Witnessing in a Residential Home in Llanelli

From Coleshill School To Caemaen Home.

 In September 1969 I moved from the village of Bwlch-y-Gwynt to Trinity Road and from the Morfa Junior School to Coleshill Secondary Modern School.

Coleshill School was situated in Coleshill Terrace. Coleshill, Buckinghamshire, was where Andrew Cowell came from. Andrew Cowell, of the Coldstream Guards, was the second husband of Maria Justina, the daughter of Sir Thomas Stepney, 7th Baronet of Llanelly House. Maria Justina and Andrew Cowell’s son, John Stepney Cowell became Sir John Stepney Cowell Stepney.

The motto was “Gorau Arf Arf Dysg” meaning, “The Best Tool is the Tool of Education”. Mr Emrys Brace was the head master. He was a member of Tabernacle Chapel which was down the road from the School. Every Christmas a  Prize-Giving Ceremony was held there. Sometimes educative films were screened in the main building of the School. The film was on a large reel of tape connected to a projector. The films illustrated subjects such as metal-work. The Christmas treat was a film on Norman Wisdom. I sat my Certificate of Secondary Education Exams in 1974. They enabled me to attend the Llanelli Boys’ Grammar School.

Coleshill School was demolished around the late 1970s or early 1980s. I witnessed a crane with a ball and chain smashing the handsome building to pieces. The Council staff now park their cars there. I once asked a councillor why did they decide to demolish the School. “We can’t keep everything”, came the reply.

There was a number of buildings outside the yard where the Caemaen Home now stands.”Caemaen” is Welsh for “Stone field”. There was a colliery there at one time bearing that name. I will try to describe roughly where the old school buildings were where the Home is now situated.

Where the day centre is there was the canteen which was shared between the girls who were in the upstairs area of the School and the boys who were downstairs. Two of the cooks were Mrs. Glenys Jenkins who attended the Evangelistic Hall and Mrs Megan Cox who was a member of Trinity Chapel.

Where the lounges of the Home are situated were two science laboratories. Both science teachers were named Mr Evans but were distinguished by their nick names “Broad Bean” and “Sweet Pea” so-called because of their bodily build.

Next to the science labs was the changing rooms for the boys who played rugby in People’s Park opposite. The P.E. teacher was Mr. Beynon of the Ammanford area.

At right angle were four rooms were called “the huts”. In the first one Mr Davies taught mathematics. He was also the careers master. Next door Nigel Morgan taught technical drawing. The other two rooms were for the girls. The teachers were Mrs. Joy Morgan and Mrs. Bothwick. At right angles to the huts was the metal-work shop where Mr Davies (Dai Met) was in charge. This building would have been facing the front entrance of the Home.

Caemaen Residential Home and its grounds replaced them in April 1983. It was officially opened on April 11th 1984 by J G P Lewis of the former Dyfed County Council.

My neighbours Brinley and Lilly Thomas become the first residents. I visited them frequently. In the October their relatives suggested that I should hold Services there. Mrs Beynon the Officer in Charge allowed me to do so once a month. Archie Carew an evangelist of London was the first speaker as he was conducting a Mission in the Evangelistic Hall at the time. The Services became more regular from January 1984 onward. That month Reg Roberts of the Evangelistic Hall spoke. In February Robert McLuckie an evangelist of Northern Ireland was the speaker. Both of them preached on Psalm 23.

Initially Gerwyn Davies and Gordon Price of the Bynea Gospel Hall supported me. Latterly Wynford Bowen of the Evangelistic Hall did so after he retired from being a chemist in Mr. Tucker’s shop  in Thomas Street.

The music was provided by the piano. Mr Richards the organist of Nazareth Chapel in Halfway played as he had his meals in the Day Centre. Miss Gladys Matthews of the Evangelistic Hall also played the piano. Much later came Orlando John former organist of Greenfield Baptist Church.. The Services were on Thursday when I was unemployed and then on Saturday when I started  work in the Llanelli Tax Office. At Christmas time I would arrange for the Evangelistic Hall to sing carols there.

I invited preachers from the Trimsaren, Bynea, Morfa  and Loughor Gospel Halls to speak. Latterly, children would sing solos to the residents.

One resident celebrated her centenary and I was invited to the party.

The Services lasted for about thirty years. I would like to express my appreciation for the welcome and co-operation I received from the staff during that period.