Cardiff Life - Issue 182

Food/Arts/Entertainment/Shopping/Property ISSUE 182/SPRING 2018/£3

@CardiffLifeMag

CELEBRATING THE BEST IN THE CITY, PENARTH & THE VALE

GOLD RUSH MEET CARDIFF’S COMMONWEALTH GAMES ATHLETES

ISSUE182/SPRING 2018/HOME HELP

DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

RHOD GILBERT TAKES SEA VIEW ON BOARD THE

TO THE TIMPANI

VOLVO OCEAN RACE

INSIDE INFORMATION

HOMING IN ON SPRING TRENDS

editor’s letter / Issue 182 / SPRING 2018

24

No place like home Expert advice on styling your home for spring

Winning ways!

Well that was a bit of a fun night, wasn’t it? I am, of course, talking about the celebration of all that’s best about Cardiff – the Cardiff Life Awards, which took place in City Hall on 15 March. Huge congratulations to all the winners and I hope there aren’t too many sore heads! Don’t miss our next issue (out from 6 April) for all the pictures from the big night.

And talking of winning, let’s show our support for all the Team Wales athletes (a ton of whom are from Cardiff and the surrounds) who are just about to jet off to the Gold Coast to rep Wales in the Commonwealth Games. You can find out more about the Cardiff crew in our feature on pages 80-86. Here’s hoping they bring back some medals!

We’ve also caught up with Welsh sailor Bleddyn Môn, who’s currently racing (literally!) around the world in the Volvo Ocean Race which is on the way to Cardiff for a two-week stopover this May. All in all, it’s an action packed issue!

Ar y brig Wel, am noson ddifyr! Rwy’n cyfeirio, wrth gwrs, at y noson a oedd yn clodfori popeth sy’n dda am Gaerdydd, sef seremoni wobrwyo Cardiff Life a gynhaliwyd yn Neuadd y Ddinas ar 15 Mawrth. Llongyfarchiadau mawr i bawb a ddaeth i’r brig – gobeithio nad oedd yna ormod o bennau tost drannoeth! Bydd lluniau o’r noson fawr i’w gweld yn ein rhifyn nesaf (a fydd ar gael ar 6 Ebrill), felly mynnwch gopi ohono.

Ac o sôn am lwyddiant, cofiwch gefnogi pob un o’r athletwyr sy’n perthyn i dîm Cymru (mae llawer ohonynt yn dod o Gaerdydd a’r cyffiniau) sydd ar fin hedfan i’r Arfordir Aur yn Awstralia i gynrychioli Cymru yng Ngemau’r Gymanwlad.

Gallwch ddarllen mwy am y criw o Gaerdydd yn ein herthygl ar dudalennau 80-86. Edrychwn ymlaen at eu gweld yn dychwelyd gydag ambell fedal!

Rydym hefyd wedi bod yn sgwrsio â’r morwr o Gymru, Bleddyn Môn, sydd wrthi ar hyn o bryd yn rasio o amgylch y byd yn Ras Fôr Volvo sydd ar ei ffordd i Gaerdydd ac a fydd yn aros yma am bythefnos yn ystod mis Mai. Dyma i chi rifyn arall llawn cyffro!

EMMA DANCE Editor emma.dance@mediaclash.co.uk Follow us on Twitter: @CardiffLifeMag

CONTENTS / ISSUE 182 / SPRING 2018 M EET T H E T EAM

MAIN FEATURES

Editor Emma Dance emma.dance@mediaclash.co.uk

24 Interiors Spring trends to spruce up your home

Managing editor Deri Robins deri.robins@mediaclash.co.uk Senior art editor Andrew Richmond Graphic design Megan Allison Cover design Trevor Gilham Contributors: Neil Rose, Brad Thyer, Andrea Byrne, Charlie Rose and Megan Price Advertising manager Mark George mark.george@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy advertising manager Kate Butterfield kate.butterfield@mediaclash.co.uk Account manager Lorena Cussens lorena.cussens@mediaclash.co.uk

THE ARTS 41 Arts intro Welsh National Opera’s new season is announced

44 What’s on Your guide to the monthly goings on in the city

Production and distribution manager Sarah Kingston sarah.kingston@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy production manager and production designer Kirstie Howe kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk

52 Rhod Gilbert The comedian tries his hand at playing the timpani when he does work experience at BBC NOW

59 Film Megan Price on Chapter’s Ingmar Bergman season

FOOD 63 Food news Tasty titbits to digest

64 Restaurant Emma Dance takes tea at The Clayton

SHOPPING 66 Editor’s Choice They were all yellow.....

70 Fashion Get sporty with the sport-luxe look

LIFEST YLE 73 Health and beauty

80 89 A man’s world Brad Thyer’s coffee buzz

74 All at sea We catch up with Welsh sailor Bleddyn Môn, who’s racing towards Cardiff with the Volvo Ocean Roace

© All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash.

PROPERT Y 112 Property Showcase

DEPARTMENTS 10 Spotlight News to peruse

About MediaClash We’re a Bath-based publisher, creative agency and event organiser Magazines Our portfolio of regional magazines celebrate the best of local living: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter and Salisbury. We also publish foodie mag Crumbs. (www.crumbsmag.com, @CrumbsMag) and wedding title Vow (@VowMag).

Agency From the design and build of websites to digital marketing and creating company magazines, we can help.

Events We create, market, promote and operate a wide variety of events both for MediaClash and our clients Contact: info@mediaclash.co.uk

90 Snapped!

80 Go team!

Chilling out at Holm House Spa

The city’s athletes repping Wales at the Commonwealth Games

OPINION

BUSINESS

61 Girl about town

101 Business Insider

Andrea Byrne’s been busy!

Our regular biz news round-up

16

Cardiff Life, MediaClash, Circus Mews House, Circus Mews, Bath BA1 2PW; 01225 475800, mediaclash.co.uk, @The MediaClash

Large, light and luxurious – this Cefyn Mably Park home has it all

SPORT

Sensational snaps from hot happenings around the city

122 Cardiff Lives

52

@LIAMTELLIS

Chief executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Greg Ingham greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk

Cardiff City FC captain Sean Morrison takes a turn in the hot seat

On the cover Style in the city by Project One

a d v e r t i s i n g f e at u r e E D U C AT I O N

C A R D I F F: I T S L I F E A N D T I M E S

Gareth Thomas is facing his fear of heights

Tide ring by Hannah Bedford

ARTS

PUT A RING ON IT

Age is no obstacle for daredevil Dilys Price

EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT

GETTING HIGH Sport Relief is back from 17-23 March with a series of epic challenges and in Wales, rugby hero Gareth ‘Alfie’ Thomas is leading the charge by facing up to his biggest fear – heights.

To raise money for Sport Relief Gareth is going to skydive from 12,000 feet. He won’t be doing it alone however – he will be joined by a team of people who have never parachuted before but who all have one thing in common, they are all more than 60 years old.

One member of his team is Spencer Bartlett from Cardiff. Spencer is 65 years old and is married with four children. He retrained nine years ago as a teaching assistant and now works at Ysgol Ton-yrYwen in Cardiff.

He’s always dreamed of doing a skydive and wants to inspire the 500 children at his school and show them that age is no barrier to achieving their dreams. He’s also hoping that they’ll take his challenge on board and help with the fundraising.

Also joining Gareth on his mission is 10 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Dilys Price. At 85 years old, Dilys holds the Guinness World Record for the Oldest Female Skydiver and will be sharing the tricks of the parachuting trade with Gareth ahead of the challenge.

Dilys said: “I completed my first parachute jump more than 30 years ago, but this really will be a jump with a difference, I’ve never jumped with a whole team of older people before. I’m looking forward to helping Gareth in his mission, I have every faith that he will jump and love it as much as I do every time I step out of a plane!”

The team’s adventures will be filmed for a special BBC Wales documentary, Gareth Thomas’ Silver Skydivers for Sport Relief.

Gareth said: “I love a challenge, but this is going to be incredibly hard for me. My trainers are doing everything they can to help me conquer this fear but it’s going to be tough. I hope I can rise to the occasion and raise some serious money for Sport Relief in the process.”

For more: www.sportrelief.com

A new ring exhibition at Anne Morgan Jewellery, an award-winning contemporary jewellery shop and gallery in Penarth, is showcasing high-end work from some of the UK’s most celebrated and visionary independent jewellery designers.

On until 30 April, the exclusive Sp-Ring exhibition features fine handcrafted rings in silver, gold and precious stones.

Anne and team will also be holding a mid-show event at their Penarth shop/ gallery on 22 March, from 6-8pm. “It’s the week of the spring equinox, when the clocks go back,” said Anne. “It’ll be an opportunity for people to learn more about the collections and their makers, so we hope the daylight will encourage everyone to come along!”

For more: www.annemorgan.co.uk

Gorgeous rings by Hannah Louise Lamb

SPOTLIGHT

Stepping out with Rubicon Dance

DANCE

STEPPING UP Rubicon Dance, is taking over the former Roath Library building to accommodate its ambitious growth plans to expand its work in the community.

The building and the new facility is anticipated to open in September 2019.

Director of Rubicon Dance, Kathryn Williams said: “We are delighted to have been successful with our proposal for breathing new life into Roath Library. After searching for a suitable new property in the

city for many years, this seemed like the perfect option for us, with it being so close to our existing home.

“Securing this particular building means we can grow our organisation in line with our community-focused philosophy and it will allow us once again to give back to the community, by ensuring the former library building is open for community activities.

We believe that good quality community spaces and facilities are integral to Cardiff,

and we are happy that we can offer this provision with our new studio.

“This year we will be working towards our £2million fundraising target by holding many different events and activities and working with our various partners, including architects, funders, users, community groups and neighbours to ensure that the Roath Library project is a success.”

For more: www.rubicondance.co.uk/

Lily Beau

MUSIC

SING UP Talented young Cardiff singer songwriter Lily Beau has released her debut single.

Treiddia’r Mur (English title Tear Me Down) is a piano ballad recorded with a full band and is a song about coping with life away from home and friends. Lily has been an active performer of her own songs since the age of 12 and is now hotly tipped for stardom.

Having made a name for herself on the live music circuit in South Wales, Lily is now establishing herself in London.

She said: “I have been planning to record the song for a long time and I was delighted when

Newsoundwales records agreed to record it.

“I was completely overwhelmed

by London when I moved there.

I loved the excitement of the city and being in a new place, but equally feelings of loneliness began to creep in. Composing Treiddia’r Mur helped me cope in a situation I had never before experienced. It celebrates both my love for home and the comfort it evokes within myself; it also gave me a chance to relieve these feelings of loneliness where I felt I had no one to turn to.

Wales will forever be my home and I cannot wait to come home.”

For more: www.lilybeau.co

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 11

advertising feat u re H A I R

10 years in business and growing...

Leading South Wales hair salon Guy Christian has recently celebrated a decade in business – no mean feat for a company competing with a multitude of salons in Cardiff with fiercely loyal customer bases.

S

ince the first salon opened on City Road in Cardiff in November 2007, the business has grown from strength to strength, expanding across South Wales with two further Guy Christian salons opening in Cardiff Bay and Cwmbran. After 10 successful years at City Road the Cardiff salon recently relocated to its new city centre home in Capitol Shopping Centre, expanding both in salon size and team members. The cutting-edge hairdressing brand now employs a team of more than 30 technicians, stylists and beauty specialists who service approximately 400 clients per week across the three salons.

So what’s been the key to Guy Christian’s success?

Guy Christian works on the ethos of being a creative, quality-driven hair salon with the vision to create beautiful hair that you can wear every day. Keeping up with ever-changing trends is essential to satisfying the demands of the clients and the highly-skilled team works hard to stay ahead of them, offering the latest techniques to keep styles fresh as well as working with the best products. As a Sassoon Partner Salon, Guy Christian is committed to excellence in cut and colour, and team members undergo regular training to ensure they are continuously adding to, and improving their skill set.

The popular salon boasts in-house Wella Master Colour Experts, a qualification widely regarded as the elite of the industry, with only a handful of stylists in Wales holding this certification. At their Cardiff Bay salon, Artistic Director Stacie Lee was Regional Winner at

last year’s Wella TrendVision Awards and is a member of the coveted Wella Professionals Generation NOW Team for 2018. Only six spaces are available on the team and Stacie was chosen from entrants across the country to be part of the 12 month mentoring programme, giving her on-stage platform work at some of the biggest events in the industry and exclusive access to industry mentors.

With more than 10 years experience and knowledge in the business, Guy Christian has learnt that nurturing the talent of team members and staying ahead of the trends alone is not enough for continuing success. In a highly competitive industry, client experience is key to building a loyal customer base - the salon focuses on creating cool, contemporary spaces people enjoy coming to and feel relaxed in, and has recently carried out a complete refit of their Cwmbran salon. In keeping with the seemingly unstoppable social media trend, the Cardiff premises also has a unique, dedicated selfie room for clients to take photos of their freshlystyled hair before they leave the salon. The

designated room has optimum lighting for taking selfies and allows clients to take their photos privately to get the perfect shot and show off their new look.

On celebrating 10 years in business, Guy Christian says: “You’ll never be successful if your clients aren’t happy. This means always providing great customer service and having a great team who love what they do and are always willing to learn. There has been a lot of hard work involved and I’m immensely proud of what the team and I have achieved.”

Guy Christian. Unit 9 Capitol Shopping Centre, Queen Street, Cardiff, CF10 2HQ 02920473073 www.guychristian.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 13

SPOTLIGHT

The WHITE STUFF

A bit of snow wasn’t going to stop the Cardiff City boys! (@CardiffCityFC)

T

he snow may have melted completely, but we couldn’t resist taking to Twitter for one last look back at some of our fave snowy scenes…..

Yep. Snow inside the arcade. This pic

by Sion Tudur got a whole lotta love on social media! (@siontudur)

Daffodils and snow; the view of Queen Street from Martyn Prowel Solicitors (@martyn_prowel)

Even the fountain outside the Wales Millennium Centre froze! (@amit_nathwani)

The River Taff almost completely frozen over (@jon_belcher) Icy scenes in Pontcanna Fields (@SteffMess)

Jon Snow in the snow! A bit of awesome snow art by the super-talented Nathan Wyburn (@NathanWyburnArt) Frozen Roath Lake looking spectacular (@liamtellis)

Untouched snow at Insole Court (@StuShep72) 16 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

The talented Ailura Photography captured this gorgeous image of a snowy Cathays Cemetery (@ailura_photo)

An atmospheric shot of snowy Cardiff Bay (@callumscott89)

Penarth looking like a scene from Frozen (@RestaurantJS)

a d v e r t i s i n g f e at u r e C A R

DESIRE

def: DESIRE: a strong feeling of wanting to have something; to set one's heart on; to crave; to aspire to; to feel passion for..."

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INTERIORS TRENDS

HOME LIFE With spring right around the corner it’s the perfect time to give your home a refresh. We’ve enlisted some of Cardiff’s interior design experts to share their tips on the latest trends and how to make them work for you

By E M M A DA NC E

Jewel Scnaley Interiors could help you make your home look as good as this!

24 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

NATURAL SELECTION

PICTURE THE COLOUR COMBINATIONS FROM MOTHER EARTH HERSELF AND YOU CAN’T GO WRONG

As spring arrives, and the trees and plants outside begin to burst into life, it’s only natural that thoughts begin to turn to nature. And there’s no reason why you can’t bring the colours from outside, into your home.

“The trend for all things grey and neutral is very much alive and kicking but a generous sprinkling of spring blues and greens injects an element of vibrancy into the mix, perfect after a long, dull winter,” says Ceri Hill, design director at Chalkhouse, which specialises in bespoke kitchens and bedrooms. “Picture the colour combinations from Mother Nature herself and you can’t go wrong. Natural stone features heavily in both floors and worktops – it’s the muted colours and organic textures that appeal and add depth to a scheme. Add in some glossy nickel to lift the spirits and give a touch of luxe to create a kitchen that will stand the test of time.

