Category Archives: The City

What’s on in Cardiff: this week, 20 – 26 June

It’s been a weird week. People got murdered. Suddenly xenophobia is everywhere, seemingly. Someone stole a huge flowerpot from the front of my house today, like literally right outside my front door. Who does that?

Anyway. Stuff is happening. Be informed. Make decisions. Get drunk. That’s what we’re doing.

This week, there’s Cardiff’s first fringe theatre festival, a vegan restaurant relaunching, an outdoor film showing, a mic cypher, some tropicalia, and a craft market.

Above everything, we’d like to draw your attention to the event on Wednesday to celebrate the life of Jo Cox MP. We’ll be there.

Hope not hate.

Amen. x

What’s on in Cardiff: this week, 20 – 26 June

The Sho Gallery, Summer Sho!

Open now! 16 June – 6 July, The Castle Emporium, Womanby Street

A vibrant group exhibition of illustrative works featuring a collection of great contemporary design by local & national artists, including works by Phil Morgan, Lu West, Tom Findlay, Ian Watson, Suzanne Carpenter, Matt Joyce, Emma Tickner, Ben the illustrator and Snowskull.

The Sho Gallery Facebook

Cardiff Fringe Theatre Festival (CFTF)

20 – 25 June, various venues across Cardiff

We posted about our inaugural fringe festival a few weeks ago, and it’s finally here! Go buy some tickets, see some shows, and support our local arts scene!

CFTF – buy tickets

More in Common: Cardiff festival of action to celebrate the life of Jo Cox MP

Wednesday 22 June, 4-7pm, Temple of Peace

See our full post about this: More in Common

Wales and Norway in the times of Roald Dahl

Wednesday 22nd June 2016, 6.45pm for 7pm start, Norwegian Church, Cardiff Bay

norwegian_church

The Welsh Norwegian Society present a special event to celebrate the Roald Dahl centenary: Wales and Norway in the life of ROALD DAHL. Roald Dahl was born in Cardiff to Norwegian parents in 1916, and was christened in the former Norwegian Seamen’s Church in Cardiff Docks, now the Norwegian Church Arts Centre.

To mark 100 years since Roald Dahl’s birth, his biographer Donald Sturrock will explore the influence of both Wales and Norway on the life of the world’s greatest storyteller. Signed copies of Donald Sturrock’s new book Love from Boy: Roald Dahl’s Letters to his Mother will be available to buy on the night.

Speaker: Donald Sturrock, Author of the acclaimed biography: Storyteller: The Life of Roald Dahl

Tickets £4 (free for WNS members). To book tickets, call Mary Allen Tel: (029) 2075 7311 / marymartellallen@aol.com.

Wales and Norway in the times of Roald Dahl – Facebook event

CFTF scratch night

Thursday 23 June

10 acts. 3 hours. 1 night! This year CFTF  opened submissions for ten pieces of work to be performed at the Cardiff Fringe Theatre Festival Scratch Night. Here are the results!

CFTF Scratch Night Facebook event

(Also, Thursday is the EU referendum, so don’t forget to vote!)

Lost Lands Rooftop Cinema presents Purple Rain

Friday 24 June, 6-11pm, Jacobs Market

Celebrate the artist who captured imaginations like few others – party like it’s 1999! The night will commence with a mix of tunes from 1999 and of course Prince remixes and tunes until sunset, when the classic 1984 film ‘Purple Rain’ will show.

The theme of the evening will be purple and fancy dress is welcome! The guest food pop-up for the evening will be Little Bao Peep, serving deliciously fluffy Taiwanese Bao plus a cocktail bar serving a selection of themed cocktails and popcorn.

Our events are for adults, no under 18s admitted. Please ensure that you bring along I.D. if you’re lucky enough to look under 21!! A licensed bar is available so you can enjoy a drink watching the sun go down and the stars appear.

Purple Rain Facebook event 

Anna-Loka relaunch

Friday 24 June, Anna-Loka

A vegan and raw foods party night at this re-launch event for one of Cardiff’s favourite vegan hangouts!

Anna Loka relaunch

Jazz at Porter’s

Friday 24 June, 10pm, Porter’s

Who loves jazz? We do. Do you love jazz? If the answer is yes then get down here to take in some smoothe tunes. If the answer is no, come down and let the band prove you wrong.

Jazz at Porter’s 

Selecta! UK Garage / Grime / Garage!

24 June, 11pm – 4am, Undertone

Where the crowd go BO!

►► SELECTAS ◄◄
LEESON, ONSLAUGHT, WOO HA

◄◄ DEETS ►►
Classic. Garage. & Grime

►► TAX ◄◄
Free entry guestlist with names tagged on the event wall till 11:30pm, £4 OTD

◄◄ LIQUOR ►►
£2.50 shots
£3.00 Single mixer
£4.50 doubles
£3.50 cans or 4 for £10.00

Selecta 

Night Ride to the Coast – Cardiff to Swansea

Friday 24 June, 11.30pm, Wales Millennium Centre

Registration is now open for the annual South Wales edition of the FNRttC, which this year is a midsummer ride! We depart the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay at midnight, meeting 11:30 pm.

Our exit from Cardiff is business-like but effective – it is not long until we turn off the A48 at Bonvilston into quiet swoopy lanes. In the likely event that we are blessed with one of our traditional tailwinds, this will iron out the undulations all the way to Llantwit Major, where we regroup in whispers in the centre of town. From there we join the Dimlands Road, which (on a clear night) offers tantalizing glimpses of the moon on the Bristol Channel. We stay close to the water as far as our halfway tea-sandwiches-and-cake stop in Ogmore-by-Sea.

When we leave Ogmore, refreshed, there is just half an hour until sunrise. We spend this wending our way gently upwards through Merthyr Mawr and Laleston to the lower end of a ridge called Cefn Cribwr. This affords us some stunning dawn glimpses of the threatened Port Talbot steelworks, inspiration for Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner.

