Blogs
Cor Meibion Llanelli welcomed some special visitors to their rehearsals last week.
The choir staged a master class for more than 40 pupils from the Queen Elizabeth High School in Carmarthen.
The session was the idea of Cor Meibions new assistant accompanist Sarah Thomas (who teaches at QE High) and musical director Eifion Thomas.
Mr Thomas explained: Sarah is thrilled that so many boys at QE High are interested in singing and joining choirs.
So we thought it would be a good idea to stage a master-class at one of our rehearsal sessions at Furnace Community Hall.
The boys went along with the idea and more than 40 of them took part in rehearsals and we were able to put them through their paces with a variety of different songs.
It was a hugely rewarding experience for the choir and I hope the youngsters enjoyed the experience and that they will go on to enjoy their singing for many years to come. Who knows? Perhaps some will now be joining Cor Meibion Llanelli?
Meanwhile, Cor Meibion Llanellis most recent public performance was at the British Confectioners Association conference at the Stradey Park Hotel, when they showed off their new waistcoats, supplied by the ladies committee and manufactured by Manhattan Marketing, of Thomas Street, Llanelli.
The choirs next big Llanelli date will be the St Davids Day concert to be staged at Theatr Elli, Llanelli, on Tuesday, March 1. Choir rehearsals are held every Monday and Thursday (7pm) at Furnace Community Hall. New members and visitors are welcome.
For more information, see Cor Meibion Llanellis website on www.llanellimalechoir.co.uk
Cor Meibion assistant accompanist Sarah Thomas with pupils from QE High School in Carmarthen.
For more photos see https://picasaweb.google.com/robertapvincent/CorMeibionLlanelli2010#
Style is something that comes easy to the world-famous Cor Meibion Llanelli.
There is always a touch of class to their musical arrangements.
And now Llanellis male voice choir is able to boast some extra sartorial style for their stage appearances.
The 90-strong choir has been kitted out in brand spanking new tailored waistcoats. The waistcoats have been produced by the Cor Meibion Llanellis Ladies Committee.
Obviously, they thought that we needed a little extra something for our stage appearances, smiled choir chairman Mel Harries.
Followers of the choir will know that we normally take the stage in blue jackets or dinner jackets or tuxedos.
But it is always nice to present things less formally and the ladies came up with the idea of kitting us out in waistcoats a mammoth task, as you can imagine, as our choristers are all shapes and sizes!
Mr Harries added: We are, of course, very grateful to the ladies committee for making such a splendid effort and I am sure they will be very proud of the finished result when they see the choir take the stage in their waistcoats.
The choir performed last week at the British Confectioners Association conference at the Stradey Park Hotel.
Their next big Llanelli date will be the St Davids Day concert to be staged at Theatr Elli, Llanelli, on Tuesday, March 1.
After the disappointment of having to cancel the Christmas concert because of bad weather, the choir members are eager to get back on the Theatr Elli stage, said chairman Mr Harries.
Our annual St Davids Day concert is always a treat and I would advise people to book tickets early. Who knows? You may even get a chance to see the new waistcoats!
For more information, see Cor Meibion Llanellis website on www.llanellimalechoir.co.uk
Pictured in their new waistcoats are choir chairman Mel Harries, Ken Collins and Peter Thomas.
The importance of training the bakers of the future was highlighted during a two-day bakery and confectionery industry conference staged in Llanelli.
The British Confectioners Association (the body recognised as the torch-bearers for craft baking in the UK) picked Llanelli as the venue for their conference in honour of Jenkins the Bakers.
The Jenkins business is celebrating its 90 th anniversary this year.
Operations Director Russell Jenkins said the two-day visit by the BCA included business workshops, tours of the Jenkins Bakery main HQ in Trostre and visits to many Jenkins shops in the area.
Mr Jenkins added: They really do pack in as much as they can into BCA meetings. The BCA is highly regarded for preserving the craft element of what we do in the bakery industry. But it is also highly focused on innovation and the future and helping to improve the industry.
The conference is always known for its healthy exchange of ideas and best practice in the craft baking industry and this spirit of enterprise, partnership and cooperation was well to the fore in the Llanelli meetings.
Here at Jenkins, we pride ourselves on being very concerned with training our workers and we were delighted to have visitors from The Bakery School, a not-for-profit company based in Leigh in Lancashire which offers online tutorials for our staff.
Jean Grieves, of The Bakery School, joined her colleague Albert Waterfield in touring the Jenkins Bakery HQ.
She said: It was a very interesting visit and lovely to meet the enthusiastic and happy staff. We offer modules and programmes which the new generation of bakers can follow online and at their own speed. Its an innovative programme and I am delighted to see it is paying dividends for 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.
