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December 2021 (Issue 1)
The Life After Lockdown Edition
featuring Culture, shocked? Wales’s drinking habits & Cardiff character with Sarah Wratten
Sustainably fighting against food waste
Welsh artist promotes her colourful artworks in a three-week exhibition
The artist’s first exhibition of professional paintings takes place in a pop-up gallery at the Royal Arcade until 23 December By Ashvin Tiwana Jenna Murphy has been trying to get a space to showcase her artwork, and has finally found a home in the Purple Pie Gallery for a three-week show. The Cardiff native has been painting professionally since 2013, and is thrilled to showcase her work in the Royal Arcade during the Christmas season. “I’ve done a lot of these paintings during isolation last year, so to see them in the flesh in this gallery and receive amazing feedback from the people who come in, is something special,” said the 35-year-old. The self-taught artist uses acrylic paints on canvas to create colourful artworks. It’s her love for colours that is the driving force to her realistic style of painting (pictured above). “I love this comic book artist, Alex Ross,
and he did this amazing piece of the Joker which I loved so much. I attempted it on a massive canvas, kinda just for myself, and from then it took off,” she said. “Fan art is where I started, and that covers the whole umbrella of popular culture art, be it famous people, characters from movies, or popular icons. I’ve always done that because I love movies,” she said. “I’ve also been to comic cons and sold my artworks there. The prints of Star Wars and Harry Potter, for example, sell really well,” she continued. Jenna’s solo exhibition, open now until 23 December, takes place at Purple Pie Gallery at Cardiff ’s Royal Arcade. It’s a pop-up gallery owned by Jenna, which she hopes will soon be available to other artists to showcase their art projects. “Hopefully I carry on with Purple Pie Gallery, and have it available to other artists to sell their work, commission free. I also want to conduct classes and just create a little artsy artsy community,” she said.
A message for upcoming artists
“Paint what you love, don’t compromise, and get prints. Prints will be your bread and butter as not everyone can afford a painting.”
An occasion for celebration: Tree Dressing Day Despite there being a Christmas tree shortage warning issued in Wales, Ty Cerrig Christmas Tree farm is “ready to see all the lovely families returning to the farm, just one year older,” said its owner, Helen Reynolds from Beguildy. The farm, located in Bonvilston, houses an array of Christmas trees across 24 acres. “The trees that aren’t picked stay in the ground and grow for another year,” said the 54-year-old. Tree Dressing Day on 4 December is an annual celebration initiated in 1990 by Common Ground, a Dorset-based charity that deals with community conservation and environmental education.
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Since opening in September, Kindle restaurant has been implementing sustainable methods such as recycling, cutting, and saving, to help overcome the issue of food wastage that stems from owning a food business. Led by the husband and wife team of Phill and Deb Lewis, Kindle puts an emphasis on being a sustainable restaurant, and receives assistance from local farmers, suppliers, and gardeners, among others. “We started weighing all our waste, and separately weighing all our food waste, prior to recycling. This helps us constantly monitor, reduce and set ourselves targets to keep on wasting as little as we possibly can,” says Phill Lewis. He continues, “Through conversations with our suppliers and where we’re sourcing our food, we’re cutting out completely any waste before it even arrives at Kindle.” Kindle’s philosophy is that their menu should be 70% vegetarian at all times, and this is done with a bit of help from their small garden, where they grow their own chard, chillies and herbs, to name a few. According to the report on the municipal waste management of local authorities in Wales in 2019-20, organic waste made up 33% of the ‘organic material’ collected for reuse, recycling, and composting, which includes food, green and other compostable waste. This number is higher than plastic, metal, and glass combined. “It’s a wonderful thing to do with a glass of wine, and with family and friends around you,” said Helen. Planning consultant Michael Muston from Bath, 66, said, “I love the origins of Christmas Tree Dressing Day as a way of celebrating our relationship with the trees that grow around us.” Michael has a special decoration which he brings out each year to celebrate the joy of Christmas. “It’s a little Father Christmas, made of pipe cleaners that my parents bought for my first Christmas in 1955,” he said. He continued, “After they both passed away, I inherited it, and it reminds me of our old family Christmases.”
(Picture credit: Ty Cerrig)
What you don’t expect when you’re expecting Sarah Wratten is a mum, teacher and singer, who was heavily pregnant with her second child as lockdown began in March 2020 Four weeks before her due date, Sarah Wratten (pictured right), now 31, was looking forward to her maternity leave. A week later, she and every other pregnant woman in the country were classified as an at-risk group, being told to take care and not go out due to the lockdown. The cases were increasing. “It suddenly got very scary, and it was unclear whether or not my husband, Max, would be allowed into the hospital with me,” she said. She also feared contracting the virus and then not being able to give birth. “I was really worried about my baby. It was absolutely terrifying hearing about the number of deaths on the news. I was frantically googling, ‘Do newborn babies die from Covid-19,” she said.
Lessons from staying home A family of three is now four. After returning home, both Sarah and Max were working from home, with their newborn son Ellis, and daughter, Evie, who wasn’t able to go to the nursery. “We never used the word Coronavirus at home, because we didn’t want to scare her,” she said. Sarah’s parents were briefly by her side after the birth of their grandchild, but couldn’t stay long due to travel restrictions. “It was really tough saying goodbye to them, thinking how I’m not sure when we’ll actually see them again,” she said. At the same time, she said, “It was hard for my husband because we didn’t have
a place to work in the house besides our daughter’s bedroom. He had to do his calls with Ellis screaming in the background, and no one could help look after the babies for us to get some extra sleep.” However, there were some positives. Sarah shared, “I look back now on photos of us at that time and I remember how hard it was, especially with a newborn who doesn’t sleep, and trying to get a hang of feeding him, but with that said, those were some really fond memories.” She continued, “We got so much closer as a family and my husband, hats off to him, I couldn’t have been in lockdown with anyone else but him, he was absolutely incredible. I fell in love with him all over again.”
