A YOUNG woman has admitted plundering £8,500 from money raised in the memory of a tragic bridesmaid killed in a car crash.

 Magistrates in Llanelli heard how Natalie Thomas, 25, offered to help when her friend was killed in a car crash on the day of her fitting for her bridesmaid dress. 

 Laura Rees, 22, was on her way to meet up with the bride-to-be to discuss the wedding plans when she died in the head-on smash. 

 The court heard how the heartbroken bride-to-be was comforted by other friends who wanted to raise money as a special tribute. 

 But the court was told how fellow friend Thomas began stealing from the fund in Laura's memory. 

 Prosecutor Ellie Morgan said: "Thomas was a friend and offered to raise the money - she said she didn't want any help. 

 "She organised a charity night including a quiz, karaoke and an auction. 

 "But she delayed handing the fund over and on the actual day it was supposed to be handed over the money did not materialise." 

 The money was supposed to go towards a hospital's children's wing. 

 But magistrates heard how Thomas had admitted "dipping into the fund" over the months. 

 Miss Morgan said: "She intended paying it back but things got out of control and she couldn't pay it back. She then covered her tracks in a dishonest way. 

 "She was in a position of trust and a significant amount of money was involved." 

 Unmarried carer Thomas, of Whitland, admitted theft and will be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court later this month. 

 Nursery worker Laura, of St Clears, near Carmarthen, died in October, 2012. She was buried in her bridesmaid dress. 

 Bride Katie Phillips - now Davies - went ahead with her wedding as many of their friends then staged fundraisers in Laura's memory. 

 After the case, Laura's mum Angela said of Thomas: "I am absolutely disgusted with her. She has betrayed the trust of myself and Laura.

 "Everyone said she did a marvellous job at the time raising the money and then this happens. 

 "I just couldn't believe anyone could stoop as low as this."

FANCY a bounce on these? 

 The giant trampolines are part of a new attraction set to open next month. 

 They have been set up inside a huge slate quarry cavern at Llechwedd in Blaenau Ffestiniog. 

 Bounce Below is taking advantage of caverns, twice the size of St Paul's Cathedral. 

 A train will deliver people to the trampolines which will be lit up by coloured lights and linked by a 60ft slide. 

 The initiative comes on the back of Zip World Titan – the largest zip line course in the world. 

 Sean Taylor, owner of Zip World, is reported as saying: "We got the idea when my business partner saw this done in woods in France but this has never been done in a cavern, this really is a world first in Wales. 

 "It's a one hour activity where customers get dressed up in a cotton overall and given a helmet, they then jump on a train and travel inside the mountain. 

 "There are three giant trampolines with three metre net walls to stop people climbing out. 

Each is linked by a slide to go down and a walkway to go up – the biggest slide is 60ft." 

 Zip World is also considering a south Wales quarry for another attraction, so watch this space.

 THE latest in this season of one-off films gives Jo Brand another opportunity to flex her comedy writing muscles. 

 She is, after all, quite good at it, co-writing the award-winning Getting On set in a hospital geriatric ward. 

 And it is that same kind of dark humour that flourishes here as she turns her attention onto the well intentioned world of the social worker. 

 She stars as Rose, a single mum whose own domestic arrangements frequently bubble over into her role in child protection. 

 Brand has enlisted the support of comedy chums Kevin Eldon, Rebekah Staton, Ricky Grover and Alan Davies who plays a fellow care worn social worker, grown cynical round the edges after years in the job. 

 It is an affectionate portrayal of a job that is frequently maligned and misunderstood, but Brand's own experience growing up as the daughter of a social worker provides an insight, wrapped up in black comedy. 

 Playhouse Presents: Damned is on Sky Arts 1 at 9pm.

COMMUNITY leaders in Pontarddulais are vowing to battle on to save a school field.

They have made the pledge in the midst of a sell-off of other green sites linked to primary and secondary schools in the city.

The parcel of land at Pontarddulais Primary School in James Street is under threat, as the local authority is looking to find £73 million to invest into a new generation of buildings and upgrades over the coming years.

Pontarddulais councillor Jane Harris said, during a meeting of Pontarddulais Town Council at The Institute in St Teilo Street, that the field was needed as more than 700 pupils made use of the site.

She said: "They have sold off school fields in other areas.

"We will carry on fighting but it's going to be tough.

"One of the things we did notice is that the school fields that were sold off had a smaller number of pupils.

"We have something like 730 pupils between the two schools, we should draw that to the local authority's attention."

