A retired civil servant from Llwynhendy has been award the British Empire Medal.

William Henry Gerwyn Jenkins was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to the Samaritans in Swansea.

The 77-year-old has been involved with the Samaritans for more than 40 years and has devoted his free time to listening and providing support to people who have found themselves in difficult and desperate situations.

He has held many positions during his time at the Swansea Branch, from committee member to deputy director. He has dedicated more than 15,000 hours of his free time to promoting the Samaritans at events such as Eisteddfods and The Royal Welsh Show.

His tireless drive and enthusiasm, sound advice and guidance have been invaluable to the organisation.

The pensioner said: “I was thrilled to get the award, I never expected it and it took me by surprise to get the letter through the post.

Mr Jenkins supported prisoners in Swansea Prison as part of Samaritans’ Prison Listener Scheme for 22 years. He said: “So many young people don’t have a chance in life. They were shunted from one children’s home and foster home to another, and were totally unsettled.”

Despite recent health problems he has continued to volunteer for his normal weekly shift which involves a two-hour round trip from his home.  He has also been actively in his local church, MIND, outreach programmes in schools and the Salvation Army.

HM Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed Miss Sara Edwards presented the award at a ceremony in Parc Myrddin, Carmarthen.

She said: “The dedication, determination, passion are not strong enough words to describe Mr Jenkins – he gives so much of his time to help others.”

The British Empire Medal is given for meritorious service worthy of recognition by the Crown.

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It’s a big weekend for Côr Llanpumsaint a’r Cylch, the Llanpumsaint district choir, in Carmarthen.

They are staging a special concert at Tabernacl Chapel, Carmarthen, starting at 7.30pm on Saturday, November 3.

The concert will feature soloists Joy Cornock Thomas, Rhodri Prys Jones, Manon Dafydd Jones and Elin Fflur Jones.

The conductor will be Gwyn Nicholas, with Jeffrey Howard accompanying on the organ.

Tickets are £10 and are available from choir members or at the door.

The soloists are well known on the Welsh concert circuit.

Joy Cornock Thomas is originally from Pembrokeshire, but now lives in Talley near Llandeilo with her husband and baby daughter.

She graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and has since pursued a successful career in singing and also harp playing.

This year, she was successful in the Soprano Solo at the National Eisteddfod in Cardiff. This will be her first appearance with Côr Llanpumsaint a’r Cylch.

Rhodri Prys Jones graduated from The University of Wales Trinity St David.

He then joined a post graduate course in Vocal Studies at the Guildhall School of Music. He obtained an MA in Vocal Studies. He returned to the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff to pursue an Opera Course and he successfully graduated this summer.

Rhodri has been a very successful in Eisteddfodau at local and national level and is in high demand throughout the country in concerts, oratorios and television appearances.

He has started his professional career with the Welsh National Opera, appearing as Fyodor / Ivanov in The War and Peace by Prokofiev and also as Ramiro in Rossini’s  Opera Le Centerentola.

Manon Dafydd Jones lives with her parents on a farm in Cynwyl Elfed.

She is in her final year at Ysgol Gyfun Bro Myrddin and is a very accomplished violinist.

She is a member of the Welsh Youth Orchestra of Wales.

Elin Fflur Jones is from St.Clears and is also a pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Bro Myrddin.

Elin has been singing from a very young age and has been very successful in Eisteddfodau at National and Local level.

A member of Penybont YFC, she was very successful at the County Eisteddfod which was held at Carmarthen.

Jeffrey Howard, the accompanist and organist for the evening is originally from Cardiff. He graduated from Cardiff University and the Royal College of Music.

A very able accompanist and organist, Jeff is in great demand throughout the country and has worked with many international artists. Until 2017, he was a repetiteur / vocal coach at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

He has recently taken up the post as Director of Music at the St Johns College in Cardiff. He has received many awards, including the Joseph Parry Award for his services to music.

In Llanelli, on November 10, there will be an evening showcasing a whole host of young talented musicians from across South Wales. 

This year is the fifth anniversary of the LARS musical organisation which is based in Llanelli. 

LARS stands for Loud Applause Rising Stars.

Over the last five years, LARS has helped mentor and nurture talented young singers and instrumentalists from across South Wales, providing them with opportunities to take the stage, along with cash bursaries.

Currently LARS has 14 members aged between 15 to 23. They perform everything from blues and jazz, musical theatre, popular and traditional music to classical and opera.

To mark the fifth anniversary, Loud Applause Productions will be hosting a big Gala Concert titled ‘A Night with the Stars’ at Llanelli’s Ffwrnes Theatre.