Luxury shelving from Trendy Products looks stylish dressed with greenery

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 25

One of Project One‘s super-stylish projects

“If you’re starting your project from scratch it’s easy, but if you already have a neutral toned kitchen, paint is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to transform your home. You could use a bold kingfisher blue on just one wall, add jugs of fresh greenery, a textural throw over a chair or add vibrant coloured fabric at the windows to capture the look.”

“Green is the perfect springtime colour,” agrees Rufus Bowen, UK sales and operations director of furniture retailer Trendy Products. “Not only is it good to look at, but we can also make ourselves feel better by surrounding ourselves with greens.”

And adding a hint of green, doesn’t mean that you have to make any major décor changes. It could be as simple as just introducing some greenery.

“You could dress a luxury shelving unit with healthy, air-cleaning greens,” continues Rufus. “Or, if you want the look but not the admin, we have some amazing artificial plants which give you the look but without ever needing to water.”

“The lushness of greenery in house plants and living walls is bringing the outside in,” adds Dorian Bowen, head of creative thought at interior design specialists, Project One. “Large bloom prints are the prints for the season.”

Gail Jones, co-owner of Haus Contemporary Furnishings which specialises in made-to-measure blinds and curtains is also seeing plenty of fans of foliage coming through her doors. “Botanical has gone crazy!” she says. “Fabrics, cushions, bedding and towels will all bear palm leaves and cheese plant designs. Remember though, that less 26 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

On-trend earth tones from Jewel Scanley Interiors

INTERIORS TRENDS

Add pops of colour with soft furnishings, like these from The Place for Home

is more, and select one on-trend statement piece with one or two new on-trend accessories rather than packing the latest look in to everything.”

“Accessories and soft furnishings continue to be key trends with leafy botanicals as accents to luxurious velvet sofas and a mixture of textures becoming a big thing this season,” adds Rhian Francis, managing director of independent furniture store The Place for Homes. “Cushions and throws are popular in wools and with lots of embellishments and appliqué details all irresistible to the touch.”

Adding a touch of nature doesn’t necessarily have to mean big and bright, however.

“There are a lot of watercolour florals making an appearance,” says Hayley Perkins, interior design consultant at Jewel Scanley Interiors. “It may not be for everyone, but if used wisely it can complement some more earthy tones you may have.”

“We’re seeing very soft, muted tones coming in this spring, both in paints and soft furnishings,” adds Christian Brookfield, kitchens and interiors manager at Topstak which specialises in highquality kitchens, wood-burning stoves and fireplaces. “Neptune paints, which we stock, have

A GENEROUS SPRINKLING OF SPRING BLUES AND GREENS INJECTS AN ELEMENT OF

VIBRANCY

Bursts of spring colour in this Chalkouse kitchen

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 27

INTERIORS TRENDS brought out a very sophisticated, subtle shade called Old Rose, which is particularly attractive.

This, like other Neptune colours, is inspired by nature and helps create a very restful ambience in a room. As almost everyone leads a very busy, and sometimes stressful life, it’s important to have an antidote to that and create an area in the home where it’s possible to wind down. Shades like Old Rose are ideal for a sitting room and can be paired with slightly stronger colours such as walnut to create some contrast and definition.”

At floor specialists, Floored Genius, it’s not just in styling that they’re seeing the nature having an impact.

“Homeowners are starting to consider the impact on the environment with their major purchasing decisions,” says managing director Sean McIntyre. “Not just with the flooring material itself, but with the way it is packaged, disposal methods and the long-term cleaning and maintenance requirements.

“We have a new product, MC Poured Eco, which is an environmentally-friendly poured floor made from natural, renewable materials. It retains the beauty of poured flooring, but without the need for the harmful chemicals that are often found in poured resin floors.”

A neutral colour scheme, like in this Topstak kitchen, is the ideal base for adding splashes of colour

28 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL

If you like to make a statement with your interior design, then this season’s vibrant hues will appeal.

“We’re seeing vibrant colours making a bold entrance this spring,” says Dorian. “Red is making a big statement.”

“Colour is set to be stronger this spring,” adds Gail. “Grey will remain popular, but with the addition of violet, emerald green, navy, or earthy shades of ochre and terracotta.”

Rhian agrees. “The trend continues to move towards moody blues, violets and the new striking emerald and ochre are coming through as popular sofa choices,” she says.

“Bold use of colour in any living space can totally transform the feel of the room,” adds Rufus.

But such striking tones need a careful touch.

“It can be challenging to know how to use accent colours so they don’t become overpowering and it is good to be aware of the context they are being used in,” says Dorian. “When incorporating the vibrant colours, choose one vivid colour and use it in key furniture pieces to make a statement,” he advises. You can have fun with paint block colours in each of your rooms and add colour or depth by juxtaposing a dark tone with a pastel colour.”

BOLD USE OF COLOUR

CAN COMPLETELY TRANSFORM THE FEEL OF THE ROOM

INTERIORS TRENDS

“The latest bold colours may overwhelm homes so introduce carefully,” agrees Gail. “This can be achieved by painting rather than papering a wall.”

It can be surprisingly easy to add a splash of colour to your home, however. “A lot of people have gone with a grey base tone in their homes so this trends is fantastic for updating the season,” says Hayley. “Add bold block colour sparingly to a feature chair or footstool and don’t’ forget items that are less committal, like scatter cushions, which are also great if you want to update regularly for seasonal trends.”

“Often choosing a neutral colour that can be accented with scatter cushions and accessories can reflect the season’s colour palette can ensure your room looks on-trend but without having to change key pieces every season,” adds Rhian.

Whatever shade you go for, however, the key is not to rush into it, especially if you’re going big.

“You have to look at the room in daylight and after dark and assess how your chosen colour or colours work in different lights,” advises Christian.

“A shade can look very different with bright sunlight flooding in than it appears after dark with the lamps lit. It’s worth taking the time to choose the colour for you rather than rushing in and choosing something you later feel the need to paint over.

“Spending time in the early stages reaps benefits and the colour scheme in your chosen room will give you pleasure for years to come.”

WHATEVER SHADE YOU GO FOR, THE KEY IS NOT TO RUSH INTO IT

Flooring Genius can provide environmentally friendly flooring solutions for your home

All the green appeal, none of the gardening, thanks to Trendy Products

ASK THE EXPERTS: Adam Elliot, Vale Business Park, Llandow, Cowbridge; Tel: 01446 677171; www.adamelliot.co.uk Chalkhouse, 3 Bessemer Close; Tel: 029 2023 3308; www.chalkhouseinteriors.co.uk Curtain Raisers, 2 Kelston Road; Tel: 029 2061 4966; www.curtain-raisers.co.uk Haus Contemporary Furnishings, 6C Heol-Y-Deri; Tel: 029 2061 1372; www.haus-cardiff.co.uk Floored Genius, The Business Centre - Cardiff House, Cardiff Road, Barry; Tel: 01446 746555; www.flooredgenius.com Jewel Scanley, 2 Glebe Street, Penarth; Tel: 029 2070 7779; www.jewelscanley.co.uk Natuzzi, Havannah Street; 029 2048 8698; www.cardiff.natuzzi.co.uk Project One, 3 Glebe Street, Penarth; Tel: 029 2140 6283; www.projectone.com SMC Kitchens, Unit 5B Hepworth Business Park, Coedcae Lane, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Pontyclun; Tel: 01443 449759; www.smckitchens.co.uk The Place for Homes, 1 Sutton Road, Llandow, Cowbridge; Tel: 01446 772927 Topstak, Vale Business Park, Llandow, Cowbridge; Tel: 01446 771567; www.topstak.co.uk Trendy Products, Unit 4, Havannah Street; Tel: 0345 299 4211; www.trendy-products.co.uk

30 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

CURTAINS l BLINDS WALLPAPER l PAINT HOME ACCESSORIES Haus Contemporary Furnishings 6C Heol-y-Deri Rhiwbina Cardiff CF14 6HF Tel: 02920 611 372 Email: info@haus-cardiff.co.uk www.haus-cardiff.co.uk

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T H E A L B A N Y G A L L E RY PETER KETTLE 15th March - 7th April A major solo exhibition featuring stunning Welsh and Patagonian landsapes.

View the exhibition on our website

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PHOTO BY ROBERT WORKMAN

Music/theatre/film/more

NIGHT AT THE OPERA

If you’re into your opera, (and even if you’re not) then you’re sure to be delighted by Welsh National Opera’s programme for its 2018/19 season which has something for everyone.

It includes a new production of Prokofiev’s War and Peace (sung in English) in the autumn, the second instalment of the WNO’s three-year Verdi trilogy with Un ballo in masschera, as well as a revival of Mozart’s ever-popular The Magic Flute (sung in English) in the spring and an amnesty-themed season in the summer which will bring the entire company together, from WNO Chorus and Orchestra to Youth and Community in semi-staged concert performances of operas that focus on the fate of refugees, prisoners and political oppression.

For more: www.wno.org.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 41

PHOTO CREDIT JOHAN PERSSON

16 March – 16 April

Niall Horan performs at the Motorpoint Arena; the classsic Cinderella fairy story is told through dance at the Wales Millennium Centre; Moya Brennan sings at Acapela

Plays/ Shows/ Performance U N TI L 1 7 M ARC H

BIRMINGHAM ROYAL BALLET’S THE SLEEPING BEAUTY The Sleeping Beauty is transformed into one of the grandest ballets ever created, with a marvellous mixture of virtuoso dance, fairy tale characters and dazzling spectacle that has delighted audiences for more than a hundred years. Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk 18 M ARC H

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST IN CONCERT Watch this heart warming and classic tale unfold on giant screen accompanied by a huge orchestra

performing the magical score.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk 2 0 MA RCH

THE CIRCUS OF HORRORS After taking to the road over 22 years ago and touring all over the world the phenomenon returns with its latest brand new incarnation Voodoo. The spectacular features an amazing amalgamation of bizarre and fantastic circus acts all woven into a sensational shock/horror story and the darkest of magic.

St David’s Hall; www. stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk 2 0 – 2 4 MA RCH

THE RAT PACK LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS The Rat Pack Live from Las Vegas sends you back in time to the glamorous, golden era of 1950s Las Vegas, when Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Junior

44 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

and Dean Martin joined forces and become the hottest ticket in town at the famous Sands Hotel.

New Theatre; www.newtheatrecardiff.com

true story of the legendary record label that changed music history and created the soundtrack of a generation. Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

21 – 23 MAR C H

29 MAR CH

THE MOTHERF••KER WITH THE HAT It’s New York and Jackie’s in trouble. An ex con struggling with addiction, he’s trying to go straight and get back with childhood sweetheart Veronica, but can he trust her? His sponsor, the outwardly pious and cleanliving Ralph D. isn’t all he seems and Cousin Julio really doesn’t like him very much. Can Jackie keep it together or is he on a path to self-destruct?

Sherman Theatre; www.shermantheatre.co.uk 26 MAR C H – 6 AP R IL

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL Motown the Musical uncovers the

DAD’S ARMY RADIO HOUR Two actors play 25 characters in this brilliant staging of classic radio scripts based on favourite episodes from the original TV series. Featuring favourite lines, cherished characters and great feats of vocal impersonation, it’s the perfect way to celebrate 50 years of Perry and Croft’s quintessential sitcom.

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama; www.rwcmd.ac.uk 1 – 8 AP RI L

ALMOST ALWAYS MUDDY An interactive, improvised family show exploring imagination, the joy of play, being bold, and discovering that you are braver

W H AT ’ S O N

than you ever thought possible!

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk 3 – 7 AP RI L

MATTHEW BOURNE’S CINDERELLA Matthew Bourne’s interpretation of the classic fairy tale, has, at its heart, a true war-time romance.

A chance meeting results in a magical night for Cinderella and her dashing young RAF pilot, together just long enough to fall in love before being parted by the horrors of the Blitz.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk 5 – 7 AP RI L

MINEFIELD In Lola Arias’ Minefield six Falklands/Malvinas war veterans who once faced each other across a battlefield now face each other across a stage. Together they share memories, films, songs and photos as they recall their collective war and embody the political figures that led them into it. Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk 5 – 7 AP RI L

MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL This hysterical show packed full of one-liners about night sweats, hot flushes and memory loss is backed by an instantly recognisable soundtrack of innuendo-laden versions of 60s, 70s and 80s pop classics.

New Theatre; www.newtheatrecardiff.com

get ONE job in a brothel and bang goes your reputation.) Women’s lib wasn’t a ‘thing’ in Georgian times, Emma moved mountains to haul herself from ‘scullery maid’ to ‘Lady Hamilton’. Yes, she occasionally danced on tables naked to get ahead in life, but who hasn’t? Glee Club; www.glee.co.uk 3 1 MA RCH

JONATHON PIE: BACK IN THE STUDIO The frustrated news reporter is back and he’s angrier than ever. Pie attempts to host a night of serious discussions on current affairs whilst simultaneously attempting to smash the system from within.

Join him for a night of political comedy that soon descends into chaos. St David’s Hall; www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk 8 A PRI L

GEORGE EGG: DIY CHEF A health scare sees George banned him from the family kitchen, but relocated to the garden shed his imagination and resourcefulness lead him to build an improvised kitchen there instead. During an inspiring and inventive evening of stand-up, live cooking and comedy lecture, George prepares a breakfast, a lunch and a dinner using the most unconventional of methods.

Glee Club; www.glee.co.uk

Music 1 6 MA RCH

6 – 7 AP RI L

THE FLYING BEDROOM Join Elinor and her bedroom on an adventure to far off lands, under the sea and outer space.

Discover new friends, battling pirates and hapless astronauts. A fun and inspiring journey where Elinor discovers her own selfconfidence and creativity.

Sherman Theatre; www.shermantheatre.co.uk

Comedy 2 9 M ARC H

SHAPPI KHORSANDI; MISTRESS AND MISFIT Shappi Khorsandi presents England’s unsung heroine, Emma Hamilton. For too many years she has been known as just ‘Nelson’s mistress’, a bit of a harlot. (You

ARTS

TAMSIN WALEY-COHEN Few young British violinists can match Tamsin Waley-Cohen’s combination of poetic insight and intense beauty of tone, and her duet partnership with composer-pianist Huw Watkins has produced some truly magical recordings.

Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama; www.rwcmd.ac.uk 1 8 MA RCH

MOYA BRENNAN – THE VOICE OF CLANNAD With her distinctive beautiful voice the wonderful acoustics of Acapela will surely make this a night to remember.

Acapela; www.acapela.co.uk

The Circus of Horrors will give you the fright of your life

hailed as “one of the most exciting live acts in the world.”

Motorpoint Arena; www. motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk 24 MAR C H

NIALL HORAN The former One Direction-er comes to Cardiff.

Motorpoint Arena; www. motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk 25 MAR C H

RUSSELL WATSON: CANZONI D’AMORE Captivating to watch and enchanting to listen to, “The People’s Tenor” continues to wow audiences with his enigmatic and entertaining live performances and returns to the stage with his brand new show Canzoni d’Amore.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk 6 AP R IL

FENNE LILY Not many young artists can count up a massive 20 million+ Spotify streams off the back of the first song they’ve ever written, but then again, not many young artists are Fenne Lily.

Clwb Ifor Bach; www.clwb.net 8 AP R IL

2 3 MA RCH

THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS Don’t miss the band that’s been

ROY ORBISON IN DREAMS: THE HOLOGRAM UK TOUR After years of speculation and

rumour, audiences will soon be able to witness a true music legend coming back to life before their eyes. In a first-of-its-kind event, a holographic Roy Orbison will once again perform his biggest hits in top venues across the UK backed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra in this transformative live entertainment concert experience.

Motorpoint Arena; www. motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk

Art UNTIL 6 AP RI L

MARY HUSTED, LOIS WILLIAMS These two artists have very different formal and material methodologies, but both are interested in the land and landscape, and in how perception and visuality are interlinked and influenced by preconception and memory. BayArt; www.bayart.org.uk UNTIL 7 AP RI L

FROM EAST TO WEST Showcasing a collection of illustrative paintings by Dom Tsoi and featuring street artist Raid.