She added: "It's not a small school. It's no comparison to the fields already sold off and we have already lost one field."

School fields in Blaenymaes, Tre Uchaf and YGG Gellionnen, are also under threat of being sold off.

The situation led mums, dads and children to unite together in protest against the scheme, which saw some brandishing placards bearing the words "Hands off our Field" and "Children Need Sports".

At the time, Pontarddulais mayor Kevin Griffiths said: "We told officials in no uncertain terms we didn't want the school field to be sold off as we are putting a plan together to develop the field."

Mr Griffiths said a meeting had already taken place with Byron Davies, AM for South Wales West, and there were plans for further discussions to take place.

THOUSANDS of pounds of sporting equipment will soon be installed at a Gorseinon park.

Members of Gorseinon Town Council have revealed phase one of the scheme will push ahead at Parc y Werin.

A total of £6,000 has been awarded for the project and a further £1,500 has been pledged by the Sports Lottery.

Clerk John Millard said the scheme was forging ahead.

He said: "We have contacted the suppliers about the keep fit equipment in Parc y Werin for phase one.

"I met them at the site in the park.

"We will have a formal quote based on their advice and what we will have on the site.

"The advice was to group the bits of equipment together.

"The net cost will be £6,000 plus the £1,500 grant we had."

A number of pieces of sports equipment, including the push up and dip, along with a seated leg press and twist and step will be included in the park.

Gorseinon mayor Lorraine Davies said: "It's very impressive."

Mr Millard said they would consider how well received the sporting pieces of kit were among the public before installing anything else in the park.

"We will see how successful they are and confirm that they are not being vandalised," he added.

"We have done the ground work for phase two — it's a case of seeing how well phase one goes."

Gorseinon

FIREFIGHTERS from Llanelli have told a tribunal they were forced to work elsewhere because of a 96-hour shift system. 

 The 23 firefighters claim changes to their working hours were made at Llanelli Fire Station. 

 A Cardiff tribunal heard bosses at Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service changed workers from the traditional "two days, two nights and four days off" system to a "self rostering" scheme. 

 This saw fire crews work 24 hour shifts – 12 on active duty and 12 remaining on standby in bases. 

 But union officials claim that in some cases firefighters were working back to back shifts - which could total 96 hours continuous service.

 The 23 claimants said they believed they had to accept the system – or move to another station. 

 One firefighter was said by the 23's barrister Oliver Segal to be so exhausted by a continuous three day shift, they fell asleep in a fire truck en-route to a blaze. 

 There was claimed to be no "opt-out" from the self-rostering system, which came into force on April 8. 

 But this was disputed by the service's Assistant Chief Fire Officer Derek Masson. 

 Trade unions had been consulted over the plans, he said. He added that he "could not recall" whether the option to opt out was raised at a so-called Technical Advisory Panel meeting. 

 The hearing is set to conclude tomorrow.

A COMMUNITY stalwart who served his Neath Valley village for nearly four decades has been honoured at a small ceremony. 

Councillors, family and friends gathered together in Resolven to pay tribute to former councillor Dennis Williams for his long and dedicated service to the community and the community council. 

Mr Williams served on the council for 38 years and held the post of chairman several times over the years. 

He has also served on Neath Borough Council and was an official in the NUM and Ford Motor Company. 

A spokeswoman for Resolven Community Council said: "He had a passion for music and was a choirmaster and conductor for many years, ending as musical director for Resolven Male Voice Choir."

Mr Williams was presented with a plaque commemorating his service by current council chairman, councillor Trefor Jones. Mr Jones spoke with affection and appreciation for the hard work carried out by Mr Williams. 

"His prime concern has always been for the people and the community in which he served," he said. 

Clerk, Ninian Williams, who worked alongside Mr Williams throughout his time on the council, said: "He will be sorely missed, he was simply the best." 

Mr Williams thanked members for the award and commended them for their support and encouragement over the many years he had known and worked with them. 

He gave his very best wishes for the future. He spoke with pride in his family who had attended the ceremony with him and is now looking forward to spending more time with them.

HUNDREDS more people could soon be living and working in Swansea city centre, thanks to multi-million pound funding for a series of regeneration projects.

Mixed-use developments, led by housing associations, have been given the go-ahead by the Welsh Government for the city's High Street and The Kingsway, as well as improvements to homes in Sandfields.

