HOMEOWNERS in parts of Tyisha, Llanelli, are benefiting from thousands of pounds worth of improvements to make their homes warmer and cheaper to run.

Around 100 homes are being improved under the Welsh Government's Arbed scheme, following a successful funding application by Carmarthenshire Council's housing team.

Scaffolding has gone up and work has begun on cladding many of the properties with external wall insulation.

Once complete, the households can expect to make savings of around £180 a year on their energy bills, and their CO2 emissions reduced by 700kg a year.

Tegwen Devichand, executive board member for housing, said: "This is great news for people living in this part of the Tyisha ward. Not only will their homes be warmer, they'll also be cheaper to run, therefore keeping more money in their pockets. The Arbed fund is limited, and the competition for it is tough, so our housing team did a great job in securing this money to benefit local people. We're pleased to see work under way."

The Arbed scheme aims to improve the energy performance of homes in Wales, as well as contributing to the fight against fuel poverty and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

It also boosts local economies by using local businesses to manufacture, supply and install components, with training and employment opportunities for local workers.

Homeowners identified as eligible have had full grant funding for the works.

Housing manager Jonathan Willis said: "Arbed is a great scheme which supports our efforts to help private homeowners improve the energy efficiency of their homes. We do this via a range of means, and even if people aren't eligible for grant funding such as Arbed, we can advise on small changes that may make a big difference to their bills."

A NEW £5 million butchery in Carmarthenshire, which is to employ 70 people, has opened its doors.

Celtic Pride has now unveiled its state-of-the-art purpose-built meat processing facility at its Cross Hands Food Park site.

The development was given the go-ahead by Carmarthenshire Council planners in April 2013.

The new butchery is part of the Castell Howell complex, and has been built to replace the original smaller butchery unit at Pensarn in Carmarthen.

The company, which is an associate company of food wholesaler Castell Howell, says the new facility will safeguard 49 jobs and create another 32 over five years once it is fully operational.

The 31,000 sq ft unit will eventually house all of Celtic Pride and Castell Howells' meat processing activities, and the extra space will enable the company to expand its operation.

Celtic Pride director and meat technology consultant Tim Rowe said: "The butchery is a rapidly growing part of the business, and we need to be able to offer product variation and diversity to provide what the customer needs."

Mr Rowe said this has meant undertaking a huge up-skilling of staff to satisfy the demands of Celtic Pride's diverse customer base which includes restaurants, gastro pubs, conferencing centres and large hotels.

This week members of the Celtic Pride Supplier Group were invited to view the new facilities and learn more about plans for the rapidly growing brand.

The new facility has also met with the approval of farmers. Lindsey Llewellyn who farms in Cowbridge said: "I was very impressed it looks a tremendous facility."

While Owen Rees from Pendoylan said: "It is a huge investment and very impressive."

Castell Howell butchery director Edward Morgan said: "When people go out for a meal they do not understand what happens in the supply chain they just want a good steak or burger.

"We want to give them good quality which always performs on the plate."

Celtic Pride Premium Beef scheme is a collaboration between Welsh Livestock Ltd, Castell Howell Foods and Wynnstay Group plc.

SOLICITOR General Robert Buckland QC, who is originally form Llanelli,  has denied attempting to avoid tax after being named as an investor in a scheme reportedly under investigation.

The Sunday Times claimed the Tory MP had invested in the Invicta Film Partnership No 25, which was being investigated by HM Revenue and Customs.

Mr Buckland said he consulted an independent financial adviser, and the companies he invested in were beyond reproach.

HMRC would not comment on the case.

Mr Buckland, MP for South Swindon, said: "I have not attempted to avoid tax, and my investments are a matter of public record.

"Before making them I asked an independent, accredited financial adviser to look into the companies, who found them to be completely beyond reproach.

"HMRC look into many different types of investments, but I have been assured that there is no active investigation into my tax affairs."

He added: "I pay my taxes as required each year, and I have been fully open with government officials and declared my interests in line with usual reporting processes."

The Sunday Times reported that Mr Buckland had been a member of the Invicta Film Partnership No 25 scheme since 2005, but that a memo sent to members last year showed it was now "the subject of an open HMRC inquiry".

Film partnership schemes were designed to boost the UK film industry by offering tax breaks for investors of low budget films.

A tax tribunal ruled in 2011 that two film partnership schemes were primarily being used for tax avoidance rather than for business purposes and therefore investors were not entitled to the claimed tax relief.

The ruling is subject to appeal, which has meant most tax inquiries involving such schemes are at a standstill.

It emerged in July that Mr Buckland, who was handed the role of solicitor general last year, was found to have breached the legal profession's code of conduct in 2011.

