Llanelli
Encyclopedia
Llanelli the largest town
in both the county
of Carmarthenshire
and the preserved county of Dyfed
, Wales
, sits on the Loughor
estuary
on the West Wales
coast, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) west-north-west of Swansea
and 12 miles (19.3 km) south-east of the county town, Carmarthen
. The town is famous for its proud rugby
tradition and is a centre of tinplate production. In the mid 20th century, Llanelli was the largest town in the world where more than half the population spoke a Celtic language. It is ranked the 7th largest urban area in Wales.
Llanelli is also surrounded by a number of villages and communities in the Llanelli Rural
district. Some of these communities, more notably those that immediately surround the town, are often unofficially referred to as Llanelli.
Historically a mining town, Llanelli grew significantly in the 18th century and 19th century with the mining
of coal
and later the tinplate industry and steel
works. Many of these industries were served by the Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway which opened in 1803.
Llanelli became such a significant regional producer of tin that it was referred to as "Tinopolis" by the latter half of the 19th century. The closure of coal mines and competition from overseas steel plants meant that Llanelli, like many other towns in southern Wales
, saw significant and sustained economic decline from the late 1970s.
works at Trostre, and Dyfed Steels
), many of which service the automotive industry. The Technium
Performance Engineering Centre was developed at Llanelli Gate as a business incubator for businesses in the automotive, motorsport and aerospace sectors.
The traditional industries of Llanelli have been in gradual decline over recent decades and local government has responded by promoting developments such as the Machynys
Golf Course, new retail parks at Trostre and Pemberton, and the Millennium Coastal Park
, to help attract tourism. The core shopping area has now largely relocated from the town centre to the Trostre/Pemberton area.
In 1991 Llanelli was a distinct Travel to Work Area
, but the 2001-based revision has merged the locality into a wider Swansea Bay
Travel to Work Area.
, located just outside the town.
, Lancashire
in 1770. After moving to Llanelli towards the end of the 18th century, he became involved in the establishment of a small brewery
in the town. After the death of the owner, the Rev. Buckley came into the possession of the brewery and changed its name to Buckley's Brewery. In 1998, the brewery was purchased by Brains Brewery
, and production was transferred to their brewery in Cardiff
. However, Brains continue to produce The Reverend James, a bitter
named in memory of the Reverend. It has now been partly demolished.
Rugby union — The town's rugby union
teams—the Scarlets regional side, competing in the Magners League, and Llanelli RFC
, competing in the Principality Premiership
—play at Parc y Scarlets
, opened in November 2008 just outside of town in Pemberton.
Previously, the two teams had played at Stradey Park
, home to Llanelli RFC for over 130 years. It was one of the stadiums used during the 1999 Rugby World Cup, hosting the Argentina
v Western Samoa
game on October 10. Stradey Park is now being re-developed.
The Welsh
folk song Sosban Fach
("Little Saucepan") is mostly associated with Llanelli RFC. Many rugby clubs have notable scalps collected from touring international sides, but on 31 October 1972, Llanelli claimed perhaps the greatest by beating the New Zealand All Blacks. The Scarlets side emerged 9–3 winners at Stradey Park.
There is also a strong junior rugby core in Llanelli, including club sides such as Felinfoel
, New Dock Stars and the Llanelli Wanderers
. In 2005, Coedcae School won the Inter-Schools Cup of Wales with an 8 - 5 victory over Brynteg Comprehensive.
Rugby league — Llanelli's rugby league
club are called the West Wales Sharks
and play in the Welsh Conference Premier
. The Sharks play out of Llanelli Wanderers RFC's home ground of Stradey Park.
Football — Stebonheath Park
is the home of football club
Llanelli A.F.C.
. Although Llanelli has a rich rugby heritage, football is also a very popular pastime. As a result there are many active local football teams such Trostre Sports AFC, which is one of the area's best local football teams.
Bowls — Llanelli hosts the annual Llanelli Open Bowls Tournaments, the oldest and most prestigious of which, the Roberts-Rolfe Open Singles event, has been run since 1926, and now has a first prize of £600. These are held from July to September in Parc Howard.
Golf—- The Llanelli area has three golf course
s, including the Machynys Peninsula Golf & Country Club, Machynys Peninsula Golf & Country Club which is and has been the host of the Wales Ladies Championship of Europe
since 2005; and Glyn Abbey Golf Club which was named Welsh Golf Club of the Year 2009.
Motorsports — The Pembrey Circuit
is known as the home of Welsh Motorsport
, providing racing for cars, motorcycles, karts and trucks.
Boxing — Llanelli is the home of former World Junior Kickboxing champion and championship level professional boxer 'Dynamite' Dean Phillips, former British Superfeatherweight Champion Neil Haddock, and former Welsh Heavyweight champion Chris Jacobs.
Bodybuilding — Llanelli is birthplace and home to IFBB Pro James 'Flex' Lewis, Mr. Olympia 202 competitor and a Gaspari Nutrition athlete.
Snooker- Llanelli is also the birthplace and home to Terry Griffiths
OBE, snooker world champion in 1979 and runner up in 1988.Currently a world respected coach to players of all calibre and runs The Terry Griffiths Matchroom in the town centre.
, an online community news magazine called Your Llanelli and a radio station, Scarlet FM
. Other stations that cover the area are The Wave, Swansea Sound
and sister station Radio Carmarthenshire
, and a Hospital Radio Station for the Prince Phillip Hospital which is Radio BGM.
Llanelli is home to Tinopolis
, one of the UK's largest independent media producers. The company has many subsidiaries, which produce over 2,500 hours of broadcast television, including English language
television programmes such as Question Time
for the BBC
and Welsh language
television programs such as Wedi 7
for S4C
.
Llanelli also has LTTV, which is an online community TV station for area.
at Ffos Las
near Trimsaran
Some local attractions include:
, an arts theatre (likely to replace Theatre Elli) and ten pin bowling on the former Old Castle Works site located near North Dock
and Sandy
. Millions of pounds are also being spent on regenerating the town centre shopping district. These plans are in addition to Parc y Scarlets.
Throughout the year, there are many festivals, carnival
s and events held in or near Llanelli. Some of these include:
, although much of the river is not visible, most especially in the town centre, where the river is underneath the town.
, but is linked to many national locations via good road, rail and air services. The town is linked to the M4 motorway
via the A4138
. There is also a link to Swansea
via the Loughor bridge
on the A484
. Llanelli is served by regular local bus services between Swansea
and Carmarthen
and National Express
Coaches between many major UK destinations.
Rail provides an important link to the town from Llanelli railway station
which is located at Great Western Crescent south of the town centre. The station is connected to Fishguard
and Swansea
along the West Wales Line
. The station is also the terminus of the Heart of Wales Line
, which connects the town to Mid Wales
and Craven Arms
, and then Shrewsbury
via the Welsh Marches Line
. There are twice daily train services connecting the town with London Paddington and regular services to Cardiff Central
, and Manchester Piccadilly
. The district of Llanelli
is also served by four local railway stations at Bynea
, Llangennech
, Burry Port
and Kidwelly
.
