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November 2021
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EDITORS LETTER
CARDIFF TIMES
Welcome Welcome Welcome CARDIFF TIMES
EDITORS LETTER
CARDIFF TIMES CARDIFF TIMES PUBLISHER Cardiff Times PUBLISHER EDITOR Cardiff Times Louise Denning PUBLISHER 07903 947594 EDITOR Cardiff Times Louise Denning FEATURES EDITOR 07903 947594 EDITOR Mark Denning Louise Denning 07758 247194 FEATURES 07903 947594EDITOR Mark Denning SALES & MARKETING 07758 247194EDITOR FEATURES Beth Mark Denning beth@cardiff-times.co.uk SALES & MARKETING 07758 247194 Beth beth@cardiff-times.co.uk SALES & MARKETING CONTRIBUTORS Beth Wyn Evans, Vince Nolan, beth@cardiff-times.co.uk Sara John, Carl Marsh, CONTRIBUTORS Michael Fogg, Kellie Williams, Wyn Evans, Vince Nolan, Ralph Oates, Natalie McCulloch, Sara John, Carl Marsh, CONTRIBUTORS Jen AbellFogg, Kellie Williams, Michael Wyn Evans, Vince Nolan, Ralph Oates, Natalie McCulloch, Sara John, Carl Marsh, Jen AbellFogg, Kellie Williams, Michael Ralph Oates, Natalie McCulloch, Jen Abell
EDITORIAL 029 2046 3028 ADVERTISING 07903 947594 EMAIL info@cardiff-times.co.uk EDITORIAL 029 2046 3028 WEB www.cardiff-times.co.uk ADVERTISING 07903 947594 EDITORIAL 029 2046 3028 EMAIL info@cardiff-times.co.uk ADVERTISING 07903 947594 WEB www.cardiff-times.co.uk EMAIL info@cardiff-times.co.uk WEB www.cardiff-times.co.uk
EDITORS LETTER
Hi All, and welcome to our November issue.
It only seems like yesterday we were completing our last issue but a has moved to onour since. Time really does fly by. Covid Himonth All, and welcome November issue. seems to be doing it's rounds in schools in Cardiff, especially at our daughter’s primary school, luckily, we know no-one It only seems like yesterday webut were completing ouroflast issuewho but is seriously illmoved with the Thank people Himonth All, and welcome to our November issue. a has onvirus. since. Timegoodness really doessoflymany by. Covid have received vaccinations. seems to be doing it's rounds in schools in Cardiff, especially at It only seems like yesterday webut were completing ouroflast issuewho but our daughter’s primary school, luckily, we know no-one October is always a quiet month forgoodness us in terms ofmany birthdays, a month has moved onvirus. since. Time really doessofly by. Covid is seriously ill with the Thank people celebrations just it's going out in This couldespecially be because seems to be or doing rounds in general. schools in Cardiff, at have received vaccinations. PUBLISHER we starting primary to think school, about the and activity our are daughter’s butchaos luckily, wenon-stop knowHi ofAll, no-one who and that welcome to our N Cardiff is the month December and mentally ourselves for a seriously illofwith the virus. Thank soofmany people October isTimes always a quiet month forgoodness us inpreparing terms birthdays, certain celebration, or it could just be we This haven’t been invited to like yesterday have received Itbe only seems celebrations orvaccinations. just going out in general. could because go anywhere! a month has moved on since we are starting to think about the chaos and non-stop activity that EDITOR October is always a quiet month for us inpreparing terms of ourselves birthdays, seems to for be doing it's round is the month of December and mentally a Louise Denning celebrations or just going outcelebrating in general. This could be invited because This month though, we'll be daughter's birthday. our daughter’s certain celebration, or it could just be weour haven’t been to primary scho 07903 947594 we are starting to think about activity that Not sure what she wants to dothe or chaos where and she non-stop wants is toseriously go because ill with the virus. go anywhere! is the month of December andon mentally preparing for -a vaccinations. have received she keeps changing her mind ideas to celebrateourselves her big day certain celebration, it could just beMark weour haven’t been invited sounds a bitthough, like EDITOR heror mum! was saying that by the to This month we'll be(that celebrating daughter's birthday. FEATURES go is always a quiet mo way!). Notanywhere! sure what she wants to do or where she wants October to go because Mark Denning she keeps changing her mind on ideas to celebratecelebrations her big day or - just going ou This month though, we'll be celebrating our daughter's birthday. we by are starting to think abou 07758 And another celebration this(that month the book launch of the our sounds a247194 bit like her mum! wasisMark saying that Not sure what she wants to do or where she wants to go because is the month talented way!). writer Sara John, who not content with providing us withof December an certain or it coul she keeps changing her mind ideas to celebrate her her bigcelebration, day an incredibly varied number ofon articles, has now turned handSALES & like MARKETING go anywhere! sounds a her bit mum! (that wasisMark saying that by the to writing ownher book. And another celebration this month the book launch of our Beth way!). talented writer Sara John, who not content with providing us with This month though, we'll be beth@cardiff-times.co.uk Last but not least ournumber third celebration to……. the her magazine an incredibly varied of articles,goes has now turned hand Notaof sure And another is the book launch ourwhat she wants to and our talented We month have only gone and won best to writing hercelebration ownwriters. book. this keeps changing her min talented Sara content with providing us with magazinewriter award. It'sJohn, greatwho to benot recognised after allshe these years. sounds ahand bit like her mum! (t anhuge incredibly varied of every articles, has now turned her A well done to number each and one of our dedicated and Last but not least our third celebration goes to……. the magazine CONTRIBUTORS way!). to writing herwriters, ownwriters. book. inspirational and We a pathave on the forand us,won sometimes and our talented onlyback gone a best all Wyn Evans, the hard work isVince worth itNolan, after all! recognised after all these years. magazine award. It's great to be And Last but not done least thirdand celebration goes to……. the another magazine Sara John, Carlour A huge well toMarsh, each every one of our dedicated and celebration this EDITORS LETTER talented and ourcontinue talented writers. We have onlyback gone and won a bestwriter Please to stay safe everyone, and until next month, inspirational writers, and a pat on the for us, sometimes all Sara John, w Michael Fogg, Kellie Williams, CARDIFF TIMES incredibly magazine award. It's great to be recognised after allanthese years.varied number happy reading. the hard work is worth it after all! Ralph Oates, Natalie to writing her own book. A huge well done to eachMcCulloch, and every one of our dedicated and inspirational writers, andsafe a pateveryone, on the back us,next sometimes Jen Abell Please continue to stay andfor until month, all Last but not least our third c the hard work is worth it after all! happy reading. PUBLISHER Louise & Mark Hi All, and welcome to our November issue. and our talented writers. We Cardiff Times It only seems like yesterday we were completing our last issue but Please everyone, and next month, award. It's great to a month has moved on since. Timeuntil really does flymagazine by. Covid EDITOR continue to stay safe seems to be doing it's rounds in schools in Cardiff, especially at Louise Denning Aofhuge well done to each an happy reading. our daughter’s primary school, but luckily, we know no-one who 07903 947594 ill with the virus. Thank goodness so many people Louise & Mark ishaveseriously inspirational writers, and a p received vaccinations. FEATURES EDITOR hard work is worth it afte October is always a quiet month for us in terms ofthe birthdays, Mark Denning
Welco
Welcome
07758 247194 Louise & Mark SALES & MARKETING Beth beth@cardiff-times.co.uk
celebrations or just going out in general. This could be because we are starting to think about the chaos and non-stop activity that is the month of December and mentally preparing ourselves for a certain celebration, or it could just be we haven’t been invited to go anywhere!
Please continue to stay safe happy reading.
This month though, we'll be celebrating our daughter's birthday. Not sure what she wants to do or where she wants to go because she keeps changing her mind on ideas to celebrate her big day sounds a bit like her mum! (that was Mark saying that by the way!).
EDITORIAL 029 2046 3028 CONTRIBUTORS Wyn Evans, Vince Nolan, ADVERTISING 07903 947594 And another celebration this month is the book launch of our Sara John, Carl Louise Follow us Marsh, on Twitter @CardiffTimes talented writer Sara John, who not content with providing us with Michael Fogg, Kellie Williams, an incredibly varied number of articles, has now turned her hand EMAIL Ralph Oates, Natalieinfo@cardiff-times.co.uk McCulloch, to writing her own book. Jen Abell Last but not least our third celebration goes to……. the magazine WEB www.cardiff-times.co.uk and our talented writers. We have only gone and won a best
& Mark
magazine award. It's great to be recognised after all these years. Follow us on Twitter @CardiffTimes A huge well done to each and every one of our dedicated and inspirational writers, and a pat on the back for us, sometimes all www.facebook.com/Cardifftimes the hard work is worth it after all! Please continue to stay safe everyone, and until next month, Follow us on Twitter @CardiffTimes happy reading.
EDITORIAL
029 2046 3028
www.facebook.com/Cardifftimes ADVERTISING 07903 947594 Louise & Mark
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EMAIL WEB
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NOVEMBER AT ST DAVID’S HALL! INCREDIBLY, it’s Christmas again next month - but before all those festivities begin, there’s still plenty to get excited about at St David’s Hall throughout November! As ever, the National Concert Hall of Wales is the place to be for the biggest names in rock and pop. The month starts in style with the Grammy Award-winning legend and Fairport Convention co-founder, Richard Thompson (Mon 1 Nov). Equally iconic over the last five decades is Van Morrison (Sun 7 Nov), as the Northern Irish singer-songwriter showcases classic hit singles, fan favourites and hidden gems from his extensive back catalogue. Philadelphia soul sensations, The Stylistics (Tues 23 Nov) return, while prog-rockers Marillion (Weds 17 Nov) visit as part of their Light at the End of the Tunnel tour. Meanwhile, Jason Donovan (Mon 22 Nov) celebrates the 30th anniversary of his debut Ten Good Reasons featuring the No.1 singles Especially for You, Too Many Broken Hearts and Sealed with a Kiss. Similarly, Gabrielle (Tues 16 Nov) marks 20 years of her chart-topping album Rise, but if you want to secure a seat you’ll need to be very quick as there’s very limited availability. The same can be said for Amy Wadge (Weds 3 Nov) and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Live in Concert (Thurs 25 Nov), but Grayson Perry (Mon 8 Nov), Tim Peake (Mon 15 Nov) and The Music of Zimmer vs Williams (Sat 13 Nov) are all sold out. Make sure to keep an eye on our website and social media for any late releases! Our Cardiff Classical season continues as the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales (Fri 12 Nov) perform a powerful programme of Brahms, Mozart and Schumann, while the Welsh National Opera (Sun 21 Nov) return for a wonderful afternoon of Smetana, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky under the baton of conductor, Tomáš Hanus. Also back are the Royal Welsh Symphony Orchestra (Thurs 4 Nov), and classical crossover superstar, Katherine Jenkins (Thurs 18 Nov) with stunning songs from her latest album Cinema Paradiso and a selection of personal favourites. Our classical Lunchtime Concerts resume with acclaimed accordionist, Samuele Telari (Tues 9 Nov) and Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral Choir (Tues 30 Nov), who perform their annual Christmas concert - the perfect way to break up your day and get into the festive spirit with all the family! If folk is more your thing, we’ve got that covered too with the ever-popular duo, Show of Hands (Sun 28 Nov) featuring Steve Knightley and Phil Beer, while the Sam Sweeney Band (Tues 30 Nov) perform an intimate set in our L3 Lounge as part of the Roots Unearthed series. Also, get ready to tap your toes as George Hinchcliffe’s Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (Fri 5 Nov) play your favourite tunes as you’ve never heard them before! November is always a time for reflection, and the 41st annual Wales Festival of Remembrance (Sat 6 Nov) - in aid of the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal - is the nation’s chance to commemorate and honour all those who have lost their lives in conflict. Elsewhere, archaeologist Alice Roberts (Weds 10 Nov) takes us on a fascinating journey through our origins in Ancestors, and if you’re up for a laugh why not try Aussie comedy legend Kevin Bloody Wilson (Thurs 11 Nov)? But be warned, he’s not for the faint-hearted!