At that time, a spokesman for the Attorney General's office said: "It is a matter of public record that in May 2011, Robert Buckland was found to have committed a minor breach of the Code of Conduct of the Bar of England and Wales.

"He was not suspended or fined and continued to practice and sit as a recorder.

"This finding was removed from the Bar records after two years and therefore Mr Buckland was not required to declare it upon appointment as solicitor general."

Mr Buckland practised law in  Swansea and Cardiff before his appointment as an MP. 

Rachel Moses-Lloyd / rachel.moses@swwmedia.co.uk / @racheljanemoses

AFAN Lido remain under serious threat of relegation after going down 2-1 to high-flying Haverfordwest in a bizarre match in which five players were sent off.

Lido finished with only eight men on the pitch after the dismissals of Alex Gammond, Callan Bowden and Arwel Rees, while Haverfordwest ended up with just nine players after Luke Borelli and Chris O'Sullivan saw red.

Sean Pemberton and captain Dale Griffiths — from the penalty spot — netted for Haverfordwest, while Elliot Thomas with an excellent goal scored for Lido.

This success took Haverfordwest to the top of the first division above Cardiff Metropolitan University, who were involved in the Welsh Cup. Lido are sixth from the foot of the table, only three points clear of the relegation places.

Goytre United suffered a blow to their title aspirations when they went down 4-1 to reigning champions Monmouth Town in Gwent.

Nick Harrhy bagged a brace for Monmouth with Ben Evans and Dan McDonald also netting, while Jordan Edwards scored a consolation Goytre goal.

Goytre remain in fourth spot but are seven points adrift of Haverfordwest ,having played the same number of games.

Penybont consolidated third place with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Taffs Well at Bridgend. Anthony Rawlings got the all-important score early in the second half.

Pontardawe remain just one place off the foot of the top flight after going down 1-0 at home to fellow strugglers Garden Village, for whom prolific striker Andrew Bonomi struck in the first half.

To add to their woes, Pontardawe ended the match with only 10 men after the second-half sending-off of Mark Jones.

The only club below Pontardawe are Porth, who crashed 6-1 to Aberdare who are also threatened by relegation. John Phillips bagged a brace of goals for Aberdare.

West End's second division promotion hopes were dealt a severe blow when they were well beaten 3-0 at Penrhiwceiber, who are in the bottom half of the table.

Warren Jones, Dean Brown and Mitchell Lynagh were on target for the Rhondda club.

At the other end of the table, Tata Steel's battle against relegation was helped by their thrilling 5-4 win at AFC Llwydcoed.

Llwydcoed were reduced to 10 men after 20 minutes when Matt Doherty was sent off for dissent, but they still led 2-1 at half-time.

Ricky Carter bagged a hat-trick for Llwydcoed, while their other goal came from Gavin Withers.

Tom Phillips was a hat-trick man for the Steelmen, with Jordan Morris also on target and Daniel Williams getting the winning goal in injury time.

Barry Town United are eight points clear at the top of the second division after a 5-1 thumping of Chepstow.

There was a major upset in the third division as Caerau, who have been struggling for most of the season, beat leaders Llanelli 3-1 in the Llynfi Valley.

Chay Davies, Robbie Walters and Sam James netted for Caerau, with Anthony Owens getting the solitary Llanelli goal.

Llanelli are now only three points ahead of Ammanford, who recorded their 15th win on the bounce beating promotion rivals Tredegar 2-1 after their toughest test of the campaign so far.

Tredegar took the lead after 15 minutes through John Davies and they were still 1-0 up at the break, but Ammanford equalised a quarter of an hour into the second period thanks to Brett Enoch.

The West Walians then had a penalty saved but Ashley Richards swooped for the winner 15 minutes from the end.

Ammanford have five games in hand on Llanelli and the two teams clash next Saturday in what promises to be a cracking encounter.

Cwmamman United were thwarted in their bid to narrow the gap on the top two as their match against bottom club Cardiff Grange Quins was called off because of a frozen pitch.

Former champions Bettws trounced Newport Civil Service 4-0 courtesy of goals by Karl Miller, Tom Day, Tom Walters and Aaron Jeffries.

Trefelin BGC, who want to secure promotion to the Welsh League, are still top of the South Wales Amateur League despite having their match against Aber Valley called off.

Porthcawl Town went on the rampage against struggling Fochriw in the South Wales Senior League, scoring 10 goals without reply, while Cornelly's bid to move nearer the top was thwarted as their game against Brecon Corries was postponed.

Carmarthen Town moved into the quarter-finals of the Welsh Cup but were taken all the way to the wire by Welsh League high-flyers Caerau Ely.