As we reach Port Talbot, we take a loop up-valley, to show off a little of the local landscape and avoid the worst excesses of highways engineers. There is a short but sharp climb that will be testing on tired legs or macho gears, but there’s no shame in walking it. We take a breather at the top and enjoy a fast wide descent into Neath. We take a quiet back route into Swansea, with views over Crymlyn Bog (home of the notorious Great Raft Spider – lingering is not recommended).

A short stretch of urban ordinariness, and then we meet the sea again, for perhaps the finest five-mile finish in the Fridays’ calendar, around the great sweep of Swansea Bay to the pier at Mumbles for breakfast.

Click the Ticket link to sign up! If this is your first FNRttC of the year, please read about how to register  – before you do the ride, read The Basics

Friday night ride to the beach

Protest: after the referendum, defend all migrants

Saturday 25 June, 12 midday, Aneurin Bevan statue, Queen Street

DEMONSTRATE: against racism, for migrant rights, against fascist violence – on the Saturday after the EU referendum

The EU referendum has created racism and division which reached a bloody crescendo with the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox by a fascist terrorist. What will happen in the aftermath is uncertain, but leave or remain, it’s likely that there will be further attacks on the rights of migrants.

Migrants are being used as a political football. There are calls from all sides to limit immigration and renegotiate EU freedom of movement – but it is our government taking away our jobs, housing and public services. Our fight is against austerity, not against any other group of people wherever they come from.

The tone of anti-immigrant politics is not just set by the far right. It also comes from within mainstream politics and the media, and years of insisting that immigrants are a “problem”, while UKIP clean up in the wake.

We need to take a stand against this – whatever the result of the referendum on Thursday – Migrant or non-migrant, we stand together as friends, family, lovers, work colleagues, trade unionists and members of our communities. We stand side-by-side and share our lives.

Cardiff has long been enriched by migrant communities, our city is home to some of the oldest Black and Muslim communities in Europe and people from all four corners of the globe have come to settle here and build a life. We will not allow a wave of racism to threaten our lives and wellbeing.

Join us to show solidarity with all migrants and refugees.

Supported by Cardiff People’s Assembly, Welsh Refugee Council, Stand up to Racism, Unite Against Fascism, Stand Up To UKIP, PCS, NASUWT, Unite Community and others. To add your name to this call email cardiffpeoplesassembly@gmail.com

After the referendum, protect all migrants

Inner City Cypher

Saturday 25 June, 12 – 5pm, Oner Graffiti Store, Church Street

Monthly cypher session and instore jam.

A regular Saturday afternoon open mic cypher at the Oner Graff shop in Cardiff city center.

Everyone is welcome, emcees, beatboxers, DJs or just lovers of the culture. Each month we’ll have at least one DJ booked in to keep the beats going and a pretty much open mic.

This is a central, regular place and time to meet, hang out, try out new material and generally connect with one another.

So, even if you’re only in town for a few hours, or on ya way to or from work or doing some shopping etc just pop in, even for 5 minutes show some support for the thing we love and the people involved.

Feel free to invite other like minded heads as you see fit.

Inner City Cypher

The Afro-Tropical Discotheque!

Saturday 25 June, Gwdihw

Disco and funk are all good and proper. Add a bit of that Caribbean crush though and now we’re talking! Think of the last Saturday of this month as Tour de exotica!

Shaking from the heart of Africa to the South of America via funky Jamaica! A melting pot banansa!

Afrobeat & Cumbia & Latin & Tropicalia!

Helping the party along we have grandiose guests Miles Day & Mr Downs.

Miles Day, of Sure Shot fame, has been getting fruitier by the day specialising in unknown Highlife / Afro tresures. For good measure we’ve asked him to bring along that lovely niceness from South American and all.

Downs, of the mighty Club Tropicana, will be approaching the situation with pina colada in the one hand, Zimbabwe twists in the other. If he’s feeling especially lively he’ll even provide a touch of the middle east!

As always the bar staff will be providing half prices drinks before 10 with joyous grins on their faces 🙂

The Afro-Tropical Discotheque

Glasnost Festival

Friday 24 – 25 June, The Full Moon

Glasnost Festival 2016! returns for its 5th year!
20 ACTS * 2 DAYS * 2 FLOORS * VEGAN FOOD POP-UPS * GLASTONBURY ON THE BIG SCREEN * DJS TIL 4AM * VEGAN FOOD * CRAFT BEERS * FREE ENTRY!

Friday 24th & Saturday 25th June 2016
The Moon + The Full Moon, Womanby St, Cardiff

Didn’t get a ticket for Glastonbury? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back..

>>>FRIDAY 24TH JUNE<<<
Wet Painttt + THE CULT OF DOM KELLER + The Moon Birds + Himalayas + Winter Coat + Shiny Tiger & more tba
followed by
Ultimate Power – Cardiff June 24th (power ballads clubnight) til 3am! http://www.facebook.com/events/1707346846206237

>>>SATURDAY 25TH JUNE<<<
Iron Eye + Zion Road + Rum Puppets + Thee Manatees + Ivan Moult Music + Art Bandini + PARCS & more tba
followed by Five Dollar Shake DJs downstairs til 3am!

POP-UPS:
Cheese & Chocolate – vegan comfort food including nachos, mac’n’cheese, paninis, garlic cheesy pizza rolls, thickshakes, Fentiman’s bottles

Vegan Pizza Co. – hand-stretched, stone baked pizzas made from meat-free dairy-free recipes, for vegans & omnis alike

Gravity Station Cardiff – just moved in upstairs! Selling a wide range of local, national and international beer bottles

ULTIMATE POWER:
Friday night after the bands upstairs, we have nothing but the greatest power ballads ever written, celebrated by the friendliest clubgoers around, creating a night of pure euphoria.. “A fun-as-fuck communal club experience” – NME. (Please note Ultimate Power is £4)

PLUS … the return of our hay bales and astro turf, stalls, plenty of legendary ‘Green Shit’ and more to come!

