WHAT’S in a name change, eh? Well, quite a lot for many people when the title refers to something close to their hearts.

The ink is hardly dry on the row over the Bannau Brycheiniog/Brecon Beacons name change . . . and now we have another branding row right on our doorstep.

On a personal level, the way we brand Gower has always been something of a problem.

On the old sub-editors’ desk at the Evening Post’s Adelaide Street HQ, ashtrays and (potentially lethal) paper spikes would be tossed around when ‘The Gower Question’ became overheated.

It was a simple question: Should Gower appear in print as ‘Gower’ or ‘The Gower’.

I always opted for plain Gower, but more influential figures on the subs desk were able to impose a temporary change to the Post’s Style Book to demand that the area should appear in print as ‘The Gower’.

Today, the Gower row isn’t an internal newspaper argument; it is a social media debate over branding which now sees the peninsular called ‘Gower – National Landscape’.

And the branding has an associated logo which has just kicked over another hornet’s nest among lovers of good design and promotional images.

To backtrack, for just a moment, many of you will know that one of Gower’s many claims to fame was that it was the first area in the United Kingdom to be designated an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (AONB), way back in 1956.

The AONB title has been part of Gower’s branding . . .  until very recent tweaks have seen national changes to the way national parks and other AONBs are titled.

Today, some 46 different areas now fall under the banner of the National Landscapes Association.

Gower has now been rebranded as ‘Gower National Landscape / Tirwedd Cenedlaethol Gŵyr’.

The name change comes with an associated logo, which shows Worm’s Head, Rhossili, in outline . . . in colours best described as muddy versions of orange and yellow.

The changes have not been well received in some quarters.

For example, Geoff Haden (a keen supporter of all things Gower-related and the owner of the birthplace of Dylan Thomas in Swansea) has taken to social media to canvass the views of others.

‘Is this really the best name and logo that creative minds . . . can come up with to replace AONB?’ Geoff has asked.

Geoff has suggested that fans of Gower come up with their own branding and logo designs for the area and forward them to him and the Gower Society.

The general view on social media is that people are not impressed by the new branding.

Gill Lloyd (no relation) said, ‘It’s pathetic’. Caroline Berry described it as ‘cheap and tacky’. Donna Phillips said, ‘The colours are really drab’. Andrew T Price said, ‘It has a 1980s nicotine-stained, retro quality . . . if that’s the look they were going for!’

Meanwhile, Suzy Davies highlighted an issue with the wording and a missing Welsh mutation – ‘It should be Genedlaethol,’ she pointed out with reference to ‘Cenedlaethol’.

I have no plans to act as the advocate for the defence in this case, but it might be worth pointing out that the new branding does follow something of a theme across all the UK National Landscape areas.

Visit the website at https://national-landscapes.org.uk and you will see what I mean.

Meanwhile, I will sit back and watch the current branding debate unfold.

Just, please, please, please, don’t think of asking for my opinion on whether it should be ‘Gower’ or ‘The Gower’!

I still have nightmares about those arguments on the subs desk at Adelaide Street.

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IT’S a big weekend for Swansea historian Bernard Lewis, with the launch of his latest book, ‘Swansea and the Second World War’.

It’s the story of how the people of Swansea faced the challenges of war on the Home Front.

Bernard lives in Neath and is a retired local government officer. He holds a Diploma in Local History and is the author of half a dozen books on aspects of the history of Swansea and Neath.

Swansea suffered heavily in the Second World War. The docks and factories were important targets for Hitler’s Luftwaffe bombers. The town centre was devastated over three consecutive nights of bombing during February, 1941, and no town or city in Wales suffered more deaths than Swansea as a result of enemy air raids.

Bernard’s wide-ranging book describes how people coped with the deadly bombing attacks and how the town was turned into a veritable fortress in preparation for a possible Nazi invasion.

Conscription, conscientious objection, wartime crime, rationing, salvage campaigns, the evacuation of the town’s children and the arrival of American forces are all outlined in a book which will be on sale at special events at The Waterfront Museum in Swansea this weekend.

Bernard will have a table selling his books between 10and 4pm on what promises to be a busy and entertaining two days at The Waterfront.