The SHO Gallery; www.thesho.co.uk UNTIL 7 AP RI L

PETER KETTLE

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 45

ARTS

W H AT ’ S O N

An exciting young talent on the rise in contemporary landscape painting Peter immerses himself in a landscape by planning long walks, observing and making drawings along the way before returning to his studio to begin painting. The Albany Gallery; www.albanygallery.com

Bolton will return to the UK for the first time in more than two years to perform his greatest hits and a selection of classic songs.

St David’s Hall; www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk 2 5 – 2 6 MAY 2019

JAMES RICHARDS: MIGRATORY MOTOR COMPLEX Commissioned for the Venice Biennale in 2017, James Richards’ exhibition returns to Wales at Chapter for its UK premiere.

Chapter; www.chapter.org

STRICTLY COME DANCING – THE PROFESSIONALS Direct from BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing, this glamorous production will bring together some of our much-loved Strictly Professional dancers as they take to the stage to dazzle with their dance prowess.

Motorpoint Arena Cardiff; www. motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk

Book now

Sport

2 8 S E PTE M B E R

SATU RDAY 1 0 MAR C H

UNTI L 2 6 M AY

JURASSIC PARK IN CONCERT Jurassic Park is one of the most thrilling science fiction adventures ever made, Now audiences can experience this ground-breaking film as never before: projected in HD with a full symphony orchestra performing John Williams’ magnificent score live to picture. St David’s Hall; www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk 2 5 O C TO B E R

MICHAEL BOLTON Grammy Award-winning Michael

CARDIFF DEVILS v EDINBURGH CAPITALS League, face-off 7pm. Ice Arena Wales; www.cardiffdevils.com SATU RDAY 1 0 MAR C H

CARDIFF CITY v BIRMINGHAM CITY Sky Bet Championship, KO 3pm.

Cardiff City Stadium; www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk

WANT MORE? Sign up now for the Cardiff Life newsletter...

As editor of this fine mag, there’s nothing I enjoy more than drawing your attention to this buzzing city’s best events and happenings.

To keep readers fully updated about what’s going on in Cardiff, we email out a free newsletter every Friday, packed with news, our essential ‘see and do’ picks of the week, tips and special offers.

So, if you’d like a friendly ‘hello’ from us in your inbox as the weekend beckons, then sign up today*: mediaclash.co.uk/cln (*Don’t *Don’t worry, we won’t share your data with any third parties – that’s just not our style)

SU N DAY 1 1 M AR C H

WALES v ITALY RBS Six Nations, KO 3pm.

Principality Stadium; www. principalitystadium.wales

WEDNESDAY 14 MAR C H

CARDIFF DEVILS v SHEFFIELD STEELERS League, face-off 7.30pm.

Ice Arena Wales; www.cardiffdevils.com SATUR DAY 17 MAR C H

WALES v FRANCE RBS Six Nations, KO 5pm.

Principality Stadium; www.principalitystadium.wales SUNDAY 18 MAR C H

CARDIFF DEVILS v SHEFFIELD STEELERS League, face-off 6pm.

Ice Arena Wales; www.cardiffdevils.com F R IDAY 23/SATUR DAY 24/ SUNDAY 25 MAR C H

CARDIFF BLUES v ULSTER RUGBY Guinness Pro14.

Cardiff Arms Park, www.cardiffblues.com SATUR DAY 24 MAR C H George Egg: DIY Chef at Glee Club

46 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

CARDIFF DEVILS v BELFAST GIANTS

League, face-off 7pm.

Ice Arena Wales; www.cardiffdevils.com SUNDAY 2 5 M ARCH

CARDIFF DEVILS v MK LIGHTNING League, face-off 6pm.

Ice Arena Wales; www.cardiffdevils.com F R IDAY 3 0 M ARCH

CARDIFF CITY v BURTON ALBION Sky Bet Championship, KO 3pm.

Cardiff City Stadium; www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk SATURDAY 3 1 M ARCH

JOSHUA v PARKER 5.30pm Principality Stadium; www.principalitystadium.wales SATURDAY 7 AP RI L

CARDIFF CITY v WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS Sky Bet Championship, KO 3pm.

Cardiff City Stadium; www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk

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W

e all struggle to find the right gift for the fussy foodies, vintage treasure hunters, coffee addicts or sports fans in our lives, but thankfully FOR Cardiff has created the perfect solution in the form of the FOR Gift Card. Here’s all you need to know about it.

What’s different about it?

Almost every national chain, department store and shopping centre has its own gift card but there isn’t much on the market that is destination led. FOR Cardiff has stepped in to change this and created a gift card aimed specifically at supporting local independent businesses across the city centre.

Why should you choose it?

The high number of independent shops, cafés and restaurants is what sets Cardiff apart from other cities and gives residents and visitors a completely unique experience. This is a gift card that anyone who loves shopping or dining out in Cardiff would be thrilled to receive. Plus, you will be helping support the independent shops, which are the beating heart of our capital city.

“you will be helping support the independent shops which are the beating heart of our capital city” Where can you spend it?

This gift card encourages the recipient to step away from the beaten path to discover hidden gems around the city, many of which are found in our beautiful arcades. There are currently 50 shops, cafés, restaurants and experiences where you can spend the card from Christopher George Jewellers to Shop Rugby and Chapel 1877.

So, when you give this card, you are giving someone the opportunity to sample the delights of Wally’s Deli, delve through the rails at Dot Clothing, or enjoy authentic Spanish cuisine at Asador 44. They could also choose to have an experience to remember at Escape Reality, relax with a freshly-brewed coffee and slab of homemade cake at Coffee Barker or treat themselves to a glass of prosecco and a pastry at Nine Yards. To view the full list visit www. cardiffgiftcard.com.

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So, next time you’re buying a gift card for a friend or loved one, step away from the national chains and give the gift of Cardiff instead.

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www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 51

ARTS

INTERVIEW

PLAYING his PART We caught up with Rhod Gilbert to find out how he got on when he joined the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for some work experience!

R

hod Gilbert might be a seasoned performer when it comes to stand-up comedy, but that didn’t necessarily help him when he joined the BBC National Orchestra of Wales on the timpani to perform at Proms in the Park as part of his new series of Rhod Gilbert’s Work Experience...

So Rhod, had you ever played, the timpani, or even played in an orchestra before?

I’ve never played in an orchestra before and I’ve never played the timpani before. From the work experience programme, I think it is abundantly clear that I have no experience whatsoever! In fact if you’d said timpani to me I would have known roughly whereabouts in an orchestra it would have been. I’d know it was at the back, I’d know it was drummy, percussion type instrument but I didn’t know the kettle drums (as I would call them) were timpani.

So this was going to be a bit of a challenge then! How long did you get to rehearse with BBC NOW before you had to perform?

Not long enough is how long I rehearsed, which will be fairly obvious to anyone who watches this programme! I had an hour with NOW’s Steve Barnard on the timpani just to get a grasp of what was required of me in the piece that I would be playing – Sprach Zarathustra by Strauss or 2001 Space Odyssey as the piece is more commonly known. That was the only thing I did and that was enough frankly! I then had a 20 minute rehearsal with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, which was not enough, but the whole thing is a tightly run ship and world class musicians aren’t just knocking around Cardiff ready for you to have a jam with when you feel like it and practice you know – these are busy people!

52 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Rehearsals are very structured and regimented, and so I had to grab the moments that I could. But I think on the night, despite completely missing the cue the first time, I think the second and only other time I did it was the best one I’ve done. It was the closest I was going to get to nailing it after that little rehearsal and practice!

What was the hardest thing about playing with BBC NOW? The worst thing was feeling underprepared, the pressure, the nerves and not wanting to let everybody down. Slotting in to a world class orchestra, with a few hours practice is a pressured gig!

What was the best thing?

The best thing about working with BBC NOW was the sheer joy of it, the sheer adrenaline. I think every comedian wants to be a rock star and that’s as close as I’ve come to feeling like a rock star because ultimately, you’re on a stage playing these enormous pieces that really get you, they get your heart going. To be in the middle of an orchestra is an incredible place to be. I think even sitting watching an orchestra you don’t quite get that feeling of being in the middle of it, which is just a hugely exciting place to be.

Was there anything about the experience that particularly surprised you?

I hadn’t given it any thought about how much rehearsal an orchestra would put into a Prom performance or something like that. I would assume weeks, day after day after day but they just rock up with the music, sit down and rehearse for six hours and then that’s it! The day after the performance they’re on to a different thing, different city, rehearsing something else, so yeah, I was surprised; I didn’t realise it worked like that. w

I think every comedian wants to be a rock star and that’s the closest I’ve come to feeling like a rock star Rhod takes to the timpani

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INTERVIEW

PHOTO CREDIT ©BBC KMCTERNAN

ARTS

Above: Rhod meets BBC NOW musician Steve Barnard, timpanist for the orchestra Below: Rhod discusses his performance with Tim Rhys Evans and Josie d’Arby

How did the experience with BBC NOW compare to your other work experiences?

With this episode, when I watch it back I am right there again. I’m right back there on that stool at the back of the orchestra and I live every second of it, really viscerally.

I’m counting the music and I’m counting myself in every single time I watch it! It isn’t the same as say, if you’re with the police. You’re so in the moment with the orchestra, in a different way to wandering the streets of Cardiff as a policeman.

When you’re doing your stand-up shows you’re on your own. How did it feel to perform as part of something so big?

It’s very easy to see with rock music and things like that, that walking out in Glastonbury in front thousands would be an exhilarating experience. I hadn’t really applied that to a classical orchestra but it was exactly the same as far as I could work out! I perhaps didn’t realise that, how exciting it would be – it reminded me of being on stage for stand up. It was exhilarating and absolutely proper adrenaline fuelled excitement – it was fabulous!

Were you nervous before a performance? And how did the nerves compare to when you go on stage to do comedy?

I got that feeling backstage, the feeling that you don’t want it to go ahead, the pacing, anxiety in your stomach, that sheer ‘what do I do with myself?’, ‘Where can I turn?’. I can’t escape these nerves, it’s very similar to being backstage at a stand up gig. It’s just, in a stand up gig now, I’m much more confident in what I’m doing than I was in that orchestra – I was so out of my depth, the nerves were terrible!

What involvement did you have in BBC NOW’s schools activity?

The Relaxed Schools Concert was absolutely awesome. Seeing how 54 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

much the kids were engaging from it and how much they just got it – the music spoke to them in a way that language can’t. I didn’t know BBC NOW went into schools and let kids thrash about on instruments. It was a completely different side to an orchestra that I didn’t know happened and what a fantastic idea. Who knows how many more kids will pick up instruments and will be inspired to play from that. We didn’t have that when we were growing up – it was the 70s, we didn’t have anything!

Have you played the timpani again since?

(Laughter) No, I haven’t played the timpani again since, but I am playing the drums. I bought a drum kit a long time ago and never used it so it’s inspired me to dust off the covers off and get some lessons!

You can also see Rhod join the Royal Navy, become part of an airline Cabin Crew and try his hand at Festival Food, in the new series of Rhod Gilbert’s Work Experience starting 22 March on BBC ONE Wales. Also available on BBC iPlayer.

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FILM

ARTS

(Clockwise from left) The Magic Flute, The Touch, Persona

SCANDI COOL Chapter celebrate centenary of renowned Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman with season of his work

By M EGA N PR IC E

FILM OF THE MONTH

ISLE OF DOGS (CTBA) 30 March – 12 April

With the voices of Scarlett Johansson and Edward Norton and directed by Wes Anderson, Isle of Dogs follows a boy’s odyssey to find his dog in a dystopian future Japan, in which canines have been quarantined on the remote eponymous island.

2

018 marks the 100 year anniversary of the director, writer and dramatist Ingmar Bergman’s birth, and Chapter is showing some of his finest films in a special season of his work.

BFI season programmer Geoff Andrew comments: “[Bergman] was interested in how humans confront their mortality, but that was simply part of a broader fascination with how we – in relatively comfortable Western Europe – cope with the messy complexity of life itself. How do we respond to misfortune, injustice, cruelty, violence, war, even diabolical evil? These issues, along with dashed dreams and failed ambitions, may affect anyone; but women also have to deal with patriarchal society and the pride, insecurity and condescending egotism of individual males. Small wonder Bergman, so alert to inner turmoil and torment, made an unusually large number of films focused on female protagonists. And some of them rank among his very greatest achievements.”

With The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries already having been shown, the season continues with Persona (15) (18-20 March), in which a psychiatric nurse is put in charge of the recovery of a mute patient and the two find themselves experiencing a strange emotional convergence.

In The Touch (15) (25-27 March), a contented wife and mother finds her marriage disrupted by an inexplicable attraction when an American archeologist moved nearby.

In The Magic Flute (PG) (30 March-4 April), Papageno and Tamino travel in search of love and knowledge in this charming adaptation of Mozart’s opera Die Zauberflöte.

Bergman himself commented: “I don’t want to make merely intellectual films. I want audiences to feel, to sense my films.”

So if you’ve never seen an Ingmar Bergman film before, or are a bit of an aficionado, why not pay us a visit to see a true master of the screen at work.

For more: www.chapter.org

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GIRL ABOUT TOWN

ANDREA BYRNE News a nchor

FOR THE WIN

EXCITING MANY FASHION TOURISM, COUNTRY

IT’S TO SEE SO SECTORS, FROM LAW AND TO TECH AND THRIVING ACROSS THE

Andrea Byrne on celebrating success

A

Inspiring stuff at the Tennis Wales ceremony

PHOTO BY MATT HORWOOD

t this time of year, all the best films seem to be out. It’s been Oscar season and that means all those gong-worthy movies we’ve been hearing about on the red carpet have made their way to the UK after storming cinemas stateside.

My list of ‘wanna-sees’ is ever-growing but visits to the movies have had to wait for good reason – I’ve been busy handing out a few ‘Oscars’ of my own.

First – serving up the some sporting gongs to the heroes and heroines of our tennis community here in Wales.

The aces of coaches, umpires, community champions and young players were rewarded at the Tennis Wales ceremony in Cardiff. By the end of what was an inspirational night, I had vowed to dust off my tennis racket and get rallying again. Wimbledon, here I come!

Next up, it was a chance to celebrate success amongst our entrepreneurs in Wales at the Federation of Small Businesses. It’s exciting to see so many sectors, from law and fashion to tech and tourism, thriving across the country.

But it hasn’t been all work and no play. My fur babies (aka my mini schnauzers)

and friends have featured too, of course!

Regular readers of my column will know we recently had a new addition to our family, or should I say our pack! Miniature schnauzers Hank and Marcy have a new little brother called Doug.

And between prize-giving and puppytraining, I did squeeze cocktails and a catch-up at the chic new rooftop Marco Pierre White steakhouse in the capital.

Sumptuous steaks and beautiful bellinis with my fab friend Sian!

Post-lunch, the plan had been to finally see one of those Oscar-winning movies.

But when you’re already spoilt with good food and good company, who needs Daniel Day-Lewis?!

Follow Andrea on Twitter: @andreabyrnetv or at www.andreabyrne.tv

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 61

CFeleven 40 winks & drinks

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FOOD & DRINK W H AT ’ S M A K I N G T H E G O U R M E T N E W S I N C A R D I F F

IN THE HOUSE

The Brewery Bar at Cardiff’s Brewhouse & Kitchen

A new Brewhouse & Kitchen has opened in Cardiff. It’s the first Welsh location for the business, and is close to the heart of CEO Kris Gumbrell who grew up in Cardiff. “I’m a proud Welshman so it has been a long held ambition of mine to open a location in Wales,” he said.

The brewpub has taken over the site of the former Mochyn Di pub, just off Cathedral Road, and has just undergone an extensive £550k refurb so is looking lush!

