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CARDIFF TIMES MARCH 2026

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Llys Cyncoed care home, Cyncoed Saturday 21st March at 11am and Sunday 22nd March at 3pm

Llys Herbert care home, Lisvane Wednesday 25th March, 2pm - 4pm

To attend please call 0330 822 6781 or visit careuk.com/wales

Protecting Our Future Generations From a Hidden Killer!

Asbestos can potentially be found in ANY building built before the year 2000 and so may be present in many homes and public buildings! Tragically, asbestos currently takes more than twice the number of lives in Wales than road traffic accidents and still remains to be the biggest U.K workplace killer taking over 5000 lives each year! Thankfully, there are precautions that can be taken and support is out there!

Global Asbestos Awareness Week is marked during the first week in April each year and aims to raise awareness of the risks of asbestos exposure and the need for preventative measures. The global event brings together organisations and individuals from around the world to raise awareness of the dangers of asbestos. Asbestos Awareness & Support Cymru (AASC) is an independent charity for Wales and provides support to victims of asbestos related illnesses such as asbestosis and the malignant cancer Mesothelioma and their families. The charity arranges support groups and events, operates a telephone support service and also signposts to helping agencies and specialist advice services ranging from practical support in the home to benefits and specialist legal advice. The friendly team would welcome a call from anyone who has been diagnosed with an asbestos related illness or from anyone who is currently caring for a loved one with Mesothelioma or asbestosis so that support, information, advice and a shared understanding can be offered.

This year, AASC will be holding an event in St.Mellons, Cardiff on Thursday 2nd April at 2pm to mark this important global event. Information and advice from various experts and specialists will be available on the day in the hope of protecting our future generations whilst also offering support to those who need it. The event will be informal and friendly and light refreshments will also be offered at no charge and a warm welcome awaits anyone who would like to join us! If you’d like to come along, please call Jo on 01495 272479 or Email Jane at enquiries@a-a-s-c.org.uk . We’d love to hear from you! Please also visit the website www.a-a-s-c.org.uk for more information about the service and future events and support groups. Ends

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‘And Another Thing...’

She Who Must Be Obeyed High Fives A Bear

Be fair, you haven’t seen a headline like that before. Let me explain.

For those of you who may have forgotten, this is The Andean or Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos Ornatus). We Nolans recently revisited Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Clevedon. We highly recommend it, again. Anyway, it was a bit of a miserable day and many of the animals did not want to come out to play so we sought out where the Andean Bears were hiding. Two of them looked us up and down in a curious way through the glass partition. The Boss rested her hand on the glass in a high five style and one of the bears did the same, very gently, the other side of the glass, paw to paw. A lovely moment and worth the visit just for that.

Talking of bears, two hunters were walking through a forest looking for deer. When all of a sudden, a giant bear jumped out and scared the living daylights out of them. They dropped their guns and ran like mad. One of the hunters stopped, opened up his backpack and laced up a pair of running shoes. His mate looked at him and said, “What are you doing? Are you crazy? You can’t outrun a bear!” His response: “I know. All I have to do is outrun you!”

So it came to pass that our regular dental checkup became due. I know, spoiling that woman. The usual pleasant experience as we have a spiffing dentist. Whilst in the waiting room it occurred to me that moral and molar share the same letters. Picture the potential mix ups: “You have no molars” or, “Your morals will all have to come out.” All of which prompted me to remember the dental visits of my formative years. The Queen was on throne, Elizabeth that is and a tooth extraction was a major operation. A rubber bung like a bath plug was placed in the mouth to keep the jaw open and a full on face mask was fitted to pump Nitrous Oxide into us to knock us out. Having come round from unconsciousness it was straight back to school. Hard to believe these days. Did it hurt you ask? Of course it did!

The Current Mrs Nolan recently attended the hair salon for her monthly tonsorial treat. Come the time to pay she produced a wedge of 20 Euro notes. Like the late Queen, she does not usually carry cash so quite where the foreign currency came from was all a bit of a mystery. Luckily, I was within earshot, (three miles away) and was summoned to provide the correct currency and all was well. This reminded me of the story of the man who went to the registry office to register his newborn sons’ joyous arrival. The Registrar asked for the chosen name for the little smasher and the father said: “Euro.” The Registrar proceeded to advise him that such a name was not acceptable, because it was a currency. The fathers’ response: “That’s odd because there were no objections when I called my first two sons Mark and Frank.”

I have often wondered where the phrase “OK” came from since it is clearly not an acronym of “Yes thank you for asking, everything is fine.” It seems that this phrase came out of Boston, Massachusetts, in 1839 (which is nearly twenty to seven), when deliberate misspelling became en vogue, which is of course French for en vogue (and correctly spelt). “OK” apparently derives from “Oll Correct” and it stuck globally ever since – hysterical ain’t it? Since you asked, Massachusetts comes from the Indigenous Indian Algonquin people who lived locally and means Greathill-small-place.”

had been counting the years off on his calendar, when one day the now teenager who had been collecting the meat each week, came into the shop and said, “I’ll be 18 tomorrow.” “I know,” said the butcher with a smile, “I’ve been counting too. Tell your mother, when you take this parcel of meat home, that it is the last free meat she’ll get and watch the expression on her face.” When the boy arrived home, he told his mother. The woman nodded and said, “Son, go back to the butcher and tell him I have also had free bread, free milk and free groceries for the last 18 years and watch the expression on his face!”

He said: “Come up quickly, I fought with my wife and now she wants to throw herself out of the window.” The manager replied: “Sir this is a personal matter and we can’t get involved.” The man interrupted and said: “No! This is a maintenance issue. I can’t open the window!”

I went to the local hair emporium to have the Nolan bouffant cut down to size and whilst waiting was sat next to a two year old little guy and his mum. A bloke walked in and the boy shouted “Daddy.” Mum quickly explained to him and to us that it was not his Daddy but a man who had the same coat that Daddy wore. My how we all laughed. The bloke looked scared!

French and very good English/Welsh. On New Years Eve their leader Franck sent this message to us: “Blwyddyn newydd dda” His French mate quickly followed this up with: “Don’t tell everyone your computer password Franck.”

Butchers Aprons are navy and white so that they don’t show the blood and you earn your stripes when you become a trained butcher. Apparently, this tradition dates back to at least the 16th-century Butcher’s Guild. The stripes become thicker the more experience the butcher has.

Whilst the New Year hostilities are now long faded into the distance, I have two tales from that time which I should like to share with you. The first involves the bar manager at our local alehouse, The Fisherman’s Ar - - . That should be The Fisherman’s Arms but the last two letters fell off in the recent high winds. We

We have not watched the hugely popular Traitors series. Simply not our thing but it was obviously watched by millions so if you are devotees, good for you. There are however many types of traitor. Here are three examples: Son: “Dad, what’s a religious traitor?” Father: “A person who leaves our church and joins another.” Son: “And what is a person who leaves another church and joins ours?” Father: “A convert, son, a blessed convert.” What do you call a traitor among the musicians ? An orchestrator. Finally, because I am bored with this now, what do you call a member of the blue man group when he’s caught redhanded betraying his fellow blue men? The purple traitor of a crime.

