Here’s a tribute piece I wrote about Wales rugby great Ken Owens for the Sports Aid Cymru Wales dinner programme on Friday –

KEN OWENS TRIBUTE AND TOAST

IN the hall of fame of Welsh rugby greats, there are a handful of celebrated players who are known to us all . . . just by their Christian name.

Delme, Phil, Barry, Gareth, to name just four.

The most recent addition to that list is of course Ken.

Kenneth James Owens is, of course, a name that has hero status here in Carmarthen.

He’s not just Ken; he’s Our Ken.

What is more, he’s also The Sheriff.

With apologies to the current holder of the Town Council office of Sheriff, Ken is probably the best-known Sheriff Carmarthen has ever had.

If you’re a rugby fan, then you are proud to be part of the Sheriff’s posse.

A former club captain, Ken Owens is recognised as one of the all-time greats with the Scarlets in Llanelli.

The 37-year-old hooker played 274 matches for the club and represented Wales and the British and Irish Lions during an illustrious career.

A proud Welsh speaker, Ken was a product of the Carmarthen Athletic club, Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin and UWIC/Cardiff Met.

He joined the ranks of the Scarlets Academy at the old Stradey Park in 2004 before breaking into the senior team.

Ken made his first-team debut at 19 for in a pre-season clash against Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens in 2006.

He played for the Scarlets for an incredible 18 seasons, joining an exclusive group of players to make 250 appearances.

A hugely respected leader, he captained the Scarlets for a record-breaking seven successive seasons, surpassing the great Phil Bennett.

He was club captain for the Guinness PRO12 title-winning season in 2016-17 and led the club to the semi-finals of the European Champions Cup a year later.

Wales’s most capped hooker, he played 91 times for Wales, featured in three Rugby World Cups and captained his country for the first time during the 2023 Six Nations.

He toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2017, to New Zealand, and 2021, to South Africa, playing in five Tests.

Speaking about his decision to retire, Ken was, as always, honest and speaking from the heart.

He said – “Not playing has been challenging, but the time is right to follow medical advice and hang up my boots.

“Had I written the script there would have been one more game for Wales, for the Scarlets and ultimately Carmarthen Athletic. A chance to sign off and thank everyone involved. It was not to be. It might not be the dream ending but my career has been more than I could have dreamt of.”

Ken played the last of his 91 Test matches for Wales against France in March 2023.

There are memories galore in such a distinguished rugby career.

Who can forget his surging runs, ball in hand; the passion with which he sang Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau and those trademark double first pumps.

Ken, as we all know, has never forgotten his roots in Carmarthen. He is the son of Delme Owens, who has been a stalwart supporter of Sports Aid in west Wales for many years now.

Ken, we know, also recognises and appreciates the values the Sports Aid charity stands for in west Wales.

We will have to wait and see what he does next in life, whether there is another chapter of working in the game of rugby to be written, or whether he pursues other interests.

Whatever path he chooses, he can rest easy in the knowledge that he is universally admired, not only in his home ‘milltir sgwar’, but in all four corners of the rugby world.

He can cherish that admiration in his retirement from his playing career and rest easy that the people of Carmarthenshire will always be there to be part of the Sheriff’s faithful possee.

Let’s give a toast for a successful future to a true Welsh rugby great, Ken Owens . . .

FORGET fist bumps or high fives, I’m a collector of handshakes.

Important people from history, celebrities, sporting superstars, you name them and I like to chalk them up in my little Black Book.

And, if I can’t get to the main man, or main woman, then second-hand handshakes qualify for a place in the notebook.

For example, I once shook the hand of a man who shook the hand of the great Elvis Presley.

Terry Blackwood was part of The Imperials, who started recording with Elvis back in 1966. Elvis, having departed the stage, the meeting with Terry was obviously the nearest it is possible to get to shaking hands with ‘The King’.

Runner-up in the second-hand handshakes log has got to be Wyn Lodwick, the jazz maestro from Llanelli who died this week, aged 97.

Wyn knew Louis Armstrong and Count Basie, among other jazz greats, so meeting him was a moment to treasure, not just for the boast of saying, “I shook the hand of a man who shook hands with Louis Armstrong.”

Wyn Lodwick was a Welshman to the core and always modest about a jazz career which saw him make regular concert and TV appearances and perform in some of the leading venues in America.

He was known and admired in New York, New Orleans and Chicago.

He played the clarinet and the piano, and for a quarter of a century he performed several times a year with the famous Harlem Blues and Jazz Band (one of a handful of white musicians to join the performers on stage).