There is a dedicated in-house brewer and a range of unique craft beers are being produced on site, including four cask and three keg core beers, available throughout the year, and an additional four seasonally-changing kegs, plus an ever changing brewer’s choice tap.

For more: www.brewhouseandkitchen.com

PAR-TEA TIME Throughout March, supporters of Kidney Wales are being encouraged to host their own tea party to help raise money to support kidney patients and their families.

The Welsh charity will host their own decadent tea party in Cardiff’s Park Plaza to celebrate the month of fundraising.

The event will be held on 25 March and will help raise vital funds for kidney patients and their families Wales-wide.

Following a red-carpet arrival guests will be treated to a glass of prosecco before enjoying a sumptuous selection of sandwiches and cakes.

For anyone who can’t make the event on 25 March but would still like to help, Kidney Wales is inviting the people of Wales to hold their own tea party during March.

Tickets for the Park Plaza Tea Party cost £25 per person.

For more: www.kidneywales.cymru Eat cake for charity!

Team Jam! More than 40 women trained in four different preserving techniques

ACROSS THE MILES A team from South Wales has visited Cameroon to launch a sustainable food project. Food for Prosperity has been created

by Taste Cameroon Community Enterprise CIC, a not for profit based in Southeast Wales, to inspire the local community in Cameroon to reduce its fruit and vegetable waste, to create artisan food businesses in Cameroon to bolster the rural economy, to stimulate Welsh food businesses with new ideas and establish a learning and collaborative exchange between Welsh and Cameroonian small scale farmers.

More than 40 Cameroonian women were trained in preserving fruit and vegetables.

One of the team, Angharad Underwood, who is founder of The Preservation Society, said: “I knew a lot of fruit and vegetables were being wasted but had no idea how sharing simple preserving techniques would have such an impact on women.

These 45 women will train others, feed their families and possibly set up or expand their businesses from produce that would have been wasted.”

For more: www.tastecameroon.com

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FOOD

R E S TA U R A N T

Tea time Because there’s always time for a spot of afternoon tea…

By E M M A DA NC E

I

was always told that you shouldn’t eat between meals. Afternoon tea, however, belies that old adage. A great British tradition, and a wonderful excuse to eat all kinds of deliciousness between lunch and dinner, it’s a wonderful thing indeed.

I’d happily indulge every day except for pesky things like work getting in the way (it might raise a few eyebrows in the office if come 3 o’clock every day I whipped out a three tier cake stand full of treats) and the fact that if I ate cake every day I’d be the size of a medium-sized hippo in about a week.

As an occasional treat though it’s hard to argue with and I did not take much persuading to head over to the Clayton Hotel to sample their version.

The Clayton’s restaurant and bar (where afternoon tea

is served) is up on the first floor, and the large windows mean that not only is it a lovely light and bright space, but it’s also the perfect spot for a bit of people-watching while you indulge.

The current trend for afternoon tea (and I think it’s a good one!) is to add a glass of bubbles, so we did just that, beginning with a sparkly little Kir Royale-style cocktail which went down a treat!

The afternoon tea itself is presented prettily and traditionally on the obligatory cake stand.

We began at the bottom with the finger sandwiches and a couple of goats’ cheese tarts which were just divine, with crisp pastry, sweet yet tangy onion marmalade and lighterthan-air whipped goats’ cheese. (On another day a larger version of one of those with a crisp salad would make a very fine lunch.)

The scones on the tier above were warm and more-ish with plenty of cream and jam provided to slather on top and alongside them sat slices of moist, fruitladen bara brith.

Quite literally the crowning glory of the whole affair however was the selection of cakes and other sugary morsels, presented with a scattering of edible flowers for added Instagrammability. A chocolate cake was rich and decadent, I loved the little slice of cheesecake with it’s buttery biscuit base and creamy, not-too-sweet topping, but my favourite mouthful was undoubtedly a pistachio macaron with it’s crisp shell, chewy centre and warm, nutty sweetness.

Afternoon tea might have been invented to fill a gap between meals but in reality, this version at least is probably big enough to replace one or the other. Probably.

(But we’re not judging - honestly!).

THE CROWNING GLORY OF THE WHOLE AFFAIR WAS THE SELECTION OF CAKES AND SUGARY

MORSELS

DINING DETAILS Clayton Hotel Cardiff, St Mary Street, Cardiff; Tel: 029 2066 8866; www.claytonhotelcardiff.com Opening hours The restaurant is open from 6.30am-9.30pm Prices Prosecco afternoon tea is £19.95 per person Vegetarian choice Yes. All dietary requirements are catered for Service/atmosphere Friendly service, although you might find the restaurant quite quiet during the week 64 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Stockists of: Rixo London Essentiel Antwerp Onjenu London Velvet Ag jeans 360 cashmere Wyse London IDA jeans Uzma Bozai Pyrus Veja Wild Fox Isle Jacobsen Indie and Cold Baum Und Pferdgarten Marella by MaxMara Toolally earrings Zakee Shariff Chloe Stora Banajan Traffic People ....and much more

Unit 1, Pontcanna Mews, 200 Kings Road, Cardiff CF11 9DF Tel: 02920 225 522 | kiticymru.com | info@kiticymru.com Facebook- Kiti | Instagram- Kiticymru | Twitter- kiticymru

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MELLOW YELLOW SUNSHINEY SHADES TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY

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4

1. PROPERLY HANGING

2. GET SHIRTY

3. LET THERE BE LIGHT

4. BEE MINE

5. CASE IN POINT

Hello Coat Rack, £38 A coat hook with personality.

From Home by Kirsty, 64a Glenroy Street, Roath; www.homebykirsty.com

Yellow cord zip-through shirt, £85 Because sometimes buttons are just too much like hard work…

From Pretty Green, 22 – 24 Morgan Arcade; www.prettygreen.com

Rosette lampshade, £72 It’s a lampshade in a sunny shade, by one of our fave ‘Diff designers Sian Elin From www.sianelin.com

Yellow ceramic honey pot with spoon, £12 We don’t think life has never been so sweet From Kitchens Cookshop, 14 High Street; www.steamer.co.uk

Kate e-reader case, £34 Slip your e-reader in here and keep it safe and sound and stylish From Oliver Bonas, 37 The Hayes; www.oliverbonas.com

66 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

ED’S CHOICE 6

SHOPPING

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6. BACK IT UP

7. HEAVEN SCENT

8. WRAP UP

9. A MUG’S GAME

10. WORLD IN YOUR HANDS

I Loves The ‘Diff backpack, £19.95 Wear your heart on your back. That’s how the saying goes, right?

From I Loves The ‘Diff; www.ilovesthediff.com

Eau de Lacoste L. 12. 12 Jaune Eau de Toilette spray, £47/100ml Embellish your skin with a light, sparking fragrance, evoking a resolutely optimistic state of mind, so very like the first rays of the sun From Escentual, 63 – 67 Wellfield Road; www.escentual.com

Marjorie Minnie chevron baby blanket, £95 So soft and so stylish you’ll totes be forgiven for stealing it from your little one!

From Barney & Beau, 6 Pontcanna Mews, Kings Road, Pontcanna; www.barneyandbeau.com

“I need vitamin sea” travel cup, £9.99 Vitamins, caffeine, it’s one and the same we reckon From Shore, Windsor Court, The Esplanade, Penarth; www.shorecoastal.co.uk

Globe lamp, £89.99 See the world without even having to leave the sofa From Hamptons, 10 Ludlow Lane, Penarth; www.hamptonspenarth. co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk II CLIFTON CARDIFF LIFE LIFE II 67 www.mediaclash.co.uk 69

ANTIQUES – INTERIORS

HOBBIES - COLLECTABLES

THE

PUMPING STATION A N T I Q U E S

&

I N T E R I O R S

Penarth Road, Cardiff CF11 8TT | Open 7 Days a Week 9.30am – 5.30pm | Including Bank Holidays | Free car parking

TEL: 02920 221085 | WWW.THEPUMPINGSTATION-CARDIFF.CO.UK

A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E H E A LT H F O O D

FREAKING AWESOME It's a big year for BEANFREAKS which is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a series of events

O

n 1st March Beanfreaks, which has three health food centres around Cardiff, celebrated its 40th anniversary. When Beanfreaks CEO Mr Kevin Bowles and his wife Hilary first opened the doors to the public, they had little idea how much the health food industry would change, much less that 40 years later they would still have a thriving business.

Beanfreaks prides itself on being a family business and the couple's children, Jeremie and Victoria, are also part of the Beanfreaks team. Jeremie is a qualified medical herbalist, and is director of Beanfreaks operations, and Victoria is a qualified nutritionist with a masters degree in complementary health. She is also Beanfreaks' technical director, overseeing all training, ensuring the staff have the most up-todate information.

Kevin was inspired by the whole food movement of the 1970s, and had changed his own health pathway through diet and using

good nutritional supplements, and so was keen to develop stores that offered those opportunities for his customers. For the last 40 years Beanfreaks has been at the cutting edge of discovering and suppling new and exciting products that meet the customers' needs, and now in 2018 the team is finding that people have never been more interested in what they eat, where it comes from, and its sustainability.

Beanfreaks now has three successful stores and the managers (Matthew in St Mary Street in Cardiff, Karan in Albany Road in Roath and Terezia at Cowbridge Road in Canton) all look forward to welcoming you to their stores to celebrate the brands' anniversary.

Beanfreaks is kicking off the 40th anniversary celebrations with a host of in-store customerfocused events, beginning this month and running throughout the year.

Event organiser and Beanfreaks Nutritionist Victoria Perks said, “In addition to the opportunity to meet the experts, product sampling and in-store anniversary savings,

the team has partnered with key suppliers to make our big birthday year a great success, with opportunities to meet the experts, sample products, and vegan cookery demonstration.”

In-store activities, and competitions will run daily, from the 1st until the 31st of March in each of our three stores.

BEANFREAKS CARDIFF. 3 St Mary Street, Cardiff CF10 2AT. 02920343226 BEANFREAKS ALBANY ROAD. 95 Albany Road CF24 3LP. 02920494902 BEANFREAKS CANTON. 124 Cowbridge Road East, CF11 9DX. 02920251671

A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY PRESENT FROM BEANFREAKS A recent report indicated a 43% growth of type 2 diabetes in Wales over the last decade. Type 2 diabetes has been linked to a host of complications including strokes, heart disease, amputations, kidney disease, and blindness. The sad thing is type 2 diabetes is entirely preventable and controllable with good diet and increasing exercise.

To celebrate our special year we a giving away 140 of Viridian’s 7 Day Sugar Detox Kits worth £7 to help kick start a new you. Simply bring in this article to any one of our three Beanfreaks stores to claim your free kit! *Warning free kits are on a first come first serve basis. Kits cannot be exchanged for money or alternative products.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 69

SHOPPING

FA S H I O N

GET SPORTY! Sports Luxe is the definition of modern, comfortable, and chic dressing. Think loose trousers, sleek trainers, scuba textures and a whole load of jersey fabrics

F

rom Stella McCartney to Alexander Wang, this practical yet stylish trend has come back time and time again.

Look for narrow lines down the edge of trousers for that race-ready look, normally found on the classic tracksuit. Not only do the vertical lines elongate the legs (hurrah!), they don’t look out of place when paired with smarter pieces up top. We are totally in love with this pair from Karen Millen (6) with their subtle navy and white stripes, which can easily be paired with some sleek heels, like these from Ted Baker (3), and a simple body-con top for a dressed-up look. Serious sports fans should look for bold, contrasting coloured stripes, paired with a bright jersey, like this H by Henry Holland piece (1), and a pair of fresh trainers from Saucony (7) both available from John Lewis.

It’s versatile, comfortable and available in all different shapes and sizes, what’s not to love about the sweatshirt!? Going out for a dinner date? Opt for a chic sweatshirt, like this quirky one from Ted Baker (5), or this sleek scuba piece from Jigsaw (4), both available from John Lewis. Feeling more casual? We love this simple, classic number from Calvin Klein (2) that can be paired with any outfit! If you can’t quite picture yourself donning sweatshirts, swap hoodies for a crew-neck sport tee with subtle branding, like this orange tee from Whistles at John Lewis (9).

Still wavering on the brink of trainer territory?

Take the leap! As countless fashion editors have shown, the sports shoe is now deemed smart enough for the front row. While there are countless styles to stock up on, we recommend picking a plain white pair with minimal branding, like this classic Adidas pair with the metallic pink stripe (10), available at John Lewis. Don’t forget to channel the athleisure trend in your accessories too, we totally adore this dusky rose Nike tote bag from John Lewis (8), which is a sure-fire way to complete any athleisure look. Keep jewellery simple and have make-up and hair polished to keep the trend on the right side of luxe and not lazy!

All items available at St David’s Dewi Sant in Cardiff or online at the time of writing. To keep up to date with the latest trends, news and offers, see St David’s on Instgram, Facebook and Twitter (@ StDavidsCardiff) or at www.stdavidscardiff.com 70 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Stelta beauty sleep logo tee, £49, and Yuli wide leg stripe trouser, £149, both Ted Baker

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1. Purple sweatshirt, £30, H by Henry Holland @ Debenhams 2. Harrisi True Icon Sweatshirt, Bright WhiteTango Red, £85, Calvin Klein 3. Perlie Block Heeled Sandal, Black, £130, Ted Baker 4. Athleisure long sleeve sports luxe top, black, £85, Jigsaw 5. Ted Says Relax Logo Sweatshirt, Light Pink, £99, Ted Baker 6. Wide Leg Sporty Trousers, BlackMulti, £115, Karen Millen 7. Jazz Original Vintage Women’s Trainers, BlackWhite, £70, Saucony at John Lewis 8. Legend Training Tote Bag, Particle Rose, £47.95, Nike @ John Lewis 9. Brunch Club Logo T-Shirt, Red, £49, Whistles 10. Neo Cloudfoam Advantage Women’s Trainers, White, £64.95, Adidas at John Lewis www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 71

H E A LT H A N D BEAUTY

NO PLACE LIKE HOLM

Take a dip in the hydrotherapy pool (above right) then chill out poolside (above left), or in the sunny relaxation room (below)

Transport yourself to another world at Penarth’s Holm House spa

By E M M A DA NC E

T

he spa at Holm House Hotel feels a bit like a delicious little secret.

Tucked out the back of the boutique hotel up on “Millionaire’s Row” it’s not the sort of place you’d just happen upon. Which, to be honest, is probably all to the good as it’s not a big place – not by any stretch of the imagination.

Not that that’s a bad thing – far from it, in fact, as it gives it a real sense of exclusivity and privacy rather than feeling akin to a public leisure centre.

We’re greeted by a smiling member of staff who gives us a quick tour of the facilities before we get down to the serious matter of relaxing.

IT WAS SO SOOTHING IT ALMOST SENT ME INTO A SLUMBER

There’s a pool, but it’s much more designed for splashing and relaxing than any kind of serious swimming, with various massage and bubble jets to help soothe aching muscles, as well as a petite steam room and a small gym if you want to get in a bit of exercise.

Upstairs is a gorgeous relaxation room, with recliners and a sofa, where you can chill out, herbal tea in hand, and enjoy the view over the Bristol Channel. Doors open on to a sun terrace, which in summer would be heavenly, but as it was freezing brass monkeys outside we stayed indoors, wrapped up in cosy blankets.

The spa uses Sultane de Saba products, a relatively unusual range which is apparently “inspired by the beauty rituals of the

mystical Orient that date back to the time of the Queen of Sheba.” So now you know.

As well as the usual massages, facials etc there’s some rather more unusual sounding treatments on offer, so I decide to try the Balinese Lulur – partly because I’d never heard of a lulur before and partly because the description of a “traditional ritual for special occasions bringing cashmere-soft skin from head to toe” sounded really rather good. OK – so it wasn’t exactly a special occasion, but after months of being hidden away in winter woollies my skin was definitely in need of some TLC. The treatment began with a gentle full body exfoliation using a coconut and rice scrub. When this was rinsed off my skin already felt wonderfully soft and smooth, but this was only the start.