There were no goals in Cardiff in regulation time but then fitness and experience told as Carmarthen ran out 4-0 winners in extra time.

Carmarthen were down to 10 men on the hour mark when Chris Thomas was sent off for violent conduct.

The crucial moment came in the first minute of extra time when Caerau Ely captain David Vincent was dismissed for a professional foul and Sasha Walters netted from the spot.

That opened the floodgates as three goals followed in four minutes with Liam Thomas bagging a brace and Kyle Bassett also netting to secure the Old Gold's spot in the last eight.

Aberystwyth were taken to penalties by Holywell before going through while Cardiff Met were well beaten 4-1 by Airbus.

A NEATH community is coming together to improve its housing estate and residents are calling on more people to get on board.

People living in Fairyland have been holding meetings with Kathryn Britton, of Keep Wales Tidy, who is leading the Cynefin project in the area, an initiative aimed at bringing together, empowering and improving the quality of life for a urban and rural communities.

They have also been joined by staff from social housing landlordNPT Homes to discuss what the organisation can do in the area.

Suggestions of what can be done include doing the walls up, having a Fairyland in Bloom event, improved lighting, a designated bin area and possibly a community hall.

At a meeting, it was suggested that someone be approached to be a spokesman or woman from the upper streets in Fairyland, as residents from that area had not attended an event.

It was also agreed to hold a evening meeting to allow people who work in the day to attend.

Ms Britton said a Facebook page, Forward for Fairyland, had been set up, which she described as a really positive step. She added: "It has had some really great interaction on it over the last few weeks. Ninety-eight per cent of it has been positive."

A spokesman for NPT Homes said a survey was being carried out by the company across the area, to discuss what people would like in the area.

Actions agreed at the end of the meeting included NPT Homes and Ms Britton looking into the possibility of speed bumps across the estate, Emma Marvelley looking into getting grit bins for the area, and people being approached to be spokespeople for different parts of the estate.

An Easter event is also set to be held in the top car park in April.

Rachel Moses-Lloyd / rachel.moses@swwmedia.co.uk / @racheljanemoses

A MICRO pig abandoned in the Swansea Valley last month, but given a new home following an appeal, has now been given a name.

Winston is settling in well at his new home on a Gower farm, and after an unsure start, is now part of the family, said owner, Rob Morgan.

The tiny animal, which was believed to have been an unwanted Christmas present - was found in a garden on Wern Road in  Ystalyfera on January 12.

Following an appeal by the RSPCA and Evening Post, he was homed at Gower Fresh Christmas Trees in Three Crosses, and lives with other pigs - and a dog.

The scenario is not dissimilar to the film Babe, said Mr Morgan, who added: "I think when I am not there, it's like a scene from Babe and they are all running around singing. 

"The dog is called Dave, and they run around the field together like kids.  

"It's great fun."

Mr Morgan added: "They were a bit unsure at first, a bit wary of each other.

"But they have grown together now.

"Winston - we named him that because we had him on Winston Churchill's birthday - is part of the family now.

"They all huddle up together at night."

NEATH slipped further into the mire in the lower echelons of the Principality Premiership table after managing just a losing bonus point against Llanelli, who were still hurting following their recent 91-7 hammering by Carmarthen Quins.

The Welsh All Blacks, who went down to their fourth consecutive league defeat – and the double against their opponents – are now just four points ahead of basement club Newport and they have played one game more.

This was a match the Gnoll men could and should have won had some of their players shown a little more commitment and had they exercised more control during a frantic spell of pressure on the visitors' line in the closing stages.

Neath head coach Patrick Horgan did not pull any punches at the end of the disappointing affair.

"Quite honestly, we got what we deserved," he said.

"The boys who came in for Llanelli showed true grit.

"I think some of our players need to look at themselves and ask whether they want to play for Neath or not."

However, one major exception was home second row forward Alex Humfrey, who put in another cracking performance in the tight and loose play.

Full-back Sion Leonard and right wing Richard Thomas crossed for Llanelli tries in the 39th and 52nd minutes respectively, but the real star was fly-half Gareth Walters, who proved to be a strong general in addition to collecting 13 points by kicking two conversions and a hat-trick of penalty goals.

Neath hooker Sion Crocker opened the scoring with an 11th-minute touchdown almost immediately after Llanelli No. 8 Owain Morgan had been sent to the sin-bin.

Wing forward Jordan Collier crossed for a second touchdown at the beginning of the second half.

Fly-half Rhodri Cole converted Crocker's try, and the first of his two penalty goals cut the visitors' lead to 16-10 at the interval.

