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

Carmarthenshire County Council has published its fourth Welsh Language Scheme. The Scheme has been adopted by the full council and approved by the Welsh Language Board. The Scheme has been developed in line with the Welsh Language Act 1993 which requires public bodies in Wales to adopt and carry out Welsh Language Schemes. Cllr Clive Scourfield, executive board member with responsibility for the Welsh language, said: “The Scheme describes how the council will treat the Welsh and English languages equally in providing services and communicating with the public in Carmarthenshire. “This Scheme sets a new challenge for the authority in ensuring that it provides high standard services in Welsh.” An Action Plan has been drawn up to go with the Scheme which underlines what is planned to promote the Welsh language in the next three years. The Plan includes increasing the number of staff who work bilingually through various projects, establishing a network of language ambassadors and extending...

St Catherine’s Walk in Carmarthen is playing a pioneering role in the way it is supporting the Welsh language. The county Council, Welsh Language Board and Menter Gorllewin Sir Gar have worked closely with the centre’s management to promote the use of Welsh. St Catherine’s Walk manager Mike Pugh said: “We have been credited with Investing in Welsh by the Welsh Language Board and we are the only shopping centre in South West Wales to have that. My colleagues and I have been assessed and are either starting to learn Welsh or improving our Welsh. I have started Welsh lessons myself. “All our promotional work, leaflets, store signs and internal signs are bilingual; Frankie & Benny’s menu cards are bilingual, as are the signs in the car park. If any communication is received in Welsh we reply in Welsh.” He said that the decision to support the language as much as possible was taken right at the start. “It was right from the set-up of the centre in March that we decided to support the We...