There’s a big night coming up for Côr Meibion Llandybie as they hold their annual concert on Friday, June 8, at the Memorial Hall in Llandybie.

The choir will be joined by members of Côr Meibion Dinefwr.

The combined choirs will be conducted by Mr Alan Davies and accompanist will be Ms Catrin Morris.

Guest soloist for the evening will be Ms Angharad Davies (soprano) and she will be accompanied by Mrs Gloria Lloyd.

The evening will also feature Rhydian Tiddy playing the trombone.

Llanelli concertgoers can look forward to seeing the Hywel Girls’ Choir and Hywel Boy Singers in the spectacular Last Night of the Proms at Ffwrnes Theatre this weekend.

This year’s mad, fun, flag-waving extravaganza on Saturday (June 2) includes an amazing 200-plus massed voices.

The evening features the symphonic sounds of the British Sinfonietta Orchestra and an army of massed voices of the Hywel Choirs, the TV acclaimed Angelicus Celtis, the mighty Pontarddulais Male Choir and the Llanelli Choral Society and special guest artists – all under the baton of John Hywel Williams MBE.

Highlights of the night will include Land of Hope and Glory, Rule Britannia, Nimrod, Welsh favourites, music from Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schindler’s List and a special tribute to World Ware One and Her Majesty’s Armed Forces and Veterans, including the Dambusters March, the Armed Man, Pack up your Troubles, Hymn to the Fallen, Jerusalem and a poignant Abide with Me.

Côr Meibion Llanelli will be remembering their former accompanist, Gethin Hughes, at their annual concert at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli (Saturday, June 30, 7pm).

Gethin was affectionately known as Llanelli’s ‘Mr Music’ prior to his death in 2011.

Following his death, a special Gethin Hughes Memorial Bursary Scholarship was established.

The first winner of the cash bursary was Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama student Megan Thomas, from Trimsaran.

The choir’s annual concert in June will feature the contest to decide the next winner of the bursary scholarship.

The competition will form the centrepiece of the concert by Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir, with the choir performing a wide-ranging repertoire dovetailing the competition.

The Gethin Hughes prize is the brainchild of Côr Meibion Llanelli musical director Mr D Eifion Thomas, a close friend of the late Mr Hughes.

“Gethin was a great pal and a long-serving accompanist for Cor Meibion Llanelli,” said Mr Thomas.

“We travelled the world to concerts and festivals and Gethin was famous the world over for being a real character and a wonderful ambassador for Llanelli.

“Gethin made an outstanding contribution to music in Llanelli and in Wales. It is wonderfully fitting that we should honour his memory and celebrate his life with a musical bursary prize.

“Gethin cared very much about supporting and promoting youngsters on their musical careers. Hopefully, this award will go a long way to encouraging, supporting and developing musical talent in Carmarthenshire.”

The bursary organisers also include Cor Meibion Llanelli chorister Richard Christopher, Gethin’s second cousin.

Mr Christopher explained: “The aim is to perpetuate Gethin’s memory by making this a regular competition for young Carmarthenshire musicians. The prize is a cash bursary to the winner to help them in their first year of music college.”

Gethin died just a few days short of his 76th birthday.

He was closely linked with the famous Triniti Chapel in Llanelli and was a much-respected music teacher at Ysgol y Strade, Llanelli.

He founded the Llanelli Young Music Lovers and spent a substantial amount of his free time taking his concert party on the road to support various charitable events.

For many years, Gethin contributed a regular column in the Llanelli Star newspaper.

The ‘Solo Note’ columns later formed the basis of a book called ‘Always be natural’.

It was a title given to him by the late great entertainer Roy Castle, who told Gethin – ‘Never be sharp, Never be flat, Always be natural’.

Gethin’s stories were always liberally sprinked with stardust. The list of stars and celebrities he met and accompanied was endless. He was lucky enough to call many of them his friends.

From Sir Malcolm Sargent to Gracie Fields, from Betty Driver and Bill Roache of Coronation Street, from Jack Warner to Elsie and Doris Waters . . . Gethin had stories to tell about them all.

Gethin was also known for his sense of adventure.

