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

Carmarthenshire Trading Standards Services is warning businesses about the risk of falling victim to publishing scams. Traders throughout the UK have been targeted by rogue ‘publishers’ who use telesales techniques to try to sell advertising space in various publications such as yearbooks, wall planners/calendars or local guides. Some have told businesses that local schools or charities will benefit from drugs awareness or crime prevention booklets. Traders have been quoted anywhere between £100 and £1,000, depending on the size of the advert. Unfortunately in many cases, nothing is produced at all or if they are, only a few sample copies are printed and sent to the business for approval. However, these are not circulated in sufficient numbers, or in the right area, to be of any practical benefit to the advertisers. Trading Standards Manager Roger Edmunds said: “Although there are genuine companies that offer such publishing services, we would advise any local trader that is contacted ...

Carmarthenshire’s 50+ Forum recruited new members when they visited the National Botanic Garden of Wales at Llanarthne near Carmarthen The Forum joined forces with the Garden to offer cut price entry today to new and existing members of the Forum as part of a range of events to mark Older People’s Day on October 1. Pensioner Bendaf Evans, of Ffostrasol, Llandysul, said: “I went to the stall when we arrived and joined. I want to get involved in the Forum.” His cousin Sheila Jones, of Gorslas, said: “I’ve been a member of the Forum for a year or so and have explained what it’s about.” Friends Esme Thomas, of Brynderi, Pontyates, and Anne Gilroy, of Gertymawr, Carway, also joined this morning. Mrs Gilroy said: “I was just getting around to joining and thought why don’t we have a day out? I think it is well worth joining the Forum.” The 50+ Forum has teamed up with Leisure Services to provide a number of exclusive offers to celebrate Older People’s Day on October 1. Garnant Parc Golf Cours...

Dan Henry is the new Head Chef at ‘The Cricketers’, Cardiff's newest pub at 66 Cathedral Road on the former site of ‘Y Cadno’. Originally from Swansea, Dan has huge experience in working with fresh ingredients to create vibrant and interesting daily menus. Before leaving Cardiff for Swansea’s Tower Restaurant, Dan was head chef at the prestigious Cardiff Bay Hotel and, prior to that, the two AA rosette Elements restaurant, on Harbour Drive. Earlier in his career, Dan spent time in some of London’s top restaurants including the Charlotte Street Hotel, the renowned One Aldwych as well as Gordon Ramsey’s Boxwood Café. Overseeing a small and dedicated team, Dan will be responsible for the menu development and food creation at The Cricketers, an exciting new addition to Cardiff’s quality fresh food scene. Dan says: "The Cricketers is a fantastic location where our customers can enjoy freshly-prepared, quality food in the environment of a traditional city pub, complete with great lo...

It promises to be one of the musical highlights of the year in Llanelli. Cor Baroc Llanelli will be joined by Cor Meibion Llanelli for a ‘Classic Choral’ concert at Tabernacle Chapel on Saturday (October 9). And the marvellous mix provided by the two choirs gets some added zest with the addition of four young soloists to the concert platform. The evening promises to be a tribute to the long heritage of choral singing associated with Tabernacle Chapel (Capel Tabernacl) in Llanelli. “Followers of musical history will appreciate the major role that Capel Tabernacl has played in Llanelli,” said Eifion Thomas, who is musical director of both Cor Baroc and Cor Meibion. “During the 1940s and ’50s, a host of famous singers graced the concert stage in the chapel when taking part in the annual oratorio. “Names such as Kathleen Ferrier, Joan Hammond, Walter Widdop, Walter Glynn, David Franklyn, David Lloyd, John Cameron and a very young Joan Sutherland appeared on the concert programmes during th...

Music is the best medicine as far as Mike Harries is concerned. The veteran Welsh musician celebrated his 78th birthday with a swing at the music and beer festival staged at Cardiff's newest pub, The Cricketers. The Mike Harries Root Doctors are living legends on the Welsh music scene and they were the stars of the show at the free festival at The Cricketers, just a 'six-hit' away from Glamorgan's Swalec stadium in Cathedral Road. “The Cricketers was making its bow as a new venue for the very best in live music,” said owner Simon Buckley. “And having the Mike Harries Root Doctors topping the bill was the icing on the birthday cake for the star of the show. “Mike Harries is an icon on the Welsh music scene and it was great to see him in such great form – and at 78 years young! “We hope he’ll be back at The Cricketers again and that the venue will become a popular one for lovers of good music in Cardiff. We hope to have more seasonal music festivals on special occasions i...

The latest 'Iechyd Da' column written by brewer Simon Buckley in this week's Carmarthen Journal - The annual pilgrimage to the Abergavenny Food Fair is over for another year. If you have never been, then pencil in the middle weekend of September next year, it’s an event that you should not miss. A shop window for Welsh food? Well not quite; there were more stalls from across the Severn and from the hinterland of Wales than from down West. Nevertheless, it is unquestionably one of the finest food fairs in the UK. You could not escape the cosmopolitan crowd looking for new and exciting products, conservative in what they taste, but nevertheless looking for the new trends in what to cook and eat. Beer was not a centrepiece of the show. The simple fact is that what was once the natural accompaniment of our nation with food, has now been relegated to the fridge for special one-offs when it’s too cold or wet to go to the pub. However I sense a change is coming, with supermarkets ...

The latest 'View from Richmond Park' column from the Carmarthen Journal - The experiment of playing a mini-football match at half-time was a great success during the recent derby match between Carmarthen Town and Haverfordwest. Children from Richmond Park and St Mary’s primary schools took part in the evening. They also formed a guard of honour for the two teams when they took the pitch and acted as mascots for Carmarthen and Haverfordwest. The children were also delighted to receive free refreshments in the Alan Latham lounge at the refurbished clubhouse at Richmond Park. They were also given goodie bags full of treats. The evening was made possible by the support of Neil Alexander and his EMC electrical services firm. EMC are proud sponsors of Carmarthen Town’s community programme. Town vice-chairman Robert Lloyd said: “The evening was a great success and we are now looking forward to staging further half-time mini-football matches. It was great to see the crowd in the Clay S...