Cycling to Llanelli is another option as the town is connected to the National Cycle Network
from the north on NCR 43, and along the coast from the east and west on NCR 4
. These routes are directly connected to the town centre via a cycle path.
The nearest passenger airport is Cardiff International Airport
(50 miles) although there is a nearby Regional airport at Pembrey
.
-medium primary school, Ysgol Dewi Sant, was established in Llanelli in 1947. However, the majority of children in Llanelli attend English-medium schools. The English medium secondary school
s are St. John Lloyd
, Bryngwyn, Glan-y-Môr
(Burry Port
), and Coedcae; the only Welsh medium secondary school is Ysgol y Strade
. There is also a special school for children with disabilities, Ysgol Heol Goffa, and a private school, St. Michael's, based in the Bryn area
.
(Carmarthenshire College) has its main campus at Graig near Pwll. It provides a college education for most of the town's further education students as well as a limited variety of vocational undergraduate degrees through the University of Wales
. There are also sixth form
colleges at Ysgol Gyfun y Strade (Welsh medium) and St. Michael's (English medium).
Prince Phillip Hospital is also home to a postgraduate centre for medical training run by Cardiff University's
School of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education.
. The "ll"s in the name are pronounced as voiceless alveolar lateral fricative
s (IPA symbol [ɬ]), a phoneme
that does not exist in English
. In England
, where many people are aware that "ll" is not the same as "l" but are unable to pronounce it quite correctly, it is common to hear "Llanelli" approximated as "Clanethli".
, which is in south-east Wales near Abergavenny
.
Llanelli is within the Llanelli
parliamentary constituency, which is presently represented by the elected Labour party member
Nia Griffith
MP
, and the National Assembly for Wales
constituency, which is represented by Labour's Keith Davies AM. Llanelli is run on a community level by Llanelli Town Council
and Llanelli Rural Council (depending on the area of town) and Carmarthenshire County Council
on a local government level. Note that Llanelli Rural Council addresses some part of the town, but mainly the Llanelli Rural
community. Recently, there have been many decisions made by the Carmarthenshire authorities, including the Carmarthenshire County Council
and Local Health Board that have been very unpopular and damaging to the communities of Llanelli. In reaction to this, there have been calls to reinstate the local government district of Llanelli either as a county or as the City of Llanelli, making the entire area independent of Carmarthenshire.
with the
French
town of Agen
.
, a joint venture between Carmarthenshire County Council
and the Welsh Assembly Government
, is a project that aims to drive the regeneration of the Llanelli area by transforming the waterfront into a business, leisure and residential community. Currently, there are two seafront housing developments under construction. Pentre Nicklaus Village, located on the Machynys Peninsula
has been the subject of recent criticism for being above the price range of local people. Pentre Doc Y Gogledd (North Dock Village) in the historic North Dock
area is currently being developed by David Mclean homes and is currently on the last phase of development.
Dorothy Squires (Recording artist - 1915 to 1998)
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
in both the county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
and the preserved county of Dyfed
Dyfed
Dyfed is a preserved county of Wales. It was created on 1 April 1974 under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, and covered approximately the same geographic extent as the ancient Principality of Deheubarth, although excluding the Gower Peninsula and the area west of the River Tawe...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, sits on the Loughor
Loughor
Loughor is a town in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Loughor. The town has a community council called Llwchwr....
estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
on the West Wales
West Wales
West Wales is the western area of Wales.Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, an area which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth., an area called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics....
coast, approximately 10 miles (16.1 km) west-north-west of Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
and 12 miles (19.3 km) south-east of the county town, Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
. The town is famous for its proud rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
tradition and is a centre of tinplate production. In the mid 20th century, Llanelli was the largest town in the world where more than half the population spoke a Celtic language. It is ranked the 7th largest urban area in Wales.
Llanelli is also surrounded by a number of villages and communities in the Llanelli Rural
Llanelli Rural
Llanelli Rural is a community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 21,043.Despite its name it covers large parts of the Llanelli urban area, including Bynea, Llwynhendy, Cefncaeau, Pemberton, Bryn, Penceiliogi, Dafen, Felinfoel, Swiss Valley, along with...
district. Some of these communities, more notably those that immediately surround the town, are often unofficially referred to as Llanelli.
History
- see also Timeline of Llanelli historyTimeline of Llanelli historyThis article is a timeline of Llanelli history. For a full article on the town, see Llanelli.-1700s:1761 – Oldest map of Llanelli created, where Machynys is shown to be an island.1772 – John Wesley visits Llanelly....
Historically a mining town, Llanelli grew significantly in the 18th century and 19th century with the mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and later the tinplate industry and steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
works. Many of these industries were served by the Llanelly and Mynydd Mawr Railway which opened in 1803.
Llanelli became such a significant regional producer of tin that it was referred to as "Tinopolis" by the latter half of the 19th century. The closure of coal mines and competition from overseas steel plants meant that Llanelli, like many other towns in southern Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, saw significant and sustained economic decline from the late 1970s.
Economy
The area around Llanelli in eastern Carmarthenshire is home to a number of manufacturing companies (including the CorusCorus Group
Tata Steel Europe is a multinational steel-making company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the second-largest steel-maker in Europe and is a subsidiary of Tata Steel of India, one of the ten largest steel producers in the world.Corus Group was formed through the merger of Koninklijke...
works at Trostre, and Dyfed Steels
Dyfed Steels
Dyfed Steels is a steel company based in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales. They are the largest independent steel stockholder and processor in Wales and the South West of England, and have a turnover in excess of £40 Million. They appeared in the Western Mail list of the top 300 businesses in Wales...
), many of which service the automotive industry. The Technium
Technium
Technium is the brand name of a business incubation scheme in Wales. The scheme provides tenants with office space, business support, fast telecom links and venture finance....
Performance Engineering Centre was developed at Llanelli Gate as a business incubator for businesses in the automotive, motorsport and aerospace sectors.
The traditional industries of Llanelli have been in gradual decline over recent decades and local government has responded by promoting developments such as the Machynys
Machynys
Machynys, or Machynys Peninsula is a coastal area in south Llanelli, formerly occupied by a tinplate works and housing for its workers. After the works' closure, the housing was emptied in the mid 1960s and the site remained largely derelict awaiting abortive regeneration plans.The site has been...
Golf Course, new retail parks at Trostre and Pemberton, and the Millennium Coastal Park
Millennium Coastal Park
The Millennium Coastal Park was originally a project undertaken by Llanelli Borough Council to transform a 20 km stretch of industrial wasteland on the south Carmarthenshire coast in to green parkland...
, to help attract tourism. The core shopping area has now largely relocated from the town centre to the Trostre/Pemberton area.
In 1991 Llanelli was a distinct Travel to Work Area
Travel to Work Area
A Travel to Work Area or TTWA is a statistical tool used by UK Government agencies and local authorities, especially by the Department for Work and Pensions and Job Centres, to indicate an area where the population would generally commute to a larger town, city or conurbation for the purposes of...
, but the 2001-based revision has merged the locality into a wider Swansea Bay
Swansea Bay (region)
The Swansea Bay area of Wales is located north of the sea area of Swansea Bay. The term Swansea Bay is used by the Welsh Assembly Government for policy planning purposes as well as by a number of other organisations....
