Jobs pledge for former MoD depot

A former Ministry of Defence depot that closed last year is to become a business park creating up to 400 jobs.

Carmarthenshire council and R&A Properties have struck a deal for the site at Llangennech near Llanelli. They say they have already let a third of the 37-acre estate to a "blue chip" company that expects to employ 70 staff by the end of the year.

South Wales based R&A Properties said it would be investing £1.5m developing the site over the next six months.

The council acquired the site for R&A Properties just before it was about to be auctioned in March and the company has now bought it from them promising significant investment.
R&A bosses say the former depot, just a mile from the M4, offers prime office, warehousing and working facilities.

Company chairman Robert Lovering said: "We have moved quickly to secure this prime site, which will be known as the Stradey Park Business Centre.

"We believe this is a winning site and aim to regenerate this fantastic facility to make it an unsurpassed location for business in Wales. "

Council leader Meryl Gravell said the deal provided tremendous regeneration and employment opportunities. "R&A Properties have ambitious plans and are confident the business centre will build up a workforce of up to 400 jobs over the next few years," she said.

"This is excellent news for the local economy at a time when it is desperately needed."

For more info http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/8023473.stm

The Pink-a-Blue Walk in Llanelli Bay

Cancer Research Wales are holding their Pink-a-Blue Walk in Llanelli on Sunday 12th July. They aim to raise valuable funds for prostate and breast cancer research in Wales .

The 4 mile walk will start outside the Discovery Centre on the Millennium Coastal Path and take a circular route to Pwll Pavilion.

Liz Andrews, Deputy Charity Director said “Many people are affected by prostate and breast cancer as these are some of Wales ’ most prevalent cancers. We’re organising this great event so that people, including families, can support and make a difference towards research in Welsh hospitals and universities. That also includes local research at Singleton Hospital in Swansea .”

Entry is £5.00 per person with registration forms available from http://www.cancerresearchwales.co.uk/ or by telephoning Cancer Research Wales on 029 2031 6976.

Launch of Delta Lakes

A new £2million business centre has been officially launched in Llanelli.

The Delta Lakes Enterprise Centre at the town’s southern gateway has been built as a flagship building to help nurture new and young businesses. Fourteen high quality offices, eight workshops and three industrial units have been built on prime land near the award winning Millennium Coastal Park.

Alun Davies, AM for Mid and West Wales, visited to officially declare the centre open for business last Thursday, April 23.

The site is situated alongside the principal Delta Lakes proposed Business Park, which will allow for inter-trading and linking between new and established businesses, as well as providing an opportunity for the small businesses to grow into larger premises on the business park.

Alun Davies AM said: “Carmarthenshire County Council is leading the way in bringing forward new opportunities for job development, encouraging economic regeneration and delivering skills for young people.

“We can only create vibrant communities by developing economic and social regeneration in tandem. South Llanelli has seen that approach in recent years.

“Delta Lakes is thriving despite the economic gloom. It builds upon the Assembly Government's work to support business, nurture growth and maintain employment.

“Delta Lakes provides grade A facilities in a business friendly environment, and I hope to see similar developments across the region."

http://www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/English/news/Pages/LaunchofDeltaLakes.aspx

International Football Tickets

Tickets for Llanelli's first ever (full) Football International are now on sale from the Scarlets Ticket Office (0871 871 8088).

They are priced at:
Adults £10, Juveniles (Under 16) £5, for all parts of the ground. These prices are plus a booking fee.

Welsh FA Cup Final News

Llanellitown.com can report that the FAW has announced that one of Wales' foremost singer-composers, Dafydd Iwan has agreed to sing the Welsh National Anthem prior to the Welsh Cup Final between Aberystwyth Town and Bangor City on Bank Monday 4th May, Kick-Off 16:10 at Parc Y Scarlets, Llanelli.

Mr. Iwan began his career in the early '60s, and he has released many albums, DVDs and books. He has composed more than 250 songs and his anthem 'Yma o Hyd' is now sung regularly at football and rugby matches, especially at Parc-y-Scarlets. The uplifting anthem will be sung by Mr. Iwan to welcome the two sides on to the field.

He will perform accompanied by the local based Gwaun Cae Gurwen Band who will also be providing some pre-match music to generate a good, Welsh atmosphere. The band's reputation in Wales is growing annually and spokesman Dewi Thomas stated; "We are honored to play at this year's final."

There will also be more Crowd Entertainment for the supporters to enjoy with the Llanelli Cheerleading Academy entertaining the crowd both before the game and during the Half-Time Interval. It is hoped that the entertainment will add to a fantastic match and a thoroughly enjoyable day-out for all Spectators.

The Parc Y Scarlets Stadium offers the Association the opportunity to add to the Match Day Experience due to its outstanding facilities.

Tickets for the match are priced at £8.00 for Adults and £4.00 for Concessions (Children age 16 and under, OAP's and Students (on production of a valid NUS card).

