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

Patients of Minafon GP Surgery, serving Kidwelly, Ferryside and Trimsaran, will be able to hear first-hand about new services and ways of working at public events being held this week. Hywel Dda University Health Board and the practice have organised meetings in each practice area to give patients a chance to learn more about the new service provision and to ask any questions. The health board has worked closely with patients and local council representatives to ensure continued provision of services to the local community whilst there have been significant workforce challenges. Head of General Medical Services Rachel Pompa said: “We are really looking forward to coming out to the communities to inform them about the work that has been going on, to answer any questions and to take any feedback and ideas.” New initiatives to assist patients in accessing the right level of support will include the opportunity to see other clinicians in the practice when appropriate (for example the nurse...

Work is due to start this spring on a new £6.8million school for Trimsaran – the 64th area to benefit through the Modernising Education Programme. The building will cater for 210 children with 30 full time equivalent nursery places. Swansea-based Dawnus Construction are the contractors for the scheme, and are due to start work on site in April. It will take around 18 months to build, with a targeted opening date of September 2017. Ysgol Trimsaran was founded in 1875 and was originally situated to the north of the campus, where the junior yard is now situated. A separate infants school was built in 1895. In 1955, due to overcrowding and a deterioration of the building, a new infants school was built out of war surplus aluminium. In 1968, the old school was demolished to make way for the junior yard, and in 1975 a purpose built nursery was set up to admit children from their third birthday onwards. In 1989, the infant and junior schools were amalgamated. Now a new school is planned to...

Damage caused to the changing rooms at Trimsaran could cost around £50,000 to repair. Vandals have repeatedly targeted the building, the last time during December which led to the closure of the facility for health and safety reasons. Bricks and stones were thrown on to the roof causing extensive external damage and leading to the ceiling inside to collapse. Costs have now been drawn up for repairs with an estimated £50,000 bill for the work. Trimsaran Rugby Football Club , which uses the changing rooms, were advised to use the facilities at the nearby leisure centre in the interim. The rugby club has stated its interest in taking over the building through the asset transfer programme and County Council officers are working with the Club to arrange this. Executive board member for Property Services Cllr Hazel Evans said: “It is really disappointing that a community facility has been so badly damaged by people who are almost certainly part of that community. “Unfortunately the damage ...

Hywel Dda University Health Board would like to reassure residents of Kidwelly, Trimsaran and Ferryside that their GP provision will continue. The university health board has been in discussion with the practice for some time to ensure services continue in the area when the Senior Partner (GP) retires at the end of the year. Following these discussions it was felt that the best way to continue the service would be for the university health board to take over management of the practice from January 4, 2015. It is hoped this arrangement will be a temporary solution to ensure continued delivery of services and to reassure the local people and the staff who work there. A spokesperson for the GP’s at the surgery said: “Due to problems with GP recruitment we have been having discussions with Hywel Dda University Health Board and they have agreed to take over the management of the practice from January 2015. We will continue to work closely with the university health board to ensure a smo...

The road back to a parent’s house is the central journey Welsh-born author Carol Lee portrays in Out of Winter, following news of her father’s sudden illness. Over the next two and a half years, the M4 becomes familiar territory as she travels from her London flat to Carmarthenshire, where her English father and Welsh mother have settled in their retirement. The experience of long-distance care is shared by many and, in this candid portrayal of family life, Carol writes of the conflicting emotions of being an adult ‘child’. Long journeys to visit the village near Llanelli where she was born find her a mass of conflicting emotions, guilt and anger among them. Part of her conflict is mirrored by her parents’ difficult marriage, which both she and her brother retreated from. In returning to care for her mother and father, she feels ‘stretched along the motorway, as if I had a Welsh heart and an English head. Always a piece of me left behind.’ But, in Out of Winter, Carol re-exa...

Over the summer holidays, young people from Trimsaran have been working with the British Heart Foundation to work on ways of keeping their keep their hearts healthy. The young people learnt how exercising can help the heart and participated in recommended healthy-heart activities. Dodgeball challenges were held at Trimsaran Leisure Centre and helped raise awareness on how important exercising and healthy lifestyles are for a healthy heart. Jayne Lewis, Fundraising and Volunteering Manager at British Heart Foundation (BHF) Cymru said: “Dodgeball is one of our popular fundraising events. Not only is it a great way to get young people active, but it’s also a fantastic way to raise funds for our vital work with both schools and youth groups. If you can catch throw and dodge you can play Dodgeball – it’s really great fun. We are delighted that Trimsaran Youth Club has taken part in this challenge – it all helps to beat heart disease, Wales’ biggest killer. I would like to see more...