Travel to Work Area.
Brewing
Llanelli has a brewing tradition, with the Felinfoel Brewery in FelinfoelFelinfoel
Felinfoel is a small village and community council ward on the River Lliedi on the northern border of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, West Wales, with a population of about 2,000.The Felinfoel Brewery, home of Double Dragon Ale, is the oldest in Wales...
, located just outside the town.
Buckley's Brewery
The Reverend James Buckley was an ordained Methodist minister, born in OldhamOldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
in 1770. After moving to Llanelli towards the end of the 18th century, he became involved in the establishment of a small brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
in the town. After the death of the owner, the Rev. Buckley came into the possession of the brewery and changed its name to Buckley's Brewery. In 1998, the brewery was purchased by Brains Brewery
Brains Brewery
Brains is a regional brewery founded in 1882 in Cardiff, Wales by Samuel Arthur Brain. The company owns over 250 pubs across South Wales, Mid Wales, the West Country and particularly in Cardiff...
, and production was transferred to their brewery in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. However, Brains continue to produce The Reverend James, a bitter
Bitter (beer)
Bitter is an English term for pale ale. Bitters vary in colour from gold to dark amber and in strength from 3% to 7% alcohol by volume.-Brief history:...
named in memory of the Reverend. It has now been partly demolished.
Sport
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
teams—the Scarlets regional side, competing in the Magners League, and Llanelli RFC
Llanelli RFC
Llanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
, competing in the Principality Premiership
Welsh Premier Division
The Welsh Premier Division is a rugby union league in Wales first implemented by the Welsh Rugby Union for the 1990–91 season.-Competition history:...
—play at Parc y Scarlets
Parc y Scarlets
Parc y Scarlets is a rugby union stadium in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, that opened in November 2008 as the new home of the Scarlets and Llanelli RFC. The ground replaced Stradey Park, the home of Llanelli's rugby teams for almost 130 years...
, opened in November 2008 just outside of town in Pemberton.
Previously, the two teams had played at Stradey Park
Stradey Park
Stradey Park was a rugby union stadium located near the centre of the town of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It was the home of the Scarlets region and Llanelli RFC rugby teams. The stadium was a combination of seating and standing with a total capacity of 10,800...
, home to Llanelli RFC for over 130 years. It was one of the stadiums used during the 1999 Rugby World Cup, hosting the Argentina
Argentina national rugby union team
The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
v Western Samoa
Samoa national rugby union team
The Manu Samoa is the men's representative side of the Samoa Rugby Union in both the 15's and the 7's for international competitions. The Samoa Rugby Union is owned by the affiliated rugby unions of Samoa. In Samoa, Manu Samoa is in honour of a famous Samoan warrior. From 1924 to 1997 Samoa was...
game on October 10. Stradey Park is now being re-developed.
The Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
folk song Sosban Fach
Sosban Fach
Sosban Fach is a traditional Welsh folk song. It is one of the best-known and most often sung songs in the Welsh language....
("Little Saucepan") is mostly associated with Llanelli RFC. Many rugby clubs have notable scalps collected from touring international sides, but on 31 October 1972, Llanelli claimed perhaps the greatest by beating the New Zealand All Blacks. The Scarlets side emerged 9–3 winners at Stradey Park.
There is also a strong junior rugby core in Llanelli, including club sides such as Felinfoel
Felinfoel RFC
Felinfoel RFC is a Welsh rugby union club representing the town of Felinfoel, Llanelli, West Wales. Felinfoel RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for Llanelli Scarlets.-Club honours:* WRU Division Two West - 2007/08 - Champions...
, New Dock Stars and the Llanelli Wanderers
Llanelli Wanderers RFC
Llanelli Wanderers Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team from the town of Llanelli, South Wales. They are members of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Llanelli Scarlets.-History:...
. In 2005, Coedcae School won the Inter-Schools Cup of Wales with an 8 - 5 victory over Brynteg Comprehensive.
Rugby league — Llanelli's rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
club are called the West Wales Sharks
West Wales Sharks
Dinefwr Sharks RLFC were a rugby league side based in Ammanford, South-West Wales.-History:West Wales Sharks were formed in the spring of 2006 and joined the Rugby League Conference Welsh Division West...
and play in the Welsh Conference Premier
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
. The Sharks play out of Llanelli Wanderers RFC's home ground of Stradey Park.
Football — Stebonheath Park
Stebonheath Park
Stebonheath Park is a multi-use stadium in Llanelli, West Wales with a capacity of 3,700. It is primarily used as a football ground and is the home of Llanelli Football Club.It is also used for athletics and Llanelli Amateur Athletic Club are based at the stadium...
is the home of football club
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
Llanelli A.F.C.
Llanelli A.F.C.
Llanelli Association Football Club is a Welsh semi-professional football club that plays in the Welsh Premier League for the 2010–11 season. The team has been based at Stebonheath Park since 1920, and as of 2009 is managed by Andy Legg....
. Although Llanelli has a rich rugby heritage, football is also a very popular pastime. As a result there are many active local football teams such Trostre Sports AFC, which is one of the area's best local football teams.
Golf—- The Llanelli area has three golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s, including the Machynys Peninsula Golf & Country Club, Machynys Peninsula Golf & Country Club which is and has been the host of the Wales Ladies Championship of Europe
Wales Ladies Championship of Europe
The Wales Ladies Championship of Europe is a women's professional golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour that is held in Wales.The tournament was first played in 1996 at Gleneagles in Scotland. It was titled as the McDonald's WPGA Championship and was the first event on the tour to be played...
since 2005; and Glyn Abbey Golf Club which was named Welsh Golf Club of the Year 2009.
Motorsports — The Pembrey Circuit
Pembrey Circuit
Pembrey Circuit is a racing circuit outside Pembrey village, south Wales. It is deemed to be the home of Welsh motorsport, providing racing for cars, motorcycles, karts and trucks...
is known as the home of Welsh Motorsport
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
, providing racing for cars, motorcycles, karts and trucks.
Boxing — Llanelli is the home of former World Junior Kickboxing champion and championship level professional boxer 'Dynamite' Dean Phillips, former British Superfeatherweight Champion Neil Haddock, and former Welsh Heavyweight champion Chris Jacobs.
Bodybuilding — Llanelli is birthplace and home to IFBB Pro James 'Flex' Lewis, Mr. Olympia 202 competitor and a Gaspari Nutrition athlete.
Snooker- Llanelli is also the birthplace and home to Terry Griffiths
Terry Griffiths
Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...
OBE, snooker world champion in 1979 and runner up in 1988.Currently a world respected coach to players of all calibre and runs The Terry Griffiths Matchroom in the town centre.
Media
The town has its own newspaper, the Llanelli StarLlanelli Star
The Llanelli Star is a Welsh regional newspaper covering the areas of Llanelli and Carmarthen in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is published on a weekly basis in a tabloid form. The newspaper is published by South West Wales Publications, the same company behind the South Wales Evening...
