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The City

The Emporium nightclub: a Cardiff institution

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Geriatric club kid Helia Phoenix reminisces about the Emporium, a Cardiff night life institution from the 90s-00s. She has a little chat with the club’s old manager, Tim Corrigan, plus a cast of thousands (well, tens) who remember the club in all its glory. Also, you might wanna bookmark this page to come back to if you get reading fatigue – it is officially the longest thing we have ever published. Possibly. #Fakenews.

I don’t feel like me and the Emporium ever spent enough time together before it was time to say goodbye. I spent hours and hours and hours – weekend after weekend – cocooned in her hot, sweaty darkness: having philosophical breakthroughs in the toilets with strangers; cementing friendships with my gang – we became pals for LIFE, yeah; experiencing spiritual awakenings on the dancefloor; and whirling around and around and around to the music. Every night in the Emporium was an endless explosion of possibilities. You know like in Human Traffic, when Jip says ‘this could be the best night of my life?’. That was how it felt. ALL the time.

I do realise how cliche that sounds. Human Traffic was one of the DVDs on heavy rotation during my early 20s. I know how rose-tinted my glasses are. But I miss those days. I loved dancing. And especially, more than anything, I miss the Emporium. Speaking of Human Traffic, you can see the club in some external scenes of the film …

My main memories cluster around 2000-2001 – back in a time when clubs could easily charge you £15 on the door, and you’d queue around the block, even with a ticket, desperately waiting out the Welsh rain, hoping you were just the right side of drunk that they’d let you in and you could put your stuff in the cloakroom without missing too much dancing.

You slipped through this discreet doorway next to the trendy student clothing shop – possibly it was called Westworld, but I forget – then you walked up those deadly stairs – no grip, wet with sweat from the hot gurners inside. It was like a slippery doorway into Narnia. I don’t even remember if there was a sign, but when doing my research to write this, I spend a bit of time Googling it, and there’s a story that comes up on the BBC about clubbers collapsing in there from dodgy drugs. I don’t remember that, but the photo does remind me of the very classy astroturf sign …

Back then, you could still drive up and down St Mary Street. I even remember one time the weather was so bad we drove there (from Roath  … I know … we were lazy!). I loved dancing so much I would regularly go clubbing sober (who needs drink when the beats are good?), so I was always the designated driver – and I managed to get a parking space right outside the club, waited in the car until the queue was small and then we joined it at the back, holding plastic bags above our heads, trying to keep our spandex bodysuits / fluffy boots / massively flared trousers (delete as appropriate) dry. We were soaking when we got inside – but then once inside, the beat started beating, I ordered a Red Bull – and then … the music took over.

By some weird quirk of fate, David Owens of WalesOnline was in the club exploring it the week this piece was being finalised for publication, so there are a couple of brand spanking new photos of the flyer wall inside for you to enjoy …

Emporium_wall1
The flyer wall in the Emporium, still intact to this day – photo by David Owens on Twitter
Emporium flyer – Fridays and Saturdays in July 1998

One of my favourite things about Cardiff is how small it is. That hasn’t changed. It’s really too small to have scenes big enough to sustain their own discrete followings – where as in Bristol, you might have liked psytrance, there would be enough nights on that you’d never go to anything else. But in Cardiff, if you liked going out, chances are you’d try a techno night, you’d maybe try a drum and bass night. You might even go to the reggae parties down the bay, or a garage night (before everyone got stabbed and the parties got banned). And you’d see the same people – people who also loved going out, and were listening to all sorts of different music. The Emporium was a place where lots of these nights were held. Lots of friends made. Lots of hours danced well away. People I still see out and about to this day.

Memories

Tim Corrigan is better known these days as the boss of the Milk and Sugar chain. He used to run the Emporium and was kind enough to answer some of my questions about the club, when I told him I was writing an article about it. The office in Human Traffic was filmed on set, but was actually based on Tim’s office in the club.

Pablo Hassan’s office in Human Traffic
ptangyang posters in Pablo Hassan’s office in Human Traffic

“In the beginning, the club struggled. But when Lucy and the Catapult crew started a house music night there, it slowly started to pick up pace with people like LTJ Bukem doing nights there, along with huge residencies from every genre of music like Time Flies, Bulletproof, LAMERICA which started there, as well as as the infamous p’tangyangkipperbang…yeah with Jon Rostron, Neil Hinchley and Matt Jarvis.

“To this day, one of my biggest regrets is moving that from its original Saturday to Fridays to make room for more house orientated nights, I think that night could have gone on to huge things as it was the most innovative, random night we had and people loved it! The music was incredibly eclectic. Then there was Funkin Marvellous, National Anthems, Bionic and far too many others to name. There was a time where nearly every big promoter in Cardiff was under one roof. It was a great club to be in as well as giving people the chance to launch nights and try out random things, it was a club that really could cope with most things and it gained a great reputation for it.”

One of the reasons I guess I am so melancholic for the Emporium is because of the time it existed: straddling the 1990s – 2000s, pre-digital cameras, pre-mobiles (well, they were around, but definitely not as pervasive as they are now). Photos from nights went up on clubbing websites at the time – all of which have disappeared.

Because we tended to spend the nights in there fuelled on a deadly vodka-Red Bull mixture, my memories of the place are ambiguous and pixelated. I remember a deadly slippery flight of stairs, a cloakroom, the leathery sofas that some of my friends got sucked into one night when they thought a fistful of mushrooms would be a great enhancement to a house night (it wasn’t – I spent about half an hour trying to get them to stand up then just abandoned them to go and dance instead), the main room – long and thin, with raised stages on either side and the pit in the middle, a bar at the back, and a toilet where I met a girl who had spent an hour in there just staring at a film poster after taking some pills that were laced with acid.

Then there was the second flight of stairs – deadly and slippy, again – and then the upstairs room, which was hot and sweaty and always rammed. The upstairs ladies toilets had very harsh and unforgiving strip lighting and an aggressive ambience – always better to go to the loo downstairs, if you were female. I remember drum and bass and breaks upstairs, everyone crammed in, jumping up and down as one amalgamated lump of squashy humanity.

Time Flies, Emporium
Time Flies, Emporium

It was the Emporium that brought Tim Corrigan to Cardiff in the first place (where he’s stayed ever since). “I was running the Emporium in Kingly St in London and the owners bought a club in Cardiff and during the refurbishment of the London club, I was sent to Cardiff to help get it up and running and somehow managed to stay here!” he says. “It was a struggle at first as the Emporium was a very luxurious club when it first opened, it struggled to find its feet really until Catapult Records did a night there called 110%. Lucy and her team brought in people like Fruity Antics from Bristol (amongst others) and introduced the Emporium to house music.”

These very grainy photos give you an idea of the sort of japes that went on in those nights …

Nostalgic raver N told me about those nights:

“The Emporium in the ’90s – always a beautiful bunch! Catapult, Fruity Antics – the big-eyed, smiley people danced like their lives depended on it. Who needed Ibiza when we had our own kind of sunshine like this every weekend in Cardiff? Deep house, funky house and strictly for groovers. Moving up, getting down and letting that backbone slide! Elastic legs and hands in the air at the end of the night singing our hearts out with grins like Cheshire cats and eyes like saucers. One night a guy approached a group of us and said he’d never seen people genuinely having so much fun. He was serious! So were we – we loved it! Living for the weekend, butterflies in our tummies in anticipation of the night ahead, throwing shapes on the dance floor without a care in the world apart from the tunes of course! Absolutely Loved It!! Fond memories forever.”

