Blog posts by year and monthMay 2010
Posts (111)
Half term fun in Wales
There's plenty going on throughout Wales this half term. Here are a few of the more nature & outdoor orientated activities you might like to try: Welsh Wildlife Centre, Cilgerran Spider Workshop: Saturday 29 May, 2pm. Join Mike Bailey from Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) for a walk around the variety of habitats on the Teifi Marshes Nature Reserve.Learn about a variety of collecting techniques and see what you can find in the undergrowth. £5 per person Bat Walk: Tuesday 1 June, 8pm. Wildlife Trust Officer Nathan Walton will take you through the interesting life of bats, followed by an opportunity to become your very own bat detective with a walk along the river in search of bats. £3 per person Moth Breakfast: Thursday 3 June, 8am. Join Mike Snow to discover the world of moths. Learn how to identify species and what moths can be found on the Teifi Marshes Nature Reserve.Breakfast roll and coffee to follow in the Glasshouse Café at 10am. £5 per person Wildlife Themed Arts & Crafts: Friday 4 June, 11am - 1pm & 2pm - 4pm. Come along and create some wildlife themed crafts to take away with you.£2 per child Butterfly Workshop: Sunday 13 June, 2pm. Join butterfly expert Red Liford for a guided walk around the Teifi Marshes Nature Reserve looking out for butterflies and learning about the habitats in which they live. Adults £7.50, Children £2, Under 5's Free. National Trust sites in North Wales Chirk Castle near Wrexham:' Grow your own' Week (2-6 June, 11am - 4pm) Discover the beauty of growing your own seasonal food, and get started by potting your own seeds to take home. Is it a weed? Try the identification quiz and find out how to make your own compost with the garden team. Erddig, Wrexham: Green Day (30 May, 11am - 4pm) Find out how to reduce your carbon footprint and live a greener lifestyle with demonstrations, exhibitions and hands-on workshops throughout the day. Meet a couple who really do live the 'Good Life', watch circus performers, meet the owl rescue team, learn about bees and see the eco 'Green Man'. Powis Castle, Welshpool: Hidden History Tours (27 May & 3 June, 12pm - 12.45pm) This is your opportunity to discover hidden areas of the castle, which are not normally seen by visitors, with fascinating tours led by a member of the house team every Thursday during, May & June. Normal admission price + £3. Booking advisable on 01938 551929. Behind the Scenes Tour in the Garden (3 June, 10.30am - 12pm) Join the garden staff as they look at work in progress, seasonal plants and items of interest, as well as going to the nursery and any other areas not normally seen by regular visitors. Normal admission price + £4. Booking essential on 01938 551929. Pot up at Powis (5-6 June, 11am - 5.30pm) Paint a pot, plant a seed and then take it home to grow. Find out more about how and why the kitchen garden was transformed into the formal gardens we see today by taking part in the children's garden quiz. Normal admission price + £1.50 for the additional activities. Penrhyn Castle, Bangor: Abseil down the Ice Tower (6 June, 11am - 4pm) The experience of a lifetime. £3 per abseil. Plas Newydd, Llanfairpwll: Green Fingered Wildchild & Mr Bimbamboozle (2 June, 11am - 4pm) Are you a green fingered wild child? Why not join us for pot planting craft workshops. There are activities for all the family and traditional family fun. Some activities may have a charge. National Trust sites in South Wales Aberdulais Falls, Neath: Calling Young Photographers (29 -30 May, 10am - 5pm) A photography weekend for children. Take a picture at the Falls and enter our competition to win a prize. Bring your own camera (or borrow Mum/Dad's). No need to book and members of Port Talbot Camera Club