The nine LARS Singers performing will be Lauren Fisher, Daisy Owens, Sydney Richards, Jack Owens, Neve Summers, Osian Clarke, Callum Howells, Nia Rees and Stephen Davies.

Sharing the stage with LARS will be the famous Richard Williams Singers from Tonyrefail, under the baton of Margaret May, the daughter of the founder conductor.

Also appearing will be Côr Y Cwm, the award-winning youth choir from the Rhondda.

The highly-popular Callum Howells and Friends from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff will also be featured.

Also on stage will be the young choir of Ysgol Gymraeg Ffwrnes in Llanelli, prize winning trombonist Rhodri Thomas, from Llanelli, and the accomplished compere, TV broadcaster Garry Owen.   Accompanists supporting the LARS singers will be Andrew Pike and Ryan Wood.

Tickets are going fast and are available from the theatre box office.

Later in November, Llanelli District Music and Drama Club have a special evening at the Lliedi Suite, Selwyn Samuel Centre on Friday, November 30 (7.30pm).

They will be presenting A Fine Romance, with Tony Jacobs and Catherine Sykes and Jim Barry at the piano.

The evening will feature music and songs by George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin.

Tickets are £10 (students £5) and are available from Barrie Lewis, Market Precinct, Llanelli, phone 01554-772594 or at the door.

In other news, there’s a concert with a difference coming up in the Gwendraeth Valley.

It will manage to combine the launch of a book about a modern-day Welsh hero with a musical evening showcasing some of our finest singers.

A new book, called ‘The Stories of Grav’ and compiled and edited by the celebrated tenor Rhys Meirion, is being launched on Friday, November 9, in Pontyberem Hall.

After the book launch, Rhys Meirion will be the star player in a concert at Pontyberem Hall, starting at 7pm.

The concert will also feature Elin Fflur, Aled Wyn Davies and Theatr Ieuenctid Menter Cwm Gwendraeth Elli.

The Pontyberem concert is being sponsored by Castell Howell, the Carmarthen and Cross Hands-based food business.

Tickets for the concert are £15 and £5 for children.

Ticket outlets include:

Neuadd Pontyberem 01269871075

Menter Cwm Gwendraeth Elli 01269871600

Swyddfa Llyfrau Llafar Cymru 01267238225

Siop y Pentan Caerfyrddin 01267235044

Meanwhile, Crwbin Silver Band are getting ready for Christmas.

Their Christmas Concert will be at Pontyberem Hall on Friday, December 14 (7pm).

The concert will also feature Ysgol Maes y Gwendraeth choir and wind band.

Tickets are £8 (children £5) and will be available at the door or from band members.

Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Voice Choir members are also looking forward to Christmas.

‘Christmas With The Choir’ will be held at 7pm on Saturday, December 1, at Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli.

The choir’s special guests will be Burry Port Town Band and the St John Lloyd School Choir.

The West End at Christmas

Also in December, The West End At Christmas returns to The Lyric theatre with their brand new concert for 2018!

Stars from the West End present a magical evening of entertainment featuring hits from the musicals and the best of Christmas songs.

The talented cast have starred in many West End productions and national tours including Les Miserables, We Will Rock You, South Pacific, Singing in the Rain, Starlight Express, Phantom Of The Opera, Wicked, Godspell, Joseph and Cats . . . to name but a few!

The West End At Christmas will at The Lyric on December 18.

The Kidwelly Festival Ladies Choir will be performing at a Grand Christmas Concert and Vintage Fashion Show at Carmarthen Museum, Abergwili, on December 15 (6pm). Tickets are £10 adults and £5 children. It promises to be a fun night.

Finally, in case you missed the news about Russell Watson last week . . . 

There was disappointment for fans of Russell Watson, who was scheduled to bring his new show called Canzoni d’Amore at the Lyric on October 19.

Russell suffered a throat infection and was forced to postpone his Carmarthen appearance under doctor’s orders.

The concert has now been re-scheduled to Tuesday November 27 at the Lyric.

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.co

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Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy. This column appears in the South Wales Evening Post, Carmarthen Journal and Llanelli Star. Website – www.philevans.co.uk

…………………………

Zombies! Who likes ’em? Not me!

They never brush their teeth, shave or change their clothes.

They never send Christmas cards or invite you around for drinks on a Friday evening.

Which is just as well . . . because they’re rubbish at small talk.

Most annoying of all, they move so slowly. You wait for ages if you’re stood behind a couple of them at the supermarket check-out. 

