Blogs

The award-winning South Wales architects the Lewis Partnership Ltd have been reappointed consultant architects to Llanelli Town Council.
The Llanelli-based firm has accepted a five-year role with the local authority.
We are delighted to be chosen by Llanelli Town Council for the role, said managing director Philip Lewis.
The Lewis Partnership is a firm with a strong commitment to the community in Llanelli.
We have a strong track record of working with the town council (and with other local authorities in South Wales) and we look forward to a successful relationship with the Llanelli authority.
As consultant architects, we will be responsible for the design of future town council projects. We will work closely with the council to ensure that the authority gets the best possible value for money in any new work.
Mr Lewis added: We are a strong team at the Lewis Partnership using the very latest high-tech Autocad computer-aided design to complete projects.
We believe passionately in Llanelli and work hard to design buildings which are practical, sustainable and pleasing to the eye buildings which engage the public.
We are based in Llanelli (at Park Crescent), but our work takes us all over South Wales, from Bridgend to Pembroke Dock and northwards to Lampeter.
As a business, we have RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Chartered status, so we are right up there with the best in Wales. We are a progressive business with the highest level of professional standards.
Community projects carried out by the Lewis Partnership include -
Glenalla Civic Hall and Community Centre (Prince of Wales Award) and alterations and an extension to Lakefield Hall, Llanelli (both for Llanelli Town Council), Community Facilities and Library, Llangennech ( for Llangennech Community Council), New Community Hall, Furnace (Llanelli Rural Council) and the Missionary Training Centre, South Llanelli (F.I.M. International).
Recent education projects carried out include -
Educational and Community Facilities, Gwendraeth School, Alterations and Extensions to Schools at Bynea and Stebonheath, Alterations at Pibwrlwyd and Ammanford Campuses for Coleg Sir Gar, Alterations and Extensions to Trinity University, Carmarthen, New Primary School, Ysgol Brynteg, Llwynhendy (Built in Quality award), Alterations and Extensions to Morfa Primary School (Built in Quality award), New Primary School, Peniel, Carmarthen (Built in Quality award)
Conservation projects -
Refurbishment of the Old Vicarage, Llanelli (Prince of Wales Award) for Llanelli Town Council, Refurbishment works at Holy Trinity, Felinfoel, Remedial works at Llansaint Church, Extension to Presbyterian Church, Llanelli, Works at Pembrey Church and Vicarage, Alterations and Restoration works at Aberglasney Mansion, Development Works at Welsh Woollen Museum, Drefach Velindre, Refurbishment of Llanelly House (Grade One Listed).
Recreation projects -
Selwyn Samuel Indoor Bowling Stadium, Llanelli, Grandstand , Athletic and Football Facilities, Stebonheath Park (both Llanelli Town Council), Indoor Horse Riding Arena, Pibwrlywd, Carmarthen, Sporting Facilities, Pwll (Built in Quality award), Football changing Rooms, Penyfan Park, Bowling Pavilion, Llangennech.

Melin Consultants is the latest firm to move into The Beacon, the landmark hub for innovative and enterprising businesses in Llanelli.
The consultants made the short hop from their previous home at Llys Aur, Dafen, this week. They now occupy a prime top floor, corner office at The Beacon.
Its a very impressive landmark building and the ideal fit for us as a business, said Melin director Jamie Best.
We watched the developments closely when Carmarthenshire Council took over the management of the former Technium building.
We are a go-ahead firm and this is a go-ahead building full of innovative and enterprising businesses, so we were glad to move in and join The Beacon family.
Melin Consultants is a company totally tuned in to the construction industry buzzwords of environment and sustainability.
The firm is building a Wales-wide reputation as one of the industry experts on sustainable construction. The business has also recently expanded into England with the opening of a office in Bristol.
The Beacon building was recently officially opened by the Welsh Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science Edwina Hart.
The Minister said at the opening that the Welsh Government and local authorities needed to work together to engineer economic recovery in Wales. Growth and sustainable jobs was the future, she said.
She said there was a need to build a more enterprising private sector and to increase the number of small firms being created in Wales, highlighting a number of recent initiatives to support entrepreneurs, new start ups and micro businesses.
She said the Beacon Centre for Enterprise would provide Carmarthenshire County Council with an opportunity to develop a vibrant and sustainable business hub for South West Wales.
Mr Best said he was delighted with the facilities at The Beacon.
We consider ourselves innovative and enterprising. We specialise in all the things which people value in the construction industry today getting environmental issues right and making sure buildings are as sustainable as possible, he said.
Its an exciting time for the building and construction industry with everyone appreciating the value of getting it right first time in terms of energy savings and sustainability.
We are right up there in the vanguard when it comes to technical expertise in this area. Were probably not on the radar as far as members of the public are concerned, but our name and reputation is growing day by day.
Today, the business has eight employees and our new location in Llanelli provides us with an impressive Carmarthenshire home in an iconic building with good links to the motorway.
Weblink:
http://www.melinconsultants.co.uk
Twitter: @melinconsult
Facebook: Melin Consultants Ltd
LinkedIn: Melin Consultants