Glasnost Festival  /  The Moon Club  /  Glasnost Event

Penarth’s Handmade Market

Sunday 26 June, 11-4pm, Paget Rooms, Penarth

This June, PHM returns to the Paget Rooms for a children’s themed special featuring the very best makers and food producers. Join us and browse our 43 stalls, come and have fun and get creative, or sit down and enjoy a bite to eat in our vintage popup tearoom.

After the huge success of our Christmas and Mother’s Day markets, we can’t wait to come back to the Paget Rooms.

See you there!

Penarth Handmade Market

Ab Fab Vegan Food Market

Sunday 26 June, YMCA PLAS Plasnewydd Community Hall, Roath Cardiff

ADMISSION £1 ADULTS CHILDREN FREE. BOUNCE BACK TO HEALTH. THE BOUNCY CASTLE IS FREE TO USE ALL DAY!

Vegan Fair

Cardiff Mini Film Festival 2016

26 June, 12 midday – 11pm, Gwdihw

Now in its fourth year Cardiff Mini Film Festival will be taking over Chapel 1877, Gwdihw and Little Man Coffee Co. on the 26th June for a day of short film screenings, Q+As, Film Pitch Competition, Awards Ceremony and a large networking party with a free glass of prosecco on arrival!

Early Bird Day Tickets are £11 (Limited availability), Day Tickets are £15 on the day.

We will be handing out awards for the best Welsh and International films for each category shown at the festival, including Fiction, Comedy, Factual and Music Videos. There will also be a chance to vote for your favourite on the day as part of the Audience Choice Award. The winner of the Audience Choice Award will receive a 12 month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud (Worth £500) so make sure you choose your favourite wisely!

The Awards Ceremony will be hosted by Boyd Clack and Kirsten Jones and it’s not just for those that have been shortlisted. After the ceremony we will be having a massive networking party that we want everyone to come along to in order to network with fellow filmmakers and special industry guests whilst listening to the sweet tones of our live music act, Naomi Rae.

Cardiff mini film festival website 

Music Without Borders

Sunday 26 June, Wales Millennium Centre

Free event in Cardiff bay featuring the diverse sounds of Cardiff underground. Full line up tbc, but we have: Jaguar, Oud Resists, Eric Ngalle Charles, Fatima, Kibrom, and more!

Music Without Borders 

***

Most importantly, like we mentioned: the referendum is Thursday. Your opinion is important. People died for the right to vote. Many don’t have the option. Don’t take it lightly.

Peas and rice

We Are Cardiff
x

Refugee Week 2016: Cardiff events

There’s some strange synchronicity in this week being Refugee Week, given all the awful news of the past few days.

Refugee Week is what this post is about, but in case you haven’t read them, please read the following two pieces:

Also, in case you’re feeling all het up about all the terrible xenophobic trash so much of our media has been talking, a protest has been arranged for this Saturday:

Protest: after the referendum, defend all migrants – Saturday 25 June, 12 midday, Aneurin Bevan statue, Cardiff city centre

refugee_week_2016

Cardiff, an intercultural city?

Monday 20 June, Oasis Centre Cardiff (Facebook event)

Cardiff City of Sanctuary, in partnership with the Welsh Refugee Council and Oasis Cardiff, invites you to a celebration of Cardiff’s migrant communities and the local people who welcome them into the city.

An evening of lively performances and insightful discussion on the contribution of migrants to the city and how Cardiff can design effective local strategies for migrant integration.

Where: Oasis, 69b Splott Road, Cardiff, CF24 2BW
When : Monday 20th June,
Time : 6:00pm-8:00pm

All are welcome to attend, network and consider important questions for our local community:
• How do we achieve successful integration in local communities?
• What is happening in Cardiff to help migrant communities to reach their potential?
• Where next for the city? Where next for Wales?

A free dinner, cooked by local refugees and asylum seekers, will be provided for all attendees.

Migrants from all backgrounds are encouraged to attend. Please contact Althea at the Welsh Refugee Council for more information: althea@wrc.wales

 

Photography Exhibition about Calais Refugee Camp

June 17 – 25, Cardiff MADE Gallery,  open Weds – Sat 10am – 6pm

Self-taught photographer and long term volunteer in the notorious “Jungle” Refugee Camp in Calais, Megan Howell, raises profound questions about the violence affecting the refugees who live in Calais through this exhibition.

The photography exhibition “Voices” challenges the use of such inflammatory tactics with a presentation of photographic footage shot largely during the most violent phase of evictions in February and March 2016. Megan spent three months in the camp during which time she twice witnessed thousands of its residents being internally displaced as a result of, often violent, evictions carried out by the local authorities. When describing her time working in the camp, Megan says that “the most shocking aspect was the violent and oppressive manner in which the refugees were treated by the authorities. In my opinion the tactics of the CRS are extremely heavy-handed and they frequently escalate benign situations unnecessarily to the point where the use of force is able to be legitimised.”

It is highly likely that the camp will one day be completely dismantled suggesting the possibility of repeated eviction processes. Highlighting the violent nature of these evictions is, therefore, an important part of the campaign to secure the rights and freedoms of the refugees living in Calais. The camp is under the near constant guard of the heavily armed French riot police – the CRS – who carry batons, rubber bullets and tear gas grenade launchers as well as keeping a water canon on standby.

“When Megan showed us her photographs and told us her story, we immediately recognised the potential for this exhibition to play a pivotal role in achieving aims of Refugee Week Wales 2016.” – Lindsay Wright – Refugee Week Wales Co-ordinator

 

Refugee Week celebrations at the Wales Millennium Centre

Join the WMC as they present work as part Refugee Week Wales, exploring the challenging and moving stories of migration and resilience in a rapidly changing world. The Centre has been working with Oasis Cardiff, WOW Women’s Film Club, Louise Osborn, young and aspiring performers, community volunteers and Music Without Borders Cardiff to bring together a collection of projects and showcases free for you to get involved in.

The Refugee Wales exhibition will be on throughout June and our film event and must see Weston Studio performance of Blackbird, will take place across the Refugee Week weekend of 25 and 26 June.