Wyn was a director of Cymdeithas Jazz Cymru (The Welsh Jazz Society) and one of the founders of the Welsh Jazz Festival and the Brecon Jazz Festival.

In 2016, he was recognised by the Gorsedd of the Bards at the Royal National Eisteddfod, with the citation recognising his contribution to Wales and its music. He was inducted into the Green robes under the Bardic name of ‘Pibydd Harlem’ (Harlem Piper).

In Llanelli and Pwll, where he made his home, he was known as ‘Y Dyn Jazz’, The Jazz Man.

Wynford John Allen Lodwick was born at 38 Marble Hall Road, Llanelli, and March 15, 1927.

He served as a technician in the Royal Navy before establishing a jazz club in Llanelli in 1950, hosting evenings at the old Melbourne pub and the Stepney Hotel, among other venues.

The jazz bug had taken hold years earlier, when United States servicemen arrived in Llanelli during World War Two.

Wyn would recall that listening to their music was “like being in a jazz club in New York”.

Aged 90, Wyn was the guest of honour at the monthly meeting of the Welsh Luncheon Club at the Selwyn Samuel Centre in Llanelli – an event televised by S4C’s Heno programme.

Wyn declared he was still playing the piano, vibraphone and clarinet.

“The music is so exciting,” he said. “It’s what keeps me young.”

Among his many achievements, Wyn set Welsh tunes and songs to the jazz style and lectured extensively on the history and meaning of jazz.

Alongside Louis Armstrong and Count Basie, Wyn also played with legendary jazz guitarist Al Casey (Albert Aloysius Casey), who was a member of Fats Waller’s band during the 1930s and early 1940s.

In south Wales, Wyn was part of the Memphis Seven jazz combo. He also found time to collaborate with his friend, the journalist and broadcaster Lyn Ebenezer, on two books – Wyn a’I Fyd (Wyn and his world) and Count Yourself In: A Man and His Jazz.

Collectors of jazz might want to seek out some of his recordings (now very rare), such as The Band In Its Place, Jazz From Wales, and Five Ways to Harlem.

RIP Wyn Lodwick. Thanks for the memories – and the music! It was a privilege to meet you and shake your hand.

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Emotional milestone for motor sports

IT was an emotional day at the Welsh Motor Sports Centre in Pembrey this week as staff and visitors marked the 30^th anniversary of the death of Formula 1 great Ayrton Senna.

Senna died on May 1, 1994, during a calamitous San Marino Grand Prix on the Imola track in Italy. Senna went off the track at the notorious Tamburello section, striking a wall at 145mph. The three-times world champion was just 34.

In Pembrey, Senna is still remembered with great affection as he was a frequent visitor to the track in the 1980s. He was fond of using the tight circuit to test his McLaren F1 cars.

This week, two vintage F1 ‘Senna’ cars were back in action on the Pembrey circuit, resplendent in their red and white livery.

The cars were put through their paces on the Pembrey track as part of preparations for the Monaco Classic Historic Grand Prix event later this month.

In Monaco, the cars will be driven by Ayrton Senna’s nephew Bruno, a former Formula 1 driver who is the first driver to win a race in every class in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

When Ayrton Senna first visited Pembrey, he was following in the footsteps of other Formula 1 teams who used the track on the former airfield as an “away from prying eyes’ test circuit.

Down the years, Alain Prost, Jackie Stewart, David Coulthard, Jenson Button, Nigel Mansell and Kimi Räikkönen all did the Pembrey trip, many of them staying at the town’s Diplomat Hotel.

Ayrton Senna, however, will remain the name best associated with Pembrey. The anniversary of his death will always be a poignant moment for the crew at the circuit.

Rugby ace Glen Webbe, widely acknowledged as the first black man to be capped by Wales, was the guest speaker at the spring Cymru/Wales Sports Aid lunch in Carmarthen.

Webbe, 62, made 10 appearances on the wing for Wales during the 1980s.

He used his platform at the Sports Aid lunch to give a first-hand account of racism in sport. He received a standing ovation from an audience of nearly 200 at the Ivy Bush Royal Hotel in Spilman Street.

The lunch also featured a speech about the work of Sports Aid in Wales by regional secretary Jayne Morgans.

The guest comedian was Paul Fielding, from Porthcawl, the compere was Richard Gealy, vice-president of Sports Aid in Wales, and a charity auction was conducted by Andrew Morgan.

Other notable celebrities present included the actor Julian Lewis Jones.

