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The hilltop town of Shaftesbury will be alive to the sound of music on Saturday (April 30) when Cor Meibion Llanelli (Llanelli Male Choir) pay a welcome return visit.
This will be the famous Welsh choirs eighth appearance in Shaftesbury.
Concert organiser Susan Ballett explained: They first came at the invitation of St James Church (down over the hill in the small parish of St James), in the late 1980s and have managed to fit in return visits every three or four years ever since to the delight of everyone who hears them
The concerts are always held in the Shaftesbury School, which is the only venue locally large enough to hold the number of music lovers who are always anxious to enjoy their very special sound.
Under the baton of D Eifion Thomas, the choir never fails to raise the benchmark even higher.
It is something of a tradition that the choirs visit sees the introduction of guest artistes - usually local students on the threshold of a musical career.
This year there will be two Daniel Bovey, who plays classical guitar, and Bryony Purdue, a soprano singer.
Tickets are priced at 12.50 and are available at Reynolds shoe repair shop at the bottom of Shaftesbury town, at Hine and Parsons opposite the Town Hall, or by ringing 01747 854294.
The concert begins at 7pm and there is plenty of car parking either at the school or in the immediate area.
Cor Meibion Llanelli musical director Mr Thomas said the choirs programme would include a mix of traditional Welsh items alongside songs from the shows and some Negro spirituals.
It really is a varied programme with something for everyone. We thoroughly enjoy our visits to Shaftesbury and it is a great chance to meet up with Welsh exiles who may be feeling that hiraeth or longing for their homeland of Wales.
Healing The Wounds, the Welsh charity which helps treat sufferers of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), has moved into a new HQ.
The charity, which recently announced actor Michael Sheen as a new patron, now has an office and treatment rooms at The Enterprise centre in Bryn Road, Tondu, Bridgend.
The move to new offices takes the charity to a new level, said charity founder and Executive Director Kevin Richards.
Previously, we were working from home. Now, we have a professional office which will help us raise the charitys profile in the community.
The new office also has treatment rooms which will allow our trained practitioners to treat PTSD sufferers.
This work is crucially important to us as a charity as we have a waiting list of people who need to receive PTSD treatment.
We have members of the armed forces waiting for PTSD treatment and we also have people from the civilian sector of the emergency services.
At the outset, we always said that we would spread our wings and treat people from the armed forces (either serving or veterans) and people from the civilian services who have been left suffering from PTSD because of the work that they do on behalf of the community.
Our long term aim remains to establish a larger PTSD treatment and convalescent centre in Wales, but we do not have the funds for that at the moment.
Things have moved very quickly since we were first established as a charity and our immediate focus has to be on people rather than buildings. We certainly couldnt consider setting up a treatment room at home.
The new office has two treatment rooms and will allow us to continue the work we recently started with our first ever PTSD course, which was held at the Heronston Hotel in Bridgend. That course saw four people from the armed forces benefit from the treatment course run by practitioners trained by the Healing The Wounds charity.
Mr Richards added: Since we set up the charity, one thing has become clear the people of Wales want us to spend the money on the people who deserve it most. Those are the people who sadly suffer from PTSD because they have had to endure some terrible things all in the line of duty and service for their country and their local community.
Our key target has also been to make sure that these brave men and women are treated as close as possible to their homes. We are not like other charities which will quite happily ship people to other parts of Britain for treatment. We want people from Wales to be treated in Wales and as close as possible to the homes of their family and friends.
We have people on our waiting list from Newport, Swansea and Llandeilo. One of them is a serving member of the armed forces who came to our attention through his Lieutenant Colonel, so the word is getting out there that we have this great service we can provide for PTSD sufferers.
Our first ever treatment course in Bridgend was a great success and when you look at the transformation in the four guys we treated there then you start to appreciate how important our work is. It was great to see the guys so relaxed and at ease at the end of the course. 
The charitys new HQ is Office 26, Enterprise Centre, Bryn Road, Tondu, Bridgend, CF32 9BS, telephone 01656 728281.
The Healing The Wounds charity was set up in December 2009 to help provide PTSD treatment for members of the armed forces and veterans. It aims to set up a Welsh base for the treatment of PTSD. It is already arranging treatment courses and building a team of counsellors who can treat PTSD.
Donations can be made
By post:
To make your donation by post, please send a cheque payable to Healing The Wounds, together with your name address and post code to enable us to claim gift aid, to Healing The Wounds, 22 Abbey Road, Kenfig Hill, Bridgend, CF33 6HF.
Give in person at Barclays Bank. Call into any branch of Barclays and pay your donation into this account:
Healing The Wounds Sort code: 20-84-41 Account number: 90516929
The charitys website is at http://www.healingthewounds.co.uk/
Contact number for charity officers - 01656 728281
Acclaimed Hollywood star Michael Sheen has given his support to the Healing The Wounds charity which helps treat sufferers of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).