Staying with rugby matters, we recently lost a much-loved member of St. Peter’s Rugby Club, Bart O’Brien. He lived to the fine old age of ninety, was a former Club Captain and a great wit. I had the honour of playing alongside his three sons and he was an avid reader of this publication. As part of the eulogy, his son Bernard shared the following with us: “Bart was very much on the ball and retained his humour and enthusiasm to the very end. He was asked to attend a Doctors appointment as his memory was apparently showing its age (understandably so). The Doctor said to him: “I want you to give me a list of as many animals you can think of. Take your time” Bart thought for a second and said: “Ten cows, twelve sheep and twenty horses.” Brilliant! At the other end

played each other and we now communicate with each other regularly via WhatsApp in schoolboy

offered to provide her with free meat until the boy was 18. She agreed. The butcher

February 2026

March 2026

January is finally done… About time too. It always feels like the longest month of the year — about 70 days, give or take — and this one dragged, and dragged, and dragged...

In The Words Of by Carl Marsh

In The Words Of

in expecting to e proved right. I wasn’t.

LZ7 (Lindz)

It’d been many, many years since I’d set foot in a TGI Fridays, and the first thing that struck me was how clean it was. And when anyone had left their table after the meal, it was cleaned within a couple of minutes.

I loved how the staff were attentive without hovering, which already exceeded expectations. The place felt relaxed, and so were we.

A proper conversation about arenas, schools, prisons, faith, and connection. Cardiff University memories in there too. Big rooms, small roomssame message. Whether you agree with everything or not, you can’t question the intent.

That said, 2026 didn’t ease itself in. January threw a surprising number of interviews my way, which seldom happens. It’s usually quiet. This time it wasn’t. I’m not moaning. Quite the opposite. It’s just that I wasn’t expecting it to be like that. I need to see the bright side. LOL!!

Interviews

Easter’s looming. Which for me means I’ll be heading north soon — Scotland in the campervan, a week or two on the north and west coast with the dogs. Cold water. Quiet beaches. No schedule. No WiFi worth relying on. Although I will give myself 2 or 3 hours before I become stressed and end up driving to get a signal!! However, that reset matters as I think most of us spend too much time looking at our small screens. And I often ask myself, what have I achieved by doom scrolling for an hour… nothing!! Yet, still do it the next day, and the next, and the…

Molly Roberts

We started with cocktails — the Passionate Sunrise. Twice. Fresh, well-balanced, and far too easy to drink. Possibly too easy.

From busking in London… two people watching in a venue… to performing at the Principality Stadium. Calm. Grateful. Steady growth. There’s something refreshing about someone just building properly, step by step.

Our starters were Tex-Mex nachos with pulled pork and Friday’s sesame chicken strips. Both generous. Both are good for sharing. The latter was nice and spicy for me, but my daughter can’t do anything like that. She actually tried it, which impressed me, as she liked how it was presented, even though I may have said it wasn’t that hot!!

Help I Sexted My Boss

As much as I enjoy social media—and I really do— sometimes you need Glencoe, the Highlands, the Isle of Harris, etc., more than you need notifications.

After - as already mentioned - a slower month last time around, I’ve got four interviews for you this time. All very different, all for various reasons, and all conversations I enjoyed having.

Clinton Baptiste

Interviews

This month’s offerings — in no particular order — have been varied, loud, thoughtful, chaotic, grounded, and occasionally surreal. And if I’m being honest: Just how I like it. Hahahaha!!

Psychic medium, mystic, and general agent of chaos. We talk haunted theatres, Welsh audiences, eye-watering ticket prices, and whether ghosts are actually worse than Cardiff once the pubs shut on a Saturday night. It goes precisely where you’d expect it to go. And then somewhere else entirely.

For mains, we went with the Kansas-style beef short rib. Rich, tender, full of flavour. Alongside that, blackened chicken fajitas arrived sizzling and colourful. Portions were solid. Not stupidly big. Just right. Sides followed — Santa Monica loaded fries and cheesy garlic ciabatta. No surprises here. Indulgent, comforting, and done right.

William Hanson and Jordan North are taking etiquette and chaos into arena spaces. It’s theatrical, structured, but still feels spontaneous—a strange, brilliant combination.

Six interviews with very different energies. That’s the bit I enjoy most — shifting tone, shifting pace, different worlds entirely.

Dessert was lighter — fresh fruit with orange sorbet — followed by a Simply Ice Cream (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry). I also had a mocktail. I’ve completely forgotten what it was called, which probably tells you everything, but it was excellent. I only wish I could recall what it was called so I could try to make it at home!!

Review: Beast Games – Season 2 [Prime Video]

Happy Mondays

Clive Hicks-Jenkins

I’ll say it…

I left pleasantly surprised. Slightly relieved. And, unexpectedly, quite excited to go back.

Season 2 is better than Season 1.

Shaun Ryder and Bez. Still standing. Still ridiculous. Still funny in that sideways, accidental way. We talked about survival, chaos, autocues, and how on earth they’re still a band after everything. There’s something oddly reassuring about the fact they’re still here. Slightly feral. Slightly philosophical. Entirely themselves.

Artist and illustrator Clive Hicks-Jenkins talks about working on The Iliad and The Odyssey for the Folio Society. We get into why Homer still feels uncomfortably relevant right now. There’s also a bit on his very hands-on process — physically building worlds before committing anything to the page. Mogwai

Nova Twins

I spoke with Stuart Braithwaite, guitarist and founding member of Mogwai, about longevity, instinct, and how the band have kept moving forward without losing who they are.

Adam Frost

Industrial rooms. Parasites. Butterflies. A band that never waited for permission and isn’t about to start now. We got into carving space, industry resistance, and why authenticity beats moulding yourself into something safer. They feel sharper than ever.

Ardal O’Hanlon

Garden designer and TV’s Adam Frost opens up to me about his burnout, creativity, and why joy matters more to him than perfection these days. We talk music, memory, and how working with plants shapes how he lives, not just what he does. I will one day become an avid gardener when I have the time, but speaking with Adam has given me that spark.

Food Review

The first series was spectacle. Big money. Big sets. Big drama. This one felt tighter. More psychological. Less “look at this” and more “watch what happens when people are pushed”. The pressure gets to them quicker. The alliances wobble earlier. The moral deci sions feel heavier, and how flipping annoying is Jim… Moniker’s boyfriend?

It’s still outrageous television - part social experiment, part endurance test, part “would you sell your mate for a million quid?” - but it felt more human this time.

Mr Beast is renowned for his YouTube content - and I, for one, never really got into his stuff until I watched the first series of Beast Games, but this show is another level. I can’t believe that I will have to wait 10 months or so for the next season!!

Enjoy February. I’ll see you in March.

It’s brilliant, just brilliant.

See you in April,

Carl Marsh

Twitter — @InTheWordsOf_CM

TGI Fridays — St David’s, Cardiff I’ll be honest: I’m not usually a fan of big chains. I went

We talked about age, identity, comedy audiences, and that strange contract between a comic and a room full of strangers. Very Ardal. He has this gentle way of circling big questions without ever sounding heavy. I like that.

