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Theres a big chance coming up to beat the Governments controversial decision to slap VAT on static caravans.
The South and West Wales Caravan and Motorhome Show 2012 will showcase some of the leading caravans.
And its a really big chance to get ahead of Chancellor of Exchequer George Osborne and his VAT plans, said show organiser and promoter Lois Gibbon, pictured above.
Its fair to say there has been a storm of controversy over the Chancellors plans, which were announced in the last Budget.
Caravan manufacturers are upset because they fear it will hit sales. Holiday park owners are worried it could also hit their tourism industry.
The big debate about VAT on caravans is still raging this week and there are plenty of lobby groups both inside and outside Parliament trying to get George Osborne to change his mind.
You cant help but feel that Mr Osborne has made his mind up, however.
In which case, this is the ideal time to get ahead of the game and invest in a static caravan which can deliver years of fun for families.
The South and West Wales Caravan and Motorhome Show 2012 is being staged at Carmarthens United Counties Showground from May 11 to 13.
It will showcase the very best in caravans and motorhomes, added Lois.
The Chancellors plan to hit static caravans with the standard 20 per cent rate of VAT will come into operation on October 1.
It could also have an effect on some larger touring caravans, to go along with the previously zero-rated static caravans.
A caravan that is designed and constructed for continuous year-round occupation will still be zero-rated, and exempt from the VAT, but all other static caravans will be taxed at the standard rate, according to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
Touring caravans which are under seven metres long are already standard-rated, HMRC adds, but some of the larger models could be subject to standard taxing as well.
With a few months remaining until the new system is put into place, caravanners looking to buy a static caravan or large tourer should look to complete their purchase before October, so as not to pay the new higher rate of VAT.
HMRC estimates the new tax will impact around 50,000 individuals purchasing static caravans each year, a number that will of course increase if larger touring caravans are included as well. In total the government expects to make 45 million over the next five years from this tax.
The South and West Wales Caravan and Motorhome Show is celebrating its sixth year.
In terms of scale, its the biggest annual event at the showground and one which has appeal for all the family, said Lois Gibbon.
Visitors will get to see the latest in the caravan and motorhome industry, but there will plenty of other attractions, including a display of classic vehicles by the Towy Valley Vintage Club.
A major first this year will be the appearance of The Fly Heli Wales team, who will be offering breath-taking helicopter rides from the showground.
The South and West Wales Caravan and Motorhome Show 2012 runs between 10am and 5pm on May 11-13. Admission is 5 (concessions 4) with free parking. Four-night camping is also available priced at 30. For details contact Daffodil Events on 01570 470783.
Weblinks:
http://daffodilevents.co.uk/
http://daffodilevents.co.uk/caravan-motorhome-show/
Twitter: @daffodilevents
Facebook: Digwyddiadau Daffodil Events
The organisers of the Carmarthen Mayor's Fun Run races are appealing for competitors to get into the London Marathon spirit.
"We want this year's event to be fun, fun, fun," said race publicity officer Robert Lloyd.
"With that in mind, we are encouraging as many people as possible to wear fancy dress.
"A quick look at the TV pictures of the London marathon was enough to show how much fun people can have while raising valuable cash for charity.
"We want this year's event to be as colourful as possible. This is an Olympics year and we want to make the Carmarthen Mayor's Fun Run races as memorable as possible.
"Businesses are also being encouraged to add a splash of colour to this year's race by wearing corporate colours."
Runners of all ages, shapes and sizes are being encouraged to take part in the races next month.
The event, which has been held in the town over the past 30 years, will take place on Bank Holiday Monday, May 7.
"This is the 31st running of the races and we are hoping for a bumper turnout," said race organiser Noelwyn Daniel.
"We are asking local sporting teams, organisations, pubs and clubs to consider entering teams.
"There is a special 'relay' entry which allows the fun runners to complete one lap each of the three-lap main course route."
Mr Daniel added: "The beauty of the Carmarthen Mayor's Fun Run races is that they take place in the heart of the town centre, affording great opportunities for spectators to cheer on the runners."
Organisers are also working closely with the Sports Council for Wales to help promote a wheelchair athlete event.
The event has raised thousands of pounds for charity over the years with many local groups and organisations benefiting.