In the final 20 minutes it was all Neath, with right wing Jamie Davies coming the closest to at least levelling the scores in a desperate 79th-minute attack, but he could not hang on to a difficult pass with the Llanelli line looming ahead of him.

All in all this was a poor spectacle, with both teams struggling to find any fluency in attack and both guilty of wasting good possession with ill-directed kicking.

Llanelli head coach Kevin George said: "We fielded seven players on permit but it worked out well for us, with some teenagers making a promising step up to the Premiership.

"We grew as the game developed and we scored two excellent tries.

"I am really happy with the commitment and the effort that the boys, especially the newcomers, put in, especially at The Gnoll which is always a hard place to get a result," he added.

PLAY-OFF hopefuls Carmarthen Quins were brought back down to earth with a bump in the Principality Premiership as they lost to nard-nosed Bedwas at Carmarthen Park a week after celebrating a record win over Llanelli.

Carmarthen's coaches refused to accept complacency as a criticism, but there was a distinct feeling in the ground that if Llanelli could be beaten so easily then Bedwas were there for the taking.

Despite a sluggish start, the visitors were always the more alert and more composed and controlled possession better. They were also indebted to fly-half Richard Powell, who got 25 points from two tries, three conversions and three penalties.

The Quins were fast out of the blocks when a kick from fly-half Craig Evans was not covered by the Bedwas defence and full-back Dion Jones hacked on to get the touchdown.

It soon became 12-0 after just four minutes when a brilliant run from wing Chris Banfield eventually ended with skipper and prop Ian Jones bursting over, Evans converting from the touchline.

Bedwas regained their composure with a very good penalty from Powell, and with confidence restored they narrowed the gap with a second Powell penalty.

Steve Law's side were soon ahead. Scrum-half Luke Crane disrupted the Quins defence with a quickly taken tap penalty that saw full-back Harley Thompson finish off the move. Powell's conversion put the visitors 13-12 up.

The fly-half then dummied his way in from 30 metres for another converted try to give Bedwas a 20-12 half-time lead.

The visitors stormed to the home line and were denied two tries by a fraction, but a yellow card for high-tackling centre Aaron Pinches allowed Evans to kick a 40-metre penalty.

The game really opened up, with Powell crossing for his second of the day, soon answered by one from Dion Jones before Banfield was yellow- carded for a deliberate knock-on.

Banfield's sin-binning proved costly as Bedwas swarmed forward and Powell kicked another penalty in a game that was fast as it was furious.

And five minutes from time Pinches made sure of an away win as he dashed under the posts. Powell converted.

(Updated at 7.42am, Monday February 9) 

SWANSEA Coastguard and police have confirmed this morning that a major search of the River Loughor was called off after a member of the public reported seeing a person apparently jumping off the Loughor bridge.

Coastguards tasked rescue services included an RAF Sea King from North Devon and also notified police after receiving the report shortly after 6.45pm on Sunday.

The search was stood down at 8.32pm and will not resume unless further information is received. 

"We were happy that no person was in the water," said a South Wales Police spokesman.

---

A MAJOR search was launched last night after a person was reported to have jumped off the Loughor Bridge.

Police, coastguards and lifeboat crews were all involved in the operation.

A police helicopter and an RAF search and rescue Sea King along with two search boats were scrambled after the alarm was raised around 6.45pm.

Meanwhile land-based search teams with torches checked the estuary banks in the dark.

There were police vehicles on the bridge slowing traffic as it passed.

The coastguard set up base near the Loughor inshore lifeboat station on the bank of the river.

Eyewitnesses say there were 30 to 40 watching on.

The helicopters had their search lights trained on the water.

The crew from the Dyfed-Powys aircraft tweeted: "Assisting ground units and RAF SAR 169 from Chivenor with a person search in the area around Loughor Bridge."

Witnesses said the operation lasted around two hours.

One said: "They were clearly taking the report very seriously. It was a major operation. I've never seen so emergency service people in one place."

A spokesman for Swansea Coastguard said its members were called to help in the search for a person reported to have been seen jumping off the bridge.

He added that following an extensive search of the area nothing could be found. He said it was potentially a false alarm.

Chad Welch / chad.welch@swwmedia.co.uk / @chad_welch

Loughor / Chad Welch

THE transfer of staff from the Civic Centre to the Guildhall will lead to traffic chaos on the surrounding streets, the former leader of Swansea Councill has warned.

Councillors and senior officers are preparing to move later this month from their current home at the seafront site to the recently refurbished Guildhall, just one of a raft of wide-ranging changes to the way it is run as it seeks to plug a funding shortfall.