And the successful bid, which landed a total of £8.4 million, means the city can also apply for additional funding from Europe and other sources which, if successful and matched with funding from the private sector, could see hundreds of millions of pounds of investment in the pipeline for Swansea city centre.

The money comes from the Welsh Government's Vibrant and Viable Places programme's Realising the Potential initiative.

Swansea Council leader David Phillips said: "This will help build new homes, tackle the issue of vacant premises and provide significant training and job opportunities targeted at our most deprived communities.

"Relatively recent factors like the rise of out-of-town retail parks and internet shopping means our city centre is struggling, so we have to think of different ways to attract people there and develop a buzz once again.

"We've launched a review that will seek the views of experts and local people on how we can best develop our city centre in future to make the most of its strengths, but it's clear one solution is to have more people living and working there because that will lead to more vibrancy, more trade and more investment in future.

"This funding is a major boost in helping us realise that goal."

Homes in Sandfields have been chosen for attention after the area was designated a Neighbourhood Renewal Area earlier this year. Improvement works would include loft insulations, boiler replacements and both internal and external repairs.

Other approved projects include grants to improve commercial properties and support the conversion of vacant commercial floor space into new homes. Grants to help improve the appearance of businesses and other city centre buildings will also continue to be made available.

Buildings to benefit over the next year or so include the Mission Gallery, the Dylan Thomas Centre, the Dragon Hotel, Morgans Hotel and the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery.

Keith Baker, chairman of the Swansea Economic Regeneration Partnership, said: "This award is the start of a large, transformational regeneration programme providing additional homes and employment that will help establish Swansea as a major destination with high-quality retail, leisure and commercial offerings to drive sustainable growth in the region."

Swansea            Property

A TESTING battle is being predicted by Volker Finke when his Cameroon team face Mexico today. 

 Mexico finished behind USA, Costa Rica and Honduras in the CONCACAF qualifying section, and the team only made it to the finals thanks to victory over New Zealand in an intercontinental play-off. 

 In contrast, Cameroon romped to victory in their qualifying group before seeing off Tunisia 4-1 to book their place. 

 They also won 1-0 in a warm-up against Moldova but lost their last four World Cup games, a record they will be looking to make up for today at 5pm. 

 The two sides met in a friendly in 1993, which Mexico won 1-0, but Finke will be hoping Jean Makoun and Alex Song in the centre of midfield, and veteran striker Samuel Eto'o can turn the tables this time around. 

 He said: "I know that (Mexico) had a lot of problems in qualifying and that it was difficult, but it is a very dangerous team, with an intense spirit. 

 "We've seen the videos of their friendly games and I can see that it is a difficult team, but one that can be beaten." 

 Mexico won just two of their ten games in the final group stage and suffered two straight warm-up defeats, at the hands of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Portugal respectively. 

 They have also never beaten an African team at a World Cup finals. 

 But they have experience at the back, with former Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez stationed in front of goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.

 In midfield is Andres Guardado, who has more than 100 caps to his name, with former Tottenham forward Giovani dos Santos joined up front by the Oribe Peralta. 

 Mexico coach Miguel Herrera said: "The most important game is the first, the boys now have in their heads beat Cameroon. "(We qualified) with the idea to win every game, we know that all three are very tough opponents."

World Cup

POLICE are appealing for help from the public after burglars smashed their way into a house while the occupants were on holiday.

The raiders managed to get into the property's conservatory but were unable to break through the internal door, and fled the scene.

Officers have released CCTV pictures of two people they want to talk to in connection with the incident, and are urging anyone who can help the investigation to come forward.

The burglary happened at a house at West Cliff in Southgate, Gower.

South Wales Police detective constable Joy Lewis of Swansea CID said: "Police in Swansea are appealing for the public's help in identifying two burglary suspects.

"We are appealing to anyone who recognises the men in the CCTV pictures to contact the police.

"Anyone who knows the identity of the men are asked to come forward."

Detectives say the occupants were away at the time of the incident, which is thought to have happened at around 6.20am on April 26.

Police say that their investigation has so far drawn a blank, and they are now appealing for help from the public.

Meanwhile police are urging all householders to help beat the burglars by taking simple home security steps like ensuring doors and windows are kept locked at all times.

Recent police appeals for help from Post readers have met with success — and praise from detectives.

Last month the paper printed photographs of six people officers wanted to talk to, resulting in all six being traced, while over Christmas the Post featured a gallery of a dozen people wanted for a range of offences — and readers came forward with information on the whereabouts of 10 of them.