Refugee Week at the Wales Millennium Centre

***

More info: Welsh Refugee Council – Facebook  /  Cardiff City of Sanctuary

And don’t forget to vote in the EU referendum on Thursday (the right answer is ‘Remain in Europe’, in case you weren’t sure).

Peas!

We Are Cardiff
x

There is love here

Monet's San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk
Monet’s San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk

A brave, compassionate, intelligent woman was murdered for her beliefs yesterday. She spent her life fighting for change through democratic, peaceful debate – not violence.

We give a shit about the same issues that Jo Cox gave a shit about. Maybe this is part of why her assassination, which happened only 200 miles away from us, feels like a very personal attack on our country’s belief that change comes through discussion, not war.

But our democracy is more fragile than we think. When someone can end democratic discussion in such a simple and brutal way, the fundamentals of our world start to change. In the words of the Guardian, “the slide from civilisation to barbarism is shorter than we might like to imagine.”

Jo’s husband said that she would want people to “unite to fight against the hatred that killed her.” So today, in respect to a woman who had a go at the Russian ambassador over the terrible way his country behaved in Syria, we are going to spread some love to our 40,000 followers to try and counter the viciousness that’s gestated in recent debates.

Some of it’s political, some of it isn’t. But we believe in pluralism – that different political, religious and cultural beliefs can exist peacefully side by side.

We also believe that while things are a mess right now, the good outweighs the bad:

Refugees are being welcomed into our city

Millions of people are fleeing their home countries because of war and crisis, and our city is doing what it can to welcome them in beautiful and creative ways. Next week is Refugee Week, so there’s lots of stuff going on.

Writer and refugee Eric Ngalle Charles has written a book about what it means to be a refugee – caught between two worlds and condemned by both. He came to Cardiff on a Zimbabwean passport after fleeing persecution in his village and being illegally trafficked into Russia. The book, Asylum, features several refugees he has met through the creative writing classes he runs at the Welsh Refugee Centre in Splott.

Oxfam are running a campaign for people to write letters of welcome to newly-arrived refugees. You can write a long letter or a short note and post it in one of the special Nation of Sanctuary post boxes at any of 23 Oxfam shops across Wales. Or if you prefer you can write a welcoming email, and send it to oxfamcymru@oxfam.org.uk. To find your nearest Oxfam shops visit: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/local-shops

An exhibition of photos by Megan Howell opened yesterday. Through photographs taken in the Jungle refugee camp over a three-month period in early 2016, it explores the nature of the State, the role of violence and the characteristics of being a refugee in Calais. The exhibition runs until Sat. 25th June. There will be a special event talk on Sunday 19th June 3-5pm in the gallery cafe to discuss the nature of conflict, as well life in the camp by people who have witnessed it first hand.

And G39 and Trinity Centre are coming together to present an event focussing on creative use of texts as part of Refugee Week.  

The Oasis Centre support refugees and asylum seekers every day, providing classes, employability workshops, dance classes, a women’s only area, mother and toddler groups and support with letters and phone calls about asylum and refugee issues.

But there are still issues with the Welsh response to the refugee crisis.  While every council has committed to resettled refugees, only 78 have been welcomed so far. The fair proportion of the UK number would be 724. Get active and push for change if you believe that’s what is right.

Our politicians want to make our lives better

Yep, some of them are awful, some are odd, or detached, or thoughtless. But from personal, daily experience, the vast majority do the job because they want to make people’s lives better. The success of this relies on the engagement of the people they represent to push them on the issues that matter.

So, find out which politicians speak on the issues you care about, know how to tell them your thoughts, and get engaged. Democracy is our best tool against violence because we all have equal influence. If you’re angry and passionate, push for change through this peaceful process.

In Wales, we have elected representatives at multiple levels. Different representatives are responsible for deciding on particular issues.

For example, if you are concerned about the number of refugees that the UK is committing to resettle, you need to talk to your MP. But if you want to find out about how our hospitals are being run, follow what’s going on in the National Assembly for Wales. For local issues like potholes, the council is responsible. Our MEPs are elected by us to make decisions on EU law and funding like the money that gets spent on programmes and buildings in Cardiff.

You can contact your councillors, Assembly Members, Members of Parliament and the Lords, and Members of the European Parliament through the brilliant writetothem.com website.

You can even start a petition to the UK Parliament or National Assembly for Wales and get your voice heard that way.

Good people are doing good things for people in crisis

Earlier this week, I visited the Trussell Trust at their food bank in Barry. They provide emergency food for people with nowhere else to turn, and they do it without judgment, prejudice or conditionality.

Last year they provided food to 85,000 people in Wales. There are 19 food banks around Cardiff , where people donate food, which volunteers sort, store and then distribute it when someone is referred to them by a professional.

Food banks don’t just provide food though – they also providing a range of new services like money advice and Fuel Banks, helping people to break the cycle of poverty.

These incredible organisations are supporting people in our own communities who don’t have a safety net. They do it for free, and with love.

We celebrate magical, mischievous, creative people like Roald Dahl

Cardiff will soon be transformed for the centenary of one of its most well-known sons, Roald Dahl. As well as being one of our best storytellers, Dahl repeatedly experienced tragedy and pain during his life. He saw the pointlessness of violence and war and chose to use his voice to lighten the world, instead of darkening it.

He was also outspoken and political; he refused an honour from the Queen and spoke about the absurdity of the diplomatic service (he famously said “I’d just come from the war. People were getting killed. I had been flying around, seeing horrible things. Now, almost instantly, I found myself in the middle of a pre-war cocktail party in America”).

In September, the city will be taken over and transformed into a place where the laws of physics and civic predictability give way to the laws of magic, mischief and the unexpected.

Wales Millennium Centre and National Theatre Wales are calling out to the people of Cardiff, Wales and Britain to take part. 

They’re seeking 6000 performers for this landmark celebration, needing 2,000 choristers, 1,000 dancers, 50 Morris Minor drivers, 40 bald men, 13 magicians, four brass bands, three excavator drivers, a Spitfire pilot, firemen, circus artists, aerialists, rock climbers, grandparents, children and a performing mouse.