Twitter — @InTheWordsOf_CM

YouTube — InTheWordsOf

YouTube — InTheWordsOf

INTERVIEW: HAPPY MONDAYS

Words: Carl Marsh

Shaun Ryder and Bez outlived chaos; three decades on, Happy Mondays remain intact, loud and reflective on Pills ‘N’ Thrills, which is to be played in full at the Depot, Cardiff, on March 20th.

When you revisit Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches now, what hits you first — the sound of it, or the madness around it?

[Shaun Ryder] You know what? Because we got back together with the Mondays in f**king 1999 — and we’ve been doing it ever since — I’ve been playing those songs for so long that it all just becomes second nature. I mean, you know, we go out on tour, and we do tracks off the first album, Squirrel and G-Man, we do a couple off Bummed, and then we do the Pills ‘N’ Thrills and Bellyaches stuff. So it all sort of flows together now, you know what I mean? I don’t sit there thinking, “Oh, this is that iconic album,” even though everyone else does. To me, they’re just our tunes. But it still sounds good — proper good — like it could’ve been made today. I don’t really notice the years on it because we’ve never stopped playing the bloody thing. It’s part of the furniture now.

Thirty-five years on, which moment in the live set still gives you the biggest buzz?

[Shaun Ryder] Well, that’s changed loads over the years. I mean, I’ve gone through phases where I’ve absolutely f**king hated everything — hated touring, hated myself, hated the lifestyle — and then phases where I’ve loved it and then hated it again. But now? Now I just f**king enjoy it more than ever. It’s mad. I get a buzz now more than I did when we were kids. Maybe it’s because the sex and drugs have gone — all that madness — and now it’s just the rock ‘n’ roll road. And I’m enjoying the road. You get older, and you appreciate the crowds more, the band more, the songs more. I get a buzz off the whole thing every night, and I never expected that.

When you think back to the Mondays’ wildest days, what moment still feels completely unreal?

[Bez] Mate, the unreal thing is simply that we’re actually still in the band — all the Happy Mondays — after all this time. That’s the bit that blows my mind. If you’d thought back all those years ago, when we set out as young fellas chasing a dream, causing chaos everywhere we went, you’d never have imagined we’d be here now as sixty-oddyear-old fellas, planning gigs and getting the band back together again. That is unreal. That’s the

moment. Just being here, still doing it, still being the Happy Mondays. The fact that we survived it all, physically and mentally, is unbelievable.

Gogglebox opened you both up to a whole new crowd — how does it feel seeing younger fans discover you through TV?

[Shaun Ryder] When Bez did Big Brother back in 2005, he brought a whole new young fanbase to the band. When I did the jungle in 2010, the same thing — loads of new people suddenly knew who we were. And every time we do things like Storage Hunters, we pick up more.

You get the young ‘uns watching all that stuff on their iPads. These two old d**kheads — me and him — looking like teenagers to them. They watch us for 20 minutes, then check out the music, and the next thing you know, they’re at the shows. That’s one of the main reasons we do TV — it brings in new fans. Our fanbase now goes from f**king ten-year-olds to people in their nineties.

[Bez] Yeah, it’s mad. At the gigs now, there’s a proper cross-section of people — mums, dads, kids, grandparents, all sorts. It’s turned into a family occasion. People introduce their kids to the music, and it’s great seeing that generational thing. Most of them come to it because of their parents, and that’s brilliant to see.

After everything you and Shaun have been through, what’s the bond between you like today?

[Bez] We’ve been through a hell of a lot, yeah. As Shaun says, it’s really like a sexless marriage because we’ve been together for so long. Being a Happy Monday is a proper roller coaster — the ups, the downs, the lows, the highs. You can’t write this f**king s**t. We’ve had some big fallouts, as you’d imagine, over more than 35 years — must be 40 now. And yet, after everything, we’re still really good friends. That’s what it’s about — being able to go through all that emotion with somebody. It’s rare, really rare.

Happy Mondays play Cardiff Depot on March 20, 2026.

Words: Carl Marsh

Nova Twins bring their Parasites & Butterflies Tour 2026 to Tramshed, Cardiff, on Sunday, March 15 — chaos and beauty colliding at full volume.

You’re bringing this tour to Tramshed. What kind of room brings out your best? What do you need from a space?

[Amy Love] When everything lines up — the gear working, the PA sounding right, and the audience letting loose — that’s when it’s magic. We start at 100, but if the crowd want to get feral, there’s an extra 10% that just happens. When it clicks, it’s euphoric.

Can you still get intimacy in a big industrial room?

[Georgia South] Yeah. We get into the crowd, up to the barrier. If there are mosh pits and we’re flinging ourselves around, that connection still feels close.

Alright — let’s talk about the record itself. Parasites & Butterflies feels like tension made into sound. What were you wrestling with?

[Amy Love] Probably ourselves. We toured non-stop for three years, then suddenly stopped and had to jump into another record. You don’t have time to catch up with life or your mental health. Everything felt yin and yang — dark one minute, joyful the next. That bridge between chaos and beauty kept coming up.

And that title — how quickly did it land?

[Georgia South] Pretty quickly. We thought of it while recording in Vermont. One lyric says “parasites and butterflies,” and it summed up chaos and beauty in one. Seeing fans dress in those themes on tour has been amazing.

When you first came through, did the rock scene welcome you — or did you have to carve space yourselves?

[Georgia South] We came up through DIY punk in London. Kerrang backed us early, but France picked us up first — festivals, touring. We had to go the long way round before the UK caught up.

When artists like Elton John or Tom Morello shout you out — inspiring or intimidating?

[Amy Love] Inspiring. They saw resistance — two young Black girls playing alternative music — and were vocal about backing us. That meant a lot. That support matters.

Nova Twins hit Tramshed, Cardiff, on Sunday, March 15th — loud, raw and unapologetically themselves.

Ardal O’Hanlon brings his Not Himself tour to The Glee Club, Cardiff, on Wednesday, March 11 — turning the spotlight inward in a show about age, identity and the state of the world.

What sparked your Not Himself tour, and what themes or ideas shaped the show from the start?

[Ardal O’Hanlon] It’s about where you’re at in your own life without losing sight of the wider picture. I’m a man of a certain age, desperate in crisis, looking for meaning — aren’t we all before it’s too late? The starting point is just: who am I? How did I arrive at this point? Examining the forces that shaped me. But that’s a loose theme. It’s like any show — it’s about everything and anything—the state of me, but also the state of the world.

When you test new material, what’s the moment you know a joke truly belongs in the final show?

[Ardal O’Hanlon] First of all, you have to really like it yourself. There are lots of jokes that are generic — anyone could do them. You have to ask, is this a me joke? Does it express something about my outlook? And then does it link with the rest of the show? I’ve got it to a stage where it flows naturally. It’s like a clothesline with lots of colourful clothing hanging from it — it all connects.

What’s the biggest shift you’ve noticed in comedy audiences since you first started performing?