, an online community news magazine called Your Llanelli and a radio station, Scarlet FM
Scarlet FM
Scarlet FM is a local radio station covering the Llanelli, Burry Port and Pembrey areas of south Carmarthenshire in west Wales. It plays contemporary and classic songs...
. Other stations that cover the area are The Wave, Swansea Sound
Swansea Sound
Swansea Sound is a British independent local radio station broadcasting to Swansea and surrounding areas, aimed at a core 40+ demographic. Swansea Sound was the first local radio station in Wales, and has won several awards, including the number one regional station in South Wales....
and sister station Radio Carmarthenshire
Radio Carmarthenshire
Radio Carmarthenshire is a British Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Carmarthenshire county on 97.1 and 97.5 FM from studios in Narberth, Pembrokeshire in South Wales. It launched on 13 June 2004...
, and a Hospital Radio Station for the Prince Phillip Hospital which is Radio BGM.
Llanelli is home to Tinopolis
Tinopolis
Tinopolis plc is a Welsh independent television production company, owned by its senior management and private equity company Vitruvian Partners.Tinopolis produces over 2,500 hours of television annually for more than 200 UK and foreign broadcasters....
, one of the UK's largest independent media producers. The company has many subsidiaries, which produce over 2,500 hours of broadcast television, including English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
television programmes such as Question Time
Question Time (TV series)
Question Time is a topical debate BBC television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions?. The show typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer questions put to them by the audience...
for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
television programs such as Wedi 7
Wedi 7
Wedi 7 is S4C's nightly magazine programme. Produced by Tinopolis, it is the half-hour sister programme to a full-hour Wedi 3 .-Show contents:...
for S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
.
Llanelli also has LTTV, which is an online community TV station for area.
Leisure and tourism
Over the past decade, the emphasis on heavy industry that once played an important part in the district has changed to an emphasis on creating tertiary sector employment in leisure and tourism. Llanelli is now being developed as a leisure and tourism destination, with many ongoing developments such as the new Llanelli Scarlets rugby stadium, the Old Castle Works leisure village (see below) and a National Hunt racecourseFfos Las racecourse
The Ffos Las racecourse is a horse racing, equestrian sports and conferencing venue situated just off the B4317 road, opposite the Glyn Abbey Golf Club, in a rural area called Ffos Las between Trimsaran and Carway and is about north of Llanelli...
at Ffos Las
Ffos Las
Ffos Las is a rural area between the villages of Carway and Trimsaran, north of the town of Llanelli in the Gwendraeth Valley in Carmarthenshire, Wales....
near Trimsaran
Trimsaran
Trimsaran is a former mining village which lies on the B4308 between Llanelli and Kidwelly, in the Welsh county of Carmarthenshire.Trimsaran is six miles from Llanelli, and from Carmarthen...
Local attractions
- The Millennium Coastal PathMillennium coastal pathThe Millennium Coastal Path is a 22 km pedestrian walkway and cycleway along the south coast of Carmarthenshire, providing a link between Llanelli and Pembrey Country Park. The cycleway forms a section of both the Celtic Trail cycle route and the National Cycle Network NCN 4.The Millennium...
, which spans 13 miles (20.9 km) of coastline from LoughorLoughorLoughor is a town in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Loughor. The town has a community council called Llwchwr....
to PembreyPembreyPembrey is a village in Carmarthenshire Wales, situated between Burry Port and Kidwelly, overlooking Carmarthen Bay.-History:The name Pembrey is an Anglicisation of the Welsh, Pen-bre...
, offers views of the Gower PeninsulaGower PeninsulaGower or the Gower Peninsula is a peninsula in south Wales, jutting from the coast into the Bristol Channel, and administratively part of the City and County of Swansea. Locally it is known as "Gower"...
and the opportunity for traffic-free cycling. - Pembrey Country ParkPembrey Country ParkPembrey Country Park is a country park in Britain. It is on the coast of south Wales, near the village of Pembrey, Carmarthenshire, and the town of Llanelli....
is situated on the outskirts of Llanelli, and consists of about 2 square kilometres (494.2 acre) of parkland. Cefn SidanCefn SidanCefn Sidan, roughly translated from Welsh, means "Silky Back". This long sandy beach and its dunes form the outer edge of the Pembrey Burrows between Burry Port and Kidwelly, looking southwards over Carmarthen Bay in South Wales....
, a beach within the park that has won the coveted Blue FlagBlue Flag beachThe Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education that a beach or marina meets its stringent standards.The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE which is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation consisting of 65 organisations in 60 member countries in Europe,...
award, is approximately 8.1 miles (13 km) long and half a mile to the sea at its narrowest at low tide. - National Wetlands Centre, about 1 miles (1.6 km) east of Llanelli, is one of nine wetlandWetlandA wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
nature reserveNature reserveA nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
s managed by the Wildfowl and Wetlands TrustWildfowl and Wetlands TrustThe Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust is a wildfowl and wetland conservation charity in the United Kingdom. Its patron is Queen Elizabeth II.It was founded in 1946 by the ornithologist and artist Sir Peter Scott, initially as the Severn Wildfowl Trust...
. - Llanelly HouseLlanelly HouseLlanelly House is one of the most notable historic properties in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales—an excellent example of an early 18th-century Georgian town house. The house, located directly opposite the parish church, is currently in a poor state of repair; however, the town council has recently...
is one of Llanelli's most historic properties, an example of an early 18th century GeorgianGeorgian architectureGeorgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
town houseTownhouseA townhouse is the term historically used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in many other countries to describe a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. Most such figures owned one or more country houses in which they lived for much of the year...
. The house, located directly opposite the parish churchParish churchA parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, is currently in a poor state of repair, however the town councilTown councilA town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....
has recently purchased it with plans to completely restore the house for civicCivic engagementCivic engagement or civic participation has been defined as "Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern."-Forms:...
and public use. The then Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for CarmarthenshireCarmarthenshireCarmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, Thomas Stepney originally built the house in 1714. John WesleyJohn WesleyJohn Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
, the early leader of the Methodist movement, stayed at the house several times. The house was also featured in the first series of the BBC televisionBBC TelevisionBBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
show, RestorationRestoration (TV series)Restoration, Restoration, Restoration is a set of BBC television series where viewers decided on which listed building that was in immediate need of remedial works was to win a grant from Heritage Lottery Fund...
. - Parc Howard MuseumParc Howard Museum- Location :Parc Howard Museum and Art Gallery can be found off the A476 road north of Llanelli.- History :The museum is housed in Parc Howard mansion, a country house built by the Buckley brewing family in 1885 and set in 27 acres of parkland, now a civic park. In 1912 the mansion was given to the...
is set in the grounds of Park Howard. The museum houses a collection of Llanelly Pottery (Llanelli spelt with a 'y' at the time of the pottery) an art collection and material related to the history of the town.
Leisure
Theatre Elli, the town's only theatre, is part of the Llanelli Entertainment Centre. It is one of the few recreational facilities in the town at the moment, however there are plans currently under development for a multi-screen cinemaMovie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
, an arts theatre (likely to replace Theatre Elli) and ten pin bowling on the former Old Castle Works site located near North Dock
North Dock, Llanelli
North Dock is a former industrial dock in Llanelli, West Wales used mainly for exporting coal and tin plate from South Wales. It is also the name of the area immediately surrounding the dock. Llanelli Beach is also known locally as North Dock....
and Sandy
Sandy, Carmarthenshire
Sandy is an area in the county of Carmarthenshire in south-west Wales, on the western border of Llanelli town, about 5 miles east of Burry Port....