Next came a sweet-smelling, luxurious feeling blend of frangipani-infused milk and shea butter, which was applied from head to toe before I was tightly wrapped in foil to help the skin absorb all the goodness.

While I lay there letting the milky, buttery concoction work its magic I was treated to a super-relaxing face, neck and shoulder massage which was so soothing it almost sent me into a slumber.

I emerged from my cocoon and OK, it wasn’t exactly a caterpillar to butterfly transformation, but my skin felt fantastic and it was apparent how just how much I had neglected it over the winter months.

Now I just need the sun to come out…

Emma’s Balinese Lulur cost £60 for 55 minutes.

Holm House Hotel & Spa, Marine Parade, Penarth; www.holmhousehotel.co.uk

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ONE TO ONE

Bleddyn on board 74 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

ONE TO ONE

OVER the OCEAN The Volvo Ocean Race first began more then four decades ago, and is often described as the longest and most challenging sporting event in the world. In May it’s coming to Cardiff!

C EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO SAIL INTO CARDIFF

CREDIT AINHOA SANCHEZ/VOVLVO OCEAN RACE

I’M VERY

overing 45,000 nautical miles, crossing four oceans, touching six continents and taking in 12 landmark cities all over the world, it’s sailing’s toughest team challenge and a human adventure like no other and many of the world’s best sailors have dedicated years, even decades of their lives trying to win the Volvo Ocean Race.

This edition of the race began in Alicante in October last year, and will finally finish in The Hague in June and this year, for the first time ever, the race will stop over in Cardiff. During the two week stop over from 27 May to 10 June, there will be a variety of entertainment and Volvo Ocean Race-themed attractions.

Among the world-class sailors taking part is Welshman Bleddyn Môn, the only Welsh sailor in this year’s edition. Having decided that he wanted to become a professional sailor aged just 10 years old, in his teenage years, he became a World and European champion in the 29er class, and with plenty of Extreme Sailing Series experience to his name at just 25, he brings top-level racing credentials to his team, Turn the Tide on Plastic, joining the team fresh from being part of Land Rover BAR in the 2017 America’s Cup. We caught up with Bleddyn to find out more about taking part in the ultimate sailing challenge…. w www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 75

ONE TO ONE

CREDIT UGO FONOLLA/VOLVO OCEAN RACE

XXXXXX

Hi Bleddyn! So, tell us how you become part of the Turn The Tide On Plastic team?

Skipper Dee Caffari approached me last year after the Americas Cup in Bermuda where I was competing with the Land Rover BAR team to see if I would be interested in joining her team for the 2017/18 Volvo Ocean Race. At the time I had obviously followed the Volvo in the past and with a few Volvo sailors in the BAR team it was on my radar, however I had never sailed offshore let alone raced offshore before…

Dee invited me along to a trial sail out of Lisbon, two weeks after arriving back from Bermuda. It was only a three-day trial, but it seemed to go well and less than a week later I was back out to Lisbon to sail the boat to Portsmouth to start the Leg 0 preparation for the Volvo Ocean Race.

The Volvo Ocean Race is clearly a massive challenge. What made you want to take part?

It’s a very iconic and prestigious race within the sport of sailing. It’s arguably the most competitive and challenging offshore race in the world and therefore attracts some of the best sailors and teams. I had followed previous editions of the Volvo and with sailors such as Xabi Fernandez and Andy McLean (both Volvo Ocean Race sailors) part of the BAR team, my interest in the race certainly grew. In addition, with the 35th Americas Cup coming to an end and nothing likely to happen in the coming 12 months (from July 2017), the opportunity to compete in the Volvo and learn new skills was one that I could not miss.

76 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Bleddyn has years of sailing experience, but the Volvo Ocean Race is his toughest challenge yet!

WE WERE MOTIVATED TO PROVE THAT WE COULD BE THE BEST

How long did you have to prepare?

After deciding that I wanted to do the race and then being selected for Dee’s team at the beginning of August, there was a busy time ahead preparing for the start at the end of October.

I, and most of the team, had less than three months to get familiar with the boat and each other, and gain as much experience as possible in offshore racing…it was going to be a steep learning curve!

What did the preparation involve?

Preparation started in August with Leg 0 of the Volvo Ocean Race, which was a series of non-scoring legs that all seven teams competed in. This consisted of a race around the Isle of Wight, the Rolex Fastnet, racing from Plymouth to St Malo in France and finally from St Malo to Cascais (Portugal). This was our first opportunity to line up against the opposition and see how we faired. It was also the first offshore race that I, and many of our team, had done.

After finishing Leg 0, Cascais was then our base for three weeks where we did a good block of inshore and offshore training.

Alongside this I, along with two other team members, was studying for my RYA Yacht Master qualification which was a requirement for all sailors competing in this edition of the race. This concluded with a practical exam in the Solent in the middle of September and was followed immediately by a Sea Survival course in Newcastle.

When we arrived back in Portugal the boat was out of the water having its final re-fit prior to the race start from Alicante in less than a month.

CREDIT BRIAN CARLIN/VOLVO OCEAN RACE

ONE TO ONE

The final practice we had prior to the race start was a non-scoring prologue leg from Lisbon to Alicante. However, I was not on the boat for this, so I went back home to Anglesey to pack my bags ready for a lap of the planet!

What have been the high and low points?

One of the biggest highlights so far has been seeing us progress as a team from leg to leg.

We pushed Brunel, Scallywag and AkzoNobel hard in the first and second legs. We showed our potential in the fourth leg from Melbourne to Hong Kong where we were challenging with the leading pack up to the half way point, and

CREDIT BRIAN CARLIN/VOLVO OCEAN RACE

What’s been the biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge so far has been starting the race with limited preparation time. To put it in perspective; four months before the start I had never been offshore, my first offshore race was two months before the start and my longest time offshore before the start was four days.

This lack of experience in offshore racing was a big concern as we were about to start the Volvo Ocean Race against some of the best offshore sailors around and some of the most established teams in the sport who had competed in several editions of the race and had been training for this race for almost a year. Not having this experience also meant that there was a huge amount of unknowns and unanswered questions as to how we should do things and what to expect.

However, we are a young and enthusiastic team with a vast amount of experience from all sorts of other backgrounds and were motivated to prove that we could beat the best right from the start.

How are you feeling about the Cardiff stop over?

I am very excited to be able to sail into Cardiff as part of the Volvo Ocean Race. The transatlantic leg from Newport, Rhode Island in the US is a double pointer and by then we will have gained much more experience as a team and hopefully be able to challenge for a podium finish, which would be very special.

This is the first time the race has ever stopped in Wales and the Bristol Channel will provide a very challenging finish to Leg 9. For Cardiff to be able to host such an iconic race is great and I’m sure everyone will come down to the Bay to support all the teams as they arrive at the end of May!

CREDIT JEREMIE LECAUDEY/VOLVO OCEAN RACE

Has it been what you expected?

Having not competed in this race or any similar races before, I prepared myself by expecting the worst. So far this has worked well! Each leg has been extremely tough for a variety of reasons; however, the racing is great and it’s also massively rewarding, particularly when you arrive at a stop over and look back at the challenges that you’ve overcome as a team.

Bleddyn is experiencing plenty of highs and lows during his gruelling, but exciting, challenge

as I write, in Leg 6 to Auckland we are currently leading with about 1,500 nautical miles to go.

We can stick with the best of them at times in all conditions, so we now just need to piece it together over an entire leg. Other highlights have been the incredible conditions that I have experienced for the first time. 40kts (about 40mph) plus of wind and six/seven metre waves in the Southern Ocean, contrasting conditions in the doldrums – flat calm and clear skies, then before you know it towering clouds forming with squally winds, thunder and lightning, and not to mention the wildlife – dolphins, sharks, whales, albatrosses……

For sure the frustration of being beaten by a few hundred metres in both Leg 1 and 2 after a week and three weeks sailing respectively was a low point. After putting so much effort in day in day out, seeing your competition cross the line just in front is a hard pill to swallow. However, it is also the beauty of sailing these ‘one design’ boats which are identical, and therefore the racing is extremely tight, and it ultimately comes down to the skill of the sailors on board.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 77

A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E FA M I LY L AW

SCHOOL HOLIDAY ARRANGEMENTS REBECCA OAKLEY FAMILY LAW SOLICITORS will always encourage you to review your options before you act.

W

ith the Easter school holidays fast approaching many separated parents will be trying to sort out arrangements for their children to spend time with both parents, and also to cover the holiday days for the parents in work. Most parents manage to make arrangements between themselves but what happens for those who cannot agree on what should happen?

The first step should always be direct communication between parents if that is safe and possible. However, if this isn’t an option or hasn’t worked, then one parent or both might speak to a solicitor about sending a letter. Receiving a letter from a solicitor should not usually be considered the first shot of a war but instead an opportunity to discuss matters further with help from a

professional who is not emotionally involved.

It’s also possible to make use of the excellent mediation services in and around South Wales so that parents can try to continue direct discussions with support from a mediator and their solicitors in the background too, if they so wish.

If the worst happens and parents cannot agree, then having tried all other options first, one parent might ask the Court to determine the arrangements. This is a last resort but it doesn’t always mean the opportunity to try and agree things has been lost. The Court structure does actively encourage on going communication between parents even if the Court has to make the final decision about something.

There are a variety of options that can be explored to find out which form of communication will work best for the children and you in the short

and longer term. Both Rebecca and Belinda are long standing members of Resolution: First for Family Law which promotes a constructive approach to conflict resolution. We also support the use of mediation or alternative dispute resolution in all suitable cases. CL

If you have any questions, please contact us on 02920 532888.

Check us out at www.oakleyfamilylaw.com

C O M M O N W E A LT H GAMES

SWIM STAR As Team Wales prepares to head to the Gold Coast for this year’s Commonwealth Games, we catch up with Cardiff swimming star Chloe Tutton

A

By N E I L ROSE

fter missing out on an Olympic medal by just six-hundredths of a second at Rio 2016, Cardiff swimming star Chloe Tutton is determined to get on the podium when she proudly represents Wales at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games next month.

The 21-year-old, regarded as one of Britain’s brightest talents in the pool, is one of 15 aquatic athletes selected for the Games, taking place in Australia from 4-15 April.

And she cannot wait to compete for her country once again, having gained her first experience on the international stage when she swam at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow four years ago.

“This will be my second Commonwealth Games and I am so excited to be going to the Gold Coast,” says Chloe, a breaststroke specialist from Cardiff Bay. “I’m taking it on with a lot more confidence than I did my first Games in Glasgow. It was more of an achievement just to make the team in 2014 but hopefully this time I’ll be able to put myself in a good position to challenge for medals.

“I made the semi-finals and finals in Glasgow but was nowhere near getting a medal so hopefully this time I’ll get on the podium – fingers crossed!”

Chloe has made plenty of progress since that competition in Scotland. A dislocated shoulder forced her to take time off from swimming in 2015 but she made a massive breakthrough the following year when she won 200m breaststroke gold at the British Championships in what was then a new British record time of 2:22.34.

That secured her Team GB place for Rio 2016 and Chloe warmed up for her Olympic debut by winning 100m breaststroke bronze and helping Great Britain to 4x100m medley relay gold at the European Championships in London.

The closest of finishes saw Chloe denied a 200m breaststroke bronze medal by a fingertip at that summer’s Olympic Games but she was philosophical about finishing fourth, saying: “Just to get into the final is a great experience that I’ll take on with me for years to come.”

After missing out on World Championships qualification in 2017, Chloe is ready to make 2018 her year and, having just won gold in the both the 100m and 200m breaststroke at the British Swimming Championships at the start of the month, is targeting success on both the Gold Coast and at August’s European Championships, again being staged in Glasgow.

“The Commonwealth Games is a big thing because it is the only high-performance competition where you get to swim for Wales and that is really important to me,” she says.

“I do have another major goal for the end of the season and that is the European Championships, I would really like to move my performances on for that and get faster.”

Chloe last month moved her training base from City of Cardiff Swimming Club, where she had developed her talent from the age of 12 under the watchful eye of coaches Dave Haller and Graham Wardell, to the elite British Swimming National Centre at the University of Bath.

Among her new training colleagues are Rio 2016 Olympic medallists James Guy, SiobhanMarie O’Connor, Chris Walker-Hebborn and Wales’ own Jazz Carlin – she famously became the first Welsh woman in 40 years to win Commonwealth gold when she took the 800m freestyle title at Glasgow 2014.

“I am enjoying it so much in Bath and it’s been a good experience so far, I’m getting along really well with my new team-mates and new coach [Dave McNulty],” she says.

“It’s such a good group to be part of because they are all just so talented. Everyone pushes you to perform to your best and be better every day. They are all so fast and I have to race them just to keep up.

“It’s a nice change to be in a senior programme and have swimmers who are older than me – I’m actually the baby here!”

Chloe will be joined in the Wales squad by Jazz and fellow Bathbased swimmer Calum Jarvis on the Gold Coast and cannot wait to see how the team does Down Under.

“It’s a small team but we all get along well,” she says. “We’re all pally and in high spirits all the time so I think it will be fun going out to Australia with them.

“We’ve been to the Gold Coast on a few trips to prepare for the Games, so I know the place and I know the venue. It’s really nice and the pool is fantastic. I’ve always been to Australia in January, their summer, so I hope the weather stays nice and sunny for us in April.”

IT’S THE ONLY HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPETITION WHERE YOU GET TO SWIM FOR WALES AND THAT IS

REALLY

IMPORTANT TO ME

80 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Photo by Clare green for Matchtight

Cardiff swimming star Chloe Tutton

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C O M M O N W E A LT H GAMES

TEAM SPIRIT Meet the Team Wales athletes from Cardiff who’ll be competing in the Commonwealth Games. Go team!

AQUATICS

Name: XAVIER CASTELLI Age: 27 Event: 100m back, 200m back, 200m IM Xavier – who will turn 28 ahead of the Games in the Gold Coast – is one of the most senior members of the Team Wales swim squad.

He trains at City of Cardiff Swimming Club with Graham Wardell who took over from Dave Haller who retired in 2015.

Graham competed at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and has been one of the most UK’s successful swimming coaches.

What he’s won: In 2017, Xavier earned two bronze medals at the British Championships in 2017 in the 100m and 200m backstroke. He also finished eighth in the 200m backstroke at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Fact: His mother taught him to swim.

Name: HARRIET JONES Age: 20 Events: 50m fly, 10m fly, 200m fly Harriet swims out of City of Cardiff Swimming Club with coach Graham Wardell, undertaking 12 sessions a week.

She has already travelled to the Gold Coast, undergoing three weeks of intense training and conditioning as part of a group of 10 top swimmers from Wales. She trained alongside Olympic stars Chloe Tutton and Ieuan Lloyd so has some idea of what awaits her down under.

Sporting role model: Swimming legend Michael Phelps (and Harriet’s favourite sporting moment is his final race).

Competition history: Harriet represented Wales at the 2013 UK School Games where she collected two silvers in the 100 and 200 fly.

At the 2016 British Summer Championships, she tied for silver in the 17/18 years 100m fly and followed it up in the 19 and over category at the 2017 British Summer Championships by winning a silver in the 200m butterfly and two bronze medals in the 50m and 100m butterfly.

January 2018 saw Harriet produce her best performance to date at the USA Swimming Pro Series in Austin Texas, breaking two time Olympian Jemma Lowe’s Welsh national record in the 50m butterfly.

Where she went to school: Harriet is a former pupil of Bishop of Llandaff in Cardiff and Cowbridge Comprehensive.

82 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Name: BETHAN SLOAN Age: 21 Events: 100m breast, 200m breast The Cowbridge swimmer trains at the City of Cardiff Swim Club with coach Graham Wardell. Such is her dedication to excel in the pool, she has paused her chemistry degree studies at the University of Liverpool in order to focus on training.