Melin Energy Consultants has been providing SAP & SBEM calculations for local authorities, architects, builders & developers over a number of years.
All Melin technicians have a wealth of experience in dealing with individual requirements.
The company motto is "10% calculation 90% solution".
As a building consultancy specialising in Part L of the Building Regulations and environmental assessing of new buildings, Melin technicians are qualified and accredited to issue certification in all the following fields BREEAM, Code for Sustainable Homes, EPC, SBEM, SAP, air-tightness testing.
Current Melin projects include working with WRW Construction and Carmarthenshire Council on the new Ysgol y Ffwrnes (Furnace Primary School) project in Llanelli.
The firm also works for other South Wales local authorities, including Swansea, Neath-Port Talbot, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
The company has licences to provide advice on sustainable construction. Melin Consultants are also members of the Chartered Institute of Building Service Engineers Low Carbon Consultants scheme.
Contact details: Melin, The Beacon, Llanelli Gate, Dafen, Llanelli, SA14 8LQ
t: 0845 094 1593
m: 07800 634804
e: jamie@melinconsultants.co.uk

The new Evan-Evans Brewery guest ale will be out in the pubs of Wales next week.
Evan-Evans May Fly 4.2% ABV (Premium Bitter).
A refreshing Spring Ale with hints of apricot and a light floral aroma.
This is a great spring beer, and just right for this time of year.
Find out more on our Facebook page, we hope you like it.

One of Llanellis best-established businesses has signed up to be part of the prestigious new East Gate development in the town.
Jenkins the Bakers will be taking a ground floor unit in the new development.
We are one of the most historic businesses in Llanelli and we wanted to be part of an exciting new development which will form a key pillar in the towns future, said Jenkins the Bakers operations director Russell Jenkins.
We already have three very well-established outlets in the town centre but we also wanted to be a part of the new East Gate scheme.
Our planned expansion to another shop will not affect the current Jenkins shops in Llanelli town centre. For them, it will be business as usual.
We view the East Gate development as another string to our bow. The familiarity of our current shops endures with both staff and shoppers and we dont plan to break that winning formula.
The East Gate development represents expansion on our part and a vote of confidence in the new part of our town centre.
As a third-generation family business, which has been in Llanelli for more than 90 years, we care very passionately about the future of the town and the success of the community.
We are very happy to be joining the new East Gate development and I know our staff members are very excited at the development.
The East Gate development was in the news last week when the Llanelli Scarlets rugby region announced they would be taking one of the feature units at the new development.
Mr Jenkins added: From all the visuals I have seen featuring the new theatre complex and the cinema, East Gate looks like being a very exciting project with the promise of reviving the fortunes of Llanelli town centre.
Our unit is about 1350 sq ft in its ground floor footprint. We are now in the process of drawing up plans to decide what will go into the new retail outlet. Our current expectation is that we would be open for business in East Gate by the autumn.
East Gate information
East Gate has been designed to become one of the main leisure destinations in the South West Wales region, drawing from a wide area.
The East Gate leisure development forms part of the Llanelli town centre regeneration programme. Construction work is continuing on the 20 million project and it is due to open in September 2012.
The scheme includes:

• 6 screen digital multiplex cinema (Odeon Cinemas)
• 53-bed Travelodge hotel
• 6 restaurant units
• 20,000 sq ft of office space
• Retail units and cafes fronting onto attractive public areas.
• 240 surface car parking spaces

The Llanelli 30-minute trade area contains a population of nearly 264,000 people with population growth expected to result in an additional 7,500 by 2014.
The new 550 seat theatre will draw people from beyond the 30 minute trade area.
The 21,000 sq ft office space will also bring significant footfall to the scheme.
The bus interchange will generate a projected 1 million user trips per annum.
The cinema is projected to generate 300,000 admissions per annum
Jenkins Bakery
The Jenkins bakery employs 300 people, full and part-time, across 25 different stores in South Wales.
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.
Weblinks
http://www.eastgatellanelli.co.uk
http://jenkinsbakery.co.uk/

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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 have started to feel the need for some post exercise stretching exercises now that I am running a bit further than I used to. Does anyone know of any good routines? I guess the ideal stretching regimen includes exercises to loosen and relax all of the main muscle groups in the legs and should be practised after running and maybe before too. I will cede to whatever expert advice comes my way on the subject. Back in the 80's I had a program all worked out but its been such a long time that I don't remember the details.