The lunch was organised by the west Wales committee of Sports Aid.

Currently, the west Wales committee raise £14,000 a year to support the future of young Welsh Sporting talent. Over the last 30 years, the committee has raised more than £435,000.

West Wales grant recipients for 2024 include –

Athletics

Darcy Coslett, Iwan Thomas, Lucy Harris, Matilda Quick, William Jac Sheehan.

Gymnastics

Imogen Coslett.

Hockey

Ned Reese-Wigmore.

Paralympics (100m and long jump)

Tommy Robert Jones.

Ice skating

Connor Furness.

Swimming

Saskia Webb.

Tennis

Leo Weston, Isabella Morgan, Rundong Huan.

Triathlon

Ifan Bowen.

Weightlifting

Grace Morris, Everlyn Thomas.

Windsurfing

Elliot Barton, Taylor Shelmerdine, Poppy Owen, Indi Lynch, Josie Hawke, Arthur Buick, Katie David.

Main photo outside the Ivy Bush –

Chief guest Glen Webbe and comedian Paul Fielding, pictured with representatives of the west Wales committee of Sports Aid, including Dave Butler, Richard Gealy, Rhodri Morgan, Dewi Jones, Huw Jones, Sean Boucher, Felicity Morgan-Jones and Kevin McCarthy.

Other photos of the guest speakers and people enjoying the lunch.

Other photos on this link –

https://photos.app.goo.gl/AgXw44xzQVoBM4Nh7

Tribute to Wales rugby great Ken Owens – https://rb.gy/1y3h73

THE team at Carmarthen and District Youth Opera are gearing up for their 2025 production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

The show will follow the hugely successful Our House (Madness) staged earlier this year and the 2023 production of Shrek The Musical.

The countdown has already begun to the auditions weekend for prospective performers.

Audition dates are as follows –

Friday, September 6 – evening

Years 12 & 13 and 16 Years and up to the age of 25 (25 as at 1/3/2025)

Sunday, September 8 – daytime

Years 5, 6 ,7, 8, 9 , 10, 11

Timings and venues will be confirmed closer to the date, with the production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory set to take the stage in The Lyric Theatre in Carmarthen in February of next year.

You can keep an eye on Carmarthen Youth Opera activities on their website at https://www.youthopera.co.uk or on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064442572297

Meanwhile, Carmarthen Youth Opera has received good news in the latest nominations for National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) awards.

The list of nominations for the 2023 production of Shrek The Musical includes the following –

Outstanding Youth Performance – Finn Radford (Donkey)

Outstanding Production – CDYO (Carmarthen and District Youth Opera) – Shrek

Regional Councillors Award – CDYO – Animation/ Set

The above regional nominations are in addition to the following District nominations received –

Outstanding Musical Production – CDYO

Outstanding Technical and Stage Management – CDYO

Outstanding Supporting Youth Performance – Cai Brown (Pinocchio) & Finn Radford (Donkey)

Outstanding Performance – Jordan Dickin (Lord Farquad)

Outstanding Comedy Performance – Finn Radford (Donkey)

Other Carmarthen and District Youth Opera news includes the sad announcement of the death of the group’s oldest former volunteer, Mrs Nancy Butters, who passed away at the grand age of 108 years.

The following tribute was published by CDYO –

‘Nancy had a long involvement with CDYO from its early days, and always retained  her remarkable interest in the company.

‘She had been a resident at Towy Castle Home for the Elderly for a number of years, and was always keen to share her many interesting and long-serving memories on a range of subjects. It was always a pleasure to be in her company.

‘She had recently been presented with the King’s Award for Voluntary Service, and was personally introduced to the (then) HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, during her Royal Visit to CDYO in 2019.

‘Nancy will remain an iconic and prominent name in the history of CDYO, and our condolences are extended to her sons Colin and Alan and their families.’

At the end of this month, The Lyric will be playing host to the Forge drama company.

They will be performing Lionel Bart’s Oliver in five shows (including matinees) between May 30 and June 1.

A spokesman for the group said: “Consider yourself at home with this junior version of Lionel Bart’s classic musical Oliver!

“This family favourite delivers a powerful, and thought-provoking message.

“Oliver! (Junior) is full of classic songs like ‘Consider Yourself’, ‘Food Glorious Food’, and ‘Oom-Pah-Pah’, and is not to be missed.”

At The Lyric on June 7, G4 will be performing as part of their 20th Anniversary Tour.