. Millions of pounds are also being spent on regenerating the town centre shopping district. These plans are in addition to Parc y Scarlets.
Throughout the year, there are many festivals, carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
s and events held in or near Llanelli. Some of these include:
- Welsh International Open, a competition of the World Bowls Tour (February)
- Wales Ladies Championship of Europe — golfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
tournament (August) - Into the Future Festival — educational event about the environment and technology, organised by the county councilCounty councilA county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
(August) - Llanelli Big Day Out — pop and live musicLive MusicLive Music is a reggaeton company owned by DJ Giann.-Artists:* Jowell & Randy* Tony Lenta* Watussi* De La Ghetto* Guelo Star* Galante "El Emperador"-Producers:*DJ Blass*Dexter*Mr. Greenz*DJ Giann*Los Hitmen*Dirty Joe*ALX...
event (August) - Llanelli Beer FestivalBeer festivalA Beer Festival is an organised event during which a variety of beers are available for tasting and purchase. Beer festivals are held in a number of countries...
— official CAMRA event (August) - Llanelli ChristmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
Carnival (November)
Location
The town lies on the river LliediRiver Lliedi
The River Lliedi has its source in the hills near Llanelli and Llannon in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The river fills the Swiss Valley reservoir and meets the sea at the Bury estuary at the former Carmarthenshire Dock, Llanelli....
, although much of the river is not visible, most especially in the town centre, where the river is underneath the town.
Transport
Llanelli is located on the south coast of West WalesWest Wales
West Wales is the western area of Wales.Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, an area which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth., an area called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics....
, but is linked to many national locations via good road, rail and air services. The town is linked to the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
via the A4138
A4138 road
The A4138 is a main road in Carmarthenshire, Wales, connecting Pontarddulais with Llanelli. Running in a north-east to south-west direction, the road connects with M4 Junction 48....
. There is also a link to Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
via the Loughor bridge
Loughor bridge
The Loughor bridge is a road bridge crossing over the River Loughor, providing a convenient link between much of western Swansea and Llanelli, west Wales. The bridge is part of the A484 road. The road bridge is adjacent to the Loughor railway viaduct. A permanent bridge linking Loughor and...
on the A484
A484 road
The A484 road is an A road in Wales connecting Swansea with Cardigan.The road begins at Cadle in Swansea and heads westwards as a southern bypass to Loughor. It continues over the Loughor bridge into Bynea, Carmarthenshire. It continues through the centre of Llanelli and traverses near the south...
. Llanelli is served by regular local bus services between Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
and Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
and National Express
National Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
Coaches between many major UK destinations.
Rail provides an important link to the town from Llanelli railway station
Llanelli railway station
Llanelli railway station is the railway station serving the town of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is located on the West Wales Line and the Heart of Wales Line...
which is located at Great Western Crescent south of the town centre. The station is connected to Fishguard
Fishguard
Fishguard is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300 . The community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5043 at the 2001 census....
and Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
along the West Wales Line
West Wales Line
The West Wales Lines are a group of railway lines from Swansea through Carmarthenshire to Pembrokeshire, West Wales...
. The station is also the terminus of the Heart of Wales Line
Heart of Wales Line
The Heart of Wales Line is a railway line running from Craven Arms in Shropshire to Llanelli in South Wales. It runs, as the name suggests, through some of the heartlands of Wales. It serves a number of rural centres en route, including several once fashionable spa towns, including Llandrindod Wells...
, which connects the town to Mid Wales
Mid Wales
Mid Wales is the name given to the central region of Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the National Assembly for Wales covered the counties of Ceredigion and Powys and the area of Gwynedd that had previously been the district of Meirionydd. A similar definition is used by the BBC...
and Craven Arms
Craven Arms
Craven Arms is a small town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, located on the A49 road and the Welsh Marches railway line, which connect it north and south to the larger towns of Shrewsbury and Ludlow respectively. The Heart of Wales railway line joins the Welsh Marches line at Craven Arms...
, and then Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
via the Welsh Marches Line
Welsh Marches Line
The Welsh Marches Line , known historically as the North and West Route, is the railway line running from Newport in south-east Wales to Shrewsbury in the West Midlands region of England by way of Abergavenny, Hereford and Craven Arms, and thence to Crewe via Whitchurch...
. There are twice daily train services connecting the town with London Paddington and regular services to Cardiff Central
Cardiff central station
Cardiff Central Station can refer to:*Cardiff Central railway station*Cardiff central bus station...
, and Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly station
Manchester Piccadilly is the principal railway station in Manchester, England. It serves intercity routes to London Euston, Birmingham New Street, South Wales, the south coast of England, Edinburgh and Glasgow Central, and routes throughout northern England...
. The district of Llanelli
Llanelli (district)
The Borough of Llanelli was one of thirty-seven local government districts in Wales from 1974 to 1996. It was the smallest of six districts in the newly-created county of Dyfed, and was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 by a merger of the municipal boroughs of Llanelli and Kidwelly, Burry...
is also served by four local railway stations at Bynea
Bynea railway station
Bynea railway station serves the village of Bynea near Llanelli, West Wales. Bynea station is situated close to the Millennium Coastal Park and is a convenient stop for cyclists and hikers to the coastal area....
, Llangennech
Llangennech railway station
Llangennech railway station serves the village of Llangennech near Llanelli, West Wales. Llangennech station is located at street level about half a mile away from the centre of the village...
, Burry Port
Pembrey and Burry Port railway station
Pembrey and Burry Port railway station is a railway station on the West Wales Line serving Pembrey and Burry Port, in Carmarthenshire, Wales.There is an hourly service to Manchester Piccadilly via Swansea, Cardiff Central, Shrewsbury and Crewe....
and Kidwelly
Kidwelly railway station
Kidwelly railway station serves the town of Kidwelly , Carmarthenshire. The station is situated on the coast just southwest of Kidwelly itself. Originally the station was the junction of the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway...
.
Cycling to Llanelli is another option as the town is connected to the National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
from the north on NCR 43, and along the coast from the east and west on NCR 4
NCR 4
Between London and Fishguard, the route runs through Reading, Bath, Bristol, Newport, Swansea, Llanelli and St David's. Within Wales, NCR 4 forms one of the branches of the Celtic Trail cycle route.-London to Reading:Chertsey | Staines | Eton | Maidenhead...
. These routes are directly connected to the town centre via a cycle path.
The nearest passenger airport is Cardiff International Airport
Cardiff International Airport
Cardiff Airport is an international airport serving Cardiff, and the rest of South, Mid and West Wales. Around 1.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010....
(50 miles) although there is a nearby Regional airport at Pembrey
Pembrey Airport
-Former operators:Other airlines that have operated at Pembrey:*Air Wales*Air Independence*Air Winton...
.