Proudest moments so far: When she reached a semi-final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014, and smashing the Welsh senior record in the 200m breaststroke in 2016.

Fact: To help make ends meet, Beth works part time jobs in retail, hospitality and she also tutors A level chemistry students.

Name: CHLOE TUTTON Age: 26 Events: 100m breast, 200m breast Chloe Tutton was 13 when her talent was spotted by the now retired Dave Haller – the coach behind the likes of David Davies, Duncan Goodhew and Mark Foster. She is now a firm fixture in the Welsh team.

Competition history: This will be Chloe’s second Commonwealth Games, having competed in Glasgow, but it was in April 2016 that she raised eyebrows, winning the 200m breaststroke at the British Championships in a new British record time. Her record breaking swim sealed her place on Team GB for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio where she finished in an amazing fourth place.

Did you know? Although widely regarded as a breaststroke specialist, Chloe is certainly not limited to swimming one stroke.

She is the current Welsh Short Course Record holder in the 100m and 200m freestyle, 200m breaststroke, 200 IM, 4x100m freestyle team, 4x200m freestyle team, and she also currently holds the Welsh Long Course Record in the 200m breaststroke, 200 IM, 4x100m freestyle team.

C O M M O N W E A LT H GAMES

ATHLETICS

Name: ROWAN AXE Age: 26 Event: 1500m Cardiff middle distance runner Rowan Axe is inspired by Wales’ former marathon world record holder Steve Jones. He is coached by former Olympian Craig Winrow at St Mary’s University in London. Having graduated from St Mary’s, Rowan now works there as an assistant to the Endurance Performance and Coaching Centre programme.

Name: OLIVIA BREEN Age: 21 Events: F38 Long Jump and T38 100m Olivia made a name for herself at the London 2012 Paralympic Games when she raced in the T38 100m and 200m sprints. and helped the GB T35-38 4x100m team secure bronze after she ran the first leg.

Has she represented Wales before?

Olivia also represented Wales at the 2014 Commonwealth Games – this time in the long jump, but narrowly missed out on a medal when she finished 4th.

Achievements so far: In 2014 Olivia won bronze and a silver medal in the 100m and the 4x100m respectively at Swansea’s IPC European Championships.

At the 2015 IPC World Championships, she finished 4th in both the 100m and 200m and 6th in the long jump and ran the first leg for the GB 100m relay team which went on to win gold and set a new world record.

At the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, she finished 7th in the 100m and 12th in the long jump. In 2017, her training and focus really paid off when she became IPC World Champion in the long jump, so will travel to the Gold Coast brimming with confidence.

What he thinks about being part of Team Wales: “It means so much to me to be able to represent my country at a major championships like the Commonwealth Games. The thought of being able to run for Wales and support Team Wales, a team that has provided me with so many amazing opportunities throughout my running career, is something I will pride myself on for the rest of my life.”

Favourite sporting memory: Running his personal best at the Watford BMC in 2017.

Name: REBECCA CHAPMAN Age: 25 Event: Long jump Rebecca – or Becca as she is known to friends – is coached by multi events and jumps specialist Francis Baker as well as Gwyn Williams who coached Gill Regan to two Commonwealth Games.

Proudest moment: Achieving the A standard for the Commonwealth Games at the 2017 British Championships when her jump of 6.54m broke the Welsh record that had stood for 35 years, held by Gill Regan!

Education: Becca has completed her studies at Cardiff Metropolitan University and now is employed as a lecturer and athletics coach.

Name: BETHAN DAVIES Age: 27 Event: 20km Race Walk With one team member short and in borrowed, sweaty kit, Beth Davies discovered her love of race walking.

Little did she know when she ventured to the start line that her first ever performance would be spotted by coach Andi Drake, director of the National Centre for Race Walking who asked her join to his training sessions. It wasn’t long before her runs were swapped for race walks. She has had to master the race walk technique and over-come the disappointment of disqualifications which she describes as “an occupational hazard of race walking.”

Achievements so far: She performed well at London’s IAAF World Athletics Championships in 2017 achieving a top 30 placing, first Briton home, a 93 minute clocking and no technical infringements, and she was the second placed Commonwealth athlete home.

Fact: She is a neuroscientist and is a Research Assistant in the Cardiff Chronic

Lymphocytic Leukaemia Research Group at Cardiff University. When she’s not working, she is most often found training up and down Cardiff’s Taff Trail. www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 83

C O M M O N W E A LT H GAMES

CYCLING

Name: ELINOR BARKER MBE Age: 23 Event: Track endurance/Road Elinor is certainly one to watch. She became an Olympic gold medallist in the team pursuit at Rio 2016 (in a world record time) and boasts a tally of seven UCI Track Cycling World Championship medals, five UEC European Track Championship medals and two Commonwealth Games medals.

In Glasgow 2014, Elinor stormed to silver in the points race and bronze in the scratch. Her talents are not confined to the track, however. On the road, she has won gold at the 2012 UCI Junior Road World Championships and she will be riding for Wiggle next season.

She and sister Megan joined local club Maindy Flyers with coach Alan Davies who also helped hone the talents of Geraint Thomas and Owain Doull.

Name: LUKE ROWE Age: 28 Event: Road Luke Rowe has cemented his position as one of the world’s best classics riders and lead out men. He assisted Geraint Thomas to the gold medal at Glasgow 2014 and has raced in three Tours de France (2015, 2016, 2017).

But, in August 2017, just 10 days after the Tour had ended, Luke broke his right leg in over 20 places when he jumped into shallow water while whitewater rafting. He now has a metal rod in his lower leg and is recovering well, optimistic that he will be even stronger than before. He is now looking forward to his third Commonwealth Games.

Fact: Luke first sat on a bike at the age of three. Once his legs were long enough to reach the pedals on the back of a tandem (with ‘kiddy cranks’ on), father Courtney would take him to ride the roads of South Wales with his mother Alyson and brother Matt riding on a second tandem alongside.

84 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Name: PETE KIBBLE Age: 19 Event: Road Pete will be following in his father’s footsteps when he arrives on the Gold Coast with Team Wales. His dad is a former professional triathlete and he competed for Wales in Auckland, back in 1990. “This means a great deal to me as a proud Welshman as this is the highest level possible when competing for Wales,” says the Cowbridge rider who is a member of Zappi Racing Team.

Best results so far: Winning stage 2 of the 2016 Junior Tour of Wales on the Rhigos Mountain.

Fact: In 2013, Pete chopped off a finger in a mountain bike accident. Two days later, following surgery, he managed to secure a podium position at the National Time Trial Championships.

Name: DANI ROWE MBE (NÉE KING) Event: Track endurance/Road Age: 27 Dani is a three-times World Champion and an Olympic gold medallist. Her Olympic ambitions were realised at London 2012 in the team pursuit alongside Laura Kenny and Joanna Rowsell. They broke the world record in the process.

Dani represented England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games but after basing herself in Wales for the last five years she has decided to switch to Wales. She is married to fellow cyclist Matt Rowe and lives in Cardiff.

She suffered a setback in 2014 after hitting a pothole while training, breaking five ribs and puncturing her lung and spent 10 days in hospital.

Fact: Dani’s talent was spotted at the age of 14 when the British Cycling Talent Team visited her school. She is the daughter of Trevor King, a former biathlete who competed in two Winter Olympics.

SQUASH

SHOOTING

Name: SIAN CORISH Age: 30 Event: 50m Rifle Prone and 50m Rifle 3 x 20 This will be Sian’s fourth Commonwealth Games, having competed at Melbourne 2006, Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014. Her best result in Glasgow came in the 50m rifle prone in which she was placed eighth.

How it all began: Sian’s journey into shooting began alongside her twin sister Jenny at her secondary school in Shropshire (Ellesmere College) where she first tried her hand at the sport.

Fact: When she is not training at the Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff or Tondu Rifle Club, she can be found at the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board where she works as a physiotherapist.

Name: DAVID PHELPS Age: 39 Event: 50m Rifle Prone (Small bore) David is one of the most experienced shooters in the Wales squad. He has made the cut for Team Wales every four years since his first Commonwealth Games outing in Manchester back in 2002.

It was in Melbourne 2006 he really made his name however, seizing gold in the men’s prone as well as a bronze in the pairs event. Now, the Tesco worker mainly trains at the range at the Sport Wales National Centre.

Education: David is a former Whitchurch High School student which also boasts footballer Gareth Bale, rugby players Sam Warburton and Tour de France rider Geraint Thomas among its past students.

Fact: Both David’s parents coached and competed internationally, encouraging him to try the sport at a young age.

Name: TESNI EVANS Age: 25 Tesni was born in Cardiff and went to school in Rhyl. She splits her training between St Asaph Leisure, Rhyl Leisure Centre and the Sport Wales National Centre.

Success so far: Tesni has climbed her way up to the top 20 of the PSA World Tour rankings. Her breakthrough moment came in May 2015 when she won the Sharm El Sheikh International title. In August 2017, she stormed to a bronze medal at Manchester’s World Doubles Championships with partner Peter Creed while a semi-final finish arrived a month later at the Women’s HKFC International in Hong Kong.

She continued her good form into the winter, beating the world number

four to reach the quarter final stage at Manchester’s World Championships in December.

Coached by Andrew Evans and former World number three David Evans, Tesni has a string of Welsh National titles to her name and in 2014 she flew the Welsh flag at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Her Commonwealth Games debut took her to the last 16 in both the women’s singles and the mixed pairs with partner Peter Creed and the quarter finals of the women’s doubles with Deon Saffery.

TABLE TENNIS

Name: ANNA HURSEY Age: 11 – yes, really!

A tiny table tennis star with a very big future, she may just be 11 but, with dreams of becoming an Olympic medallist, rest assured Anna Hursey is a name to note.

She trains at Cardiff City Table Tennis Club and with the Welsh squad three hours a day, six days a week, under the guidance of Stephen Jenkins.

How it all began: When she was just five years old Anna travelled with her mother to Harbin, China where she received one-to-one coaching. On her return to Swansea, she continued to hone her skills at the Penlan Leisure Centre set up and run by Wales’ table tennis legend Betty Gray and Roy Towell. It was there that coach Aled Howell spotted her talent. In 2012, Anna and her family moved to Cardiff so that she could be closer to Cardiff City Table Tennis Club where her exceptional talents were nurtured by Yongbho Zhang and Nathan Thomas.

It wasn’t long before the Welsh squad invited her to training. Anna played her first international tournament in Barcelona at the age of seven, won a silver medal at the International Primary Schools Competition the following year and she became the no.1 player at under 18 level in Wales at the tender age of nine. She became Under 11 European Champion in August 2017. Anna now attends Cardiff High School.

Name: JOSHUA STACEY Age: 18 Event: Para Table Tennis Joshua will be packing plenty of international experience in his kitbag for the Gold Coast. The para table tennis player has twice competed at the European Youth Championships, recently he made his senior international debut at the European Championships in Luxembourg and won gold in the team event of the Belgium Para Open in October 2017.

His skills have been nurtured by St Mellons Table Tennis Club in Cardiff and he now currently plays for Ormesby Table Tennis Club in the Junior British League. Josh is living full-time at Grantham College in Lincolnshire where he trains three hours a day, five days a week.

Fact: He first played table tennis at a school taster session and he was hooked immediately. www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 85

C O M M O N W E A LT H GAMES

LAWN BOWLS

Name: DANIEL SALMON Age: 23 Event: Singles, Pairs It has helped nurture the talents of Gareth Bale, Geraint Thomas and Sam Warburton, and now Whitchurch High School in Cardiff can add Daniel Salmon to its sporty alumni.

While he will be making his debut appearance at the Commonwealth Games, it will be Daniel’s third trip to the Gold Coast to play on the greens at Broadbeach Bowling Club.

WEIGHTLIFTING & POWERLIFTING

His success so far:: In April 2017, he stormed to victory in the World Under 25s Men’s Singles and he furthered his experience at in June he travelled with Wales’ elite squad to compete in Test matches.

Fact: He started playing when he was just 10. Inspired and coached by his father Ben, he has always dreamed of representing Wales at the Commonwealth Games.

How he’s preparing: By playing on indoor greens to ready himself for the fast, outdoor greens on the Gold Coast.

Name: FAYE PITTMAN Age: 25 Event: 63kg Multi-talented Faye is a former gymnast and has also twisted the daunting, icy tracks of bobsleigh in her quest for success. She has even competed at the Europa Cup and World Cup as part of the bobsleigh team. In fact, it was as she was training for the British bobsleigh team that her potential was spotted by her coach Rhodri Thomas: “Weightlifting is totally different from the other sports I’ve done because I see the results of my work daily. When I work in the gym I can see what weight I’m lifting and that’s a good thing.

When you train for gymnastics or bobsleigh, you don’t really see the results until competition.”

This will be Faye’s first Commonwealth Games experience. Though selected for Glasgow 2014, she was forced to withdraw at the 11th hour due to injury.

Faye lives in Cardiff and trains at the Sport Wales National Centre. She is a personal trainer.

86 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Name: JORDAN SAKKAS Age: 18 Event: 105kg Jordan is yet another Commonwealth debutant in this new-look Team Wales weightlifting squad. But weightlifting was not his first love. A promising, young rugby star, Jordan represented Wales at under 16 level. In fact, he started weightlifting to become stronger and fitter on the pitch.

The turning point came in September 2015 when the Cardiff powerhouse claimed silver at the World Youth Weightlifting Championships. In the same year, he snatched silver at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa.

It was at that point he decided to turn his back on the scrum in favour of the barbell.

In 2016, he was unable to lift for eight months due to injury but demonstrated incredible patience and determination.

Weeks after returning to lifting, he won the Commonwealth Youth

Championships breaking all the youth records – snatch, clean, jerk and total.

He trains out of the Pontypool-based Willpower Weightlifting Club with coach and uncle Justin Holly.

Name: RHODRI WEST Age: 28 Event: +105kg By day, Rhodri helps cultivate the talents of some of Wales’ best rugby hopes as the Academy Strength and Conditioning coach for Dragons Rugby.

But super strong Rhodri West also has sporting dreams of his own and he’ll soon be swapping Newport’s Rodney Parade for the Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre on Australia’s Gold Coast.

He competes in the heaviest bodyweight category of +105kg and currently trains out of the Sport Wales National Centre and Power Athletics in Caerphilly.

For more on the team and all the events, visit www.teamwales.cymru

A MAN’S WORLD

OUR COMPLEMENTING HAVE SERVED AND WE US A LOT HAVE FROM EACH ALONG THE WAY

SKILLS WELL LEARNT OTHER

BRAD THYER

THE CAFFEINE FIX The “daily grind” has a whole new meaning for Brad these days….

T

he past year has been a bit of a roller coaster for me personally, with the ups and downs off the field being prominent life experiences I wont forget in hurry.

After suffering from a Vertebral Artery Dissection during a game against Glasgow last January, which caused me to have a minor stroke, I had a lot of time to think about what I was going to do in the future.

Aside from the obvious of a career in what I had studied at university, I wanted to expand on my academic learning and gain some ‘real-world’ experience.

Having some ‘spare’ time during my recovery gave me the chance to research a few ideas I had in my head for projects I’d love to explore after my rugby career was over.

Being a Computer Science graduate, an online business was one of the ideas that jumped out as something I’d like to look into further, with the eCommerce sector of business growing every day.

I knew I could eliminate some of the high startup cost by doing a lot of the technical work myself and knowing a lot of the overhead costs normally associated with physical businesses such as shops and stalls could be avoided.

There was one small issue though; I didn’t have the time and knowledge to dedicate to some of the key aspects of running an online business so I needed a partner in crime!

After returning from our pre-season break I found the perfect person – my team mate and fellow front rower Dillon Lewis when, during a morning conversation at training,

he mentioned he would be returning to university to begin a degree in business.

As we always turn up for training a tad earlier than we need to, some of the boys grab a coffee before beginning the day at 8am, and this simple part of our daily routine got us thinking.