From scuba-diving off The Great Barrier Reef in Australia to riding a mechanical bucking bronco at a Wild West centre in Denver, Colorado, to playing out his inimitable party pieces at post-concert Cor Meibion concerts, nothing was too much of a challenge for Gethin.

Gethin spent 65 years as an accompanist at his beloved Triniti Chapel in Llanelli.

His work as an accompanist and fund-raiser for various charities earned him an MBE – but it also earned him much more. It earned him the affection and respect of the people of Llanelli and beyond.

In other news, Côr Meibion Dyffryn Tywi have put together an exciting line-up for their annual concert on Saturday, July 21, at the Princess Gwenllian Centre in Kidwelly.

The evening will feature the popular North Wales act Piantel.

Piantel are pianist Annette Bryn Parry and harpist Dylan Cernyw. They are described as ‘a magical musical experience not to be missed!’

The concert will also feature the much-acclaimed Tywi Valley musical duo, the husband and wife team of Aled Edwards and Eleri Owen Edwards.

The compere for the Côr Meibion Dyffryn Tywi concert will be Ioan Hefin

On the same night (July 21), Burry Port Town Band are scheduled to stage their annual summer concert.

Further details about this concert will follow in future editions of this column.

Looking to the autumn, Côr Meibion Caerfyrddin Carmarthen Male Choir’s 60th anniversary concert will be held at the Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen, on Saturday, October 13.

The choir will be joined on stage by four other choirs – Mynydd Mawr, Burry Port, Dyffryn Tywi and Dyffryn Aman.

This will create a combined choir of around 150 voices under the baton of Wyn Maskell, musical director of Côr Meibion Caerfyrddin.

Also taking part will be well known soloists: Jessica Robinson, soprano, and Trystan Llŷr Griffiths, tenor.

The MC for the evening will be television and radio personality Garry Owen.

Welsh tenor Trystan Llŷr Griffiths, who hails from Clunderwen, Pembrokeshire, is a popular concert soloist throughout Wales and further afield.

One of the first recipients of a Study Award from the Bryn Terfel Foundation, he was named the Voice Of Wales by Decca Records in 2012 in an S4C TV series.

Trystan studied initially at University of Wales Trinity Saint David for a Theatre, Music and Media degree. He subsequently completed an MA degree in Vocal Studies at the Royal Academy of Music and a further postgraduate degree in Opera Performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He has recently completed his studies as a Trainee at the National Opera Studio in London.

Prizes and awards include: Ian Stoutzker Prize 2014; Richard Van Allan Award 2014; Bruce Millar Gulliver Singing Prize 2014; RWCMD HRH Prince of Wales Scholarship 2013; Dunraven Welsh Young Singer of the Year 2013; MOCSA Young Welsh Singer of the Year Prize 2012; Sybil Tutton Award 2012; London Welsh Young Singer of the Year Prize 2011; W. Towyn Roberts Scholarship 2011; Osborne Roberts Memorial Prize 2009.

Concert highlights include appearances at the Royal Albert Hall, Hay-on-Wye Festival with Bryn Terfel, the Brynfest at the Southbank Centre, a concert performance of Tristan und Isolde with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and recitals at St Martin-in-the- Fields and the Cardiff Music Festival.

He took the role of Carlos in a recording of Le Duc d’Albe with the Hallé Orchestra for Opera Rara and during summer 2015 received a scholarship to attend the Mozart Residency at Festival d’Aix-en- Provence.

Trystan made his first professional operatic début in the role of Ferrando in Cosi Fan Tutte on tour with Scottish Opera.

Finally, here’s another date for your diary for later in the year. The Annual Royal British Legion Charity Gala Concert will be held at the Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen, on October 27 (7pm).

This year, 2018, marks a significant year for our Armed Forces. It is the centenary of the end of The Great War (First World War) and also commemorates 100 years of the Royal Air Force.

The prestigious annual Royal British Legion Concert has become one of the landmark events in the calendar of South West Wales, providing a platform for the Royal British Legion to pay tribute to the fallen of current and past conflicts.

It also helps the British Legion launch the Poppy Appeal in South West Wales.