Trimsaran Community School has received a glowing report from Estyn following a recent inspection. Inspectors found that purposeful lesson plans and support from adults contribute effectively to the quality of the experiences offered by pupils. Effective emphasis in lessons is placed on developing key skills and the way in which the school uses equal opportunities for pupils, irrespective of their background is a strength. The report stated that pupils discussed in a mature manner, listened to the opinions of others and used learning partners effectively. Most pupils applied their key skills across the curriculum and are making good progress in their language skills. Children feel safe at school and are confident that adults will listen to them if something is worrying them. Pupils have regular opportunities to learn about the history, culture and traditions of their area and their country. Teachers use assessments of pupils’ work appropriately when planning follow-up lessons, an...

Young people’s efforts and developments were recognised at the Engage Project celebratory event at Ffos Las, Trimsaran. A total of 150 Engage participants between the ages of 14 and 19 participated in a range of interactive workshops during the day; workshops were delivered by Coleg Sir Gar, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Youth Service, Menter Bro Dinefwr, CAVS, Menter Cwm Gwendraeth, Llanelli Centre Project and the Youth Offending Prevention Service. Young people had taster sessions on multi media, volunteering, the dangers of substance misuse, how to build your own future, team building, a fashion show based on recycled material and bike maintenance. Some 80 members of staff also attended the event and took part in the workshops; staff included youth officers from Carmarthenshire County Council, Coleg Sir Gar, Neath Port Talbot CBC, Pembrokeshire, Neath PortTalbot College, Gower College, Careers Wales West, Adult Community Learning, Llanelli Rural Council, the Basic Skills Ser...

Children across Carmarthenshire have got something to smile about now that they know how to keep their teeth in tip-top condition. The county’s Healthy Schools Scheme, run by the county council, has been working alongside dental health and hygiene organisation Designed To Smile to run a daily toothbrushing programme in Carmarthenshire schools. The programme is aimed at helping improve the health of young children’s teeth in Wales. Children are shown how to brush their teeth, how long to brush for, and are also encouraged to brush their teeth as part of the school day. To celebrate the success of the schools which have already taken part, a ceremony was held at Trimsaran Leisure Centre. Pupils and staff from 20 Carmarthenshire schools attended, where they were presented with certificates and took part in healthy cookery demonstrations. Healthy Schools Scheme Co-ordinator, Lynn Edwards, said: “It is important that children establish a good daily toothbrushing routine from a youn...

Bugs and feathered friends have been found new homes in Trimsaran thanks to Trimsaran Primary School pupils. Children in Years 4 and 5 have been busy making and as well as planting native trees to encourage more wildlife to their area. The woodland, on the site of the former Trimsaran Iron Works, was turned into a community amenity area in 1993 but had since become overgrown with attracting fly-tipping. Now considerable works have been undertaken to improve the area for the whole community managed by the council's Countryside Access and Recreation Unit. They are funded by Tidy Towns, a Welsh Assembly Government-funded initiative delivered in partnership by Carmarthenshire County Council and Keep Wales Tidy to encourage and support communities to improve the quality of their local environment. Recognising the value of the scheme Trimsaran Primary School, Trimsaran Community Council and Carmarthenshire County Council themed a 'Wild & Safe' project for the site. Ma...

If you can hear a click-clicking sound in the Trimsaran area, it's likely you are listening to the busy knitting needles of local resident Viola Edwards. The 80-year-old, who lives at the county council's Llys Y Godian Sheltered Scheme, spends most of her days knitting countless bonnets, matinee coats, booties and shawls - all in aid of two causes very dear to her heart. The great grandmother hand-makes the woolly warmers for the special care baby units at Singleton and Glangwili hospitals, and also knits to sell and raise money for Llanelli's Ty Bryngwyn Hospice. "I want to show my appreciation for the staff at the special care baby units, and two of my great grandchildren were born prematurely, and they cared for them wonderfully," said Mrs Edwards. "I have no idea how many baby clothes I have knitted over the years - probably too many to count - but unfortunately I can't knit as much as I'd like to these days because of my health." Mrs Edwards...

Residents in Trimsaran are being urged to have a good clear out and recycle any rubbish they have lying around the home. A ‘Recycling on the go’ event – formerly known as a waste amnesty - is being held on Saturday (September 24) in the leisure centre 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. As much as possible will be recycled. The event 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 Board Member for the Environment Cllr Philip Hughes said: “I hope residents ta...