Company secretary Mr David Jenkins added: We are very proud to continue to be a family business and I think that shines through in everything we do.
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.
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.
Picture: Russell Jenkins, director Jenkins Bakery, Albert Waterfield, The Bakery School. Front row - cake decorator Natasha Fuge and Jean Grieves of The Bakery School.
Other pictures available for download from
http://picasaweb.google.com/robertapvincent/BCAConferenceLlanelli#The 30th annual Mayors Fun Run in Carmarthen will chalk up yet another notable first this year.
The programme of races on Bank Holiday Monday, May 2, will include a special corporate section for businesses.
This is another new venture for the Mayors Fun Run team, said race organiser Noelwyn Daniel.
We strive to include as many races as possible for all sections of the community. There are already races for the very young and for veterans and last week we announced a wheelchair section for the first time.
Hopefully, a race category for businesses will be another an added attraction for spectators on what should be a very busy Bank Holiday Monday.
Mr Daniel added: We have had businesses entering before and they make a very colourful sight when they are all dressed up in matching T-shirts advertising their company and business.
It is a great opportunity for local businesses. Its a great team-building exercise for businesses, its great fun, it keeps your staff fit and healthy, companies get their name seen around Carmarthen and they are making a huge contribution to the community spirit in the town.
Plus, of course, theres the added edge of competing against other businesses to see who can be the best on the day!
We have already had a great deal of interest from local firms, including an entry of 13 from the Burns nutrition pet food company in Kidwelly. Any businesses out there who can go one better than a team of 13?
The main sponsors of this years races will be the St Catherine's Walk Shopping Centre.
The race date has been moved from the traditional Easter weekend to the May Day Bank Holiday on Monday, May 2.
Mr Daniel added: We have been hugely encouraged by the support of our major sponsors at St Catherines Walk and we are hopeful that this 30th annual race will be the start of a new era for the event.
Entry forms will be published in the Carmarthen Journal before the event. In the meantime, entry forms can be downloaded from the Fun Run website http://www.rasusymaer.org.uk The 2010 races raised cash for four Carmarthen charities and organisations - 500 each for Awaydays, Womens Refuge, Bi-Polar Organisation and Towy Salmon Swimming Club.Details of the 2011 charities will be released in the next few weeks.
Welcome once again to the white-knuckle ride that is......'Top Blogger' on AmeriCymru. This month we threw in a dash of subjectivity to supplement our Leaderboard stats and these are the rankings we came up with:-
First Place: Lorin Morgan-Richards ( Gold Sheep of Excellence )
Second Place: Noelle Hughes ( Silver Sheep of Excellence )
Third Place: SwanseaJack ( Bronze Sheep of Excellence )
For those who are interested in the tortuous deliberations and metaphysical meanderings of our adjudication process, an explanation follows. In terms of the algorithm the scores in the current top twenty are as follows:-
SwanseaJack 25
Lorin Morgan-Richards 13
Noelle Hughes 11
However 11 of Swansea's points are for a blog posted last month and so we arrive at the following position after subtracting these points:-
SwanseaJack 14
Lorin Morgan-Richards 13
Noelle Hughes 11
Ten points were awarded to Noelle Hughes for being our most prolific ranking blogger this month and twenty points were awarded to Lorin for bringing the most traffic to the site and for the quality of his contributions. The 'quality' category is the most difficult to adjudicate since it involves a highly subjective judgement but we thought that in this case they were deserved in recognition of Lorin' efforts to publicize an extremely talented Welsh artist:- Interview with Welsh artist Anthony Richards, realism extraordinaire!
Congratulations/Llongyfarchion to all our winners. Sheep of Excellence are on their way!
A revolutionary new online network has taken off in West Wales. The network named Deheubarth after the old name for the kingdom ruled over by Hywel Da in West Wales has been set up to promote community, business, culture, history, art and music within the area. It has received a warm welcome from businesses artists, musicians and community organisations. Within the first month the site has topped 6,000 views. The site can be translated into almost any language in the world at a click of a button. It is the brainchild of professional photographer Alan Evans. Alan said All I am doing is using the latest free software and applications to empower people and allow communities to take ownership of marketing themselves. It is entirely free and anyone over thirteen years of age can join. The site allows people to add their events, create online groups, promote their business, upload and share all types of files and listen to music by any artist. Alan said, People are looking for real alternatives and I am simply providing them with a platform free of bureaucracy. My title is simply, administrator. There is no doubt that this is the future for enabling communities to consolidate the best they have to offer. Similar networks are being used across the world but this is a first for Wales and it will revolutionize the way people connect with each other. It has been set up so that anyone can access the multi functional site and reach a worldwide audience. This is not a static brochure site we see so much of where nothing changes. The community has taken ownership of the site and the community has the say in what goes on there. Best of all, it is FREE.