Giving birth during a lockdown When her baby was due, Max drove Sarah to the hospital. “Max wasn’t allowed into the hospital with me until I was literally in active labour, as it was the rule at the time. I walked into the hospital by myself, with no one there, in the middle of the night, while having massive contractions,” she said. “I had forgotten my essentials bag and I remember thinking, “don’t panic, stay calm,” and actually, the hospital staff were incredible. They took all the pandemic fear out of me and my son’s birth was really calm and lovely,” said Sarah. Sarah gave birth in April 2020. “People say giving birth is the hardest thing you’ll ever do, so if you’ve given birth during a bloody pandemic, then you’ve absolutely smashed it out of the park.”
“People say giving birth is the hardest thing you’ll ever do, so if you’ve given birth during a bloody pandemic, then you’ve absolutely smashed it out of the park”
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“People use alcohol as a coping mechanism, to pass time, to deal with the anxiety, and misery, of the pandemic.”
How the pandemic affects people’s relationship with alcohol
‘Drinking culture has changed’ 4
In the height of a pandemic, more people in Wales are gravitating towards alcohol consumption to deal with their personal matters
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he famous author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, once said, “First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.” Despite it being said almost 100 years ago, it’s a quote that an avid drinker could resonate with, especially in recent times. Living through a pandemic is difficult, and individuals resort to various ways to pass time, get by, or even survive. The consumption of alcohol, without a doubt, is a gateway to escape the trials and tribulations of life for many. In Cardiff, the number of referrals for alcohol and substance support has gone up. Kaye Cheeseman, maternity cover administrator from Recovery Cymru said, “We saw a 43% increase in the number of people we supported in 2020, which we believe was partly as a result of Covid-19.”
This number indicates that more people are seeking help and recovery against alcohol abuse, more so during a pandemic. Public Health Wales reports that 45% of men and 34% of women drink above the recommended guidelines, which is not more than 14 units of alcohol a week. Speaking to Charles Wakley, manager of SO Bar Cardiff, it is believed that the pandemic has made an impact on the country’s drinking culture. “The most pressing social issue we currently face is that drinking culture has changed. I have witnessed customers acting in a very animwalistic way, possibly due to the long period of no social interactions,” he said.
“The most pressing social issue we currently face is that drinking culture has changed”
While not everyone needs a social life with alcohol being included, many people would have built a stronger relationship with it. “We found a rise in cocktail sales after the lockdowns due to this,” said Charles. In his ten years of hospitality experience, it is only recently that Charles has seen the evident splits in society. “People use alcohol as a coping mechanism, to pass time, to deal with the anxiety, and misery, of the pandemic. I don’t think it’s a coincidence we’ve seen these social issues rise after such a difficult time,” he said. Charles does think that the lack of respect for alcohol and the poor relationship that many form with it, has been and will continue to be very damaging, should the drinking culture remain this way.
Alcohol as a best friend Ben, a 26-year-old from Cardiff, describes himself as an alcoholic. He explains how alcohol has been there for him since the start of the first lockdown,
back in March 2020. Ben wished not to reveal his full name to avoid any repercussions in his field of work. “I’ve spent most of my time since last year working from home, and after a while of doing so, I became very agitated. I realised what would always calm me down is a whiskey neat,” he said. One always led to two, and Ben’s night would end with a full bottle of whiskey now only half full. “I enjoyed every moment I was able to get drunk, after all, what else was I supposed to do?” he said.
“I enjoyed every moment I was able to get drunk, after all, what else was I supposed to do?”
With him not being able to see his family and friends, Ben resorted to alcohol consumption to fill the void within himself, and has no regrets.
“45% of men and 34% of women drink above the recommended guidelines.” Public Health Wales
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“I honestly would not have been able to survive some really difficult times without alcohol. It was really the best friend I needed that helped me with my own internal reflections during the times I couldn’t be with anyone else,” he said. With the lockdowns lifted, Ben is now able to continue with his drinking habits in bars and clubs around the city.
my mother being disgusted by my be haviour because I was drinking non-stop,” she said. She continued, “I had a big fight with her and said some nasty things. I felt so bad, and it was a wakeup call for me to change my behaviour, as I didn’t like the woman I was becoming when intoxicated.”
Alcohol as a worst enemy However, alcohol could more than likely play the role of villain when it comes to someone who’s been battling an addiction with it. A 25-year-old Welsh native, who wished to be known only as Ann, said that alcohol gradually made her life hell, and it wasn’t until a huge fallout during lockdown did she think she needed help. “When I was stuck at home with my family, I gravitated towards more alcohol consumption and spending time alone in my room,” she said. Her drink of choice was vodka, and it was never just a glass a day. “I didn’t see an issue with my drinking back then. I was just enjoying myself in what was a terrible time, and I remember
GET HELP NOW Struggling with an alcohol addiction? Seek assistance from these services 6
“I didn’t like the woman I was becoming when intoxicated”
Editor & Creative Director Ashvin Tiwana Special thanks Jane Bentley, Ross Clarke, Rachael Jolley, and the universe Printer Jomec
From then on, Ann stopped drinking and has since been seeking help in her journey against alcohol addiction. Avid drinkers have a different understanding of what alcohol is to them, and what it is able to provide. The pandemic has turned the world upside down, and things have certainly changed.
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