Tickets for neutral fans are currently on sale from Parc Y Scarlets Ticket Office - 0871 8718088.

For more info visit http://www.faw.org.uk/. Aberystwyth FC http://www.atfc.org.uk/ and Bangor City FC http://www.bangorcityfc.com/.

New Eastern Gateway Update!

Detailed plans are now available for the development of Llanelli’s Eastern Gateway and will be featured in an online first on Llanellitown.com.

Carmarthenshire County Council are investing millions of pounds in the scheme which aims to provide a six-screen multiplex cinema, a hotel run by a national chain, eight shops, cafes/bars, council offices and three restaurants. Also there would be a 520-seat theatre on the site of the old Stepney Hotel and community/arts venue in the Zion Chapel and Sunday School buildings.

Andrew Shufflebotham, the Town Centre Manager told us “The Town Centre Management Initiative is delighted at the progress being made by Henry Davidson the East Gate developers.

The two named anchors; Travelodge and Reel will bring with them the sort of leisure operators that Llanelli needs to attract young people into the town centre and also be an attraction to existing centre users to increase their shopping and leisure time. Carmarthenshire County Council proposals for a theatre on the site of the Stepney Hotel will also consolidate the leisure offer.”

The full plans are on display in the Town centre office and should be available online shortly.

Cash boost to create a better future!

People living in the poorest parts of Llanelli are set to benefit from a grant worth almost £200,000 to address debts, benefits and skills training.

Communities First teams in the Glanymor and Tyisha wards have been successful in applying to the Welsh Assembly Government for £98,238. This figure has been matched pound-for-pound by Carmarthenshire County Council’s Community Regeneration unit.

The application was one of six to succeed in Wales, and is the only one that will concentrate on job creation and income maximisation.

The project is to address debt, benefit and economic inactivity issues within the wards of Llwynhendy, Bigyn, Felinfoel, Glanymor and Tyisha and will employ two full time development workers until March 2012.

For more info visit:
http://www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/English/Pages/home.aspx

International Football is coming to Llanelli!

Llanellitown.com are pleased to annouce that the FAW is bringing the Wales International Football Team to Llanelli.

Wales will play against Estonia in a Nationwide International Challenge Match on Friday 29th May 2009 in the Parc Y Scarlets, Llanelli and will kick off at 7.30pm.

This will be only the second time that the two sides have met and the first full Wales International Football game in Llanelli.

The game follows the Parc y Scarlets successful hosting of the Under 21 UEFA qualifier between Wales and Luxembourg that was staged at the ground in March.

Ticket prices will be: Adults £10, Juveniles (Under 16) £5, for all parts of the ground plus a booking fee. The tickets will go on sale shortly, for more details see http://www.faw.org.uk/.

Cllr Clive Scourfield, executive board member for regeneration and leisure told us that “It is fantastic news that Parc Y Scarlets is being seen as a quality venue for international football. It is a major coup to secure this fixture so soon after the stadium has been launched.

“It proves that the stadium is well catered for many sports – not just for rugby – and it shows the true flexibility of the venue.

“The FAW has been hugely impressed with the quality of the pitch and the facilities, and have put their trust in us to host this exciting international match.

“The eyes of Welsh football will be on us in May – let’s hope everyone will be impressed by what they see, and that this starts a tradition of major football matches being played on our turf.”

We’ll add more information and comments as soon as they become available.

New Ffos Las Mascot Wanted

THE new Ffos Las Racecourse in Trimsaran, Llanelli is holding a competition in partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council for all primary schools in the County.

Children are being asked to design and name a brand new mascot to represent Ffos Las and to entertain children during their visits to the racecourse. The mascot will be launched at the Family Fun Day on Tuesday July 21. The winner will be chosen by Ffos Las Racecourse and the prize will include two tickets per child for the class of the winner to attend the fun day.

Ffos Las General Manager, Jon Williams said:“We are delighted to be asking the children of Carmarthenshire to get involved with Ffos Las and to create a mascot that will become a part of our new racecourse for many years to come. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the entries coming in soon, and then bringing our mascot to life on our racedays this summer’.

Ffos Las, based in Trimsaran, Llanelli will bring horse racing back to West Wales for the first time since 1937 and is set to put the district on the map. The Course will provide new and exciting opportunities and facilities, aiming to boost tourism in Llanelli and the whole of Carmarthenshire.

For further information on how to enter, please contact Nia-Wyn John or Sarah Powell at the Carmarthenshire’s Children and Young People’s Partnership on: 01267 224 583
For information on Ffos Las, please visit: http://www.ffoslasracecourse.com/

Summer Digital Switchover

The Digital Switchover starts in Llanelli in August 2009! The Kilvey Hill group of transmitters is being switched on Wednesday 12th August. 2 weeks later it is the turn of the Carmel group on Wednesday 26th August.

The switchover will take place in 2 phases, see below for Kilvey Hill.