With 100 members joining within the first month of being launched Alan is optimistic that more will follow. The 100th member Sascha Pearce Narbett received a free bottle of champagne. There is a slap up meal for two at one of Carmarthenshires best restaurants on offer for the 200th member. Laugharne County Councillor Jane Tremlett and Simon Morris, chairman of Pendine Community Council attended a presentation of the network at Gilberts caf last Wednesday.
Councillor Tremlett said "The Deheubarth Network presentation impressed everyone with its quality and the opportunity it gives to individuals, community groups and businesses to share their interests, events and showcase this outstanding landscape to the world. We need to use everything we can to develop economic growth in our communities. Tourism is a necessary part of our economy. We all have our unique personalities. Pendine has a beach that compares with the best in the world. Laugharne has its literary heritage in Dylan Thomas's Boathouse Museum, its Castle and estuary. We need to attract tourists to the area and this website has the potential to reach those prospective visitors. I hope this presentation will soon be given to the various community organisations and businesses in Laugharne." Businesses already signed up include Morfa Bay Adventure, Gilberts, Elaichi, Sarnau Design, 24 Carrot Promotions, Castle Stores amongst others. Alan wishes to thank Ceri Shaw for his help and inspiration in setting up the network. Ceri is administrator for a similar network in America set up for the ex pat Welsh community. Americymru is extremeley successful at promoting all things Welsh and is open to anyone, wherever they may be in the world.The website for West Wales can be found at www.sanclertimes.ning.com
Attention all Wisconsinites! Help us beat Minnesota's Welsh! (If you're already member--sign up a relative or friend--what a great gift!)
Originally appeared in Ninnau www.ninnau.com
You can forget about football. When it comes to friendly rivalries, its not the Vikings versus the Packers or even Paul Bunyans ax, anymore. Ellis Jones, of Minnesota, has challenged Mona Everett, of neighboring Wisconsin, to see which state can recruit the most new members to join the Welsh National Gymanfa Ganu Association before the 2011 NAFOW in Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 1-4.
If you missed it, both Ellis and Mona were among about two dozen local Welsh society leaders attending the annual meeting of the WNGGA Affiliated Welsh Organizations (AWOs) at the 2010 NAFOW in Portland, when the discussion turned to increasing membership in the WNGGA.
AWOs are local Welsh organizations or businesses that have joined the WNGGA to support the preservation of Welsh culture on the international level. While there are approximately 120 AWOs located throughout Canada, the U.S., Wales, Australia and New Zealand, not all members of every local Welsh society are members of the WNGGA. The WNGGA depends on the local Welsh societies to attract new members and publicize the North American Festival of Wales. Most individual members and NAFOW attendees first hear about the international organization and NAFOW through their local societies.
The Board of Trustees of the WNGGA also looks to the local societies to suggest potential nominees to join the Board. All WNGGA Board members must have been members for at least one year before serving on the Board.
It was during a lively discussion about attracting new members to WNGGA, that Ellis threw down the gauntlet and Mona picked it up and accepted his challenge. Next August, the WNGGA will tally up new memberships and see which state recruited more new members. If Wisconsin wins, Mona has said she has a nice Cheesehead for Ellis to wear in Cleveland. If Minnesota prevails, it is certain Ellis will have something equally diabolical in store.
This is just one approach to attract new members to WNGGA. Does your state want to challenge a neighboring one? Or does your local Welsh society have other good ideas? Let WNGGA know, by emailing publicity@wngga.org. As always, local societies receive newsletters and publicity and membership materials from the WNGGA, along with advance NAFOW registration information to distribute to their members.
Membership applications can be printed from the WNGGA website www.wngga.org , or requested from WNGGA International Headquarters, PO Box 410, Granville, OH 43023.
The Steve Williams Interview by Alan Evans
Steve Williams is one of the best comedians in the U.K. at the moment. Steve hails from Newport and takes a lot of his inspiration from observing people. He is having great success with the BBC series Russell Howards Good News. I interviewed Steve by telephone during a break in his successful U.K. tour. I began by asking Steve how the tour was going.
Steve: Brilliant, its all up and running and exciting. Its coming to Wales and Im coming home. Im really looking forward to it. Your down in Carmarthenshire arent you? Ive worked with Rhod Gilbert quite a bit hes a great bloke, and Carmarthenshires finest home grown talent.
What got you into comedy?