Realising the amount of time we spent throughout the day drinking coffee and the differences between what we were drinking in training compared to what we drank at

the various coffee shops we visited, the idea was an obvious one – we wanted to bring the same quality of coffee we drink at speciality coffee shops to people’s homes. It fitted the online model and Dillon and I already had a passion for good coffee, often going out of our way to avoid the chain stores and visit the independent coffee shops in the area.

Dillon also has a knack of starting conversations with people and a social

confidence that many would envy. Our complementing skills have served us well so far along our journey and we have both learnt a surprising amount from one and other along the way.

Life as a professional rugby player can be pretty demanding at the best of times, the obvious physical demands of training four to five days a week takes its toll on your body and can mean a few extra recovery sessions throughout the week.

Despite this, we normally find ourselves with around two or three hours a day of ‘spare time.’ Some team mates grab a coffee and socialise after training, some get home early and get their house duties done and dusted, some enjoy the challenge of studying alongside playing, and some have already started up businesses outside of rugby that they are involved in on a daily basis.

The need to do something else differs between individuals and for me, starting up my own business is one of the most fulfilling things I have done.

For Dillon and I, Fat Dragon Coffee has been a challenging but exciting project so far and we have many ideas in the pipeline for the company.

We love the change in mindset we experience when we leave the changing rooms after a tough day, and head home to work on the business and deal with customers and suppliers.

The knowledge and experiences we’ve gained from our rugby careers, coupled with the business lessons we have learnt, and will continue to learn along the way, have already proved valuable and will hopefully stand us in good stead in the future.

Follow Brad on Twitter @BradThyer

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 89

More adventures in party-going

Phill Scully and Liz Hewson (ffotogallery)

SNAPPED!

Snapping the action

AC ROS S CA R D I FF, O N E S H I N D I G AT A T I M E

EVERYONE’S A WINNER Finalists and sponsors of this year’s Cardiff Life Awards came together for a special reception at Barley and Rye on 21 February in anticipation of the awards ceremony.

Photos by Owen Mathias/Colour Photography

Richard Edwards and Karen Holbrook (Huggard Centre), Nick Corrigan and Nathaniel Pleyvak (Media Academy Cardiff)

Lauren Hall (Little Miss VIP), Matthew Creed (Jammy Custard Studios), Kate Murray (Little Miss VIP), Patrick Hathaway (Jammy Custard Studios), Kate Butterfield (Cardiff Life), Chris Barber (Robertsons Solicitors) Hayley and Nick Macleod (One Mile Bakery), Carmella Searle and Adam Lloyd-Binding (Rubicon Dance)

Jessica Mclean and Suzanne Ventrice (Amdani Fitertainment Park) with Ann Tudball and Luke Dixon (Martyn Prowell) Delish canapés 90 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

SOCIETY

Taylor Parry and Kier Olsen (Olsen Fitness)

Alex Taylor (Pennyroyal), Amy HoidgeHughes and Chris Corner (Corner Coffee), Jamie Lock and Amy Holmes (Pennyroyal), Charlotte Pratt (The Dead Canary) Carmella Carrubba (Real SFX), Robert Cutler and Pete Grzonka (Cardiff City FC), Victoria Rees-Price (Moto Novo Finance) Charlotte Pratt (The Dead Canary), Laurence Collier and Sarah Parsons (Chapel 1877)

Natalie Mock (Sadler Jones), Caroline Davies and Beth Rees (Bobath Cymru), Cath Jones (Sadler Jones), Rachael Jones (DMP)

Vanessa Davies (Hijinx), Hywel Glynn-Jones (Do Digital Realities), Phil Miller and Hayley Bud (The Lansdowne Pub)

Rufus Bowen and Abigail Daunton-Johns (Trendy Products)

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 91

SOCIETY

COCKTAIL HOUR

Helen Williams, Connie Howells, Ellie Goldstien and Helen Williams

The Celtic Manor Resort held a cocktails and canapĂŠs evening to launch its new Mulberry Bar. Guests included rugby greats Sir Gareth Edwards and Ian Gough, TV personalities Bradley Walsh and Dr Rhys Jones, former cricketer Mike Powell and former Olympic athlete Jamie Baulch.

For more: www.celtic-manor.com

Llio Angharad and Nicky Batchelor

The stylish Mulberry Bar

Deborah Hancock and Rhys Jones

Mariana Smyth, Rhys Giles and Steve Giles 92 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

SOCIETY Dan Baldwin and Bradley Walsh

Cheryl Hicks, Ian Gough and Geoff Hancock

Sonny Seabrook and Nia Seabrook

Beth Davidson and Anne Evans

Gareth Edwards, Pippa Powell and Mike Powell

Vanessa Russell, Jess Price and Annie Slater

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 93

SOCIETY

Bethan Evans, Tim Brotherton, Vicky Kells and Gavin Reed

BIRTHDAY BASH The Cardiff office of law firm Clarke Willmott LLP celebrated its third anniversary, after experiencing its busiest year yet, with a party for friends and clients.

Partners at the firm say they are delighted with the success of the office, which opened in Cardiff Bay in 2015, and has since seen significant growth both in terms of staff recruitment and client wins, particularly over the last year.

The Cardiff Clarke Willmott team

Ross Powell, Dominic Garner and John Woodhall

Conor Lee (Hannick Homes) and Gareth Davies, (Julian Hodge Bank)

Clare Gregory (Clarke Willmott), Jayne Brewer (Wales Millennium Centre) and Jackie Quantock (JQ Consulting) Darren Parker and Hamish Munro

Mike Fenwick, Jane Boyes and Juliet Gamlin 94 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

L E G A L a d v e r t i s i n g f e at u r e

Home truths Do you need expert legal help with family matters?

BERRY SMITH LAWYERS in Cardiff and Bridgend, experts in this field, can answer all your questions.

B

efore I met, and later married, my husband of five years, I purchased my home (which I still own in my sole name). I have recently fallen out with my husband and, following a big argument, I asked him to leave.

Several days later I agreed to a reconciliation; shortly after my husband returned to the home, I received a letter from the HM Land Registry notifying me that a Home Rights Notice had been registered against my home.

When I questioned my husband, he said that it will stop me from being able to throw him out again. Is this right?

a: It appears that your husband has

registered a restriction against the former matrimonial home, recognising his interest in the property (called a Home Rights notice). The existence of a Home Rights

Notice prevents you from being able to sell or re-mortgage the property without your husband’s consent and gives him a right to reside at the property until you are divorced (or he agrees to leave). However, it does not permit your husband to remain in the property under all conditions and circumstances.

If your husband is harassing you, causing you physical, psychological and/or emotional abuse, you are entitled to peaceful occupation of the property without disturbance or threat of harm. In these circumstances you should, in the first instance, contact the police and, if they do not take any action, consider an application for a non-molestation order.

If you, or anyone you know, requires any advice in relation to home rights, domestic violence, or any other family matters, please feel free to contact our team on 02920 345511.CL

Katie McColgan, Partner (Family Department) at Berry Smith

Please feel free to contact our family team for advice on a whole range of family matters on 02920 345511. www.berrysmith.com

Managing your tax. Building your wealth

Shake-ups/launches/successes/promotions

CA R D I FF G E T S S ER I O US Xxxx

QUOTE OF THE ISSUE

THE BIG STORY

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT Former rugby international, Gemma Hallett, is trying to help tackle the issue of youth unemployment through a new app

A

ccording to research undertaken in 2016 one in five young people in Wales, aged between 16 and 24 were unemployed. It’s a statistic that struck a chord with Gemma, who decided to set up a new app called miFuture to tackle unemployment issue with Generation Z, particularly in Wales. The app allows young people to set up profiles, swiping ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to different opportunities through the app, applying for opportunities directly through here.

“The unemployment issue is

not necessarily down to a lack of opportunities but is arguably a communication problem, where organisations are unaware of how to attract this new generation towards chances of employment,” said Gemma. “Employers only have 1.2 seconds to attract these young people’s attention and past that point, it’s gone. Yet, many companies are still using traditional communications channels that are simply not as effective anymore when looking to reach these talented individuals. miFuture, is a onestop-shop that is being created to help showcase employment opportunities to those

disengaged young people who may be currently unemployed or are unsure how to get into the job market.

“Unlike other employment websites, the opportunities set to be featured on this app will be directly targeted towards Generation Z in a style which allows users to swipe yes or no to potential opportunities.

From there, users will be able to directly apply for opportunities through their profile on the app, cutting down on any barriers or complications to make a more seamless application process.”

For more: www.mifuture.com

“IT COULDN’T HAVE BEEN A MORE PERFECT DAY FOR IT, MARKING THE 100TH YEAR THAT WOMEN FIRST WON THE RIGHT TO VOTE IN THE UK” Who, what and why? Find out over the page….

140 THE BIG NUMBER

The number of miles between the airports in Cardiff and Guernsey Turn over to find out more

Got a business news story for us? Email emma.dance@mediaclash.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 101

BUSINESS INSIDER

Heidi-Louside Griffiths of Maykher

David Westcott

THE LANGUAGE INSTINCE

the 100th year that women first won the right to vote in the UK. It is a priority for Maykher to continue the crucial movement of complete equality of the sexes around the world, which is why we are passionate about providing fair employment to the talented women who create our products and invest our profits into the education of young women and girls in developing countries where they are often treated as second-class citizens simply because of their gender. For us, it’s fantastic to be recognised for this work.”

Cardiff-based team building company inspireMe is actively supporting one of its valued employees to fulfil his lifelong dream of becoming bilingual.

Having been in Paris since the start of the year, David Westcott, musical architect at team-building, training and engagement company, inspireMe, is currently living and working in Paris, with the aim of becoming fully fluent in French – all with the full support of his employer, inspireMe founder and director, Andrea Callanan.

“It’s been a big dream of mine to improve my French and become bilingual,” said David.

“Andrea actively encouraged me to come to Paris to fulfil my dream. All of the inspireMe team have been brilliant and so supportive.”

“It’s really important that everyone who works for me can pursue their passions, and as an employer, I actively support that,” said Andrea. “As Richard Branson said, ‘If you look after your staff, they’ll look after your customers’ – it’s that simple.”

For more: www.maykher.com

For more: www.andinspireme.com

WINNING WAYS Welsh slow and sustainable fashion company, Maykher has been named Ethical Business of the year at the Wales Federation of Small Business Awards.

The Cardiff-based fashion company prides itself on creating products which allow its customers to ‘purchase with a purpose’ since 10 per cent of its profits are invested into the education of young women and girls in poverty-stricken areas of the world.

Founder of Maykher, Heidi-Louise Griffiths, said, “We are very proud to have won the FSB Wales Green business of the year award and it couldn’t have been a more perfect day for it, marking

The blue skies and seas of Guernsey are within easy reach of Cardiff

ISLAND HOPPING Following its first season of flying from Cardiff to Guernsey in 2017, Blue Islands – Flybe’s franchise partner – has confirmed the return of flights to the popular channel island for the coming summer season.

Starting from 29 May, direct flights will be available on Tuesdays and Saturdays Deb Barber, CEO of Cardiff Airport, said: “It’s great to welcome one of our newest airlines, Blue Islands, back to Cardiff Airport this summer. The franchise agreement between Blue Islands and Flybe is an innovative way to offer our customers even more choice and value for money.

“The island offers visitors a unique experience and boasts stunning scenery, and with two departures a week it’s great for a relaxing break that’s not too far from home. Additionally, this service offers visitors from Guernsey the perfect opportunity to visit Wales and to discover all that our stunning country has to offer.”

For more: www.cardiff-airport.com

102 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Afonwy Howell-Pryce

MOVERS, SHAKERS, ETC TEAM BUILDING

Cardiff solicitors Robertsons is set to develop its probate team with a new head of department. Probate specialist Afonwy Howell-Pryce has joined the team at a pivotal time of growth, with the remit of developing Robertsons’ wills, probate and trusts service.

Afonwy, 30, completed her LPC at Cardiff University before moving to Oxfordshire to train. She returned to Cardiff in 2014 and is now looking forward to developing the city centre firm’s private client department in the coming months.

For more: www.robsols.co.uk

IN THE CENTRE

ICC Wales has appointed Rebecca Green as Corporate Sales Manager at the upcoming international convention centre on the site of the Celtic Manor.

Rebecca will be working with the corporate and agency market, alongside the other ‘Make It Happen’ team members bringing the convention centre to Wales in 2019. Rebecca has more than 12 years’ experience in the events industry, including Celtic Manor where she previously managed Corporate Relations. She joins from Carden Park Hotel – Cheshire’s Country estate, where she was senior sales manager.

For more: www.iccwales.com

Ready to toast the winners!

CARDIFF LIFE AWARDS

AND THE WINNERS ARE… The Cardiff Life Awards Winners were due to be revealed just after this Cardiff Life went to press. We’ll have bumper coverage of the uber-glam event next issue – pages and pages and pages of glamour and excitement.

The sell-out Awards were held at City Hall in an evening-long on celebration and were deep on emotion and hosted by the legend that is Nigel Owens. The Awards were sponsored by headline sponsor Cardiff Airport and once more there was a massive number of nominations across the categories.

Unprecedented support saw the following roster of sponsors: Cardiff Airport, Savills, Cardiff BID, WSET,

www.cardifflifeawards.co.uk @CardiffLifeAwds

GOOD HEALTH

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS

Jennie Steward has taken on the role of general manager at Lanelay Hall.

Jennie brings with her more than a decade of experience with both global and privately owned hotel brands, and will be working with owner David Edwards to develop the Lanelay Hall brand and its positioning in the market.

David said, “It’s an exciting time at Lanelay Hall and having Jennie join us with her drive and dynamic leadership skills will establish Lanelay Hall’s market position.”

For more: www.lanelayhall.co.uk

Genero, Chapel 1877, Capital FM, Cardiff Blues, Robertsons Solicitors, Lexus Cardiff and Cardiff City FC. Huge congratulations to all the worthy winners and fantastic finalists, as well as all those businesses who attended, for making this year’s Awards such a truly special event.

Winners will also enjoy a special Winners’ Dinner, held in April, to bring this year’s achievements to a close.

And next year..? It’ll be happening all over again, on 14 March 2019…

Rewarding excellence in patient safety

Nuffield Health Cardiff & Vale Hospitals has been given a national award for the highest standards relating to patient safety.

Signifying better care, the National Joint Registry’s Quality Data Provider award demonstrates the high quality of data at the Nuffield Health Joint Replacement Centre Wales.

The ‘NJR Quality Data Provider’ scheme is designed to offer hospitals a blueprint for reaching standards relating to patient safety and to reward them for meeting six ambitious targets.

The scheme benefits both the hospitals and the National Joint Registry (NJR) by helping recognise and reward best practice; increase engagement and awareness of quality data collection and help embed the ethos that better data ultimately equals better care. Established more than 15 years ago, the NJR monitors the performance of hip, knee, ankle, elbow and shoulder joint replacements to enable research and improve clinical outcomes for the benefit of patients.

In accepting the Quality Data Provider award, Matron, Melanie Webber-Maybank, said, “Our compliance with the National Joint Registry is a strong reflection on our Joint Replacement Centre Wales to achieve this accolade. For surgeons and patients alike, the necessity for having accurate and complete data is an absolute must. It provides an important source of evidence for regulators such as the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, to inform their judgements about our service, as well as being a fundamental driver to inform improved quality of care for patients.”

For more: www.nuffieldhealth.com

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ad v e r ti s i n g f eatu r e L AW

What's next?

Mark Anson

Marc Anson, Commercial Lawyer at Bowden Jones Solicitors, provides an insight into the impact of Brexit on Intellectual Property (IP) rights.

W

e all know that the UK government has notified the EU that it was invoking Article 50. After a two-year time limit the UK’s withdrawal from the EU will take effect.

What does this mean?

The impact of Brexit on Intellectual Property rights depends on negotiations between the UK and the EU. If the UK decides to choose the path of breaking away from the EU completely we will see a divergence between the EU and UK approach to various intellectual property rights.