Cardiff Times November - Page 2_Layout 1 28/10/2021 15:39 Page 1
WELSH NATIONAL OPERA ORCHESTRA 21.11.21
THE STYLISTICS 23.11.21
SHOW OF HANDS 28.11.21
MARILLION Light at the End of the Tunnel 17.11.21
KATHERINE JENKINS 18.11.21
KEVIN BLOODY WILSON 11.11.21
ALICE ROBERTS Ancestors 10.11.21
JASON DONOVAN Even More Good Reasons 22.11.21
BBC NATIONAL ORCHESTRA & CHORUS OF WALES 12.11.21
VAN MORRISON 07.11.21
WALES FESTIVAL OF REMEMBRANCE 06.11.21
RICHARD THOMPSON 01.11.21
“Of course!” First an apology. It seems that October’s article (“Planning for school years 12 and 13”) got mangled at the printer with the consequence that a good third of it was omitted from the magazine. It’s impossible to reprint the magazine of course, but here is a link my publisher assures me will lead to the complete article online https:// www.cardiff-times.co.uk/editions/october-2021/. It noted the educational choices ahead of The Girl (my daughter, who has Down Syndrome) as she plans ahead for Years 12-13. Well, she had her Year 11 Annual Review this week and it went well. As a result, we have submitted the papers requesting that she attend the Specialist Resource Base at Whitchurch High School commencing September 2022 (Y12). If this is given effect it will mean that this year (Y11) will be The Girl’s last at Cardiff High School, an issue I shall return to in a future article. Watch this space for updates. This month I thought I’d regale you with a few little anecdotes, some bon mots and pearls of wisdom from the lips of The Girl herself. “Of course!” The Girl has started using ‘of course’ as an all-occasions statement.
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byWyn Evans
Me: Thanks for holding the door open for me. TG: Of course. Me: You’re a lovely girl. TG: Of course. The Boss: Have a good day in school. TG: Of course. Me: Do I get a birthday kiss? TG: Of course. And, me, just now: Thanks for making my birthday so lovely. TG, smiling: Of course! ...but... ...Me: Do you want to do some English reading/ comprehension with me? TG: NO! Of course not! English Pride! The Girl last Tuesday evening was telling The Boss about her current achievement in trampolining: she’s learnt the Barani, though she has fun calling it the ‘biryani’. (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=ypwm7aIoyDo&ab_channel=Adam)
The Boss replied: You’re on fire right now aren’t you! TG: Eh?? Boss: You’re not really on fire. Saying “you’re on fire” is a metaphor, a way of saying you’re doing really well. TG: Ah!! Boss: Now if I’d said “it’s like you’re on fire” that would be a simile. See, metaphor...simile. TG thinks, says: I’m so proud... Boss: You should be proud, you’re doing very well... TG: No, I’m proud of your English! Just William! I used to think that, of modern-day celebs and stars, the person whose appearance most encapsulates (Just) William Brown is Jack Grealish, the footballer (hair sticking up everywhere, socks rolled down, wicked smile, a sort-of guilty innocence), etc. But then, today, we received this year’s school photos through the mail and online via download. And this one took over the Just William crown!! You can just picture her leading the Outlaws on a daring raid to liberate a freshly-baked apple pie from the kitchen table! Good with kids! This evening, The Boss received an email from the lady who heads-up The Girl’s trampolining club, Heather.
I’m so pleased for her and proud of her.
The email told of how impressed Heather had been watching The Girl looking after, and trying to help learn, a couple of the younger bouncers in Sunday’s trampolining afternoon training sessions. And she did it well.
Girl: what did you have for lunch today Mum?
Heather told The Boss that, if The Girl would like, Heather would arrange further opportunities for her to take on such responsibilities. The Boss asked The Girl whether this would be to her liking... ... a smile of such joy beamed from my lovely Girl then came the reply “that would be GRRREAT!” Trampolining, breaking new ground. Heather also took The Boss aside this morning and told her something wonderful. As you know, The Girl has been able to do front somersaults with a tuck and front somersaults with a pike for a while. She has now just about mastered* a back somersault with a tuck, and the barani (see above). (*When I say ‘mastered’ I mean can land it successfully every time. She can ‘do’ them a lot of the time but not every time.) The competition season is almost upon us and Heather is sure that The Girl will have mastered all three of these ready for inclusion in her competition routine. She will be the first person with Down Syndrome that Heather will have seen who includes all these elements in a competitive routine.
Healthy?! Boss: salad, pretty boring but healthy overall. Girl: do you want to know what I had? Boss: Yes. Girl: I had margherita calzone pizza. The cheese and tomato was pretty healthy, except for the outside (the folded-over pizza base). But... [shrugs her shoulders and grins]... but that’s all right. Overall, it was delicious! Saturday night meal out at Stefano’s, again... ...and again a lovely meal. On the way home The Girl put on BBC Radio 2 - a Westlife live show. I knew none of their songs though I did know Ronan Keating - “that guy off The One Show” (which The Girl puts on at tea time); the one who is not the Welsh one off of Blue Peter or the well-groomed one from Match of the Day. Which is when The Girl assured me that Ronan Keating was in Boyzone not Westlife. Which led to an argument that I lost. And then Westlife sang Uptown Girl by Billy Joel, and I knew all the words. So I joined in and got this from the front passenger seat: “Da-ad, please, I am trying to sing along here, you’re embarrassing me!” We also got parking-ticketed for being 50 cm away from the kerb at the front. Bah! More next month! Have a good Moustache November!
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Raymond Gubbay presents…
Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet From the Russian State Ballet & Orchestra of Siberia St David’s Hall Sat 18 Dec 2021 – Sun 2 Jan 2022 • 2pm, 5.30pm & 7pm (Excluding 25 - 26 December and 1 January)
WHAT better way is there to get in the Christmas spirit than to enjoy a world class ballet with your loved ones at St David’s Hall? We’ve got the festive season all wrapped up at the National Concert Hall of Wales with FOUR enchanting productions performed by the prestigious Russian State Ballet of Siberia and accompanied by the Russian State Ballet Orchestra in partnership with Raymond Gubbay Ltd.
palace ballroom to moonlit lakes, this compelling tale of tragic romance has it all.
Our captivating season starts in style with the rags to riches fairytale, Cinderella (Sat 18 – Sun 19 Dec). This perfect production is a mesmerising mix of Prokofiev’s energetic score, lively choreography and colourful costumes. Will Cinderella’s dreams come true?
The season comes to a breathtaking finale with another of Prokofiev’s spectacular scores in Shakespeare’s tale of primal passion and timeless tragedy, Romeo & Juliet (Fri 31 Dec & Sun 2 Jan). Experience the grandeur of the masked ball and the intimacy of the lovers’ balcony in this
Then it’s time for the whole family to enjoy the festive favourite, The Nutcracker (Mon 20 – Fri 24 Dec). Get ready to be swept off to a mysterious place where nothing is quite as it seems. Watch with astonishment as toys spring to life, and the treacherous Mouse King battles the handsome Nutcracker Prince. After Christmas it’s the greatest romantic ballet of all time, Swan Lake (Mon 27 – Thurs 30 Dec), which features Tchaikovsky’s haunting score. From the majesty of the
unmissable, star-crossed story of family feuds and doomed love set in bustling Renaissance Verona. Once again, this year’s ballet season at St David’s Hall features a sprinkling of special effects with an atmospheric and ever-changing digital backdrop to make everything even more magical! For full details on prices including Family Tickets, Platinum packages, concessions, multi-saver discounts and group bookings, please visit www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk or call the Box Office on 029 2087 8444.
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2 FANTASTIC SHOWS ON SALE NOW SATURDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2021
SATURDAY 18 DECEMBER 2021
BOX OFFICE: 029
2022 4488
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In The Words Of
by Carl Marsh
And now for a review of a different kind:
… and normality seems to be back as I went to my first large music gig in Wales since 2019! I went to see my friend Zac Skinner whose band The Skinner Brothers were supporting Kasabian at the Great Hall at Cardiff University. It was amazing to see them play, and as the picture shows, we got to chat for a while after the performance. If you don’t know of The Skinner Brothers, please give their music a listen. You will not be disappointed. Kasabian were very impressive, too, minus Tom Meighan, who had to leave the band due to a criminal conviction. Serge stepped up to the plate with the bands vocal duties and was superb. On a different note, I have COVID-19, but I am getting better by the day. The only good thing about having it has meant I have had “no choice” but to watch lots of TV [laughs]. I did watch the whole Photo credit: Connor Hill of the last series of Fear The Walking Dead [Amazon Prime] and The Boys [Amazon Prime]; both are worthy of your viewing choice if you like this sort of thing. The Walking Dead on Disney + is still ongoing, and I am up to date with that, so if you aren’t, then why not? On Netflix, I finally caved in due to my daughter telling me she had watched it: Squid Game. Wow! For once, listening to the hype about this show proved to be 100% truthful. I watched it with the subtitles on as I always prefer the original [this was Korean] as you get how it was initially intended to be seen, but you can put on English dub if you can put up with those.