Trimsaran residents are calling for traffic calming measures throughout the village. Sixty-three attended an exhibition at the leisure centre to publicise traffic calming throughout the village including a variable speed limit in the vicinity of the school. The meeting was called by local member and Leader of Carmarthenshire Council Cllr Meryl Gravell who said it was clearly an issue people were concerned enough about to get a scheme in place fairly quickly. It means that at school times the speed limit will be 20mph about village school reverting at other times to 30mph. Cllr Gravell said many who attended the meeting requested a safer pedestrian crossing feature to be created just east of the mini roundabout. “Others wanted to see the existing mini roundabout feature to be made safer. There were concerns that some drivers were speeding at this location. They were also short cutting and not circumnavigating the roundabout whilst others were not yielding to the right. “We have marked u...

Planning permission has been granted for a solar farm at Ffos Las Racecourse in Trimsaran. Carmarthenshire County Council’s planning committee discussed an application by developer Martyn Llewellyn for 20,000 solar panels set in rows of 18 panels split over three areas. The scheme will involve community benefits. The application site is part of the former Ffos Las open cast colliery between Trimsaran and Carway. An officers’ report to the committee said that it would take therefore two and a half years to ‘pay back’ the electricity used to produce the panels. Therefore given the 25 year lifespan of the proposal, the site would have significant benefits in terms of energy generation from renewable sources. Community contributions are proposed to take the form of a one off contribution to assist the formation of an energy trust in Carmarthenshire. Also it has been agreed to provide a scheme of solar PV for a community building so that it can generate power for the community facility and ...

People living in Trimsaran and Burry Port may be among the next to benefit from a unique project offering a taster of the building trade. Building Your Own Future in Sir Gar, which is run in partnership by Carmarthenshire County Council’s Property Services division, Communities First, Coleg Sir Gar and Carmarthenshire Construction and Training Association Ltd (CCTAL), offers community-based taster courses covering topics including carpentry, plumbing, tiling and plastering. Run over a period of six weeks, participants can gain practical basic skills in order to tackle simple DIY jobs at home, as well as getting a taste of what it would be like to take part in a construction course at college. They will also help take part in a carpentry-based project for donation to their local community and visit a local construction project to see qualified tradesmen at work. The project is currently being run in Communities First areas with funding secured from the Swansea Bay Deprived Area Fund (DA...

Craft stallholders are invited to go along to Trimsaran carnival and family fun day this summer. The event is being held on Saturday, June 25, and plans are currently being finalised for a wide range of activities. The craft fair will form part of the fun, and will probably be staged in the leisure centre, at the heart of the activities. Anyone interested in having a stall at the event should email trimsarancraftfair@gmail.com.

Residents living at Trimsaran’s Llys Y Godian Sheltered Housing Scheme say they have learned a lot from a local teenager who suffers from partial eyesight. Harry Williams, aged 17, visited the residents as part of his plight to raise awareness about his disability. He wanted to show that it is not only older people who suffer from partial vision, and wanted to shed some light on the barriers he has to overcome in his day to day life. As part of his presentation to residents, Harry gave a demonstration using furniture as obstacles, and blindfolding volunteers who used a white cane to navigate the scheme’s lounge. Resident Shirley Jones said: “Harry did a marvellous presentation, and brought to light a lot of things that people take for granted every day.” Sheltered scheme officer Wendy King added: “Harry’s visit was very thought-provoking for the residents, and they were impressed with the way he overcomes his disability.” 17-year-old Harry Williams, who is partially sighted, speaking t...

Two skips of rubbish were filled by residents in Trimsaran. The skips were provided by Tidy Towns to help householders in Garden Suburbs dispose of their waste responsibly and prevent fly-tipping. As much of the waste as possible has been reused or recycled which will help to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Pupils from Trimsaran Primary School also carried out a litter-pick throughout the estate. The council’s executive board member for regeneration Councillor Clive Scourfield said: “We want to encourage communities to take pride in where they live and hopefully by carrying out this clean-up it will encourage people to keep it that way. “By working together we can make a real difference to the area in which we live and improve the environment for both residents and visitors.” Tidy Towns is a Welsh Assembly Government-funded initiative delivered in partnership by Carmarthenshire County Council and Keep Wales Tidy. The aim is to encourage and support communities to improve ...

A partially-sighted Trimsaran teenager is visiting local sheltered housing schemes to raise awareness of his disability. 17-year-old Harry Williams wants to shed some light on the barriers people have to overcome when they suffer from poor vision. He hopes that by speaking about the issue he will be helping to raise awareness and will also gain more self-confidence. His next presentation will take place at Carmarthenshire County Council’s Llys Y Godian sheltered housing scheme in Trimsaran, on Wednesday, March 9, at 2pm.