The concert features leading soprano and TV and radio personality Shân Cothi, one of Wales’s premier choirs in the form of Dunvant Male Choir, the highly popular Carmarthen-based mixed youth choir Côr Seingar, Swansea-based Dancerama performing arts group youth choir, the stirring sounds of the City of Swansea Pipe Band and the unforgettable Corps of Drums of the 215 City of Swansea Squadron.

The compére will be Brian Sullivan and the guest accompanist Jeffrey Howard.

The evening ends with the poignant Tribute to the Fallen and a Service of Remembrance.

The Royal British Legion is being supported with this event by Loud Applause Productions, the production company run by Llanelli’s Cerith Owens.

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

Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy. Website – www.philevans.co.uk

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Is it all in the head?

Our media’s approach to mental illness, from OCD (Obsessive–compulsive disorder) to post-natal depression, is much more sympathetic and informative than it used to be . . .

Today, newspapers, radio and television openly discuss it, just like any other medical condition.

A decent night’s sleep is vital for our mental well-being.

Yet a recent survey revealed one thirdof Britons are so job-stressed, they check work e-mails several times during the night.

And, for 75% of the population, worries about debt, unemployment and other issues come to the fore at bedtime.

The next day they’re so tired and even morestressed that the cycle of anxiety continues.

Today, showbiz celebrities and sporting personalities have no qualms about revealing their struggles with depression, when once they’d have been reluctant to.

From the great clown Joseph Grimaldi to Spike Milligan and Paul Merton, comedians are particularly vulnerable to mental fragility as they face rejection every time they stand up in front of the public.

I always try to be supportive and encouraging to my fellow performers, despite the fact that the world of comedy can lack professional respect.

We somehow learn to cope with life’s highs and lows.

But, if we suffer a relentless run ofbad luck without respite, it takes a very strong person not to become so depressed they’re unable to see that a brighter future is possible.

Having a partner, family member or friend who is understanding, uplifting and prepared to reallylisten to your problems is incredibly important at these times.

You may not believe their positive advice at first, but, as things gradually improve, you’ll remember their words and be grateful for them.

Mental illness has no boundaries of class, age or occupation.

If I’m ever affected by it, I hope someone out there will say, “Phil. It’s okay. We understand.  This will pass, we’ll get through it together and all will be well.”

And that will be the moment I begin my recovery . . .

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Open Farm Sunday:

There are countless things we can do to make ourselves feel good.

I’m not exaggerating. Theyreally arecountless, so don’t try counting them all because by the time you’ve finished, you’ll be feeling less than good.

Here are someexamples of things we can do to feel good.

We could go for a stroll through our beautiful countryside.

We could make a donation to charity.

We could have a nice cup of tea.

“But how is this possible?” I hear you ask.

It’s called Open Farm Sunday and it’s the one day a year when hundreds of farmers open their gates to the public, allowing them a rare glimpse into the day-to-day running of a working farm.

One Carmarthenshire farm opening to the public on June 10, from 12 noon to 4 pm, is in Esgair, Llanpumsaint, near Carmarthen.

New for this year is a fantastic self-guided nature trail.

The owners, Nicky and Martin, will allow visitors in to see their cattle and pigs, and also shine a light on what they deliver and why supporting British farming matters.

When you’re worn out from all these activities, you can enjoy a cuppa and a chat.

Entry is free, but if you’d like to make a donation to Macmillan Cancer Care (and why wouldn’t you?) it would be greatly appreciated.

So on June 10,  treat yourselves to a taste of life down on the farm, just don’t forget to close the gate when you leave!

If you want to find out where the closest one is to you, just visit the website  www.openfarmsunday.org  and put in your postcode.

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You can follow Phil Evans on Twitter @philevanswales and www.philevans.co.uk

Tom Smith has this evening been announced as the new Forwards Coach at Cardiff Blues.

Smith’s exit from the Ospreys, a region he has served as player and coach, was announced last month at the end of season dinner at the Liberty Stadium, with his destination now confirmed.

He played 94 times for the Ospreys between 2007 and 2013, picking up Celtic League winners medals in 2010 and 2012, retiring in October 2015 following two years on the sidelines with a serious knee ligament injury.