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VITAMINS For a change, I thought I’d delve into vitamins, as in, of the supplements kind. I get such a vast quantity of emails with offers for ‘this and that’ product - most I ignore - but with Four Five Nutrition and what they were offering, I thought I’d give them a try. Granted, you need to be using supplements for longer than a month to be getting the full benefit; I believe it is 6-8 weeks, at least. Whilst I am just under that period, I have found that these are quality products, not just some rugged tablet that is so tiny that you can’t see the writing on the tablet. These are all in capsule format - and quite large - which I prefer, and the company doesn’t shy away from telling you what goes into each variety and tries to be as transparent as possible. I opted for the Omega 3, Vitamin C and Biotic LGG [gut health apparently!]. These are high quality and at a premium, but my motto is always that if you want to put something in your body, at least go for the best things you can afford. The other range of supplements includes Vitamin D3, Female Multi and Male Multi. The full range can be viewed at: https://www.fourfivenutrition.co.uk INTERVIEWS This month I interviewed Welsh singer Lianne Morgan who was in the earliest incarnation of The Spice Girls and who now has created something unique called Fluffkins. My other interview is with a band called RATS, who are supporting one of my favourite bands on tour (and they have their own tour going on too); the DMA’s. Until next month, Carl Marsh Twitter - @InTheWordsOf_CM Facebook - @InTheWordsOf YouTube – InTheWordsOf
As one of the original line-up of a girl group called Touch, which eventually became The Spice Girls, Lianne Morgan was to be sacked by letter only a few weeks later and be replaced by Mel Chisholm (Sporty Spice). How does a young Welsh singer go from being a Spice Girl to creating Fluffkins? In 2010 I started to develop problems with my speech, when I tried to speak, it felt like the signalling from my brain to my vocal cords was erratic and intermittent; this was later diagnosed as Spasmodic Dysphonia. My diagnosis had a massive impact on my well-being, relationships, and my career took a nosedive; even though I could still sing, my agents had a hard time understanding my condition, whilst Spasmodic Dysphonia affects everyday speech, sufferers can still laugh, cry, and sing with no problems. In 2013 I decided to follow one of my creative passions of Fine Art, I thought that I could do this easily with a voice condition, but I was wrong. It became more and more apparent to me that employers, education, and the general public do not understand or support people with communication disabilities. I spent the next few years feeling isolated and used my art development whilst studying for my BA (Hons) and MFA examining how we communicate without using language. I looked into various ways of human connection and stumbled into a subject called Panpsychism (a belief that everything material matter has an element of individual consciousness). If everything has consciousness, then let's give everything a face, I thought, and with eyes being the windows to the soul, let's start there. Initially, my journey into creating Fluffkins was a serious art project into how we connect and communicate with each other and create a system for people with communication disabilities to connect
and speak to their surrounding environments. I began to make bags using some of the designs I had created for the communication art project and wanted it to be light-hearted and fun to get through lockdown, and the bags became a big hit. I took Fluffkins to ComicCon in September, and they were a big hit with the anime, manga, cosplay, and comic con world. The music industry can be a strange beast. Would your Fluffkins creations be the antithesis of that world? No, the plan for Fluffkins in the future is to move into animation. With my skill set as a musician, singer-songwriter, there's going to be a musical element, so you might say I created them to be my new stage persona (smiley face). I found the music industry to be very kind to me; I earned a healthy living, met some fantastic people, visited places I would never have usually been able to if it wasn't for my singing. Do you wish you had started doing your creations much earlier than now, or is the time just right? I had many other things happening, such as doing my BA (Hons), MFA, renovating a house, looking after an elderly parent, and recovering from major surgery in 2020. We all had our own survival kit to get through lockdown, and mine was creating Fluffkins. I actually came up with the name in 2014, but the timing wasn't right, and I also didn't have a clear vision of them. So yes, the timing is perfect now. And you find the time to be involved in setting up a charity? In 2008 I began working with a project called Major Music which was a collective of professionals within the music industry who passed on their skills and guided ages 11-25 into the music industry. I worked with Bridgend Youth Services to deliver music, creative art projects for ages 11-25 non-school attendees, young offenders, young people with additional learning, and young people with mental health issues. Unfortunately, in 2015 many charities and projects had their funding removed, Major Music and Bridgend Youth Services being amongst them. Since then, I have been actively looking for like-minded individuals, venues etc. to set up a charity based on creating opportunities for 11-25 to express, connect and communicate to help improve their mental health and well-being; with lockdown and Covid looming over us, it is needed now more than ever. I have joined a few other people, and we are in the process of setting up New Futures. I am also setting up a charity called No Speech specifically for people suffering from commutation difficulties. People can order Fluffkins from www.fluffkins.co.uk, Facebook @myfluffkins, and info@fluffkins.co.uk
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Photo credit: Tom Oxley About to support the DMA’s for most of their UK tour, RATS have their own UK tour simultaneously, and recently they also supported my friend’s band, The Skinner Brothers. With the DMA’s and The Skinner Brothers being two of my favourite bands and RATS’ connections, I had to talk to the lead singer, Joe Maddocks, ahead of their gig at The Moon in Cardiff on Tuesday 9th November. You are touring a lot at the moment, both with the DMA’s and on your tour. Can I assume that you’ve played Cardiff before? We’ve played The Moon before on our first tour. There were about 25 or 30 people in there. It was a good gig, and we made some excellent fans from that Cardiff event as we’ve had them come to our London gigs all the way from Wales. I’ve listened to your new track Patsy Decline (released 18th November), and I like how you refer to The La’s single “There She Goes”. What made you do that musical reference? These days, many of the songs are doing that, though, aren’t they, by mentioning other songs. And we thought it would be a nice touch because The La’s are every band in Liverpools - who are like us - top five biggest influences, more so than The Beatles these days. It’s not like we don’t like The
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Beatles, but The La’s are a lot closer to us and relatable as they are in their trackies! [Laughs] I get that; as if you said one of the bands’ influences were The Beatles, people would be expecting some sort of Merseybeat sound from you guys? That’s why I shave my head, mate, as before I had long hair and I had this proper Beatles look, and every time we’d play a gig, people would say, “Oh, you like The Beatles?” So since then, we’ve not had a single comparison to them. How did you guys get to form the band? Was it from your childhood days? I was like - sort of - in a mess around band, and we ended up getting a manager just through one gig. That manager then just put a band around me. I kept the name of the old band: RATS. He put the guitarist Mikey in contact with me, and we had a couple of other members over the years. The other two (Lol and Alan) have always been in the back passenger seats, you know, always there even though never in the band. They were always chilling with us or in the rehearsal room, but I’ve known Lol since we were in our first band as kids and that sort of thing. RATS are performing at The Moon in Cardiff on Tuesday 9th November. A few tickets remain.
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CARDIFF TIMES 17
‘And Another Thing...’
Oh……Who Done It?
byVince Nolan
No particular story to go with this title. I was listening to Radio 2 the other morning whilst driving The Current Mrs Nolan to her Lumberjacking for Beginners class and they were talking about Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” whodunnit play. You will of course know that it is the longest continuously running play in the world (from 1952). Nice royalties if you can get them as Koo Stark may have once said about Prince Andrew (look it up). It just struck me that whodunnit was a very Welsh phrase, rather than “I say, does anyone know who did it?” I have always thought that a good name for a detective would be Mr E. So from the annals of Mr E: 11:45 - Arrived at crime scene. 11:45 - Examined body. Signs of struggle. 11:45 - Found murder weapon in drain. 11:45 - Realised watch was broken. Some of the latest utterings from contributors to Tripadvisor caught my eye recently. There were a number of complainants who wanted
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to tell the world that Mount Snowdon was too windy and too steep, bless. One assumes they were members of The East Anglia Mountain Rescue Team or some such other flat-earthers. It did not end there Dear Reader. Another intellectual giant wrote: “Whatever possessed them to put that mountain in Wales? It would be much better in Cornwall.” I was amused that somebody could think that “They” were responsible for placing mountains. Interestingly, those of you who have studied topography will know that there are no mountains in Cornwall. The best “They” could come up with is a hill called Brown Willy (honestly) which explains why Mount Snowdon might be something of an improvement. What’s funnier, mountains or forests? Mountains, of course- they’re hill areas. In Wales of course a flock of sheep tumbling down a mountain might very well be called a lamb-slide. With this in mind She Who Must be Obeyed and I witnessed these brave little fellas (below) in Rhosilli the other Sunday. I read with interest that there will be a no
Design fault or user error? forgiven. My favourite involved a man
eing , man, the hunter, I used my instinctive if Customs had found Colonel Gaddafi stowing Talking of intolerance, I amClub led towas believe that the Wilson who jointly away called on a St.George Peter’s Rugby bus is anybody’s and ktoptrapping skills and picked the little guy term heckler originated from mail the textile trade, where stealing at gunpoint guessconvicted but it wouldofcertainly have caused a major eleased back into the wild. No harm can in him something wrong is called a typo. So hemp if smacking kids law introduced in Walestoforheckle was to tease oritcomb-out flax or andI say wassomething sentenced toisdeath bya talko? diplomatic incident. ……………..well, until next door’s cat got 2022. Whilst being welcomed by most wrong it called Yard) that we had properly warmed up sincefibres. we didn’t wantmodern to pull anymeaning drinking ned to ensure The wasoncoined in Dundee right-mindedonly people will of course nothing Furthermore, would a typo a headstone be Just tohanging. beten clear: Didrefused you hear about the urologist He a pardon in 1833 muscles. Unfortunately, six ofit us turned up andbeainminimum of were required or the the earlya 19th century. As thetypos hecklers toiled in but bad news for the Cardiff under 14’s grave error? Between and autocorrect dvisit still off. I engaged four old-timers who were bar have been who(could was eaten bythe bear? was meteorologist withwas hunting, if I were illegally hunting for in the from President Andrew Jackson andthe Lederhosen Formation Slap Dancing Ensemble it’sone getting harder toHe post stuffaread these days. One the factory, of athe team would out days’ aforementioned ones from the Taff Vale) and asked them whether they fancied having a dms, would (meaty urologist, oh please yourselves). I have questionable morels? who will no longer be slapping each other as tiny mistake and your whole post is urined. and others would buttSupreme in with constant was executed after Court brewery tour and free beer for the afternoon. Fearingnews some kind of the honey trap, they took the routines unless they are given how The Leadertoof the and I weredebate.” sitting in With at doconvincing youpart callofthat a their deer whowas has lost both ome my offer genuine. Cautiously, they agreed join us. Picture theit interruptions and aOpposition stream of “furious Thehe world has taken a down strange – at least ruled could turn iftwist he wanted special dispensation by our First Minister. scene, 5pm on a sunny kyhunting accident? No eye deer. our socially distanced local, The Funky Furlough, the parts I seem to occupy. I have been this in mind I have collated some quality put-downs to. No pleasing some weekday evening at theayou side How long have hadfolk. arthritis?” “IRugby don’t Saw this Trump in a local pub Ion specials board: reading about proposal for the 2027 whencomics a lady close byused to us asked the Bar