It wasn’t just the punters who loved it. Henry Blunt of Time Flies moved his night there in 1997. “It was a fantastic venue to promote in,” he says. “The perfect blend of an underground party vibe with a touch of class, alongside professional management and staff plus a strong door team, Emporium soon became the central focus for Cardiff’s thriving dance music scene. Time Flies events there were some of the best we have ever done, and will live long in the memory.”

Emporium – image from Craig Bartlett

Emporium – image from Craig Bartlett

Another of Cardiff’s longest enduring house nights was actually birthed in the Emporium (does that sound gross? I don’t mean it in a gross way). Although LAMERICA has held parties in nearly every other venue in Cardiff now, Craig Bartlett still has fond memories of the Emporium. “It was the beginning – the place where we started LAMERICA. We put on some of the world’s best DJs there. It was the best and the worst club, for lots of reasons! I would love to do another party in there – Louie Vega’s first ever appearance in 2000 was one of the best nights ever. Also Dimitri from Paris and Danny Krivit playing back to back, and the Todd Terry / CJ Mackintosh Woody Records party in ’94 were big highlights.”

Photo courtesy of James Drop

Not everyone loved the place so much. R used to work behind the bar there, and has less fond memories. “Always thought it was overrated as a punter,” he says. “Shit layout, shit soundsystem, not the best vibe. I worked there when it was The Loop. Was shit to work for.”

In its previous incarnations, the unit was The Loop, and before that, it was Tom Toms (the legendary rave club they actually reminisce about in Human Traffic). David tells me “Tom Toms was the heart of the Cardiff rave scene for a couple of years. I think it closed in December 1991, and reopened as The Loop, which was more a normal drinking club. It was that for a few years, then became the Emporium. I loved that club – the last tune every Friday after a night of hardcore was Zoe “Sunshine on a rainy day” – and then the lights would come on! Good times!”

Although David has fond memories of the Emporium, for him, nothing will beat Tom Toms. “There was a real lack of venues mid/late 90s in Cardiff. I had some good nights in the Emporium, but nowhere near as good as when it was Tom Toms! There was something missing I can’t put my finger on it, think it was the vibe as it wasn’t as underground as the Hippo, and not as cool as the City Hall but had some decent nights in there!”

Reality

Back to reality. The here and now. You might be wondering – why now? What’s the point of writing about a Cardiff club that’s been and gone, for so long? There have been so many others. The Hippo has Facebook group dedicated to it, while the Emporium has nothing like that.

I walk past the club’s boarded up front and wonder about it sometimes. Recently a note has been painted on the entrance, saying planning has been granted for flats.

It’s difficult to do that with other clubs. They’ve been taken over or knocked down, and new layers of memories have plastered on over the old ones. I can barely remember exactly where the Hippo was anymore, and I’ve forgotten the layout of Vision 2k. I remember that the Toucan was on Womanby Street – where the Bootlegger is now – but it’s really hard for me to visualise it. The city has appropriated all those spaces, absorbed them, and turned them into other things.

Not the Emporium. It’s stuck in this weird, in-between state. I actually started writing this piece back in 2011 (!), which was the first time I saw an image like this posted by someone who had been inside the building on Facebook …

That is an empty shell of a club. A shock when compared to the technicolour, fuzzy blur of memories I have of the place. It’s not quite an abandoned building in the traditional sense: the roof is still on, and it’s has neither humans nor pigeons squatting in it. But it’s also not a club anymore, that’s for sure.

There’s a psychological term that’s used in literature sometimes to describe characters (or situations) that are at an in-between point in a story. It’s usually the space in between key things happening right in the middle of a narrative journey (it’s the bit between when Bruce Wayne’s parents are killed and then when he decides to be Batman). You get the idea. It’s called liminality.

But a liminal space can also exist in the physical sense. It’s a place that has no fixed purpose. If the club was abandoned, it would have transformed into something else. But it’s not. So it’s waiting, empty, with no stamping feet to keep the floor down, and no heat from the wriggling, joyful bodies to give it life.

Without the people, what is this place now?

One of the most shocking things about seeing the photos for me – once I got over the emptiness of the place – was that the main dance floor had a glass ceiling?! Yep – there was a period of a year where I was probably in that club every other weekend at least. Who knows how many hours spent in there. And yet I had no idea about the glass roof until I saw these photos. I consulted with friends I used to go to the club with – they were all just as shocked as me.

Some of Tim’s favourite memories of the club revolve around that glass ceiling (even though I can’t remember it at all). “One of my most memorable nights was watching Louie Vega play a huge set. What a lot of people didn’t know was that the ceiling above the dance floor was glass, so when the sun came up it would suddenly be daylight. We had Louie Vega playing the most amazing deep house set and it was sunrise and he turned to me and said: ‘I fucking love this club’ … I mean, it was 6am, the club was rammed, everyone was really appreciating everything he was playing for them. That was pretty memorable!”

I asked Tim about whether he felt like clubbing had changed much since the days that the Emporium was open. “I don’t think there are any clubs that could ever conjure the same affection that the Emporium did for its clientele,” says Tim. “I don’t see the same response to nights out that people put on now as there used to be in the past. People just don’t seem that bothered about big nights out anymore, it always feels a little too edgy as well, the change in the licensing laws in Wales pretty much killed off the special nights in clubs as people were happy to stay in the bars later and later. Bars can now compete with clubs on a whole new level with regards to sound, design, and music.”

We chat about Cardiff’s current club scene. For me, Clwb is still a place that I feel guaranteed of a good night, and Tim agrees.

“I think the Welsh Club has stuck to its roots – it seems to have survived anything that being thrown at it. It’s such an institution. Hopefully that will never face the day when it needs to close its doors as I imagine that will be a loss to a lot of people. The world’s too clean a place with its health and safety and all its laws to ever let a club like the Emporium through the net again! The Hippo is another one I don’t think either would survive very long these days in the environment that the law makers have created for us. Ha, is that subtle enough!?!”

I wonder if Cardiff is missing an Emporium, or another Hippo. I guess the Full Moon is somewhere in the anything-goes vibe of the club, though obviously world’s apart in execution.

“I don’t think Cardiff is missing a place like the Emporium. I just don’t think it would happen again,” says Tim. “The original Sodabar that I owned was an upmarket version of it, and the new one was when it opened. But it’s a standard, run-of-the-mill place now. I wasn’t there when the Emporium closed, as I had opened Sodabar by then but I just think perhaps it had just had its day. The management had changed and perhaps they didn’t enjoy the music as much as I did. I also think it was just too run down at that point. Newer, cleaner clubs were popping up. Maybe people were starting to expect more for their money!? It was a shame that it closed but the capacity would have always been an issue for that venue, as we could never get it extended to let more people in.”

Even to this day, capacity or not, no one seems to have found a use for the venue, which is still an empty unit, albeit with planning permission for flats now.

I found this interview with Human Traffic’s Justin Kerrigan the other day and it reminded me of this quote.

“This could be the best night of my life. I’ve got 73 quid in my back burner – I’m gonna wax the lot, man! The Milky Bars are on me! Yeh!”

That’s how we all felt about going out clubbing in the 1990s, right?

(I always thought that quote was hilarious. I was lucky if I had £20 in my pocket when I went out clubbing then.)

Some things never change.

Tim Corrigan came to Cardiff just for a bit and never left. He now runs the Milk and Sugar chain.

