A new heritage trail celebrating Llanelli and its rugby club’s great history was officially opened at a special ceremony earlier this year, by BAFTA award-winning news anchor Huw Edwards.
The focus of the new heritage trail project based at Parc y Scarlets is to inspire, safeguard and promote the great heritage and history of Scarlets rugby and its intrinsic links with Llanelli and people across the county.
The trail will promote awareness of the link between local history and Llanelli Rugby Club in the form of a timeline spanning 140 years of rugby, industrial, local and national history.
Donations and stories have been flooding in from supporters right across the region and the most recent piece of treasured memorabilia donated to the region and the heritage trail for supporters to enjoy is a match worn shirt from that infamous 9-3 victory.
The jersey, belonging to Scarlets great Ray Gravell, has been donated by John Gravell from Trimsaran.
On presenting the jersey, along with a cap, programme and Welsh shirt, Mr Gravell said: “I came across the 72′ jersey after driving Ray home after an event one evening.
“Someone had paid for the jersey in an auction, but had re-donated it after giving a financial contribution.”
The jersey remained in Grav’s possession and was re-auctioned at an event held at the Gwenllian Court Hotel, Kidwelly. Having asked Mr Gravell, a relative of Ray’s, to bid on the jersey to get the auction underway unbeknown to him Grav brought the hammer down at £80 – Mr Gravell’s bid.
The jersey remained on display at the Optical factory, Kidwelly, where Mr Griffiths worked until it closed its doors.
Mr Griffiths continued, saying: “My claim to fame is that I played against him on four occasions and was on the winning team four times!”
Scarlets Heritage Project Manager Nia Lloyd said: “We are extremely grateful to Mr Gravell for donating these wonderful pieces of Scarlets history to us at Parc y Scarlets.
“The heritage trail, and all of the memorabilia, belongs to the Scarlets community and receiving items like these ensures that we continue to grow the collection and gives Scarlets supporters and visitors an opportunity to see priceless pieces of memorabilia.”
For more information about Parc y Scarlets’ Heritage Trail please email heritage@scarlets.co.uk
Help keep news FREE for our readers
Supporting your local community newspaper/online news outlet is crucial now more than ever. If you believe in independent journalism, then consider making a valuable contribution by making a one-time or monthly donation. We operate in rural areas where providing unbiased news can be challenging. Read More About Supporting The West Wales Chronicle
