New Scarlets recruit Kieron Fonotia starts this press conference at Parc y Scarlets by talking about his international prospects with Samoa.

This is an edited version of the press conference. A fuller version will appear at the weekend.

Trimsaran Community Primary School is the latest school to be delivered through Carmarthenshire County Council’s Modernising Education Programme.

The £6.8 million new building opened its doors September 2017 and caters for children aged between 3 to 11, with 30 nursery places and a Flying Start facility.

It has state of the art facilities and first class accommodation designed for both school and community use.

The building was jointly funded between the County Council and Welsh Government through the 21^st Century Schools initiative.

Already, the new school has achieved a BREEAM Excellent rating and is a Passivhaus accredited building.

Trimsaran headteacher, Sharon Owen said: “The building has been a dream for a number of years and, with much pride, we realise that dream.

The education provided at the school has always been a strength and today, with new resources and facilities, we see our pupils thrive with renewed eagerness and enthusiasm so that they achieve their potential in a learning environment suitable for the 21^st Century.”

Initially the site posed significant design challenges due to a sloping site which slopes steeply, from north to south, over roughly two hundred metres.  The design team overcame these challenges and created unique outdoor areas including external walkways with direct access to the external MUGA.

The council’s executive board member for education, Cllr Glynog Davies said: “It’s wonderful to see for ourselves the difference that this investment has made. Our ambition is for every child in the county to have access to first class facilities and accommodation.”

A former Chairman of Carmarthenshire County Council has been granted the Honorary Freedom of Carmarthenshire on his 100^th birthday.

David Tom Davies OBE, known as DT Davies, served as a councillor for his local area of Dryslwyn, near Llandeilo, from 1970 to 2003, chairing the former Dyfed County Council from 1981-82, Carmarthenshire County Council from 1995-97, and on several education committees and boards.

He is also one of three founder members of the National Botanic Garden of Wales as well as Aberglasney Gardens, where he is a life member.

Before service to his community, Mr Davies served Queen and Country in WWII as a member of the Royal Artillery, and was captured as a prisoner of war at the Battle of Crete in 1941.

He spent three years as a prisoner in Austria, then Hungary and finally at the Zemun concentration camp, near Belgrade.

However, he managed to escape five times, eventually reaching Yugoslavia and joining the partisans before being invalided out to Italy and sent back to Britain where he was awarded a Military Medal.

He wrote an account of his wartime exploits in a book entitled “All for Freedom – A True story of escape from the Nazis” which was published in 2016.

On July 11, on his 100^th birthday, the Honorary Freedom of Carmarthenshire was conferred in a special ceremony at Carmarthen’s County Hall, where Mr Davies was joined by members of his family.

Cllr Cefin Campbell, who now serves the Llanfihangel Aberbythych ward, was among those who nominated Mr Davies for the Honorary Freedom.

He spoke of Mr Davies’s selfless commitment to his community and his respectful ability as a Chairman, as well as his remarkable determination and resilience during his wartime service.

Of the nomination, he said: “It’s the biggest honour Carmarthenshire can give to one of his daughters and sons, and I can think of no-one more deserving.”

The granting of a Freedom of Carmarthenshire is a rare honour, and Mr Davies was presented with a scroll to mark the occasion by council Chairman Cllr Mansel Charles.

Mr Davies said it was an ‘amazing honour’.

“I’m very proud because it’s people such as yourselves – who represent the people of Carmarthenshire – that honour me today, and that means more to me than any honour I’ve received,” he said.

To date, the Freedom of the County of Carmarthenshire has only ever been awarded to the Royal Welsh Regiment in 2009 and to the late William David Thomas OBE for services to Local Government in 2014.

An honorary title conferred with a scroll, it does not carry special privileges to individual recipients, however the Royal Welsh Regiment have the freedom to march through the streets of Carmarthenshire on ceremonial occasions, with ‘drums beating, bands playing, colours flying and bayonets fixed’.

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It’s been a busy week of competing for young musicians from across Carmarthenshire.

The County Youth Jazz Orchestra and Côr Merched Sir Gâr performed in the national finals of the National Festival of Music for Youth competition last week.

The choir and orchestra earned themselves a spot in the finals through their previous performances.

The event took place on Wednesday in one of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious venues – Symphony Hall in Birmingham.

Performing in front of a panel of adjudicators from the music industry, the Jazz Orchestra and Côr Merched Sir Gâr received a standing ovation.

The County Wind Band also performed at the national finals in Symphony Hall last Friday with over seventy pupils taking the stage to represent Wales.

Côr Merched Sir Gâr also took to the stage at the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod on Friday and Saturday.

Executive board member responsible for education and children’s services, Cllr Glynog Davies, said: “What an excellent week this has been, showcasing some of the musical talent that we have here in Carmarthenshire. I would like to congratulate our young musicians on their successes. They are a real testament to the commitment and hard work provided by our council’s Music Service.”

Press release:

A free, public event to present and launch the Llanelli Forum will take place on:

Tuesday 17 July 2018 at Parc Y Scarlets, Phil Bennett Lounge.

FFORWM LLANELLI FORUM is a new community-based group comprising about 40 founder members.

Its main objectives are to initiate, support and participate in grass-roots activities that benefit Llanelli and our community, either independently or in collaboration with other local associations.

The Forum does not have any political party affiliation.

Among our objectives, we plan to hold monthly events which will include debates on matters of current concern and presentations by invited speakers on topics of local interest.

We will put community engagement at the heart of everything we do.

The press are invited to be present throughout this event and may film and record freely.

An area will be available for representatives of the press, who may wish to interview selected participants during the press hour set aside for this purpose (see below).

The provisional programme is as follows:

2.30 p.m.                    Opening, including an address by a representative of

Llanelli Rural Council

2.30 – 5.30 p.m.      Llanelli-based community groups and relevant

associations will have promotion stalls and may

make short presentations of their work, offering an

opportunity for Forum members and visitors

to become familiar with other groups with relevant                                     specific objectives

5.30 – 6.30 p.m.      Press hour

6.30 – 8.30 p.m.      Official presentation and launch

Speakers during the afternoon and evening will include: Neil McEvoy, AM Independent; John Jenkins, Llanelli Town Councillor Independent; Sean Rees, Llanelli Town Councillor Independent. Non party aligned representatives have been invited to speak.

 llanelliforum@gmail.com  and fforwmllanelli@gmail.com

 0748 424 8090

 @FforwmLlanelli

  Fforwm Llanelli Forum

Carmarthenshire County Council’s recycling advisors are holding an action day to raise awareness and educate residents about the littering challenges we are facing in Llanelli Town Centre and the surrounding streets.

The advisors will be available on Monday, July 16, 10am – 2pm, outside Boots in Llanelli, handing out advice and freebies such as portable ash trays and gum wraps.

The aim of the action day is to engage with those who live, work and visit Llanelli, to ask them what they think about the environmental quality in the area, what they think could be done to tackle any litter related issues, and who they think the culprits are.

We will also be guiding the public on the correct use of litter and recycling bins, and how to report dog fouling and litter offences.

There will be the chance to sign up and volunteer to do community litter picks, leading to the opportunity to earn time credits which reward volunteers for every hour of time they give.

Cllr Hazel Evans, Executive Board Member for Environment, said: “An action day is a great way for us to engage with the community, and an opportunity for us to communicate crucial information and our methods to the public. Our residents will also get a chance to voice their concerns and suggestions.”

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