Carmarthenshire County Council is starting a £4m programme of major road resurfacing on a number of roads around the county.

Carmarthenshire has the second largest road network in Wales and has secured £2.2m in funding from Welsh Government to add to its own budgets to enable a substantial investment in the county’s roads.  The works being undertaken will repair many existing roads and help sustain the highway network for the future.

Nearly 100 sections of road will be resurfaced in total with some of the routes selected to support the forthcoming 2018 OVO Energy Tour of Britain cycle race in September.

Motorists are urged to exercise patience when works are being undertaken and to be aware of any advance warning signs and diversion routes which are put in place to help motorists.

A number of roads have already been resurfaced and we thank you for your patience whilst this has been underway.

More work is coming up in Carmarthen, at:

• Coracle Way to Blue Street: July 30 – August 6
• Towy Ford Roundabout: August 6-10

Work will be carried out during off-peak hours with road closures and diversions in operation from 7pm. Please take extra care and where possible plan an alternative route. Emergency access and access to business premises will be maintained during the works.
Works are also planned for Carmarthen between Tanerdy roundabout and Francis Well roundabout. The dates for these works will be publicised in the coming weeks.

We will continue to minimise the impact on road users by careful planning however some disruption cannot be avoided. We thank you for your patience and cooperation during the works.

All of the works should be complete by the end of October.

Executive Board Member with responsibility for environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “Our road network is of vital importance to Carmarthenshire and we need to keep it fit for purpose. This investment will help ensure good quality road surfaces and maintain road safety. I would like to thank road users for their patience whilst these works are being carried out.”

Children in Carmarthenshire can start their summer holidays with a splash at some of the county’s parks.

The paddling pools are now open at Parc Howard and Crown Park in Llanelli.

The pool at People’s Park, also in Llanelli, is due to open next week following refurbishment works.

All three pools are run by Llanelli Town Council and managed by Carmarthenshire County Council.

The pools are open daily from 9am to 6pm seven days a week until the end of the school summer holidays.

As well as the paddling pools, splash pads run by Llanelli town council at Havelock Park and Penyfan Park in Llanelli are already in operation, as is the popular splash pad at Ammanford Park, which is run by Ammanford Town Council.

The splash pads work on an automatic timer system from 10am to 7pm seven days a week.

A Llanelli man is carving out a career for himself, teaching English in China

Gareth Lewis, 24, is a graduate of Swansea University and has been working in Nanjing in China since last year.

“It’s been a wonderful experience and I would recommend it to anyone looking to try the experience of teaching abroad – and the amazing experience of working in China.

“It’s a fabulous place and it’s a great life experience and education to be working and living in a place like Nanjing,” said Gareth.

Gareth is working in China through the Kids R Kids Learning Academies.

He’s been taking a little bit of Wales to China, with Welsh flags and T-shirts and using his talent for singing.

He said: “I teach English to children aged four to five years of age, but I always make sure they know that I am from Wales.”

Gareth was educated at Lakefield and Coedcae schools and Coleg Sir Gar in Llanelli before studying physical geography at Swansea University.

He explained how his China adventure started –

“After graduating from university, I felt I didn’t know what career I was going to pursue, but teaching was a consideration. A year later, I found this teaching job at Kids R Kids in China, which interested me because it was teaching and it was in a different country with a completely different culture.

“I got the job and moved to Nanjing. I have been there for nearly two years and it has transformed into something special. I have had a fantastic time working at the school and have made many friends outside of school, as well as playing music in a band.

“Living in the area has also allowed me to travel to many amazing places around China – and countries close by, including South Korea, Phillipines and Vietnam.

“I have learned so much about the Chinese culture, as well as learning a little Chinese in the process.

“To anyone who is graduating, or has already graduated, I strongly recommend coming to China for at least a year or two; it will be one of the best decisions you will ever make.

“Nanjing is one of the biggest cities in the province. It has the very best technology, great public transport and it’s cheap – about £6 a month will get you anywhere in the city.

“It’s a city of eight million people and with so much history, as it is the former capital of China.

“As far as the teaching goes, the rewards are immense. You get such a buzz from seeing the children pick up English so quickly. The class sizes are quite small, so you really can make a huge difference to young lives.”

Gareth added: “Working for the Kids R Kids team is a great experience. Once you’ve got all your paperwork sorted, they make the experience and the relocation to China so easy.

“They are a great company to work for and I will definitely be staying out in China for a year or two yet, before, perhaps, returning to teach in South Wales.”

Gareth added: “The social side is great here in Nanjing and I am enjoying developing my musical skills. I play in a band called The Epiphonics . . . with Allan from Denmark, Dave from England and Sherry from China, so we are a pretty international line-up!

“We are enjoying playing in the bars and the clubs in Nanjing and building up a nice little following.”

Other information:

Annabelle Zhu, whose company is representing Kids R Kids China in UK and Ireland, said: “This opportunity is lifechanging and the personal and economic benefits for the staff are endless.

