Mid Wales family tourism business named in top 10 UK luxury lodge destinations

A Mid Wales family-run tourism business has been named in the top 10 best UK luxury lodge destinations in the UK.

Luxury Lodges Wales at Trefeglwys, near Llanidloes, Powys was named by the Sunday Mirror and is the only one in Wales.

Owners Colin and Mandy Powell said they were very proud of the achievement. “It’s great to be named among the top 10 luxury lodges in Wales by a national publication and even better to be the only one representing Wales in the list,” said Colin.

“We have a hard working team here who ensure all of our guests feel special. The tourism sector is a vital part of the economy here in Mid Wales and to gain this sort of exposure help keep the area on the UK map.

“We attract guests from all over the UK who go on to use and visit attractions and businesses throughout the area and so being named in the top 10 luxury lodges in the UK by the Sunday Mirror will help bring even more exposure to the region.”

The “Top 10 luxury lodges ideal for a superbly stylish staycation this summer” was published in last Sunday’s Sunday Mirror and online.

Luxury Lodges Wales is a Five Star accredited Visit Wales self-catering accommodation provider and has won numerous business and tourism awards since it opened in 20**.

It has six lodges nestled within an 80 acre site at Grandstand, Trefeglwys, with plans for expansion.

As well as the luxury lodge accommodation, guests are encouraged to pick their own fresh eggs each morning or fish at the sites private pools.

Picture caption:

Colin and Mandy Powell of Luxury Lodges Wales.

Shropshire border vineyard scoops two awards at UKs national wine competition

 

Kerry Vale Vineyard is celebrating for a third year running after winning two awards in this year’s UK wine industry national competition.

The vineyard, located near Montgomery, won a silver award for its ‘Shropshire Lady’ (also known as Solaris) Dry white wine and a bronze award for ‘Summer Days’ medium white wine at the UK Vineyard Association’s (UKVA) prestigious national competition. 

Organised and run by the UKVA and for a second year sponsored by Waitrose, the competition is an opportunity for producers of all sizes from across England and Wales to compete against each other. The wines were judged over two days at Llanerch Vineyard near Cardiff by a team of five Masters of Wine and marked to international professional standards.  

Chaired by David Bird, the judging panel comprised Robin Crameri, Rebecca Hull, Angela Muir and Patricia Stefanowicz.

Kerry Vale Vineyard owner June Ferguson said: “We are thrilled to have won two awards. It makes all the hard work we do maintaining the vines worthwhile. Last year we won 12 international and national medals, so we are hoping these are the first of many more in 2016.” 

Mr Bird was impressed by the standard of entries.  “The high level of medals achieved is a measure of the high standard that winemaking in the UK has reached,” he said.

Barry Lewis, UKVA’s chief executive, said: “This year’s high number of entrants reflects a growing confidence within the industry. I'm delighted with the results and pleased that the judges noted the overall consistency of quality.”

People wishing to try Kerry Vale Vineyard’s award winning wine can visit the shop and wine café or they can book a vineyard tour and tasting to find out how the vines are grown and maintained to achieve the best quality grapes. Visit www.kerryvalevineyard.co.uk 

Picture caption:  

Kerry Vale Vineyard’s owners Geoff and June Ferguson with customer service assistant Nikita Mullard-Davies (centre)

ENDS

Notes to Editors: 

The English & Welsh Wine of the Year Competition is organised by the United Kingdom Vineyards Association. With around 380 vineyards in the UK, producing two million bottles per year, English and Welsh wine is becoming ever popular. In fact, with soil similar to the champagne region in France and an edgier climate, British Sparkling Wines have been beating the best champagnes in blind tasting competitions internationally.   

About Kerry Vale Vineyard

Kerry Vale Vineyard is a small, family run, English vineyard situated on the Welsh / English border of rural Shropshire. Planted in 2010 and covering six acres of farmland, the vineyard resides at the eastern tip of the Kerry Vale, an area of outstanding natural beauty and just three miles south of the charming town of Montgomery. 

Kerry Vale Vineyard is home to 6,000 vines in three varieties - Rondo, Pheonix and Solaris - all ideally suited for the UK climate. Spaced at 1.2m in rows 2.3m apart, there are 62 rows with a combined length from the first vine to the last of just under 13 kilometres or approximately eight miles! 

The vineyard is dedicated to producing wines of only the highest quality, utilising time honoured viticulture practices to produce the best possible fruit. We have selected disease resistant varieties which keeps spraying to a minimum and we pay a great deal of attention to canopy management, maximising air flow and sun and light exposure to suit the season. Our grapes produce red, white and rosé still wines and sparkling wine. 

Media Contact: Nadine Roach T: 01588 620627  

Email: kerryvalevineyard@gmail.com

Blooming Great Tea Party at The National Library for Marie Curie

A Blooming Great Tea Party at The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth on Friday, June 24 will help raise vital funds for Marie Curie, the charity which provides care and support for people living with a terminal illness and their families.

The event, between 4pm and 6pm at Caffi Pen Dinas, has been organised by Côr y Gen, the library’s staff choir. Côr y Gen will host an afternoon of entertainment serving a cream tea to raise money for this campaign.

Tickets sell at £5 and are available from the Promotions Unit with a percentage of the proceeds donated to Marie Curie. Every donation made from a Blooming Great Tea Party will help Marie Curie Nurses care for more people living with a terminal illness across the UK.

Organiser Rhiain Williams said: “We were inspired to host a Blooming Great Tea Party in order to support this great cause.  We’re proud to be supporting Marie Curie.”