Saturday sees the local history heritage fair, an event organised in partnership with the Historical Association (Swansea Branch) and Swansea Museum, Royal Institution of South Wales (RISW).

Talks on Saturday include – 10.30, Bob Cuthill on Swansea’s Civic Centre; 11.30, Nigel Robins on Ben Evans, the lost buildings of the Blitz and plants that grew in their place; 1.30, Bev Rogers on The Swansea Devil; and 2.30, Debra John on Amy Dillwyn (1845 – 1935).

Sunday sees the Local History Book Fair at The Waterfront. Talks will include – 10.30, Ceri Thomas on Swansea’s role in shaping art in Wales; 12.30, Robin Campbell on Horse Racing on the Crymlyn Burrows; and 1.30, Graham Davies on the Welsh Volunteers in the Spanish Civil War.

At 2.30, Bernard Lewis will give a talk titled ‘Swansea and World War II’.

For those keen on local history, The Waterfront Museum will be the place to be this weekend.

Twitter: @rlloydpr

Email: robertlloydpr@rlloydpr.co.uk

MEMBERS of Llanelli Rotary Club enjoyed a very successful President’s Night at The Diplomat Hotel, Llanelli.

The annual event is always one of the highlights of the Rotary calendar. Guests included honorary members and Rotarians from neighbouring clubs in Burry Port and Pembrey, Morriston and Mumbles.

Llanelli Club President Cerith Owens said: “I was very proud to have my family and friends there to share the evening with me and my fellow Rotarians.

“With the support of the 83 attendees, we raised an impressive £1,200 for the Ty Hafan children’s hospice, which is remarkable. I would like to thank everyone who contributed towards the raffle and auction prizes.”

The musical entertainment was provided by members of Loud Applause Rising Stars (LARS) from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD) in Cardiff.

The singers were Lauren Elizabeth Williams, Darcey Paris George, James Oakley and Liam Edwards. They were all accompanied by Catrin Hughes.

You can find out more about Llanelli Rotary Club by visiting their Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/LlanelliRotaryClu

Some photos from the night –

The Ospreys have named their squad to face the DHL Stormers in their first BKT URC home game of the season. The fixture will take place at the Dunraven Brewery Field and is kicking off on Saturday 28^th September at 7:35pm.

Jac Morgan is set to captain a side. Gareth Thomas starts at loosehead, with Dewi Lake lining up at hooker and Tom Botha completing the front three.

James Ratti partners with Adam Beard at lock. Jac Morgan lines up at six, Justin Tipuric takes up the other flank and Morgan Morris starts at eight.

Reuben Morgan-Williams starts at scrum half in his 100^th appearance for the club, with Dan Edwards partnering him at 10. Keiran Williams and Owen Watkin get the nod in the centres.

In the back three, Jack Walsh starts at full back, with Ryan Conbeer on one wing and Luke Morgan on the other.

Ethan Lewis, Garyn Phillips and Ben Warren all take up places on the bench in the only changes from last week against the Dragons.

Starting XV:

15. Jack Walsh

14. Luke Morgan

13. Owen Watkin

12. Keiran Williams 

11. Ryan Conbeer 

10. Dan Edwards

9. Reuben Morgan-Williams (100th Appearance)

1. Gareth Thomas

2. Dewi Lake

3. Tom Botha

4. James Ratti

5. Adam Beard

6. Jac Morgan ©

7. Justin Tipuric

8. Morgan Morris

Replacements:

16. Ethan Lewis

17. Garyn Phillips

18. Ben Warren

19. Huw Sutton

20. Harri Deaves

21. Luke Davies

22. Phil Cokanasiga

23. Max Nagy

Head Coach, Toby Booth, said: “The Stormers are a big, physical team that play a slightly different game to the other South African teams. They play positive, have good athletes and will try to stretch you by keeping the game quick.

It’s going to be a defensive challenge for us, which is similar to what we had out there (in the away fixture last season). The good thing is that we’ve experienced it and came away with a win in that type of game, so we’ll be looking to do that again.”

 Club captain Josh Macleod makes his return from injury to lead Scarlets into their BKT United Rugby Championship clash with Cardiff Rugby at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday (17:15; Premier Sports).

The Wales international flanker will make his first appearance since January in a side showing four personnel changes from last weekend’s 20-20 draw out in Treviso.