[Ardal O’Hanlon] If you read the papers, you’d think the country was very angry and divided. But it couldn’t be further from the truth in my shows. They’re lovely people. It’s joyful. I think fears about cancel culture are overstated. As long as you’re coming from a place of truth and honesty, audiences are robust. You can smuggle quite interesting ideas into fluffy comedy.

When you step offstage after a great show, what’s the feeling you carry with you now?

[Ardal O’Hanlon] I come from a part of Ireland where people don’t really express emotion. You could win the lottery, and nobody would know. So I’m a bit like that. I come off elated — but it lasts about a minute. Then you’re back to being your normal civilian self, wondering what to watch in the hotel room.

Ardal O’Hanlon’s Not Himself comes to The Glee Club, Cardiff, on Wednesday, March 11 — thoughtful, searching, and still finding the absurd in everyday life.

Words: Carl Marsh

William Hanson and Jordan North bring Help I Sexted My Boss Live 2026 to Cardiff Utilita Arena on March 20, swapping Camden’s 40 seats for a full arena — and a much bigger spectacle.

What’s the most surreal part of realising you’ve gone from a pub in Camden to now national arenas?

[William Hanson] The fact that, you know, the pub in Camden has 40 seats. And delighted that we’d sold 40 seats, and thought we were like Adele because they’d sold out so quickly. And now we’ve got significantly more. I think it won’t really hit until we’re actually standing on stage. And Cardiff, it’s our first show, so we are going to feel completely overwhelmed and out of place in the nicest possible way.

[Jordan North] We never, ever, in our wildest dreams, thought we’d be doing arenas up and down the UK. Never. We just thought we’d do a live show in Camden, have a bit of a laugh, and now we’re doing some of the biggest venues in the country.

How will the arena stage show let you push things even further?

[William Hanson] We’re able to do a lot more because we have a lot more space. And we also have to do a lot more, because two chairs on stage in an arena are going to look quite empty. When we were doing pubs in Camden, we barely fit two chairs on the stage. Now it’s the opposite problem. We will fill that space.

[Jordan North] It’s a big show. All singing, all dancing. A miss-it, miss-out kind of show. It’s like a variety show. It’s not two blokes recording a podcast on stage. We won’t do that in an arena.

The podcast’s heart is about navigating modern life — has it changed how you see your own lives?

[William Hanson] I’ve relaxed a lot since knowing Jordan, particularly speaking to him twice weekly with the podcast. You’ve certainly relaxed me and opened me up to a new perspective.

[Jordan North] And I’ve definitely learned a lot from William. I feel like I’ve become a better member of society since we became friends and started recording the podcast. It probably feels like weekly therapy for me sometimes.

You’ve built a genuine friendship from opposite ends of the spectrum — posh meets common — what do you each bring out in the other?

[Jordan North] We’re from very different backgrounds. However, we do have a similar sense of humour. I bring out this naughty side of him. He loves a rude joke. You wouldn’t think that was the UK’s leading etiquette expert.

[William Hanson] I’ve relaxed a lot over the eight years. I’m not quite as uptight. I’ve introduced you to finer things in life — better clothes, fashion. You’ve got a little bit of posh inside you.

Did winning the British Podcast Award’s Listener’s Choice change how you see what you’ve built?

[William Hanson] It’s nice to have an accolade from the only judge that really matters — the listeners.

[Jordan North] When we started, we never thought we’d go on tour. Getting that award felt like another tick that we’re doing all right. This arena tour feels like two ticks. My worry is, what do we do next?

When the arena goes quiet, what still anchors you — purpose, identity, or simply the friendship between you?

[Jordan North] The main reason we do it is to give everyone a good night out. Our listeners are so loyal. It’s like a big thank you to them. When the lights go down, that’s the hardest part. You’re wired. You can’t sleep. That’s the worst part of touring — the bit after.

[William Hanson] It’s one great big thank you and love letter to the listeners. Some of the letters people send — they pour their hearts out. I’ll often be in floods of tears reading them. If we’ve put a smile on their face, then we’ve done our job.

Help I Sexted My Boss Live 2026 comes to Cardiff Utilita Arena on March 20—bigger stage, bigger spectacle — but the same unlikely friendship at its centre.

INTERVIEW: LINDZ [LZ7 Band]

After years of turning schools, prisons and youth clubs into pop-up raves, Lindz (LZ7) is taking that same purpose to arena stages — with Cardiff still a formative chapter in his story.

You’ve supported Jason Derulo on his UK & European arena tours. What do you think playing in those huge rooms actually teaches you?

Lindz [LZ7 Band] We do a lot in high schools. You walk into an assembly hall with 250 Year 10s who don’t know you from Adam, and they’re looking at you like you’ve got six heads. Then you’re suddenly on a stage in front of 12,000 people. You realise people are still the same — they just become a sea of faces. If you can win them, the energy comes out from the stage. It’s taught us to keep the energy the same. Different size, same energy.

With your time spent living in Cardiff whilst at University, did any of the Cardiff music scene rub off on you?

Lindz [LZ7 Band] I loved living in Cardiff whilst studying Sport and Human Movement studies at what was then UWIC at Cyncoed—proper good times. I worked in a few pubs, caught the local music scene and loved it. Goldie Lookin’ Chain were on the scene, and it was popping off. Goofy rap vibes that got you moving. The Philharmonic, the club nights — great vibes that definitely rubbed off on me. I even promoted nights for the UWIC basketball team to help pay for kit and transport, so I saw the event side too. Loved it.

You’re very open about your faith. How much does that shape the way you lead — not just what you sing?

Lindz [LZ7 Band] If you look at Jesus — 12 mates, no marketing, no internet — and the story transforms history. He was humble, full of grace, and stood up to injustice. That’s how I’d love to lead our team: with humility, purpose, and an end goal that changes lives. You take wisdom from different places, but that’s the foundation.

If the music stopped tomorrow, what would matter most about what you’ve built?

Lindz [LZ7 Band] It’s the stories. A lady once told me our show helped her family after her husband took his own life. If there’s a transformation in someone’s life when they walk away — that’s it. That’s what lasts.

For Lindz, the scale may grow, but the message doesn’t — energy on stage, purpose behind it, and hope at the centre.

After performing at half-time during Wales v France at the Principality Stadium, Molly Roberts reflects on the moment — and looks ahead to a new EP arriving later this year.

International rugby games at the Principality Stadium carry huge emotional weight in Wales. What did it mean to you personally to be part of it?

[Molly Roberts] When I first found out, I was pretty speechless. It’s such a massive and iconic stage, and the stadium holds so much meaning for people in Wales — not just in sport, but culturally. To be invited into that kind of space is a lot. It’s such a privilege. I’m just really grateful, and I want to do the best that I can. I’ve watched a lot of rugby games there, so I know how important it is.

Growing up and developing as an artist in Wales, how important have those early rooms, crowds, and communities been in preparing you for moments like that?