Schools are being contacted and visited by race organisers to encourage the pupils to sign up for the event.
There is the main 5k fun run and a series of junior races.
The junior races cater for school years two to 10.
The senior fun run has categories for males and females aged under 40 and 35, and veterans groups for older age groups.
Everyone who completes the course gets a medal.
Timetable -
10:00 Primary School Girls Years 1& 2
10:15 Primary School Boys Years 1 & 2
10:30 Primary School Girls Years 3 & 4
10:40 Primary School Boys Years 3 & 4
10:50 Primary School Girls Years 5 & 6
11:00 Primary School Boys Years 5 & 6
11:10 Secondary School Girls Years 7 & 8
11:20 Secondary School Boys Years 7 & 8
11:30 Secondary School Girls & Boys Years 9,10 & 11
11:40 MINI FUN RUN 6 years & Under (may be accompanied by an adult)
11:50 Wheelchair Athletes & Hand cyclists
12:00 Presentation of Trophies to all 1st, 2nd & 3rd in all categories. Medals to all who complete the course.
12:15 5km FUN RUN
Race website -
http://www.rasusymaer.org.uk/
The first Carmarthen Bay Film Festival kicks off next week with a special charity screening of the classic comedy film Grand Slam.
Macmillan Cancer Support will benefit from the event, which will be held at Parc y Scarlets on Tuesday May 1.
Special guests will include Glyn Lloyd Evans, Maldwyn Novello Pugh and Josephine also known as Dewi Pws Morris, Sion Probert and Elizabeth Morgan.
The evening will feature a question and answer session with the stars and will be held in The Quinnell Lounge, Parc y Scarlets.
Tickets are on sale, priced at 10, from Parc y Scarlets ticket office - call 0871 871 8088.
The charity screening will be a scene-setter; for the main festival, which will start on May 8, running through to the weekend of May 12-13.
Weblinks
http://www.carmarthenbayfilmfestival.co.uk
One of the best-known bakery firms in South Wales has appealed for support from the public against the so-called pasty tax.
The tax is unmanageable, unpalatable and unfair, said the Jenkins Bakerys operations director Russell Jenkins.
The Government is out of order in introducing VAT on some of the nations favourite and most affordable foods.
We know how popular our products are and many appeal to families who are already suffering severe budget restraints in these difficult economic times.
Our customers will feel the damage of this unwelcome tax in their pockets and that is bad news all around.
The Chancellor, George Osborne, has angered craft bakers across the country with his Budget plan to change the VAT rules on freshly baked, hot pies, pasties and other savouries.
Mr Jenkins said: It is anticipated that the VAT will increase by 20% the cost of some of the nations favourite and most affordable foods.
The move has angered craft bakers across the country who fear for the resulting loss of sales and the effects on their businesses.
The National Association of Master Bakers (NAMB) is mounting a campaign to ensure that this proposal is dropped from ministerial plans before it can become law in October.
We have until May 4 to make the Government see how this price increase will effect ordinary people and how unmanageable the implementation of the tax will be; concentrating as it does on the relative hotness of the product in comparison to the ambient temperature in the bakers shop!
The Association believe the proposal is ill conceived and poorly thought through, making it open to mis-interpretation. It will be confusing for both bakery staff and consumers who will see it as an unfair tax.
An online public petition has been set up on the following internet link
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/32044
The petition reads -
The Government has announced that the standard rate tax will be applied to all hot takeaway food, such as pasties and pies, as part of a drive to close loopholes in the VAT system.
British Baker (magazine) has joined forces with the National Association of Master Bakers (NAMB) to campaign against this draconian move.
We intend to strongly emphasise the lack of thought in this ruling and that this could very well see the demise of many more small bakers shops in the High Street due to loss of custom.
Customers visit their local bakers for pies and savoury product, as opposed to more expensive meats for their main meals, especially during the current economic climate.
A 20% increase will cause even more problems for the craft baker and their business.
Mike Holling, Chairman of NAMB, said that his association was working hard to demonstrate the strength of feeling in the industry.
Bakers are placing petitions and posters in their shops.
Mr Holling said: We have to get the message out to consumers that they will feel the effect of this tax, in their pocket!
The Jenkins Bakerys Commercial Director and Company Secretary, David Jenkins, will, on Thursday, join hundreds of other bakers in a protest march, which will start at Pudding Lane and finish at Downing Street.