To take part in this two-day spectacular, visit www.cityoftheunexpected.wales and register your interest.

Our city takes pride in its jumble of different people

Following the barbarism of the events in Orlando, our city stood with pride of our LBTG community. We’re proud that our city crossed political, cultural and religious lines to condemn a brutal act.  And in April our city stood up to say that terrorism can’t divide people after recent attacks. We stand with pride to remember our wars. And we marched with pride to welcome refugees to our city.

People of Cardiff are proud to stand up for what they believe, because there is love here.

See? There is so much more love than hate. So much more to celebrate than mourn. “So much more that unites us than divides us.”

Big love from Hana and Helia, the We Are Cardiff Joy Monkeys xxx

PS. The featured image for this post is Monet’s San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk, which hangs in the National Museum Wales – isn’t it beautiful?

6 reasons why Cardiff needs the EU

We don’t get political very often over here at We Are Cardiff. But with the total fucking omnishambles of the latest EU debates, and all the misinformation being bandied around by the big media outlets, we thought we’d stick our oar in.

Some people think that the UK would have more money if we left the EU. But we think that financial support and opportunities available to people in Cardiff as a result of being in EU (some direct but many indirect) is a net benefit to the city by miles.

When you’re deciding how to vote on 23 June, bear some things in mind:

  • Some programmes are funded by the EU but badly managed/delivered by the UK government, Welsh government or local councils – don’t blame the EU for a local political issue;
  • Recent research has estimated that Wales’ net benefit from the EU budget is around £79 per head;
  • Wales doesn’t fully exploit the opportunities available to it through the EU – the conclusion of an Assembly committee inquiry – there’s so much more to gain;
  • Don’t underestimate the value of the EU to your everyday life; just because there isn’t an EU logo on it, doesn’t mean it hasn’t contributed in some way;
  • It’s massive, it’s complex and it has flaws – but spend some time considering whether it’s worth throwing the baby out with the bathwater before you vote to leave, or not to vote at all.

To help you decide, we thought that we’d try and illustrate how Cardiff as a city has benefitted from the EU through some specific examples, from life-saving cancer research to job creation, and from arts funding to regeneration:

  1. Our arts scene is more vibrant

Chapter Arts Centre is one of Europe’s largest and most dynamic arts centres. And it couldn’t offer everything it does without EU funding. It gets regular funding  from the EU for its activities, specific cultural funding for dance, it’s a member of the EU-supported Europa cinemas network.

The incredible Welsh TV drama Hinterland/Y Gwyll wouldn’t have been made without EU funding. Fiction Factory Films, based in Cardiff Bay, received development funding of €45,000 during script development, and then €500,000 under the television broadcast scheme for the production of the first series.

  1. The learning and work opportunities available to people in Cardiff are broader

Jobs Growth Wales was funded with £25million of EU money, and helped create nearly 2,500 jobs in Cardiff.  And 2,130 people from Cardiff have benefited from an EU-funded apprenticeship.

The ERASMUS+ exchange programme allows students and staff of Cardiff universities to study at European universities. It’s a fantastic opportunity that helps students improve their chances of employment. Over 300 Cardiff University students went on ERASMUS exchange in 2013-14.

Projects such as the 20 Twenty Leadership Programme (sponsored by Cardiff Met) helped leaders of small and medium sized businesses improve productivity, adaptability and diversity. The gender equality organization Chwarae Teg has been supporting women to advance their careers in Cardiff with the help of EU funds for years.

  1. Our research and innovation are world-leading and saves lives

 Cardiff University’s Brain Research Imaging Centre was opened by the Queen last week. It has been called the “most significant advance in brain imaging in Europe in the last 10 years”.

The Maindy Park building brings together four hi-tech scanners under one roof. One of them, described as the “Hubble space telescope of neuroscience”, and is the first outside the United States. The centre is the biggest of its kind in Europe and one of the best equipped in the world. The £44 million facility received £4.5million of its funding from the EU.

Through the EU’s Horizon 2020 support, TrakCel Ltd in Cardiff is working with international partners to develop cell therapy technology that could change the way cancer is treated. It received £315,000 from the EU.

 Cardiff Metropolitan University has seen a significant increase in bidding activity for European funding, which supports world-leading research and development in design, advanced materials and sustainability. 

  1. Our tourism is boosted, and our environment is protected

The Wales Coastal Path – a 870 mile footpath that runs through Cardiff and around the whole of Wales-  was supported by £3.9 million of EU funds over three years. We are the first country in the world to provide such a path, and the Lonely Planet voted our coastline the best on earth.

EU funds help our city to reduce dependency on fossil fuel. Research and development into low carbon energy by the Low Carbon Research Institute, made up of Welsh universities (including Cardiff), has been funded by various EU schemes.

The National Cycle Network in Wales has received EU funding to bring new routes to people in Cardiff. 1,200 wonderful miles of the Network carried 29 million walking and cycling trips in 2011 alone.

  1. Our businesses are growing

The European Investment Bank recently confirmed £110 million of funding for the Cardiff Energy Recovery Facility. The ERF treats waste from local authorities and local businesses and diverts at least 95% of non-recyclable waste in South Wales away from landfill and generates 30MW of electricity for the national grid, enough to power around 50,000 households.

Other Cardiff companies such as Cleartech Live and Net Consulting also received funding through Finance Wales from the EU.

The Centre of Excellence in Mobile Applications and Services (CEMAS) at the University of South Wales EU funds. It supported small and medium sized businesses by helping them to develop, test and find a route to market for their mobile application products.

The Wales Co-operative Centre is not-for-profit co-operative development agency, which received nearly £1million of EU funds in 2014 to support social enterprises. Our project the We Are Cardiff Press received advice and support from the Centre to establish a non-profit publishing house to showcase writing and art in Cardiff.