Stage 1
BBC2 analogue is switched off. You will need to re-tune your digital equipment to pick up the available channels

Stage 2
On Wednesday 9th September the remaining analogue channels are switched off. You will need to re-tune your digital equipment again to pick up all available digital channels.

For Carmel and more information, visit http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/

The Switchover Help Scheme can help you make the switch to digital TV. Switchover can help you convert your TV to digital if you:
Are aged 75 or over, or

• Have lived in a care home for six months or more, or
• Get (or could get) certain disability benefits, or
• Are registered blind or partially sighted

For more info http://www.helpscheme.co.uk/en/home/index.php

Community News

Discover whats happening in and around Carmarthenshire and find out about new developments in your local area by reading Carmarthenshire County Council's bi-monthly Community News.

Copies have been delivered to all houses, and additional copies are also available from libraries, customer service centres, community centres as well as doctors and dentist surgeries

Included in this issue:

• Trinity College Carmarthen is celebrating gaining University status
• A £2.4MILLION project has been launched to celebrate the culture and heritage of the Tywi Valley.
• THE countdown is on to one of the biggest nights in Carmarthenshire’s business calendar, the prestigious Swansea Bay Business Awards
• PEOPLE can get involved in Carmarthenshire and have their say on the future of Wales at the All Wales Convention visiting the county next month.
• HUNDREDS of schoolchildren in Carmarthenshire will benefit from investments of almost £15million over the next financial year.
• CARMARTHENSHIRE Lottery has now funded three businesses in the county thanks to their 2400 weekly players.
• Poverty is being tackled by a group of Carmarthenshire councillorswith the aim of helping thousands of people in the county.
• NEW glass recycling banks are popping up across the county as the green bin/blue bag scheme is extended.
• Carmarthenshire Local Development Plan - Have your say in the future development of Carmarthenshire.
• All nine of the county’s superloos have been recognised in the annual competition run by the British Toilet Association.
  

For more info:

http://www.carmarthenshire.gov.uk/english/living/communitynews/pages/home.aspx

Find us on Facebook!

You can now keep up to date with all the news from Llanelli Town.com on facebook. Latest news and affairs will be posted on the Llanelli Town.com group. Membership is growing day by day and you also have a chance to leave comments.

To find out more, join the facebook group http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=85897055701

Town Jobs Boost!

AROUND 100 jobs are expected to be up for grabs this summer as Asda prepares to open a new store in Parc Trostre by Christmas. Asda is planning on opening a Living store, which specialises in fashion and homeware.

It is anticipated to open sometime after September, although firm dates have yet to be finalised.Chris Marlow, Asda property communications manager, said: "Although we have received planning permission, we're still in the process of finalising the details. We are really excited about opening the store later this year. There has been a lot of interest from local people, especially for the jobs that will be available and the products on offer."

The company has reassured shoppers that it has no plans to close its food store in Llanelli town centre.

Wales football team coming to Llanelli?

Craig Bellamy, Aaron Ramsey, Gareth Bale and Co are set for another Welsh Football link-up with Welsh rugby by playing their next match at the Scarlets’ new ground.

Wales are being lined up for a friendly international against Kazakhstan on Friday, May 29 and it is likely to be staged at the 13,000 Parc y Scarlets. The state-of-the-art new venue where Stephen Jones, Mark Jones and Simon Easterby ply their oval-ball trade hosted its first football game on Tuesday night when Brian Flynn’s Welsh U21s beat Luxembourg in a European Championship qualifier.

FA of Wales officials were so impressed with the way the match went they are keen to take further fixtures there. The Kazakhstan friendly is being arranged as a warm-up for the World Cup clash with Azerbaijan on June 6 and the FAW look set to plump for Parc y Scarlets ahead of either Swansea City’s Liberty Stadium or Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground.

There is no chance of the match being staged at the Millennium Stadium following the fuss kicked up by the players recently about the ghost-like atmosphere within the 74,00-seater home of Welsh sport.

The FAW’s senior international committee meet on Tuesday to discuss the Kazakhstan game and it is understood they will recommend Parc y Scarlets, although how that decision goes down with football fans remains to be seen.

The FAW used Tuesday night’s U21 game with Luxembourg as a trial to see if the Llanelli venue was right for an international football match. More than 3,000 fans turned up to watch young Wales’ 5-1 triumph and FAW bigwigs say they were delighted with the whole occasion.

“Things went superbly from start to finish and we were delighted,” said an FAW official. “It was unchartered territory because it was the first football match at the ground, but there were no complaints whatsoever. We will look at taking the Kazakhstan match there.

Welsh U21 boss Flynn said: “This is a fantastic stadium, they really want us to use the place and have done everything to make us welcome. The pitch is outstanding, I have no complaints about that. And the stadium suits us just fine. The crowd of 3,000 was first-class!”

Llanellitown.com has contacted the FAW for more info.