Cardiff Times - December 2021

December 2021

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A CHRISTMAS CAROL 26 Nov / Tach – 31 Dec / Rhag 2021 By / Gan Charles Dickens Adaptation by / Addasiad gan Gary Owen Director / Cyfarwyddwr Joe Murphy

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CARDIFF TIMES

EDITORS LETTER

Welcome

PUBLISHER Cardiff Times

Hi All, and welcome to our December issue.

EDITOR Louise Denning 07903 947594

November’s highlight was undoubtedly our daughter’s birthday, which she stretched out to three days worth of celebrations obviously making up for last year! What was so lovely was the look of total surprise on her face when she opened one particular present, moments like that are so precious.

FEATURES EDITOR Mark Denning 07758 247194 SALES & MARKETING Beth beth@cardiff-times.co.uk CONTRIBUTORS Wyn Evans, Vince Nolan, Sara John, Carl Marsh, Michael Fogg, Kellie Williams, Ralph Oates, Natalie McCulloch, Jen Abell

It’s now safe to say the ‘C’ word and we don’t mean the one ending in D. That word is forbidden on this page.

We’re planning on celebrating Christmas as early as possible this year. We have our Christmas jumpers at the ready and intend wearing them from the 1st December every day for the whole month.

The hospitality industry has been hit so hard over the last 18 months, so we intend on supporting the industry as and when we can this holiday season.

Last month we were lucky enough to win the best local magazine with the Welsh Enterprise Awards, and this month we’re delighted to announce that we also won best magazine in Wales. We’d like to thank the team from the Wales Prestige Awards for choosing us. This award is dedicated to our tremendous team of writers, who month after month put in an enormous amount of time and effort to entertain and inform you, the readers. They are a phenomenal team and totally deserve recognition.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a brilliant New Year one and all, and please continue to stay safe.

Louise & Mark EDITORIAL 029 2046 3028 ADVERTISING 07903 947594 EMAIL info@cardiff-times.co.uk WEB www.cardiff-times.co.uk Follow us on Twitter @CardiffTimes www.facebook.com/Cardifftimes Instagram

4 4 4 CARDIFF TIMES

cardifftimes

December

CONTENTS 6 Toffee!

by Wyn Evans

8 Win a Family Ticket for 4 to the Nutcracker!

10 The Great Tea Spoon Mystery

by Vince Nolan 14 In The Words Of

by Carl Marsh 20 Climate Positive Cardiff Celebrations

by Jen Abell 24 Almost Angola – Under African Skies

by Sara John 30 2022 is the year for you

32 Celebrating Trustee Volunteers 36 MAD4Kids Charity is Helping Local Children in Need of Essentials

by Kellie Williams 40 Parents raise awareness of a rare tumour

by Natalie McCulloch 42 Fashion done your own way

by Molly Dutton 46 Robbie Regan the Welsh Warrior

by Ralph Oates 50 Protect your wealth

by Michael Fogg 54 Gift Guide

CARDIFF TIMES 5

Toffee!

It’s that time of year when thoughts once more turn to xmas shows, theatre trips and carol services. Granted, we are not yet back to the pre-Covid numbers of events or levels of participation but at least there are concerts in our schools and carol services in our churches that people can attend in person and not simply virtually via ‘zoom’. The Girl, my fifteen year old daughter who has Down Syndrome (DS), has joined the Cardiff High School (CHS) senior choir and is looking forward to the carol service at St Martin’s on Albany Road.

Perhaps full disclosure is in order here. It has been our experience that kids with DS are operatically challenged. I do not mean that they dislike Wagner or struggle to understand the plot of The Magic Flute. No, I’m referring to a phenomenon that my wife - The Boss - and I have come across often enough that I shall posit this as a general rule; that people with DS can’t sing for toffee. Or, if your experience teaches you that everyone can sing given the right environment, let me phrase it thus: kids with DS struggle more than most to sing in tune, to tempo, and at the correct volume. Maybe you know of an exception disproving my rule? Fair enough!

But I submit (based on fifteen years of attendance at Special Needs karaoke contests) that by and large the rule holds true.

The Girl first joined the CHS junior choir in Year 8. She

6 CARDIFF TIMES

byWyn Evans

was welcomed and treated like every other member.

What she lacked in subtlety of phrasing or modulation of tone she made up for with sheer enthusiasm, albeit that she would occasionally be half a tempo behind the conductor. As is the way with our Girl, she stuck to it and now sings more or less in time, more or less in tune, and more or less at the required volume. I admire how hard she has worked to get to her current level, taking private singing lessons and throwing herself into rehearsal, here at home, with complete joie de vivre.

Part of her happiness is that she is a performer at heart and loves being on stage. Quite a few young people with DS have made names for themselves on stage or screen, amongst them ‘Call the Midwife’s Sarah Gordy and ‘Line of Duty’ star, Tommy Jessop.

The best thing about a Carol concert for me is the fact that the audience, the ‘congregation’ if you prefer, get to join in. I know that during the lockdown this was frowned upon but am hoping against hope that this year, all jabbed-up as we are, we’ll get to sing along, blasting out the bass and tenor parts alongside the choir’s alto and soprano melody. Failing that, I shall be listening to the festival of nine lessons and carols from King’s College Cambridge, at three o’clock on Christmas Eve, which is when xmas officially starts in our house.

Still, The Girl shows more performance aptitude than her father ever did. As a kid I was reticent about anything that required me to perform publicly. That stayed with me through most of my life although I learned how to stand up and make presentations at work or speeches at social functions. But the feeling that I am an impostor under the stage-lights, just waiting to be found out, remains with me to this day.

Back when I was a kid it got me into a number of scrapes which, from this distance, may seem humorous but which, at the time, disappointed my mother greatly.

First was the nativity play at Lakeside Infants’ school back in the mid 1960s. Imagine the tableau vivant; on stage a recreation of Mary and Joseph in the stable, the crib, an Angel some kids dressed up as animals.

Then, the one moving feature of the performance, in turn would appear the shepherds and the wise men, all of whom were given a gift to bring to the baby Jesus and a line to speak. I was the third wise man.

(As if!) Mam and dad were part of the audience, dad having taken the afternoon off work to be there. In front of the audience a raised stage, to the left a curtain behind which the characters waited for their turn to walk onstage; to the right an upright piano behind which sat Mr Williams ready to accompany each new character’s walk onstage with a little pianistic fanfare.

The first shepherd stepped up to the stage, walked across to the crib, said his piece then retreated to the back of the tableau to take up a statuesque pose.

And so it proceeded: second and third shepherds; first and second wise men; all did their thing more or less perfectly. Meanwhile, I’m behind the arras getting more and more nervous as my turn approached. Then

Mr Williams announced my character by tickling the ivories. You’d have been proud of me as I made my way up the step to the stage. You’d have been moved by my wisdom and regal bearing as I strode across that stage and... walked right past the crib without stopping or speaking, stepping down off stage right and finally hunkering-down behind the piano. I honestly remember nothing more of that afternoon’s events and I am able to recount it only because my parents teased me over the years. It usually got rolled-out when I was in my teens and bringing a new girlfriend home for the first time.

So I have no idea where The Girl gets her love of performing from although I’m quite sure it wasn’t from her dad. There are other stories from my childhood which attest to my deep hatred of appearing on stage or doing any public performance involving acting, recitation or singing. But I’ll spare you. What amazes me now are the lengths I went to to get out of such events; I would dissemble, even outright lie – all the while knowing I’d get caught out. It would have been much easier to face my fears and just buckle down. I can see that now but, back then, anything was better than having to perform.

Nowadays, I’d quite like to be in a choir. However, since having Parkinson’s Disease I cannot sing in tune, to tempo, or at the correct volume. Which brings us around full circle! But if the chance arises to join in the carols at The Girl’s school’s concert this xmas then I shall grab it. Even if it means The Girl telling her friends “Fathers! What are they like?! Mine can’t sing for toffee but at least he enjoys himself!”

CARDIFF TIMES 7

Cardiff Times December - Page 1 Editorial_Layout 1 26/11/2021 22:20 Page 1

WIN A FAMILY TICKET FOR 4 TO THE NUTCRACKER! 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 wrapped up at the National Concert Hall of Wales with FOUR enchanting productions performed by the prestigious Russian State Ballet & Orchestra of Siberia in partnership with Raymond Gubbay Ltd.

Our captivating season starts 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?

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 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 palace ballroom to moonlit lakes, this compelling tale of tragic romance has it all.

The season comes to a close 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 unmissable, star-crossed story of family feuds and doomed love set in bustling Renaissance Verona.

Once again, this year’s ballet season features a sprinkling of special effects with an atmospheric and ever-changing digital backdrop to make everything even more magical!

We have the perfect pre-Christmas treat for Cardiff Times readers with a Family Ticket for 4 up for grabs to The Nutcracker on Thursday 23 December at 2pm! To be in with a chance of winning, please answer the following question: Who does the handsome prince battle in The Nutcracker? a) The Rat King b) The Mouse King c) The Ferret King Please email your answer to SDHpress@cardiff.gov.uk by Friday 17 December 2021 along with your full name and address, plus a phone number. Alternatively, please post your entry with your contact details to: Marketing Team, St David’s Hall, The Hayes, CF10 1AH. Family Tickets can be made up of any combination of adults and children, but must include at least one adult.

8 CARDIFF TIMES

Cardiff Times December - Page 2_Layout 1 17/11/2021 12:22 Page 1

NINA CONTI The Dating Show 16.01.22

ZOG AND THE FLYING DOCTORS 11.04.22 - 12.04.22

PUCCINI: TOSCA 21.04.22

KENNY DALGLISH 20.01.22

CINDERELLA, THE NUTCRACKER, SWAN LAKE, ROMEO & JULIET

18.12.21 - 02.01.22

DAVID SEDARIS 02.08.22

SANDI TOKSVIG Next Slide Please...

16.05.22

THE DIVINE COMEDY Charmed Life 12.05.22

GEMMA COLLINS The GC’s Big Night Out 13.04.22

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE RUGBY 04.05.22

TOY STORY IN CONCERT 10.02.22

FIREDANCE Karen Hauer & Gorka Márquez 06.03.22

‘And Another Thing...’