Since hanging up his boots Smith has focused on his coaching, working within the development structure at the Region, including spells coaching the Anglo-Welsh and B&I Cup teams.

“It is with mixed emotions that I say goodbye to my home region after 15 long years” said Smith.

“From the academy to a senior player, and then into a coaching role, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time in the club, and that is down to the people I have met and friends made along the way.  I now look forward to a new challenge with the Blues, and am excited of the opportunity to become their Forwards Coach. 

“I’d like to thank the Ospreys for their support over the years, especially during some of the tougher times through injury, and for the opportunity given after retirement to begin my coaching career. 

“A part of me will always remain at the Ospreys and I hope I’ve managed to give something back to the region where I have grown up. Good luck for the future and I look forward to our battles next season.”

Dan Griffiths, Rugby General Manager, wished Smith the best of luck for the future, saying:

“Tom is someone who has served the Ospreys with distinction over the last 15 years, as player and coach, and is someone who has certainly left his mark as he has developed as a coach in our environment.

“He has an opportunity to further his career at the Blues and we both thank Tom for his services as an Osprey and wish him all the best in his new position. He knows there will always be a warm welcome here for him whenever he returns.”

There’s an accident waiting to happen at Sandy Water Park woods (aka Coed Cefn Padrig) in Llanelli.

Evening and night-time visitors to the woodland have been setting fires for BBQs and drinking sessions.

On Sunday, I counted six sites where fires had been lit. One was still smouldering at 11am.

At every site, you’ll find discarded litter, bottles and cans.

The woodland walk has (over the years) been vandalised. Trail markers and sculptures have been ruined.

The woods have become something of a ‘no-go’ area at evening time as the outdoor drinkers take over.

It’s easy to say it’s a youth problem.

The reality is a little different.

Yes, there are some youths setting fires, but there are also adults setting makeshift BBQs and fire pits in the woodland.

Plainly, there is a fire risk as the weather gets warmer and the woodland dries out.

The woodland is gradually being dismantled as the vandals snap branches from trees and cut down smaller saplings for fire fuel.

What’s to be done?

Well, plainly it’s a difficult area for the police to patrol.

Perhaps, we need some Millennium Coastal Park wardens?

But, one suspects, they would find it difficult to enforce any fire ban in the woodland.

Update to story (May 31) –

Well done to the Wales Wildlife Watch team for Sandy Water Park work

A Kidwelly businessman has been honoured with a British Empire Medal for his charity, sport and education work.

David Gravell, of Gravell’s Car Dealership, was presented with the award by HM Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed Sara Edwards at a ceremony in Parc Myrddin, Carmarthen.

Mr Gravell is a firm supporter of Llandovery College and has served as a trustee for many years.

He has sponsored a young person from Patagonia from the age of 16 to university entry and has helped fund a cultural centre in Esquel which was opened in 2002.

And has since provided the centre with a huge screen and projector so that people of Welsh origin are able to view TV recorded in Wales on S4C.

In 2012 he helped to fund a flat occupied by a young field worker from North Wales who would be spending another year in Esquel concentrating on youth work.

Mr Gravell is also the founder member of Cefn Sidan Rotary Club in 1971 and has since been awarded Rotary Citation in 2004 for raising £200,000 and further awarded with the Rotary’s Highest Award, the Paul Harris Triple Sapphire Award.

He organised an evening that raised £10,000 for Mencap.

He also supports Diabetes UK in memory of his late cousin Ray Gravell and donates to Kidwelly Town Bowling Club every year.

A Past President of Cor Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir and President of Dyffryn Tywi Male Voice Choir, he regularly provides vans to take food and essentials to poor or stricken countries

Mr Gravell is one of the major sponsors of the Scarlets RFC and Kidwelly RFC for more than 30 years and sponsors countless events (including rugby tournaments), regularly providing major prizes for auctions and raffles.

He was instrumental in setting up Kidwelly Trade and Tourism Association by organising various fundraising events.

Gravell’s Car Dealership was set up by Mr Gravell’s late father Tom.

Today, the business has passed into the hands of his sons, Ian and Jonathan, with Mr Gravell remaining as chairman.

The BEM is given for meritorious service worthy of recognition by the Crown.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s civil registration service organises award ceremonies along with its other duties which include births, deaths and marriages.