Blooming Great Tea Party is Marie Curie’s summer fundraising campaign which encourages everyone to get together with friends and family to hold a tea party between June 20-29. Tea parties across the UK have raised in excess of £4.5 million since the campaign started in 2008.

Visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/teaparty for further information, top tips and to register a tea party or call 0800 716 146. Follow updates on social media using #BloomingGreat

Marie Curie is the UK’s leading charity for people with any terminal illness. The charity helps people living with a terminal illness and their families make the most of the time they have together by delivering expert hands-on care, emotional support, research and guidance.

Marie Curie employs more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals. With its nine hospices around the UK, it’s the largest provider of hospice beds outside the NHS.
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Further Information

Elin-Hâf 01970 632471 or post@llgc.org.uk

Wales hosts UNESCO Memory of the World awards

Tonight (Tuesday) at the Senedd in Cardiff, First Minister Carwyn Jones will host the UK Memory of the World awards which recognise documentary heritage collections of ‘outstanding significance to the UK’.

It’s the first time the prestigious awards have been held in Wales.

UNESCO established the Memory of the World (MoW) Programme in 1992. The programme vision is that the world's documentary heritage belongs to all, should be fully preserved and protected for all and permanently accessible to all without hindrance.

The UK Register recognises documentary heritage deemed by a panel of experts to be of outstanding significance to the UK.

Seven new inscriptions will join the 50 already listed on the UK register, one of several country-level programmes from around the world. Tonight’s reception will also celebrate two UK inscriptions to the international register, which identifies world-class documentary heritage.

The UK’s rich documentary heritage is filled with stories about people, places and events - they are the documented memory of humankind.  Much of it is publicly available in archives, libraries and museums.

Included in the awards for 2016 is a wide variety of remarkable historical documents from across the UK, dating from the ninth to the 19th century. Their content ranges from the medieval archives of Canterbury Cathedral to the laboratory notebooks of the scientist Michael Faraday, from the Exeter Book of poetry in Old English to the correspondence of the Newtown-born socialist pioneer Robert Owen.

From Wales, the UK Register recognises the Survey of the Manors of Crickhowell and Tretower, created by Robert Johnson in 1587 and now in the care of the National Library of Wales Aberystwyth.

Unlike most other estate surveys of this period, which were primarily textual descriptions, this survey also produced a set of maps. The creation of maps as an integral part of an estate survey did not become common practice for another two centuries and, as such, this survey is ground-breaking in its approach.

The full survey can be seen at www.llgc.org.uk/discover/digital-gallery/maps/estate-maps/badminton-estate/.

Talyllyn Railway prepares for anniversary grand finale

Final preparations are underway for Talyllyn Railway’s final gala of its 150th anniversary celebrations between July 1-3.

Called ‘The Grand Finale’, it will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Talyllyn’s locomotive, Dolgoch, which in May, 1951 became the first in the world to pull a passenger train on a preserved railway.

Both Dolgoch and the first locomotive delivered to the railway, Talyllyn, which celebrated its 150th anniversary in September, 2014, were built by the Fletcher, Jennings and Co. based at the Lowca works near Whitehaven in Cumbria. Therefore, to celebrate the occasion all five of the surviving Fletcher, Jennings locomotives based in the UK are being brought together for the first time ever.

They include Captain Baxter, currently based at the Bluebell Railway in East Sussex, which will become the first standard gauge locomotive to operate on Talyllyn Railway property. It will be in steam on a short length of track in Tywyn Wharf yard offering footplate rides in return for a donation.

Also present, but not in steam, will be Townsend Hook, currently based at the Amberley Heritage Centre in West Sussex and William Finlay, which has recently been acquired by the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Trust for display in the museum at Tywyn Wharf station. Both of these locomotives were built to the unusual gauge of 3 ft 2¼ in and, with Captain Baxter, originally operated at a limestone quarry at Bletchworth, Surrey.

To mark the historic bringing together of these locomotives, a special booklet has been produced, The Lowca Legacy. Written by Anthony Coulls, a senior curator at the National Railway Museum in York and Shildon, it tells the story of the works at Lowca, as well as those of the nine surviving Fletcher, Jennings locomotives around the world. Priced at £3, all profits will go to the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum’s William Finlay appeal.

Special trains will be run during the weekend, including a heritage train on the Friday evening hauled by Dolgoch, which will take passengers on an historical tour of the railway stopping at various places of interest. Leading the tour will be Ian Drummond, author of the recently published book on the history of the Talyllyn, Rails Along The Fathew.

On the Saturday evening, there will be a train hauled by all five of the Talyllyn’s current operating fleet of steam locomotives between Tywyn Wharf and Pendre stations. Later the same evening, a night photoshoot will take place at Tywyn Wharf, which will include a brief firework display at around 10 pm.

Over the Saturday and Sunday, the railway’s annual Garden Railway Gala, which attracts visitors from all over the country, will be held and there will also be a beer festival. The café at Tywyn Wharf will be open until 9 pm on both the days for meals.

A spokesperson for the railway said: “After the success of last year’s galas, we wanted to finish off our 150th anniversary celebrations in style. To bring together these iconic locomotives for the first time seemed the ideal way to do this. This is truly a ‘once in a lifetime’ gathering and is not to be missed.”

Picture caption:

Talyllyn Railway’s locomotive Dolgoch will be celebrating its 150th anniversary at ‘The Grand Finale Gala’.  (Photo: B. Fuller).

Discover the 'Holy Grail' at the National Library of Wales

The Nanteos Cup, which is claimed by some to be the Holy Grail, will be on permanent display at the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth from Saturday (June 18).