  1. Our poorest communities are supported and regenerated

 The Butetown Regneration Scheme received £2 million of EU funds. It provided: a youth centre on Dumballs Road, a new Community Centre on the site of the existing centre on Canal Park, Butetown Employment and Training Centre (BEST), improvements to the Christina Street area and Better Buildings For Butetown Grant Scheme.

Cardiff Council’s EU-funded NOVUS scheme has helped over 700 unemployed people, particularly parents, back into work or learning. New programmes such as Comunities4Work, Parents, Childcare and Employment (PACE) and Healthy Working Wales have all had funding approved, and will help people in Cardiff get jobs, more money and better skills.

 

Not mentioned here are the rights of workers, the number of skilled EU citizens that we rely on in our hospitals (and everywhere else), the increased opportunities for trade,  safety and peace, travel, equality and non-discrimination, political clout around the world……

Jeez, that’s a whole other article.

Get engaged, people of Cardiff! You have the chance to vote on the most important political and economic decision of our lifetime – make it count, be informed.

 

*** We’ve tried our very best to research this piece in depth but if you spot any errors, or you want to argue with our assertions, just write a comment below.
As always, we are open to reasonable debate, just don’t be a dick and shout at us without basis. ***

Green Man 2016 – line up frenzy!

Belle and Sebastian? Laura Marling??

To be honest, you had me at White Denim.

Green Man 2016 line up poster

YES it’s coming round to that time again … and it’s nearly time for Green Man, one of THE BEST FESTIVALS IN THE WORLD!

That’s just our two cents. To get an idea of the joys of Green Man, watch our videos from 2015:

We reviewed the festival in 2014 and profiled festival goers in 2014 (We Are Green Man 2014) and 2015 (We Are Green Man 2015).

Green Man Festival sitewearegreenman2015_ - 15 wearegreenman2015_ - 12

If you’re going to the festival, we highly recommend booking yourself into one of the hot tubs. It’s a really lovely way to spend a couple of hours! See Green Man Nature Nurture for more details.

Buy Green Man tickets NOW NOW NOW

 

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Festival of Voice – our guide to the venues!

So, unless you’ve been under a rock for the past few months, you will know that there’s a new, fabulous music festival heading for Cardiff, bringing oodles of WORLD RENOWNED artists and mixing them up with all sorts of awesome Welsh talent.

festival_of_voice_banner_on_wmcI’m talking about the Festival of Voice, people! The line up is wonderful:

Charlotte Church, Bryn Terfel, Meilyr Jones, Rufus Wainwright, John Cale, John Grant, Ben Folds, Juliet Greco, Mariza, Laura Mvula, Ronnie Spector, Les Mystere des Voix Bulgares, Femi Kuti, Mbongwana Star, Hugh Masekela, Juliet Kelly, Sianed Jones, Jamie Woon, Flavia Coelho, Scritti Politti and Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip), Lera Lynn, Woman’s Hour, yMusic, Fatima, House Gospel Choir, Candi Staton, Anna Calvi, The Hot Sardines, Keaton Henson, Rustavi Voices of Georgia, Anne Carrere and Amartuvshin Enkhbat.

And if you need further proof of their excellent judgement and taste, they asked me to write the venue guide, which is very natty, if I do say so myself.

Festival of Voice: venue guide

Also, excitingly, we’ve got some tickets to give away to Festival of Voice shows! Keep your ears peeled, people (yes that’s a thing …)

 

Peas!

WAC
x

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Our first ever Cardiff Fringe Theatre Festival: 20-25 June

Well HOW exciting! This June we welcome the first EVER Cardiff Fringe Theatre Festival to the city.

Following in the footsteps of Edinburgh, Brighton, and London, Cardiff will enjoy an annual shot of affordable theatrical delight from both new and established theatre companies, held in a range of local venues.

cardiff_fringe_theatre_festival_logo

Here’s what the Festival says about itself:

Cardiff’s Fringe Festival was borne from a desire to build on the gathering momentum of performing arts culture in Cardiff, and allow it to reach a self-sustaining critical mass. In order to draw the people of Cardiff to the theatre in larger numbers than a single production might achieve, the festival will present an affordable programme that caters to a wide range of tastes. It encourages the use of non-theatrical venues in an attempt to change the public’s perception of “going to the theatre”.

The festival will prioritise maximum accessibility for audiences and companies alike, promoting an inclusive and nurturing environment where audiences can experience work from both the rawest and most sophisticated ends of the theatrical spectrum. Artists at different stages of their career will be able to mix and learn from each other, and will not be exposed to the financial risk associated with venue hire. Venues will benefit from the publicity and footfall the festival will bring.

This unique collaboration across venues and companies will operate within a financially sustainable model that will bring both cultural enrichment and revenue to the city.

Sounds great, right? If you want to get involved, either pick up tickets for the so-far announced shows, the launch party or the post-festival closing party!

To buy tickets for the announced shows, see the Fringe Tickets page

Cardiff Fringe Theatre Festival (CFTF) website

CFTF Facebook page

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Marconi’s first wireless message transmitted over sea, from Flat Holm to Lavernock Point

Today in 1897, 22 year old Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi successfully transmitted the first ever wireless messages to go over the sea, from Flat Holm to Lavernock Point.

The morse slip, that read “Are you ready?”, was sent on 13 May 1897, and signed by Marconi and his assistant, George Kemp.

They were accompanied by William Preece, Chief Engineer of the General Post Office who was also a Welshman.

Below is a photograph showing British Post Office engineers inspecting Marconi’s wireless telegraphy equipment, during a demonstration on Flat Holm island. Pretty neat, eh?

British Post Office engineers inspect Marconi's wireless telegraphy equipment

Happy anniversary, birth of radio telecommunications!

And to think it happened right on our doorstep. Why don’t you go learn some more about Flat Holm island, while we’re chatting about it?

Flat Holm and Steep Holm

(photo by Noel Reynolds)

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Global Cannabis March 2016 – in pictures

On May 7 in Cardiff City Centre, Cardiff CSC (Cannabis Social Club) organised their sixth annual march through the city centre, in protest against the prohibition of cannabis for medical and recreational use.