[Molly Roberts] It’s all stepping stones. I don’t think I could get to the stadium if I hadn’t done the little gigs. I used to busk in London quite a lot and played lots of really small rooms. You learn something each time. The first shows were just me on the piano. Then last year, I got my first band together. When I look back, I can see how it was building. At the time, I didn’t necessarily feel that, but every single step counts. I once took the train up to London, lugging a massive keyboard up the escalator at Paddington, and there were two people in the pub. But those two people enjoyed the music. It’s not just about the big glamorous things. Everything is beneficial.

How do you mentally prepare for singing to a stadium crowd compared to an intimate headline show?

[Molly Roberts] I’m not massively nervous. I’ve sung at the stadium before, though it wasn’t full. I’m preparing by rehearsing and staying present. When it’s your own headline show, there’s so much more to organise. This time, I’m going to try to enjoy it and just do the best that I can.

With a new EP arriving later this year, Molly Roberts’ next chapter feels as carefully built as the last — one step at a time.

Charity Building Strong Communities

Author Rick Warren deduced in his book, ‘The Purpose Driven Life’, that “Time is your most precious gift,” because you only have a set amount of it and thus “When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life you will never get back”.

With this in mind, we can surmise that the wonderful work of charitable organisations, volunteers and those who spend their time helping others, is surely the ultimate offering to be valued and enlightened from.

With over 8000 volunteer members, the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) is a perfect demonstration of this. They are an anti-poverty charity and part of a wider international Christian voluntary network, motivated by faith with the ethos that “person to person contact and spending time with people is our greatest gift”.

Founded in France in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam, and established in Britain 11 years later, they aim to foster diverse and inclusive connections as a society that welcomes people of all faiths, and none, with the overarching belief that we should “embrace the whole world in a network of charity” and treat everyone with a sense of dignity, worth and wellbeing.

SVP aim to seek and find those in need and provide support, fellowship and practical assistance to help those in times of need. They are there to support people of all ages with a range of social issues or mental health problems. Everyone is welcome, whatever their faith, beliefs or social status.

The SVP network includes 11 regional centres, one of which is right here in Ely, Cardiff and is accessible to those in Ely and surrounding areas with mental health issues, confidence problems, addiction, loneliness and more, with the principal aim of creating a community of love and support.

How do they do this?

SVP society run a range of community groups such as walking groups, gardening and boxing sessions, with the aim of engaging people in meaningful activity with opportunities to connect with others. Alongside this they run training sessions to help people develop essential skills for work or personal benefits, such as first aid and food hygiene courses. These courses are free to attend but do require booking. They also run drop-in sessions for people to get essential advice on benefits and housing. Riverside Advice attend the centre on a Monday morning, and Speakeasy are present

on the first and third Tuesdays of the month between 1pm and 3pm.

“People have walked into our centre, joined our family and have gone from strength to strength to live their life well.”

Ultimately, SVP have developed a safe environment for people to come along to be encouraged, accepted and loved, and to believe they have everything needed to help people live better lives being in close community with one another.

Why is this so necessary?

The Mental Health Foundation (2023) cited that:-

60% of UK adults experienced anxiety that interfered with their daily lives in the past two weeks.

30% of UK adults with feelings of anxiety say they are not coping well with anxiety.

32% of UK adults with feelings of anxiety feel anxious about being able to pay the bills.

Further to this, the recent government report on Wellbeing in Wales 2025 states that 33% of Welsh adults reported low mental wellbeing, 1 in 4 adults experience mental health problems and 1 in 6 people report experiencing depression or anxiety weekly.

So, it’s clear that something, as a community, needs to be provided so that people know they are not alone and they have a safe place to reside in.

If you feel SVP may be of benefit to you, or you are keen to find out more, they warmly invite you to pop into the centre and find out more about who SVP are and how they can help you. Ideal drop-in times are Monday 9am to 3pm, Tuesday 12:30 to 3:30pm, Wednesday 11am to 3pm, and Friday 9am to 1pm. Alternatively, you can follow them on social media to see what they can offer you or give them a call to find out more.

Would you like to become a volunteer and help SVP make a difference?

If you have been inspired by what you have read about SVP, great news – you can make a real difference in your community by volunteering at the SVP.

Volunteering at the SVP can be a very fulfilling and rewarding experience and a way of supporting your local community, gaining new skills, knowledge and experience, meeting new people and becoming part of a friendly team.

“Becoming a volunteer at St Vincent’s, helping out in the kitchen and making people feel welcome has given me a huge boost. I feel like it’s a family in St Vincent’s and they have shown me so much love and a better way of life.”

David - Volunteer

SVP are always keen to welcome new volunteers and there are many ways to get involved:-

• Volunteer for a soup run.

• Do your own fundraising.

• Volunteer at your local SVP shop.

• Give your time to a local St Vincent’s centre.

With spring fast approaching, a time often associated with new beginnings and rejuvenation, this would seem the ideal opportunity to discover what a difference being part of the St Vincent de Paul Society could make to you!

Contact details:

Email: SVPEly@SVP.org.uk

Telephone: 07500 170764

Address: St Vincent’s Ely Bridge, Mill Road, Cardiff, CF5 4AG

Website: https://svp.org.uk/microsite/st-vincentsely-bridge

The commute and the crush: How transport stress shapes mental health in Cardiff, and what helps

* The commute is not just travel time; it is a daily stress exposure that trains the nervous system into vigilance. In Cardiff, peak-time crowding and unreliability can turn the start and end of each day into a repeated threat cue.

* The crush is not simply inconvenient; it is a constraint on space and agency that pushes the body into defensive mode. When tolerance drops, ordinary friction escalates faster, and people arrive already depleted.

* Noise and disrupted sleep shrink emotional regulation capacity, making delays feel bigger and conflict more likely. Air quality and congestion add a slower, cumulative load that makes transport part of the city’s mental health environment.

* You can reduce harm by reclaiming small pockets of agency, building buffers, protecting attention, and using micro-recovery. The bigger fix is civic, reliability, flow, accessibility, and active travel are wellbeing infrastructure.

Cardiff likes to call itself “not huge” for a capital city, walkable, compact, human scale. On a calm morning, that promise holds. You can cross neighbourhoods in the time it takes a Londoner to find the right platform. But at peak time, Cardiff becomes a different city. Roads tighten, buses bunch, trains swell, pavements fill with that particular hurry that is not energy, but strain.

Transport is usually discussed in terms of engineering, economics, and emissions. Yet it is also psychology. The commute is the daily corridor between the life you are trying to live and the life you must fund. When that corridor becomes unreliable, crowded, noisy, or polluted, it wastes more than just minutes. It changes how the nervous system functions. It shapes mood, patience, sleep, and the thin margin we rely on to stay kind.

If that sounds melodramatic, the evidence says otherwise. Studies linking commuting with wellbeing keep circling the same themes: longer, less predictable journeys are associated with lower life satisfaction and worse mental health, and the mechanism is not mysterious. The brain hates uncertainty. It hates a lack of control. It hates the feeling that you can do everything right and still be late.

Cardiff offers those feelings on a loop.

The traffic data alone tells a story. The TomTom Traffic Index put Cardiff’s average congestion level in 2025 at just under 45%. That figure is not an abstract percentage. It is the daily experience of stop-start driving, missed lights, creeping queues, and the background fear of being punished for circumstances you cannot influence.