This fragile piece of wood is all that remains of an ancient mazer bowl commonly known as the Nanteos Cup. According to one tradition, the Nanteos Cup is the Holy Grail and fashioned from a piece of the True Cross itself. Another tradition claims that it is actually the cup from which Christ and his disciples drank at the Last Supper.

The exact origin of the cup is a mystery, but according to tradition the relic came into the possession of the Powell family of Nanteos from Strata Florida Abbey during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

It is believed that seven Cistercian monks escaped from the abbey with the cup and sought refuge at Nanteos.  Following the death of the last of the brothers, the cup was left to the family and has been treasured and preserved ever since.

Pedr ap Llwyd, the library’s director of collections and public programmes, said:
“At last, this much revered ancient relic has returned home to Ceredigion and Wales and placing it on permanent display will allow visitors to the library to view this mysterious object.

“Whether the vessel is the Holy Grail or a piece of the True Cross or a communion cup which belonged at one time to the abbey at Strata Florida Abbey, visitors have to decide the truth for themselves. This is truly a remarkable object and a very interesting addition to the national collections. We are grateful to the Mirylees family for entrusting the safekeeping of the cup to the National Library.”

Since the 19th century, it has been claimed that the cup possesses a supernatural power to heal.  It would be lent to the unwell in exchange for a valuable deposit, such as a gold watch or coins, as to ensure its safe return to Nanteos.  The patient would normally drink from the cup, however it is thought that many nibbled the wood hoping to increase its so-called mystical effectiveness.

The cup was exhibited publicly for the first time in St David’s College, Lampeter at a meeting of the Cambrian Archaeological Society in 1878 and word soon spread about its alleged healing properties.

In 1901, George Eyre Evans, a local historian from Aberystwyth, arranged a tour of Strata Florida and Nanteos, which resulted in widening the appeal of the cup and its virtues. Interest in the cup increased over the years and people from all over the world have visited Nanteos to view the cup and place their faith in its reputed powers.    

Nanteos mansion was sold in 1967 and the cup was taken to Ross on Wye where the family made their new home.  In 2014, the cup was stolen from the home of one of its owners, before being found again a year later.

To coincide with the arrival of the cup, Professor David Austin will present a lecture in the Drwm at The National Library of Wales on July 9: ‘Strata Florida and its Sacred Landscape: a context for the Nanteos Cup’.

The cup is on display from Monday to Friday 9.30am – 6pm and Saturday from 9.30 am - 5pm.

Pictures caption:

The famous Nanteos Cup - is this the Holy Grail?

Fron-goch: supplying books for the revolution

By Maredudd ap Huw

Some 1,800 Irish men were held without trial at an internment camp in Fron-goch, near Bala after the 1916 Easter Rising.

Their well-organised activities at the camp led to it becoming known as the ollscoil na réabhlóide (‘university of revolution’), as languages, crafts, military organisation and theory were taught by prisoners to their fellow inmates. However, it is only recently that the connection between the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth and Fron-goch has come to light.

In July 1916, John Ballinger, the national librarian, entered into correspondence with a prisoner held at South Camp, Fron-goch.  James Johnston, ‘Prisoner No. 360’, had been ‘one of the suspects recently arrested in Ireland under the Defence of the Realm Act’ and was writing ‘under circumstance of personal difficulty’.

He was interested in Irish place-names and, following an enquiry, obtained from Ballinger a bibliography of Irish, Welsh and Scottish place names for further study. Having studied that list, Johnston requested two further favours from the national librarian.

Firstly, the loan of a book from the Library at Aberystwyth (Iago Emlyn’s An Essay on the Philosophical Construction of Celtic Nomenclature, 1869) and secondly, some Welsh printed books, for ‘ … a number of the prisoners here are very much interested in Welsh on account of its relationship to Irish, especially as we have a number of native and fluent speakers of Irish here and they are desirous of organising a class … I have myself Practical Lessons in Welsh by William Spurrell (1888) and The Elements of Welsh Grammar by Samuel J. Evans.’

John Ballinger can hardly have shared many of the Irish rebel’s political aspirations. Nine months earlier, he had lost his son Harry at The Front in France and was channeling his grief into collecting Welsh books for dispatch to the civilian British prisoners interned at Ruhleben near Berlin. How was he to respond to the Irish republican’s request from Fron-goch?

Surprisingly, perhaps, he lent the Library’s copy of Iago Emlyn’s book which, following a period of misplacement, was finally returned to Aberystwyth in September 1916. Remarkably, he also sent to Fron-goch a Welsh Bible and four Welsh New Testaments for use by the learners, ‘part of a stock which was obtained in order to supply books to Welshmen at the camp at Ruhleben’, and which Johnston acknowledged were ‘very acceptable and will be much appreciated by the members of our class’.

The correspondence drew to a close at the end of September 1916 and the Irish prisoners were re-patriated before the end of the year. But what of James Johnston, ‘Prisoner No. 360’?
Was he the Belfast resident of that name killed in 1917 as part of further struggles for Irish independence? What became of the courteous scholar of language who had turned to the National Library of Wales for succour during his days of confinement?

James Johnston’s letters may be seen in the National Library’s special exhibition – Irish Voices – between June 17-20, coinciding with Gregynog Festival’s visit to Aberystwyth on Saturday, June 18.

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For more information please contact  Elin-Hâf on Tel: 01970 632534

Elizabeth is ‘Moving On’ with Oriel Davies exhibition

A new body of work by artist Elizabeth Brickell will be shown for the first time at the Oriel Davies Gallery in Newtown from June 25 to August 29.