We sent photographer Daniel Damaschin along to document the day.

Cardiff City Centre, Cardiff, Wales, May 7, 2016: Cardiff CSC (Cannabis Social Club) organises the 6th Annual March through City Centre, in protest against the prohibition of Cannabis. Those participating are demanding the legalisation of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. © Daniel Damaschin

Cardiff City Centre, Cardiff, Wales, May 7, 2016: Cardiff CSC (Cannabis Social Club) organises the 6th Annual March through City Centre, in protest against the prohibition of Cannabis. Those participating are demanding the legalisation of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. © Daniel Damaschin

Cardiff City Centre, Cardiff, Wales, May 7, 2016: Cardiff CSC (Cannabis Social Club) organises the 6th Annual March through City Centre, in protest against the prohibition of Cannabis. Those participating are demanding the legalisation of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. © Daniel Damaschin

Cardiff City Centre, Cardiff, Wales, May 7, 2016: Cardiff CSC (Cannabis Social Club) organises the 6th Annual March through City Centre, in protest against the prohibition of Cannabis. Those participating are demanding the legalisation of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. © Daniel Damaschin

Cardiff City Centre, Cardiff, Wales, May 7, 2016: Cardiff CSC (Cannabis Social Club) organises the 6th Annual March through City Centre, in protest against the prohibition of Cannabis. Those participating are demanding the legalisation of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. © Daniel Damaschin

Cardiff City Centre, Cardiff, Wales, May 7, 2016: Cardiff CSC (Cannabis Social Club) organises the 6th Annual March through City Centre, in protest against the prohibition of Cannabis. Those participating are demanding the legalisation of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. © Daniel Damaschin

Cardiff City Centre, Cardiff, Wales, May 7, 2016: Cardiff CSC (Cannabis Social Club) organises the 6th Annual March through City Centre, in protest against the prohibition of Cannabis. Those participating are demanding the legalisation of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. © Daniel Damaschin

Cardiff City Centre, Cardiff, Wales, May 7, 2016: Cardiff CSC (Cannabis Social Club) organises the 6th Annual March through City Centre, in protest against the prohibition of Cannabis. Those participating are demanding the legalisation of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. © Daniel Damaschin

Cardiff City Centre, Cardiff, Wales, May 7, 2016: Cardiff CSC (Cannabis Social Club) organises the 6th Annual March through City Centre, in protest against the prohibition of Cannabis. Those participating are demanding the legalisation of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes. © Daniel Damaschin

All photos by Daniel Damaschin

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Scratch This! Cardiff scratch night launches, looking for acts …

Scratch This! call for Artists

Roll up, Roll up! Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the greatest show on earth!

Scratch This! is a new and exciting Scratch Platform for artists, musicians and performers of all genres and skills. Our aim is to give opportunity for new and established artists to present and try out new pieces of work and be given opportunity to receive feedback from the audience in a safe and informal way.

Our first Scratch This night will be on Saturday 11th June 2016 at Cardiff Speaker Hire’s warehouse, just off Dumballs Road in Cardiff, a short walk from the city centre. The show will be presented as a walkabout/installation sideshow alley followed by a cabaret following the theme of SIDESHOW. The evening will finish with a bit of a party giving the artists a chance to meet the audience and obtain feedback.

We are looking for artists of all genres to apply to be part of our first Scratch This event. Whatever your skill – be it in performance art or otherwise we’d be delighted to hear from you. We are on the lookout for: Circus performers (ground based and aerial), artists and installation artists, musicians, comedy/spoken word, walkabout, burlesque, alternative acts and more!

Your act just needs to fit (somehow!) into our theme of Sideshow Alley and/or sideshow.

PLEASE NOTE – We do have the ability to rig aerial etc and will have experienced riggers to hand, however if your act is an aerial act or a dangerous act we ask that you provide your own apparatus/equipment and that you also send proof of your insurance.

For more information email: erniesparkles@hotmail.com

Deadline for application is midnight on Friday 13 May. APPLY NOW!

Join the Scratch This! Facebook page

Scratch_This

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Zombie sailors … scorched decks … ghost ships in Cardiff on Sunday 15 May …

On May 15, a ghost ship – replete with freshly married couple and zombie sailors – will be docked in Cardiff Bay … all inspired by Samuel Coleridge’s poetic monolith, the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Does the title ring a faint bell? You probably studied this back in school at some point, and can’t really remember what goes on. Know what though? Doesn’t matter. This year the Coleridge in Wales Festival is bringing Coleridge back to life, here in Wales, and you need to get involved!

Oh, and did I mention ZOMBIE DECKHANDS? DOOMED LOVERS? A proper old school historic sailing ship??

coleridgeinwales

A quick Q&A:

Who’s Coleridge?

Old school English poet/writer dude. Wrote in the late 1700/early 1800s. Pretty much considered part of the canon of British literature. That’s the vibe.

Why Wales?

In 1794, Coleridge quit university and decided to walk across Wales instead. Wise man. The landscape and people are credited as being massive influences on all his work.

Still with me? Fancy helping with some wedding prep and then hanging out on a ghost ship? Here are the details about the day:

An historic sailing ship is coming into Cardiff Bay. On board is an old sailor: the Ancient Mariner. He will come ashore. A wedding is about to happen. There will be a bride preparing, a groom waiting and wedding guests getting ready. The Ancient Mariner interrupts the wedding preparations. He takes the guest on a journey…

Come along dressed as if you were going to a wedding. Bring family & friends and enjoy the music, poetry and spectacle – that’s it!

 

from 10.45am – Music & poetry across Cardiff Bay at the Norwegian Church, The World of Boats Cafe (next to Dr Who Experience), Senedd Steps and Wales Millennium Centre
Come along to discover more about this compelling tale, adventure, spectacle and celebration. Coleridge’s poem Rime of the Ancient Mariner is one of the finest poems in the English language and it begins with preparations for a wedding – you, your family and friends are invited… wedding invitation

12.00 noon – Ship of the Ancient Mariner departs Penarth Marina
The ship will be dressed by students from Cardiff Met University and at midday she sails from Penarth Marina heading for Cardiff Bay.

at the same time 20 young people set out to walk across the Cardiff Barrage to Cardiff Bay representing 200 sailors who die in the poem because the Ancient Mariner unthinkingly destroys a living thing, the albatross.