Then there is the rail crush. Cardiff Central is, understandably, the busiest station in Wales. Official rail statistics record 12.5 million entries and

exits in the year April 2024 to March 2025. Anyone who has tried to move through the station at the wrong time knows what that means.

Crowding is often treated as a mere irritation. Yet public health researchers have reviewed studies on commuters and found that crowded public transport can increase stress, including biological stress markers such as cortisol. Earlier work on train environments suggests that the felt invasion of personal space and loss of control may matter as much as density itself, leaving people more tense and less cognitively sharp at the end of the journey.

That is the biological logic of the crush. When space and agency shrink, the body shifts into defensive mode. People become less patient, less socially open, and more likely to interpret ambiguity as a threat. The door becomes a battleground. The bag in the aisle becomes a provocation. The eye contact becomes an ordeal. Underneath the etiquette complaints sits a simpler truth. The nervous system is reacting to constraint.

Cardiff’s transport squeeze has a local character. It is a small capital that functions as a regional employment magnet. The wider Cardiff Capital Region plans openly describe congestion on key corridors and overcrowding on commuter rail journeys in the morning and evening peaks as structural problems tied to growth. And Wales remains heavily car-dominant for commuting, with national survey data showing that three-quarters of people travel to work by car or van, far more than by walking, cycling, or other modes.

Car dependence is not simply a cultural preference. It is often a sign of perceived constraint. People drive because they do not trust alternatives, or because alternatives do not exist when they need them. But when many people feel they must drive, roads saturate, congestion rises, and stress becomes the city’s background music.

There is another layer too, less visible but no less real. Air quality.

Cardiff’s own air quality reports have repeatedly linked nitrogen dioxide problems and Air Quality Management Areas to road traffic emissions, including in and around the city centre. The lungs and heart are the obvious victims, but mental health research is beginning to catch up.

Large reviews and cohort studies have reported associations between long-term air pollution exposure and increased risks of depression and anxiety. That does not prove a simple cause. It does, however, reinforce a basic principle. The commuting environment is part of the mental health environment.

Noise is part of it as well. The World Health Organisation has published guidance stating that environmental noise is not a minor annoyance but a public health issue, with sleep disturbance among its most reliable effects. Sleep is not merely rest. It is a regulation. When sleep is poor, emotional tolerance shrinks. You become more reactive, more fragile, and less able to absorb the small shocks of delay, uncertainty, and social friction.

When we put these exposures together, a pattern emerges. Transport stress is not only about the journey but also about the day that follows. A commute that begins with vigilance and ends in frustration does not stop when you arrive. It leaks into the meeting, the classroom, the shop floor, the parenting moment, and the conversation at home. It makes people harsher, quicker to snap, and more likely to withdraw. Not because they are bad people, but because they are depleted.

The burden is not shared equally. Those with caring responsibilities carry a double timetable. A delayed bus is not a nuisance, it is childcare fees, school gates, and the fear of being labelled unreliable. People in lower-paid jobs often have less flexibility and more exposure to shift patterns when services are less frequent. Disabled people face extra stress when accessibility fails, and crowding turns a journey into a negotiation for space and dignity. Neurodivergent people can experience packed, noisy travel as sensory overload. Those with anxiety or trauma histories may find the crush triggers panic. None of this is personal weakness. It is predictable physiology.

So what helps?

There is a trap in writing about commuting stress. It can slip into self-help scolding, as if the commuter should simply breathe better in a broken system. But there are still protective choices that reduce harm while we fight for better.

The first is to reclaim agency where you can. If

your job allows it, please shift your travel time by even 20 minutes. The crush is often a peak phenomenon, and a slight move can turn a hostile journey into a tolerable one. If you must travel at peak, build a buffer and treat it as a boundary, not wasted time. Your nervous system will thank you.

The second is to protect attention. If the commute already saps agency, do not surrender the remaining sliver to doomscrolling. High arousal inputs prime irritability and anxiety. Choose music that regulates rather than inflames, or choose silence when your mind needs space. It is a small intervention with an outsized effect.

The third is micro-recovery. Stress physiology responds to small pauses. When you get off a crowded train, take sixty seconds before you rush on. Slow your breath, drop your shoulders, widen your gaze. This is not performance. It is a reset signal to the body.

The fourth is honesty about thresholds. If crowding triggers panic, plan routes and modes that reduce that trigger when possible, even if they are slightly longer. A calmer arrival can be worth more than a faster one.

But personal strategies can only do so much. Cardiff deserves better than coping advice. The larger fix is civic.

Reliability should be treated as a well-being metric, not merely a service statistic. Crowding should be treated as a health exposure, not an inconvenience. That is why the planned Cardiff Central upgrade matters and should be judged by passenger flow and lived experience, not just architectural gloss. In December 2025, the UK Government announced more than £77 million approved for the station transformation, with additional funding support from the Welsh Government and the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal, and the wider scheme has been described as a package of up to £140 million. If those investments reduce choke points and ease overcrowding, they will also reduce daily stress at scale.

Active travel should be framed as mental health infrastructure. A safe, coherent walking and cycling network not only cuts emissions. It restores agency. It offers predictable journeys. It

builds movement into daily life. It gives people alternatives that are not hostage to traffic. Clean air measures should be protected from culture war framing. Reallocating road space can feel like an attack on drivers if leaders do not explain the public health rationale clearly and consistently. But a city that tolerates pollution and chronic congestion is not neutral. It is causing harm. By choice. The choice of inaction.

Transport policy is mental health policy, whether we admit it or not. The commute shapes sleep, family time, workplace relationships, physical health, and emotional regulation. It is one of the most powerful daily determinants of how we feel.

Cardiff is not powerless. It is already changing. The question is whether we treat those changes as a narrow transport debate, or as a civic decision about what kind of nervous system we want our capital to produce.

MHFA, DCST, PDPCP, HPD, DSFH, DMH, AHD, MNCPS (Reg.), MNCH (Reg.), MAfSFH (Reg.), MCNHC (Reg.), FSE (Fellow), IFfS (Assoc.), NCTJ, MSC-CPA, PGCE I & II

Mental Health First Aider | Pluralistic Counsellor | Clinical Psychotherapist | Consultant Medical Hypnotherapist | Mindfulness Teacher | PGCETrained Teacher | Lecturer | Corporate Trainer | Workplace Wellbeing Consultant | PR & Marketing Consultant | Psychology & Behaviour Advisor | Author | Journalist | Broadcaster

Advocate for Mental Health, People & Planet

Website: www.alchemylifetherapy.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/garethsj/

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Browne Jacobson moves into new Cardiff office at One Central Square

Browne Jacobson has cemented its position as a prominent pillar in the Welsh business community by moving into a new, larger Cardiff city centre office.

The UK and Ireland law firm has signed a 10-year lease for 9,500 sq ft of space on the fourth floor at One Central Square, a 10-storey building located between Cardiff Central railway station and the Principality Stadium in the city’s premier business location, having previously been based in a temporary office at St Andrew’s Crescent.