The Great Tea Spoon Mystery byVince Nolan No, not an obscure Famous Five novel. Let me explain. I was emptying the dishwasher the other day, (The Leader of the Opposition was at her Nuclear Weaponry for beginners class) and I wondered how many teaspoons there might be in the UK, as one does. No amount of searching across various sites gave me any clue. I thought I would go to the Worshipful Company of Cutlers for the answer. Yes they are real and have been around since 1416 which is just after a quarter past two. Alas they had no answer either so I did my own calculation. According to the latest Census there were 27 million domestic dwellings in the UK. Nolan Towers has 20 teaspoons in its collection so if that were an average number there could be at least 540 million teaspoons circulating in UK households alone, enough for 8 each. Of course, the poorer countries of the world would have a much lower spoon ratio per head of population so spare a thought for them this Christmas as they share the family implement. Bet you count your spoons now to see how you shape up!

Of course, the most famous cutler was Alan “Adge” Cutler and his Wurzels, that famous English scrumpy and western band. Talking of scrumpy, I went to my doctor the other day due to a constant headache. He told me I should drink more scrumpy to numb the pain and I said: “Wouldn’t that just make me drunk?” He said: “Oh, that’s just a cider-effect.”

My Parisian mate Sebastien recently sent me a CV/resume for his mates’ son who was looking for an internship in the UK. It was exceptionally well written, ably showing off the English language skills of Jules, until my eye 10 CARDIFF TIMES

was drawn to his previous work experience which included being a barmaid. Sacre Bleu!

In food news, it seems that underwater power cables have been mesmerising brown crabs.

Apparently the electromagnetic field emitted by the cables causes cellular changes to their blood. Who studies this stuff? I was speaking to a crab the other day and I said: “What’s your name and what’s that on your back?” It said, “Michelle” (in a slightly scouse accent).

I bought some venison steaks. I really am spoiling That Woman. Not really vegetarian minded but I had to think twice about Rudolf being served up at Café Nolan at this time of year. I lost my appetite on reading the warning on the packaging which said: “Bullet remnants may remain in the meat.” Great. I then thought we would try vegetarian “bacon” to balance our green equation. Give me the bullet remnants every time. What do you call a bacon wrapped dinosaur? Jurassic Pork.

In other animal related matters, a boy sees an alligator in the zoo and shouts, “Hey, are you a Caiman?” The alligator shouts back: “I’m alright, thanks kid.”

We witnessed a young lad in the local pub struggling to gain the bar persons attention due to his lack of height. To help, I penned this on the spot.

“It’s hard to be served when you’re not very tall and people look over you.

So I’m eating my greens and stretching myself cos I’m going to be six foot two.”

Some time ago we invested in a water filter

who nobly sell essential items to support refugees. “If you have more than you need, build a longer table, not a higher wall.” gizmo as seen here. This seemed like rish drink, I bought four cans of Guinness a healthy option until I noticed the algae Talking of walls, I have no wish to mention the former , purely for medicinal purposes growing at the bottomyou of the tank. Being a US President ever again but, in his defence, he was in the process of removing the level headed person I consulted our resident conservatory is so big that we couldn’t pinpoint and we were nowhere on the ferry. came near to holding the expert, Dr Google (other search engines olding them together it but because it sounded like our next door TherePresidential was no Customs inspection in France as record for issuing pardons. are also available). I found an expert in I was holding neighbour was messing about in his garden. A few forwe had already been inspected and we were tothree the first time the other day and the unique In the early years of the US, some off acts matters, a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the my hand.hours Asuch loud bang later a sparrow introduced itself to us which word Paris.

We repeated the people smuggling exercise location I was looking for was “You Are of treason, piracy and rebellion were Lost!”

University of Wisconsin-Madison. He had aring themust contents on the fault way back.

Quite what would have happened have flown in when the patio doors were Design or user error? been posed the following question by a forgiven. My favourite involved a man if Customs had found Colonel Gaddafi stowing Being man, the hunter, I used my instinctive ed up theopen. ceiling, concerned citizen: “I took a sip of water fromTalking 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 trapping skills and picked the little guy or, over tracking the theworktop filter and I could see algae in it. Will I beterm heckler originated from mail the textile trade, where convicted of stealing at gunpoint guess but it would certainly have caused a major up and back into the wild. No harm desk. Note thereleased can in him something wrong is called a typo.

So hemp if smacking kids law introduced in Walestoforheckle was ok?” to tease oritcomb-out flax or andI say wassomething sentenced toisdeath bya talko? diplomatic incident. done………………..well, until next door’s cat got 2022.

Whilst being welcomed by most wrong it called Yard) to ensure that we had properly warmed up sincefibres. we didn’t wantmodern to pull anymeaning drinking as not been opened The was coined in Dundee right-minded people will of course nothing Furthermore, would a typo on the a headstone be Just tohanging. beten clear: Didrefused you about urologist him. a pardon in 1833 muscles. Unfortunately, only ofit us turned up andbeainminimum of wereHe required orhear the His response was superb ifsixsomewhat non the early 19th century.

As the hecklers toiled in but bad news for the Cardiff under 14’s a grave error?

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I engaged four old-timers who were in the bar (could have been the who was eaten by a bear?

He was a meteorologist Staying with hunting, if I were illegally hunting for PC and went Lederhosen as follows:Formation “By theSlap time you Ensemble from President Andrew Jackson andthe Dancing it’sone getting harder to post stuff read these out days.

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Fearing some kind of the honey trap, they took the part ofa their routines unless they are given uite nastyAlso, given how The Leadertoof the and I weredebate.” sitting in With what doconvincing you call deer who has lost blue-green both take asome week or two.”

This was not that my offer was 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 was. By eyes aalgae spooky ourinsocially distanced local, The Funky Furlough, in aof hunting accident? eye deer. course which isNotoxic but we have this the parts I seem to occupy.

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No pleasing some folk. weekday evening at theayou side How long have had arthritis?”

“IRugby don’t Saw this Trump in a local pubas their specials board: reading about proposal for the 2027 You heard it here first. whenfantasy?” a lady close byused to us asked the Bar Manager I have that when dies, Ion will give since reverted to tap (drinking opposed Guinness wasdecided which comics have to deal with modern day to the Brewery on “We Love Local and champion local farms entrance World Cup which will prevent any team in “but red I have arthritis, Father,” the drunk said, if the toilets were still upstairs.

He of course his eulogy.

IYard) will the say: “He is today how he was as towas dancing).

My dog is a rubbish tap dancer. hecklers: Caroline Street where four 759 which exactly time it tried to and fisheries.” butwarmed the first up shirts and green shirtsto playing each other to ensure thatAllwevery hadlaudable properly since we want pullthe any drinking just read indidn’t the paper that Pope does.”

And I´ve just downloaded Queen’s movie, Continuing pensioners who could barely He hasI two left feet.

When was atsix the zoo confiup rmed that they were but Ipeople thought thisstruggle to be ato make-up lying inoffront item on their menuI and was Mediterranean Olives. because colour blind often muscles.

Unfortunately, only us turned and aof minimum of ten were required or the er to myPresident……….wearing maker. drank the other three “What size shoe does your mouth take?” stand were seen hanging onto Rhapsody.

Itwo. think itsomething was filmed in Overheard in the same pub:the “Every we Bohemian distinguish between the Not criticising Staying with the drink, there has always rope thought I saw aoff. frogI engaged tapping things out ontime a very stupid question.

I would have said ofI us.

Amen.”

Ricky Tomlinson visit was four old-timers who were in the bar (could have been the h and safety reasons. come here we come here.” You don’t say. aalamppost, for support, rather them ofthough, course but wouldaaffect Wales, cinema asthis I attached see little silhouetto of been much snobbery toknow wine. piece of aforementioned wood. itofwas morse like: “I don’t I was recently askedTurns by the out son a good theme: “This is what comes drinking on an empty ones from thefriend Tafftoad.

Vale) and asked them whether they fancied having a than illumination.

An from Canada, Ireland, Tonga, Russia, South Africa a man.

I was once asked at a job interview if know I have written about sell-buy dates before Indeed, people make a living from it, would andthey Japan.

Thisofhad me intrap, mindthey of that quote when madam was of mine if I would write a urology his Dad’s brewery tour and freeforbeer forSoap the afternoon.

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I said no, butfrom I am making a stand because the a recent trip to are my local supermarket on a Friday ered thatfuneral. there only 3 shops I really As part of my day job I appraise business BBC snooker commentator Ted of Lowe who 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 during one his commentaries: lockdowns.

I’m giving up of wine, everyhanding day, all if where you were when they were but Ifamously would give Bohemian a go ealedhad almost nobefore perishables would the ideas deciding whether or not I can “I know cently aSpecsavers, great withthat Mark Daceymake (on the dynamic CEO of ockdown: Boots and scene, 5pm onare a Rhapsody sunny moved them out to but I knewZoom whatcall he meant.

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No wait, that’sannot it. I’m giving out………getting extra helping ofup. owing Monday.

In fact I hadthat some doubt whether they liked. realistically help business or person th Port Talbot Group of Colleges.

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“Do you Caroline Street where four other day: “Sports bra and a Maserati car.”

“Do you know, if you wore soundproof no direct consequence known as Gaddafi because of his likeness malarkey.

We don’t have to home school face was full of bright our red Editors, Louisetrousers congratulating and Mark, ow I issues? have wriKen about sell-buy dates before buttests a recent trip to my local supermarket pply Closer inspection of the packaging matters and numerous economic oneowned like Merlot Tammy?”

“Yes, but youPerhaps don’t Who would have thought of which that combination? pensioners who could barely I once one of the chewed pencils one would hear a word you’re saying.” lipstick and he had a halfof Covid19.” to the former Libyan leader), involved a trip for digging deep inIhave difficult times to called keep thatcountries butcan when highlight ofI the ake Friday revealed almost no perishables that would Monday.

Instand fact ealed ofthe origin for fruit and veg like make Apparently many including a poet apply.

However, have devised “Thethe following pronounce the “t.”

“Oh, Ok.” Looks at were seen hanging onto empty bottle of wine sticking used to write his famous works.

He used this is “discovered”. why IHard do not run to Paris to watch Wales play France.

WecarShakespeare Dave Cox whom I have just this spiffing publication going. nzania and Argentina.

So these comestibles some doubt whether they would make it to the for the journey home.

What is going one day leS on the sell-buy date.

It takes an inordinate amount ofwork skill to supply goods “just ing the car for an MOT then it’s serious, “Is that your real face or are you still celebrating out of his pocket.

He opened waiter: “Two aproperty Merlots for for me andme Ammy.”

Bohemian Rhapsody Simulation.” Having lamppost, support, rather Intellectual rules prevent quoting to chew on it so much that I couldn’t tell whether it was a pub. had developed a 20 year relationship with in-@me” with 24 hours to spare.

Waste levels must be astronomical. brings its rewards his and started and you may have already in exotic picked, packaged, because it’sreviewed nothing totheir do with supply issues?