There is a reshuffle in the back division. With Sam Costelow recovering from the illness that forced him to miss the Benetton clash, the Wales pivot returns to the No. 10 jersey, Ioan Lloyd switches to full-back and Tom Rogers moves to the right wing in place of Ellis Mee, who is named among the replacements.

Johnny Williams and Macs Page continue in midfield, while Gareth Davies will make his 250th appearance from scrum-half.

The Wales and British & Irish Lions half-back made his Scarlets debut in 2009 in a career that has spanned 17 seasons.

Up front, Kemsley Mathias continues at loose-head in an all-international Wales front row alongside Ryan Elias and Henry Thomas, who will make his URC debut.

Alex Craig and Max Douglas combine again at lock.

In the back row, Vaea Fifita is ruled out with the knee injury he picked up against Benetton which forces a reshuffle.

Jarrod Taylor moves to blindside, Plumtree switches to No. 8 and Macleod starts in his favoured No. 7 shirt.

New signing Alec Hepburn has overcome the hamstring injury he picked up in the early weeks of pre-season and comes onto the bench, while there is also a return for Dan Davis and Eddie James.

Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel said: “We were all disappointed with how the match in Treviso finished, but there has been plenty to build on for this weekend. We have always had close battles with Cardiff, they will be buoyed from that win against Zebre in round one so it is important we are on our mettle and impose ourselves on the game. We want to make Parc y Scarlets a difficult place for teams to come and after three successive away games it is great to be back at home in front of our supporters again.”

Scarlets team to play Cardiff on Saturday, September 28 (5.15pm Premier Sports)

15 Ioan Lloyd; 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Macs Page, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Blair Murray; 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Gareth Davies; 1 Kemsley Mathias, 2 Ryan Elias, 3 Henry Thomas, 4 Alex Craig, 5 Max Douglas, 6 Jarrod Taylor, 7 Josh Macleod (capt), 8 Taine Plumtree.

Reps: 16 Marnus van der Merwe. 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Sam Wainwright, 19 Jac Price, 20 Dan Davis, 21 Efan Jones, 22 Eddie James, 23 Ellis Mee.

Unavailable because of injury

Tomi Lewis, Joe Roberts, Steff Evans, Harri O’Connor, Shaun Evans, Sam Lousi, Archie Hughes, Ioan Nicholas, Vaea Fifita, Ed Scragg.

WELSH harpist Catrin Finch and Irish fiddle virtuoso Aoife Ní Bhriain will take the stage at Carmarthen’s Lyric Theatre on Thursday, October 10 (7.30pm), as part of their UK tour.

Dublin native Aoife Ní Bhriain is one of Ireland’s foremost traditional fiddle players and a classical violinist of international stature who straddles both the classical world and her Irish traditional heritage.

From across the Irish Sea and the west coast of Wales, harpist Catrin Finch has also built an impressive classical career and ventured into uncharted musical territory, most notably through her award-winning international collaborations.

Finch and Ní Bhriain create a spellbinding musical dialogue where traditional and contemporary elements converge in a breath-taking celebration of musical synergy, taking listeners on a captivating journey on the wings of the bees across the Irish Sea, inspired by the cultures of their home countries.

Both are incredible virtuosos of their respective instruments, who started young and trained hard with great dedication to achieve the highest world-class standards of their art.

Both went through rigorous classical training and grounded their careers in the classical world.

Given her family heritage, it was inevitable that Aoife would also become a master of the Irish tradition; and given her fearless and inquisitive nature, it was equally inevitable that Catrin would seek artistic satisfaction beyond the confines of the classical world.

“Audiences just want to come away from a performance having been moved,” Catrin said.

Finch and Ní Bhriain’s debut album ‘Double You’ hit No1 in the iTunes Classical Charts and the World Music Charts Europe and is nominated for Best Album in the sixth RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards.

Running through their stories – as individual creatives, remarkable women, and now as an inspirational duo – are universal themes of identity, self-belief and the courage to be who you really are, to find yourself, particularly when others expect you to conform.

Theirs is a story of being brave enough to follow your own path. From fighting against cancer and embracing sexuality, to being courageous enough to express their full creative potential, both Catrin and Aoife have been forging their own paths of challenge and discovery.