Here are a couple of ideas I found on the web that are either a tad too extreme or downright weird

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By Alain Delmas (France (Own work) [ GFDL , CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC-BY-2.5 ], via Wikimedia Commons

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By Alain Delmas (France (Own work) [ GFDL , CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC-BY-2.5 ], via Wikimedia Commons

Round Up Of The Day's Marathon News

A few articles that caught my eye.

Marathon running in Great Britain is no longer wasted on youth

Across the entire UKA entry list of club runners there are more athletes aged 50 and over than there are 25 or under.

Is Marathon Running Bad For Your Health?

For most people running a marathon will be the toughest physical challenge of their lives. But the risk of dying during or after the race is low.

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Today I was editing the Quincy Jones page on Wikipedia and adding him to the list of Welsh Americans and I discovered another incredible African American musician who is of Welsh ancestry, fellow Portlander Esperanza Spalding .

Esperanza Spalding is a young, very beautiful woman with an incredible voice and incredible musical ability.

Esperanza Spalding performing "Little Fly"

Esperanza Spalding "Black Gold"

Esperanza Spalding, "Wild is the Wind"

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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 was amused, while reading the 'marathon running' section in Google news to find this article:-

Running the Big Sur marathon ... on a treadmill

You'll need to read the article to get the full flavor but this quote should give you the gist of it:-

The aim is to give people better options than standard TV to liven up their cardio workouts. Runners at health clubs that have the equipment can opt to virtually run the Big Sur marathon and other simulated race events.

Given that this ideal is not achievable yet I must continue to circle the veggie patch in my efforts to 'fitten' up for my ordeal on July 4th. I hope to be able to report that I have broken the 30 minute endurance barrier shortly. Thirty minutes may not seem like a long time to some of my readers but at age 55 after leading a sedentary lifestyle for the last decade, it's quite an achievement

I apologise to anyone who was awaiting the appearance of the sponsorship 'widget' over the past two days. I have been distracted by the necessity to develop a 'one stop shop' event page for the West Coast Eisteddfod. Thankfully that has now largely been achieved ( still a few bells and whictles to add ) and the sponsorship widget will not be far behind. It should be in place by the end of the month and the serious fundraising Gaabi referenced in her introduction to this series, can commence.

Anyway I'd better click 'Publish'. I'm trying to get this blog online tonight before SJ posts a reminder

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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 to report on the running front today. I did go for a brief trot around the turnips earlier on and I am keeping up my training schedule. Still struggling with the demon tobacco although I have cut down to a couple of cigarettes a day. 'Cold turkey' hasn't worked for me yet.

This is probably as good a time as any to reflect on one of the reasons that I am running...the West Coast Eisteddfod. We have been promising to release details of the program for some time and today we delivered on that promise. Here is the main event daytime schedule , subject to the usual ongoing revisions, emendations, alterations and clarifications , we are still nearly six months away from the event after all

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WEST COAST EISTEDDFOD 2012 LIVE EVENT BUY TICKETS HERE!

Performance Schedule (subject to revision)

4.40-5.40 pm Doors open ( program TBA )

5.40-6.40 pm Storytelling Competition

Competitors: Julia Strozyk + five more. You?

6.40-7.10 pm Halley Weaver 'Halley the Harper'

7.10-8.10 pm Poetry Competition

Competitors: Anatoly Molotkov + five more. You?

8.10-8.40 pm Sexbomb 'America's Hardest Working Tom Jones Tribute Band'

8.40-9.40 pm Comedy Competition

9.40 pm Announcements Live and Online Competition Winners and Lovespoon Draw

10.00-11.00 pm Chris Chandler 'America's Best Kept Secret' In Concert

West Coast Eisteddfod 2012 on Facebook

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Many of you will have seen this schedule already. If not, it lives on this page ( the official WCE 2012 Event page ):-

http://www.storyforgestudios.com/americymru/directory/events

-:and we are appealing to people to help spread the word. Please help us to publicise on Google+, Twitter and Facebook. There is a Facebook page linked above and there are G+, FB etc buttons on the Events page itself.

I will have much more to say on the subject of funding for the Eisteddfod soon....and running too

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Just a quick note to say that the date has for this years West Coast Eisteddfod changed again to the 13th Oct. Sorry to keep changing things around but this is the final revision.

PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD

Can you do us a quick favor and 'like' this page?:-

http://www.storyforgestudios.com/americymru/directory/events

It's the official events page and I will be adding stuff to it for the next few weeks. We hope to keep all the info in one place this time round..

Also, if you have not already done so can you 'like' this page?:-

http://www.facebook.com/westcoasteisteddfod

It's the official Facebook page.

Also if you have a Twitter or Google+ account a quick shout on there wouldn't hurt.

If you are attending please buy tickets early. They are available from the official events page ( linked above ).

Diolch

Ceri/Gaabi