will be on hand with computers to help and advise. Adult £4.40, Children £2.20, Family £11. Colby Woodland Garden, nr Amroth: 'Grow Your Own' (31 May, 11am - 3.30pm) Discover how easy it is to grow your own food with advice and demonstrations from the Colby gardening team. Badgerwatch (29 May & 5 June, 7pm) Experience the magic of the deer park at dusk, with a rare chance to observe badgers and appreciate these shy creatures in the company of our expert warden. Adult £10 Children £6 Family £30. Booking essential on 01558 823902. Dolaucothi Gold Mines, Llanwrda: Gold Fever (29 May - 6 June, 11am - 5pm) Try your luck at panning for gold and enjoy different tours into the mountainside. Children can take part in treasure hunts to find out what mythical creature has been visiting Dolaucothi and what clues it has left behind. There's also treasure to be won. Pennard, Gower: Pennard Cliffs and Pwll Du Guided Walk (30 May, 10am - 2.30pm) 11km circular walk along Pennard Cliffs, down into Pwll Du bay and back up to Pennard. Discover history, caves, an underground river, quarries, woodland and wildlife, and hear stories of smugglers and buried sailors. Families welcome. Please bring lunch with you. All Tickets £3 and booking is essential on 01792 390636 Brecon Beacons: A Wild and Wooded Valley Guided Walk (8 June, 1.30pm - 4pm) Discover the hidden treasures of the stunning Upper Tarell Valley, set between the Central Beacons and Fforest Fawr on this delightful circular walk through ancient woodland, along the Tarell river and unspoilt landscape. Meet at National Trust basecamp, Dan y Gyrn, Brecon. Booking is essential on 01874 623366. Meadows Jewels and Marsh Treasures Guided Walk (10 June, 1:30 - 4pm) Come and join National Trust Wardens for a fascinating and fun exploration of Berthlwyd Farm. The farm boasts a wealth of complex and rich habitats, as well as important vernacular buildings. Complimentary refreshments and cake at the end of this lovely walk. Suitable for families but not for pushchairs. Booking essential on 01874 623366. St David's Visitor Centre & Shop, Pembrokeshire: The St. David's Peninsula - Evening Talk (3 June, 7.30pm - 8.45pm) Enjoy an illustrated tour of land in the care of the National Trust within this special part of Wales with Andrew Tuddenham, Area Warden. Booking is essential on 01437 720385. Stackpole Estate, Pembrokeshire: Sea Kayak Festival (28-31 May) This well established residential festival will include a choice of island and coastal journeys with Caldey & Skomer Islands within striking distance (weather permitting). Guides will be on hand to share their wealth of knowledge of the bird and marine life. Evening activities include talks by guest speakers as well as barbecues and social events. Fully catered residential accommodation at Stackpole Centre. Booking is essential on 01646 661425. Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion: Urdd National Eisteddfod (31 May - 5 June) There will be plenty of activities for everyone at Llanerchaeron throughout the Eisteddfod week. Entry to Llanerchaeron is through the Eisteddfod entrance and there is discounted admission for members of the National Trust. And finally - don't forget all the Springwatch: Wild Days Out happening throughout Wales in May and June. So, there are a few ideas to help keep you and the kids out of mischief. I hope the weather is kind and you have a great time, whatever you end up doing. Gull
Bank Holiday weekend weather for Wales
Well another bank holiday weekend is upon us and, as is often the case, there is some rain in the forecast! Of course, we do need the rain given it's been a dry spring, but I can promise some dry weather and some sunshine as well, although if you're planning a trip to the beach it's not goin...
Tornado for Pembrokeshire?