Tickets are priced at £22 and can be booked online at www.theatrausirgar.co.uk or with the box office on 0345 2263510

A special feast is in store this weekend for those with an appetite for choral music.

Llanelli Chamber Choir will perform Franz Joseph Haydn’s oratorio ‘The Creation’ at St Elli Church on Saturday, September 28 (7pm).

Widely regarded as one of Haydn’s greatest compositions, this three-course masterpiece of western classical music tells the story of how God created the world, based on the book of Genesis in the Old Testament.

While ‘The Creation’ is traditionally performed by a full symphonic orchestra, chorus and soloists, the audience will experience a slightly different version, as the Llanelli Chamber Choir’s musical director Piet Zorn has added a pinch of Viennese fragrance to the mix by using a blend of instrumental ingredients.

A flute and a clarinet, a trumpet and a french horn, two timpani, a grand piano and a string quartet will accompany both the Llanelli Chamber Choir and four fine soloists – Morgan Summers (soprano), Jade Fouracre-Reynolds (alto), Burry Port’s Osian Wyn Bowen (tenor), and New Zealander Kieran Rayner (baritone).

Since their founding in 2021, Llanelli Chamber Choir have established themselves as one of the pillars of the local music scene.

Past performances include John Stainer’s ‘The Crucifixion’, Gabriel Fauré’s ‘Requiem’ and Carl Orff’s famous masterwork ‘Carmina Burana.’

Piet Zorn is very proud of his choristers and the hard work they have contributed to bring this performance to life, aiming to give to the audience yet another memorable moment in the musical landscape of Llanelli.

Tenor Osian Wyn Bowen is a firm favourite with west Wales audiences.

An alumni of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (RWCMD), Osian studied under renowned vocal coach John Fisher and tenor Adrian Thompson. Osian was a Scottish Opera Emerging Artist for their 2022/23 Diamond Jubilee Season.

Having made his debut at Welsh National Opera in 2019, Osian has gone on to work regularly at many of the UK’s leading opera houses.

Recently Osian has sung the roles of Rinuccio Gianni Schicchi and Remendado Carmen for Scottish Opera, Venditore di Scarpe Il Tabarro and covered Ferrando Cosi Fan Tutte for Welsh National Opera, Ferrando Cosi Fan Tutte and both The Animal Vendor and Marschellin’s Hausofmeister Der Rosenkavalier for Garsington Opera.

Competitively Osian is a previous winner of the Morriston Orpheus MOCSA Young Welsh Singer of the Year in 2019, a Geraint Morris Memorial Award Winner, a finalist in both the 2020 & 2022 Welsh Singers Showcase Final and a recipient of the Mansel Thomas Memorial Award for Music.

Upcoming engagements include, singing the role of Tamino in The Magic Flute Spring 2025, Obadjah in Elijah for Opus 84, in 2025, and the 10 Tenors concert at Christmas.

The featured ensemble members for the performance of ‘The Creation’ are – David Wheeler, Cellan Morgan, Gareth Hamlin, Imogen Holborn, Louise Baylis, Rachel Thomas, James McBeth, Mihai Stoican, Sian Davies and Aden Yip.

Tickets are £15 and are available from the email address chamberchoirllanelli@gmail.com or by phoning 07535 166956.

You can find out more about the Llanelli Chamber Choir on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090227216918

There’s a big night coming up for Carmarthen Amateur Operatic Society (CAOS) on Friday.

The team from CAOS will be presenting ‘The Past, The Present and The Future’ – an evening journey through the past, present and future of musical theatre.

The concert is at The Lyric Theatre in Carmarthen on Friday, September 27 (7.30pm).

Special guests will include West End star Samuel Wyn-Morris, who comes from Llanelli.

Sam is best known for his work in Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Les

Miserables.

Tickets are £15 and are available at The Lyric box office or from the Theatrau Sir Gar website – https://www.theatrausirgar.co.uk

IT was big, it was bold and (in so many different ways) it was bloody good.

It was a privilege to be in the audience for Llanelli Youth Theatre’s Sweeney Todd last week. It was one of the theatrical ‘events’ of the year for this part of Wales.

Stephen Sondheim’s musical masterpiece is as meaty a challenge as you could wish for in the theatre – and Llanelli Youth Theatre (LYT) artistic director Christopher J Rees has never been one to shy away from a challenge.