Closer ofnewspaper the packaging business idea I simply askinspec@on s cultivated we both went along for theEU excitement. and aclimes, minimum of ten were required or Halloween?” than illumination.

Andog any of hisDr work here but I encourage you to Our friend H has trained her Daisy reading.

A couple of minutes later, he asked theorpriest, "Father, what that causes arthritis?"

A in wife sent her French side and played themaround home and not 2B. Staying with the Bard, days en tocountries thea myself: port orthe airport, distributed UK2B read Cardiff Times recently won the A recent WalesOnline article bizarrely claimed look him up.

A real comedy genius and hugely ealed of origin for fruit and veg like Tanzania and Argen@na.

So these Staying with food, I have been doing some research into gone what is by, no longer manufactured in “Is this the real life or is this just 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 alcohol, andof to bring her a bottle red wine.

No surprise “Your bus leaves in 10 minutes...

Be under it.” husband aquote romantic away ondelivered French that international weekends.

On GPs were working 40 months anUK. hour refreshing. rehouses then to the shops and put on prestigious Best Magazine 2021 in order to attract women, Ihere used to use this Pringles fromat the the The list isport endless but is Local a He small sample: (Belgium), Smar@es (Canada) who were in the bar (could have been the mes@bles are cul@vated in exo@c climes, picked, packaged, taken to the or airport, contempt for your fellow man," the priest replied.

"Imagine that," the drunk muttered. never…… remember. really, she’s a Bordeaux collie.

I was(France) sat and HP (Houses of what about skew-whiff?

A phrase overtime.

I we have nodid doubt are ridiculously text message.

She wrote: “If you are sleeping, send this particular trip (Mike’s fiones rst), we it in they the shelves with one day left on the sell-buy date.

It Colman’s English Mustard ( Germany), Terrys Chocolate Orange Welsh Enterprise Awards.

This was quickly returned to reading his paper.

The priest, thinking about what he had said, turned to the aforementioned from the Taff Vale) “Well, it’sthe night out for him.. and a 82: night off for his Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Act III, Scene line Ia have also been reading Bob Mortimer’s ributed around UK warehouses then to40 the shopsan and put on shelves with stretched at delivered present, but months hour? with She Who Must Be IV, Obeyed the other pparently, it comes from the 18th Century Parliament) Sauce (The Staggering. man and apologised: "I'm sorry, Iferry didn't mean comeonly onme so strong.

HowNetherlands). long you had es an inordinate amount of skill toDover, supply goods your dreams. you are laughing, send meayour of old-fashioned way, athem bus to crossing followed byIfhave Prestige Winner (Magazine autobiography which I alsosmelled strongly and asked whether they fancied That’s over three years an hour.toThe way family.”

A drunk who like day whilst she sipped a glass of wine arthritis?"

"Ito don't have arthritis, Father," the drunk said,smile. "but I just readare in the paper that poignant recommend.

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In The Words Of

by Carl Marsh

in the car, you really can bring them with you to enjoy the show! They can’t guarantee they won’t sleep through it, but that’s probably no bad thing! Car park panto is priced ‘per car’, so your passengers are up to you. And if that’s your dog, then that’s fine with the organisers! You can control your environment in your car to suit your family. If you need calm and comfort, you can create that. I’m told that if you want to bring your own treats and snacks, that’s no problem (do bring a whole picnic if you want to!). As you will be in your own car, you can sit back, relax and safely enjoy the Horrible fun. … and just like that, Christmas is here! I am not going to jinx anything by saying, “Let’s hope we can celebrate it as normal”, or should I say: “Let’s have a party like Mark Drakeford did the other week celebrating Diwali with no mask in sight or fear of catching the ‘you-know-what’!”

This year, I hope you all get to have a pleasant and relaxing time, whatever that may ensue from whatever you happen to do. Remember that life is best handled with a positive outlook rather than waiting for some doom and gloom merchant ruining the day - usually a politician!

CHRISTMAS IDEAS / SUGGESTIONS Horrible Histories - Cardiff Airport - 22/23 December.

It’s only a month until Christmas Eve, but before then, Horrible Histories are finally coming to Cardiff Airport with Car Park Panto’s Horrible Christmas show, having been cancelled last year due to lockdown, (us) locals will finally get the chance to see the newest addition to the festive family treat! You can bring babies, grandparents and even the dog! If they fit in the car (legally!), you can bring them along to join in the Horrible fun—one price per car. Everyone is welcome.

They don’t mind if you’re wearing PJs, fancy dress, or your best Christmas jumper. Bring blankets, sleeping bags, or your favourite festive hat and get comfy in your car.

If the doggy member of your family is quite happy 14 CARDIFF TIMES

INTERVIEWS As it’s Christmas, I deemed it rather fitting that I interviewed two acts that always go down a treat at this time of year. So my first chat is with Dave Hill from the band Slade who created maybe one of the most recognisable Christmas songs of all time [Merry Xmas Everybody]; they will be playing at the Tramshed on Friday 3rd December - so get your tickets ASAP! My next chat is with Cardiff’s very own Lucie Jones, who first rose to fame as a finalist on ITV’s The X Factor in 2009. Since then, she has starred in roles such as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Maureen in RENT and Molly in Ghost, and represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2017. She is currently playing the role of Jenna Hunterson in Waitress for the show’s first UK tour, having first played the role at London’s Adelphi Theatre, after spending the summer playing Fantine in Les Misérables: The Staged Concert. Lucie Jones at Christmas will feature songs that she has sung either on the stage or from one of her albums. She will be performing at St David’s Hall on Monday 13th December.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas, see you all next year, Carl Marsh Twitter - @InTheWordsOf_CM Facebook - @InTheWordsOf YouTube - InTheWordsOf

It wouldn’t be Christmas without hearing Slade’s ‘Merry Christmas Everyone’, and this year you can go one better by seeing them perform it live at Tramshed in Cardiff on Friday 3rd December. Being in the band since its formation in the 1960s, Dave Hill was always my favourite when growing up in the 70s as his dress style and haircuts were cool and crazy, even for that era! So it was a childhood dream to speak to Dave one day about his style from back then, and that I did - so please enjoy!

Carl Marsh You were always my favourite in the band because you always stood out with your persona, and your hairstyles were incredible, and you know, your dress sense was unique.

Dave Hill - Slade Yeah, well, I enjoyed it, I can assure you [laughs].

Carl Marsh

all down to me. That was a bit of a creative moment down on my dad’s house [Laughter]. They didn’t do that one, and it’s the most talked-about costume. You may remember me wearing it (on Top of the Pops) when ‘Cum On Feel the Noize’ was number one? But it made quite an impact that costume did.

The boots were purely my idea to have the raised platforms and to have them coloured. There was a guy in London making boots in Kensington, and he used to make whatever you wanted whenever you said, “Can you do this?” So most of the things you saw were a creation of my own imagination.

So, therefore, what you saw - nobody was ever telling me - I was always doing it myself. My manager Chas Chandler loved it. We were very conscious in the band of what we wore, and I became such a strong image, which I loved and enjoyed. And I developed that image as each time we went on Top of the Pops, I’d wear something different - that was important to me. So you get another impact, and you remember that, don’t you?

Was it always down to you to decide on your style, or did you have people behind the scenes guiding you to dress and look a certain way?

Carl Marsh

Dave Hill - Slade

Dave Hill - Slade

No, no, no, it’s totally me. Oh no. Everything I did was down to me. I did have two designers working for me on the clothes that came from Birmingham. So I’d have the ideas, and then I took them to them; then they developed the costumes according to what I was doing. Sometimes I might be going to Japan, so I’d be looking for a kimono, which looked a little bit glam rock. The costumes you saw me wearing on Top of the Pops were all done by those two people apart from an outfit called the ‘Metal Nun’, which was

I’ve heard that comment many times. [Laughter], but it worked. It worked. And it was much liked by many different people. It worked worldwide, and it was me, by the way, that’s genuine. It was exactly how I was; there was nothing false about it. It was always my own personal development - with two people working for me - who really came up with these great ideas.

Oh yes! Every time I was like, “What’s he gonna wear now?”

Slade are at Tramshed in Cardiff on Friday 3rd December.

CARDIFF TIMES 15

Born and bred just north of Cardiff in Pentyrch, Lucie Jones first appeared on our screens in The X Factor in 2009. Since The X Factor - besides representing the UK in 2017’s Eurovision Song Contest - and to this day, she has made a career for herself in musicals in the West End and on tours around the world.

This Christmas, she is coming home to Cardiff and performing her Lucie Jones at Christmas at St David’s Hall on Monday 13th December.

I grabbed a quick chat with her in-between her touring role of Jenna Hunterson in the Waitress UK tour.

Carl Marsh I can’t believe it’s been 12 years since you were on The X Factor because I used to live in Miskin and I’d drive along to the Vale Hotel, and there would be a great big sign saying ‘Vote for Lucie on The X Factor’ or words like that!

Lucie Jones I know, it’s flown by, hasn’t it? My godparents did that as they have a friend who does all the things you buy at the rugby like daffodil hats and stuff like that. And he had huge banners made, and every time any of my friends drove anywhere, they’d say to me, “I’ve just seen another banner for you!” [Laughs] Carl Marsh Do you still pinch yourself knowing that show gave you this incredible career that you now have, as it seems like it’s been non-stop for you?

Lucie Jones Do you know what, can I tell you a small secret? I haven’t finalised my setlist because it’s impossible! It’s impossible. But, you’re absolutely right as I’m lucky that I’ve got a whole catalogue of things to pick from, and I’ve got Christmas this year as well. So, I’ve got a very realistic long list. Sorry, I should say, shortlist as I won’t get to do them all. There’s just a little bit of shaving off that I need to do, but yeah, you’re right. It’s a difficult thing to do picking my favourites. It’s like picking your favourite child.

Lucie Jones Yeah, I have been very lucky. It was an incredible opportunity to get into the industry that I always wanted to be in. I had a great time. Not everybody has a great time on that show [The X Factor]. Don’t get me wrong, I have worked extremely hard, but I have also been extremely lucky. It’s been a fun time so far!

Carl Marsh For your night in Cardiff, and having been in so many stage shows, it must have been a nightmare for you to choose the songs you want to sing?

16 CARDIFF TIMES

Carl Marsh You must be so excited that your family and friends can come and see you perform locally rather than having to go all the way to London?

Lucie Jones Absolutely, and my friends from school and my childhood growing up, and all those kinds of people, so it’s great to be home and have them all come. So I’m very excited to have an audience of homely people.