Helia Phoenix is a geriatric raver who has long since exchanged her glo sticks for knitting needles. Just kidding. She’s still well up for a dance, if anyone wants to put on a rave that would finish a little earlier …? She lives in Butetown and her current most favourite place to go in the evenings these days is the Blue Honey Night Cafe. She also started writing this article in 2011 … in the future, she wants to be better at wrapping things up a little quicker.

Big thanks to all the geriatric ravers who contributed to this article. In no order, because we like to mix things up: Tim Corrigan, Neil Cocker, Matt Jarvis who provided the flyers, Henry Blunt, James Drop for many fun nights dancing downstairs in Las Iguanas, Rick Latham for all those hours listening to funky house in Catapult, Tyrone Rose, Lucy Thomas, Simon Thomas, Doug Nicholls, Carl Morris, Twm Owen, Lubi J, Dean Thomas, Matthew Miles, Gareth Coates, Craig Bartlett, Tony Davidson, David Tumulty, Jon Rostron, Rhys Thompson, Tony Davidson, Nadia, Lawrence, Stig, Luke, Nat, Gav, Eleri, Pam, Kaptin, plus all those I met on the way, whose names I can’t remember, but who shared warm embraces, warm beers, and a warm dancefloor with me over all those late nights, all that time ago. Also anyone else who talked to me about the Emporium, who I’ve forgotten to mention.

It’s hard to find photos of the place (maybe mercifully so), although some questions to a nostalgic Facebook group surfaced a lot more pictures than I was anticipating – and it’s their photos you can see throughout this piece. Big thanks to all of them for helping bring my ramblings to life.

Also RIP Ian Dundgey, who played many sets in the Emporium, and passed away 10 years ago.

Need more nostalgia?

***

The Arts

A guide to local Christmas shopping in Cardiff

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Cardiff is a hot bed of creative craft folks and entrepreneurs who are making their hobbies their day job. Why not keep it local year and get your Christmas shopping from local friendly makers and creators. The lovely Twin Made have created a handy guide and list of local markets to help you Sleigh your Christmas Shopping!

Here are some upcoming Christmas craft markets happening in and around Cardiff:

The Christmas Makers Market at The Paget Room, Penarth – Sunday 11th November

Ichi Artisan Winter Market 2018 –  St Catherine’s Church Hall, King’s Road, Pontcanna – Saturday 17th November

Snapped Up at The Printhaus, Canton – Saturday 17th November, Saturday 8th – Sunday 9th December

Little Otter at The Paget Rooms, Penarth – Sunday 18th November

The Bone Yard, Canton Cardiff – Saturday 17th November, Saturday 8th – Sunday 9th December

WOW Women of the World Festival at Chapter Arts Saturday 24th November to Sunday 25th November

Rhiwbina’s Handmade Market – Rhiwbina Memorial Hall – Sunday 25th November

Xmas Market at The Sustainable Studio – Saturday 1st December

Etsy Made Local at The Tramshed – Sunday 2nd December

Oh So Festive at Chapter, Canton – Saturday 8th December

The Christmas Makers Market – Saturday 8th December at St Catherine’s Church Hall, King’s Road, Pontcanna

 For those that have everything

Gah, those tricky people who give you no hints and appear to have everything they need:

How about a gift voucher from Twin Made, this will also be perfect for anyone who is asking for a sewing machine, get them a gift voucher to attend a workshop and get crafty in the new year.

Twin Made are at The Bone Yard, in Canton, Cardiff.They host creative workshops, sell craft supplies and equipment hire and much, much more.

Follow @Twin_Made twitter, and Twin Made Instagram and Twin Made Cardiff Facebook.

Stitch City is run by Alex Hughes in Penarth. Stitch City makes a variety of recycled and stitched products including vintage map notebooks and badges, recycled fabric earrings and embroidered cushions.

Find them online: www.stitchcity.etsy.com or at the following markets this Winter: Ichi Artisan Market in St Catherine’s Church Hall, Rhiwbina’s Handmade Market in Rhiwbina Memorial Hall & Etsy Made Local in Tramshed

Go follow Stitch City- @Alex_stitchcity Twitter and @Alex_stitchcity Instagram –

A perfect stocking filler from Stitch City

Alice Hawthorne located in Cardiff city centre is a designer and signwriter

Alice designs and creates: from gold leaf glass signs to posters to branding and graphic design.

Pieces are created in her Cardiff based studio and each of the signs painted and gold guided pieces and created from scratch and made to order. As a graphic designer her skills of type/layout/colour work perfectly in creating bespoke and unique items. The items in the store are a perfect reflection of her style and character from quirky posters for your home to hand crafted gold signs that are something completely different.

Online: www.aliceartwork.co.uk/shop or https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/aliceartworkdesign

Or in real life at Snapped up Market on Saturday 17th November and the Little Otter events in Penarth in November.

Go follow on Facebook aliceartworkdesign & Instagram:@aliceartwork

Stocking filler: A hand crafted gold leaf letter.

Free Range Frames is a one woman show with Kath making bespoke picture frames. The frames are made from bare wood with an added finish. This can be painted, wood stained, gilded and customisable to the client’s specifications.

Shop online and find out more about Free Range Frames – www.freerangeframes.co.uk, Stocking filler: A gift voucher, pop in to see Kath to get yourself one.

What a 2018! Why not treat the stressed out person in your life to a relaxing massage! Yurt in the City is a calm oasis run by Marcos Martin-Suarez. Yurt in the City offer a range of holistic therapies including: massage and Reiki from their beautiful yurt in the heart of the city. They also provide all manner of interesting workshops including yoga, meditation classes, mother and baby massage and gong baths to name some.

Find Yurt in the City at the The Bone Yard, Cardiff

Online at: www.yurtinthecity.co.uk and www.wildwoodtherapies.com

Go follow Yurt in the City on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/yurtinthecity/

https://www.facebook.com/WildWoodTherapies/

Instagram yurt_in_the_city

A perfect stocking filler would be – A gift voucher available from: http://yurtinthecity.co.uk/marcos-suarez/

We all could do with being a little fitter, right? RIGHT? Why not head to Accomplish Fitness Studio – Wellbeing and fitness studios. Run by Natt Summers, the multi hyphenated:

Author, Mindset Coach and Founder of Accomplish Fitness Studio

Find Accomplish Fitness at The Bone Yard and online at www.accomplish-fitness.co.uk

Go follow: @accomplishfitness_cardiff and @natt_summers

Stocking filler: Millie and Pink hairbands.

All that glitters and shines is probably made by these excellent folk:

 Lesley Peate of Lesley Jane Jewellery is based at The Bone Yard, Canton, Cardiff.

Lesley make and sell copper, silver & enamel jewellery and small copperware items. She also run beginners enamelling and metal jewellery workshops in her shipping container studio.

Find Lesley online: folksy.com/shops/LesleyJaneJewellery or at her studio at The Bone Yard, on first Saturday of the month and at the Bone Yard Christmas.

Follow Lesley Jane jewellery: www.facebook.com/LesleyJaneJewellery

Stocking filler: Cherry Red Enamel Heart Earrings: https://folksy.com/items/5954181-Cherry-Red-Enamelled-Heart-Earrings

Lydia Niziblian is a resident at The Printhaus in Canton, where she deisgns and makes bespoke and one of a kind pieces of jewellery in gold and silver.

You can find her online at: www.niziblian.com or in real life at the Snapped Up Market at The Printhaus and the Rhiwbina Handmade Market. Or visit her studio by appointment – email lydia@niziblian.com to arrange.