Manager ecided that when dies, willtheir give which have to deal with modern day to the Brewery onwill prevent “We Love Local and champion local farms entrance World Cup which any team in “but red I have arthritis, Father,” the drunk said, if the toilets were still upstairs. He of course y. I will say: “He is today how he was as hecklers: Street where four exactly time itthat tried to and fisheries.” All very butwarmed the first Caroline shirts and green shirtsto playing each other Yard)the to ensure we hadlaudable properly upjust since we didn’t want pullthe any drinking read in the paper that Pope does.” Continuing pensioners who could barely confi rmed that they were but I thought this to be ato t……….wearing make-up and lying in front item on their menu was Mediterranean Olives. because colour blind people often struggle muscles. up and a minimum of ten were required or the I drank theUnfortunately, other three only six of us turned size ofseen shoe does mouth take?” were hanging ontoyour Overheard in the same pub:the “Every time“What we stand distinguish between the two. Not criticising Staying with the drink, there has always rope very stupid question. I would have said something men.” Ricky Tomlinson visit was off.here I engaged old-timers who were inthem thefor bar (couldbut have been asons. a lamppost, rather come we comefour here.” You don’t say. of support, course thisattached would the affect Wales, been much snobbery toknow wine. like: “I don’t ently asked by the son of from a good theme: “This is what comes from drinking on an empty aforementioned ones thefriend Taff Vale) and asked them whether they fancied having a than illumination. An Canada, Ireland, Tonga, Russia, South Africa ten about sell-buy dates before Indeed, people make a living from it, afternoon they would and Japan. This had me in mind of that quote when madam was I would write a urology for his Dad’s head.” brewery tour and free beer forSoap the afternoon. Fearing some kind of honey trap, they took on butfrom I am making a stand because thewho my local supermarket on a Friday are only 3 shops I really BBC snooker commentator Ted of Lowe never…… remember. us but wethe I didn’t the heart to say eulogy somehave convincing that my offer genuine. Cautiously, theysaid agreed tolast joinwith us. Picture awas rope famously during one his commentaries: lockdowns. I’m giving up of wine, everyhanding day, all “I know where you were when they were osavers, perishables would the withthat Mark Daceymake (on the dynamic CEO of Boots and scene, 5pm on a sunny moved them out to wZoom whatcall he meant. Anyway, here is leS) who is the “And those ofthat’s are watching in black A drunk who for smelled like ayou who Pope on a month. No wait, not it. I’m giving the brains out………getting an extra helping ofup. In fact I had some doubt whether oup Colleges. does not need me to suggest the uncanny and the pink nextcar to the and and Itsausage weekday evening atgreen.” the side brewery gotwhite, on a bus and satis the park many ote:ofdrugs Wine every day all month! mouth.” toactor the Ricky car for the journey home. rope down next to a priest. The orite Tomlinson or of vice versa. entrance to the Brewery but I have had months ago as aonthe Mike tale, (heenough was affectionately Interesting lyric we heard on the wireless ecause it’s nothing to do with EU drunk's shirt was stained, hisa Two people out on first date. “Do you Caroline Street where four other day: “Sports bra and aconsequence Maserati car.” you know, ifbright you wore soundproof trousers no direct sabout Gaddafi because his likeness don’t have to home school face was full of red sell-buy dates before but a recent trip“Do to my local supermarket ser inspection of of the packaging like Merlot Tammy?” “Yes, but you don’t Who would have thought of that combination? pensioners who could barely I once owned one of the chewed pencils which one would hear a word you’re saying.” lipstick and he had a halfmer Libyan leader), involved a tripmake the following Monday. In fact I of Covid19.” Perhaps nalmost highlight of the no perishables that ofthe origin for fruit and vegwould like Apparently many have including a poet onto called pronounce the “t.” “Oh, Ok.”hanging Looks at stand were seen bottle of wine sticking Shakespeare empty used to write his famous works. used this is “discovered”. whyamount I He do not run o watch Wales play France. We Dave Cox whom I have just ntina. Sothen these comestibles ther they would it to the car for the home. What is going one journey day“Is leSthat on the sell-buy date. It takes an inordinate of skill to supply go an MOT it’smake serious, your real face or are you still celebrating outwaiter: of his pocket. opened “TwoHe Merlots for for me andme Ammy.” aproperty lamppost, support, rather Intellectual rules prevent quoting to chew on it so much that I couldn’t tell whether it was a pub. eloped a with 20 year relationship withCloser in-@me” withhis 24 hours to spare. Waste levels must be astronomical. and started otic picked, ng toaclimes, do supply issues? ofnewspaper the packaging along for theEU excitement. and minimum of tenpackaged, were required inspec@on or Halloween?” than illumination. Andog any of hisDr work here but I encourage you to Our friend H has trained her Daisy eading. A couple of minutes later, he asked the priest, "Father, what causes arthritis?" A wife sent her side and played them home and 2B or not 2B. Staying with the Bard, in days gone by, airport, distributed around UK A recent WalesOnline article bizarrely claimed look him up. A real comedy genius and hugely origin for fruit and veg like Tanzania and Argen@na. So these Staying with food, I have been doing some research into what is no longer manufac he visit was off. I engaged four old-timers afternoon they would Mister, it's caused by loose living, being with cheap, wicked women, too much andof red wine. to bring her alcohol, a No surprise “Your bus leaves inbottle 10 minutes... Be under it.” husband aquote romantic French that international weekends. On GPs were working 40 months anUK. hour refreshing. delivered to the shops and put on in order to attract women, I used to use this from the The list is endless but here is a small sample: Pringles (Belgium), Smar@es ( who were in the bar (could have beentaken the tothat," vated in exo@c climes, picked, packaged, the port or airport, ontempt for your fellow man," priest replied. "Imagine the drunk muttered. He remember. never…… really, she’s a Bordeaux collie. I was(France) sat and HP (Ho -whiff? A phrase overtime. I we have nothe doubt they are ridiculously text message. She wrote: “If you are sleeping, send cular trip (Mike’s fi rst), we did it in the ne day left on the sell-buy date. It Colman’s English Mustard ( Germany), Terrys Chocolate Orange tostretched reading his Thebut priest, thinking about what had said, turned tofor the aforementioned ones from the Taff Vale) “Well, it’s night out him.. and a 82: night off for his Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act III, Scene line Ia have also been reading Bob Mortimer’s Keturned warehouses then delivered to40 the shops and put he on the shelves with atpaper. present, months an hour? with She Who Must Be IV, Obeyed the other es from the 18th Century Parliament) Sauce (The Netherlands). Staggering. man and apologised: "I'm sorry, Iferry didn't mean comeonly on so strong. How long have you had eand amount of skill toDover, supply goods me your dreams. If you are laughing, send me your oned way, athem bus to crossing autobiography which I also strongly asked whether they fancied That’s over three years an hour.toThe way family.” day whilst she A drunk who smelled like a sipped a glass of very wine arthritis?" "Ito don't have arthritis, Father," the drunk said,smile. "but I just readare in the paper that poignant recommend. Funny, and clever, 24 spare. Waste levels thing not straight was to do would be to time travel maybe If you eating, send me a bite. If and you are onhours to Paris. I this was sitting next to him. Atso Here’s one for you: “Knock knock.” “Who’s there?” “LiKle old lady.” having a brewery tour and free beer for the brewery got on a bus sat “LiKle old lady and she said, “IGogh love he Pope does." but enough about me.you In itso hemuch, recalls ayou tale “Hello.” they were referring to Dr Who. In “Imy world thisyou “I need you like Van needed stereo.” cal. had no idea could yodel.” drinking, send me a sip. If you are crying, send me uniformed Customs Officer cameofonto afternoon. Fearing some kind honey trap, m the warp and weft). Of down next to a priest. The about havingknow chronic flatulence asever a child know. Icourt don’t how I could live would be like driving at 40 hours a mile whichabout Imy was reading alove case where thetexted accused Staying with the drink, there has always been hey took some convincing that offer was which was both embarrassing and at times your tears. I you.” Her husband back: “ as and said: “Just hold up your passports drunk's shirt was stained, his would be quite slow butresearch not unlikeI trying am a man of awithout certain so my doesorwork aswine well it used t nfused related you.” Itolerance said, “Isthreshold that you the Itowalked intoageour local bar, The Moaning Monet and , I havewith beenthe doing some much snobbery attached to wine. Indeed, very painful. During one particular attack he was described as “having murderous intent.” I was genuine. Cautiously, they agreed to join us. negotiate the recent traffic carnage in Cardiff par@cularly when being asked toface embrace new technology. I was therefore hearten I’m in the toilet, please advise.” I will come along and count them and was full of bright red talking?” She said, “It’s me talking to the saw Van Gogh sitting at the end on a bar stool. I d to). ger manufactured init,they the UK. The people make a living from butimpose I am making went to the Doctors who managed to “release City Centre as bike aweekday lanes on the Picture the scene, 5pm on a sunny She Who Must wine.” Be Obeyed suggested Ithis download anothing new app called What3Words. Th quite disappointed to learn that had to do lipstick and he had a halfe turned to me and said “I didn’t know shouted “Hey Vince do a drink?” tandours, because of lockdowns. I’m giving up the pressure” foryou him.want He quotes the Doctor here is arest small sample: of the us. of let’s call her DrPringles naviga@on aid whichasdivides the “Better World into metre house squaresthan and gives each square evening at the side entrance to the an 3empty a empty bottle of wine wine, day, all month. NoEnglish wait, not Happy New saying: Year Dear Reader, the Year sticking of the ed a every passport and I haven’t got that’s one.” I Brewery with camping. s (Canada), Colman’s combina@on of three words. I s@ll drive about a lot for business, believe it or not an Finally, a blessing for the drink: God, in his lking outThe with Dr every Rwhere who on Caroline Street four pensioners shouted “No I’ve got one Mother-In-Law was lookingHe for car noisyback: tenant” which I thought wasalready very good. t. I’m giving up.Sainted Wine day all month! out of thanks, his pocket. opened Ox. Apparently this year is going toHe be lucky spiffi ng” orChocolate words to that effect. Then, inassured a ), Terrys Orange that this system would be much more accurate than using our sat sent to cheer both nav. I use insurance now thatwere her stunt driving days are goodness, Presumably thisthe wasgrapes, in the days before the who could barely stand seen hanging ear.” ominiscent presenting. We recently Finally, sad news, my friend David has lost ID. his newspaper andhis started Two peopleover. out a first date. “Doa you like with the Ox representing diligence, persistence of aon War 2 find prisoner of war Houses of Parliament) (The the first @me the other day and the unique three word loca@on I was looking for wa IWorld managed toSauce reasonable policy, Doctors were working 40 months an hour. great and small. Little fools will drink too onto aTammy?” for support, rather than Merlot “Yes, but don’t pronounce reading. A couple ofyou minutes later, asked the priest, "Father, what causes arthritis?" where alamppost, note was pinned. sorted it outdown and paid for it.footwell She he inAre turn Now he iskindly just Dav. Lost!” Design fault or user error? and honesty. Not for going to be Trump’s year tory, Mike ducked into the gering. Adiosmuch Amigos and fools none at all. My round. llumination. An afternoon they would he "Mister, “t.” reimbursed “Oh, Ok.” Looks at waiter: “Twobeing Hasta la great Vista. me with this immortal covering it'shis caused by loose living, with cheap, wicked women, too much alcohol, and at foot of door. Live Radio then is it? me and I piled coat and mine on top of Merlots foremail: meremember. and“Thank Ammy.”you, the Monet Hasta Labank.” Vista never…… is in the I Chums u: contempt “Knock knock.” “Who’sman," there?” for your fellow the priest replied. "Imagine that," the drunk muttered. He .” Not to be outdone we d him not move, whilst wethis were ofto course countered withboth “There was really Our friend Dr H has trained her dog Daisy to bring her a bottle of red wine. No surprise ttle old lady who?” “I had no idea returned to reading his paper. The priest, thinking about what he had said, turned to the A drunk no who smelled breweryimpressionist got need to give like me The aapriceless to laughing uncontrollably. he following note: “Please eally, she’s a Bordeaux collie. I was satCustoms with She Who Must Be Obeyed the other day whilst painting butdown thank"I'm you sorry, anyway.” apologised: I didn't mean to come on so strong. How long have you had on man a busand and sat next to a priest. ed the bus, did the count, missed Mike