Lucie Jones at Christmas is at St David’s Hall on Monday 13th December

CARDIFF TIMES 17

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Climate Positive Cardiff Celebrations

by Jen Abell

How many of us look at the mountain of wrapping paper, the crumpled M&S biscuit boxes, their empty plastic inners and non-recyclable film and worry about the planet instead of our waistlines? I can’t help reflecting that this is happening in houses, flats, hotels and restaurants up and down the country. What does this indulgence amount to? 125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging will be generated during the festive period in the UK. Even worse, items bought that we don’t consume head straight to the scrap heap too.

According to ecoandbeyond; ‘we waste 5 million Christmas puddings, 2 million turkeys, and 74 million mince pies each year. Not to mention huge amounts of vegetables, fruit and snacks.’ This is a shocking statistic, but not surprising when you consider how many 3 for 2 offers there are on never acceptable outside December gin flavoured candles and cinnamon flavoured crisps.

This article is not here to guilt you into feeling shame over a time with family that we (I at least) start looking forward to from October. But I am here to say, we have no choice but to be flexible and considered in our choices now we see the consequences of our actions. It’s quite simple: no planet, no Christmas. The age of innocence is over. I write this with my toes tingling and my tonsils vibrating after the Cardiff day of action that saw thousands of people march from City Hall to the Senedd to demand actions, not greenwashing last month. We came together with a simple message: climate change is inevitable, climate crisis doesn’t have to be. Whilst consumer choices alone cannot halt climate crisis, they do make up part of the picture alongside Government policy and corporate accountability. We all have a part to play. It starts one day and one celebration at a time.

Think local, independent, socially conscious choices this season, starting with the options below: Staying In Yule log: Naked Vegan, Cardiff Market throughout December. I bought this a week before Christmas last year thinking of a regular chocolatey evening treat until the big day. It lasted two days and my partner is convinced he ate a centimetre. Recommended. Buy five.

Chocolate covered almonds, Cacao covered raisins: Ripple, Albany Road. Buy two bags of raisins to make sure you get one home. Don’t forget to bring your own jars to fill with goodies at this zero waste gem.

Seasonal tea: Waterloo tea Mill Lane, Waterloo Gardens and Penarth. Small but perfectly formed bags perfect for relaxing evenings in front of the fire. For a mindful, ritualistic brew, head to Clancy’s in Cardiff Market for the most hypnotic

20 CARDIFF TIMES

jasmine flower tea to be found in Cardiff. Pop one in a glass mug for a display akin to a coral reef.

Water Kefir from Absorb Health, Bridge Studios, Western Avenue. Kefir has 15 strains of probiotic and gut friendly yeast to help your inner workings survive December’s overindulgence. Even better, it’s as delicious as it is healthy. My favourite is made using lavender which looks phenomenal on the dining table (pictured). These are a great option for party perfect special soft drinks for those who, like me, don’t drink but want more from December tipples than sugar drowned Shloer.

Getting holiday ready Clothes swaps: the best way to source party ready ‘new to you’ clothes. Pick up your staying in edible treats and invite your friends over, bag of clothes in tow.

Self Care: ‘How Not to Die’ by Dr Michael Greger. Essential reading for anyone hoping to end the holiday season with more energy than they started with. Proceeds from sales go towards helping people in poverty access accurate nutritional information.

Christmas trees: If your plastic tree looks tired, be sure to choose a pot grown living evergreen as your festive totem.

It has taken 3 attempts, but we finally have a Christmas tree rooted to bring in this year. It takes up a lot of space in my dinky garden, but this minor inconvenience is miles better than the plastic landfill alternative.

Decorations: Twin Made’s too cute sew your own tree decorations will help bring mindfulness to this festive (and frantic!) season. You can visit Twin Made and a plethora of other independent makers in the newly revamped Corporation Pub; it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas indeed.

Eating Out Give oversubscribed chains with empty toilet roll holders a miss this year. And don’t forget to leave a tip…

Wild Thing: Seasonal food, locally grown where possible.

Even their coffee is socially conscious: ‘Redemption’ is the world’s first prison-based coffee company, and you can pick up a bag from Wild Thing to take home or present to your favourite caffeine addict.

Kindle: Fairly new restaurant at the gates of Sophia Gardens serving ‘fire food’ with a focus on sustainable, natural ingredients.

Neighbourhood: Cafe by day, street food by night that lets a

different chef takeover every fortnight. Past highlights have included Norwegian street food, Caribbean soul food and tacos. Service here is as nurturing as the food.

The Big Day The veg: pick up Wales grown seasonal veg at Rhiwbina’s Friday, Roath’s Saturday and Riverside’s Sunday markets in December.

The spices: Spice of Life, Albany road is the perfect one stop drop for minimally packaged weird and wonderful nuts and spices.

The sweet treats: Look no further than Beanfreaks’ Canton, Central and Albany Road stores for all your dairy free ice creams and locally made desserts.

The tipple: Vin Van is your go to for Welsh wines. Cardiff born wine expert Sara spent 4 years in Madrid learning about the grape before setting up at The Bridge Studios near Fairwater. Expect wines from Wales and further afield for a range of budgets, Christmas tasting events throughout December with order online or in person pick up from Bridge Studios, where you can try before you buy at their weekend street food and tipple events.

The gifts: Where possible, think experience not accumulation when gifting this year. There are wonderful musicians, actors, poets and circuses putting their hearts and souls into productions across our city. A ticket to support an artist is a lifeline for the culture of Cardiff. A special date for loved ones to look forward to once the tinsel’s back in the loft cannot be undervalued either. Performance gift options include; Lexicon

from No Fit State in Sophia Gardens, a full roster of weekend comedy events at Glee Club and a myriad of theatre options from Sherman, St David’s Hall, The Gate, Chapter, The Other Room at Porters, New Theatre and Wales Millennium Centre.

Christmas is just one of the many special religious (and otherwise) festivals and ceremonies celebrated in December.

Other special days include Hanukkah, Rohatsu, The Lohri Festival and more. I especially appreciate the spirit of the modern-day Hindu festival Pancha Ganapati, celebrated between 21st and 25th December. Pancha Ganapati gives time to mend past mistakes and focus on renewal, certainly a mantra for most climate conscious Cardiff dwellers.

It takes time and effort to start climate friendly seasonal traditions, but it truly is the best way to show important people in your life that you love them. Remember, imperfect is perfect. Personal resilience is still low for a lot of people after the strains of 2020 and the shadow of Covid still looming in 2021. Don’t put pressure on yourself to be flawless. It’s much more helpful for Cardiff’s 300,000 strong population to be making green changes imperfectly than for five houses to be doing it immaculately. Any positive choices are just that, positive. A win for the planet is a win for us all.

A very happy seasonal celebration to all of you, whichever day and whatever festival you’re observing this month. I hope you get your hands on that yule log and, much more importantly, see the family members you missed in 2020’s season. Nadolig Llawen pawb.

Jen Abell @ffotojenic

CARDIFF TIMES 21

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Almost in Angola - Under African Skies

by Sara John

It was about 5-30 in the early evening but dusk was already falling.

We were all dusty and a little tired. We were so far, it seemed, from anywhere. All we could see out of the windows of our vehicle was scrubland, flat very flat scrubland. No buildings, no water sources, no power plants, no lights. No one mentioned it but everyone was concerned with what we hoped would be our evening refreshments, washing facilities and sleeping arrangements. No one felt it was appropriate to ask. No one spoke up.

We had been travelling north, since early morning, from Windhoek the capital of recently independent Namibia and heading for Etosha, an enormous Nature Reserve, the size, we had been told, of England, with only an area the size of Surrey, enclosing a vast salt pan frequently but not always, open to visitors. We were in a comfortable Dormobile with eight other guests and two guides, one a botanist and the other a specialist in creatures of all castes, colours and countries.

Namibia (labelled German South West Africa in your old school atlas) had been placed under mandate to South Africa by the League of Nations after the Great War. Eventually plans for Independence had come to fruition in 1990 . My husband had recently completed a report on aspects of the management of the Namibian Broadcasting Organisation This was a nation with at least a dozen recognised languages including at least one which was not written. On Independence it was agreed that English should be the universal national language.

His report being completed I flew out to join him for a holiday there. I could not wait to start this new adventure.

By now we were far from anywhere following a long substantial unpaved road. We felt we were in good safe hands, (armed safe hands that is). Our two guides took turns to drive and with binoculars always at the ready, spotted birds which we would otherwise have missed seeing. In this location they were often Cape Doves, quiet and gentle. Or, very distant airborne vultures, busy as always keeping the place clean and tidy. As they had been heard to say, “well someone has to do it”.

I was, at this juncture, introduced to the military system of identifying where a particular bird (or alien aircraft?) was in the sky, and you had to be quick about it, by referring to an imaginary clock face. I heard myself informing the others (we had not had a chance as yet of introducing ourselves, that would come later) with a combination of words I would have never thought I would say, “Vulture at two o’clock.”

On we went, then the driver suddenly stopped the

24 CARDIFF TIMES

vehicle, and there was, all of a sudden from nowhere, a local man standing on the side of the road waving at us. He had a basket full of items for sale. What could he possibly be selling such a distance from any settlements, farms, or houses? The guide got out, clearly knowing who the man was and what his business was. The guide made his purchase and turning around to his astounded passengers, waved aloft the biggest egg in the known world. An ostrich egg, just the one. Sufficient, said the guide, for a tasty omelette for a dozen people. The egg seller had already disappeared back into nowhere.

Note to self about the day so far. You, (meaning me) happily posing as a smartypants when watching University Challenge KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ANYTHING. I kept all questions about the possibility of a baby ostrich being inside the egg, it was certainly big enough to house a kindergarten of young ones, to myself. Along with a great number of other things I was wondering about.

By now it was dark. Very dark. Were we lost? How would we know? Were we innocents being kidnapped?

Who would pay the ransom? Had the heat earlier in the day affected my normal common sense? Too much imagination again, a tale to tell, nay a possible serial?

For radio? Maybe our vehicle has a radio connection to ‘somewhere’? No one worried about mobile phones or

poor signals then. No one had heard of them anyway.

Peering out of the window into black nothingness did not help, but at least I was not crying. Yet. Suddenly our guide called out, “There it is.” There were lights in the distance. We were about to arrive at the Government Camp for our first night’s stay. Privately I thought to myself, we are all still curious as to how you could possibly have, as advertised, ‘First Class Accommodation’, notwithstanding, here, in nowhere, with nothing else?

How wrong could I be? The comforting factor was that we were all wrong!