Follow Lydia and her jaw dropping work on: www.facebook.com/niziblian or @lydianiziblian on instagram

A perfect stocking filler – Gift voucher; can be used against ready-made and bespoke items and start at £10

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/577541867/lydia-niziblian-jewellery-gift-voucher

Rhian Kate Makes works in the centre of Cardiff, designing and making handmade contemporary Jewellery, using a range of different materials to make unique jewellery inspired by the moon the solar system and geometric shapes.

Find Rhian Kate Makes online: https://www.rhiankate.co.uk

Or at the following markets: The Makers Market, Penarth Paget Rooms, Penarth’s Handmade Market, The Paget Rooms, Penarth, Rhwbina’s Handmade Market, the memorial Hall, Etsy Made Local, The Tramshed, The Local Artisan Pop Up, High Street Arcade, Cardiff.

The Makers Market, Pontcanna, St Catherine’s Church Hall.

Stocking filler; Tinymoon earrings £15: https://www.rhiankate.co.uk/product-page/tinymoon-earrings

Fizz Goes Pop works from The Printhaus in Canton creating the most beautiful laser cut and resin cast jewellery.

Go shop the Fizz Goes Pop collection at: www.etsy.com/fizzgoespop,

Or go visit Fizz Goes Pop at Frome Independent Market, The Makers Market in Penarth, Paper Dolls in Birmingham, Sustainable Studio Market, The Printhaus Snapped Up Markets and Native Makers Plymouth.

Go give Fizz Goes Pop a follow on Instagram: instagram.com/fizzgoespop, facebook.com/fizzgoespop

A great stocking filler would be these beautiful stud earrings: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/640659517/geometric-earrings-stud-earring?ref=shop_home_active_25

Baked By Lou makes beautiful handmade small batch jewellery and ceramics in Cardiff.

Go shop online at Etsy.com/Bakedbylou notonthehighstreet.com/Bakedbylou Or go say Hi to Lou at Snapped Up Market and Oh Sew Festive at Chapter..

To keep up with all these beautiful creations go Follow BBL on: Instagram is @baked.by.lou and Twitter is @bakedbylou

Stocking filler: Lucky dip dangles for £15! https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/560227130/lucky-dip-dangles-statement-baked-by-lou

For the bearded one in your life:

Old Faithful run by Gareth Daniels in Merthyr/Penylan, make and sell Unisex & Men’s Organic, Natural Skincare. Gareth is qualified aromatherapist and his products are made from organic oils, butters, essential oils & herbal extracts. The Old Faithful brand is developing in a masculine unisex direction and this gentle masculinity matches the natural scents to their products.

Find Old Faithful on line: www.oldfaithful.co

Twitter and Go follow Old Faithful on Instagram – @oldfaithfulco

Facebook www.facebook/oldfaithfulco

Purchase a perfect stocking filler right here :

Old Faithful Gift Boxes – https://oldfaithful.co/collections/all/products/gift-boxes

Shopping for Kids

Having Children around at Christmas really does make it more magical and fun, so why treat them this year to some beautiful and unique gifts:

Hayley McGhan is creator of the brand Zac & Bella, Handmade Children’s clothing and accessories. They also have a full family range of Christmas pjs on sale (includes the dog!)

Shop online at www.zacandbella.com use code FSP17 for free collection from Barry.

Or Shop at: Annie & Lolo, High Street, Barry. The Local Artisan Pop Up, High Street Arcade, Cardiff.

Find them at these local markets: The Makers Market in Pontcanna and Penarth.

Rhwbina’s Handmade Market and Etsy Made Local at The Tramshed

Follow Zac and Bella:

Https://instagram.com/zac_and_bella

Https://facebook.com/zacandbella

Stocking filler

Personalised hair bows, 2 pack £5.75.

https://www.zacandbella.com/product-page/christmas-bow-clip-set

You can find Little People Store in Rhiwbina Village they stock clothing, toys & gifts for 0-4 year olds, most of which are organic and fair trade.

Shop online at: www.littlepeoplestore.co.uk

Or pop to the shop: 14a Beulah Road, Rhiwbina Village CF14 6LX 10-4pm, Thursday to Saturday or The Makers Market in Penarth

Go follow them on Instagram: @littlepeoplestoreuk, Facebook facebook.com/littlepeoplestoreuk, twitter @little_peopleuk

A perfect Stocking filler from Little People Store is:

Santa Claus is coming to Cardiff £3.99

https://littlepeoplestore.co.uk/collections/christmas/products/santa-claus-is-coming-to-cardiff

In Rainbows is the colourful creations on Becci Booker, created in her home studio in Barry, Wales

In Rainbows designs and makes kids home decor and other quirky pieces for the home, from: faux animal heads, cushions, banners and plant pot holders. All inspired by animals, colour and 80s patterns.

You can go shop at: Etsy Bristol, Made in Bristol and The Cardiff Artisian pop up shop

Pick from these grat Stocking Fillers from In Rainbows:

Narwal: https://www.etsy.com/listing/592187399/felt-narwhal-narwhal-head-animal-mount?ref=shop_home_active_33

Mountain Garland https://www.etsy.com/listing/593573487/mountain-garland-bunting-wall-art?ref=shop_home_active_22

Shop online: https://etsy.me/2DWFFoPKathy Clark makes Hand Made Costumes in Rhiwbina. They are beautiful costumes designed for kids, made for parents.

Christmas market: Etsy Made Local Cardiff, at Tramshed.

Follow us: @handmadecostumeshop

A great stocking filler – Personalised Kids Rhino Costume https://etsy.me/2L2QkAi

Helen Smith aka Nellys Treasures is a colourful resident of The Printhaus in Canton. Making, and designing interior decor and gifts for children

Go shop online: www.nellystreasuresuk.etsy.com,

Ot head to the following markets to check out her beautiful work: Snapped Up and Etsy Made Local

After purchasing all these great stocking fillers, we need to get a stocking to put it all in and Nellys Treasures make the most beautiful and fun animal faces and character stockings that children will cherish. Get them here:

https://etsy.me/2NOXQQE

Barney & Beau in Pontcanna is a kids lifestyle boutique.

They stock design led modern products for kids and the home. Stocking majority female/women indie brands, sustainable products, the greenest toy companies and children’s book offering promotes female empowerment, kindness and diversity.

Visit their shop in Pontcanna or at these markets: The Makers Markets in Pontcanna & Penarth.

Online at www.barneyandbeau.com

Follow them: @barney_and_beau

A perfect stocking filler would be this a Little Light Company Little Light Cloud.

https://www.barneyandbeau.com/product/a-little-lovely-company-little-light-cloud/

Spotted Peach is Katie Wilcox located in Cardiff Bay. Katie creates baby clothing, hair bows, felt ball garlands, Christmas wreaths and frames.

Shop online: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SpottedPeach

Go give Spotted Peach a follow here:

www.facebook.com/Spotted-Peach

www.instagram.com/spottedpeach

A perfect stocking filler from Spotted Peach: Christmas Hair Bows

 

For the homebody:

GeetLush is actually based outside of Cardiff, nestled in the Valleys… but travels well.

A fledgling small business, GeetLush creates Art, Interiors and Wearables. Expect handpainted delights, plenty of colour and something for everyone.

GeetLush joins her fellow crafty buddies at markets such as the monthly one at The Bone Yard, Canton.