"I don't arthritis, Father," the drunk said, "but I just read in the paper that Thearthritis?" drunk’s shirt washave stained, his face As we when people type ertain age sohave my observed tolerance wasthe fullPope of bright does."red lipstick and he had work as well as it used to a half-empty bottle of wine sticking out of eing asked to embrace new CARDIFF TIMES 19 his Staying pocket.with He opened histhere newspaper and been the drink, has always herefore heartened when She started A couple of minutes later,Indeed, muchreading. snobbery attached to wine. yedasked suggested I download awhat newcauses he the priest, “Father, people make a living from it, but I am making a
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Food Poverty is a Shapeshifter by Jen Abell
Food poverty is a shapeshifter. It presents itself in many forms, but, despite food bank use and food poverty on the increase in the UK, it still carries a stigma that stops people accessing vital help. The Department of Health describes food poverty as ‘The inability to afford, or to have access to, food to make up a healthy diet’. Food insecurity, as it’s also described, is experienced by those in work, those not in work, those with houses, those without, people on benefits and people who have never needed to claim help from the Government or any charity in their life. You may not have experienced food poverty before, but with cost of living rises, energy crises, supply chain issues showing how woefully inadequate our food provision systems are and an inevitable post pandemic interest rate rise to come, you could experience it in the future. Any of us could. How many people do you know who eat less to make sure their children eat more (read-sufficiently)? I know of a handful, unfortunately, and all working parents, not that it matters. 5 million people in the UK that we know of, lived in food poverty between 2019 and 2020 according to the latest UK Government Family Resources Survey. As well as being triggered by price changes, market crises and shortages; you’re more likely to experience food poverty if you’re disabled, if you’re from a black and ethnic minority background and if you’re earning minimum wage. Improving access to food isn’t just about nutrition, it’s about justice. It’s about working together to look out for all members of our communities. Famously, when anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked what the first sign of human civilisation was, she replied that it was evidence in an ancient culture of ‘a femur that had broken and healed. In the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, get to the river for a drink or hunt for food…The broken femur that has healed is evidence that someone has taken time to stay with the one who fell, has bound the wound, carried the person to safety and tended them through recovery. Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilisation starts. Be civilised’. Food poverty, in work poverty and systemic inequalities, are not any one individual’s fault, but they are everyone’s responsibility. What can we all do to help each other? Employers, are you paying your staff real living wage or minimum wage? Shoppers, are you shopping locally, ethically or conveniently? Time rich locals, are you volunteering at food pantries or other programmes working towards ensuring everyone
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in our city eats? Organisations, are you sponsoring and choosing organisations such as the community centres organising these pantries as your charity of the year? Network rich locals, are you using your power to advocate for others? Financially wealthy locals, are you ‘paying it forward’ and purchasing food/drinks for others in wonderful establishments like Wild Thing that offer the service?
My heart tightened reading a friend’s tweet recently ‘I have a good job, but my husband’s work has been affected by the pandemic and we are on UC (Universal Credit) to help with our rent. This Winter is going to be tough.’ For anyone reading this who’s harbouring similar worries, here’s some food programmes in Cardiff that unlike food banks, don’t require referral; 1. Wyndham St Pantry, Wyndham St, Riverside What? This is a volunteer driven pantry run by South Riverside Community Development Centre Tuesdays and Wednesdays in their Wyndham St Centre. You visit the centre, helpful volunteers register you as a member, and take you around fridges and shelves to fill your shopping bags. Cost? Customers pay £5 weekly (cost price for the food) and get approximately £25 worth of food to take away. Food isn’t donated and is supermarket quality, coming from FareShare Cymru. Some weeks are fresh food heavy, some give more store cupboard items. Opening Times: Tuesdays 1-6pm, Wednesdays 10-2pm. All welcome. Where else? Similar, welcoming pantry schemes are available in Llanrumney Hall on Thursdays and at Dusty Forge in Ely. 2. Wild Thing Food Fridge, Cathays Community Centre What? A community fridge regularly replenished by individuals and organisations throughout the week. Cost? No cost or limits to taking items. You’re welcome to help yourself to items and drop off items for others.
Opening times: Times mirror Cathays Community Centre and Wild Thing Cafe Opening Times. You’ll find the fridge and shelves near the bike lock ups in the garden. 3. Too Good to Go What? Too good to go is an app designed to connect locals with restaurants and food providers to buy end of day food at a great price, minimising waste. This organisation also advocates for practical solutions to ending our food waste habits. Their website is well worth a look if you’d like help in this area. A third of our food goes to waste in the UK currently, a baffling statistic. Cost? Cost is variable and set by food outlets but it’s heavily discounted compared with normal pricing. We’ve had some delicious bread and sweet treats from Cardiff stalwarts, Pettigrew bakery. There are gems to be found. Opening times: This is a rolling service, with updates and timings driven by participating food outlets. 4. Food For Life, Atma, Capitol Centre, Cardiff What? Food for Life provide wholesome, plantbased meals for anyone experiencing food poverty or struggling to meet their nutritional needs. Through a volunteer-based meal distribution network, they deliver direct to people’s homes. Cost? This a free service for the food recipient. If you’d like to contribute to this wonderful programme, you can
purchase reasonable and delicious food for yourself and pay it forward for the Food For Life service in Atma. Opening times: You can register to receive food from ‘Food For Life’ by filling your name and contact on www.tykrishna.cymru Please don’t struggle in silence and don’t struggle alone. Service providers and service users are symbiotic. If you hesitate to use these services, funding can disappear, putting the vulnerable at greater risk of poverty and isolation. If you’re struggling with your weekly shop, to pay bills, or putting foodstuffs back on the shelf you’d normally be able to buy; these services are for you and your family. Food poverty is a shapeshifter, there is no profile to fit to access help. We’re here to help, not judge. If this sounds like a neighbour, a friend, a colleague; wave this article under their nose and spread the word. We can think of our city as a faceless hive of disconnected people, or we can think of Cardiff as a ‘people nest’, Sitopia author Carolyn Steel’s label. A place of shelter and wellness. We’ve got some work to do to yet before Cardiff can label itself a nest for all its residents. This Winter could be tough. But there’s much to access and many ways to help to make the season’s thin sun burn brighter. Jen Abell @ffotojenic
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Jonathan is a top volunteer challenge, Jonathan explored his local community on foot with his mirus support staff. Jonathan really enjoyed getting fit and losing his lockdown weight, and joked that his FitBit had never been so busy!
Not-for-profit organisation mirus supports people with a learning disability to achieve their personal goals and aspirations, get involved in their local communities, and do the things they love. Jonathan, who is supported by mirus, loves giving back to his community, and has volunteered in a Cardiff branch of Cancer Research UK for over five years. Each week he gives 12 hours of his time to sort and sell second hand items in the store, and encourages customers to support local fundraising activities. He’s incredibly proud to be part of the fight against cancer. After being told he was predisposed to diabetes, Jonathan decided to take control of his health, and introduce exercise in to his daily routine. To encourage him to stay on track and to raise money for a good cause, he signed up for the fundraising Walk All Over Cancer. More determined to reach his fitness goals than ever, Jonathan began the Couch to 5k training programme in preparation for the event. Jonathan’s Walk All Over Cancer challenge was to take 10,000 steps each day throughout March. To complete his
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Jonathan’s hard work paid off when he was recognised by Cancer Research UK as being a top volunteer. Jonathan’s ‘special commendation’ certificate was presented to him in store. He is very proud of his achievement, and the following was said about Jonathan and his fantastic contribution. “He’s very supportive to his fellow team members and passes on his knowledge to new volunteers. Jonathan’s often seen talking to supporters and customers about upcoming fundraising opportunities and the research Cancer Research UK does. He’s a fantastic fundraiser, supporting our World Cancer Day collections and taking part in Walk All Over Cancer. We’re so appreciative of Jonathan’s dedication.” Jonathan has continued his fitness and fundraising journey by taking part in the recent Race For Life in Cardiff, where he raised over £100 for Cancer Research UK. He’s already working with his mirus support staff to find his next challenge! If you’d like to find out more about the work of mirus, you can visit their website www.mirus-wales.org.uk
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The Unexplained, the Unexpected and the Undeniable by Sara John “Several surveys during the past centuries in Great Britain and the United States have shown that between 10% and 27% of the general population state that they have had, at least once in their lifetime, a sensory perception, often visual, of another person who was not physically present with the percipient. The perceived figure is usually called an apparition, and the experience an ‘apparitional experience’.” So declared Professor Ian Stevenson, Dept of Psychiatric Medicine, University of Virginia in the Journal of Scientific Exploration Vol 9 1995. I was fortunate to be invited to meet and be interviewed by Professor Stevenson who was visiting Cardiff some years ago. He was working with a colleague of mine, J.I., a television producer on a programme for BBC2. The producer, who was also a friend, was aware of the number of “apparitional experiences” that I had confidentially shared with him over a number of years. Professor Stevenson was serious, astute, scientific, and very thorough in his questioning of me. I could only respond to his set agenda. My curiosity and any emotions had to be set aside. He subsequently wrote a Case Report for the above quoted journal. I have had previously and since, a number of “apparitional experiences” which I have never talked about before, feeling apparently like others who have had similar encounters, somewhat embarrassed and apologetic about admitting them. Occasionally when with close friends have raised the topic, someone will speak up and relate an experience that they had witnessed, and never forgotten. In my case these events were never frightening, seriously weird or in any way, ‘supernatural’. They simply did not fit in with all the other daily occurrences in one’s everyday life. I can offer no explanation for the three events in the following stories. THE UNEXPLAINED It was late 1950’s and I was going to visit my cousins’ home in Ystrad, Rhondda, the next village from where I lived. It was a journey I had made many times on my own. I was still at junior 26 CARDIFF TIMES
school at the time. In those days it was not at all unusual for children to visit friends or relatives living perhaps a mile away or so. It was probably Spring, May perhaps. It was about five o’clock and broad daylight. There was a bus service, every ten minutes both up and down the main road in the Valley. This was an option for me but would have cost a half-fare of one (old) penny and although I always had some small sums of money in my little purse in my blue tartan and plastic shoulder bag, after being in school all day sitting on a hard wooden bench I enjoyed walking freely, and on my own. The walking journey took about twenty minutes and I had a further choice. I could follow the route of the regular bus along the main road, or I could cut a corner off, as it were, turning right into Dorothy Street, then walking across a pedestrian-only bridge over the River Tâf. This particular day I chose to walk as the weather was fine. I loved standing safely on the bridge and looking at the river but, at the same time, being safely behind the iron girders at the sides of the bridge. So, I made my choice, and over the bridge crossing the river it would be.
