Penybedd Forest Pembrey

I took the dog for a walk down to Penybedd Forset in Pembrey on Saturday.

There had been a lot of work going on felling trees.

It was a bit of a shame because it made parts of the forest look rather bleak.

However, it seems that all this work is being done to improve the biodiversity of the forest. According to a press release on the Forestry Commission Wales website:

Forestry Commission Wales is beginning work to give two Carmarthenshire forests more breathing space and make them more attractive places to visit.
The Commission is thinning selected areas of Pembrey and Penybedd forests by removing trees from some areas, providing more space and light for wildlife and allowing native trees to regenerate.
As well as helping the remaining trees to grow, the work will also improve the health of the forests by combating the disease known as red band needle blight, which has infected some of the trees.
Forestry Commission Wales Community Ranger Jonathan Price said, “This important work is part of our ongoing management of these forests for the benefit of all users and to improve the forest environment for the future.
“This is part of the first year of a programme that will run over the next five to 10 years at Pembrey and Penybedd, which are home to many migrant songbirds as well as birds of prey, including the sparrowhawk and goshawk.”
Pembrey and Penybedd, which cover 1,200 hectares, make up some of Britain's sand dune forests, which are unusual and have become of great interest to naturalists. Pembrey also forms part of a Special Site of Scientific Interest.
Jonathan added, “We apologise for any inconvenience, but we will keep locals informed while the work is going on through signs in those small areas where access will be temporarily restricted.”

An interesting fact that was added on to the end of the release was that a total of 14.3 per cent of Wales is covered by woodlands. Of this, 38% (126,000 hectares/311,000 acres) is owned by the Welsh Government.

Opening of the Wales Coastal Path event in Kidwelly

There was an event held in Kidwelly on Saturday 5th May along with many others throughout Wales to celebrate the opening of the Wales Coastal Path. I took the opportunity to go down to the Gwenllian Centre which was the hub of the activities. There was a large scale map of Wales where we could follow the footpaths.

I decided to go on one of the guided walks around Mynydd-y-Garreg. It's a very scenic walk and well worth going up to take a look.

In the picture above you can see one of the old quarries on the mountain. There are also some stunning views across the lower Gwendraeth Valley.

The picture above looks over towards Carway and the Ffos Las Racecourse (if you zoom in you should be able to make out the shape of the racecourse).

The picture above is taken from behind Mynydd-y-Garreg Hall and looks down towards the village and Kidwelly town.

And you can't visit Mynydd-y-Garreg without taking a look at the Ray Gravell memorial. I have visited the site may times before but when I took this picture was the first time that I noticed that the plinth was shaped like a rugby ball.

Thank you

I would like to thank all those who supported me in the town council and county council elections held on the 3rd May. I am pleased to be re-elected on to Kidwelly Town Council and will continue to work to make this community a better place for the people who live here. My dad Mike Thomas was also elected as councillor for the Castle ward.

I was also the Labour candidate in Trimsaran against former council leader Meryl Gravell. Although she was re-elected, I as well as other candidates managed to cut her majority down to 100 votes, down from 280 last time. Special mentions go to Marc James (Plaid) and Lynn Jones (Tory) who put a lot of hard work into the seat.

One further mention goes to Keith Davies who was re-elected as county councillor for Kidwelly. Keith increased his majority from 99 to 271.

Carmarthenshire Labour launch manifesto

On Thursday the Carmarthenshire County Labour Party launched it's manifesto for the 2012 local elections. It's a rather thick document and some proposals have been drawn up with expert detail. I believe it is a manifesto that reflects people's concerns about the economy with a lot of detail about regeneration, job creation, apprenticeships and improving infrastructure. It also reflects the interdependent nature of the work of the county council acknowledging that we will not succeed in making our county better without working with other bodies including businesses, co-ops and mutuals, third sector organisations and the Welsh Government. I have posted a copy below for your perusal.

Open publication - Free publishing - More election

May Election Candidates

The list of election candidates for County and Community elections are now available on Carmarthenshire County Council's website.

Click here to see the county list.

Click here to see the community lists.

I am standing as Labour's County Council candidate in Trimsaran against the current council leader and three others.

I am also standing as a candidate in the Mynydd-y-Garreg ward of Kidwelly. There are 9 candidates for 5 seats.

There are also 13 candidates standing to fill the 8 seats of the Castle ward. It represents a significant increase in the number of candidates compared to the last ordinary election.

For the Kidwelly county seat there are four candidates to fill the one seat. It is surprising to find that Plaid Cymru have failed to find a candidate. At the last election Kidwelly was the most contested seat in the county with seven candidates.

This year's budget

For those of you who are interested in how your town council precept is spent, you can find a copy of next year's council budget on-line here. It's important that you as rate payers see how your money is spent.

This year money has been reallocated to opening the public conveniences over the weekend and holidays (following the Council withdrawing the service) and to fund summer play schemes for young children.

Dydd Gwyl Dewi

Dymunwn Ddydd Gwyl Dewi hapus i chi gyd.

Wishing you all a happy St. David's day.