Follow  www.etsy.com/uk/shop/GeetLush, www.instagram.com/geetlush/, www.facebook.com/geetlushshop/

A perfect GeetLush Stocking Filler: Cute little kawaii Christmas pots. https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/651306083/teeny-tiny-kawaii-cute-face-santa-father?ref=shop_home_active_2 or join GeetLush to create your own at The Etsy Made Local Christmas Market at The Tramshed.

Blasus Succulent Emporium is a Plant Shop and soon to be coffee shop, which you can find at The Bone Yard  Cardiff.

Blasus:grows and sells plants of all varieties and plant related gifts and homeware

Go find them on Instagram @blasus_succulent_emporium

A perfect stocking filler from Blasus would be a – Potted mini succulent or cactus

Kathy Clark makes handmade costumes in Rhiwbina. They are beautiful costumes designed for kids, made for parents.

Shop online: https://etsy.me/2DWFFoP

Christmas market: Etsy Made Local Cardiff, at Tramshed.

Follow you: @handmadecostumeshop on Facebook or Instagram

A great stocking filler – Personalised Kids Rhino Costume https://etsy.me/2L2QkAi

How about some wearable art?

Then go take a look at Jodie Johns’ work, hailing from Bridgend, creating body positive artwork with hand painted clothing and accessories. Jodie Johns regularly collaborates with other artists to create t-shirts.

Go shop online at: jodiejohns.com or in real life at The Bone Yard monthly market on Saturday the 3rd November.

Or go give them a follow on Instagram: @jodiejohn_s

Stocking Filler: Anything from their accessories page would make a cute little stocking filler, but what would really be a winner is the hand painted tote bags.

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Whats on

Cardiff Boy – 90s nostalgia for the modern day

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We’ve posted before about The Other Room (Cardiff’s only pub theatre, attached to Porter’s), and it’s nice to have an excuse to post about them again! There’s a great show on right now in The Other Room called Cardiff Boy, which has made us Very Nostalgic for growing up in Cardiff (and loving tunes!) in the 1990s.

It’s 1996 in the capital.

A seventeen old from Llanedeyrn estate, is our guide, as he and his school mates head into town and negotiate their way through the ever changing streets of Cardiff. This is a study of male friendship, the love and the violence, the codes, the loyalties and rituals, all set to a 90s mixtape. It’s just them and the music.

Cardiff Boy is a dynamic one-man show that explore’s the 1990s in Cardiff. It follows a group of young lads, desperate to make an impression in an ever-changing city. Set to a mix of 90’s music, Cardiff Boy explores the effect music can have on our lives in both times of joy and sadness. Read a review of the show over at The Stage if you still need convincing … “Jack Hammett imbues the role with the right combination of pent-up teenage energy and vulnerability, bouncing around the audience as he describes meeting the girl of his dreams in a club, then rooted to the spot and looking us straight in the eye in the moments of pathos that will go on to define his future.”

CARDIFF BOY IS SHOWING IN THE OTHER ROOM AT PORTER’S : 4/11 – 11/11

BUY TICKETS FOR CARDIFF BOY

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Whats on

Sŵn Festival 2018 review

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Sŵn Festival 2018: a return to form

After a couple of years in the wilderness, the crazy energy of the first Sŵns returned this year – with some new venues, and a slightly different format. And we had a great time! Our highlights included: cheeky cocktails in between shows at Blue Honey, gigs in a secret room out the back of Kongs (who knew Kongs was so big???), not getting into loads of gigs but just dancing in the street outside (sorry Estrons! We really wanted to see you, although we heard you caused structural damage to the venue?!), wonderful Gaz Coombes and wonderful Boy Azooga slotting in perfectly between Gaz and The Go! Team, a sweaty set from Hana 2K in the Moon, Al Moses, Griff Lynch, and Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard.

A return to the multi-venue, multi-day vibe all in Cardiff was brilliant. Vive la Sŵn!

We sent photojournalist Mehek Seth out into the madness, and here’s her photo essay.

In case you missed it, here’s the Spotify playlist from this year:

https://open.spotify.com/embed/user/swnfestival/playlist/5ikHsoiQ9NykJabg7kbIqn

CONGRATS TO EVERYONE INVOLVED THIS YEAR, YOU PULLED A BLINDER!

We can’t wait for next year …

Sŵn Festival website

Sŵn Festival Twitter

Sŵn Festival Instagram

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Mehek Seth is a second year BA Photojournalism student at University of South Wales. Follow her on Instagram emm.ess.
Whats on

The Refugee Mobile Kitchen pop up at Oasis Cardiff – Friday 2 November 2018

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Lia from Lia’s Kitchen is bending our ear about a new monthly Cardiff food pop up – with a difference. It’s truly international!

Something really tasty is going on in Splott on Friday 2 November, and on the first Friday of every month from now on! The Oasis Cardiff Refugee Mobile Kitchen is popping-up in the charity’s car park on 69b Splott Road to offer us authentic street food options from around the globe. All the food will be served from a beautiful food trailer and (mostly) by the same people whose recipes have been turned into the street food dishes you will be tasting.

For me the Oasis Refugee Mobile Kitchen helps redefine authentic, world food at our Cardiff doorstep. Its menus to date have showcased Korean, middle-eastern, Albanian and Iranian dishes (to name a few). Dishes on offer include the popular filo pastry pies with crunchy slaw, inspired by two characterful Albanian ladies often volunteering in the Oasis Kitchen, will be on the menu. Kookoo Sabzi, an Iranian frittata bursting with aromatic herbs, made its debut last month and was a great success. It is the favourite dish of one of the key members of the Oasis Cardiff kitchen team, Mohammed. Falafel wraps, inspired by the many cultures sharing their culinary identity, are delivered by Matt Davenport in a delicious recipe with homemade flat breads. Huda’s Sudanese meatballs, one of the most popular dishes of the kitchen so far, always made a return to my delight. And my Hibiscus lemonade, inspired by Reynette Roberts’ (Charity Director) love of hibiscus, is a staple you can always enjoy during those nights.

Kookoo Sabzi – one of many dishes offered on the changing menu

The menu of the Refugee Mobile Kitchen is inspired by the people, who work, volunteer and are supported by Oasis Cardiff.  It comes from its own kitchen, the heart of the charity and where a lot of the people supported by it, find solace, a warm welcome, hope, encouragement and appetite for their new life. I know this well as during the months of April and May 2018, I worked with some of these amazing people to record their recipes and create a menu for the Refugee Mobile Kitchen’s first outing at the Festival of Voice. The first trial event, which inspired the monthly Refugee Kitchen Pop-ups, took place back in May 2018 at the charity’s carpark and it was such a success it had to be follow up on a monthly basis. The process of identifying and showcasing foods of the wonderful team of refugees, asylum seekers and Oasis staff was life-affirming. We weighed, chatted, tasted and wrote everything down. But our work is much more than creating a catering menu. We are taking a snapshot of Cardiff’s existing and emerging culinary heritage.

One of the things that makes me happy about the Oasis Cardiff Refugee Mobile Kitchen is that it has consciously chosen to start its culinary adventure at home in Splott. Splott, unlike other areas of Cardiff, has not had a regular street food event for years. The reception of the pop-ups within the local community is heart-warming – in fact it was local community members who asked for it to be repeated. I am really proud of the legacy of my collaboration with Oasis Cardiff through the Festival of Voice – it is ethical to its core. I am proud that Oasis Cardiff is not just running immediately where the crowds already are, even though it will soon have to venture out to let even more people taste its delights and support its food venture. But most importantly, I am proud it is starting a new food event in an area of Cardiff often overlooked.  And in doing so it provides an engagement for many of the people it supports on a daily basis.