The UK’s No.1 vocal harmony group and original X-Factor stars are celebrating a double decade in the limelight.

G4 have been wowing audiences with their incredible harmonies and stunning vocals ever since appearing on the first series of the X Factor in 2004.

Their unique blend of classical training alongside a pioneering approach to popular classics has seen them hailed as the ‘Kings of Popera’ and earned them a legion of loyal fans all over the world.

This is their most extensive tour to date, which will see them fondly look back upon their journey, whilst also propel them into the next chapter of their groundbreaking career.

The 72-date tour will be the first chance to hear the breathtaking new tracks from their hotly anticipated 20th anniversary studio album (due for release in Autumn 2024).

It will also feature the most popular G4 hits, such as their exhilarating rendition of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, haunting version of ‘Creep’ as well as the heart-stopping ‘Nessun Dorma’.

As part of the group’s new chapter, they are delighted to welcome the exceptionally talented ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ winner – Jai McDowall into the fold.

In other news, members of Llanelli Youth Theatre are getting warmed up for what is going to be a busy 40^th anniversary year.

LYT will be staging a special 40^th anniversary concert at Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli on Saturday, June 1.

Then, in September, LYT will be staging Stephen Sondheim’s Tony award-winning musical Sweeney Todd.

More information about Theatrau Sir Gar shows can be found on their website at – https://www.theatrausirgar.co.uk

BEING OFFENDED IS A SIGN OF THE TIMES

It was once a common sight, hanging on the wall behind the counter, in many small shops and mini-markets.

A clearly written sign, in full view of every customer, that read, “Please do not ask for credit as a refusal often offends.”

Some younger readers might think it sounds ‘quaint’, but they must admit the wording – polite but to the point – removed any possibly ambiguity regarding whether customers might be able to buy a loaf of bread, a packet of tea and a pint of milk ‘on tick’.

It was cash up front or go elsewhere.

And you’d be hard pressed to find another small business that didn’t have a similar sign behind the counter.

Today, in small shops, people use a debit card to buy anything from a newspaper to a sausage roll. Which is a form of credit that no-one thinks twice about.

That said, when Tesco and Sainsburys had computer meltdowns a few Saturdays ago, for a few hours they could onlyaccept cash . . . which bewildered customers who believe we’re already living in a cashless society.

Presumably, they left the store without their weekly ‘big shop’.

Bear that in mind next time someone confidently tells you, “No-one uses cash anymore!”

Maybe I’m wrong (I guarantee someone will be only too eager to point it out – yes, that’s YOU, Mrs Betty Evans of Fishguard Harbour), but current affairs shows love booking guests who hold whacky opinions and are in a permanent state of expecting to be offended by somebody else’s viewpoint.

It’s not enough for them to simply disagree with someone who has the opposite – and usually more reasonable – view to theirs.

They have to claim they’ve been ‘offended’ because the other person has the ‘audacity’ to disagree with them.

The discussion gets more ‘volcanic’ than ‘heated’ which leaves both parties disgruntled, and viewers frustrated, wondering why they bothered watching.

Here’s a helpful suggestion for TV current affairs producer. Have a big sign permanently hanging in the studio that says . . .

“Please don’t disagree with dippy guests, as a rebuttal of their daft opinion will definitely offend!”

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We all need a bit of sunshine and a break!

As I sit here, contemplating the elusive concept known as ‘summer’ in Wales, I can’t help but wonder if we’ll ever experience it.

You see, summer is like that distant relative who promises to visit every year but never actually shows up.

Will this be the year we finally get a taste of those long summer days and warm summer nights?

Or will we be left longing for a relaxing break that may never come?

Rumour has it that travel agents are being bombarded with inquiries, as if the mere glimpse of sunshine last weekend has ignited a collective desire for a getaway.

Could this be a sign that the financial hardships are finally behind us and people have more money to spare?

Or is it simply a testament to the fact that people will always find a way to splurge on what makes them feel good, no matter the circumstances?

They say a change is as good as a rest, but it seems most folks are willing to venture overseas in search of guaranteed sunshine.

It’s a bit disheartening, really, considering the natural beauty that surrounds us in this part of the world.

We’re truly blessed, yet we find ourselves yearning for foreign shores.

Speaking of yearning, one of my so-called friends suggested we go camping this year.

After careful consideration, I’ve come to the conclusion that nobody needs friends like this.

Life is already hard enough without subjecting ourselves to the trials and tribulations of outdoor living.

So, farewell to the idea of camping, and hello to a life of relative comfort and indoor plumbing.