“There are exciting jobs awaiting graduates in any subject, as well as qualified teachers and those looking for management roles.”

You can find out more about the Kids R Kids team on the websites below.

Weblink –

www.kidsrkids.comand www.kidsrkidschina.com

Photos:

Gareth back home in Llanelli, pictured outside Llanelly House.

Gareth in Nanjing, China.

Video clip link –

https://youtu.be/76MD11X1D7w

For further information:

Chinese Language Services Centre

Robert Davies or Annabelle Zhu

clsc.ltd@btconnect.com

Tel: 07875 944304

This afternoon saw the launch of the spectacular and dynamic Superprix of Wales.

This event will run in 2019 over the weekend of June 7-9 and is a ‘World First’, a unique fusion of Rugby Union and the very best of British Motorsport.

(A video of today’s press conference and more photos will be uploaded later . . . )

After many months of planning, it was announced that the most varied and exciting extravaganza of motorsport will be coming to Parc y Scarlets next year.

Superprix of Wales will be running a wide collection of racing machinery, ranging from Formula 1 to Le Mans cars, from British Touring cars to World Rally cars, from the now banded Group B rally cars to the early and dangerous F1 championship cars of the past.

They will be joined by a variety of drivers, from stars of the future to British European and even previous World Champions.

Superprix of Wales are also bringing along the incredible and crazy stunt driver Terry Grant and his team.

Never before has such an incredible collection of machinery visited South Wales; never before has such an iconic collection of equipment and drivers performed in and around such an incredible Rugby Union Stadium anywhere in the World.

This unique event could not have been put together without the forward thinking team of people at the stadium and the promoter and retired international driver Tim Matthews from Superprix Promotions.

He made the following statement.

” This event is the culmination of a number of years hard work and planning. It gives the people of South Wales a unique opportunity to see, hear, smell and get up close to a collection of racing equipment never previously assembled together in this region. To be able to run these machines in and around Parc y Scarlets is fantastic and gives spectators an incredible opportunity to sit in comfort and watch the action with use of all the facilities on offer.”

“In particular I would like to take a moment to thank Dave Healey for having the initial vision to enable me to explain what I believed we could do all the people at the Scarlets for being so friendly and supportive and allowing this to happen, the huge team of people we are bringing on board to provide all the circuit equipment and all the paraphernalia to make this display spectacular and my team of professionals who have ridden the wave that’s culminated in our launch today. It will be a great event for the spectators, a fun event and something novel for the drivers and I hope the beginning of an annual event for us all.”

A brand new musical will premiere in Llanelli in August.

Age of the Geek is being staged at Llanelli’s Selwyn Samuel Centre from Thursday, August 9, to Saturday, August 11.

Age of the Geek is based on the book and lyrics by Elliot Alldridge, with music by Ryan Mellish.

The story goes like this –

Zack is an unpopular schoolboy, with braces, spots and asthma . . . but he’s also very dead!

Zack’s body was found in the park next to a suicide note, but things don’t add up.

Eli, an enthusiastic young journalist gets hold of the story and won’t let go until she finds the truth.

She goes undercover at the school where she meets Zack’s best friend Leo, a geek who lives at the bottom of the social food chain and someone who is struggling to survive without Zack.

Everyone is a suspect as Eli and Leo fight to find Zack’s murderer in Age of the Geek, a musical filled with laughter, emotion and mystery.

The tale follows the two heroes as they unravel the story of the untimely death of a teenage boy and find out which is more dangerous – hunting a killer or being a geek in school.

Tickets are £10 (£7 for students) and are available from www.ticketsource.co.uk or via the Selwyn Samuel Centre.

Meanwhile, fans of variety shows are in for a treat this weekend.

The Summer Variety Show is being staged for two performances at the Miner’s Theatre in Ammanford on Saturday and Sunday (18.30 on July 28 and 14.00 on July 29).

The show will feature singing, dancing and comedy from Ammanford Community Theatre, Starquest Children’s Theatre Group, Statik dance group and other local community groups, choirs and individuals.

It promises to be a wonderful community event and a great family show for all to enjoy.

In Llanelli this weekend you can see ‘Sing my Story, Tell my Story’ at Ffwrnes Theatre.

There are two performances – the first at 19.30 on July 28 and the other at 14.00 on July 29.

It promises to be an emotional occasion, with the audience expected to laugh and cry as they listen to the stories and songs of The Tenovus Cancer Care Sing With us choir of Llanelli and Carmarthen.

The choir members have been working with ‘PeopleSpeakUp’ on telling their life stories.

The performances will be an open-hearted, life-affirming sharing of songs and stories of bravery, challenge and survival.

In September at Ffwrnes Theatre, the famous Llanelli-based Academy Amateur Company will celebrate 35 years of performing great musicals.

They will be staging ‘Thank you for the Memories’ at Ffwrnes on Saturday, September 8.

This special celebratory concert will feature songs from their favourite productions over the years, promising a musical journey down memory lane that will leave you singing all the way home.