The actor has agreed to become a patron of the charity.
Its a wonderful gesture, said Healing The Wounds charity secretary Carol Richards.
We met Michael the other day and he was very interested in the work of the charity.
He was delighted to accept our invitation to become one of our patrons and we are sure that he will help us put the charity firmly on the map in Wales.
Sheen is currently working on a production of the Passion Play in his hometown of Port Talbot over Easter.
He is famous the world over for his film roles, which include playing Tony Blair, David Frost and Brian Clough.
Carol Richards added: Michael Sheen is a big box office star and a person who obviously cares very passionately about his home community in Wales. We are all looking forward to working with him in Healing The Wounds.
The Healing The Wounds charity was set up in January 2010 to help provide PTSD treatment for members of the armed forces and veterans. It aims to set up a Welsh base for the treatment of PTSD. It is already arranging treatment courses and building a team of counsellors who can treat PTSD.
It was a glorious spring afternoon when we arrived at Frolics restaurant in Southerndown on the coast of the Vale of Glamorgan.
The reception was as sunny as the weather - gleaming white tablecloths and neat and not over-fussy dcor giving a relaxed vibe. The food demanded not to be placed in any particular pigeon-hole in terms of style. Restaurant owners Andrew and Donna Dudley do things in their own particular style.And that style is certainly a hit.
When we visited as a party of four the main restaurant was full. There is an overflow cellar restaurant which seats nearly 20 and that will doubtless come into service as the season develops. The set menu of three-course lunch on a Sunday was priced at 18.50. That may seem a bit pricey but, sample the food, and youll see its a bargain.
Andrew Dudley is the master of his own kitchen and he revels in the challenge of providing a range of different dishes.
For starters, there was a choice of cream of white vegetable soup; Frolics fish platter, crab mayonnaise, miniature king prawn cocktail and cold poached salmon and coriander roll, pea shoots and vinaigrette; goats cheese with a pistachio nut and beetroot lollipop with a sweet red wine and beetroot jelly and cream cheese cornet; spiced oriental style crispy beef salad with spiced mayonnaise; warm salad of smoked bacon, black pudding and caramelised red onion topped with poached egg, red wine syrup.
The mains menu was equally as extensive roast sirloin of Welsh Black beef with Yorkshire pudding and beef gravy; a selection of Pwllywrach lamb cuts, roast leg, braised shoulder, confit shoulder and rolled breast with lamb gravy; roast breast of free range Monmouthshire chicken, roast sauce; Provence style fish stew topped with gremolata and pea shoots, soda bread, purple potatoes; a tasting of vegetarian dishes, a Charlotte of Mediterranean vegetables and Brie de Meaux, tomato and parmesan tart, a savoury baklava.
And, finally, the desserts a trio of tarts, caramelised apple, treacle and lemon; American style Baileys and vanilla cheesecake, Bara Brith ice cream; Frolics sweetie shop; Lemon curd panna cotta, peach sauce and chopped pistachio nuts; Frolics chocolate desserts, White nemesis, white chocolate panna cotta and chocolate sorbet. Our table went for the fish platter, goats cheese, crispy beef and warm salad to start.
For mains, we plumped for the lamb, the chicken and the beef. Vegetables were served as side dishes and were as plentiful as they were delicious. To finish, we picked the cheesecake, the lemon curd panna cotta, the chocolate desserts and the sweetie shop, which turned out to be a magic mix of Turkish delight, sherbet dips and nougat style ice cream.All in all, a real treat and there was a hearty round of applause for Andrew Dudley and his team.The service was swift and pleasant and the bill, including drinks, came to a neat 88.You can pay just as much at a Beefeater, but trust me the food wont be in the same class as Frolics.A return trip will be on the menu shortly.Frolics is at 52 Beach Road, Southerndown, CF32 0RP. Tel.: 01656 880127
Jennifer Bowen has qualified as a Certified Chartered Accountant with leading West Wales accountants and business consultants Clay Shaw Butler.
The qualification is further evidence of Clay Shaw Butlers commitment to training and developing staff members.
Jennifer, who lives in Whitland and is married with a young daughter, was educated at Whitland Primary School and Ysgol Dyffryn Taf.
She joined Clay Shaw Butler in 2007 as an accounts trainee studying towards the Chartered Certified qualification.
Clay Shaw Butler is accredited as a Platinum status Training Office with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. There are currently three trainees working towards the qualification with Clay Shaw Butler. In addition, there are two trainees working towards the Association of Accounting Technician qualification.
Clay Shaw Butler director David Butler said: I am extremely pleased to welcome Jennifer into the Practice as a newly-qualified accountant. We have Investors in People status and we will continue to invest in the development of Clay Shaw Butler team members.
Clay Shaw Butler now has eight qualified team members able to assist in accountancy and taxation advice for clients of all sizes.