Part of the TestBed programme, ‘Moving On’ is an exhibition with its origins based around an assortment of spoons of various sizes and dimensions.

Each of these spoons presents its own unique individuality, which is all the more heightened when the artist transposes it into a thin latex cast.

Taking casts from all of these spoons has resulted in a collection of delicate skins. These skins - thin and fragile and unable to fulfil the functionality associated with their form - reference the act of ‘moving on’ or reinventing a ‘new’ which results in the leaving behind of something ‘that was’.

This, combined with the symbolism of the original object as a tool to nurture or even survive, highlights the vulnerable situation of many human lives resonating particularly at the moment with those who are displaced.

Brickell’s work often references the fluctuation between human presence and human absence. After graduating from Bristol Polytechnic in 1983 with a BA (hons) in Fine Art, Brickell was employed as a bronze foundry technician.

Her existing passion for sculpture was fuelled by learning the fascinating technique of lost wax casting and having the opportunity to work on sculptures by Dame Elisabeth Frink, Leonard McComb and Ralph Brown.

In 1985, she studied for a post graduate diploma at Cyprus School of Art near Paphos. On return to the UK in 1986, Brickell settled in Wales, married and became a part time art tutor for Aberystwyth University (SELL) whilst continuing to work as an artist.

She studied for an MA in Fine Art at Swansea Metropolitan University and graduated in 2010 with a distinction.

She is a member of Fibre Art Wales and Arts Care Gofal Celf and has recently been commissioned to create a piece for Age Cymru’s Gwanwyn Festival, which celebrates creativity in older age. Gwanwyn is supported by the Welsh Government and the Arts Council of Wales.

Oriel Davies Gallery is open free of charge from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm.

Picture caption:

Latex Spoons from Elizabeth Brickell’s ‘Moving On’ exhibition.

International and UK artists join for radical craft exhibition in Newtown

Thirty-four international and UK artists who express their creativity beyond the bounds of taught convention are showing work in a touring exhibition which is on show at Oriel Davies, Newtown from June 25 to August 29.

Radical Craft: Alternative Ways of Making, a Craftspace and Outside In exhibition, is co-curated by Laura Hamilton and showcases artworks by historically renowned artists associated with the ‘Outsider Art’ genre and contemporary artists, 21 of whom have been selected from open submissions.

Many of the cartists are self-taught and see themselves as facing barriers to the art world for reasons including health, disability, social circumstance or isolation.

Eminent artist Alice Kettle, a selector for the open UK call for artists, says the exhibition “communicates the dynamic of living and making, of using transformative potential of craft to enter other visionary worlds…craft becomes a process of resistance and method of adaptation”.

Themes in the exhibition include radical missions in which artists have a passion for a particular subject or technique; intuitive responses to textiles employed as a non-verbal means of engaging with the outside world; autobiographical responses to the natural or urban environment and folkloric or surreal perceptions of the world.

Each of the artists’ individual backgrounds and paths of creative development is fascinating. Many have never received any formal art training, although their practices may have been nurtured and encouraged in specialist centres or studios.

Their work or creative impulses have been developed with independence, perceptual senses and a lack of inhibition, which is rarely aimed at a particular audience or marketplace.

Xavier White’s (UK) ‘Verrelic Spires’, a conceptual glass assemblage made following rehabilitation from brain injury, refers to Duchamp’s ‘Large Glass’ (1920) and merges two words verre and malic, symbolising bonding/possibilities of engagement/safety in numbers/something simultaneously tough and brittle.

Mr X (UK) makes large-scale cardboard structures and vehicles as a form of escape, survival and resistance to living in an institution. Pascal Tassini (Belgium) has a special interest in weddings and bridal attire, producing a complete environment including a wedding tent, rings, love letters and elaborate Baroque-style headdresses.

Beth Hopkins (UK) employs found objects, often washed up from the Thames and parts of discarded electrical gadgets. She finds it “empowering to reduce items down to their components, taking back the power digital life has over us all”.

Angus McPhee (Scotland) wove numerous garments from grasses, vegetation and sheep’s wool picked from barbed wire fences found in the grounds of the hospital he lived in.

Other artists include: Dalton M Ghetti’s (USA) extreme miniature forms sculpted into discarded pencil leads; Michael Smith’s (UK) altered donated jeans, bound and wrapped with masking tape; Erkki Pekkarinen’s (Finland) folkloric life size woven birch bark figures; Nnena Kalu’s (UK) large evolving cocoon-like forms of paper, fabric and foam bound and wrapped with tape, yarn and cling-film,and Julia Krause-Harder’s (Germany) large mixed media dinosaurs.

The panel for the UK open selection included textile artist Alice Kettle, artist and Outside In award winner Phil Baird, co-curator of Radical Craft Laura Hamilton,  Pallant House Gallery curator Katy Norris and director of Craftspace Deirdre Figueiredo.

The exhibition marks key anniversaries; 10 years of Outside In and 30 years of Craftspace.

Picture caption:

Pinkie Maclure’s ‘Landfill Tantrum’ from the Rural Craft exhibition.

Ambitious hospitality star wins VQ Learner of the Year Award

Ambitious Elizabeth Forkuoh, who is blazing a trail in the hospitality industry, has described the “amazing” moment she discovered she had won a Vocational Qualification (VQ) Awards for Wales.

Elizabeth, 20, from Llanelli won the VQ Learner of the Year Intermediate Level Award at a ceremony held at St David’s Hotel and Spa, Cardiff on Tuesday, the eve of VQ Day. The awards are organised by the Welsh Government, the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW) and ColegauCymru / CollegesWales.