The Oasis Food Trailer Team at First Trial Event (C) Dan Green.jpg

So, as our beautiful city of Cardiff is compact and accessible, why not take a walk, jump on your bikes, share a lift and get your friends and family over to Oasis Cardiff’s car park. Join me to taste some amazing food, hang-out with great people, and speak to the people whose food you are eating and lives are helping change. The track will be at 69B Splott Road, CF24 2BW from 6.30 till 10pm. And if the weather turns bad there is shelter inside the charity so you really have no excuses! See you there.

Lia Moutselou runs Lia’s Kitchen, an ethical food venture inspired by sustainability, Greek cuisine and world flavours.  Her pop-ups, cooking classes and recipes have gained traction in Cardiff Wales since 2013. Lia’s recipes and food focus on seasonal, ethical and nutritional food, whilst the projects she works on showcase world flavours and global food cultures spreading a message of integration. Lia helped set up and deliver their first Oasis Cardiff Refugee Mobile Kitchen at Festival of Voice 2018.  Follow Lia’s Kitchen on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for recipes, pop-ups and food stories.

Oasis Cardiff is an organisation that aims to help Refugees and Asylum Seekers to integrate into their local community in Cardiff. The charity provides daily lunches for refugees and asylum seekers, women only sessions, craft sessions and language classes as well as a range of other activities. It celebrated its 10th birthday on 2 October 2018. Follow Oasis Cardiff on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for regular update of all their food and other ventures.

Find out more about Oasis Cardiff Refugee Mobile Kitchen and the charity’s other food ventures, including how to book catering by Oasis by contacting Matt Davenport, matt@oasiscardiff.org, 07814090614.

Volunteer at the Oasis Cardiff Kitchen to help the team deliver their daily kitchen lunches which feed approximate 150 people every day. To express your interested contact Matt, matt@oasiscardiff.org, 07814090614.

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Whats on

Sŵn Festival 2018 – full line up announced!

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With the news earlier this year than Sŵn Festival had changed hands, we were excited to hear about the line up announcement … and it’s finally here!

The final wave of Sŵn bands have been announced for this iconic Cardiff city festival, taking place Wednesday 17 – 20 October 2018. WHOOP!

Previous announcements already brought you Gaz Coombes, Boy Azooga, Drenge, Gwenno, 77:78 and Queen Zee – and now there are 30 more awesome acts …

Heavenly’s The Orielles will open Thursday’s mammoth gig at The Great Hall alongside grunge rock brothers Drenge and Melbourne’s tough surf pop outfit, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever.

Jacob’s Market on Friday will be a massive night, with Cardiff homegrown Darkhouse Family curating a night of hypnotic, jazz and dance tunes with Bugz in the Attic performing live, alongside Esther and Andromeda Jones.

Cardiff-based Estrons are one of our favourites (they’ve just released their debut album You Say I’m Too Much , get yours now!) have a reputation for their bold, electrifying gigs, which means they’re certainly not one to miss this year – they’re playing on the Saturday. Joining them is Canadian artist Boniface, who unites 80s synth-pop with contemporary 21st century indie-pop to create a rare and electrifying performance.

Sŵn Festival takes place over four days (17-20 October) and 17 venues: Buffalo Bar, Clwb Ifor Bach, Fuel, Gwdihw Café Bar, Kongs, Nos Da, O’Neills, Off Track Café, The Big Top, The Blue Night Café, The Great Hall, The Moon, The Old Market Tavern, Tiny Rebel, Tramshed and Undertone.

Adam Williams, Live Manager at Clwb Ifor Bach (who are now managing the festival) said: “We’re over the moon to announce the final wave of artists for Swn Festival 2019. It’s been six months since we were asked to take on running and booking the festival and we’re super happy with what we’ve produced. Now all we have left is to deliver it!

“Sŵn Festival has been a vital part of the Cardiff music calendar for the last 12 years and it’s been really exciting for us at Clwb to build on that success – we hope we’ve created something special and that people continue to enjoy this festival for many more years to come.”

Wristbands for Sŵn are on sale now. For more information and to get your tickets, go to swnfest.com. Follow @swnissound on Twitter. or join the party with Sŵn on Facebook or Sŵn Instagram.

GET HYPED FOR THE FESTIVAL WITH THE PLAYLIST:

TICKET INFO:

Wednesday, Tramshed, £15

Thursday, The Great Hall, £16

Friday, various city centre venues, £20 (general release)

Saturday, various city centre venues, £25 (general release)

Weekend, across the city, £35 (2nd release)

4 Day Golden Ticket, £60 (second release)

Full line-up (we’ve highlighted out picks in bold, in case you give a fork …)

77:78; ACCÜ; Adwaith; Al Moses; Andromeda Jones; Annabel Allum; Another Sky; Argrph; Bandicoot; Bitw; Bo Ningen; Boniface; Boy Azooga; Breichiau Hir; Bugz In The Attic; Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard; Carolines; Carw; Cassia; Castorp; Chartreuse; Christian Punter; Cosmo Sheldrake; Cousin Kula; Cowtown; Cpt. Smith; CVC; Dead Method; Dream Wife; Drenge; Drunk Yoga DJs; Ed The Dog; Esther; Estrons; Farm Hand; Fling; Frown Upon; Gaz Coombes; Giant Party; Goat Girl; Great News; Greta Isaac; Grey Hairs; Griff Lynch; GRLTLK; Gwenno; Halo Maud; Hana2k; Heavy Rapids; HMS Morris; Ivan Moult; I See Rivers; Keeva; Keir; Knowbetter; L.A. Salami; Lewys; Los Blancos; Low Island; Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard; Marged; Martha; Mellow Gang; Mellt; MRPHY; My Name Is Ian; Night Flight; Oh Peas!; Perfect Body; Pizzagirl; Private World; Queen Zee; Quiet Marauder; Rascalton; Red Telephone; RedFaces; Right Hand Left Hand; Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever; RYD; Sam Evian; Scott Xylo; Silent Forum; Snapped Ankles; Sock; Spinning Coin; Suuns; Talkshow; Tamu Massif; Teddy Hunter; The Blinders; The Death of Money; The Effect; The Gentle Good; The Go! Team; The Mysterines; The Orielles; The Pitchforks; The Witching Hour; Tigress; Tracy Island; Vive La Void; Wasuremono; Wild Cat Strike; XY&O; Y Sybs; Ya Yonder; Yassassin; Yves; Zabrinski; Zac White

Have a scroll through We Are Cardiff’s previous Sŵn content

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The People

Meet Sully’s tortoise lady – Ann Ovenstone, MBE

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The last place you’d probably expect to find the International Tortoise Association is tucked away in someone’s back garden in the sleepy town of Sully, in the Vale of Glamorgan. And, yet, that’s exactly where it is. The Association and its sanctuary are run by Ann Ovenstone MBE (she is known to friends and associates as ‘the tortoise lady’), and she’s helped along by a team of dedicated volunteers.

A few weeks back, I went along to meet Ann and visit the sanctuary, to make a small documentary Ann the tortoise lady for the BBC (it was shared on BBC One!! I know, check us out!!). You can watch the final piece here, although it’s edited down from about an hour’s worth of chatting and wandering around the wonderful sanctuary…

But there was loads more we discovered on our chelonia tour (chelonia being the generic term for tortoise/turtle/terrapin) than I could fit in the short video, so I thought I would share the rest of the visit here.