Primary and secondary
The first WelshWelsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
-medium primary school, Ysgol Dewi Sant, was established in Llanelli in 1947. However, the majority of children in Llanelli attend English-medium schools. The English medium secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s are St. John Lloyd
St. John Lloyd
St. John Lloyd Catholic Comprehensive School is a mixed, community comprehensive school of around 500 pupils, catering for all abilities across an age range of 11 years to 16...
, Bryngwyn, Glan-y-Môr
Glan-y-Mor Comprehensive School
Ysgol Glan-y-Môr School is a mixed, community comprehensive school of around 650 pupils, catering for all abilities across an age range of 11 years to 16...
(Burry Port
Burry Port
Burry Port is a small town five miles outside the larger centre of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the Loughor estuary. The town's population is roughly 8,000 although in the 2001 census there were 4209 residents....
), and Coedcae; the only Welsh medium secondary school is Ysgol y Strade
Ysgol y Strade
Ysgol Gyfun Y Strade is a Welsh-speaking secondary school in the town of Llanelli, Wales. It opened in September 1977 as a comprehensive school for boys and girls. The school currently has around 1000 students including a sixth form for those taking A-Level courses....
. There is also a special school for children with disabilities, Ysgol Heol Goffa, and a private school, St. Michael's, based in the Bryn area
Bryn, Llanelli
Bryn is a village situated east of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is part of the Llanelli Rural community, and it borders the villages of Llwynhendy, Llangennech, Dafen and Pemberton....
.
Further and higher education
Coleg Sir GârColeg Sir Gâr
Coleg Sir Gâr is one of the largest providers of further education in Wales.-Admissions:The college has five campuses at various locations in Carmarthenshire. They provide courses in fields including sciences, health, engineering, sport, agriculture, catering, art and design, hairdressing...
(Carmarthenshire College) has its main campus at Graig near Pwll. It provides a college education for most of the town's further education students as well as a limited variety of vocational undergraduate degrees through the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
. There are also sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
colleges at Ysgol Gyfun y Strade (Welsh medium) and St. Michael's (English medium).
Prince Phillip Hospital is also home to a postgraduate centre for medical training run by Cardiff University's
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
School of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education.
Pronunciation and spelling
The town's name is often mispronounced by non-Welsh people, particularly those from outside the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The "ll"s in the name are pronounced as voiceless alveolar lateral fricative
Voiceless alveolar lateral fricative
The voiceless alveolar lateral fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents voiceless dental, alveolar, and postalveolar fricatives is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is K...
s (IPA symbol [ɬ]), a phoneme
Phoneme
In a language or dialect, a phoneme is the smallest segmental unit of sound employed to form meaningful contrasts between utterances....
that does not exist in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. In England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where many people are aware that "ll" is not the same as "l" but are unable to pronounce it quite correctly, it is common to hear "Llanelli" approximated as "Clanethli".
'Llanelli' or 'Llanelly'
The spelling 'Llanelly' is an anglicised form which was used in government and official documents until 1965. This is evident in the name of the local historic building, 'Llanelly House'. It can also lead to confusion with the village and parish, LlanellyLlanelly
Llanelly is the name of both a village and its respective parish in Monmouthshire principal area, within the historic boundaries of Brecknockshire, south-east Wales.- Situation :...
, which is in south-east Wales near Abergavenny
Abergavenny
Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
.
Government
| Llanelli (Political) | |
|---|---|
| Mayor Mayor In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city.... |
Cllr. Dyfrig Thomas |
| Carmarthenshire County Council | |
| Leader | Cllr. Meryl Gravell |
| County Councillors (Ward) |
Cllr. D. Thomas (Bigyn) Cllr. M.J.P. Burns (Bigyn) Cllr. J.P. Jenkins John Paul Jenkins John Paul Jenkins is a local politician in Wales, in the United Kingdom. He is a county councillor for the Elli ward of Carmarthenshire, and a town councillor for the same ward on Llanelli Town Council... (Elli) Cllr. J.E. Jones (Glanymor) Cllr. W.J. Lemon (Glanymor) Cllr. T Devichand (Dafen) Cllr. K.D. Rees (Lliedi) Cllr. P.H. Lewis (Lliedi) Cllr. K.P. Thomas (Tyisha) Cllr. R.T. Price (Tyisha) |
| United Kingdom Parliament | |
| Nia Griffith Nia Griffith Nia Rhiannon Griffith is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Llanelli since 2005.-Background:... |
Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
| National Assembly for Wales | |
| Keith Davies | Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
Llanelli is within the Llanelli
Llanelli (UK Parliament constituency)
Llanelli is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1918 to 1970 the official spelling of the constituency name was Llanelly...
parliamentary constituency, which is presently represented by the elected Labour party member
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Nia Griffith
Nia Griffith
Nia Rhiannon Griffith is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Llanelli since 2005.-Background:...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, and the National Assembly for Wales
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
constituency, which is represented by Labour's Keith Davies AM. Llanelli is run on a community level by Llanelli Town Council
Llanelli Town Council
Llanelli Town Council is the community council that governs the majority of wards in Llanelli town. The council appoints a presiding officer who is then known as the Mayor of Llanelli....
and Llanelli Rural Council (depending on the area of town) and Carmarthenshire County Council
Carmarthenshire County Council
Carmarthenshire County Council is the local authority for the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales, providing a range of services under the control of elected county councillors that include education, planning, transport, social services and public safety...
on a local government level. Note that Llanelli Rural Council addresses some part of the town, but mainly the Llanelli Rural
Llanelli Rural
Llanelli Rural is a community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 21,043.Despite its name it covers large parts of the Llanelli urban area, including Bynea, Llwynhendy, Cefncaeau, Pemberton, Bryn, Penceiliogi, Dafen, Felinfoel, Swiss Valley, along with...
community. Recently, there have been many decisions made by the Carmarthenshire authorities, including the Carmarthenshire County Council
Carmarthenshire County Council
Carmarthenshire County Council is the local authority for the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales, providing a range of services under the control of elected county councillors that include education, planning, transport, social services and public safety...
and Local Health Board that have been very unpopular and damaging to the communities of Llanelli. In reaction to this, there have been calls to reinstate the local government district of Llanelli either as a county or as the City of Llanelli, making the entire area independent of Carmarthenshire.
Twinning
Llanelli is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with the
FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
town of Agen
Agen
Agen is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in Aquitaine in south-western France. It lies on the river Garonne southeast of Bordeaux. It is the capital of the department.-Economy:The town has a higher level of unemployment than the national average...
.
Town areas
- Bigyn
- ByneaByneaBynea is a village close to the River Loughor in Carmarthenshire, Wales. This was an agricultural area until the turn of the twentieth century, when it became heavily industralised with coal mines and steelworks...
- Llanerch
- MachynysMachynysMachynys, or Machynys Peninsula is a coastal area in south Llanelli, formerly occupied by a tinplate works and housing for its workers. After the works' closure, the housing was emptied in the mid 1960s and the site remained largely derelict awaiting abortive regeneration plans.The site has been...
- Morfa
- Tyisha
- New Dock
- SandySandy, CarmarthenshireSandy is an area in the county of Carmarthenshire in south-west Wales, on the western border of Llanelli town, about 5 miles east of Burry Port....