The team at Clay Shaw Butler can be contacted on 01267 228500 or through the website at www.clayshawbutler.com
Lamphey Court Hotel in Pembrokeshire is now under new management.
Phil Thomas, 44, has arrived at Lamphey Court with an extensive CV working at leading hotels throughout the UK.
Its a great privilege to arrive at Lamphey Court, a hotel which has the best architecture in Wales, Mr Thomas said as he gazed up at the south-facing Ionic pillars at the Georgian mansion.
Mr Thomas said: Lamphey Court has a great reputation and as the new general manager I am looking to enhance that reputation even further, particularly in relation to the quality of our kitchen.
The stunning location speaks for itself. But I am confident we can build on our name to provide quality facilities and service which will attract everyone, visitors from afar and, very importantly, those local people who support us.
I am genuinely excited about the launch or our new state-of-the-art spa. Costing up to 2 million and exclusively using products such as Cinq Mondes, Lamphey Court will put Pembrokeshire on the map when it comes to exclusivity, luxury and relaxation. Together with the new management team that I am forming, Lamphey Court will remain to be the best hotel in West Wales.
Mr Thomas, a Welsh speaker, married with one daughter, was born in Brynamman, Carmarthenshire. He went to university in Cardiff and gained a degree in hotel management and a post-grad in tourism marketing.
His hotel career has taken him throughout the UK, including St Pierre in Chepstow, the Park Hotel in Cardiff and the Cawdor Arms & Abercothi Fishery in Llandeilo as well as General Manager at Lake Vyrnwy. One of his most recent projects was launching a new 16 million four star hotel on a greenfield site in Cambridge.
Mr Thomas added: I have many years experience of managing hotels in different locations and I look forward to bringing that experience to bear in bringing further success to Lamphey Court.
Website
http://www.lampheycourt.co.uk 
Phil Thomas at Lamphey Court Hotel
Ammanfords Ioan Anthony is one of the first veterans to feel the benefit of the fundraising work of the Healing The Wounds charity.
The 26-year-old has just returned home after a PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) course sponsored by Healing The Wounds.
And he is overjoyed at the way it has changed his life.
After I left the army, I had many of the symptoms of PTSD depression, mood swings, an inability to sleep properly, and nightmares when I could get to sleep.
Today, now that I have completed the PTSD course, it is like the curtain has been lifted on a new world. Its made a massive difference to my outlook on life and I really feel amazing.
For the first time in ages, I have been able to sleep without being disturbed by nightmares.
Ioan served as a plant operator and mechanic with the Royal Engineers in Afghanistan.
Everyone has stories to tell about their time in Afghanistan and I dare say my story isnt that different to other soldiers who have completed tours of duty out there.
I lost a good friend in just the second month of the tour. By the time the tour was over, I counted six comrades had been killed.
Nothing can change the past and what happens in places like Afghanistan.
And I am obviously not alone in returning home and then facing a struggle to deal with the things we saw in Afghanistan.
Fortunately, help was available to me. I did receive some counselling at the Swn-y-Gwynt Day Hospital in Tirydail Road, Ammanford, but the thing that has made the major difference has been the PTSD course sponsored by Healing The Wounds.
I was lucky in that I saw Jonathan Edwards, the Plaid Cymru MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr and he put me in touch with Kevin Richards at Healing The Wounds.
Kevin and the charity have done a marvellous job and I cant thank them enough. They are really making a difference to making sure that people like me can get their lives back on track.
Mr Anthony has left the army and is now considering several career options, including resuming his early career as a plasterer, trying for a Heavy Goods Vehicle drivers licence or working as a plant operator.
I have also been so impressed with the work of the people of the PTSD course. They cant change whats happened to you, but they can counsel you to the point where you can talk about it all and deal with it.
So, I wouldnt mind going on to train as a PTSD counsellor myself. From what I have seen of the work of the Healing The Wounds charity, there is a need for counsellors to run training courses in Wales and it would be great to put something back into the community.
Healing The Wounds executive director Kevin Richards said he was delighted at the progress Mr Anthony had made on the PTSD course.
It is great to see someone like Ioan getting back to a normal life. It goes to show how valuable our work is as a charity.
Mr Richards said it was important for the public to realise that the Healing The Wounds charity was fully operational.
Since we announced that Golden Grove Mansion was no longer an option for a PTSD rehabilitation centre we have heard plenty of nonsense stories that the charity has packed up.
Nothing is further from the truth. We are continuing to look for suitable premises for a PTSD recovery centre in Wales and we are helping people like Ioan on a daily basis. Our work goes on and much of the thanks goes to the people of Wales who continue to support us so generously.
Soldier: Ioan Anthony on duty for the Royal Engineers in Afghanistan.
The charitys website is at http://www.healingthewounds.co.uk/