The association started in a relatively organic way – Ann got her first tortoise aged around five (it cost six pence from the local market – and she still has it!), and then as she got older had some other friends who also had tortoises. The animals started laying eggs, but no one really knew how to look after them, so Ann started researching … and over fifty years later, has pretty much dedicated her whole life to the care of these weird reptiles.

She works with UK Border Force to help identify illegally smuggled species, which can be  challenging and upsetting work – she says that some of the largest hauls can contain up to 300 animals, half of which are usually crushed to death in transit.

While a few smuggled animals can sometimes be saved, they can never be returned to their natural habitats, as there is too high a risk of introducing bacteria or germs they might have picked up here. Instead, these animals have to be tagged, and they must be returned by their new owners to be checked every six months, to make sure they havenot been sold on for profit. It’s complicated and time consuming business, but for Ann – who has spent a lifetime in the company of chelonia – it’s worth it.

The Association’s members work tirelessly to ensure the welfare of tortoises, including caring for the sick and injured, rehoming, events, breeding and hibernation programmes. All aspects of the tortoise life are undertaken at the sanctuary and the specialist expert knowledge of those involved ensures that all tortoises who are born, bred and live there receive the utmost in chelonian care.

Although Ann says tortoises are perhaps not the ideal pets (when compared to more interactive animals like cats or dogs), they are definitely full of personality – being in the sanctuary felt a little bit like walking amongst very small and quite nibbly dinosaurs. They especially like painted toenails, as Ann told me they think they’re tiny tomatoes (both of us made the mistake of wearing sandals on the day of filming …).

The sanctuary (aka Ann’s garden) is an overwhelming complex of small runs, sheds, ponds, industrial fridges (to help with hibernation) and warm indoor tanks (to help with incubating eggs). They hold open days throughout the year, and also provide services for members like taking in tortoises to hibernate in optimum temperatures, and incubating eggs to hatch. If you have a tortoise in your life, or are interested in having a weird, tiny, prehistoric looking reptile join your family, then head to one of their open days to find out more.

Find out more:

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Whats on

Exciting performance beyond the stereotype – Mags at Sherman Theatre

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We’re big fans of the theatre over by here, and so were excited to hear about Cwmni Pluen’s new show Mags – a devised piece that’s been developed over two years through work with three community groups across Wales. The show asks how far family bonds can be pushed, and how does it feel to belong, through following the story of Mags and her return to her hometown after chasing a hedonistic escape from life events. The show is at Sherman Theatre, Cardiff from 25-28 September (get tickets here!). 

Reuniting with her past, Mags is determined to discover how we can continue to look after each other in a society that has let traditional community structures break down. Uplifting and provocative in equal measure, Mags prompts conversations on the complex role of care in society today, the impact of human connections, and celebrates the families we can create for ourselves.

“The show our audiences will see is a fusion of movement, bilingual text and live music as we follow Mags’ story – her past, present and future in the small Welsh village she both loves and loathes,” says Gethin Evans, director of Mags. “Her story is created from the people we have met through the community engagement with CAIN, Trans*Form Cymru and Dads Can”.

Like every Pluen production, Mags is bilingual in Welsh and English, and combines an eclectic mix of theatre, live music and physical performance. The original score has been written by Welsh electronic pop artist CASI, who will perform with musician Eddy Bailhache, remaining on stage throughout and performing live – bringing pulsing energy and a connection with the audience. Check below for the Soundcloud link to the beautiful song Rhyw Dynfa that they’ve created for the show – that they’ll be performing live on stage.

Performance Dates

Buy tickets for Mags at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff – performance dates:

  • 25 September, 7:30pm
  • 26 September, 2:30pm & 7:30pm
  • 27 September, 7:30pm (post show talk)
  • 28 September, 7:30pm (Captioned performance)

About Cwmni Pluen

Cwmni Pluen are a Cardiff-based theatre company, working across Wales. Their approach is to create a synergy between text-based and devised work that is always physical, always probing the human condition, always bilingual, and always engaging with new members of communities.

Following the success of their first production Llais / Voice, which the company presented in Wales and at the Edinburgh festival, Sherman Theatre’s artistic director Rachel O’Riordan appointed Cwmni Pluen as the Sherman’s inaugural Company in Residence.

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The City

Dog friendly Cardiff Bay – Zelda’s guide to great places for hanging with your pup

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We told you before Christmas that We Are Cardiff had a mascot – a rescue greyhound called Zelda. Well, she’s not really been pulling her weight in terms of blog posts, so we’ve managed to pry her off the sofa for long enough to give us her recommendations. (If any of you have ever met a greyhound, you’ll know what we’re talking about. All she wants to do is sleep!). So anyway … here it is!

Zelda’s guide to dog friendly Cardiff Bay

Before we begin, you should just remind yourself of how adorable Zelda is.

 

To start off with, we’re going to focus on the places you can take your dog inside (because let’s face it, weather …). There’s a list of recommended outdoors places too, at the bottom of the post.

Coffee, snacks, and ice cream!

Coffi Co: Cardiff Bay and Mermaid Quay

There are two Coffi Cos in Cardiff Bay – one by the Wetherspoons and Carluccios (in the old Bosphorus unit) and one just over the water as you head towards the barrage. Both are dog friendly, though the Mermaid Quay one is our regular. Staff are all super lovely and very fond of dogs. The place is very popular. Beware if you have a silly long-legged dog like a greyhound though – there are lots of big stools that they might get enmeshed in, as per below. (I know, what is she like). Coffi Co Facebook, Coffi Co Twitter, Coffi Co IG.

Cadwaladers, Mermaid Quay, Cardiff

Although Cadwaladers is best known for its incredible ice cream, the Mermaid Quay branch also serves great coffee and snacks. It’s a good place for brunch, has views of the bay, and best of all, your dog is allowed inside! Cadwaladers Facebook, Cadwaladers Twitter, Cadwaladers IG

Octavo’s Book Cafe and Wine Bar, West Bute Street, Cardiff

If your dog is of the literary persuasion, she will love Octavo’s: Cardiff’s only book cafe, located just a couple of minutes from Cardiff Bay train station and Mermaid Quay. Octavo’s serve food and drinks all day, and have a great selection of general fiction and local interest books. There are also author events, book clubs and all sorts of meet ups held there. Support independent local businesses and get thee down to Octavo’s! Octavo’s Facebook, Octavo’s Twitter, Octavo’s IG.

Boozers

The Waterguard, Harbour Drive, Cardiff

This place is one of the best summertime drinking spots in the Bay due to its waterside location and lovely green lawn out the back. Dogs are allowed inside (at the entrance and also in a room towards the back). It’s very lacking in atmosphere inside and usually takes about five years to be served (they only ever seem to have one member of bar staff working whenever I go in), but hey, it’s the only dog-friendly boozer in the bay. Waterguard Facebook

Also, it’s not a boozer, but Pavers Shoes in the bay has a dogs welcome sign in the window (in case your pooch needs new pumps)

Nearby gems:

There’s one real dog-friendly gem within a ten minute drive of Cardiff Bay, where you can take your dog inside and the place is really something special – so it’s included (just in case your dog has wheels). Well worth heading for.

The Grange, 134 Penarth Road, Cardiff: lovely pub with a skittles alley and large beer garden. Great atmosphere, good food and super friendly staff. This place gets five bones out of five!

CARDIFF BAY – OUTDOORS PLACES TO VISIT WITH YOUR DOG

  • Cardiff Bay barrage (nice for a walk over to Penarth)
  • World of Boats (sit outside for a great view of the bay)
  • Mermaid Quay bars (The Dock, Wetherspoons, Las Iguanas etc … they all have outdoor seating areas where you and your dog can sit)

Zelda approves of all these places. She encourages you to take your pups to visit, then let us know how you get on!