The award is another honour to add to her growing list, which already includes gold medals from the Skills Competitions Wales and at WorldSkills UK in Birmingham. Since then she has won many more national competitions, securing a coveted place on the WorldSkills Squad UK and hopes to compete in WorldSkills Abu Dhabi in 2017.

“Winning this award is amazing and takes me back to WorldSkills UK in Birmingham,” said Elizabeth, who works part-time at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli and studies at Coleg Sir Gâr in Carmarthen. “This award means a lot to me because I wasn’t expecting it and I am very happy that everyone I had invited managed to come tonight and share this with me.

“I am now focusing on WorldSkills Squad UK. I am training really hard and hope to be part of the team for Abu Dhabi.”

Among those celebrating the award with Elizabeth was Assembly Member Joyce Watson.

Moving to Llanelli when she was 15 and already fluent in Italian and Twi, Elizabeth has since learned English and gained an A* in GCSE French, as well as started to learn Welsh. She is studying a Level three NVQ Diploma in Hospitality Supervision and Leadership at Coleg Sir Gâr in Carmarthen.

“I decided to focus on hospitality when I started college,” said Elizabeth. “I enjoy working in the kitchen but I find front of house more interesting. I like meeting people and it’s really helped me to improve my languages.”

Although ambitious, Elizabeth has decided to defer her degree in hotel management until 2018, hoping to compete internationally first. “I want to get as much experience as I can, but ultimately I would like to come back to Wales and open an Italian restaurant,” she added.

Lesley Morgan, senior manager at Stradey Park Hotel, said: “Elizabeth’s enthusiasm for customer care and service is outstanding. Her knowledge and interest in food and wine is vast and she always wants to learn about new dishes and ideas that the kitchen may have. I believe Elizabeth will achieve great things.”

Elizabeth was one of 10 finalists shortlisted for the VQ Awards, which celebrate the achievements of both learners and employers across Wales. There were four contenders form the VQ Intermediate Learner of the Year Award category, which recognises individuals who clearly demonstrate progression and excellence in vocational studies and have made considerable achievements in their field thanks to vocational qualifications.

Minister of Skills and Science Julie James congratulated the 10 finalists and praised everyone who had been nominated for the VQ Awards this year. “Vocational skills have a huge impact on the Welsh economy and we value the gold standard of vocational learning being delivered to people right across Wales,” she said.

“Both VQ Day and the VQ Awards provide the perfect opportunity for us to celebrate not only the high standard of technical, practical and vocational learning being delivered in Wales, but also the many personal successes and achievements of our learners.

“High quality VQs are essential to provide individuals and businesses with the skills, experience, motivation and inspiration they need to get ahead. Ultimately it is only with appropriately skilled and trained people that we can drive forward the Welsh economy.

“Many of our VQ Award finalists this year have demonstrated that they are marked out as future leaders or ambitious entrepreneurs and have an eye on making sound business decisions and increasing productivity.”

Now in their ninth year, the awards coincided with VQ Day on June 8, a celebration of the benefits and value of high quality technical, practical and vocational learning to individuals and to the economy. There were also awards for VQ Learner of the Year Higher Level and VQ Employer of the Year.

VQ Learner of the Year Intermediate Level Award winner 

Elizabeth Forkuoh with CollegesWales chair Judith Evans, 

NTfW interim chair Sarah John, the Welsh Government’s 

director of skills, higher education and lifelong learning Huw 

Morris, watched by awards compere Sian Lloyd.

Picture caption: 

Top: VQ Learner of the Year Intermediate Level Award winner Elizabeth Forkuoh.

Wales’ first workhouse museum opens in Llanfyllin

The opening of Wales’s first workhouse museum last month has been described as an important day for the country’s heritage and tourism.

For too long heritage attractions told only the story of the rich and powerful and overlooked the lives of
ordinary people. In recent years, the balance has begun to shift, but Wales has had nothing to compare with the National Trust’s well known Workhouse at Southwell or workhouse museums like Ripon, Gressenhall or Derry.

The Llanfyllin Union Workhouse in North Powys, close to the border and to Lake Vyrnwy, is among the best preserved in Britain.  It’s typical of the workhouses built under the New Poor Law of 1834: an imposing stone building with four courtyards dominated by the Master’s House at its centre.

Owned by a local trust and set in six acres of beautiful countryside, it’s being developed as a community enterprise.  There’s a bunkhouse, workshops, a gallery, venue and café-bar available for weddings and private functions.

Thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, it’s possible to tell the story of the Workhouse and shed more light on the lives of poor people in Victorian Wales.

The new Workhouse History Centre, housed in the least altered part of the building, includes bilingual displays, which show how the New Poor Law aimed to cut the cost of benefits and reduce dependency. Other displays, rich in images, focus on workhouse life for adults and children, including the workhouse school.

There are folders of historical documents for anyone who wants to find out more, but the centrepiece is a film in which the ghost of the first Master, William Jones, guides visitors around the Workhouse and brings it back to life.

Visitors will meet the ghosts of other people who were there in the 1840s: 11-year-old Martha and her little brother, parted from their mother who sits picking oakum; the formidable Guardian Thomas Menlove and the defiant single mother Anne Lewis with her ‘little bastard’.

All the actors are local people and the film is on view, in Welsh or English, at the touch of a button.  For younger visitors there’s a family trail around the courtyards, where interpretation panels give more information.  For those with an interest in history, a study room is open by appointment.

There’s plenty of parking as well as toilets and visitors are welcome to wander round the grounds.