- Seaside, Llanelli
- StradeyStradeyStradey is an area of the town of Llanelli in the county of Carmarthenshire in Wales, home to Stradey Park, where the Llanelli RFC and Llanelli Scarlets rugby teams were formerly based. Stradey is also home to the town's only Welsh language secondary school, Ysgol y Strade....
- Llanelli Town centre
- LlwynhendyLlwynhendyLlywnhendy is a village on the edge of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales with a population of 4,276.It is bordered by Bynea, Pemberton and the Bryn. It is an old village with strong industrial roots. The steel-works in nearby Bynea was a major employer until the decline of the steel...
- PwllPwllPwll is a small coastal village, located between Llanelli and Burry Port. It has a local shop, Post Office, a few pubs, a primary school and local football and cricket teams. The village is concentrated along the north of the A484. The land rises away from the coast providing a view of the Gower...
- Burry PortBurry PortBurry Port is a small town five miles outside the larger centre of Llanelli in Carmarthenshire, Wales, lying on the Loughor estuary. The town's population is roughly 8,000 although in the 2001 census there were 4209 residents....
- PembreyPembreyPembrey is a village in Carmarthenshire Wales, situated between Burry Port and Kidwelly, overlooking Carmarthen Bay.-History:The name Pembrey is an Anglicisation of the Welsh, Pen-bre...
- KidwellyKidwellyKidwelly is a town in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, approximately north-west of the main town of Llanelli.It lies on the River Gwendraeth Fach above Carmarthen Bay. The town is twinned with French village St Jacut de la Mer.-History:...
Llanelli Waterside
Llanelli WatersideLlanelli Waterside
Llanelli Waterside is the marketing name given to the new suburb development in the coastal strip south west of the town of Llanelli, Wales. The scheme is a joint development between Carmarthenshire County Council and the Welsh Assembly Government...
, a joint venture between Carmarthenshire County Council
Carmarthenshire County Council
Carmarthenshire County Council is the local authority for the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales, providing a range of services under the control of elected county councillors that include education, planning, transport, social services and public safety...
and the Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
, is a project that aims to drive the regeneration of the Llanelli area by transforming the waterfront into a business, leisure and residential community. Currently, there are two seafront housing developments under construction. Pentre Nicklaus Village, located on the Machynys Peninsula
Machynys
Machynys, or Machynys Peninsula is a coastal area in south Llanelli, formerly occupied by a tinplate works and housing for its workers. After the works' closure, the housing was emptied in the mid 1960s and the site remained largely derelict awaiting abortive regeneration plans.The site has been...
has been the subject of recent criticism for being above the price range of local people. Pentre Doc Y Gogledd (North Dock Village) in the historic North Dock
North Dock, Llanelli
North Dock is a former industrial dock in Llanelli, West Wales used mainly for exporting coal and tin plate from South Wales. It is also the name of the area immediately surrounding the dock. Llanelli Beach is also known locally as North Dock....
area is currently being developed by David Mclean homes and is currently on the last phase of development.
Sports
- Phil BennettPhil BennettPhillip Bennett was a Welsh international rugby union fly half from 1969 to 1978. His flair and range of tricks, including his famous sidestep and swerve, meant he was a firm favourite with crowds.-Rugby career:...
, fly-half, WalesWales national rugby union teamThe Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
and British LionsBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
. - Jonathan Davies, rugby footballer
- Dwayne PeelDwayne PeelDwayne John Peel is a Welsh rugby union player who plays for Sale Sharks and Wales. He is the most capped scrum-half for the Wales national rugby union team....
, rugby player, WalesWales national rugby union teamThe Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
and British LionsBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
. - Ray GravellRay GravellRaymond William Robert "Ray" Gravell was a Welsh rugby union centre who played club rugby for Llanelli RFC. At international level Gravell earned 23 caps for Wales and was selected for the 1980 British Lions tour to South Africa.In his later career he would become a respected broadcaster and...
, rugby player player for WalesWales national rugby union teamThe Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
, the British LionsBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
and Llanelli RFCLlanelli RFCLlanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
, actor and broadcaster. - Terry GriffithsTerry GriffithsTerrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...
, world snooker champion (1979). - Gareth JenkinsGareth JenkinsGareth Jenkins is a former Welsh rugby union footballer, and former head coach of the Welsh national team. After a long and distinguished career at Llanelli RFC, Jenkins was appointed Wales coach in 2006, succeeding Mike Ruddock...
, coachCoach (sport)In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
: Llanelli RFCLlanelli RFCLlanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent...
(1982–2003), Llanelli ScarletsLlanelli ScarletsThe Scarlets are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Llanelli, south-west Wales the team play at the Parc y Scarlets stadium. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, as well as competing in the LV= Cup and the Heineken Cup...
(2003–2006), Welsh national rugby teamWales national rugby union teamThe Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
(2006–2007). - Derek QuinnellDerek QuinnellDerek Leslie Quinnell , won 23 rugby union caps for Wales both as a lock-forward and as a number eight.Educated at Coleshill Secondary Modern School, Llanelli, Derek Quinnell first played for Llanelli RFC in 1967 and made his international debut for Wales against France in 1972...
, rugby player player for WalesWales national rugby union teamThe Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
, British LionsBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
and Llanelli RFCLlanelli RFCLlanelli Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union club founded in 1875 and its senior team is one of the leading club sides in Wales. The club began the 2008-09 season at their historic home ground of Stradey Park in Llanelli, but moved in November 2008 to the new Parc y Scarlets in adjacent... - Eirian WilliamsEirian WilliamsEirian Williams is a Professional snooker referee. He was formerly a police officer with the Dyfed-Powys Police in the Welsh town of Llanelli for 18 years.- Early life:...
, snookerSnookerSnooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
referee. - Steve Naylor, bodybuilder,7 times overall Mr Wales,Overall Mr Europe 2004,Overall Mr Britain 2005
- Flex Lewis, bodybuilder, IFBB Pro, Mr. Olympia 202 Competitor, Jr Mr Europe 2004,Overall Mr Britain 2007,Jr Mr Universe 2006
- Kyle Letheran, Plymouth Argyle F.C goalkeeper.
- 'Dynamite' Dean Phillips, boxerBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, Junior World Kickboxing Champion. Commonwealth/IBF Intercontinental/Welsh Lightweight title challenger. - Neil HaddockNeil HaddockNeil Haddock is a Welsh former lightweight and super featherweight boxer. Before turning professional he won a silver medal as a lightweight at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. His early career as a professional lightweight was not very notable, but after a year out from boxing caused by an eye...
, boxerBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, British Superfeatherweight Champion/European Lightweight title challenger. - Chris Jacobs, boxerBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, Welsh heavyweight champion. - Byron Stevenson, Welsh association footballer.
- Jeff Evans, First Class Cricket Umpire
- Dai Greene, athlete 400m hurdler, world champion and Gold medalist for IAAF championships at Daegu, South Korea
Government and politics
- Lord Elwyn Jones, LabourLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Lord ChancellorLord ChancellorThe Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
1974-79. - Rod RichardsRod RichardsRoderick Richards was the Conservative Member of Parliament for Clwyd North West, in Wales, from 1992 to 1997, when he lost his seat in the Labour Party landslide...