And they take all day at reverse parking.

While you and me know there’s no such things as zombies, there are people who believe they exist. 

These aren’t impressionable teenage horror fans who’ve watched every version of “Night Of The Living Dead” and its many sequels, remakes and spin-offs.

They’re not little ’uns who know about zombies thanks to ‘family friendly’ scary films like “Hotel Transylvania” and episodes of “Scooby Doo”. 

Thankfully, any ‘zombie’ featured in that long-running cartoon series turns out to be the evil proprietor of an abandoned amusement park who (in the closing minutes of the episode, as he’s taken away by the cops) complains that he could have got away with it . . . “If it wasn’t for you pesky kids!”

No, according to a recent survey, 25% of adults who were asked, believed a zombie apocalypse could happen and had taken steps to prepare for it.

They’d stockpiled food and water and planned safe routes out of their home city or town into the mountains and forests.

Presumably because they think zombies rarely enjoy country rambles or go hiking in the hills.

Now, if the 25% of people who believe in zombies are the same individuals who believe that the world is run by Lizard People; that the Loch Ness Monster exists; and that one day “Casualty” will end its 30-year run, we have nothing to worry about.

But if they’re not (and there are millions of gullible people out there who truly believe in these things), then this Halloween the rest of us have good reason to be scared!

………………….

The festivities have started:

Is it just me, or does it feel like Christmas is arriving earlier each year? 

Last week, I attended two dinner functions and was amazed at the fact that Christmas trees and all the trimmings were on display.

The only thing missing was Christmas crackers, hats and Nana standing up at 3pm for the Queen’s speech.   

Personally, I’m not at all ready for the festivities due to work demands, but shops, hotels and restaurants are gearing up for the silly season. 

It’s great to see so many venues already booked up for Christmas.

I am currently writing and preparing to entertain an audience in Pembrokeshire that are ready to start their festivities in about three weeks’ time. 

On the plus side, the comedy material virtually writes itself at this time of year as stories of old tend to get resurrected, much like that old Christmas jumper.

One thing is for sure – you won’t catch me dressing up like a Christmas tree and wearing a silly Val Doonican cardigan anytime soon.

Well, not in public anyway . . . 

Right then, I’m off to start my Christmas gift list ready for my dash around the shops at 3pm on Christmas Eve . . . 

—————-

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

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It’s all Green for Go for the spectacular Superprix of Wales – a ‘world first’ motorsport event to be held at Llanelli’s magnificent Parc y Scarlets rugby stadium.

There’s just 32 weeks to go until the engines roar at the stadium on the weekend of June 7 to 9 next year.

“The excitement is building,” event promoter Tim Matthews said at his Llanelli HQ this week.

“We’ve all been working overtime on getting the necessary licences and safety permissions you need for an event of this scale.

“It’s been a massively busy time, but we’ve had great cooperation from the team at the Scarlets – and at Carmarthenshire Council – and everything is on track for next June.

“This is a multi-million-pound event and something which will truly be a world first – a unique fusion of Rugby Union and the very best of British Motorsport.”

Mr Matthews, a retired international racing driver, added: “In the coming months, we will be working closely with the local community to explain our plans in detail. But you can be assured that we are planning a spectacular event which will put Llanelli on the international stage.

“Our ambition is to attract an estimated 60,000 spectators to Parc y Scarlets over the Superprix of Wales weekend.

“We hope the event will be a massive boost to the local economy, with local businesses, hotels, restaurants, pubs and tourism facilities receiving the spin-off benefits that come with staging such a huge event.”

Here’s a taste of what the public can expect –

• A chance to see racing cars ranging from Formula 1 to Le Mans class vehicles in action on a specially-constructed track in and around the stadium.
• British Touring cars and World Rally cars on the circuit.
• Pioneering, but sometimes dangerous, F1 championship cars of the past on display.
• A host of ace drivers, from stars of the future to British, European and previous World Champions.
• Crazy stunt driver Terry Grant and his team.
• The biggest and most spectacular collection of racing machinery ever to have been assembled in South Wales.

Mr Matthews said: “There will also be plenty of focus on Rugby Union, as we are, after all, in the home of the world-famous Scarlets.

“The Superprix of Wales will be the culmination of a number of years of hard work and planning. It will give spectators a unique opportunity to see, hear, smell and get up close to a collection of iconic racing brands and equipment.

