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

A £13.5 million National Lottery funding programme for rural Wales has been welcomed by Carmarthenshire County Council. The Big Lottery Fund is inviting groups to help tackle poverty in Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Powys, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Monmouthshire. Grants of between £10,000 and £350,000are available and their work must benefit a community with a population of 10,000 or less. Although types of activities that could be funded are not being prescribed, applications would need to show how groups are doing any of the following to address poverty: improving well-being, raising aspirations, enhancing skills available in the community or helping people deal with tough circumstances. This could include themes like employment and income, transport and access to services, poor broadband and digital exclusion, housing and fuel poverty and demand for welfare and advice services. Big Lottery Fund Wales’ director John Rose said: “The beauty of rural are...

Home owners in Llanelli’s Tyisha ward may be eligible for help to make their homes more energy efficient . Carmarthenshire County Council’s Housing department has secured £3million to improve 320 private homes in the area during 2015. The funding, provided by the Welsh Government’s Arbed scheme , will be made available to eligible home owners to install new energy efficient boilers and external wall insulation, making their homes more comfortable and cheaper to run, whilst reducing their environmental impact and improving their visual appearance. It is the third Carmarthenshire community to benefit from the scheme, with the council previously successful in funding bids for the Glanymor ward in Llanelli, and Brynamman. The funding is allocated via a bidding process, and is targeted at areas where homeowners will benefit the most – either because they have low incomes and cannot afford to carry out their own home improvements, or are struggling to afford their energy bills. The coun...

The support of funding from Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking has helped the Llanelli-based Jenkins Bakery open its new production facility and coffee shop in the town. The Jenkins Bakery, founded 91 years ago, now operates 26 outlets from Carmarthen to Bridgend. It is run by members of the third generation of the Jenkins family in Llanelli. The support of a finance package from Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking was crucial to the opening of the latest venture in the new East Gate shopping development in Llanelli. The Jenkins family business has been banking with 'Lloyds' since the bakery was founded. The funding was provided through the Government-backed Funding for Lending scheme, which means the company was able to benefit from a one per cent interest rate reduction. The Jenkins Bakery currently employs 280 people across its outlets throughout South and West Wales. David Jenkins, Commercial Director at the business, said: “This new venture in Llanelli represents a significan...

Hywel Dda Health Board | Funding announced for autism Gwenda Thomas, Deputy Minister for Children and Social Services, has announced a funding package of £2m for 2012-13 to support children and adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) across Wales. This funding is designed to support existing projects and includes £880,000 to maintain local ASD leads and action plans in each of the 22 local authority areas.