Top five savouries across Jenkins Bakery shops
- Corned beef pasties (three sizes)
- Sausage rolls
- Traditional pasty
- Pizza
- Chicken and stuffing parcels
The company has the Gold Standard Welsh Food Hygiene Award and the Investors in People award.
The business employs 70 people at its Trostre HQ, while the Jenkins shop network stretches from Carmarthen to Bridgend. There are 13 shops in Carmarthenshire and even one as far afield as Powys.
The company celebrated its 90th anniversary last year.
Facts and figures . . .
Jenkins the Bakers produce 50,000 corned beef pasties a week.
The company serves 60,000 customers per week
7,500 custard slices are produced in a week.
The business uses 15 tons of flour a week
The flour silo at the Trostre HQ sees an 18-ton delivery every 10 days.
New web site for me in which to also advertise my book e-published with Amazon.com., "The Way It Is" and soon to be another book just finished that I will also add - "Hello Past".
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Follow the whole nine yards here (a 95 part series) :- Half Marathon Blog
Why I am running:- West Coast Eisteddfod Bryn Seion Church
For details of how to sponsor see this post
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I noticed that I have written a good deal on the subject of quitting smoking and a number of people have offered advice on the subject. I also recall blogging on the subject of knowing the course in advance and launching a Kickstarter appeal for the sponsorship drive.
SO..here is the plan. Over the next two days ( both of which are free days for me ) I will:-
1) Embrace the frozen fowl i.e completely quit smoking by sheer application of will power ( my ant like prowess in this department may be somewhat of an impediment ). I will call upon Gaabriel to bear witness on Tuesday night that I have indeed been nicotine free for 48 hours
2) Tomorrow I will set up an Indiegogo or Kickstarter appeal for $1500 which is the total amount that we will be looking to raise in half marathon sponsorship. This is not the total amount that we need for the event BUT other funding will come form other sources, particularly the spoon appeal.
3) On Tuesday I will tour Sauvie Island and we will present a full pictorial record of the trip on this blog. That way both you, dear reader, and I, will 'know the course'
Gaabriel wrote a brief description of the island for this post:-
Sauvie Island, a mass of land larger than the island of Manhattan, is a bit north of the city of Portland, bounded on one side by the Columbia River, which separates Oregon and Washington state, on another by the Willamette River, which runs through the city of Portland, separating it east and west, and empties into the Columbia to join its rush to the sea a few hours west. It's an idyllic site, about half farms and half wildlife refuge, with public beaches, including one clothing optional.
The island is very popular with picnickers, hikers, birdwatchers and bicyclists and hosts fall pumpkin picking and the annual Halloween pumpkin trebuchet, in which one or more farms erect a trebuchet which shoots the largest pumpkins they can find at an abandoned car.
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She has assured me that all this is "lots of fun" and threatened to take me birdwatching and kayaking there on the river.
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| Description | The Columbia River and w:Sauvie Island from Skyline Boulevard in unincorporated Multnomah County, Orergon. Looking north. |
| Date | 20 March 2011 |
| Source | Own work |
| Author | M.O. Stevens |
Another linocut, this one of Carreg Samson and a night sky. An east view of the stones with a west view of the landscape (I think). I've got a license and I'm gonna use it!
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Follow the whole nine yards here (a 95 part series) :- Half Marathon Blog
Why I am running:- West Coast Eisteddfod Bryn Seion Church
For details of how to sponsor see this post
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Not much news on the running front today. I spent the day in a delightful small town called Corvallis, just off I-5 half way between Portland and Eugene. When I discovered that I was going there I naturally checked to see if they had a marathon or half-marathon. And they do....or rather they did. The run was held on April 15th and you can find out more at the link below:-
It looks like a great course but I'm glad I didn't register for that one as I wouldn't have been anywhere near ready. Indeed I seem to have hit something of a 'plateau' very early in my training schedule. This is doubtless attributable to the fact that I have not yet completely quit smoking. BUT I hope to make some dramatic announcements next week. Gaabriel has sportingly offered to chain me to a wall in the cellar to help get me over the last lingering nicotine cravings. Sounds like a reasonable plan
Meanwhile the big news of the day is the first draft of the 2012 Portland Lovespoon. Here it is:-
I'm sure all our readers will want to join me in thanking Dave, Laura , Jen and Chris for their contributions to the spoon so far and I for one can't wait to see how the design develops over the coming weeks. How does this relate to running you may ask?
