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

A Carmarthenshire Council trainee from the Tywi Centre in Llandeilo has been crowned Specialist Apprentice of the Year UK. Joe Moriarty won the prestigious National Construction College award for his work in the traditional trade of lime plastering. The Tywi Centre runs the Specialist Apprenticeship Programme with the aim of addressing the skills shortage in traditional trades of stonemasonry, lime plastering and carpentry; working closely with heritage construction companies who provide placements and on-site training. Joe was selected through the Heritage Bursary Scheme which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Construction Industry Training supported by Carmarthenshire County Council and the National Trust. During the 12 month programme Joe worked with two companies including Just Lime Ltd where he was considered to be such an asset to the team that he was offered a job. Paul Walters from Just Lime Ltd said: “Joe has great commitment and enthusiasm for building conservation...

The Tywi Centre’s Helena Burke was in Brussels last week representing RDP Sir Gâr’s Tywi Afon yr Oesoedd (TAYO)  project at an exhibition in the European Parliament hosted by MEP Jill Evans. The theme was "How EU Rural Development Funds are used in order to promote a sustainable economy in rural Wales" and TAYO, based at the Tywi Centre in Llandeilo, had been selected to be part of the exhibition as it focused on celebrating the heritage of Carmarthenshire’s Tywi Valley and promoting the social, economic and environmental benefits gained by protecting and promoting this heritage. During the summer the Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and European Programmes, Alun Davies, had paid a visit to the Tywi Centre to see how TAYO project had strengthened links between the community and the landscape and helped people develop the skills needed to look after the landscape. The project had restored and expanded natural habitats, provided opportunities for people to...

The Tywi Centre is opening its doors for an open day next month and inviting people to find out more about Heritage. This event on Saturday April 21, which is free to all visitors, will open between 10am and 5pm will be held at the Tywi Centre, Dinefwr Farm, Llandeilo. Heritage can mean different things to different people, which is why a diverse programme of talks, demonstrations and workshops has been organised for the day. Anyone interested in old buildings can learn about the traditional skills that are crucial for maintaining and repairing old buildings appropriately. Heritage training officer Tom Duxbury said: “there will be a host of demonstrations and workshops during the day such as thatching, carpentry, stonemasonry and lime work which will give visitors a taste of some of the courses that will be held at the Tywi Centre.” During the day visitors can enjoy a series of talks including ‘Maintenance and Repair of Old Buildings’ with CADW’s Jill Fairweather, and enjoy an update o...

The Tywi Centre in Llandeilo is running a series of short courses aimed at rediscovering and developing traditional building skills. The courses will provide an opportunity for individuals to develop theoretical and practical skills and knowledge needed to look after old buildings and natural habitats in a traditional and sustainable manner. The courses are ideal for builders, building professionals, farmers, landowners and homeowners or any onewith an interest in heritage. Courses include thatching, building with lime, using traditional and ecological paints, hedge laying and dry stone walling, to name a few. All of the courses will be delivered by experts and specialists within their field. Given that one third of dwellings in Wales are of traditional pre-1919 generally solid wall construction, it is vitally important that the correct materials and methods are employed, otherwise Carmarthenshire is at risk of losing a substantial part of its built heritage. The Tywi Centre is at ...

A total of 14 trainees have embarked on a course to learn how to restore old buildings. They are taking part in the Foundations in Heritage Bursary Scheme at the Tywi Centre in Llandeilo. Foundations in Heritage is led by Carmarthenshire County Council and receives funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. The scheme covers Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire and is based at The Tywi Centre, Llandeilo. Becoming a builder equipped with the skills and understanding to conserve and restore old buildings is the dream of 14 trainees who have just embarked on the Foundations in Heritage Bursary Scheme. The scheme will provide them with the foundations upon which they can build a solid future for themselves and our built heritage in Wales. Staff at the Tywi Centre we were thrilled by the number and quality of applications that were received f...