“To be able to run these machines in and around Parc y Scarlets is fantastic. It will be something like creating a Mini Monaco here in South Wales. The Superprix of Wales will give spectators an incredible opportunity to sit in comfort and watch the action – and they can use the fabulous facilities Parc y Scarlets offers visitors.”

You can find out more about the Superprix of Wales on the following website –

Home

Photos:

Tim Matthews alongside the 1989 Camel Lotus Formula 1 at the launch of Superprix of Wales at Parc y Scarlets.

Tim Matthews and Parc y Scarlets stadium manager Dave Healey at the press conference to launch Superprix of Wales at Parc y Scarlets.

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The context and consequences of Brexit will be the focus of a public lecture at Aberystwyth University on Wednesday 31 October 2018.

‘Europe: Ruin or Recovery?’ will be delivered by Geraint Talfan Davies, author of Unfinished Business: Journal of an Embattled Europeanand co-founder of the Institute of Welsh Affairs.

Hosted by the University’s Department of International Politics as part of their centenary celebrations, the talk and discussion takes place at 5.30pm in the Arts Centre Cinema.

Professor Richard Beardsworth, Head of the Department of International Politics said: “We are greatly looking forward to this event. Whatever side one assumed in the Brexit referendum and assumes in the ongoing negotiations, Geraint Talfan Davies presents a highly committed and articulate response to the consequences of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. It will be very interesting to hear him speak of the Union’s future and the fates of the nations within it.”

Geraint Talfan Davies will be introduced by Professor Elizabeth Treasure, Vice-Chancellor of Aberystwyth University.

The Chair of Wales for Europe and during the EU referendum in 2016, Geraint Talfan Davies was also Chair of the Wales Advisory Group of Britain Stronger In Europe. 

He has spent a lifetime in journalism, broadcasting and the arts. He was Controller of BBC Wales in the 1990s, and is a co-founder and former chair of the Institute of Welsh Affairs. He is also a former Chair of Welsh National Opera and the Arts Council of Wales.

The Department of International Politics was established in 1919 and further details about the public lectures and other events being organised to mark its centenary are available online.

This is a free event. Please reserve your ticket here.

Photo: Geraint Talfan Davies, author of Unfinished Business: Journal of an Embattled European

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A book launched this week sheds new light on the life and career of one of the most famous twentieth century Welsh writers.

Pris Cydwybod: T H Parry-Williams a Chysgod y Rhyfel Mawr Dby Dr Bleddyn Huws provides a detailed look at the experiences of T H Parry-Williams, who went on to be Professor of Welsh at Aberystwyth University, as a conscientious objector during the Great War.

Dr Huws, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies, also discusses how he was persecuted during the months after the War, when he was a candidate for the Welsh Language Chair at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, in 1919.

According to Dr Huws, the appointment to the Chair was deferred because of the extent of public objection to his nomination.

“Some people wanted to see his colleague Timothy Lewis appointed because he volunteered to serve in the army during the first War”, said Dr Huws.

“Parry-Williams decided to turn his back on his post as lecturer and registered as a first year science student. His intention was to study medicine at the Barts Hospital medical school in London. However, when the Welsh Language Chair was re-advertised at Aberystwyth, Parry-Williams put his name forward a second time and was appointed”, he added.

The book also deals, for the first time, with his three brothers’ experiences during the War.

“I was very fortunate to use brand new material from the Parry-Williams family archive and to learn more about his brothers’ careers in the army. While Parry-Williams was excluded from being conscripted, his three brothers served as volunteers”, said Dr Huws.

Another facet of Parry-Williams’ life that is disclosed for the first time in print is the story of his courtship of the GP from Trawsfynydd, Dr Gwen Williams.

In 1935, after fifteen years as Professor of Welsh, Parry-Williams applied to study at the University of Wales Medical School in Cardiff, but withdrew his application.

The medical books that he read in preparing to change his career are discussed in detail, with brand new information about his involvement in the Red Cross ambulance classes during World War II disclosed.

“Having examined the breadth of the new information about Parry-Williams’s interest in medicine, I believe he regretted not having gone ahead with his original intention to become a doctor in 1919”, said Dr Huws.

“By 1935, and nearing his 50^th, it was too late in the day to change the course of his career and spend more years studying medicine and qualifying as a doctor. It is the opinion of some that his decision not to proceed was a loss to medicine. He could have made his mark as a doctor”, he added.

Pris Cydwybod: T H Parry-Williams a Chysgod y Rhyfel Mawris published by Y Lolfa and was launched at Old College on Wednesday 24 October 2018.

Photo: Dr Bleddyn Huws

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