The move paves the way for the potential sale of 14-acre Civic Centre site, but Lid Dem leader Chris Holley says the move has not been thought-through in terms of the knock-on effects of increased car usage on people living in Brynmill and Sandfields.

Mr Holley said he understood that parking at the Guildhall car park would be limited to three hours, and staff would be advised to park on the nearby recreation ground, an area already heavily used for parking by university staff and students.

He added: "My concern is that there will be further encroachment onto the recreation ground but also that staff will be forced to trawl nearby residential streets to find parking spaces. That will put further pressure on facilities available to local residents and has the potential to cause traffic chaos.

"The Labour-run council do not appear to have thought through how this move will work and its impact on local residents. We need much more detail on how additional traffic is being accommodated before this move goes ahead."

Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart said parking had been taken into account when planning the Civic Centre move.

"Parking arrangements have been considered as part of the over relocation plans," he said.

"We have been clear that councillors and senior managers who will move at the end of February will follow the same rules provided for staff already working in the Guildhall. "There will be no preferential treatment. Parking is available at the recreation ground and at the Civic Centre as well as at the Guildhall".

He added: " We have consulted councillor Holley's group and I have taken him through the proposals personally. During his time as leader millions of pounds of public money was spent refurbishing the Guildhall. It is right therefore that we now return to that building and use it as its builders intended. I know councillor Holley wants to wait and dither and delay and has been quite negative about the moves out of the Civic Centre. But it is essential we begin to vacate the Civic Centre building so redevelopment of the site can progress as soon as plans are agreed"

"On a personal note I am very happy to be vacating the palatial office over looking the bay which councillor Holley created when he was Leader"

Nino Williams / nino.williams@swwmedia.co.uk / @ninominoli

Swansea news

Dulais Valley-set film Pride has been awarded the Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer prize in the 2015 Baftas.

Written by Stephen Beresford and David Livingstone, the movie, which stars Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton, tells the story of an alliance between gay rights campaigners and pit workers during the 1984 miners' strike.

Accepting the award from actors Mark Strong and Tom Hiddleston, Stephen Beresford said: "It took me 20 years to find anyone to agree with me that gay and lesbian activists at a mining dispute which ended in defeat were the ingredients for a sure-fire commercial comedy smash."

Twitter exploded with delight at the news, with actors and industry professionals congratulating Livingstone and Beresford. 

Couldn't be happier for Stephen Beresford on his win for Pride. The most wonderful man and the most brilliant film. #BAFTA

— Ben Winston (@benwinston) February 8, 2015

Massive Congratulations to Stephen Beresford for his deserved @BAFTA tonight for Pride!

— Jason Watkins (@Jason__Watkins) February 8, 2015

The film was also put up for the Outstanding British Film award, against '71, The Imitation Game, Paddington and Under the Skin - but lost to Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything.

Actress Imelda Staunton was nominated for her turn as Hefina Headon in pride, in the Best Supporting Actress category, but lost to Boyhood's Patricia Arquette.

The film has been a success all over the world, even picking up a 2015 Golden Globe nomination, on the Best motion picture - musical or comedy category - which was given to Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel last month. 

In December last year, the film was named best film at the British Independent Film Award, along with best supporting actor and actress prizes for Andrew Scott and Imelda Staunton.

Ruth Dawson / ruth.dawson@swwmedia.co.uk / @Ruth_Dawson

Entertainment news / Film news

A CAR was destroyed by fire in Port Tennant, Swansea, in the early hours this morning.

Firefighters from Swansea Central put out the blaze on Port Tennant Road shortly after 1am.

A crew from Neath dealt with a car fire in Skewen at 4.45am and a fire at a derelict building near the former BP site at Baglan Moors. They spent an hour and a half at the Baglan fire, along with a Port Talbot crew, leaving the scene at 9.17pm last night.

A road in Carmarthenshire is currently blocked due to an overturned car.

The vehicle overturned on Heol-y-Foel in Cefneithin, near the Heol-Treventy junction.

Latest traffic and travel

A MAN and a woman have been arrested after cannabis plants were found by firefighters as they tackled a blaze at a Swansea Valley property.

Emergency services were, on Saturday, sent to tackle a fire, which had erupted in the roof space of a house in Ystalyfera.

But, soon after arriving at the scene, the fire service contacted the police as a discovery had been made.

A call was made to the fire service at 1.06pm on Saturday, and four crews of firefighters were sent to Alltygrug Road, in the Upper Swansea Valley village.

Crews from Pontardawe, Abercrave, Seven Sisters, and Morriston, were joined by two fire officers.

However, some 10 minutes afterwards, police were making their way to the street.