There will be songs from shows such as Singin’ In The Rain, Guys And Dolls, Anything Goes, The Full Monty and Jesus Christ Superstar.

Looking further ahead, to October, one of Carmarthenshire’s finest will be returning ‘home’ for two special concerts.

John Owen-Jones is a Burry Port boy who has gone on to be an award-winning West End and Broadway star.

He will play Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli, on Wednesday, October 3 and the Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen, on Sunday, October 7.

John has played the lead role in The Phantom Of The Opera more than any other West End actor.

He was the youngest actor to ever play Jean Valjean in Les Misérables.

He will release his brand new album, called Spotlight, in the autumn.

John trained in acting at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama and, after a varied career so far, is probably best known for his portrayals of the iconic leading characters in The Phantom of The Opera and Les Miserables.

He has a long and happy association with ‘Les Mis’ in particular, for, at the age of 26, John became the youngest actor ever to play the role of Jean Valjean in the West End production of Les Miserables.

He is one of a handful of actors to have played the role of Valjean both in the West End and on Broadway and was the first British actor to do so.

In an online poll, John was voted the “Best Ever Valjean” and “Best Ever Performer in Les Miserables” by fans of the show worldwide.

John returned to play the role of Jean Valjean in a brand new production of Les Miserables for its 25th anniversary tour and was awarded the Manchester Evening News Award for the Best Actor in a Visiting Production for his performance as Jean Valjean.

The Manchester Evening News described his performance as “a truly astonishing achievement that must be one of the greatest stage performances of all time.”

John was also part of the Valjean quartet featured in the finale of the Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 Arena, London.

He has played Jean Valjean to great acclaim twice on Broadway and most recently appeared as Valjean in the show’s Middle East premiere at Dubai Opera, Dubai.

He can be heard playing Jean Valjean on the official cast recording, Les Miserables Live! (2010)

John originally played the role of The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera between 2001 and 2004 in the West End production to great acclaim.

The Daily Mail said he was “better than all the actors that preceded him in the role”.

He returned to the role of The Phantom in the West End in 2011 culminating in a performance as part of the Phantom quartet in a special finale at the Phantom 25th Anniversary Concert at The Royal Albert Hall.

He is the West End’s longest running Phantom with nearly 2000 performances in the role.

He appeared in a special finale of the show at the Majestic Theatre, New York to celebrate Phantom’s 25th year on Broadway and is the first British actor to have appeared as The Phantom in Russia – in a special excerpt from the show commissioned for the 2014 Golden Masks Awards at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow.

After reinterpreting the role of Valjean on the 25th Anniversary tour of Les Miserables in 2010, John was asked to reinterpret the role of The Phantom in the brand new production of The Phantom of the Opera for its 25th anniversary UK tour in 2012.

His performance on the tour earned him a nomination for Best Actor in a Visiting Production from the Manchester Theatre Awards and he is in the unique position of being the only actor to have the opportunity to reinvent Valjean and The Phantom – two of the greatest roles in musical theatre history.

John has performed extensively in other theatre productions throughout the UK and he has appeared on television and radio numerous times. He has performed as a soloist in concerts all over the world.

John has released six solo albums.

The independently released ‘Hallelujah’ (2006) and on the Sain Records label ‘John Owen-Jones’ (2009) and ‘Unmasked’ (2011) and ‘Rise’ 2015; and two compilation albums – “Bring Him Home” (2017 Sain records) and the Japan only compilation “Music of the Night” (2015 Sony Records Japan).

John’s very busy diary for 2018 also includes the following appearances –

Friday, July 27, Movies and Musicals, The Welsh Proms, St David’s Hall, Cardiff.

Saturday, July 28, Special Guest of Katherine Jenkins in Concert with The National Symphony Orchestra, Sennowe Park, Norfolk.

August 29 – September 9, The Phantom in Ken Hill’s “The Phantom of the Opera”, Theatre Orb, Tokyo, Japan.

September 22-24, Concert, Yomiuri Otemachi Hall, Tokyo, Japan.

Monday, October 8, The Best Of The West End, Royal Albert Hall, London.

October 15-19, Floating Festivals: Stages, Navigator of the Seas, Amsterdam to Southampton.

In October, Carmarthen will also see another big name singer roll into town.

Russell Watson will be performing his new show, Canzoni d’Amore, at the Lyric on October 19.

Having sold more than seven million albums worldwide, Russell Watson is firmly established as the UK’s best-selling classical crossover artist of all time.

To date, his illustrious career has included performances for Her Majesty The Queen, The Pope and two US Presidents.

Russell is widely regarded as “The People’s Tenor”. Captivating to watch and enchanting to listen to, Russell Watson continues to wow audiences with his enigmatic and entertaining live performances.

The New York Times said of Russell Watson, “He sings like Pavarotti, and entertains the audience like Sinatra”.

Robert Lloyd works as a media consultant – www.rlloydpr.co.uk

If you have any news about the choral scene in Llanelli, the please contact him on 07777 683637 or email rlloydpr@btinternet.com