Scarlets Name Team To Face The Blues

Scarlets Head Coach Nigel Davies says Saturday's fixture against the Cardiff Blues at Parc y Scarlets will have the feeling of a cup quarter-final for both teams, as they lead their pools and are focused on an LV=Cup semi-final place.

Scrum half Martin Roberts who joined Wales this week is released back to his region by Warren Gatland to join-up with a largely unchanged Scarlets side that won away against a strong London Wasps line-up last weekend.

Nigel Davies brings back David Lyons (captain) and Ken Owens after resting them last week. Morgan Stoddart has a groin injury and will be out for four weeks. Other Scarlets on the long-term injury list include senior internationals Simon Easterby, Dafydd Jones and captain Mark Jones.

Saturday's derby match sees the long-awaited return of Scarlets star centre Regan King who makes his first start on Saturday after nearly a year out from injury - a welcome boost to the rugby region and its supporters.

The Scarlets are unbeaten in the LV=Cup having beaten Worcester, Wasps and drawn against Harlequins. The Scarlets go into the game having won their last four games back-to-back and lead their LV= Cup pool with eleven points.

And reigning Anglo-Welsh champions Cardiff Blues travel to Parc y Scarlets on the back of a decisive 45 v 24 win over Newcastle Falcons last weekend with only one narrow loss against London Irish in their last nine fixtures.

With the Blues and Scarlets both top of their respective pools, a hotly contested match is guaranteed as the Welsh rivals look to seal semi-final qualification and a home draw in the knock out stages.

Nigel Davies said: "The way we are approaching this is very much like a quarter-final, if we can win this game, it puts us in a strong position for a home semi-final.

"It is win at all costs - going into the Wasps game we said we still needed two wins in the last two games - this game is no different, the focus is on getting a result.

"The Blues have everything to play for too, we all want to win this competition particularly with both of us not having great Magners League form. The rivalry between these two regions will mean it will be a great game.

"The LV=Cup competition has been good for us because the quality of our group has risen this season because of the exposure that a lot of our younger players have had over the past 18 months.

"They are performing very well as we saw in first stage and last week in the and this adds competition and depth to the squad. The gap is much closer between those deemed as our first team players and the rest of the squad, which adds competition and a spark in training."

Davies added recent form had been a boost to the Scarlets squad: "It is great, it has been a long time coming putting four wins in a row together and also the fact that three of them have been away from home is a huge achievement by this group of players.

"As I've said before, the investment we've made in these players is starting to come through and as they have shown in the last four games, they are a capable bunch. We still have a long way to go but in general terms we are moving forward well.

"I know our Scarlets supporters appreciate what these guys are doing and it would be really nice to see a crowd come here and show their appreciation of these boys - it would be massive for them to get that support."

15 Daniel Evans, 14 Lee Williams, 13 Gareth Maule, 12 Regan King 11 Andy Fenby, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Tavis Knoyle, 1 Phil John, 2 Ken Owens, 3 Deacon Manu, 4 Lou Reed, 5 Damian Welch, 6 Rob McCusker, 7 Josh Turnbull, 8 David Lyons (capt).

Replacements: 16 Iestyn Thomas, 17 Emyr Phillips, 18 Rhys Thomas, 19 Vernon Cooper, 20 Johnathan Edwards, 21 Martin Roberts, 22 Daniel Newton 23 Joe Ajuwa.

Llanellitown.com More Popular Than Ever

Llanellitown.com received 77331 hits in November, equivalent to around 2500 hits per day. This means that, 500 more people visited this site everyday compared to previous months!

Jonathan Williams our Services Director said “This is a fantastic achievement, we are making great progress and we are very thankful for the support the people of Llanelli have given us.”

With a makeover of the website expected in the near future, visitors can expect to see a ‘new look’ site, with even more content. The team at Llanellitown.com believe that with your support, the site will be even better and more popular.

So whether you want us promote your business, raise awareness of a charity or publicise events, Llanellitown.com is the place to do it. Please get in touch via the email addresses below.

jonathan@llanellitown.com


christopher@llanellitown.com

Oscar's Night in Llwynhendy

It was Oscar night last Friday in Llwynhendy (Fri 29th January) as volunteers and invited guests adorned Black Ties and Evening Gowns to witness their own awards ceremony.

The “ Llwynhendy Oscars” which was organised by Llwynhendy Events Committee and sponsored by Communities First Llwynhendy saw many people in attendance including Gareth Jenkins (pictured with a recipient of an award), Meryl Gravelle, Helen Mary Jones, Councillors Carol Rees, Jim Jones, Sharon Davies, Mike Theodoulou (Mid and West Wales Chamber) and representatives of the Big Lottery and Police Service were in attendance and much more.

This event was an opportunity for the volunteers of Llwynhendy to be shown appreciation for all their hard work through the year. There were 17 awards in total, and over 50 certificates were awarded during the ceremony. The winners were:

• Back To Basics
• Events Committee
• Dads Group
• Youth Group
• Ty Enfys Family Centre
• Trallwm Forum
• Neighbourhood Police Team
• Volunteer of the Year was Jason Skivington.