Steve: If you live in Wales you know what gets you into comedy. Wales is such a funny place and you grow up being funny. To come home and tell the stories about what you see is a real privilege. Observations of people make you laugh. I make mental notes in my head. I was reading the paper the other day and it said that policemen put a bouncy castle under a suicide jumper in Swansea.
Who is your favourite comedian?
Steve: It has to be people like Eddie izzard, Dylan Moran, Billie Connolly and Frank Skinner. They are all great in their own right. I was brought up in the politically incorrect days of Benny Hill and Bernard Manning.Has comedy moved on a long way from that or has it just placed a more polished faade over the taboo subjects such as sex, race and religion?
Steve: Im 34 and I was brought up on comics like Lenny Henry, Alexei Sayle. It has moved I dont think that comedians try to offend people these days. Those comedians are victims of paradigm shifts in attitudes. Thats how things were then but comedians play by different rules now. Comedians have a code and I would never do anything, which offends. We write our own stuff and its more interesting for the audience and me.
Do you use any material about the Welsh or being Welsh in your routine?
Steve: Yes of course. Sometimes you cant help it. The day Welsh people stop doing dopey things will be the day I stop talking about them.
Are you looking forward to performing in West Wales?
Steve: I love it, its brilliant but you still have to pay on the bridge when you are going home.
Will you be sampling the delights of Welsh cooking whilst you are here and if so, what is your favourite Welsh dish?
Steve: My favourite dish? Welsh rarebit but its just cheese on toast isnt it.
Do you have a favourite place in Wales to visit?
Steve: I love Newport and Cardiff theyre great cities and Swansea has also gone up in my estimation. When you go further west like Tenby and Narberth its pretty cool. The camping sites and coastline its so pretty and its a lot Welsher than Newport.
Is there anyone in comedy you would like to work with as a double act?
Steve: I would like to work with Billie Connolly Ill just sit on a stool behind him. You dont want to tamper with his genius. I would just pick up the gate receipts for his sell out tours. I write for a programme called Russell Howards Good News and that satisfies my appetite for writing at the moment. It is a massively successful show and I have been fortunate to be part of it
Could you tell us what the key to being a good comedian is?
Steve: I think observation and enjoying the behaviour of other people and recording it in your mind. Having the confidence to tell the story later that night. Comedians have a code I wouldnt say anything thats deemed racist or offensive. If you say something that is funny you say it and you should be prepared to stand behind it. You let the audience be the judge. These are the things I saw and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
Have you ever considered coming to perform at the Laugharne weekend?
Steve: Id love to; Im just waiting for my invite
What are your plans for 2011?
Steve: The tour for February, Russell Howards Good News series four and series five in the autumn so the year is mapped out.
More information on http://www.stevewilliamscomedy.com/
Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow - Steve Williams
With the recent announcement that Paul Child will be leading the singing of the National Anthem at this year's West Coast Eisteddfod plans for this exciting event took another important step forward. Watch this space for further announcements in the coming weeks and months.
Meanwhile, we are appealing for small donations to our kickstarter appeal . A successful outcome for this appeal is essential if we are to secure our venue and carry out initial promotion for the event. here is what you gain by contributing:-
- For a mere 20 bucks you get 2 tickets to selected Eisteddfod theater events ( your pick ) If you are coming to the Eisteddfod you will effectively be buying your tickets in advance and ensuring the event goes ahead as planned.
- Also , every dollar you spend entitles you to one ticket in the prize draw for this magnificent collection of original artwork donated by Jeff Phillips:- http://americymru.net/photo/albums/win-original-artwork-by-jeff We will also be announcing details of this years Eisteddfod lovespoon shortly and your donations entitle you to one ticket per dollar in the lovespoon draw as well!!!!! ( Here is last years model:- http://americymru.net/profiles/blogs/portland-lovespoon-2010 ) SO you stand a chance of winning not one but TWO unique works of art.
- PLUS of course you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you did your bit to ensure that we can bring a little bit of Wales and promote Weslh culture on the West Coast this year 
All donations are pledged in advance and will not be deducted from credit cards until March 5th.
PLEASE HELP US FLY THE FLAG IN LA THIS SEPTEMBER - DONATE TO THE WEST COAST EISTEDDFOD!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1345265992/2011-west-coast-eisteddfod-festival-welsh-arts-sho
ONLY 33 DAYS REMAINING - $845 TO RAISE - EVERY LITTLE HELPS
May be not new but certainly new to me ...great band from Wales, purveyors of 'punk folk-rock'...Weird Naked Indian. Listen to the tracks below then go here:- http://soundcloud.com/weirdnakedindian for more ( and here:- WNi The Garage Sessions ) 
Paul Potts - WNi The Garage Sessions