A South Wales Police spokesman said: "We had a call at 1.15pm from the fire service, to a house fire at Alltygrug Road.

"It looks like officers have gone to the location and found no persons inside, but we have located a number of cannabis plants growing there.

"Two persons — a male and a female — have been arrested and are currently on police bail pending further inquiries."

Ystalyfera residents stood at the bottom of the street while police cordoned off the steep road, and firefighters battled the flames.

One resident, who wished not to be named, said she had seen a man being handcuffed and led to a police car.

Another said she had been returning to her home, saw the flames, and feared it was her house that was alight as she had left a slow cooker on.

Flames had ripped through the roof, completely destroying the right hand side, and charring its supports.

It is not believed that anyone was injured during the fire.

A Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: "It was a fire involving the roof space of a property.

"A fire investigation is taking place.

"There were four sets of breathing apparatus, two hose reel jets, one main jet, two thermal imaging cameras, small gear, and a 13.5 metre ladder in use."

As the crews fought to get the fire under control, one of the jets was used externally to stop the fire spreading to the home next door.

Western Power Distribution engineers were also brought in to isolate the electricity at the home.

At 4.07pm on Saturday — three hours after the report was made — the fire service tweeted: "House fire at #Ystalyfera is now under control. Crews remain in attendance damping down."

DRIVERS crossing a busy junction on High Street have been warned not to risk pedestrians' safety by jumping the lights.

Temporary traffic signals have been put in place on the intersection with College Street and Welcome Lane while road works are carried out.

However, pedestrians have reported near misses as impatient motorist sneak through red lights coming up the hill past Argos.

Suzanne Robert, from Three Crosses, said she was in the city centre with her daughter when the pair were almost run down.

"The green man was flashing for us to cross College Street, but queuing drivers weren't stopping," she said.

"As my daughter started to cross the road one driver came across, shouting at her to get out of the way. It's extremely dangerous. And I've heard others says they've had near misses there too."

The work will see a transformation of the High Street area leading from the railway station down towards Castle Square. The project, scheduled for completion by the end of March, will see temporary traffic lights and some lane closures.

Swansea Council has now warned drivers to take care. A spokesman said: "Motorists who carelessly drive through red lights are putting the lives of pedestrians and motorists at risk.

"Any time temporary traffic controls are in place there is a potential for some disruption to traffic flows and we are monitoring the improvement works on High Street to keep the disruption to a minimum.

"In the meantime, we would urge motorists to observe the traffic controls which are on site and drive responsibly and safely."

Swansea Council has also called on commuters to be patient while the essential works are ongoing.

Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council's cabinet member for enterprise, development and regeneration, said previously: "While we're doing all we can to minimise disruption during the works, it's inevitable that there will be some impact on traffic flows."

Swansea news

THE commissioner of South Wales Police has given his backing to a campaign highlighting the work of police officers in their communities.

Throughout Monday, officers across the UK will be taking to social media site Twitter to share examples of the range of calls and duties they perform, using the hashtag #truepicture.

The campaign is being organised by the Police Federation, the body which represents rank-and-file offices. 

South Wales Police commissioner Alun Michael welcomed the initiative.

He said: "The public value the police for all the different issues they deal with every day of the week – it's not just about crime and flashing blue lights, although crime-fighting is an important part of police work.

"It's about the way that individual officers on the streets of South Wales respond to public needs and share the good things and the bad things in every community. Sir Robert Peel, the founder of the modern British Police Service said that 'the Police are the Public and the Public are the Police'.

"I'm proud of all the myriad tasks undertaken by our police officers in South Wales and the Home Secretary's view that we can carry on cutting police numbers 'because there are fewer crimes' is dangerous and ill-judged.

"Reduced crime can allow police officers to do more by the way of prevention and community engagement as well as responding in all the ways that Police Federation is highlighting today. The rising complexity of internet-related crime and other factors add to the day-to-day pressure on police resources, as does the impact of cuts to other agencies including health and local government."

He added: "I applaud the Police Federation's initiative because I believe it reflects the sort of police engagement that the public value in South Wales."

The Twitter day of action follows a report released by the College of Policing last month which showed that 83 per cent of calls to forces do not concern incidents of crime. Organisers of today's campaign hope it will demonstrated the wide range of community jobs that police get called to but whic don't appear in the official crime statistics.

Clare Biddlecombe, secretary of the South Wales Police Federation, said there was far more to modern policing than simply dealing with criminals.

She said: "As an operational police officer, I would regularly deal with matters such as missing persons, dealing with elderly and vulnerable people who needed assistance, lost property, stray animals, sudden deaths, social services issues, road traffic collisions, diverting traffic, dealing with mental health issues under Section 136, attempt suicides and the endless neighbour disputes that take up so much time."