Speaking to the Evening Post earlier this month, Swansea inspector Dean Thomas said: "Sometimes even the smallest piece of information could prove crucial to an investigation and allow us to achieve a successful conclusion and bring some degree of comfort to a victim and bring crime suspects to justice."

Can you help? Call South Wales Police in Swansea on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting reference number 1400143187

A TAXI driver was racially abused by a man who told a court he wasn't racist.

Conor Allen said despite repeatedly remarking on the ethnicity of the taxi driver who he had refused to pay he was not racist because his best friend was "of Asian descent".

Allen, aged 19, had flagged down a taxi on May 26 and asked to be taken to Gendros. The driver, Mohammed Ahmed, took him and then asked for the fare.

But Allen, from Carmarthen Road in Fforestfach refused to pay. The driver locked the doors, telling Allen he had to but Allen then told him to "go back to Pakistan".

During a tirade of abuse, he swore and kicked at the plastic screen in between him and Mr Ahmed.

Mr Ahmed drove his taxi to Swansea central police station, leaving Allen locked in while he went inside to report the incident.

When officers spoke to him Allen admitted he had given Mr Ahmed a "bit of grief".

Craig Harding, for Allen, said his client had little recollection of the incident and knew it was a serious offence.

He said Allen, who admitted a racially aggravated public order offence, has recently lost his job in a call centre but was looking for work.

"He tells me he doesn't hold racist views and his best friend is of Asian descent," he added.

Magistrates fined him £110, told him to pay £85 in costs and a £20 surcharge.

UP to 20 large trees next to the Brangwyn Hall have had to be felled following safety concerns.

The black poplar trees opposite the main entrance to the hall died, after being damaged during the heavy storms which hit much of the country in the spring.

But Swansea Council says it plans to plant other trees nearby.

A spokesman said: "The trees are now being taken down by our parks staff, and the works are expected to be finished towards the middle of next week

"Replanting of other trees will happen on a grass verge towards the Victoria Park end of the road."

The trees are not the only ones in the city to have been damaged by the weather.

Last month, a couple and their two young daughters narrowly avoided serious injury, when a tree fell onto their car in Brynmill Lane.

The tree next to Singleton Park was blown down, demolishing a boundary wall and falling across the road as the family drove by. The family walked away unscathed, but their Mazda was seriously damaged.

And hot weather has also damaged trees. Last August a spectacular 50ft beech tree came crashing down, again across Brynmill Lane, falling just moments before a taxi drove by.

Tree experts blamed the collapse on a period of extremely hot weather followed by rain.

#rockformation#art on #oxwichbay#gower taken yesterday during glorious #sunshine @GowerNT@StevePhillips7pic.twitter.com/nNIRFWtD0k

— JonJamesPhotography (@JonJamesPhoto81) June 13, 2014

Spent a few hours down #oxwichbay yesterday after a few hours editing... Beautiful #sunshine! pic.twitter.com/te1tbN89Sz

— JonJamesPhotography (@JonJamesPhoto81) June 13, 2014

Someone enjoyed the sunshine earlier pic.twitter.com/MXHtMOWSPs

— Will Morris (@will_morrisavfc) June 12, 2014

Sunshine at the ready for this weekend's festival and parachute ordered for @MelroseQuartet children's gratification pic.twitter.com/9WvhRbQ4LG

— Sally Clayden (@GowerFolkFest) June 12, 2014

Lovely to see this glowing in fresh new paint in the evening sunshine. pic.twitter.com/RbwdJTXy3f

— Sam Oakley (@rscsam) June 12, 2014

Now this is more like it! #Sunshine#HappyDayspic.twitter.com/iW70I0mP1z

— Sian Dyer (@SianDyer1) June 12, 2014

Managed to get #careinthecommunity out in the #sunshine! @PejicStefan#dayreleasepic.twitter.com/nKmVGB7tND

— Catherine Jane (@c4thj) June 12, 2014

Beautiful sunshine in #Swansea today pic.twitter.com/D84FSJVK8g

— Karis Dowsell (@KarisJDowsell) June 12, 2014

Here's the best Buzz Lightyear drawing ever put on paper. http://t.co/Fpc4BQWwhopic.twitter.com/36Ax5E468y

— Ryan Perry (@rynprry) June 12, 2014

Wales may not be in the finals but we still have World Cup Fever! Excited for opening match #WorldCup2014@britfoodpic.twitter.com/FYIbhlbbVR

— Village Dairy (@VillageDairy) June 12, 2014