A few people have been in touch to say that a tornado struck Neyland in Pembrokeshire last night, Thursday 27 May. At around 9.40pm a loud roar was heard and a rush of wind in the Wood Lane/Honeyborough Grove areas of the town. Mrs Dawn Delahaye says "the sky went very dark. There was heavy rain, the wind suddenly picked-up followed by a severe gust which lasted for a few seconds. "The wind hit the house, stripping tiles off the roof and caused more damage to my neighbours roof across the road. It was very frightening." It is difficult to say whether the gust of wind was due to a tornado or not without further evidence, but I wouldn't rule it out completely. A trough moved through Pembrokeshire yesterday evening bringing heavy showers. The air was unstable with cumulonimbus clouds, which tower upwards, and these can sometimes bring heavy rain, hail, thunder and sudden gusts of wind. If conditions are right in the atmosphere, these clouds can produce a funnel cloud. If the funnel cloud touches the land it is called a tornado. If it touches the sea, it is called a waterspout. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/1968192.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8003444.stm www.torro.org.uk
Memories of the Hay Festival
I can hardly believe that it's Hay Festival time again. The annual bash is now in its 23rd year and I'm proud to say that I haven't missed one so far! The Arts Show will come live from the festival site on Thursday 3 June, and on Sunday 6 June I'll be talking to Radio Wales' very own national tr...
Welsh Ryder cup players
As many people know, this autumn the Ryder Cup - the bi-annual golf competition between Europe and the USA - comes to Wales for the first time when the matches, in what is now the third most watched sporting event in the world, are due to take place at The Celtic Manor in Newport. The competition owes its origin to a professional golf match held between British and American golfers in 1921 but it took St Albans seed merchant Samuel Ryder to come up with the idea of a cup and a regular series of competitions.
Writers' Day at Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea
A writers' day is being held next month at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea in which students and the wider community can engage in workshops, discussions and readings, and meet with key figures in the publishing industry. The event is being organised by Swansea Metropolitan University and Trinity University College, Carmarthen, in conjunction with the Dragon Innovation Partnership. Photograph of Fflur Dafydd © Chris Reynolds Representatives from Welsh publishers will be present as well as staff of the creative writing departments of both universities, including Professor Stevie Davies, Dr Jeni Williams, Dr Fflur Dafydd and Nigel Jenkins. Plus, poet and singer-songwriter Paul Henry is set to read some of his poetry and discuss his experiences of publishing. This is a free event to be held on Thursday 17 June. To secure a place contact the Dylan Thomas Centre, or visit the Academi website for further information. Feel free to comment! If you want to have your say, on this or any other BBC blog, you will need to sign in to your BBC iD account. If you don't have a BBC iD account, you can register here - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of BBC sites and services using a single login. Need some assistance? Read about BBC iD, or get some help with registering.
Eurovision's Cypriot entry appeals for Welsh support
It's good luck to Jon Lilygreen And The Islanders this weekend as the Newport singer and his band of Welsh and international musos represent Cyprus in the Eurovision song contest. Watch Life Looks Better In Spring by the band: The band are asking Welsh as well as Cypriot people to support them as they sing the track, written by Cypriots Nasos Lambrianides and Melis Konstantinou. Lilygreen, 22, was brought in when the duo found Welsh producer Jon Gregory on the web in their search for a vehicle for the song. He suggested they take a look at Gregory's demos and the rest, as they say, is history. Feel free to comment! If you want to have your say, on this or any other BBC blog, you will need to sign in to your BBC iD account. If you don't have a BBC iD account, you can register here - it'll allow you to contribute to a range of BBC sites and services using a single login. Need some assistance? Read about BBC iD, or get some help with registering.
Rhys Meirion: travelling tenor
Tenor Rhys Meirion told me on this week's Radio Wales Arts Show about the tight schedule he's got for himself on the last weekend in June. Rhys is the artistic director of Gwyl Gobaith - a three-day festival of music at Deeside College in Northop from 25-27 June. He's singing in the final con...
Watership Down author pens short story for charity book
The author of Watership Down has teamed up with two north Wales based writers to raise money for a wildlife conservation charity. Richard Adams, now in his late 80s, was inspired by Debz Hobbs-Wyatt to write a short story for the collection Gentle Footprints. Debz is the marketing manager f...
Bangor University unveils £35m arts centre plan
Bangor University has recently unveiled plans for a new £35m Arts and Innovation Centre that will include a theatre, cinema space and an outdoor amphitheatre, plus social facilities such as bars, dining and family friendly park areas. An artist's impression of the Pontio project at Bangor Uni...