The Workhouse History Centre is open every day between 10am and 5pm (4pm in winter).  Admission is free, although a donation is appreciated and school or other groups are welcome.

The Workhouse stands beside the A490 just outside the town, around 20 minutes from Welshpool or Lake Vyrnwy.  The postcode is SY22 5LD, though satnav directions for the final stage can be misleading.

Llanfyllin is one of only two Welsh boroughs to have received its charter from a native Prince of Wales. With an attractive square and church, the historic St Myllin’s Well and an interesting area of wetland close to the car park, it’s well worth a visit.  

Picture captions:

The new Workhouse History Centre in Llanfyllin.

One of the displays in the Workhouse History Centre.

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For more information please call Llanfyllin Workhouse History Centre on Tel: 01691 649 062

Artisan Welsh distillery launches second gin for World Gin Day

 

The Dyfi Distillery, which opened in Mid Wales in March, is releasing its second limited release spirit, Pollination Gin, to coincide with World Gin Day on Saturday, June 11.

The business, based at Corris Craft Centre, near Machynlleth, is owned and run by brothers Pete and Danny Cameron with input from both of their families.

Pete, who has lived in the Dyfi Valley for 35 years and runs a small hill farm with his wife, is a local forager and beekeeper with a scientific background. Danny is a wine and spirits professional with 30 years’ experience, including as an international-standard judge and the brothers started planning the distillery two years ago.

The company’s first batch of Dyfi Original Gin quickly sold out. The latest release, Pollination Gin, is said to be a ‘sensory journey through Dyfi’, as more than two thirds of its botanicals have been foraged locally. 

“For Pollination Gin, we wanted to cast a wide net across the Dyfi Biosphere and harness some of the wildness of the valley,” said Pete. “We use around 20 different foraged botanicals alongside some really fine classic gin botanicals. It’s a bit like conducting an orchestra, but the results are beyond our expectations.”

Despite its small size, interest in the gins made at the Dyfi Distillery has been huge, including export enquiries within weeks of opening.  Each gin features botanicals foraged from within the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve of Dyfi, and each of the two Colorado custom-built stills produces around 100 bottles per distillation.

“This is where the precision-distilling techniques we developed become really important,” added Danny. “We used a slightly different approach to how we make Dyfi Original, so as to get the best out of both the more robust and also the more delicate botanical ingredients.”

Pollination Gin will be available from the distillery shop at the Corris Craft Centre in Mid Wales. It’s the first ever commercial distillery in Mid Wales and opens daily between Easter and October.     

Further information about The Dyfi Distillery, which is located at Unit 5, Corris Craft Centre, may be found at: www.dyfidistillery.com

Picture caption:

The new Pollination Gin.

  

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Notes:

The Dyfi Distillery is located at Unit 5, Corris Craft Centre, Corris, Machynlleth. SY20 9RF. 01654 761551. It is open to visitors from 10:30am to 4pm seven days a week from Easter to October. World Gin Day is celebrating its eighth year.

Glenn’s monumental sculptures impress museum's visitors

Visitors are being blown away by the monumental sculptures by Glenn Morris on display in the Sculpture Space at the Museum of Modern Art, Machynlleth.

Anthropocene is a sculptural response to the enormous impact man has on the environment and the future of mankind itself. It consists of three massive figures made of reclaimed materials especially for the gallery.

Visitors to the exhibition have been very moved by the work. One couple from Shrewsbury wrote to Glenn directly: “My wife and I visited the exhibition in Mac yesterday and just wanted to contact you and say that your sculptures were absolutely stunning. ….... I was totally overwhelmed by the sculptures and by the kneeling man in particular.

“When I saw the title of the piece I instantly could see what you wanted to achieve. I could feel the anguish and despair of the man. The piece is simply fantastic and deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. Thanks again for a fantastic piece of work - we felt incredibly honoured and touched to have been able to have seen it.”

A visitor from Kent wrote in the Visitors' Book: “Inspiring and moving work particularly 'Anthropocene',” while another comment put it quite simply: “The wooden giants made my day 10/10!”

Glenn writes in the exhibition catalogue: “I was born at the perceived beginning of the 'Anthropocene' epoch, a period when human activity has increasingly impacted on the earth, to the point where fundamental global systems are being affected to the degree where the very future of humankind is being brought into question. It is a frightening time.”

He added: “.....working on the idea of 'Anthropocene' meant confronting darkness and highly disturbing subject matter.”

If you want to experience these monumental works for yourself the exhibition is on until August 13. The Museum of Modern Art, Machynlleth is open from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

Picture caption:

Glenn Morris with one of his sculptures.

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Notes for the Editor.

The Museum of Modern Art, Machynlleth (MOMA, MACHYNLLETH) was established in 1991 as MOMA WALES alongside The Tabernacle in Machynlleth, Powys. It is owned and run by Machynlleth Tabernacle Trust which is funded by grants and public donations.

Throughout the year the galleries show contemporary art, featuring leading artists from Wales, works from the growing Tabernacle Collection, and in August selected entries from the Tabernacle Art Competition. Many of the works of art are for sale.

The current exhibition programme is supported by the Arts Council of Wales. In May 2014, "The Tannery" was opened after many years of fundraising and restoration of this historic industrial building.

The building contains two galleries, connected to the main building by a bridge, one of which is specifically for sculpture. This brings the number of exhibition spaces up to seven.

Anderson dominates Rallynuts Motorsport Severn Valley Stages

MSA British Rally Championship (BRC) contenders Jamie Anderson and Ross Whittock took a dominant victory at the Rallynuts Motorsport Severn Valley Stages on Saturday in their Ford Fiesta R5.