As I crossed the bridge, I noticed a small boy standing sadly on his own on my right-hand side. His back was against the big criss-cross girders of one side of the bridge. You could see through the gaps and watch as the river was forced through a narrower space under the bridge until it burst out again a few yards further down. But the boy was facing inwards and not looking at the river.
to me that Ian was an invalid who had to stay in bed in a downstairs room as he had angina. (I recall thinking that word was something to do with angels). My mother took me across the road to visit him frequently. When he was about five his condition worsened and he died. I was very young, but I recall my father attending his funeral and me asking how the mourners were going to get to heaven and back that afternoon.
I looked at the boy. He was wearing a fawn and brown tweed coat, buttoned up and belted, a matching cap and long socks and lace up shoes. Very old fashioned and almost pre-war. His expression was – blank, lost, unhappy and troubled. He was not a child from that locality otherwise I would have seen him at school. The infants and juniors were in adjacent buildings, and it was a small school anyway. He did not speak; in fact I recall that he seemed not to be aware of me. I quickly realised that I knew who he was. Or rather who he had been.
I can visualise him now, I was convinced that it was Ian then. I never found an explanation as to why he would be standing in that place. At that time as it was a good few miles from where he had lived. I can think of no circumstances that would have taken his parents and their invalid son to that area. Since then, and on that bridge, I have thought about Ian many times.
His name was Ian and he had lived near my family a few years previously in Ton Pentre in the Rhondda, before we moved to Gelli, the next village down the Valley. My mother had explained
I shivered a bit and shook myself and carried on with my journey. A few streets further on where I had to cross another bridge, this time over the railway. I walked up the concrete-stepped, high and narrow bridge, this time crossing over the railway line. It was always busy with freight, mostly coal, CARDIFF TIMES 27
being transported south to Cardiff Docks to await shipping out to anywhere just about, in the world. All the trains were steam trains which delighted the local children, including me. When a train approached you could run up the steps and place yourself on the walkway well above the rails, and enjoy being engulfed in clouds and clouds of steam. And grit. Naturally this activity was banned by parents, grandparents, teachers, and anyone over the age of twelve. This time, probably shaken by who I had seen earlier I decided to wait until no train was in sight. Then I crossed the bridge, totally steam free. I told no one what I had witnessed. THE UNEXPECTED It was at the end of the nineteen fifties and I was on holiday with friends of my parents who had a son a year or so older than myself. He and I were friends, chums more like; we played football, went boating on the lake, exploring, played table tennis. swimming and rock climbing. It was all a bit ‘Enid Blyton’ in those days. We remained much younger for a lot longer then. And much more innocent. The weather was warm and pleasant and there were lots of people about. Memories of the War were being left behind and holiday makers were eager to return to pre-war activities, walking, sight-seeing, visiting country churches and so on. We were staying in Paignton, Devon; holidays abroad mainly to Spain and Italy had not yet taken off. My friend and I were crossing a grassy sward along the front of the esplanade with the beach and sea on our left-hand side. We were looking forward to buying ice creams. Glancing over towards my right-hand side I saw an elderly gentleman with a straw trilby hat, walking stick, cream linen jacket and dark trousers. He nodded to us and went on his way, quickly disappearing from view. I realised, that I knew who he was, but said nothing. He was my grandfather. He had died in 1956, aged eighty-three. My grandmother never recovered and herself died six weeks later, aged seventy-three. My parents and I lived with my grandparents for ten years or so, this was not 28 CARDIFF TIMES
unusual just after the War, as houses – which were still standing and undamaged – were in very short supply. No houses had been built during the War and very few immediately afterwards. My grandparents were very Victorian, traditional, and extra strict in their attitudes. They were particularly so with children. I never sat on their laps, had cuddles or treats. They favoured a different diet for children, perhaps based on their own experiences? I was not allowed upstairs during the daytime, no other child could come into the garden, I was not permitted anywhere near the wireless radio which only my grandfather turned on, and only for his selected programmes. He kept a bamboo cane to hand in case he needed to use it on me. I added these memories to illustrate that my relationship with my grandfather was cold, distant and to me, frightening. He was the least likely to want to “visit” me. Afterwards I thought it was best if I kept this sighting just to myself, both at the time on holiday and when I returned home. I have never told anyone about it, and I never saw him again. THE UNDENIABLE It was February 1967, I recall, and I was recently married and living in Troed-y-rhiw in the Merthyr Valley. My husband at that time, was a journalist working on The Western Mail and the South Wales Echo, and he was based in the area, as he was obliged by his contract to live in the locality that he had responsibility for. He was a serious person and dealt daily with facts, figures, and precise quotes with a down to earth attitude. I had started working in Cardiff, so I was travelling by train each day to work. We were lucky, at that time and in that locality to find a flat on the first floor of what had been commercial premises. They were now empty, but there was another first floor flat alongside ours. Both the flats had a large window overlooking the main street. The main street then, like just about everywhere else, was lit with a mix of gas lights and newer sodium orange lights. The front door and entrance hall to both flats was around the corner just off the main road. The two flats shared the same wooden staircase. It was a bit ‘Charles Dickens’ but the people in the area were warm
and friendly. I soon got to know the elderly gentleman, Mr Davies, who lived alone in the other flat whose wife had died some time ago. I went into see him a number of times and found that everything was as his wife had left it. This included clear instructions to offer visitors a cup of tea, and, in the best china, not the everyday china. He had a highly polished piano on which he often played hymns which we could hear through the adjoining wall. Handing in my rail ticket to the Ticket Collector as I left the train one very wintry and dark night, he looked very carefully at me in the poor light and asked if I was the lady who lived in the flat next door to old Mr Davies. “Yes” I replied. “I’m awfully sorry to tell you but he passed away this afternoon, his niece found him, she had her own key you see. Awful shock for her too. He was a lovely man.” I was truly saddened by this news. I passed on the news to my husband who duly informed the local paper.
Two or three nights later after our supper so it must have been about nine o’clock, we heard through the wall hymns being played. At the same tempo and with the same interpretation as Mr Davies played them. We feared that someone had broken in, everyone locally would have known about the Victorian furniture, beautiful china, ornaments and so on. Everyone by then would have known he had died. We went to his door; the light was not on inside and the door was firmly locked and undisturbed. The piano was still being played. We went downstairs and out into the street and around to the front so we could look up and see what was going on. There was nothing to see in Mr Davies’ flat. No lights on. Curtains just as they always were. After that night we never again heard hymns being played on Mr Davies’ piano. On this occasion I was not on my own, and I must add if I had been on my own I might well have not been so curious! Or so brave.
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Reiki Healing
Japanese healing technique Reiki has been used for almost a century to help with a wide variety of physical and psychological issues
by Lisa Pryce-Jones
Reiki in small groups. The Reiki 1 course enables you to give yourself Reiki and to also help your friends and family. Some courses are taught jointly with David Muzzlewhite. Lisa and David are both very experienced healers and became Reiki Master Teachers in 2019 when they trained in Japan. During the training they visited the birthplace of Reiki (Mount Kurama), palaces, shrines, ancient Zen gardens, learned how to write the Reiki symbols in a calligraphy class and travelled to Tokyo, passing Mount Fuji, to pay respects at Dr Usui’s resting place. Reiki is a healing technique (also called energy healing) where the therapist can channel universal energy to the recipient which activates the body’s natural healing processes, balances the energy body which then impacts positively upon the physical body. It works on the physical, mental and emotional level at the same time. Most clients describe their session as being extremely relaxing, peaceful and feel energised following it. Reiki was founded nearly 100 years ago by Dr Mikao Usui in Japan. It is not based upon any belief or faith and is offered all over the world. It is a non-invasive complementary therapy that works alongside conventional medicine and can be used safely by people of all ages, including pregnant mothers, new-born babies, surgical patients, the frail, the elderly and in fact in any situation. Healing can either be done by touching non-sensitive parts of the body or distantly (sending the healing from a distance) which is just as effective. In addition to offering one to one Reiki healing sessions at her Newport practice Lisa also teaches
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Many hospitals and hospices offer Reiki too. Lisa and David are both trained to work in hospital and care settings and with permission of the surgeon can offer healing pre, during and post-surgery too.
To find out more about how Reiki could help you just get in touch now to arrange your free telephone consultation. Lisa Pryce-Jones Hypnotherapy & Healing www.hypnotherapyandhealing.co.uk Lisapryce-jones@outlook.com 07427 451992
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Acapela Studio one of Wales' leading music venues has an amazing schedule of concerts for you to enjoy.
Set in a converted Welsh chapel, it's real timber flooring and high ceiling give our musicians and artists the space to perform naturally. The venue is renowned for it's amazing acoustics, warm & friendly welcome and the superb bands and musicians that play throughout the year. Voted "Cardiff's Best Music Venue in 2018" and "6th Best Music Venue in Europe" !