She added: "Today's police officers are integral to the communities in which we work and are highly-valued by those communities. It's time for this government to set aside any ideological dogma and to start backing their primary emergency service, strengthen the presence of police officers in our communities and allow the experts to get on with doing the job."

We might be used to seeing men playing women on-stage... but what about women playing men? Swansea actress Alice White talks to MARK REES about readdressing the balance with a new, homegrown, and all-female production of a Shakespearian classic

All the world's a stage, wrote the great bard in one of his more quotable moments. But if all the world's a stage, is it all a man's world... and is it all a man's stage?

In the ancient world, the idea of a Greek or Roman woman performing onstage was unthinkable.

Even in Shakespeare's day, the female roles were dished out to the men and boys — a tradition still common to this day.

As such, we've grown quite accustomed to the idea of men donning the makeup and glad rags for the feminine roles — from outrageous panto dames to majestic goddesses — but when the shoe is on the other foot, and women take on the roles of men, it still raises a few eyebrows.

Anyone popping onto social media last week couldn't have helped but notice the furore caused by the news that 80s paranormal blockbuster Ghostbusters was being relaunched in 2016, but that the four principal characters would not be played by Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and co, but were being replaced by ­— shock horror — girls.

And in a timely parallel, right here in our own backyard, one of Shakespeare's most celebrated plays will be given similar treatment with a new, homegrown production of Richard III opening at Wales Millennium Centre next week. And the entire cast is female.

In fact, it's not only the cast; the entire company is female. And this is something which Swansea-born actress Alice White, who tackles several of the plays masculine roles including Richmond and Lord Hastings, believes is long overdue.

"We've seen shows with all male characters, but not the other way. This is a bit of a shock to the senses," explains Alice, who has managed to sneak out of rehearsals long enough to bring me up to speed with the production.

"There was a big report into women and their involvement in the arts recently, and it shows that women are underrepresented across the world.

"Over 60 percent of theatre audience members are women, but only 30 percent of those working in the arts are women.

"We're trying to readdress the balance."

One way of achieving that is by making the current production 100 percent female.

"Absolutely everybody brought in by the theatre company is female," she says.

"It's not Shakespeare as we know it. There isn't much Shakespeare made in Wales full stop, and as far as I know, it hasn't been done like this in Wales before.

"People are used to seeing men dress up as women, but not the other way around. We're not doing impersonations of men, and we're hoping people will just forget that we're women, in the same way you forget when men are dressed as women."

Alice, who hails from just outside Mumbles, says she caught the acting bug locally where she attended Swansea's Bishopston and Olchfa comprehensive schools. She also studied at Gorseinon College, before heading off to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

But there's one local institution in particular that she owes a huge debt of gratitude to, and one that she passionately defends when I raise it in conversation.

"I was heavily involved with West Glamorgan Youth Theatre from the age of 15 to 21, which made me who I am – it changed my life" she says of the under-fire theatre group which helped launch the careers of countless local success stories, including Port Talbot's Hollywood superstar Michael Sheen, and Swansea-born Russell T Davies, who spectacularly regenerated the Doctor Who franchise in 2005.

"It gave me a chance to mix with people, not just my school friends, and it gave me so much confidence.

"Some people might not realise how much Shakespeare can change your life, but it can," she notes of the power of the bard's words.

"I was lucky; I had good English teachers who taught it well. And I was interested in drama, which helped. But it was West Glamorgan Youth Theatre who really showed me how much you can get from the text – they unlocked it for me.

"I know cuts have to be made, but not only to the arts. Arts can't just be for the privileged few."

One way in which Alice herself is helping to spread the arts beyond the "privileged few" is by taking Richard III into local school and youth clubs, and to show the youngsters how things really work.

"We rehearse in front of them, which is something they won't have seen before. We're not hiding behind anything, and it gives them a chance to interact and ask questions.

"I was talking to one young girl who had never even been to the theatre before, but now she wanted to.

"It felt like we'd hooked her in."

Alice, who now lives in London, says she pops back home "whenever I need to see the sea... or I need a Joe's Ice Cream!", which is something she'll be able to do a lot more often over the next month or so, being back on Welsh soil for Richard III.

Performing alongside her will be a host of familiar faces, which she describes as a "mixed bag from Welsh theatre and TV," many of whom will also be acting — and dressing — as men.

And does it work? Are they convincing as men? To find out, they initially experimented with looks and outfits, including an early – and rejected – idea of wearing fake beards. They even hit the streets of the city dressed as men to see what kind of response they'd get from the public.