Llanellitown.com’s own Services Director, Jonathan Williams attended the event and said: ”I’m really grateful to have been invited tonight and to witness the achievements of the community over the past year. People tend to highlight the negative aspects of an area but tonight showed first hand what excellent work is being done by the people and community of Llwynhendy and what Communities First can achieve”

Gillian Handscomb of Communities First Llwynhendy said: “We’d like to say a big thank you to all those who attended the evening and those who helped organise the event. It’s just a way for everyone to say thanks for all the hard work.”

If you require any more information on Communities First Llwynhendy please contact Gillian on 01554 780288 or visit http://www.communitiesfirstllwynhendy.org.uk/.

Penymorfa Spick and Span Project

A Llanelli community has come together to regenerate an area blighted by vandalism and flytipping.

Working with Communities First Glanymor and Tyisha, residents of Penymorfa are creating a community garden, play and events area suitable for people of all ages.

To make their vision a reality, Communities First officers secured £50,000 of funding from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Local Environmental Quality Fund, and a further £8,110 from its Tidy Towns initiative.

Work is now well underway, and locals have been keen to get their hands dirty to help out.
Faye Davies, Communities First development officer, said: “Work is now underway on-site with Sylvan Landscapes, the New Deal Environmental Task Force and local young people all involved.
“Children from the nearby Jelli Totz Nursery are also involved by growing flowers from seeds to plant in the community garden.

“Foothold Green Network has been appointed to project manage the planning and landscape elements, and we hope to be ready by the summer following further planting and turfing in the spring.”

When complete, the area will include a community garden, outdoor community events area with seating, a youth shelter, an informal ball game area, a children’s picnic table and play panel.
It will also include a recycling area, and will be monitored by CCTV.

Communities First is a Welsh Assembly funded initiative, led locally by Carmarthenshire County Council. It aims to regenerate deprived areas through improving living conditions and prospects for local people.

Cllr Clive Scourfield, executive board member for regeneration, said: “Local people of all ages have shown huge commitment to this project and have led from the beginning by undertaking scoping exercises and drawing up plans.

“By involving everyone in this way, they will be encouraged to value and look after this community facility for years to come.”

As part of the project, local young people are being encouraged to contribute to some street art and tree planting on Friday February 19, from 10.30am-3.30pm. Organised by the Glanymor and Tyisha Youth Action Group, the event is open for those aged 10 and over who live in the area. Spaces are limited and need to be booked in advance. Contact Faye Davies on 01554 777850.

Llanelli Moving Forward

As part of a series of articles Llanellitown.com invited local people to share their thoughts on Llanelli and its regeneration. This week Plaid Cymru’s parliamentary candidate, Myfanwy Davies, offered us her views.

Myfanwy pointed to the range of shops that can be found in the town and emphasised the quality of local produce available.

“This year, I purchased all my Christmas presents in the town centre. I bought books, soaps, beautiful handmade jewellery, scarves and bags. Everyone is delighted with their presents and no-one appears to have stopped talking to me!”

“What’s more, the quality of local produce for sale in the market, butchers’ shops and delicatessens, is as good as anything sold at much grander farmers’ markets. When I speak to visitors to the town centre, they are often envious of the variety and the exceptionally good value of food, often produced within a few miles of where it is sold.”

Whilst celebrating the quality of goods and services available in Llanelli, Myfanwy also emphasised the importance of marketing small businesses more effectively.

“The future of Llanelli, like that of Kidwelly and Burry Port, lies in keeping and developing our smaller businesses. But to do this people need to know about the products on offer.”

“ It’s is great for us Llanelli people to be in on the secret, but traders and shopkeepers also need more help to advertise and market the goods and services they sell.”

Successfully promoting local businesses is vital to attract more visitors to the town. However, Myfanwy also suggested that people should be encouraged to take up residence in the town centre. This would allow local businesses to benefit from a sustained increase in shoppers, whilst encouraging a ‘cafe culture’.

“Perhaps the most powerful way of reviving the town centre is the most obvious one. We need to bring people into the town centre, so why not develop more places for them to live? My flat is in a converted building in the town centre. It is close to everything, well-designed and managed by a local family. Just think what a difference thirty or so good-quality converted flats would make to our shops and cafes.”

Stressing the importance of bringing significant investment into Llanelli, Myfanwy welcomed the planned Eastern Gateway regeneration scheme, whilst emphasising the need for wider consultation.

“We need the Eastern Gateway development that is planned for Upper Park Street to attract more people to the town. For this reason, it’s fantastic that the redevelopment will include not only shops, but also entertainment facilities and a hotel.”

“This redevelopment is a vital opportunity for the town and to make it a great success it’s important that local people are properly consulted by the Council. Let’s bring people together to support the scheme and perhaps even improve it.”

Llanelli is a town that we should be proud of. This was a message Myfanwy was keen to put across as she encouraged the people of Llanelli to take an active role in supporting their town.

“Our town centre belongs to all of us and, like most people in Llanelli, I am very proud of it. Social enterprises like Llanellitown.com help to showcase the talent found here and illustrate the commitment of the local community to reviving the town’s fortunes.”

Reporter: Christopher Roberts