This move represents another milestone in the firm’s continued growth trajectory, having reported a record £137m annual equivalent turnover in 2024/25 – a 16% increase from the previous year.

Fast growth for Browne Jacobson’s Cardiff team

Its expansion in the Welsh legal market has been among the key drivers. Having launched a seventh office at 36 Park Place in July 2023 with a team of seven, the Cardiff team now comprises 40 people, including seven partners and three legal directors delivering Browne Jacobson’s full spectrum of legal services.

The space at One Central Square, which is constructed to BREEAM Excellent energy efficiency, can accommodate more than 120 people, signalling future growth intentions. It is equipped with eight meeting rooms and a fully-serviced client suite and boardroom with events capacity for up to 50 people.

Two new front of house jobs have been created and the firm is committed to working with local suppliers.

Tim Edds, Partner and Head of Cardiff, co-founded the Cardiff office. He said:

“Moving into a permanent office at the heart of Cardiff’s business district is an important milestone in Browne Jacobson’s journey and signals our long-term commitment to the Welsh legal market, as well as our ambition for significant future growth.

“When we opened our first Cardiff office in 2023 following 20 years of working with the Welsh public sector, we were excited about the possibilities that existed here for deepening our relationship with existing clients while expanding our offer to new sectors. We now have a client roster of market-leading Welsh businesses and organisations, fast-growth tech companies, private equity and venture capital investors, and high-net-worth entrepreneurs.

“The incredible growth in clients and headcount we’ve experienced since then meant we have outgrown two offices, prompting our search for a permanent location that will accommodate our longterm ambitions while providing a space to host our clients and events.

“One Central Square is a landmark building in Cardiff that perfectly suits our needs. With neighbours including the BBC, PwC and RBC Brewin Dolphin, and being within a stone’s throw of the railway station to provide travel connections nationally, this move will also help us to further cement our place within the business community not just in Cardiff but across Wales.”

Key appointments and projects in Cardiff

Browne Jacobson’s Cardiff office now covers all its departments and sectors. Its service lines include public, planning and environmental law; health advisory litigation; corporate transactions; education; real estate; social housing; construction; insurance; and regulatory matters.

It is also aligned with key Welsh economic drivers, with specialists in technology, energy, green infrastructure, health, education, aerospace and devolution.

Key Cardiff appointments have included corporate partners Tom Saunderson, Phil Pugh and Christian Farrow; real estate partner Rich MacPhail; education legal director Trish D’Souza, who is President of the Cardiff & District Law Society; and most recently Kate Howell as a legal director in the construction team.

Landmark projects the team has advised on include the Celtic Freeport; Morlais, Europe’s largest consented tidal energy scheme off the coast of Anglesey; and Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, the renewable energy development company for Wales.

Browne Jacobson, which was last year reappointed to the Welsh Government Commercial Division legal services panel, has also advised the Welsh Government

on the Covid-19 Inquiry and on reforming Welsh primary healthcare.

Supporting the Cardiff business community

The Welsh Government has also hosted students participating in the firm’s award-winning FAIRE (Fairer Access into Real Experience) social mobility programme, run four times out of the Cardiff office in the past 12 months, with a day spent at the Senedd.

The firm has been a keen supporter of the local business community via attendance and sponsorship of various events across Wales. It has partnered with nationally-recognised organisations such as Team Wales, Chambers Wales and the CBI, while backing the Law Society Wales campaign to introduce level 7 legal apprenticeships.

On 5 March, the firm will sponsor the inaugural St David’s Day Dinner for businesses to mark the national celebration at the Cardiff Marriott Hotel, raising funds for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Wales.

Laura Hughes, Partner and Executive Lead for Wales, was recently named Partner of the Year at the British Legal Awards and featured in The Lawyer Hot 100 2025 listing of UK lawyers at the top of their game.

She said: “Alongside bringing our full suite of legal services to Wales, we’ve been very keen to create a legacy here via our social mobility initiatives, which we believe can make a substantial difference to the perception of the legal profession and professional services among Welsh young people.

“We know that Welsh people love living in Wales surrounded by their family and communities. By signalling our long-term commitment to Cardiff and Wales more broadly, we’re excited about being able to offer more opportunities for some of the nation’s best legal and professional services talent to join a Top 50 law firm.”

For more information, visit www.brownejacobson.com.

AN EVENING OF MUSIC AND STORYTELLING

FRI 9TH OCT

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Jimmy Revie Part One

Howard Winstone won the vacant WBC world featherweight crown on the 23 January 1968 defeating Japan’s Mitsunori Seki by way of a 9-round stoppage in a scheduled 15 at the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington, London. On winning this title he thus relinquished the British championship. The two boxers picked to contest the vacant crown were England’s Jimmy Revie and John O’Brien from Scotland. The Welshman had first won the British title from Terry Spinks on the 2 May 1961 at the Empire Pool, Wembley, London by way of a retirement in round 10 of 15 and made six successful defences of the crown, the last one taking place on the 7 December 1966 against fellow Welshman Lennie Williams who was stopped in round 8 of a scheduled 15. The bout between Winstone and Williams had taken place at the Afan Lido, Port Talbot, Wales. Winstone had been the domestic king for a long time and there was no doubt that he was going to be a hard act to follow for the new champion, be it Revie or O’Brien. The said boxers met on the 24 March 1969 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Mayfair, London.

Revie, who boxed in the southpaw stance, came to battle with a resume of 20 bouts – 19 victories with 1 defeat. His only loss came at the hands of Jimmy Anderson on the 20 February 1968 at the Royal Albert Hall when contesting the vacant British superfeatherweight crown. Anderson came out on top in this encounter when he stopped Revie in round 9 of 15. There was no disgrace in this defeat since Anderson was an explosive puncher who had stopped or knocked out many an opponent inside the ring. That contest was somewhat historical since it was the first British super-featherweight

bout to be held. So the names of Anderson and Revie will be etched into the history books of British boxing.

After the loss to Anderson, Revie scored six victories and was more than ready for his contest with O’Brien, a former Commonwealth featherweight king and experienced boxer who was coming to fight with a record of 36 bouts, winning 23 and losing 13. O’Brien had shared the ring with many class opponents during his boxing career, and he was determined to win the title. Despite this, Revie, who was born in Stockwell, London on the 8 July 1947, was considered the favourite to take the championship. Revie didn’t disappoint; he boxed well and defeated O’Brien, who retired in round 5 of 15. Revie looked a class act in victory, picking his punches well to secure the win and looked set to further enhance his career. Revie won his next four outings after the O’Brien victory. This included a good win over

Italian Tommaso Galli, who was the reigning European featherweight champion and former European bantamweight king and would later add another European title to his name by winning the super-featherweight crown. Galli came with an eye-catching record of 38 fights with 29 wins, 5 defeats and 4 drawn. No one would have been too surprised had the Briton lost in this outing against a man who knew his way around the ring and looked to have the skills to defeat the home fighter so the win over the Italian further outlined Revie’s potential. At that moment everything looked fine, it was all going to plan. Then Revie hit an unexpected roadblock, a shock no one saw coming.

