ARTS

PORTHCAWL MALE CHOIR

We’re Back! After almost 15 months the choir has held its first practice. With an overwhelming desire resume practice, the process of planning the practice was carried out. A risk assessment to identify all potential issues was the first step. Following this, clear actions and instructions were developed to ensure all choristers remained safe. Due to the numbers involved, inside practice was not possible, however, Porthcawl Rugby Club came to our rescue and offered us the stand at the side of the club. Thanks, PRFC. With a good weather forecast 40 choristers enjoyed a great evening. Many thanks to our Musical Director, Mair and accompanist Richard who worked hard to make the outside practice a great success. A video of one of one of our songs can be viewed on our Facebook page – check it out. Further good news, all our choristers have come through COVID safely. Hope this continues. Going forward and regulations permitting, we have a few weddings booked. Our main objective is to get prepared for these. We are also looking at how we hold our annual concert. News to follow. We are always looking to welcome now choristers. If you’re interested, please contact us on contact@pothcawlmalechoir. co.uk or Noel Williams on 07902 333559.

Ian Williams

STAG’S WORLD OF ROCK

Great to see a little bit of live music in Porthcawl coming back again. Stu, part of the gang at The Beachcomber, told me there’s entertainment now every weekend. There’s a jam night at The Picton on a Tuesday evening while The Prince holds its jam night, run by the great Uke-crazy duo, and Roger Clatworthy, on a Friday, likewise in the evening. Rest Bay’s singer/songwriter, Rebecca Hurn, has been busy writing and recording – check out her latest single on her website, it’s another gem of a song from a very talented songsmith! Still in Rest Bay, I’d like to wish every success to The Seagull pub’s new hosts, Jamie and Niamh, on their new venture. While you’re reading this, I hope lockdown has finally come to an end, because of course this column is written 3 weeks behind, as it’s a monthly magazine, so fingers crossed. The lockdown has got me writing new songs, which I then send to my writing partner, Dale, to finish off and record in his Prague studios, and claim his 50% of my royalties. That’s why I’ll never own a Porsche! Keep your music news coming.

Stag Marks 07549 728356

Photo: Stag Marks

A FILM MAKER’S POINT OF VIEW

One of the great pleasures of filmmaking is that you never know what will come next. For my Llandow Air Disaster film, it was important to show other forms of air transport operating at the same time that the Avro Tudor 5 airliner made its doomed flight on 12th March 1950, and to include something that would present a visual contrast. The Tudor, after all, was Britain’s biggest and most modern aircraft in service but on that ill-fated weekend passengers were also flying to Ireland and back in the small and rather dated De Havilland Dragon Rapide, a twinengined biplane dating from the thirties. How could I show one in my film? Fortunately, there are several preserved examples, including the Scillonia Airways Rapide based at Membury airfield, and the owners were kind enough to let me go along and film this venerable old aircraft doing a series of test flights at the end of May. I was permitted to put my camera quite close to the flight line on the grass runway and filmed several take-offs, fly-pasts and landings. It was a privilege to see such a wonderful historic aircraft in action.

Anthony Hontoir Downwood Films 07510 934299

Filming a close-up of the Dragon Rapide (Photo: Adele Hontoir)