Well as I mentioned in an earlier post we plan to launch a Kickstart appeal ( on Tuesday ) for sponsorship of my half marathon effort. One of the prizes will be tickets for the Lovespoon draw. So....please sponsor for a chance to win this superb and unique work of art
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Personal Sponsorship
$1/mile e-copies of Gaynor Madoc Leonard stories
$2/mile tickets for Dave Western Portland Lovespoon 2012
$3/mile level both of the above
$4/mile all above plus signed event posterWebsite/Commercial or Community Sponsorship
$5/mile spot ad on event pages
$10/mile free admission to event and larger ad on event pages
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Reproduced with kind permission from David Western's Portland Eisteddfod Lovespoon Blog
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Jen Delyth contributed a beautiful "Tree of Life" design for our fourth West Coast Eisteddfod lovespoon! I'm very excited about it as I have always wanted to try carving one of Jen's stunning Celtic designs in wood and now have my opportunity! This year's spoon will be quite the collaboration and will focus around both the 4 theme (as it is the forth year of the Eisteddfod) and the theme of 'Celebrating Your Roots'. I have taken a bit of time and have embellished Jen's Tree with a nice, simple Celtic 'heart' knot, which I think is most apt for a lovespoon. I've also included the theme "Celebrate Your Roots' in both Welsh and English in Celtic font. The resultant 'rosette' feels and looks pretty sweet and is going to be a lot of fun (and hard work) to carve.
With this part finished, I am going to send the design down to Laura Jenkins Gorun to see what kind of wonderful magic she can add to the overall idea. We've discussed a couple of ideas already and Laura is ready to try a couple of design themes out. So next week, we should have a better idea of how the entire handle and bowl arrangement is going to play out.
I've also received word from Ceri and Gaabi over at the Left Coast Eisteddfod that we've got yet another exciting announcement to make about this year's lovespoon draw!! From Ceri: "This year there will be an additional prize. The winner of last year's Poetry and Storytelling Competitions, Chris Chandler, will be a judge at this year's event and will be composing a short poem on the theme 'Celebrate Your Roots' which will be printed, framed and presented along with the spoon to the winner of this years draw."
It was Chris who came up with our Celebrate Your Roots theme and if you are familiar with his work, you'll know that this poem will be a corker!
With four very talented contributors to this year's spoon, we have a very deep well of artistic talent to draw from! I am hoping that you will be inclined to stop by and visit everybody's work at their websites, which follow below!
To see Laura Jenkins Gorun's gorgeously delicate lovespoons, visit: www.jenkinslovespoons.com
Be dazzled by Jen Delyth's Celtic art at: www.celticartstudio.com
Hear Chris Chandler's word craft (including my personal fav Beyond Pollution) at http://chrischandler.org
Me? I'm at: www.davidwesternlovespoons.com
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Follow the whole nine yards here (a 95 part series) :- Half Marathon Blog
Why I am running:- West Coast Eisteddfod Bryn Seion Church
For details of how to sponsor see this post
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A short post today. Work pressures have once again bitten into my available blogging time. I did, however, mange to browse the running and marathon news on google and came up with this rather interesting piece of advice from Boston Marathon winner Sharon Cherop :-
Know the course
Don't let race day be the first time you see the marathon course.
I can easily see how this would be very important psychologically. When I have done distance running in the past I have always had a detailed plan of the route I would follow. Consequently it was easy to console myself with the knowledge that I had reached the half way or three quarters mark and that the finish line was not too far distant. I guess if you don't have this information available 13 miles can seem to go on forever and the likelihood of demoralisation is increased.
So with this rather timely advice in mind I am hoping to take a trip out to Sauvie Island next week and drive around the half marathon route. It will also be an opportunity to take some photographs of the the island which we will present for the delight and delectation of our readers
Next week should also see the implementation of our new sponsorship graphic embed and a report that I have finally broken the 15 minute barrier. I need to get my running endurance time up to about one hour by the end of this month so progress must be made soon.
Watch this space
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