"We dressed up and went out, and some people did take a double take. But we didn't get any weird comments. People were very receptive to the idea."

Another area they had to work on was the historical accuracy of the play, noting that Shakespeare can occasionally be a little bit liberal with the facts.

"We've been swotting up on the history of the War of the Roses," says Alice of their preparations.

"It's good to known how the characters relate to each other, and to know a little bit more about them.

"Who loves who, who hates who… who kills who!" she laughs.

"There are little things from history which can be a bit difficult, and we're still piecing it all together, getting to grips with it – it's a hefty play.

"For example, when I play Hastings at the start, I get sent to the Tower of London, which there is no historical record of. Maybe it was Shakespeare being a bit dramatic. And maybe Richard III wasn't quite so evil, and shouldn't be played with such a bug hump."

In fact, we can expect a much smaller hump in this production, but as Alice points out, that's as much for practical reasons as historical accuracy.

"We're being a bit more subtle. We're still exploring it, but the hump will be much smaller. The space that we're performing in is massive, and you can't go running up ladders with a huge hump on your back."

The performance area itself will also be something of a first, being staged up in the rafters in the Wales Millennium Centre's new roof void theatre.

"We're exploring the work in a brand new space, working up in the coolest space I've ever performed in," she says of the stage in the sky.

"It's literally on the roof – almost in the attic. It's a massive stage, and more of a promenade performance. If the audience want to wander around they can."

And looking to the future, could there be another Shakespearian classic getting a similar treatment on the horizon? Alice hopes so, but admits that you never know what lies around the corner in her chosen profession.

"Who knows? That's the life of the actor!" she jokes. "I'll do this until March, and then it's on to the next thing..."

• Richard III opens at Wales Millennium Centre on Tuesday, and runs until Monday, February 23

Mark Rees | Follow Mark on Twitter: @reviewwales | Email Mark: mark.rees@swwmedia.co.uk

After Swansea City's 1-1 draw against Sunderland at the Liberty on Saturday, STEPHEN WARE picks out his five talking points. 

It's good to have Ki Sung-Yueng back

After a month away on Asian Cup duty, Garry Monk put Ki Sung-Yueng straight back into the starting line-up against Sunderland. And the former Celtic man showed little sign of fatigue as he put in a man-of-the-match performance against the side where he spent last season on loan. Ki was unlucky not to give Swansea the lead when his 41st-minute shot was ruled out for offside, but there was no disputing the header he scored to pull Swansea level.

Swansea's squad looks stronger

Having struggled with depleted resources in recent weeks, Garry Monk had more selection options when Sunderland visited last weekend. Midfield was the main department bolstered as Ki returned to start alongside new signing Jack Cork. Jay Fulton and Tom Carroll dropped to the bench, while Leon Britton didn't even make the squad. Out wide is perhaps one area where Swansea are still a bit stretched, but Wayne Routledge should be back from injury soon.

Sunderland's winless run against Swansea continues

Saturday's 1-1 draw means Sunderland have now gone six matches without against Swansea. The Black Cats last claimed a victory in the fixture way back in January 2012. Since then Swansea have won twice, while the other meetings have ended in draws. Of Swansea's wins, last season's 4-0 thrashing at the Liberty was by far the most emphatic.

Danny Graham is back in favour

Two years after leaving Swansea, Danny Graham was remarkably restored to the Sunderland starting line-up at the Liberty. That was Graham's first ever start under Gus Poyet and arrived because Connor Wickham was ruled out with injury. It came after Poyet announced at the start of the season that Graham would struggle to earn a place in his squad. The striker is still awaiting his first Black Cats goal, however.

Kyle Naughton seems to be settling in

After a patchy performance at Southampton six days earlier, Naughton looked more at home in the Swansea side against Sunderland following his £5 million switch from Spurs. He defended well, was good in possession and also supplied an excellent cross that Ki headed home to score the equaliser for Garry Monk's men.

An American millionaire has given £500,000 to a Welsh hospital which helped his mother battle cancer.

Former Sony chief executive Sir Howard Stringer, 72, backed a new £4.5 million cancer centre at Velindre Hospital, Cardiff, after they cared for his mother Majorie.

Sir Howard said he believed the "Maggie's Centre" would benefit patients and their families coping with cancer - by being a base for emotional and practical support.

His mother Marjorie battled cancer before dying at the age of 93.

Sir Howard said: "If you create an environment which is warm and welcoming you have a much better chance of adjusting to the cancer more quickly, which then aids recovery."

The centre is expected to be visited by 20,000 people a year.

postnews@swwmedia.co.uk / @SWEveningPost

Cardiff