We were met by four or five waiters in white uniforms bearing welcome drinks on silver trays. Each champagne glass had a different colour of frosted sugar on the rim, the champagne within (yes it was the good stuff) was chilled to perfection. More waiters came out from the dark background with trays of miniature foods. I recognised the quails eggs but nothing else. The manager came around to welcome each of us and explained the ingredients in the delicious nibbles. He looked as though he had been spirited in directly from the George Cinq in Paris.

The delight and surprise of the Safari - Seekers was palpable. We introduced our selves to each other. There were two South Africans, their first and very brave visit to Namibia - nowadays, they shared a border of course; there were two Austrians who whispered to us that they were not Germans; Canadians who confided in us they were not Americans; and us, a Scot and a Welsh girl, no explanations necessary.

The guests stayed in character, I thought to myself at the

time. The German gentleman had been a senior manager at BMW and was intrigued at the clearly effective, ultra modern supply of electricity fuelling this Government Camp. If this is a Government camp imagine what the Grand Hotel must be like! The nice Austrian couple were deep in conversation with the (I presumed) pastry chef who had arrived with even more unrecognisable but totally delicious pastries. The South Africans very quietly observed everything, then offered sincere thanks to the Manager. He was a perfect welcome host. One got the impression that the South Africans were pleasantly surprised. The Canadians ensured no one was left out of the group, they were extra friendly.

And for once I was speechless.

Speechless with joy and relief.

We were shown to our circular thatched roofed huts with red tiled floors, white linen bedlinen, and an immaculate bathroom, by the assistant manager and he needed our attention for a moment.

We all stopped to listen, it sounded important. He ‘suggested’ that we used the coloured bath towel supplied to each hut as a snake barrier across the bottom of the door - which some of us had noticed had a small gap between door and floor. He demonstrated by rolling it lengthways and tucking it very firmly between said door and floor. Clearly he noticed that colour had drained from a number of faces. News about snakes was NEWS to most of us. He speedily reassured us that snakes only made rare visits to this location, and quickly added that our dinner was ready in the Dining Room of the main building.

We had a most enjoyable evening chatting and exchanging comments about the adventure so far. No one

CARDIFF TIMES 25

mentioned snakes, the distance to the Angolan border, or where the water comes from (or where it had been).

Quite soon we were saying ‘Goodnight’ in all the different languages that we could recall.

Next day it was light very early. We got our bearings on the short walk into breakfast. The gardens were well tended and totally unexpected. The swimming pool was being raked to clear out the leaves and twigs. I remembered that it was February in the UK. It had been snowing when I had left Cardiff a few days before. I recalled watching black and white television as a little girl and I was reminded of one of my life plans from that time, subsequently abandoned like many others. There had been a programme on the BBC, there was only the BBC at that time of course, about Armand and Michaela Dennis, featuring two zoologists who lived in Africa studying the natural world. I had not thought about a life in Africa for many many years and wondered if I had already caught “la mal d’Afrique”. A work colleague from the BBC World Service had warned me about this. He described it as being homesick for Africa when in Europe and lesser homesick, as it were, for Europe when in Africa.

A wonderful smell was in the air. Too early in the day for the scent of garden blossoms. It was the smell of newly baked bread awaiting our arrival for breakfast.

26 CARDIFF TIMES

Our guides joined us and explained their plans for the day.

We would be setting off on a circular trip. It was planned so that we would see as much wildlife as possible. A packed lunch with chilled drinks would be provided at an oasis with trees to provide shade. We would return in good time to bathe and change. Dinner will be a Brai (pronounced brie as in cheese). To us, of course a barbecue. All prepared by the staff and laid out in the garden. One of the guides explained that the weather would be very clear that evening and we would be eating under The Southern Cross, only the South African couple knew anything about this. “Under African Skies,” they said, “Just wait till this evening, you will never forget it.”

In no time at all we were in the Dormobile. The botanist guide did the driving. The zoologist with his binoculars spotted, informed and explained.

We drove along a dirt track but there were stretches of telegraph wires and poles. At the top of the poles were very large, untidy nests and lots of weaver birds. They were selecting and stealing foliage and slender twigs, then flying back to their own nest sites to add the finishing touches. We were promised that, later on, we would be able to view up close the wonderful results of their labour.

A baboon crossed the road. And disappeared. Clearly we

were in a place where man and animal could disappear at will.

Our driver slowed down and taking a smaller track on the left, switched off the engine. He turned to us with his finger to his lips. He pointed to the sandy hillocks ahead.

They were covered with meercats. This was before they had had so much publicity! Some of our group did not recognise them. Most of them were standing up on their back legs, the meerkats that is not our fellow passengers.

Gradually they relaxed and decided we were all just visitors. Some of the meercats posed for photographs perhaps hoping there might be a career opportunity in it for them.

Some of the larger meercats, were they the males I wondered, continued with their sentry duties. The littles ones went back to chasing each other and play fighting.

We could have stayed all day.

“Lots more,” said our guides, turning the vehicle around to rejoin the only slightly better dirt track.

There was. Lots more. And at the other end of the scale.

Ahead of us and to the right there were a group of a dozen or more adult elephants, with two little ones. Perfect replicas of their doting, prodding mothers and grandmas.

Our driver explained it was best to stop and turn off the engine and wait. Elephants with young can easily turn over a Dormobile, full of paying guests or otherwise. He added that the smell of oranges attracted elephants to camp sites at night. “Never, never take oranges with you on safari, you will be trampled to a totally silent death!”

Something else to put in next year’s diary, I thought, just in case.

The elephants kept the youngsters completely protected in the centre of the herd. We could not believe these slow, curious, cautious creatures were wild. They had to look after themselves and each other. The was no zoo keeper to name them or bring their food. What a sight; but they took no notice of us.

We left the elephants enough time not to frighten them and we took off again. After a short distance we stopped.

The passengers feared there was a problem. We were reassured by our guide and asked to look out of the right hand side windows and down on the ground. I had a seat next to the window about half way down the Dormobile.

There was a group intake of breath.

Parallel with the side of the vehicle and momentarily quiet was the fattest, longest, darkest, meanest looking snake you could possibly imagine. Someone behind me asked no one in particular, but the passengers in general, what it was called. My husband suggested Jeffrey.

In a spilt second it slithered to the front of our Dormobile, crossed the track in front us, slipped into the long grass and was gone. Another disappearing and totally silent act.

If any of our new friends and fellow passengers had

any romantic plans of returning next year for an actual camping - safari - under - canvas - holiday it was dismissed at once as sheer madness.

The return journey allowed us to see a group of Dik-Diks.

They are the smallest of the antelopes group, exquisitely beautiful with the young just the size of a large cat. We passed a busy group of Vultures tearing into something no longer recognisable. They could not be blamed for causing any loss of life. They only clear up afterwards, they claim, after the others. We saw huge herds of Wildebeest travelling their same routes north to south and then months later south to north, constantly seeking fresh pasture.

It was close to dusk. Our picture processing plants in our brains could hardly take in any more images.

Thoughts turned to hot baths, interesting company and the Brai. What would the next day hold for us?

Our guides had an invitation for us. They asked if we wanted to see lions having breakfast? If so please be ready to leave at the main gate at 5-30am tomorrow morning.

“We will return in good time for breakfast.” Lions! Here we come. Then we were warned that they would not be tucking into bacon, sausage and eggs. “You have been warned!”

To be continued next month.

CARDIFF TIMES 27

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2022 is the year for you / 2022 yw’r flwyddyn i chi Mynnwch ddwy awr yr wythnos yn ystod 2022 i gynnau eich dychymyg, gwella eich CV, dysgu rhywbeth newydd ac ehangu eich gorwelion. Mae Prifysgol Caerdydd yn cynnig cyrsiau rhan-amser i oedolion ar adegau sy’n addas i’ch ymrwymiadau gwaith a theuluol er mwyn rhoi’r cyfle ichi gyflawni eich uchelgeisiau o ran dysgu ac ennill credydau tuag at gymhwyster.

Take two hours out of your week to ignite your imagination, improve your CV, learn something new and expand your horizons in 2022. Cardiff University provides part-time courses for adults at times to suit your work and family commitments which gives you the opportunity to fulfil your learning ambitions and earn credits towards a qualification.

We have a wide range of courses from beginners to more advanced starting this spring and summer. Many of our courses will be taught in a classroom setting whilst others are being delivered online.

Mae gennym ystod eang o gyrsiau, o’r lefel sylfaenol i’r lefel uwch yn ystod y gwanwyn a’r haf. Bydd llawer o’n cyrsiau’n cael eu haddysgu mewn ystafell ddosbarth tra y bydd cyrsiau eraill yn cael eu cyflwyno ar-lein.

Darllenwch rywfaint o’r adborth a gawsom: “Mae’n gwrs diddorol iawn a ches i groeso mawr. Gall dysgu roi hwb pendant i greadigrwydd a dychymyg rhywun.”

Read some of the feedback we have received: “It is a very interesting course and I felt very welcome.

Learning can definitely boost someone’s creativity and imagination.”

“Mae’r sesiynau, yr ymarferion dilynol a’r adborth wedi bod yn wych! Helpodd yr ymarferion imi fagu stêm a hebddyn nhw dw i ddim yn credu y byddwn i wedi cyrraedd pen y daith. Gobeithio y galla i barhau i barhau felly o ystyried yr wybodaeth a ddygais i ar y cwrs.”

“The sessions, follow-up exercises and feedback have been great! The exercises helped build up a momentum that I would never have achieved without it. Hopefully I can now continue to build on that momentum with the knowledge from the course under my belt.”

Os ydych chi’n derbyn budd-daliadau’r Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau neu os ydych chi wedi cael eich cofrestru fel rhywun sy’n chwilio am swydd ers chwe wythnos, hwyrach y bydd eich cwrs yn rhad ac am ddim. Cewch ragor o fanylion ar ein gwefan.

If you are in receipt of DWP benefits or you have been registered as a job-seeker for six weeks your course could be free. Visit our website for more details.

Llwybrau at radd Rydyn ni hefyd yn darparu llwybrau i’r rheiny sy’n gobeithio astudio gradd ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd. Maen nhw’n cynnig llwybr at Addysg Uwch i’r rheiny sydd wedi bod i ffwrdd o’r ystafell ddosbarth ers tipyn. Astudiwch yn rhan-amser gyda’r nos ac ar y penwythnos mewn cyddestun calonogol a chefnogol tra y byddwch chi’n derbyn hyfforddiant a chyngor arbenigol. Mynnwch air gyda Dr Sara Jones am eich opsiynau drwy ebostio Pathways@ caerdydd.ac.uk

Pathways to a degree We also provide pathways for those hoping to study a degree at Cardiff University. They offer a route to Higher Education for those who have been away from the classroom for a while. Study part-time in the evenings and at weekends in an encouraging and supportive environment whilst receiving expert tuition and advice.