, former ConservativeConservative Party (UK)The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
member of parliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Clwyd North West and former leader of the Conservative party at the National Assembly for WalesNational Assembly for WalesThe National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs... - Michael HowardMichael HowardMichael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
, British politician, former leader of the Conservative party
Art, media and entertainment
- Rachel Roberts (actress), actress
- James Dickson InnesJames Dickson InnesJames Dickson Innes was a British painter, mainly of mountain landscapes but occasionally of figure subjects. He worked in both oils and water-colours.-Biography:...
, artist - Huw EdwardsHuw Edwards (journalist)Huw Edwards is a BAFTA award-winning Welsh journalist, presenter and newsreader.He is a news presenter for BBC News in the United Kingdom. Edwards presents Britain's most watched news programme, BBC News at Ten, which is also the corporation's flagship news broadcast...
, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
newsreader - Pam FerrisPam FerrisPamela Ann "Pam" Ferris is a German-born Welsh actress. She is best known for her starring roles on television as Ma Larkin in The Darling Buds of May, as Laura Thyme in Rosemary & Thyme, and for playing Miss Trunchbull in the movie Matilda...
, actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. - Jessica GarlickJessica GarlickJessica Julie Anne Garlick is a Welsh pop singer.Garlick made her first steps into showbusiness when she was 16. At that age she won the Welsh final of the TV talent show Star For A Night. The same year she also featured in Michael Barrymore's My Kind of Music...
, Eurovision Song Contest 2002Eurovision Song Contest 2002The Eurovision Song Contest 2002 was the 47th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place on 25 May 2002 at the Saku Suurhall Arena in Tallinn, Estonia....
UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
entrant and Pop IdolPop IdolPop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
finalist - Deke LeonardDeke LeonardRoger "Deke" Leonard is a rock musician, "serving a life sentence in the music business." Best known as a member of the progressive rock band Man, which he joined and left several times, and for fronting his own rock and roll band Iceberg, which he formed and disbanded several times, he is also...
, rock musician, author, raconteur and TV panellist - Gareth HughesGareth HughesGareth Hughes was a Welsh stage and silent screen actor. Usually cast as a callow, sensitive hero in Hollywood silent films, Hughes got his start on stage during childhood and continued to play youthful leads on Broadway....
, silent film actor, born in Halfway/Pemberton - Christopher ReesChristopher ReesChristopher Rees is a Welsh singer-songwriter now based in Cardiff.Christopher Rees is a solo artist, singer, song writer, multi instrumentalist, band leader, producer and record label director. He performs with a full band and in a solo capacity.Kiss Me, Kill MeChristopher Rees released the 'Kiss...
, singer, songwriter, musician. - Donald SwannDonald SwannDonald Ibrahím Swann was a British composer, musician and entertainer. He is best known to the general public for his partnership of writing and performing comic songs with Michael Flanders .-Life:...
of Flanders and SwannFlanders and SwannThe British duo Flanders and Swann were the actor and singer Michael Flanders and the composer, pianist and linguist Donald Swann , who collaborated in writing and performing comic songs.... - Huw ThomasHuw ThomasHywel Gruffydd "Huw" Thomas was a Welsh broadcaster, barrister and Liberal Party politician.-Family and education:Huw Thomas was born in Pen-bre, near Llanelli, and was a fluent Welsh speaker...
, ITNITV NewsITV News is the branding of news programmes on the British television network ITV. Since 1955, ITV's news bulletins have been produced by Independent Television News . The channel's news coverage has won awards from the Royal Television Society, Emmy Awards and BAFTAs. Between 2004 and 2008, the...
newscaster - Imogen ThomasImogen ThomasImogen Mary Thomas is a Welsh glamour model, beauty queen and television personality. She rose to fame in 2003, after winning Miss Wales, and achieved further note in 2006, when she lasted three months on the seventh series of reality TV series Big Brother.-Early life:Imogen was born to Charles...
, former Big Brother contestant and Adult Actress - Ronald CassRonald CassRonald Cass was a screenwriter and a composer. He co-wrote the films Summer Holiday and The Young Ones.-Biography:Cass was born in Llanelli, Wales to Saul and Rachel Cass, the second of five sons...
, film writer and composer - Leslie CassLeslie CassLeslie Cass is a Welsh songwriter, lyricist and musician, mostly known as the brother of Ronald Cass, the musical writer to Summer Holiday and The Young Ones.-Early and personal Life:Cass was born in Llanelli, Wales...
, songwriter and brother of Ronald Cass - Sophie DeeSophie DeeSophie Dee is a Welsh hardcore pornographic actress. She entered the adult film industry in 2005, and has since appeared in over 300 movies.-Biography:...
, Award Winning British Adult actress - Gary GriffithsGary GriffithsGary Griffiths is a Welsh baritone from the village of Pembrey, near Llanelli, Wales.- Personal life :Griffiths was born in Carmarthen and grew up in the village of Pembrey, Carmarthenshire. He is engaged to Welsh Harpist Hannah Stone....
, opera singer
Other
- Rev'd Dr Leslie John GriffithsLeslie GriffithsLeslie John Griffiths, Baron Griffiths of Burry Port, is a Methodist minister and life peer in the House of Lords, where he sits with the Labour Party....
, The Lord Griffiths of Burry Port, Methodist Minister. - Richard Taylor, TV Presenter, Author and Minister.
- Sir John Meurig ThomasJohn Meurig ThomasSir John Meurig Thomas FRS is a leading British chemist and educator primarily known for his work on heterogeneous catalysis, solid-state chemistry, and surface and materials science. He has authored over one thousand scientific articles and several books, including Principles and Practice of...
, chemistChemistA chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms... - Brian TrubshawBrian TrubshawErnest Brian Trubshaw, CBE, MVO was a notable test pilot, and the first British pilot to fly Concorde, in April 1969....
, pilot of first flight of British ConcordeConcordeAérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation... - Llanelli Community Heritage. Blue Plaques and local history.
Dorothy Squires (Recording artist - 1915 to 1998)
Trivia
- People from Llanelli are sometimes nicknamed "Turks". The origin of this name is uncertain. One theory is that many Turkish sailors once called at the port of Llanelli during their voyages.
- Llanelli has hosted the National Eisteddfod five times: in 1895, 1903, 1930, 1962, and 2000.
- During the 1950s, Trefor and Eileen Beasley campaigned to get Llanelli Rural Council to distribute tax papers in Welsh by refusing to pay taxes until their demand was met. The council reacted by sending in the bailiffs and selling their furniture to recover the money owed. The Beasleys' neighbours bought the furniture and returned it to them. The council finally reversed this policy during the 1960s when they accepted that the Welsh language should be equal with the English language.
External links
- Llanelli Rural Council
- Llanelli Town Council
- Carmarthenshire County Council Guide to Council-run services/Attractions in Llanelli
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Llanelli and surrounding area
- Llanelli Community Heritage Promoting Llanelli's rich heritage