Is there an IP strategy post Brexit?

What is clear is regardless of the exit model adopted, registered trademarks and registered designs will be impacted by Brexit as they are the

most harmonised forms of IP rights in the EU. The EU trade mark regime is established by EU legislation and EU Trade Marks (EUTMs) give protection in all member states. Unless an agreement between the UK and the EU is put in place, existing EUTMs would cease to cover the UK. As such, post Brexit, an EUTM applicant would have to apply for a separate UK national trade mark which will result in increased trade mark costs.

Discussions are underway regarding extending the protection which EUTM holders currently have in the UK. What this means in practice is still unclear, it is possible that there will be some sort of conversion into national rights (for which there may be a fee which could prove expensive for large portfolios), or the UK may simply choose to recognise and protect EU Trade Marks.

Proud finalist of

For more information on these issues, please call Marc Anson on 02920 484 550. Alternatively, please visit www.bowdenjones.co.uk to learn more about how we can help you and your business.

Bowden Jones Solicitors, call us now for a free consultation Whether you are an individual or a business, at Bowden Jones Solicitors we have a team of experts that can give you the right legal advice.

For business Commercial Litigation Commercial Property Corporate & Commercial Law Debt Recovery HR Consultancy 22 Park Place, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, CF10 3DQ

029 2048 4550

enquiries@bowdenjones.co.uk

For individuals Civil Litigation Conveyancing Criminal Defence Personal Injury Wills & Probate www.bowdenjones.co.uk

Chambers Estate Agents is one of North Cardiff’s leading independent estate agents providing a highly professional, efficient and personal service in residential sales, lettings and property management. We boast a 5* rating on rateragent.co.uk based on valuation achieved, speed of transaction, value for money, local knowledge and the quality of our staff.

As a Rent Smart Wales Registered & Licenced Agent we offer a range of tools to help you with your property search including:

Bespoke Marketing

Video Tours

Professionally Printed Brochures

Please visit our website to use our quick, free and easy online valuation tool and see what the true value of your property really is at the click of a button...

Floor plans

Open House Events

Professional Off Market Photography Opportunities

All Types of Properties Required for Waiting Buyers

FREE INSTANT ONLINE VALUATION

We offer instant online valuations, just enter your post code.

You can also get a lettings valuation to see what rental you can achieve for your rental property.

35 Merthyr Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 1DB T: 029 20522106 F: 029 20522660 E: info@chambersestateagents.co.uk www.chambersestateagents.co.uk

FREE NO OBLIGATION VALUATIONS

Contact our Sales Team today

PROPERTY

SHOWCASE

MAKING AN IMPRESSION

CHARLIE ROSE delights in the light, bright expanse of this Michaelston-y-Fedw home

112 112 II CARDIFF CLIFTON LIFE LIFE II www.mediaclash.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk

SHOWCASE

PROPERTY

THERE’S A REAL SENSE OF FLOW THROUGHOUT WITH CLEAN LINES, AND COOL CONTEMPORARY

STYLING

www.mediaclash.co.uk II CLIFTON CARDIFF LIFE LIFE II 113 xxx www.mediaclash.co.uk

PROPERTY

SHOWCASE

S

ome properties just have that elusive X-factor, that feeling that makes you want to instantly move in and then invite round everyone you know to show off your new home. 29 Cefn Mably is one of those place. And not just because it’s big (although with eight bedrooms and six reception rooms it’s certainly pretty sizeable), nor is down to the fact that it’s got a heated indoor swimming pool along with spa pool and bi-fold doors on to the garden, and it’s not even the prestigious address in Cefn Mably Country Park that makes it so very desirable. Of course, all these play a part, but it’s also the incredible attention to detail, the high specification finish throughout and the sheer lightness and brightness of the place that all come together to create that elusive chemistry and make this home something really special.

The 9,959 square feet of contemporary loveliness is just six miles from the centre of Cardiff and there’s a private residents’ entrance from Junction 30 of the M4 (there’s a second entrance accessed from Old St Mellons too), but thanks to its parkland setting it’s incredibly peaceful and secluded, despite its proximity to the city and busy transport links.

The garden is nothing short of stunning, extending to more than an acre with a stream running through it, pathways and bridges meandering through woodland paved seating areas and a decking area taking in countryside views.

Inside, the sense of space continues and everything has clearly been designed to make the most of the natural 114 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

There’s plenty of space for the whole family to spread out and relax in this light-filled, contemporary home

HOUSE NUMBERS 29 Cefn Mably Park, Michaelston-yFedw CF3 6AA

8

bedrooms

6

reception rooms

£2.8M guide price

1

light. The property has been extended, doubling the size of the original layout, but the work is seamless and there’s a real sense of flow throughout with clean lines, and cool contemporary styling.

Details like the modern glass and oak stairway in the impressive entrance hall, the bespoke fitted kitchen with high spec integrated appliances including fridge/freezer, dishwasher, wine fridge, induction hob and oven with warming drawers, Silestone worktops elevate this home to something truly grand.

All but one of the eight bedrooms has its own en suite bathroom, but it’s the master bedroom which has a real wow-factor, with a dramatic vaulted ceiling, windows to the front and side, dressing room with bespoke fitted wardrobes and an exquisitely finished wet room with open shower and modern roll-top bath.

As much as it’s been designed for living, this home has also been designed for relaxing too, with a games room, cinema room and spa pool alongside the swimming pool.

Outside there’s a detached triple garage with up-andover electric doors, and above the garage are two rooms which are currently used as home office space but which offer a wealth of possibilities.

This is a spacious and luxurious home that’s sure to be a real hit.

swimming pool

3

garages

For more: Savills, 5th Floor, 2 Kingsway, Cardiff CF10 3FD; Tel: 02920 368900; www.savills.co.uk

advertising feature P R O P E R T Y

Your Forever Home Exceptional new properties in the traditional surroundings of the Vale of Glamorgan.

L

uxury residential developer, Westacres was established in January 2015 and as a private company is passionate about providing bespoke homes in sought-after locations across Wales. From choosing the location of the developments, through to completion of our prestigious homes, every aspect of the design and construction process is carried out to the highest standard, ensuring that our developments create a community that we and our homeowners are extremely proud of.

Introducing Priory Gardens Our latest development at Priory Gardens, Ewenny, epitomises our vision and our core values of first class design, materials and craftsmanship. The development consists of just five impressive, detached properties each with a substantial garden. Each property is individual but the level of care and attention to detail always remains the same and the new homes are also covered by a NHBC 10 year Buildmark warranty.

The properties offer a unique opportunity to own a contemporary new build home within the traditional, sought after setting of the Vale of Glamorgan.

Two unique house types The Southerndown: A haven of privacy, this five-bedroom home is full of character and boasts an exceptional level of craftsmanship for an unparalleled sense of contemporary luxury.

The Ogmore: Our four-bedroom home offers an exceptional level of classic style, coupled with clean lines and modern simplicity. An ideal choice for families seeking a forever home.

Personal care and attention at Westacres We pride ourselves on our personal service and our dedicated team works alongside each home buyer taking into account their individual needs and visions, wherever possible, to provide the living space of their dreams without compromising on the finished result.

You are invited to book your personalised visit to our Marketing Suite at Priory Gardens. Here you can take a virtual tour of the properties using the latest technology, a completely fascinating way of envisaging your new home! Every attention to detail has been given to the virtual exterior and interior and as you wander around you will be amazed and delighted as the property unfolds before you, a truly unique experience.

On leaving your virtual home you are invited to look around the marketing suite, peruse the actual fixtures and fittings and discuss your every requirement with the experienced staff.

Community Focus Whilst ensuring our buyers feel at home within our Priory Gardens development we also prioritise working with the established community around each of our sites.

A Community Viewing Point has been set up to encourage local residents to observe how the development unfolds and we have had the pleasure of spending time with local children at our school visits. Our visits have included Site Safety Talks and the Big Build Challenge which earned pupils at St Brides Major Primary School a coveted runners-up award in the UK wide competition!

We would be delighted to talk through your opportunities at Priory Gardens, Tel: 0800 091 1809 If you would like to receive one of our brochures please email info@westacres.co.uk To browse at your leisure please visit www.westacres.co.uk

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Glan Rhosyn, Pendoylan Road Groesfaen A truly stunning totally re-furbished charming detached Barn conversion, occupying an idyllic location with wonderful wide ranging views across open countryside.

The property which provides 3708 square feet of space, was originally renovated in 1992, and has been extensively modernised by the current owners between 2014 and 2017. This spectacular character home provides exceptional living space with special attention to both the living space and the high quality of the new bespoke contemporary fittings that have been carefully planned and added to provide a magnificent family home, with many character features including exposed beamed ceilings, exposed stone walls, large farm house style panel doors, exposed wood ceilings and flag stone floors. Every room in the house has been completely renovated including a knock through of the kitchen and dining room providing a fabulous open plan living space so dearly needed with growing families, and perfect for entertaining. This exceptional area is a capacious (32’9 x 19’3) and includes a superb solid oak hand painted custom made Bespoke kitchen equipped with solid granite work surfaces, a full size range cooker, a Villeroy & Bosch sink, and two integrated Fisher & Paykel Dish Drawer (dishwashers). The gracious dining area also includes new solid oak double glazed bespoke bi-folding doors which open onto the stunning rear gardens and provide a wonderful view across the surrounding grounds. This capacious four bedroom family home enjoys a large and lovely private garden, approx 3rd of an acre, with attached stable and double garage. Externally finished in stone this truly large and versatile property boasts four/five separate reception rooms, including the lounge being generous 38 Ft. x 16 ft. The ground floor living space also includes a grand entrance reception hall with returning staircase that leads to an impressive gallery landing, a new downstairs shower room with bespoke white suite, a utility room, a study, a 19 Ft. sitting room and a 17 Ft. family room. On the first floor there are four double sized bedrooms, the master suite includes French doors that open onto a private first floor balcony which overlooks the charming rear gardens and leads to a stunning roof garden with superb views across rolling fields and countryside. Included within the master bedroom is a bespoke free standing bath and a concealed ensuite cloak room with bespoke fittings and stunning mandarin split faced tiles. Further new improvements include new powder coated Paladin radiator company cast iron bespoke radiators, a new Baxi gas boiler (2014), luxurious electric under floor heating within the both the kitchen breakfast room and dining room, and a superb new bespoke family bathroom, installed in 2017 and equipped with charming re-claimed stressed wood timbering, a bespoke handmade wash stand, contemporary split faced mandarin stone tiling. Within the lounge there is a stunning new Topstak log burner within the Inglenook stone fireplace, whilst other expensive improvements include a sophisticated sonic intruder alarm, There is also stunning new Mandarin Stone Limestone tiles within the entrance hall, the dining room and the kitchen.

Other features include double glazed windows and outer doors throughout, mains gas, mains water and a eco-friendly bio drainage system costing only £110 per year to service. A beautiful Barn conversion set within lovely countryside, yet within easy driving distance to Cardiff and the M4.

For sale with PA Black Talbot Green Branch 01443 222851

Guide Price £920,000 - £940,000

Holly Trees, Mill Road Lisvane Holly Trees is a unique detached six bedroom residence, set back with a wide private four/five car private entrance drive approached from highly regarded Mill Road, Lisvane, positioned opposite the entrance to Cwrt Cefn. This versatile family home enjoys the special benefits of a sizeable private enclosed front garden and a wide secluded chiefly lawned rear garden, inset with a private sun terrace and screened by high laurel trees affording a superb level of privacy. Originally built circa 1950 and substantially extended circa 2009, this wonderfully spacious home provides well planned living space with the first floor option to create a self-contained master bedroom suite complete with generous main bedroom (16’3 x 13’0 boasting a further 2 FT deep selection of full length wardrobes, a large ensuite full size bathroom and a generous ensuite dressing room (13’9 x 8’3 max). The first floor living space would then still provide four further bedrooms and a large family bathroom (11’10 x 7’5 max). The ground floor living space includes a large entrance reception hall equipped with a wide returning spindle balustrade staircase, a down stairs cloak room with a modern white suite, a well fitted open plan kitchen and breakfast room (20’0 x 10’9) (circa 2002) equipped with integrated appliances, a versatile family room/snug with PVC French doors, and a large utility room which provides a courtesy door that leads directly into the integral double garage (18’7 x 16’6). This large double garage is equipped with a remote controlled double door, a wall mounted combi boiler (circa 2009 and serviced every year), and a useful courtesy door which leads onto the private rear gardens. The ground floor reception rooms include a lounge and sitting room (25’9 x 16’11 narrowing to 12’4) inset with a stone fireplace and PVC double glazed patio doors which open onto the sizeable front gardens, and a separate open plan dining room and PVC double glazed conservatory (19’6 x 11’11 max) which enjoys a pleasing and relaxing outlook also onto the private front gardens.

The property benefits white PVC double glazed windows, outer doors and French doors, gas heating with panel radiators, and two Villeroy & Bosch first floor white bathrooms (circa 2009). This most impressive detached traditional residence would prove ideal for a growing family and is available with early possession with no chain!

For sale with PA Black Llanishen Branch 02920 618552

£725,000

CARDIFF LIVES

Q&A

S

ean Morrison joined Cardiff City FC back in 2014. He was handed the captain’s armband the following season, and has been leading the team ever since.

So Sean, where in Cardiff do you call home?

I’ve been living in Radyr for the past three years, but I’m moving to Creigiau in the next few weeks.

It’s a little closer to the training ground.

What’s the best thing about living in Cardiff?

The city in general! It has lots of restaurants and lots of things to do. I just feel it’s a very good city to live in.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

I’d have to say probably this season (2017/18) overall. It has been such a good season so far. We’ve still got quite a way to go but the togetherness within the squad is incredible.

Coming into work every day is a pleasure.

Who would play you in a film about your life?

That is a difficult one – but I think it would have to be a big dog actor. I’d go for Jake Gyllenhaal.

What do you never leave home without?

My phone. I’m so bad with it.

How do you relax?

I do enjoy golf – but in phases and I’m not as big on it as I once was. I mostly just chill and home! I like watching TV, going to the cinema, and going out for dinner.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

I’d have to say, probably early 2000 pop music – I’m a big fan of Blue!

What are you listening to at the moment?

I listen to all types of music – as you’ve just found out. My music taste differs – I like the chart stuff, but I like rock music and punk rock. It changes every day.

What’s your favourite television programme?

My favourite ever is probably Sons of Anarchy but at the minute, I’m hooked on Brooklyn Nine Nine.

What’s your favourite shop in Cardiff?

Reiss – I do like the clothes. Most of the time I’m in town though I’m in a coffee shop.

SEAN MORRISON The Cardiff City FC captain shares his secrets…

And your tip for the best place to eat out there?

Portuguese restaurant Madeira.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

Bob Marley and Michael Jackson.

Tell us about a secret Cardiff spot we might not be aware of…

Customhouse or Pier 64 – the boys talk about these places and they are wonderful. Up in Creigiau – I’d have to say Caesars Arms.

Surprise us with a revelatory fact about yourself…

I’m a big baby when I don’t get my own way.

It looked like you had a lot of fun filming the Cardiff City season ticket video. How did you find the singing experience?

122 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

It was a bit daunting really. As a footballer, you don’t really ever get asked to sing along. None of us can sing – let’s be honest. It was good fun though and the video looks great.

Do you have a message for the people of Cardiff ahead of the final season run-in and 2018/19 season?

I’d just like to say a big thank you for the support.

We wouldn’t be doing as well as we are without you. People don’t realise how much the support makes a difference. We need you all more than ever currently with the final push. We look forward to seeing you all at CCS again soon!

The Bluebirds have a number of home matches remaining in 2018. To purchase your ticket, visit www.eticketing.co.uk/cardiffcity. 2018/19 Cardiff City season tickets are now on sale.

For full details visit www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk

www.icebodysculpting.co.uk - info@icebodysculpting.co.uk 02921 202 190. 122 Cowbridge Road West, Cardiff, CF5 5BT