Supersonic 70's 4th December 2021 All your favourite sounds of the 70’s at Christmas! SuperSonic 70’s are a totally live 6 piece 70’s tribute theatre show with both male & female lead vocals. Featuring the incredible Cat Suited Wondergirl Janey Bombshell,
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Kris Drever 30th November 2021 Kris Drever is a Scottish folk singer songwriter, who has won multiple awards including an incredible 7 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and two shortlist nominations for Scottish Album of The Year (with his trio Lau)
After 3 chart-topping classical albums, an Ivor Novello Award, numerous sell-out tours of the UK, USA, Europe and Asia and, most recently, 2 Emmy- Award nominations for their soundtrack to ITV’s hit period drama, Victoria, the Mediaeval Baebes have established themselves as one the most successful, femaleled early music and folk ensembles in Europe.
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Wonders of the Celtic Deep: A natural history spectacle The One Tribe, two-year project finally hit our screens!
by KellieWilliams
Ever wondered what’s in the oceans around Wales? Me neither. But after watching Wonders of the Celtic Deep I’m certainly a little more weary about paddle boarding off the coast of Aberavon. The four-part series is a neverdone-before adventure to find what’s lurking in our Welsh oceans and boy is it eyeopening! Kicking off with episode one, ‘Coasts: Life on the Edge’ is about what wonderful animals we can find on our coastlines (cough, sea lions!!). Episode two ‘Shallows: Mythical Sea Kingdom’ teaches us about what is lurking in the shallows of our waters. Episode three features ‘Into the Deep: Exploring the Open Seas’, this is where the sharks come in… definitely an episode to get your teeth into, and lastly Episode four, ‘Heroes of the Celtic Deep’, we meet some determined individuals who keep our oceans as healthy as possible to sustain the wildlife.
Throughout the series we’re given an up close and personal viewing experience with animals from microscopic plankton to larger-than-life sharks and whales the size of a Cardiff bus! The project was commissioned by BBC Wales in collaboration with One Tribe TV to explore a ‘landmark natural history series’ around Wales. The series was able to incorporate and provide business for many Welsh local businesses during the filming process, from marine biologists to boat owners and skippers. The team at One Tribe was led by Managing Director, Dale Templar. Dale is an incredible powerhouse and the definition of a Girl Boss, a woman who successfully triumphed through the creation of the series whilst abiding to government guidelines throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Dale said, “We thought, ‘what have we not done
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before? Will we get the species diversity? ... Could we actually fill a four-part series with marine life?’ We started looking into it and doing the research using marine biologists, and we suddenly discovered that there are all these great iconic megafauna as we like to call them coming into the Celtic deep and it just went on from there really!” The show is narrated by the wonderful Dame Siân Phillips, Siân takes us on an exciting journey each episode in tune with the Welsh National Orchestra who curated the background soundtrack. Siân said, “I feel so privileged to be a part of this life-changing series. As for the beauty and the wonder of it - it shows us things never before filmed and these film makers have an eye for the wit and humour as well as the tragedy of life in the deep.” The dangers Due to the coronavirus, the crew had to take double the precautions when filming out at sea and had to socially distance in separate kayaks and small canoe boats. Dale recalled “a few hairy moments” where the canoes carrying both the expensive filming kit and the crew filled with water due to bad
weather at sea. She said, “Lots of these animals get a bad reputation, but it’s the weather that’s the most dangerous!” Even after working on numerous shows filming under the ocean, Dale admitted that filming in the Celtic deep was “really quite frightening!” The premiere On a wet Monday evening on the 4 October 2021 the cast attended the premiere of Wonders of the Celtic Deep inside the cinema room on the Penarth Esplanade. The room fell silent, as each crew member prepared to witness their hard work come to life. Production Manager Francesca Barbieri said, “This has been my baby for two years, and I’m so proud of it!” Seeing it on the big screen Dale said, “When you’re making a program, it’s a very painstaking process, and you spend so much time going through things in so much detail, and trying to get everything right, and in a way you could carry on trying to get everything right. But there comes a point in time where you’ve got to say it’s finished! And the highlight for me really has been watching it tonight!” CARDIFF TIMES 37
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Protect Your Wealth
by Michael Fogg
You can apply to register your LPA yourself if you’re able to make your own decisions. Alternatively, your attorney (the Donee) can also register it for you. You’ll be told if they do and you can object to the registration. Before the LPA has been registered, it is not possible for the Donee to use it to make decisions on your behalf. This is because at the point it has been registered the OPG will send back a formal document which can then be provided to any organisation to inform them that the Donee is a registered Attorney for the person who chose to give them authority to make decisions for them. What is Mental Capacity? A significant portion of my work is taken up helping clients to put in place Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs). This month, I explain in a little more detail what these are, and why everyone should strongly consider donating their powers to one or more trusted friends or family members.
Mental Capacity is defined as the ability to make a decision. This could be an everyday decision such as what to wear or what tasks to carry out in what order, or a more important decision such as where to live or to buy or sell a high value asset. It is legally assumed that a person has mental capacity unless they can be shown not to have it.
What are LPAs?
A person may not have mental capacity because of a problem with the way their brain functions, for example:
An LPA allows you to choose someone to make decisions on your behalf. There are two types of LPA, which cover either power over your property and financial affairs, or your health & welfare. In essence, the difference is that one (Health & Welfare) would allow someone to make a decision about your care and the other (Property & Financial Affairs) would allow someone to manage your finances – potentially to pay for that care.
• a serious brain injury • an illness, such as dementia • severe learning disabilities
An LPA is a legal document which is registered with the Office of the Public Guardian (“OPG”), who ensure that the powers that are donated by the person giving their powers (“the Donor”) to someone else (“the Donee”) are used for the benefit of the Donor. There are several checks and balances put in place to ensure that this happens, as it is vital that these powers are not used improperly. This includes the OPG ensuring that the LPA is not being made against the Donor’s wishes, and that the Donor had the mental capacity to donate their powers to the Donee. The Donor can also nominate people to be notified of their decision to donate their powers, and those people can choose to object to the registration of the LPA if they believe that it may be used improperly. You can choose to appoint someone to make and carry out certain decisions on your behalf, either now (if you are temporarily unable to make decisions in person – e.g. if you are travelling overseas or will be difficult to get hold of for some time) or in the future – e.g. if you lose the mental capacity to make your own decisions. When do LPAs come into force? An LPA comes into force at the point that it has been formally registered by the OPG. The UK Government advises that it can take up to 20 weeks to register an LPA if there are no mistakes in the application.
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Mental capacity can come and go (for example, with dementia and some mental illnesses). A person can also recover mental capacity (for example, following a severe stroke). Mental capacity is needed to be able to donate your powers using an LPA, which will need to be determined by a professional who is assisting you in putting your LPAs in place. This is determined by ensuring that the person making the decision to donate their powers understands what they are choosing to do and the consequences of making this decision.
They will need to: • understand the information they need - for example, what the consequences will be • remember the information for long enough to make the decision • weigh up the options and make a choice • communicate their decision in any way - for example, by blinking or squeezing a hand When can an LPA be used? LPAs can appoint attorneys to act solely, jointly, or jointly and severally. In all cases, the attorney is responsible for making decisions in the best interest of the Donor of the powers. They must also: • follow any instructions that the Donor included in their LPA • consider any preferences that the Donor included in their LPA • help the Donor to make their own decisions (as much as they are able to) • respect the Donor’s human and civil rights. It is possible that, where an attorney is faced by a particularly difficult decision, that they can get help with this. Their decisions can also be checked by the OPG to ensure that they are acting as they should. If more than one attorney is appointed, this could be in either of the following ways: Jointly: where all attorneys need to agree on every decision made, or
Jointly and severally: where any one attorney can make a decision for the Donor (although all attorneys could make decisions together if they wish). What happens if I don’t have an LPA and lose capacity? If you lose capacity and you don’t have any appointed attorneys, then it can be a lot more difficult to get things done which you would want to happen. Many people will assume that, if they lose capacity, their spouse or civil partner – or another trusted person who they have a joint bank account with – could continue to deal with everything for them. However this is not the case as, when a financial institution becomes aware that one of the account holders has lost capacity, they must freeze the account as it then has a vulnerable account holder. Likewise, should a decision need to be made on health matters (for example, if someone needs to be taken into hospital when in palliative care and they have lost capacity) and no-one has been appointed an attorney, then the decision taken by the NHS cannot be over-ridden. It is possible to apply for a Court-appointed Deputy to be given authority to take decisions for someone who has lest capacity, but this is a lengthy and costly process which can cause un-necessary upset to all concerned. Contacting Me If you would like any help or advice on anything mentioned above, we would be happy to answer any questions by phone or email. Please get in touch on 029 2021 1693, by emailing TrustingWillpower@outlook.com, or by visiting our recently launched website: www.TrustingWillpower.co.uk
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Eddie Avoth always gave of his best
by Ralph Oates
Eddie Avoth made a promising start to his professional career on the 1 July 1963 when he outpointed opponent Dave Arnold over six rounds at the National Sporting Club, Piccadilly in London. Avoth, who was born on the 2 May 1945, was under the management of fellow Welshman Eddie Thomas; a former British, European, Commonwealth and Welsh welterweight title holder. Thomas had compiled a record of 48 bouts; winning 40 with 6 defeats and 2 drawn during his fighting career and had become a successful manager once he retired from the ring. Thomas had a number of talented fighters in his stable such as Howard Winstone, the reigning British featherweight champion, who would go on to capture the WBC world and European titles. Thomas clearly knew the fight game back to front and it was clear that Avoth was in good hands. At the time of Avoth’s debut the reigning British and Commonwealth champion at light-heavyweight was Scotland’s Chic Calderwood. On the 9 December 1963, in his fifth paid outing Avoth, suffered his first defeat when outpointed by Joe Somerville over 6 rounds in a contest which took place at the National Sporting Club in Piccadilly, London. This result was a little surprising since Avoth had previously outpointed Somerville over 6 rounds in his last bout at the same venue on the 25 November 1963. Avoth recovered from the Somerville setback and over the months which followed fought on 22 occasions winning each contest. This duly led him to a crack at the Welsh light-heavyweight crown held by Derek Richards who had a resume of 21 bouts; consisting of 15 wins, 4 defeats with 44 CARDIFF TIMES
2 drawn. Richards was a capable ring man who would not be easy to dislodge from the title which he proudly held. The venue for the bout was the Afan Lido Sports Centre in Aberavon, Wales. The contest took place on the 12 July 1966. Expectations prior to the fight was that Avoth would emerge the new champion when the fight was over. However, after 10 rounds of action Avoth lost the decision on points. This was a disappointment for Avoth but he was still learning his trade and defeats are often part of the learning process. Avoth won his next three fights after the Richards setback before once again tasting defeat at the hands of Ernie Field on the 30 January 1967 at the Wyvern Sporting Club in Manchester, Lancashire. When stopped in the second stanza of an eight-round contest. Field was an opponent whom Avoth had previously defeated on the 19 September 1966 by way of an eight-round points decision. The big opportunity came for Avoth on the 19 June 1967 when he was matched with Ireland’s Young McCormack for the vacant British light-heavyweight crown. The venue for the contest was the National Sporting Club, Piccadilly in London. McCormack would not be a pushover as he came with a resume of 28 fights; wining 24 with 3 defeats and 1 draw. The Welshman boxed well and looked on his way to victory but found himself defeated when the fight was stopped in round 7 of 15 when he sustained a badly cut left eye. Avoth stayed busy after the defeat to McCormack and fought on 6 occasions, winning each contest in turn. On the 13 January 1969 Avoth climbed between the ropes to once again fight for the British
Howard Winstone on the left with Eddie Avoth on the right. Image courtesy of Derek Rowe.