Phew! We’re all tuckered out. Zelda’s off for a nap. So we’ll see you soon! Don’t forget you can follow her adventures on Instagram – @ZeldaPooch

Zzzz ….

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Out of Cardiff

A Welsh retreat for writers

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You’ve probably noticed that we’re big fans of writing over here at We Are Cardiff. We presume some of you are as well. You might even be writers, or just want time to spend on your writing. So … it’s not in Cardiff … but if you need an excuse to head into the incredible countryside of north west Wales, and want some time to focus on your writing, Ty Newydd is the perfect spot.

Ty Newydd Gwynedd

The creative writing centre is run by Literature Wales, and features a series of courses, workshops and retreats throughout the year. Ty Newydd is a pretty sweet place to focus on your work … and Criccieth isn’t bad, either!

Cricieth

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Tŷ Newydd

The courses for this year cover everything from poetry, to non-fiction memoir, to young adult mythology. View all Ty Newydd’s courses on their site (or scroll to the bottom of this article to go through them all).

We Are Cardiff went along to a Yoga and Writing class that took place in 2017 – a three day course that combines two creative practices that energise one another: yoga, plus writing. There was also meditation, breathing, and movement with writing exercises, added to some Hindu mythology and free time to write in the blissful surroundings of Tŷ Newydd. It was ace to meet guest reader Vivienne Rickman-Poole, photographer, film maker and outdoor swimmer who lives in Snowdonia (we followed her #swimsnowdonia project for some time now – she even took us for an outdoor dip!)

If you love the idea of attending a course at Ty Newydd, but aren’t sure you can afford it, Ty Newydd also offer bursaries and financial support for people to attend. Find out more: Ty Newydd financial support

Ty Newydd – view all courses 

More beautiful images of gorgeous Criccieth:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWNeC0lBGWp/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWQyXmJB6oV/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWNVK3DgfqG/

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The Arts

Celebrating Kathleen Thomas – the first person to swim the Bristol Channel

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NINETY ONE YEARS AGO TODAY, a scrappy lady named Kathleen Thomas became the first person to swim the Bristol Channel between Wales and England. She set off from Penarth at 4.15am, and the crossing took her 7 hours and 20 minutes. Although the distance is 11 miles, it’s actually calculated to be 22.5 once you factor in the brutal currents.

Kathleen Thomas Penarth swimmer climbing into a boat

(Photo from History of Wales)

Plenty of men had tried and failed before her, but Kathleen wasn’t bothered by that, saying: ‘The Suffragettes were campaigning for women’s rights, but nobody thought a girl could cross to the other side – many men had tried and failed.’

It wasn’t a thing anyone thought a woman could do – or should do. The South Wales Echo had to print a clarification because no one believed the original article: ‘Miss Kathleen Thomas, the Penarth lady swimmer, whose decision to attempt the Bristol Channel was exclusively reported in yesterday’s South Wales Echo, reaffirmed in an interview today that our report was correct in its entirety.’

The story reads:

‘Crowds lined the beach to watch Kathleen wade into the chill grey waters, accompanied by a launch containing representatives from the Welsh Amateur Swimming Association and a rowing boat carrying her uncle Jack in a bowler hat. After the swim she was taken to a hotel where she had a warm and cold bath, a half-hour rest in bed, and a good fish lunch before returning to Wales a celebrity.

‘Seven hours and 20 minutes later she reached the shores of Somerset; fortified by beef tea and chocolate, Thomas received a rapturous welcome from the West Country. She was the first person, as well as the first woman, to swim the Bristol Channel. Compelling images from newspapers of the time show her exhausted, slumped in a boat, before she was taken to a hotel where she had a warm and cold bath, a half-hour rest in bed, and a good fish lunch before returning to Wales a celebrity.’

(Portrait of Kathleen Thomas)

You can see a plaque commemorating her achievement on Penarth Pier.

The second person to swim across the channel was another woman – named Edith Parnell, aged 16. She completed the swim across two years later.

So today, we celebrate our women swimmers!

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The People

We Are Cardiff – Helia Phoenix fifth on The Independent Happy List 2018!

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YES YOU GUYS IT IS TRUE!!! We Are Cardiff’s director Helia Phoenix was nominated for the Independent’s Happy List 2018 – AND HAS MADE IT TO NUMBER FIVE IN THE LIST!!!!!

So this is The Independent’s tenth annual Happy List – naming 50 outstanding people whose volunteering, caring, fundraising, mentoring, charity work or selflessness make Britain a happier place to live

The Happy List was founded in 2008 as an antidote to the lists that celebrate status and big bank balances. Instead, it honours the “Great Britons” doing extraordinary things for others with no thought of personal gain; those who often go largely unnoticed and unrewarded.

Being called a Great Briton is a bit weird, but other than that, Helia is very excited and honoured and humbled and all the rest of it to be featured. A BIG THANK YOU to whoever nominated her!

Helia says:

“It’s really very exciting to be featured in the Happy List this year – I had no idea anyone had nominated me and it’s a real shock, especially when you read some of the other incredible people featured on the list. I started We Are Cardiff in 2010 because I saw there was a gap in the content I was seeing about Cardiff. I was reading endless negative news reports, and it just didn’t chime with the Cardiff I knew and lived in. My Cardiff has lots of people doing wonderful, selfless, altruistic things for the good of their neighbours and their communities. I see generosity of spirit and interesting alternative action and arts and culture all around me everyday, and I just thought it deserved a platform where it could be promoted and celebrated.

“We Are Cardiff has achieved loads since then – we’ve made a documentary film, won Blog of the Year, been named as one of the world’s best city blogs, been interviewed for overseas travel documentaries, and we’re one of the top 20 most influential Twitter accounts in Wales. Get in.

“Despite everything we’ve achieved, I don’t think we’re quite there yet – there’s plenty I’d still like to do with We Are Cardiff, and earlier this year I got a grant from UnLtd. I’d like to try and turn the brand into a social enterprise, moving the mission forwards in its endeavours to celebrate and integrate people who live in Cardiff, whatever their backgrounds.

“I particularly would like to turn We Are Cardiff into a platform where people that are under-represented in the media/journalism/PR can develop skills and experience to follow careers in those industries. I remember when I was younger and first trying to forge a career in the media – I did work experience and had small jobs in various media organisations (I won’t say which) – but in every one, I felt hugely out of place. I was female, I’m of Middle Eastern origin – these were workplaces that were male dominated, middle class, overwhelmingly white and straight. I think we should be celebrating difference and I want We Are Cardiff to be more of an embodiment of that.

“I really want to thank everyone who has supported We Are Cardiff throughout the years; people volunteering their time, skills, and experience to try and make Cardiff a better place – through blogging, at least.”

Helia would like it to be known it was excruciating trying to write this without humblebragging.

Follow Helia on Twitter @heliaphoenix or Instagram @heliaphoenix.

As well as us, there were TWO MORE great individuals featured from Cardiff:

More about the Happy List:

Our world can often feel dominated by fame, cynicism, disgrace and greed. The Happy List offers a welcome chance to celebrate a different set of values, honouring those who help others without thought of enriching themselves – in many cases at considerable personal cost. That’s something we should all feel happy and optimistic about. If you know of someone you think should have been included, then please let us know and we will consider them next year. 

The Independent – The Happy List 2018

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