Mumbles Pier before the revamp of the attraction is completed. Phil Evans, Laura Jayne, Dean Jones and Ignacio Lopez all enjoyed a very successful recent tour with top Welsh independent recording artist Paul Child. “We had a wonderful time on tour with Paul Child and there’s been a lot of popular demand to get us to perform at a local venue in Swansea,” said Evans. “This will be variety and comedy at its best. It’s an unique occasion. It’s the end of one era for the pier and the start of another.” A Night of Music and Laughter is being staged at Mumbles Pier on Friday, June 21, 7.30pm. Phil Evans is sometimes known as the 'Hugmeister of Wales' and the man who has put the 'Cwtsh' back into comedy. He is a f...

A Burry Port design and manufacturing business has helped provide the ‘cutting edge’ to a new specialist children’s hair salon which is reckoned to be the biggest in Wales. The Tickled salon is opening in High Street, Swansea, this week (May 1), with owner and stylist Damian Hart grateful for the help of his engineering expert friend Owain Davies. Mr Davies is the managing director of Amcanu, a firm which normally provides tailored sheet metal solutions for industrial purposes. He explained: “Damian was looking for something novel for his new salon and hit upon the idea of using toy quad bikes and cars as ‘barbershop chairs’. “We enjoy a challenge here at Amcanu and we were able to adapt battery and pedal-powered toy vehicles to suit Damian’s needs. “With close attention to detail and safety, we were to provide him with some eye-catching ‘barbershop chairs’ for his new venture. “Our normal work sees us building giant acoustic enclosures for noisy industrial machinery. Doing ...

It's been a busy few weeks for the Burry Port Town Band, having recently held the successful Youth Solo and Ensemble Day with more than 140 young brass players taking part in the festival held in the Memorial Hall, Burry Port. There wasn't much time to catch a breath before the band started its preparations for the Welsh Regional Championships in Swansea. The set test piece was certainly a test! It was Philip Sparke's Harmony Music - and what a test it transpired to be for all the bands. It was Burry Port's first return to the Championship section since 2010 and the band was in determined mood to deliver a prize-winning performance. Burry Port picked up a fourth prize and in the process beat the world's No1 band, Cory (as according to the 4barsrest.com  world rankings). There's a report of the event here - http://4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?id=16691#.UU7iCxzQDYQ The Band's Chairman, Graham Howe commented: "Our Musical Director should be c...

You’ll be able to feel the love at a special comedy showcase being planned for the Welsh Valentine’s Night. And comedy fans looking to get romantic on Dydd Santes Dwynwen St Dwynwen's Day could end up playing a starring role. “We’re looking for people who might be planning something romantic on the evening – an engagement proposal or a declaration of love,” said the star comedian Phil Evans. “The evening is billed as Comedy and Cwtshes, so what could be better than something romantic on the evening itself?” Comedy and Cwtshes is being staged at The Dylan Thomas Theatre, Swansea, on Friday, January 25. Evans promises the evening will be a Welsh comedy showcase featuring the very best comedy performers on the circuit today, together with a few extra surprises. “It’s a bit like that unopened box of Quality Street you’ve still got leftover from Christmas. We’ll have the finest treats all neatly wrapped up, with something for everyone’s taste. “Anyone planning to attend and make a ...

On December 6 at 7.30pm Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre, based at Singleton Hospital, are hosting their first year celebration dinner at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea – in association with the South Wales Evening Post. The black tie dinner, with a guest list that includes local, national, and international VIPs, plus top industry entertainment, are all expected on what promises to be a fantastic celebration for this hugely deserving charity. The evening will include - · Entertainment from “Like a Lion” (previously “Fat Barry’s Soul Band”) · Canapés and mulled wine on reception · Live music from Jimi Webb · Three course dinner · Charity auction with special guest auctioneer Kev Johns Tickets can be purchased for only £50 or a table of 10 for the reduced price of only £450. To secure your tickets please contact Amber at the South Wales Evening Post on 01792 514217 or email: amber.demirhisar@swwmedia.co.uk Please be aware that tickets are strictly l...

There's a fireworks night planned at Dunvant RFC in Swansea on Friday, November 2. Gates are open at 6pm and the display starts at 7.15pm. Tickets £3, four for £10. Hot food and drinks will be available. Dunvant's Martin Newbury said: "The display looks to build on last year’s spectacular event that gave an hour of entertainment that proved excellent value for money. This year, we have a larger and more spectacular event planned, all money raised going towards junior rugby." Tickets are available from the clubhouse - Monday – Friday after 7pm. Saturdays and Sundays after 12pm. Or on the gate or the various junior section team players and coaches. Weblink - http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/dunvant/events/fireworks-display-92189.html