12.30pm – Ship arrives in Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay
See the medieval sailing ship sailed by a ghost crew.
Witness the Ancient Mariner figure coming ashore in Mermaid Quay.

12.50 pm – Ancient Mariner figure arrives at the Norwegian Church, Cardiff Bay
Coleridge’s great poem begins with a wedding guest being stopped by the Ancient Mariner. In the Cardiff Bay celebrations the wedding groom’s party is represented by members of The Sanctuary project from Newport. The bride is represented by Cornish bard, Welsh singer and artist Ani Saunders and friends. Come along as if dressed for a wedding… wedding invitation

2.50 pm – Music and words on the steps of The Senedd, National Assembly for Wales

1.30pm: Public party at the Wales Millennium Centre
Call into to hear leading Welsh musicians as the Wales Millennium Centre hosts a party to celebrate the launch of the Coleridge in Wales festival.

2.50pm – Ancient Mariner leaves for the National Museum
The figure of The Ancient Mariner leaves Cardiff Bay by small boat, travelling up the River Taf, on a short journey to the National Museum of Wales, Park Place, Cardiff.
At this time of day there are regular buses from the Millennium Centre to the Museum, and trains from Cardiff Bay to Cardiff Queen Street for anyone wishing to travel to see the Ancient Mariner figure at the National Museum.

3.45pm: Ancient Mariner at the National Museum of Wales
The Ancient Mariner figure arrives with the wedding party at the National Museum of Wales, Park Place to see the newly displayed engravings of Rime of the Ancient Mariner by major artist David Jones.

More about Coleridge in Wales:

In Wales Coleridge began for the first time to engage passionately with the wildness of nature. The tour confirmed his career as an artist. Famous lines from Rime of the Ancient Mariner were inspired by climbing on a hot day the mountain Penmaenmawr in North Wales.  Caves and landscape in his great poem Kubla Khan are linked to Devil’s Bridge near Aberystwyth.

Coleridge in Wales website

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Cardiff for literature lovers and budding bards

Hear ye, hear ye! Poet Patrick Widdess has put together a guide to Cardiff’s ever-growing underground for authors, poets, and lovers of the written word. Read on for the low-down on Cardiff’s best open-mic and other events! 

We Are Cardiff present its first book, Porter pub thursday 5 november 2015, an evening through readings, live music and the most creative mind within the Welsh capital through an art joruney into the heart of creative cardiff.

Lovers of literature and budding bards have plenty of chances to indulge their passion for poetry and prose in Cardiff. The city has an ever-growing programme of events where you can hear a variety of poets and spoken word artists. Some attract established writers from Cardiff and further afield. Most feature open mic spots for writers and performers of all styles and levels of experience to share their work. There is something on almost every night of the week and these events are always worth checking out:

RARA (Rhyme and Real Ale)

Second Monday of the month
Mackintosh Sports Club, Keppoch Street, Roath

This friendly event welcomes poets of all levels to share their work or just listen. As organiser Will Ford says: “People should come to RARA  because beginners are given the same warm welcome as experienced readers and everybody gets the same five minute slot length. It is free and it is a fun, eclectic night where every reader gets to be as silly or as serious as their own writing demands!”

Will also runs spoken word events at various times and places under the name Megaverse (www.facebook.com/Megaverse-1157959360887023).

JUKE

Monthly (Check Facebook page for dates)
Four Bars at Dempseys
15 Castle Street, CF10 1BS
7 – 11pm

JUKE has only been going a short time but this open mic night has already established a solid reputation. Organiser Renn Hubbuck-Melly says: “JUKE is a night for writers of all different styles and forms which focuses specifically on performance and encourages people to explore and experiment with new ways of presenting words. There are feature acts who are seasoned performers and themed nights which ask people to write on a specific theme, the latest one being Myths and Fairytales. It is a very friendly, welcoming environment that can help inspire writers to think further than the page. It’s also entertaining and enjoyable for those who just want to come and watch.”
 
 

Rubberneck

Fourth Sunday of the month
See Facebook page for venue
6:30pm
A new night in one of Cardiff’s newest creative spaces. Stephanie Finegan and Natasha Borton invite lovers of words, music and coffee to enjoy a night “with the vibe of the Beat Generation and the power of spoken word, rhythm and music mixing in the air with daiquiris and Cappuccinos.”
 
 

First Thursday of the month at Chapter

Market Road, CF5 1QE
7:30pm

No excuses for forgetting when this event is! First Thursday features established writers and open mic slots. It is hosted by Amy Wack, Poetry Editor at Seren press and sponsored by Seren, Mulfran Press and Literature Wales. Such backing guarantees a high-calibre night of literary talent. There is a £2.50 entry fee refunded against the cost of books.

First Thursday Facebook group

Cardiff visiting writers series

Six times a year (always on a Monday) 
Four Bars at Dempseys
15 Castle Street, CF10 1BS
 
Cardiff University’s department of English, Communications and Philosophy organises this series which offers a great opportunity for their students and members of the public to hear published authors, and share their own work on the open mic in a relaxed setting. Past authors at the event have included Tessa Hadley and Rachel Trezise. There is often a Q&A session with the visiting author.
 
Patrick Widdess is a poet based in Newport. He is a familiar face on the Cardiff spoken word scene and his work has appeared in publications including Agenda, Cake, The Interpreter’s House, The Guardian, Waitrose Weekend and others. He hosts poetry blog and podcast Headstand and has recently published the book ‘Poetry Non-stop: Unlock your poetic muse and write a poem a day for 30 days’ available on Amazon. Support your local talent and buy a copy now!
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By the way … if you’re a lover of literature, did we mention that the We Are Cardiff Press debut book, The 42b, is out now?

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