IT’S the one problem issue all of us (no matter what our political persuasion) can agree on: our town and city centres are in a bit of a state.

Labelling it as a problem is the easy bit; coming up with the solutions is the challenge.

Too often ideas get drowned out in background noise which is awash with negativity and the usual grumbles about empty buildings and too many charity shops.

Happily, though, I sense things are starting to change.

I sit in the same corner as Swansea East MS Mike Hedges when it comes to town and city centres – adopting the mantra ‘use it or lose it’.

He wrote an interesting essay for the Fabians Cymru group recently, in which he promoted the idea of more partnership projects, citing the example of the Regeneration Morriston team.

In Llanelli this week, it was interesting to see two groups come together to create a public forum to discuss the town centre.

Cwmpas is the former Wales Co-operative Centre, a development agency working for positive change in Wales.

Llanelli Township Ltd is the new kid on the block, a ‘Community Benefit Society’, which is a type of democratic non-profit cooperative.

What was interesting at the forum held at Llanelli Public Library was the acceptance of the hard reality that the days of having Woolworth, Debenhams and other big names on our high streets are long gone.

What’s needed now is a more innovation and a ‘physician heal thyself’ mentality where communities must come together to try to rebuild town and city centres.

It won’t happen overnight. This is a slow-burn.

But you could not fail to be impressed with the enthusiasm and fire burning within those attending the Llanelli forum.

The Llanelli Township project mission statement is a bold one –

‘Regenerating Llanelli through democratic community ownership of property in our town centre.’

In short, the Township ‘society’ members have decided to stop waiting for better times to come and start a town-wide grass-roots regeneration project.

As a starting point, they already have a science café set up above a popular restaurant in the town centre.

Next on their agenda is buying a HQ, raising the capital through the power of community shares, which allow individuals in the town to back the project.

The Llanelli Township project already has a partnership with Community Science International Wales.

Other partnerships – and a website – will be on the way soon.

Llanelli Township secretary Dr Scott Griffiths explained to the forum meeting that he’d recently returned to live in the town after working away.

He’d been disappointed to see the current state of the town centre, with many empty buildings and shops, but he was inspired ‘to do something about it’.

Dr Griffiths described himself as a social entrepreneur and scientist.

His vision for Llanelli is –

• A town the democratically serves the residents, workers and visitors.
• A town that adapted to internet shopping and retail parks
• A town that resists boom and bust economics.

They are bold vision statements, but (as I explained in this column back in January) there is nothing wrong in being ambitious.

We all want the best for our town and city centres.

Mobilising people to start to believe that we can all play a part in regeneration is a challenge – but we Welsh do like a big challenge, don’t we?

Dr Scott Griffiths

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One for your ‘must-see’ list

IT’S not often you hear cheers and a round of applause in the cinema.

But that’s what we got at the Llanelli Odeon at the end of the live screening, from the National Theatre in London, of the new play Nye, starring Michael Sheen.

In fact, there were tears as well as the cheers – and I’m willing to bet the scenes were repeated across the land in all the cinemas screening Tim Price’s play about the life of Nye Bevan.

Bevan is arguably the most influential politician of the 20^th century, the founder of the National Health Service (NHS) in 1948.

He was a son of Tredegar, but his dad David’s family came from Carmarthenshire.

Tim Price’s play has been called ‘surreal’ and a ‘Welsh fantasia’. It is both those things, but it is also much more – a massive piece of political theatre which should be on everyone’s ‘must-see’ list when it transfers from the Olivier Theatre to the Wales Millennium Centre between May 18 and June 1.

The play doesn’t shy away from the more controversial elements of Bevan’s life as the story is played out in a series of innovative flashbacks.

Nye is a co-production between the Wales Millennium Centre and the National Theatre and is directed, with some style, by the NT’s artistic director Rufus Norris.

As you might expect, you cannot take your eyes off Michael Sheen as Nye as he takes centre stage, barefoot in pyjamas!

But this isn’t a one-man show. Two dozen of our finest actors take multiple roles as the story unfolds and takes some surprising twists, including (believe it or not) a song and dance number!

As a side note, the cast received a visit this week from Aneira Thomas, from Loughor, the first baby delivered by the NHS when she was born at one minute past midnight on July 5, 1948, in Amman Valley Hospital.

The NHS will mark its 76^th birthday this July. Nye, the play, is an important and timely work. Take my advice: go and see it. It’s top-class theatre. And, trust me, you’ll end up crying . . . and cheering!