Anderson headed to the event as a shakedown to the forthcoming British Championship round which utilises similar forests and his efforts were rewarded with a 14 second victory from nearest rivals Luke Francis and John Roberts in their Mitsubishi E9.

Fellow BRC challengers Ollie Mellors and Ian Windress also had the same idea and were also pleased to have taken third overall in their Proton Satria Neo S2000.

With a revised route and a host of top-line championships joining the Midland Manor Motor Club organised event, competitors were treated to 45 stage miles of classic Welsh forests across Powys including a return to the Radnor forest complex after a break of six years, attracting a substantial 120 car entry in the process.

Dust would be the talking point of the day as the dry conditions and lack of a breeze meant it was lingering in the trees and creating an issue for much of the field.

Anderson, from Leicestershire took first blood on the opening five mile Gwibedog test with a six second gap from Pirelli MSA Welsh Rally Championship front runner Francis.  That lead would never be challenged as Anderson put in a string of fastest stage times to dominate the event and take his first rally win since the Woodpecker in October 2015.
Francis would be his closest challenger all day long and despite clawing four seconds back on the fifth stage, could not overhaul the on-form Anderson.  Francis from Rhuddlan had complained about the dust issue from the first loop which would scupper any chargeback he may have had on the rally leader. A solid second and maximum Welsh Championship points were his reward.

Mellors had a trouble free run to third despite suffering from a lack of power on the long straights of Radnor forest.  Dylan Davies and Mark Glennerster recovered from a slow start, languishing down at eighth overall on the opening loop to take a well-deserved fourth in their Subaru Impreza and a solid Welsh Championship points haul. Sacha Kakad and James Aldridge also had an impressive comeback from 17th to end the day fifth overall in their Mitsubishi E10.

“It’s been a really perfect day to be honest,” said Anderson at the finish.  “We have had no dramas all day long and to have come away with a rally win was a bonus.  The stages are fantastic and it’s certainly been different running at first car on the road, I’ve never had that honour before and sweeping the stages is hard work. But we have done what we set out to do and gaining some experience ahead of Julys Nicky Grist was important.”

The battle for Mintex MSA British Historic Championship honours was nowhere near as straight forward as the top three, however and there was a shock leader after stage one.  Adam Milner and Roy Jarvis stormed to third overall in the event and Historic leader in their Category 2 Ford Escort Mk1, taking many by surprise.

But Milner gradually slipped down the leaderboard before retiring on the penultimate stage of the event. Taking over from top spot on stage two were Joe Price and Chris Brooks who settled in nicely to the head of the pack, picking up where they left off from last month’s Pirelli Rally.

Nick Elliott and Dave Price battled long and hard with Paul Barrett and Dai Roberts for second throughout the day after challengers and local stars Jason Pritchard and Phil Clarke rolled out of the event on stage four.

It was far from a done deal for Price, as his Escort MK2 became stuck in gear on the penultimate test to hand the lead to Elliott in his similar machine. That lasted for just one stage, however, as on the final run Elliott picked up a puncture, dropping behind a chasing Barrett to second.

Barrett’s win further extends his lead in the series with Rudi Lancaster and George Gwynn taking a well-deserved third.

There was another Ford Escort one, two, three in the HRCR Stage Masters Rally Challenge with Ben Friend and Cliffy Simmons heading the runners after Shaun Rayner and Guy Weaver had an “up and down” day to take second. Stanley Orr and Declan Dear claimed the final podium spot despite a series of punctures throughout the event.

Despite the challenging and unusually dry conditions, 86 of the 120 starters finished the event which took crews through seven forestry stages. Clerk of the course Chris Ashley believes it was one of the best Severn Valley Stages for many years.

“The organising team has had to overcome several issues before the event but thanks to the help and support of so many people, we believe we have delivered a first class event in 2016,” he said.

“Huge thanks must go to our title sponsor Rallynuts Motorsport who has supported the event for the first time this year. We do hope this is just the start of a long and prosperous relationship.”

For more information on the event, see a full list of entries and download a spectator information pack, simply visit the event website at:  www.severnvalleystages.co.uk
Or follow the event on social media: www.facebook.com/severnvalleystages
www.twitter.com/svsstages

Picture caption:

Overall event winner, Jamie Anderson and Ross Whittock in their Fiesta R5. 

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For more information please contact MCR Motorsport Media – 07870 216931 or 07540 186092.

Biggest entry for several years as crews line up to tackle classic Welsh Stages

Over 120 crews will head off from the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells on Saturday, June 4 as they tackle this year’s Rallynuts Motorsport Severn Valley Stages. 

With a revised route and a host of top-line championships joining the Midland Manor Motor Club organised event, competitors from across the UK will tackle 45 stage miles of classic Welsh forests across Powys this weekend.

The popular event is a round of the Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship, Pirelli MSA Welsh Rally Championship, the new HRCR Stage Masters Challenge and a reserve round of the FMP Rally Challenge which will all provide a close fought battle on the stages throughout the day.

With stages such as Cefn, Crychan and Gwibedog joining the re-introduced Radnor test, organisers have devised a fresh new route across stages which have been chosen specifically for their prime condition.

Sporting the coveted Number 1 on the doors will be MSA British Rally Championship contenders Jamie Anderson from Leicestershire and Ross Whittock in their Ford Fiesta R5 who are keen to sample the stages ahead of the BRC round in July.

Hot on their heels will be Welsh Rally Championship leaders Luke Francis from Rhuddlan and John Roberts in their Mitsubishi E9 at number two seed.  Third car on the road falls to Llanon’s Dylan Davies and co-driver Mark Glennerster who bring their familiar Subaru Impreza to the event.