Chat to Dr Sara Jones about your options by emailing Pathways@cardiff.ac.uk Lisa Mapley explains how the pathway helped her here: “The pathway builds your confidence. You learn how to write essays and structure your studies. I had no idea what a footnote or a bibliography was when I started but I received so much advice and support that everything fell into place really quickly. The teaching I received was fantastic!’. I received so much support. I was taken through the process of applying for degree studies and funding options including help from the DSA (Disabled Students’s Allowance) and now I am in my second year studying a BA in Medieval and Ancient History at Cardiff University.” www.cardiff.ac.uk/learn • learn@cardiff.ac.uk 029 2087 0000

Mae Lisa Mapley yn esbonio sut y gwnaeth y llwybr ei helpu: “Mae’r Llwybr yn magu eich hyder. Rydych chi’n dysgu sut i ysgrifennu traethodau a strwythuro’ch astudiaethau.

Doedd gen i ddim syniad beth oedd troednodyn na llyfryddiaeth pan ddechreuais i ond cefais i gymaint o gyngor a chymorth nes i bopeth syrthio i’w le yn gyflym iawn. Roedd yr addysgu a gefais i’n wych! Cefais gymaint o gefnogaeth. Cefais i fy arwain drwy’r broses o wneud cais am astudiaethau gradd a’r opsiynau cyllido gan gynnwys cymorth gan y Lwfans i Fyfyrwyr Anabl (DSA) a bellach rwy yn fy ail flwyddyn yn astudio BA mewn Hanes yr Henfyd a’r Oesoedd Canol ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd.” www.caerdydd.ac.uk/learn • learn@caerdydd.ac.uk 029 2087 0000

CARDIFF TIMES 31

Celebrating Trustee Volunteers

Trustees Week is an annual celebration that showcases the fantastic contributions of the 700,00 trustees who lead charities in Wales and England.

This year not-for-profit organisation mirus released a series of videos that introduced some of their Trustees, and informed people about the importance of this voluntary role.

People supported and staff atatone one ofofour our local awards events events in in People awards Peoplesupported supportedand andstaff staffat oneof ourlocal local Cardiff.

Cardiff. awards events in Cardiff.

mirus operate under the guidance of their Trustees, who ensure that they continually improve the support they offer to people with learning disabilities and mental ill health in Cardiff, and across Wales. The Trustees at mirus always have the organisation’s strong core values at the heart of every decision they make, and focus on how they can benefit staff, the people mirus support and their families.

An important message to come out of the filming was that anyone can become a Trustee. Charitable organisations rely on the diversity of their Trustees, and the unique perspectives and insights that they bring, to grow and shape the work they do. mirus Trustee, Roz Waterhouse said: “You may not think you have direct skills in working with people with learning disabilities and mental ill health, but actually, there are so many different skills that we need from the Trustees.

Anyone from any background is welcome, including people from roles such as HR and Finance.”

Kathy and Tina (people supported) Powys Kathyand andTina Tina(people (peoplesupported) supported)-- Powys - Powys Kathy

Before becoming a mirus Trustee, Roz worked as a Social Worker and frequently inspected the services that mirus provided. In her video, Roz talks about the noticeable increase in confidence and skills demonstrated by the people supported at each six-monthly inspection. Roz really enjoyed meeting people out in the community, and once she retired she decided to become a Trustee so that she could continue to follow the journeys of people supported by mirus.

The newest Trustee to join mirus is Ben Price, who works as a Journalist for BBC Wales. In his video Ben said: “I think it’s great if everyone can get involved with an organisation like mirus and become a Trustee, because it’s a great way to learn something new, give back to the community, and help others.”

In addition to new Trustees, mirus are currently recruiting people who are passionate about making a difference to the lives of others to become paid Support Workers in Cardiff.

32 CARDIFF TIMES

Mary Ceredigion Mary (person (personsupported) supported)and andSally Sally(Area (AreaManager) Manager) –Ceredigion receiving an award at aanlocal mirus event – receiving award at aawards local mirus awards event

To watch the full Trustee videos, find out more about becoming a volunteer Trustee, or a paid Support Worker with mirus, you can visit their website at: www.miruswales.org.uk Link to information about becoming a mirus Trustee: https://www.mirus-wales.org.uk/volunteer/trustee/

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CARDIFF TIMES 33

MAD4Kids Charity Is Helping Local Children In Need Of Essentials

The charity is providing push chairs, beds, and other essentials to Cardiff children

by KellieWilliams

MAD4Kids is a Cardiff based local charity that aims to ‘make a difference to children’s lives.’

The charity was set up by founder and chair, Sharon Vaughan and Gareth Vaughan who run the charity alongside four other volunteers including their son Alex Vaughan and daughter Jodie Jay. The family charity is also lucky to receive the support and helping hand from two friends Rob Wilson and Ceridwen Wilson.

The project has been running for three years to help thousands of children across the globe in the capital city of Zambia, Lusaka to help relieve poverty and advance the local children’s education.

So why Zambia? Sharon said, “We visited Zambia and realised the school we saw was doing a great job providing education to orphans and vulnerable children and we wanted to help.”

36 CARDIFF TIMES

The wonderful charity based in Cyncoed has helped the children in Lusaka by providing them with clothing, school clothing, shoes, and an education for children in years one to seven.

The charity also pays the salary of four teachers to help run the school and has set up a ‘hot meal a day’ programme to ensure each child receives the necessary nutrition.

Sharon said, “We have visited Zambia twice and hope to do so again soon, to visit a small rural school that we have helped by building a teacher’s house, refurbishing a classroom and even more importantly, putting in a fresh water supply.”

The Cardiff Project Now, the Cardiff based charity is looking closer to home and has launched a project on its home turf.

On the 12 June 2021, MAD4Kids began helping local

disadvantaged children by providing musical instruments, push chairs, beds, and a range of essentials a child or parent may need for their baby. A great support to parents who are struggling financially.

Sharon said, “We started to realise more recently that in our home city of Cardiff many children are disadvantaged, so we wanted to help in a small way to make a difference to their lives.”

The charity works on a “nomination basis” where social workers will communicate with MAD4Kids that a family needs a certain item, the charity will then seek donations from supporters and further collect and deliver the item to the family in need. A cycle of goodwill.

Sharon said, “Our aim is to provide nearly new, pre-loved items that will ‘Make A Difference’ to the lives of children in Cardiff and the surrounding areas by becoming the conduit between a child (and their parents) who have a need and those who have something they no longer need and are willing to pass it on.”

The charity works on an item-by-item basis and does not store goods in their work-from-home set up in Cyncoed.

To contact the charity, email Sharon on info@MAD4kids.org.uk

CARDIFF TIMES 37

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CARDIFF TIMES 39

Parents raise awareness of a rare tumour

by Natalie McCulloch

Having a relative who is unwell is never easy, even more so possibly when that loved one is a child. Two amazing parents have been kind enough to share their journey with their beautiful daughter’s illness, in the hope that they can raise awareness of their daughter’s condition, encourage other parents affected to seek support early, and raise vital funds for the incredible hospital which provided their care.

Emmeline’s parents, Clare and Mike, first realised something wasn’t right with their daughter in July last year. They noticed a small dip in her lower back and though they didn’t think anything of it at first, the area began to swell, and they decided to get it checked. At the local hospital, Clare and Mike were told that their daughter probably had a cyst but were given a referral to the surgical department at the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital just in case.

While they waited for the appointment, both the lump and the swelling increased and by the August Bank Holiday, Emmeline was in so much pain that she couldn’t sit down and had taken to eating whilst lying on her stomach.

Clare says: “We called Noah’s Ark and explained the situation and were told to come straight down. It was a struggle to get Emmeline into her car seat because she was in so much pain. Over the next few days, the doctors did scans and took bloods, and we took it in turns to be with Emmeline as the one parent only policy meant that we couldn’t both be with her at the same time. But when they called us in for the diagnosis, they asked for us both.

I thought at the time it was because I was pregnant and they didn’t want me to wait in the car but looking back now, I know why. I honestly don’t think cancer had crossed my mind but somehow when they told us, it didn’t come as a surprise. Emmeline had something called a germ cell tumour on the base of her spine which had already started to move into her coccyx and lungs. The first thing we both wanted to know was “what next” and it was a relief to know they already had it all planned out. Emmeline would have a portacath (a small chamber or reservoir that sits under your skin to administer fluids and treatments for as long as needed via a needle) fitted the next day ready to start six cycles of chemotherapy that would last four months, followed by surgery to remove the tumour.”

Germ cell tumour (GCT) is a type of tumour that usually develops within the ovaries or testes. There are many types of germ cell tumours and only some of them are cancer. Germ cell tumours are rare and account for 5% of

40 CARDIFF TIMES

all childhood cancers. Germ cells are the cells that develop into sperm and eggs.

Thankfully Emmeline responded well to the treatment, but it took a while for her to adapt to her new situation and surroundings. Usually, a very active and independent toddler, Emmeline was now attached to tubes and drips, and the familiarity of her home and family were suddenly replaced by an unfamiliar hospital and strangers doing things to her that she didn’t understand. For Clare, seeing her usually happy and easy-going toddler both in pain and distress was by far the hardest part.

Clare says: “For Mike and I, juggling Emmeline’s treatment routine became our new normal. It was incredibly hard not to be together while Emmeline was in hospital, but we just got through it because we had to. Mike was fitting hospital visits around work, and I could only care for Emmeline during her time at home because I was heavily pregnant.

There was a risk to the baby being in hospital for her radioactive scans and it was uncomfortable to sit for hours while she had treatment.

This was heart breaking because it meant I wasn’t able to be with her and we couldn’t be there together during her chemo. And of course, there was the added difficulty of having to keep our distance from friends and family who would usually have been there to help.”

Emmeline had her last course of chemotherapy on New Year’s Day and a successful operation to remove the remainder of the tumour at the end of January. She recovered well and only had to return to the hospital for check-ups. By April, with a date to have Emmeline’s portacath removed in the diary, Clare and Mike were allowing themselves to plan for a family life after cancer treatment. Unfortunately, this was short lived. A routine blood test showed a slight increase in infection markers and a follow up check revealed further elevation. Though smaller and flatter this time, Emmeline’s tumour had returned and the family, now with the new addition of baby Edward, were back on the rollercoaster.