Spotlight on the Hywel Girls’ Choir and Hywel Boy Singers:

If the traditional saying “experiences make a man rich” is true, then thousands of local children have gained great wealth thanks to the Hywel Girls’ Choir & Hywel Boy Singers.

Born from the baton of John Hywel Williams, the Hywel Girls’ Choir & Hywel Boy Singers have become an institution in choral singing.

With an unequalled heritage of teaching over 8,000 young voices, the choir has enjoyed the extraordinary achievement of more than 200 TV and radio broadcasts spanning 120 countries globally, 25 international concert tours, performing at world leading concert halls to Royalty, World Leaders and The Pope – and all perfectly summed up by British Prime Minister The Rt. Hon. John Major as “Wales’ Ambassadors of Song.”

From its origins in Llanelli in 1948, the Hywel Choir were soon choral pioneers in both performances across leading British concert halls and also in their national television and radio broadcasts.

By the late 1950s, the choir had already enjoyed national and international acclaim with six international concert tours to the Netherlands, Belgium, Romania and three tours to Czechoslovakia.

This included the historic tour which captured national and international press headlines when Llanelli’s Hywel Girls’ Choir broke records in being the first British Choir to tour behind the oppressive communist iron curtain of Eastern Europe at the height of the Cold War.

During this period, the choir also enjoyed television and radio broadcasts from Prague broadcast across Eastern Europe and from Belgium, Romania and The Netherlands.

The choir’s first decade was only a first step in a history of even greater achievements which spans an incredible 70 years.

A wealth of national and international broadcasts and recordings:

Performances for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Singing for His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. Performing for His Holiness The Pope at the Vatican.

A BBC televised performance from Russia’s largest concert hall the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire.

A Eurovision broadcast from Belgrade to millions of TV viewers across Europe. The Arad Opera House, Bucharest. The internationally acclaimed Prague Spring Festival. St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Ontario. The Festival of Remembrance with HRH The Duke of Kent. The Royal Festival Hall. St David’s Cathedral. Llandaff Cathedral. Wells Cathedral. St. David’s Hall. Brangwyn Hall. Numerous performances at London’s Royal Albert Hall . . . the list keeps going.

Hywel Choirs continue to shine:

The Hywel Choir continues to shine and inspire audiences at home and around the world.

In the last 12 months alone, the Hywel choristers have enjoyed performances at The House of Lords, Covent Garden, Brangwyn Hall, St David’s Cathedral, Morriston Tabernacle Chapel, Birmingham Hippodrome as well as various performances with their resident orchestra the British Sinfonietta Symphony Orchestra.

However, their busy concert schedule is eclipsed by an incredible broadcast year on television and radio.

This year alone, television broadcasts of the choristers have reached over 30 million viewers and include appearances on BBC, ITV, S4C, Channel 4 and international television channels with highlights including a special feature on the choir on BBC Songs of Praise, ITV Britain’s Got Talent Semi-Finalists, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day appearances on S4C and memorable TV filming from The London Palladium, London’s iconic Elstree Studios, Llansteffan Castle, Manorbier Castle.

National and regional radio broadcasts have reached over 7 million listeners and top online videos of the choristers have recently past 15 million viewers.

In coming months, some of the choir’s many performances include Manchester Cathedral, a televised broadcast performance with an audience of 15,000 from Birmingham’s mighty NEC Arena, a historic WW1 Centenary Festival of Remembrance from Coventry Cathedral, the 20th anniversary Last Night of the Proms with the British Sinfonietta orchestra. The Hywel Choir will also be launching their latest international album in Summer 2018 and will also be recording an exciting new Christmas album during the summer for release Christmas 2018.

The choir is proud of its beloved music and performance team, Director of Music John Hywel Williams MBE, pianist Jane Jewell, organist Huw Tregelles Williams OBE, percussionist Gareth Hamlin, performance trainer Jeremy Hywel and resident quartet and orchestra, the British Sinfonietta.

Links to other information and news –

Spotlight on John Hywel Williams MBE

Army of 200 musicians prepare for ‘Big Mad Proms’ this Saturday