Audience members were offered two views – a lofty seat in the Circle to get a bird’s eye view of the action, or the chance to go ‘immersive’ and join the cast and crew on the enlarged stage deck at Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli.

My pal, Swansea musician Mal Pope, opted for the second choice, enjoying the freedom to stand and stroll through the sets of 19th century London, while the action unfolded before his eyes.

It was up close and personal – and Mal admitted it was an unusual experience being immersed in the action.

At times, he had to adopt Phil Bennett side-steps as the action unfolded with the speed of a rugby international match!

Also among the audience on the stage deck was LYT artistic director Christopher J Rees, taking every opportunity to tweak his vision of Sondheim’s classic.

Chris, together with LYT administrator Jill Stevens and other key members of the theatre team, deserve all the plaudits going for keeping the group alive over 40 years and helping to produce a ‘family’ of cast members who have gone on achieve great things in the theatre and in other careers.

Chris gave some insight in his programme notes into what makes LYT tick.

He wrote – ‘The very nature of theatre is people working towards a common goal, which is telling a story in a certain way.

‘You can’t escape the teamwork of the theatre. The social fun, interaction and energy of the cast and crew make those inevitable difficult times more than worth it. This teaches us to push through problems and conflicts by seeing the big picture, which is the team goal.

‘We learn that challenges often bring out the best in us.

‘Passion for the scripts and the collaboration of a team that you care about is great fun for those who choose theatre.

‘We learn to bring texts to life. We learn to live in the moment. We learn to improvise when necessary. We inhabit our characters each night on stage.

‘We face setbacks, but if it wasn’t for the sheer enjoyment to create, and make and perform, we wouldn’t keep choosing this highly-demanding work.’

Chris added: ‘The perseverance required by the theatre makes us stronger people in our personal lives. The world needs resilient people who step up and make it happen. In other words, The show must go on!’

For Llanelli Youth Theatre, the show has been going on for 40 years. Here’s to hoping there’s another 40 years ahead for one of our most exciting and innovative theatre groups.

• PS: If ‘the arts’ is your thing, then there’s a great event heading our way. Swansea Arts Weekend is on October 4-6. You can find out more on the website at – https://www.visitswanseabay.com/swansea-arts-weekend/ Or visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SwanseaArtsWeekend
• And another PS: Special plug for Mal Pope, as he brings his ‘Golden Jubilee’ to a wonderful climax with a 40^th anniversary concert at Swansea Arena on October 3. It’s the hottest ticket in town!

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THE reasoning went like this: anything that was once good enough for Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde and Adelina Patti had to be good enough for me.

Of course, much has changed since the days the impressive Albert Hall in Craddock Street, Swansea, operated as a Music Hall.

But stars from the pages of history have left enough energy in the place for it to now be enjoying a new lease of life as a huge food court and hotel.

Mrs L and I gave it a try while taking a well-deserved break from city centre shopping – and the overall experience was positive, despite a couple of standard ‘oldie’ gripes.

Those who still believe in ‘Cash is King’ will find it challenging, contactless bank cards and mobile phone apps are the order of the day.

I consider myself quite a tech-savvy 60-something, but even I had to wrestle with the online ordering app. After five frustrating minutes, I realised I’d used the exact same app to order food at Newport Market recently – and (you guessed it!) I’d forgotten my password. Cue, lots of cursing at the phone.

When the order was sorted, the food arrived within 10 minutes – souvlaki and gyros from Olive and Oregano (very nice, thank you very much).

Of course, you can place some food orders directly over the counter at the food hall outlets. The trouble with that approach is that, by the time you get to the end of a one-lap tour of the food court, oldies like us have forgotten what they fancied at the start of the trek!

Don’t expect plates, but you will be impressed that full metal cutlery is in service. And customers are encouraged to tidy up after themselves.

At the entrance, there are some impressive displays of the history of the Albert Hall.

One suggestion for the team behind what is a very worthy £9m city centre regeneration project: include one display board at the entrance for us 60-somethings, with an easy-to-follow idiot’s guide of how to order and enjoy the experience.

Twitter: @rlloydpr

Email: robertlloydpr@rlloydpr.co.uk