Clare says: “That news was like a kick in the stomach, but we comforted ourselves with the knowledge that the treatment worked last time and that this time the tumour was smaller and more contained. Because Emmeline’s body may have built up an immunity to the previous type of chemotherapy, she was now on a different type of protocol which meant she had to stay in hospital for five nights and six days every three weeks. The good thing being that even

though the sessions were now longer and harder, we could share the time, swapping out every 48 hours to be with her.

We were aware she would need an operation again at the end of it and perhaps a temporary colostomy bag but like last time, we took one day at a time.”

Emmeline had her surgery on the 12th of October, as planned and thankfully all went well, and she was home on Saturday the 16th. Mike reports: “She’s got sore areas where the incisions were done, but otherwise she’s bouncing around as usual. Her hair is even starting to come back. Shadowy at the moment but looking good. The pathology on what was removed is encouraging. Looks like there was more of a margin of healthy cells around the tumour than last time which is better and gives hope that it won’t come back. She’s still isolating until her implants come out as there’s still and infection risk but she’s doing really well in the meantime and has helped Edward to take his first steps!”

For their family now, life will proceed cautiously as one of the side effects of Emmeline’s chemotherapy is that she is neutropenic (she has a reduced immune system), leaving her massively at risk to all infections including Covid.

Mike shares: “As a result, she’s not been inside a shop, supermarket, nursery, or relatives’ home (etc.) in a year in case she picks something up. Any family members who come to visit do tests before they come, and we’ve asked everyone to stay away if they have any symptoms of any illness. We only go out when absolutely necessary and have shopping delivered where possible. We’ve taken an extreme reaction to it but if her temperature raises to over 38 degrees its immediate hospitalisation and quarantine for 48 hrs while the blood cultures come back. If there’s a positive result for infection, then it’s a hospital stay for anywhere between 1 and 3 weeks depending on how long it takes to get over it. So far we’ve been lucky, and this has only happened once for 4 days.”

For Mike and Clare identifying this form of cancer early and getting help, was essential to Emmeline. Alongside taking care of Emmeline and adapting to their new way of

living (including the joyous addition of baby Edward), they are keen to raise awareness of germ cell cancer. Mike tells us: “It would be great if someone else picks up a similar complaint early having read her experience.”

They have already done incredible things to raise awareness and essential funds to keep the hospital which treated their daughter going. Mike finished a cyclothon which raised an amazing £2300 which is incredible especially considering he is, by his own admission, not the most physical type, but thanks to their eldest daughter Julia who helped train him and a lot of self motivation, he successfully completed this from his home exercise bike.

Clare is currently having her beautiful hair cut and donating it to the wig charity whilst aiming to raise vital funds through doing this. You can follow her story, and support her with a donation if possible via her Facebook page and JustGiving page: https://bit.ly/30UJquR Clare says: “We knew that the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital existed before Emmeline became ill but, like most people, we never really thought about how much goes into it and assumed it was funded entirely by the NHS rather than part funded by the donations made by ordinary people. The staff here are amazing and we’re in absolute awe of them all. Everything is geared around the needs of a child, both physically and emotionally to make sure that they don’t fear coming here and having treatment. It isn’t always easy to entertain an active toddler who’s wired to a drip, but the play team work so hard to engage Emmeline with different things. Emmeline has quickly won over the hearts of the nursing staff who even let her sit at the nursing station with them!”

Mike and Clare urge anyone who is able to, to consider donating to help keep the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital being able to do its incredible work with the 73,000 children they treat annually. Please check out their website or follow them on social media to see how you can make a difference today. https://noahsarkcharity.org

CARDIFF TIMES 41

Fashion done your own way

by Molly Dutton It’s been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of delving into the fashion events and trends of each month. I have had a rather chaotic first term at university, gathering lots of content ready for the initial months of 2022. One thing I have learnt whilst experiencing life in a city is that it is extremely fashionable to be ‘woke’ or, in other words, aware of everything that is going on around you.

Having come from a small town in South Wales, moving to the big city was a huge culture shock; there’s always inspiration right in front of me, particularly regarding fashion and different styles. Whilst I was initially set on sharing all of the unique outfits I have seen and worn myself since joining university, I felt that there was something much more important to bring to light this month. Spiking has imbedded itself into clubbing culture quicker than any other scare. Young women, like myself, who live in big cities and enjoy experiencing the nightlife are threatened in a way that prevents them from being able to protect themselves. I do also want to highlight the fact that spiking is not gender exclusive and does effect men as much as women, particularly within night club culture. In previous years, drink spiking has been a prominent problem and something that I was educated on before entering my late teens, leading to campaigns that offer educational advice on how to cover drinks and prevent lasting harm. Whilst it is saddening that we must be informed on methods of selfprotection, these campaigns have been vital in helping men and women enjoy their social lives without threat.

42 CARDIFF TIMES

When I arrived at university, I felt I had a large amount of knowledge on the subject of spiking, despite living in a town in which this was a rare occurrence.

However, I was still in the dark about the more advanced ways that I could protect myself and my drinks. Traditionally, young men and women were told to avoid leaving drinks unattended and, if possible, to go for bottled beers and ciders to avoid exposure. This seemed an appropriate option for a long time until spiking incidents began to peak, and the perpetrators found other ways to get to the drinks. I am so impressed to see university cities creating new and improved coverings to use in night clubs, particularly during big events like Freshers’ week and Halloween when the party scene becomes more populated than your average Saturday night. One thing I found very useful was something called a ‘Spikey’; a small cork like device that sits in the neck of your drinks bottle to stop anything from being able to slip in.

I was lucky enough to have a wonderful accommodation team who gifted us with these during my Freshers’ week but if you aren’t so lucky (or don’t live in

university housing), they can easily be purchased on Amazon at a very cheap price. If you’re more of a wine in a glass person, another clever option is a drinks cover, usually consisting of a small elastic cover that you can slide over the top of your open drink and pop a straw through.

Nowadays, you can ask for these in most clubs and bars but spiking can still be just as prominent in small local pubs so I would highly recommend purchasing a couple just in case. Again, it isn’t right that these are the precautions we have to take but safety must always be the priority until further change is achieved.

My articles are usually filled with little jokes and fashion remarks, but I really wanted to spread the word on something that could potentially help a lot of you in your daily lives. I unfortunately had a bad first-hand experience with injection spiking on one of many nights out in Leeds City Centre where a friend believes she was injected, hence why I want to explore the ways that we can be safer in these situations. Disturbingly, as with many other terrible things, we cannot stop the injections from happening or really prevent them in the way that we can with drink spikings as all control is taken away. Despite this, there are so many ways that groups can help stop any further harm from being inflicted if someone is targeted. The first piece of advice that can be potentially lifesaving is that it is essential to travel in small groups when attending these busy places; by doing so, the person who may have been injected can be surrounded by support and not left exposed on their own in an unsafe environment. Similarly, if a friend leaves the group with a stranger (as is often the case in night clubs), it is always safer to follow them and make sure

they are okay and protected. Whilst this may seem awkward, especially if it is a romantic situation, it would be so much worse to see someone in harm’s way. In this situation, you can keep your distance and let your friend live their life, but just keep an eye on them to ensure that they don’t end up in any trouble. It’s very easy to ignore the signs of spiking when you’re having a lovely evening out in a busy club but, no matter how much you’re enjoying yourself, if a friend or even a stranger looks ‘too drunk’ or ‘out of it’, either take them home or, if you don’t know them, let security know that they are vulnerable.

In big cities like Leeds and Cardiff, security teams are very aware of the repercussions of spiking and will usually offer a safe room to anyone in danger but sadly this isn’t always the case. If you see someone who looks uncomfortable or at risk, offer to text a friend for them or find them a safe way home so that they don’t get lost. It is so important to care.

CARDIFF TIMES 43

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Robbie Regan the Welsh Warrior

by Ralph Oates

On the 19 August 1989 Robbie Regan made his debut in the professional ranks at the Splott Market in Cardiff.

His opponent was fellow Welshman Eric George who was also having his first bout in the paid code. After an entertaining six rounds the contest was declared a draw. True, Regan would have liked to have come away with a victory, but it was not the end of the world. It was early days yet but it was clear that Regan, who was born on the 30 August 1968, had the potential to go further in the sport and thus add his name to the Welsh boxers who had acquired a major championship over the years. Regan’s manager was Dai Gardiner who was a well respected trainer and one who could see the qualities in his young charge.

a draw over six rounds. In truth this was not a bad result since Regan was boxing on the Italian’s turf with the locals giving the home fighter every encouragement during the contest.

On the 12 February 1991 at the National Sports Centre in Cardiff, Regan fought for his first professional title against Kevin Jenkins. Regan’s opponent had fought previously on 9 occasions; winning 3 with 5 defeats and 1 drawn. At stake was the vacant Welsh flyweight championship which Regan won with a 10 round points victory. This was the first time that the new Welsh flyweight champion had boxed over the duration of 10 rounds.

On the 28 May 1991 Regan took Regan had his second outing on part in a contest which would the 6 March 1990 against Francis certainly elevate his status greatly Ampofo at the York Hall, Bethnal should he win. The bout was Green in London. On this occasion for the vacant British flyweight Regan scored an impressive championship and the opposition six round points victory. Regan was provided by Scotland’s Joe was back in action the following Kelly, a very experienced fighter month on the 26 April 1990 at the Photograph by Les Clark with a record of 22 fights winning Rhydycar Leisure Centre in Merthyr 16 with 5 defeats and 1 drawn. There was no doubt Tydfil. The opponent in the opposite corner was Kevin that Kelly would be the toughest man yet that Regan Downer, a very experienced campaigner with a record had faced to date. The Scot had fought twice before of 24 bouts; winning 6 losing 16 with 2 drawn. Regan for the championship. The first time on the 20 October continued his winning run when he secured his first 1986 when he faced Northern Ireland’s Dave McAuley inside the distance victory stopping Downer in round for the vacant crown being stopped in round 9 of 12. four of a scheduled six. The Welshman entered the The second time being on the 9 March 1988 when he ring at the Festival Hall in Basildon, Essex on the 20 crossed gloves with fellow Scot Pat Clinton, for the June 1990 to face Dave McNally who was undefeated once again vacant title. Kelly failed when Clinton took in three bouts. After six rounds of action both men the crown with a 12 round points decision. In the course were rewarded with a draw, this must have been a little of time both McAuley and Clinton would go on to win disappointing for Regan who was obviously looking to versions of the world flyweight title. (McAuley IBF and bolster his resume with a further victory.