light-heavyweight crown against McCormack. The defending champion now had a record of 35 fights; with 30 wins, and 4 defeats with 1 draw. The fight staged at the Anglo-American Sporting Club in Mayfair, London saw the championship change hands in round 11 of a scheduled 15 when McCormack retired due to a cut eye. The new British light-heavyweight title holder had now complied a record of 40 bouts, winning 36 with 4 defeats. Avoth added another two winning bouts to his record after the McCormack victory before he attempted to add the European light-heavyweight title to his name. On the 28 June 1969 he faced Ivan Prebeg for the vacant crown. The chances of the Welshman bringing the crown home was slim. The fight took place at the Salata Stadium, Zagreb in Croatia. Prebeg was an experienced boxer having taken part in 43 fights, winning 27 losing 12 with 4 drawn.
Avoth gave it his best shot and showed his skills, but Prebeg retained the title on points after 15 rounds. Avoth put the Prebeg defeat behind him winning two more bouts, before making the first defence of the British light-heavyweight title. On the 6 April 1970 at the Ice Rink in Nottingham. For the third time he crossed gloves with Young McCormack. Avoth remained the champion when McCormack was disqualified in round 8 of 15. In his next outing on the 6 June 1970 Avoth went to the USA to face Mike Quarry who was undefeated in 21 bouts. Quarry was being touted as a future contender for the world light-heavyweight title. The fight was held at the Valley Music Theatre, Woodland Hills in California. To obtain a victory the Welshman would have to produce something very special against the local favourite. The fight went the full course of 10 rounds and while Avoth fought well, he lost CARDIFF TIMES 45
the bout on points. It was Australia for Avoth’s next title tilt against the home fighter Trevor Thornberry on the 23 October 1970. Thornberry came into the battle with a record of 14 fights with just 1 defeat, The venue being the Festival Hall, in Brisbane, Queensland. At stake was the vacant Commonwealth light-heavyweight crown the contest was scheduled for 15 rounds. The bout came to a conclusion when Thornberry retired in round 6 of the proceedings due to a cut over his left eye. Up to the point of the stoppage Avoth appeared to be in charge showing the better ring skills. On the 24 January 1971 Avoth made a defence of the British and Commonwealth titles against Chris Finnegan a talented southpaw who became a hero when he won the gold medal in the middleweight division at the 1968 Olympic games which were held in Mexico. The venue for the Avoth-Finnegan encounter was the World Sporting Club at the Grosvenor House, Mayfair in London. Finnegan entered the bout with a record of 16 fights, winning 14 and losing 2. While Avoth now had a resume of 48 bouts, winning 42 and losing 6. It was clear that Avoth was up against a man who was very skilful in the ring and was in fact favoured by many to defeat Avoth and take the titles from him. Finnegan took command of the contest from the start and looked on his way to victory. The Welshman, never short of courage, fought back and was not going to lose the titles without giving his all. However, in round 15 the referee stopped the bout in favour of Finnegan. Avoth shook off the defeat to Finnegan and returned to business on the 12 May 1971 at the Double Diamond Club, Caerphilly in Wales to meet Guinea Roger. The former champion had previously defeated Roger on the 28 November 1967 by way of a 10 round 46 CARDIFF TIMES
points decision. On this occasion Avoth repeated the win this time by an 8 round points decision. South Africa was the next port of call for Avoth on the 12 June 1971 and at Ellis Park Tennis Stadium in Gauteng, Johannesburg he outpointed opponent Kosie Smith over 10 rounds. Smith, when facing Avoth, had a record of 18 fights with 11 wins and 7 defeats. It was back to South Africa on the 30 October 1971. At the same venue it was hoped that Avoth would gain another victory. However, on this occasion his opponent Sarel Aucamp who entered the fray with a record of 16 bouts with 13 wins and 3 defeats duly won the contest on points over 10 rounds. Avoth’s next assignment took place on home soil on the 15 March 1972 where upon Avoth stepped into the ring at the Double Diamond Club in Caerphilly where he met Bunny Johnson. The Welshman had previously outpointed Johnson on the 27 October 1969 over the duration of 8 rounds. However, Johnson turned the tables and gained revenge when he stopped Avoth in round 3 of 10. Johnson now had a record of 32 fights with 26 victories and 6 defeats. The loss to Johnson was not a disgrace since he went on to make history by becoming the first black boxer to win the British heavyweight title by knocking out holder Danny McAlinden in 9 rounds on the 13 January 1975. The Johnson fight proved to be the last for Avoth for he later retired from the sport with a record of 53 bouts; winning 44 and losing 9. Avoth always fought with honour and dignity giving of his very best win or lose. In the years which followed Avoth became a businessman, appeared in film roles, and became a much in demand after dinner speaker.
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A wish to make a change for our future generations by Natalie McCulloch
Mental health awareness is definitely on the rise with many important issues being highlighted more prominently since the pandemic. This is great to hear as according to ONS data an estimated 1 in 5 adults experienced some form of depression during the C19 period which is double that of pre pandemic rates! Alongside adults we must not forget that children struggle to, it is estimated that around 3 children in every primary school class have a mental health problem (Place2Be campaign) and 1 in 8 children and young people experience behavioral or emotional problems growing up (NHS, ‘Every Mind Matters’ campaign). Further to this the NSPCC, the UK’s leading Children’s charity, report that their ‘Report abuse in education’ helpline received 650 contacts in the 5 months since its launch! So, it’s clear to see that when it comes to mental health issues it’s never too early to start showing support to people. family and friends have been raising money to help support children and young people with mental health illnesses. Amazingly, not only have they been doing all sorts to raise money including hosting a superb sunflower themed ball, organising raffles, and appearing on radio shows. They have also put into place amazing plans to utilise these essential funds that have been raised so far and hopefully those to follow! I hope you’ll agree that doing such a strong and selfless mission in spite of unimaginable grief is phenomenal, and join them in helping to make it a reality. Your support is needed to help Bronwen’s family and friends make this incredible difference to the lives of our younger generations. As former US Senator Barbara Mikulski stated “Each one of us can make a difference. Together we can make change.” One amazing charity based right here in Cardiff which is aiming to do just that, help support school aged children, is Bronwen’s Wish. The history of the charity is rather bitter sweet as sadly, Bronwen Morgan, whom the charity is named after, battled with mental health issues which tragically contributed to her ending her life in 2020. Bronwen was both a teaching assistant and pupil at Lakeside in Cardiff so was no stranger to the issues faced by school aged children as well as having her own struggles to contend with. Since her death, her 50 CARDIFF TIMES
So, what are these plans? With the help and support of many people, the talented team behind Bronwen’s wish have come up with a great idea of building a type of outdoor well-being “Hut” or “Den” within the grounds of primary and secondary schools throughout Cardiff. It is hoped that these safe spaces will be of unique character and identity where children can go when having a moment of anxiety, depression or related crisis. Children will be encouraged to use the “Den”
to chill out, find calm, relax or talk to a teacher in a relaxing environment away from the usual hustle and bustle of school life. Bronwen’s favourite flower, the sunflower, seemed the ideal choice to represent the charity as like both sunflowers and Bronwen, the aim of the charity ‘huts’ is to bring sunnier outlooks into darker times. Initially their aim was to create one of these wellbeing spaces in Bronwen’s own school ‘Lakeside’ but thanks to amazing support and continued interest from other schools, their plans are, like sunflowers, growing moment by moment! So, it is now the intention of Bronwen’s Wish to try and design, supply and build as many of these huts or sanctuaries to any school that may find them useful. Support has been coming from all sorts of avenues including the Welsh Universities whom Bronwen’s father had the idea of involving in the design phase initially with incredible results. He was very pleased that students at both Cardiff and Swansea University School of Architecture were very keen to be involved which incidentally had a snowball effect on their students involved and has raised mental health awareness. Cardiff University have held a competition with 2nd year students to come up with an original sustainable building that can be used all through the year. Swansea will then take the project to the next level by trying to make the “Den” workable. This competition has provided the charity with some amazing original designs that are now being considered. The final choice of design will be left to Lakeside Staff and most importantly the children. So, everyone has some involvement in this project. Students are also encouraged to visit the school and speak to the children and teachers and seek their thoughts on the design. Sadly, due to the pandemic the creation of these incredible havens hasn’t happened as yet, but it is without doubt a worthwhile venture to pursue as soon as possible. In the meantime, those behind Bronwen’s wish main aim will be to raise as much money, and much awareness, as possible through fundraising activities and also applying for grants from various sources. Especially during these trying times of the Covid-19 pandemic, it seems like there has never been a more vital time to invest in the future of our younger generations. This is where you could hopefully come in, can you help raise awareness or vital funds?
Please follow Bronwen’s Wish on Facebook, twitter and Instagram @bronwenswish for updates on upcoming fundraisers, how you can get involved, if you know of a school that could benefit or if you would like to make a donation of money or resources. As Amy David, one of the incredible team behind the charity tells me, “There are plenty of exciting things to come and all support offered is incredibly welcome!” If you’ve been as inspired by this charity as I have, perhaps you could ponder how to get involved or contact the team on their email bronwenswish@ gmail.com to express interest in lending a helping hand. Everyone’s contribution can make a huge difference as the Dalai Lama announced “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito” https://m.facebook.com/bronwenswish/ https://www.place2be.org.uk/ https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/supportingothers/childrens-mental-health/ https://www.nspcc.org.uk/about-us/newsopinion/2021/report-abuse-education-helpline/
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