Another British Championship regular Ollie Mellors starts at five in his Proton Satria Neo S2000 with Ian Windress alongside. Tristan Bailey and Jamie Edwards are at six in the popular Mitsubishi WRC 04 but have Northern Irishman Enda McCnulty just behind in seventh, who makes the trip across the Irish Sea in his Subaru Impreza co-driven by Ronan O’Kane. Martyn and Dawn England head a duo of Fiesta R5’s in eighth with Tomas and Eurig Davies joining the BRC regulars in ninth.

British Historic Rally Championship frontrunner Jason Pritchard can claim to be the closest local competitor with the family car dealership a stone’s throw from the Builth Wells Rally HQ.

With Phil Clarke alongside, Pritchard will use his Ford Escort RS1800 in a bid to better his second place on last year’s Severn Valley Stages at car 10 and leads the pack of BHRC contenders.

Having suffered a sizeable ‘off’ at last month’s Pirelli Carlisle Rally, Nick Elliot and Dave Price start at 11 in their Ford Escort after a hasty rebuild in between events. Winners of that event Joe Price and Chris Brooks are away at 12 in their similar machine.  Championship leader Paul Barrett is accompanied by Dai Roberts at car 14 in their Ford Escort.

Andy Davies and Max Freeman head the FMP Rally Challenge crews at 17 with likeable Welsh lady driver Sara Williams and co-driver Patrick Walsh just behind at 25, both in Subaru Impreza’s.

In the HRCR Stage Masters Challenge, Stanley Orr and Guy Weaver are out front in their Ford Escort RS2000 at 21 but you’ll need to look someway down the field at 95 to find the next crew of Rikki Proffitt and Graham Wild in their stunning Datsun 240Z.

Spectators are also well catered for this year with several top-class viewing locations along the route to watch the action from.  The Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells plays host to the rally and provides an unrivalled venue for Rally HQ, scrutineering and documentation during the afternoon of Friday, June 3.

Crews will be flagged away from the Showground at 8.30am on Saturday by the Mayor of Builth Wells, Councilor Meryl Prynne alongside commentary and interviews before heading towards the first spectator stage at Crychan at 09.30am.

The Radnor stage kicks off at around 12 noon which is then followed by the second run through Crychan at around 2.30pm with the lucky crews returning to the finish at the Showground just after 3.30pm. A table full of glittering glassware awaits the winners at the awards ceremony at 6.30pm in Rally HQ.

For more information on the event, see a full list of entries and download a spectator information pack, simply visit the event website at:  www.severnvalleystages.co.uk

Follow the event on social media: www.facebook.com/severnvalleystages

www.twitter.com/svsstages

Picture caption:

2015 overall event winners Bob Ceen and Andy Bull in their Subaru Impreza WRC.

Picture: Rallysport Media

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For more information please contact MCR Motorsport Media – 07870 216931 or 07540 186092

Wales Rally GB announces Dayinsure as new title partner

The Wales Rally GB has a new title partner in the form of Dayinsure, one of the UK’s leading short-term car insurance firms.

As a result, this year’s UK round of the prestigious FIA World Rally Championship will be known as the Dayinsure Wales Rally GB.

Alongside the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, the Dayinsure Wales Rally GB is one of the jewels in this country’s motor sport calendar and takes place from October 27-30. The majority of the world-class competitive action is based in the legendary forests of Mid and North Wales.

Established in 2005 and backed by Aviva and Allianz, Dayinsure offers immediate short term insurance cover for drivers of UK registered cars and commercial vehicles. This provides customers with an easy way to add an additional driver to their vehicle or a cost effective way of insuring themselves on another vehicle on a temporary basis.

The online company is based in Tarporley, Cheshire, close to the Deeside Rally Village in North Wales, where the event is headquartered.

“We are delighted to welcome Dayinsure to the rally,” said Ben Taylor, Wales Rally GB managing director. “Dayinsure is the latest addition to an illustrious list of previous sponsors of this famous event, but the first one to take its place alongside Wales, our principal funding partner.

“Securing a major title sponsor is another big step forward and attracting one from outside the motor sport sector is further recognition of the rally’s growing commercial appeal.”

Dennis Ryan, Dayinsure founder and chairman, said: “This is a highly significant and exciting opportunity for Dayinsure. The availability of temporary vehicle insurance is something of a new concept for many in the UK and this partnership with Wales Rally GB will provide us with the perfect platform to promote not only the opportunity to take out such short-term cover but also its simplicity.

“From a personal perspective, I grew up watching Rally GB back in the ‘80s, so it’s a really proud moment to see Dayinsure associated with such a famous sporting event.”

The Welsh Government remains the principal funding partner of the event, having finalised a new three-year agreement to support the rally until the end of 2018.

Tickets are the Dayinsure Wales Rally GB are now on sale with the cheapest prices for those buying in advance. Full information on the 2016 rally can be found on the official www.walesrallygb.com website.

Follow Wales Rally GB on Twitter @WalesRallyGB or join the conversations on Facebook at www.facebook.com/walesrallygb using #WRGB

Picture caption:

Wales Rally GB managing director Ben Taylor (left) and Dayinsure founder and chairman Dennis Ryan announce the new partnership for 2016.

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Media Contact:  Jonathan Gill, Wales Rally GB Media Office, MPA Creative, High Barn, Effingham, Surrey KT24 5PR. Tel: 01372 414120 or 07860 563000 E-mail: Jonathan.Gill@MPACreative.com