Clinton WBO). Prior to meeting Regan Kelly had failed to win the vacant European flyweight crown in Italy on Ricky Beard, a boxer who had taken part in 5 bouts the 23 February 1991 when in a 12 round contest he winning 2, losing 2 and drawing 1 of said contests was stopped in the second stanza by Salvatore Fanni. provided the opposition for Regan in his next bout Kelly came into the bout with Regan determined to win on the 19 November 1990 which took place at the the championship hoping that British title-wise, it would Star Leisure Centre in Cardiff. The Welshman came be third time lucky for him. The Scot would clearly not away with a win by way of a six round stoppage. The be fazed by the occasion. The contest, which took place following month on the 21 December 1990 Regan at the The National Sports Centre in Cardiff, went the took part in his first bout abroad against Italian Michele full 12 rounds and hence saw Regan gain the British Poddighe. The contest taking place in Sassari, title with a points decision. This was a great moment for Sardegna. Poddighe came with a fight record of 9 bouts the Welsh boxer who now looked set to move onwards of which he secured 7 victories 1 defeat and 1 draw. and upwards.

For the third time in his career the Welshman obtained

46 CARDIFF TIMES

The first defence of the British title by Regan took place on the 3 September 1991 against Francis Ampofo, a boxer whom he had already defeated earlier in this career. It looked as if Regan would repeat his victory over his opponent but in boxing, shocks often happen.

At the National Sports Centre in Cardiff the Champion was stopped in round 11 of 12 due to a badly cut over his left eye caused by a clash of heads during the contest. This was a setback of that there was no doubt.

However, once the injury had healed the two men met once again on the 17 December 1991 when at the National Ice Rink in Cardiff Regan regained his British crown by way of a 12 round points decision.

On the 11 February 1992 Regan engaged in a routine bout at the National Sports Centre in Cardiff against Mexican opponent Juan Bautisa Blanco thus having an early night when in a scheduled 10 contest he won by a knockout in the opening session. The 19 May 1992 saw Regan defend his British championship against Scotland’s James Drummond at the National Ice Rink, Cardiff where upon he retained the crown by a stoppage in round 9 of 12. It was now time for a step up and that step up would come in the shape of Italian Salvatore Fanni who came to Cardiff on the 14 November 1992. Fanni had a resume of 25 fights; winning 23 losing 1 with 1 drawn. The Italian would be defending his European flyweight title against the Welshman. Regan had less experience than the champion having a record comprising of 12 bouts; which consisted of 8 victories with 1 defeat and 3 drawn. The challenger had a difficult task ahead of him a mountain to climb, but with the spectators behind him giving their vocal support at the National Ice Rink, he more than confirmed his right to be at this level, by winning a 12 round points decision to take the title.

Regan next entered the ring at the Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff and made the first defence of his European crown against Danny Porter who had a resume of 21 bouts; winning 12 losing 8 and drawing 1.

On the night of the 30 March 1993 Regan gave the fans plenty to cheer about when he stopped his challenger in round 3 of a scheduled 12. The Welsh boxer was making waves in the flyweight division and looked a genuine world title prospect.

On the 26 June 1993 Argentine Adrian Christian Ochoa met Regan at the Olympia in Kensington London.

Ochoa came with a record of 21 bouts; winning 16 losing 3 with 2 drawn. The bout went the full 10 rounds with the Welshman’s gaining a points victory. Since Regan was now concentrating on a shot at the world flyweight title, he relinquished his European crown the following July. However, after three winning bouts in 1994 Regan once again went for the European championship on the 19 November 1994 at the National Ice Rink in Cardiff. The champion was Italian Luigi Camputaro who was not going to be removed from the title easily. He had indulged in 34 bouts; winning 27 and

losing 7. It was a tough encounter but after 12 rounds the Welsh hero was once again king of Europe.

The much desired world title shot finally came on the 17 June 1995 against WBO king Alberto Jimenez of Mexico. It’s no secret that Mexico had produced a number of fantastic fighters in this division and Jimenez was no exception. Jimenez had a slate of 33 bouts; consisting of 28 wins 3 defeats with 2 drawn. While the fans at the National Ice Rink in Cardiff were hoping that Regan would pull it off and become the new champion it was not to be. The Welsh boxer, always brave always the warrior, was up against it from the start he was out punched by Jimenez from the opening bell. Regan was retired by his corner in round 9 of a scheduled 12.

There was no disgrace in this defeat, the fighter had given his best, he could do no more.

On the 16 December 1995 Regan was back in the battle ground at the Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff.

This time he faced Ferid Ben Jeddou of Tunisa in a contest for the vacant IBF interim world flyweight title.

Jeddou was not a push-over, he would not surrender meekly. He was ambitious with a resume of 20 bouts; wining 17 losing 1 with 2 drawn. It also had to be wondered if the defeat against Jimenez had taken anything out of the Welsh boxer. Any fears were soon put to rest when Regan knocked out his man in round 2 of a scheduled 12.

Something of a surprise presented itself on the 26 April 1996 when Regan challenged for the WBO world title; not at flyweight but bantamweight. Once again at the Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff, Regan faced Puerto Rican Daniel Jimenez, a more than accomplished fighter with a slate of 27 fights; 4 defeats with 1 drawn, he was also a former WBO world super-bantamweight champion. Home fans hoped for the best but once again Regan was up against it in the 12 round contest.

On the night the Welsh boxer put up a fantastic performance winning the title on points. It was a heart warming victory for the brave fighter and now it looked as if lucrative title defences would be on the horizon.

Yet fate was due to deliver him a blow which would bring his career to an end. Due to various health concerns Regan was unable to continue his career.

This was cruel to say the least. A proud fighter who fought his way to the top was now unable to box. Life often deals us with unexpected setbacks we have to somehow deal with them. Regan is a well respected boxer who gave fans many great nights in reaching his goal. He left the sport with a record of 22 fights, winning 17 with 2 defeats and 3 drawn. Regan had the honour of recently being inducted into the British Ex-Boxers Hall of Fame. A fitting tribute indeed for the Welsh Warrior.

CARDIFF TIMES 47

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Protect Your Wealth

by Michael Fogg

As we approach the Festive Period and – more specifically – the New Year, a number of my clients are contacting me to review their financial position, and to put things in place for their future and that of their children.

Why now?

Reviewing your finances regularly is important. This is a given and is something that many of us do – to a greater or lesser extent – on a daily basis. If we are fortunate enough to have a roof over our heads, food and drink, and human interaction we are in a privileged position that many are not. However, daily or monthly household budgeting – being short to medium term financial planning - is not the same as making or updating your Will, or thinking about whether you could use Trusts to better structure your assets. This is medium to long term financial planning and can be highly beneficial to many people even with a fairly modest asset base.

Quite often, when assisting a client to restructure their finances, I’ll be told that it is “a weight off their shoulders”. Not because it was urgent to get done, but because when the work had been completed, the client has a very real sense of achievement. Of having done something meaningful for themselves and for their loved ones, whomever they may be. And, quite frequently, this is something that the client had been thinking about – either actively or subconsciously – for some time.

The new year tends to give added focus to this. Although some new year’s resolutions are physical or mental (losing weight, going to the gym more, meditating or taking up yoga) others are more financial in nature. With the fast moving nature of the housing market in Cardiff at present – and with inflation starting to rise and interest rates likely to go in only one direction in the coming years – a lot of my clients are now seeking to take advantage of house price growth, for example taking advantage of long fixed rate mortgage deals whilst they are still being offered, or investing in property improvements and the new developments throughout Cardiff but focussed in the north of the City.

When is the best time to review your financial position?

Although the trite answer is “at any point”, the more sensible time to conduct a full review of your financial position is when you have a little free time to ‘deep dive’ into the various options available to you. Although this is not the same for everyone, many people do tend to have a little more time free, often in the company of family and close friends, at this time of year and so it may be sensible to have a discussion about how to structure your assets (taking into account any debts you may have) in the privacy of your own home.

The sort of thing which tends to require a Will review, for example, would be any major life milestone – buying a home, moving in with a partner, marriage (either you or any of your potential beneficiaries), children (either born to the family or adopted in or out), divorce or legal separation.

Considering whether a Trust – or Trusts – could be beneficial is also worthwhile at this stage, as well as at the point that you have purchased or inherited investment assets (whether these are subject to a mortgage or not).

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Lasting Powers of Attorney are far more straightforward.

This is because, regardless of what you have and who you want to leave it to, you still need to protect against decisions being made which you wouldn’t necessarily want to happen.

Decisions relating to your care, your treatment if seriously ill, and who you would want to make decisions on your behalf.

It’s a common misconception that the person named as ‘Next of Kin’ or ‘Emergency Contact’ has the legal authority to make decisions on your behalf. They may do – if you have given your legal authority for this through an LPA. But it’s not always the case and can sometimes result in long, costly and stressful applications for someone to be appointed as a legal Deputy by the Court of Protection.

How long does it take?

It can be difficult to provide very specific timescales for work to be completed, in particular when dealing with outside organisations like the Office of the Public Guardian (who supervise LPAs and with whom the LPAs need to be registered) or HM Revenue & Customs (where settling assets into Trust).

However the work to get the process underway can take as little as an hour of your time, if you are familiar with your financial position.

Trusting Willpower offers free face-to-face consultations for those who wish to explore their options in the comfort of the client’s home. These consultations have no obligation – you don’t have to take a service – although it is true that many of our clients have come from some initial free advice and guidance. They are also available from early morning to late night rather than the more traditional office hours of 9am to 5pm or 8am to 6pm. I’ve regularly found myself, as an example, getting home at close to the witching hour with a sense of satisfaction at another job well done and another client correctly advised and assisted.

What information do I need to recommend the best course of action?

If you’re broadly on top of your personal finances, surprisingly little preparation work is needed to allow me or one of my consultants to recommend the most sensible and efficient course of action. A rough idea of the value of your assets and any debts which you may have, plus information about your immediate family and who you want to benefit from your assets other than you. Finally, an idea about who you trust to carry out your wishes as you would like. Everything else, as useful as it may appear to be, can often unnecessarily muddy the waters.

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, or to arrange a free no-obligation meeting at your home to review your situation. Alternatively, we are now holding regular seminars on wealth management with the next one scheduled to take place on 4 January 2021 at Cardiff Golf Club in Cyncoed.

Please get in touch on 029 2021 1693, by emailing TrustingWillpower@outlook.com, or by visiting our website: www.TrustingWillpower.co.uk

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Tuesday, 4th January 2022 Registration at 5:30pm for a 6pm Start The talk lasts approximately 1 hour LIMITED SPACES – Please book now by calling Michael on 029 2021 1693 or emailing TrustingWillpower@outlook.com

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