The man who delivered the shock was opponent Tahar Ben Hassen from Tunisia who had a resume of 20 bouts, winning 14, losing 5 with 1 drawn. The visitor stopped Revie in round 2 of a slated 10 round bout on the 22 April 1970 at the Hilton Hotel, Mayfair, London. These setbacks happen in boxing; Revie had to get over the defeat and climb back into the ring. This he did on the 8 September 1970 at the Empire Pool, Wembley, London when he made the first defence of the British featherweight crown against the reigning British and Commonwealth bantamweight king Alan Rudkin. This looked to be a difficult contest for Revie against a man who was proven world class in the bantamweight division. The well-respected Rudkin had a record of 45 bouts, winning 39 and losing 6, and was keen to add the domestic featherweight title to his name. The bout went the full 15 rounds and saw Revie retain the title by way of a points decision. Revie boxed well from the first bell and was a deserved winner. (In his next bout on the 16 February 1971 Rudkin won the European bantamweight title when he defeated holder Franco Zurlo of Italy who retired in round 11 of 15 at the Royal Albert Hall).

After the Rudkin victory, Revie took part in another winning bout before he went on to chal-lenge for the European featherweight title. This one was going to be tough for the British fight-er since the defending champion was Cuban-born Jose Legra who was boxing out of Spain. Legra was a former WBC world featherweight title holder who had a resume of 129 bouts con-sisting of 118 victories, 7 defeats with 4 drawn. That was some record and confirmation that the British boxer was up against it, locking horns with a fighter with vast amount of ring knowhow. It was not going to be a walk in the park for the Briton, that was for sure. The bout took place on the 25 January 1971 at the Anglo-American Sporting Club, Piccadilly, London. The fight went the full 15 rounds. Revie gave a good account of himself during the contest, but the experience of the champion proved to be the deciding factor, thus Legra retained his title on points. (Legra would go on in due course to regain the WBC world featherweight champion-ship). Revie may have lost to Legra but at least he had the consolation of knowing that he had been defeated by a top fighter.

Jimmy Revie (left) pictured with Howard Winstone. Courtesy of Derek Rowe.

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Why do we need a Property Protection Trust?

Most people hope that their estate will pass on to their loved ones eventually. But this will not happen for many unless careful arrangements have been made to protect their assets from being taken towards the end of their life to pay for care home fees. The solution to help protect your estate is a Will incorporating a Property Protection Trust (PPT). A testamentary PPT can only be executed whilst both partners remain alive. Upon death of the first partner, their Will specifies that their share of the property is placed into trust and names the ultimate beneficiary of this share, normally the children of the deceased.

The surviving partner, under the terms of the Trust, has the unequivocal right to remain living in the property for the rest of their life. On the death of the second partner the Trust comes to an end and the property passes to the beneficiaries. As the surviving partner does not own the deceased’s share of the property it is fully protected for the beneficiaries, so if the surviving partner requires care, or even remarries, this share of the children’s inheritance is protected.

This last point can be of particular interest to couples who have come together but have

children from different partners. A PPT can help each person in a relationship ensure that their children inherit their share of the property, while giving their surviving partner the ability to live in the property for the rest of their life. If the surviving partner wants to move to another property they can still sell the property and the proceeds be used to purchase a new property; the terms of the trust remain over the new property.

Westminster Law will assess your current circumstances and arrange the trust that will provide the best protection for you, your family and your assets.

Voters urged to register to vote before it’s too late

With only 7 weeks to go until the voter registration deadline for the Senedd election on 7 May, anyone who wants to vote must make sure they are registered in time.

Research shows that some groups, including young people, students and those who have recently moved, are less likely to be registered than others. The deadline to register to vote is midnight on Monday 20 April. Voters can apply online at gov.uk/register-to-vote.

Once registered, voters have a range of options – they can vote in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote on their behalf, known as a proxy vote. Voters in Wales will not need to show photo ID to vote in this election.

Rhydian Thomas, Head of the Electoral Commission Wales, said:

“It’s important that people check they’re ready to vote ahead of the upcoming Senedd election on 7 May. All voters must be registered, and some may need to apply for a postal or proxy vote. 16-17 year olds and foreign nationals living in Wales are also eligible to vote at this election.

“If you’ve recently changed your name, address or moved home since you last registered, it takes just five minutes to update your details online.”

Clear, trusted information about registering to vote and all your voting options can be found at www.electoralcommission.org.uk.

Mae pleidleiswyr yn cael eu hannog i gofrestru cyn ei bod hi’n rhy hwyr

Gydag ond 7 wythnosau i fynd tan y dyddiad cau ar gyfer cofrestru pleidleiswyr ar gyfer etholiad y Senedd ar 7 Mai, dylai unrhyw un sydd am bleidleisio wneud yn siŵr eu bod wedi cofrestru mewn pryd.

Mae ymchwil yn dangos bod rhai grwpiau, gan gynnwys pobl ifanc, myfyrwyr a’r rhai sydd wedi symud yn ddiweddar, yn llai tebygol o fod wedi’u cofrestru nag eraill. Y dyddiad cau ar gyfer cofrestru i bleidleisio yw canol nos dydd Llun 20 Ebrill. Gall pleidleiswyr wneud cais ar-lein yn gov.uk/cofrestru-ibleidleisio.

Ar ôl iddynt gofrestru, bydd gan bleidleiswyr ystod o ddewisiadau – gallant bleidleisio’n bersonol, trwy’r post, neu drwy benodi rhywun maent yn ymddiried ynddynt i bleidleisio ar eu rhan, sef pleidlais drwy ddirprwy. Ni fydd angen i bleidleiswyr yng Nghymru ddangos ID ffotograffig i bleidleisio yn yr etholiad hwn.

Dywedodd Rhydian Thomas, Pennaeth y Comisiwn Etholiadol, Cymru:

“Mae hi’n bwysig bod pobl yn gwirio eu bod yn barod i bleidleisio cyn etholiad y Senedd ar 7 Mai. Mae’n rhaid i bob pleidleisiwr fod wedi’u cofrestru i bleidleisio, ac efallai bydd angen i rai pleidleiswyr wneud cais am bleidlais bost neu bleidlais drwy ddirprwy. Mae pobl ifanc 16-17 oed a gwladolion tramor sy’n byw yng Nghymru hefyd yn gymwys i bleidleisio yn yr etholiad hwn.

“Os ydych wedi newid eich enw neu’ch cyfeiriad neu wedi symud tŷ ers i chi gofrestru diwethaf, bydd hi ond yn cymryd pum munud i ddiweddaru’ch manylion ar-lein.”

Ceir gwybodaeth glir y gellir ymddiried ynddi ynghylch cofrestru i bleidleisio a’ch holl opsiynau pleidleisio ar https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/cy.

An unforgettable Mother's Day or Easter Holiday Experience

kmartin@welshdiving.co.uk

m 07753 691794

Why not try a new hobby this Easter by learning to scuba dive?

We provide courses from complete beginner to professional dive instructor. From ages 8 years

£12 £12

146 Whitchurch Road, Cardi , CF14 3NA

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