Category Archives: The City

The City

Help women in Cardiff refuges – donate unwanted toiletries for Project Shoebox

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Too much stuff in your bathroom cabinet? Project Shoebox are collecting shoeboxes filled with unwanted toiletries to make gift boxes for women in refuges in Cardiff and the South Wales area.

Good idea, right? Go into your bathroom right now and tell me you don’t have at least an entire shelf’s worth of stuff you never used. Half of it you probably haven’t even opened. Amirite?

This is a community project, which is an attempt to help the women who arrive at Women’s Refuges this Christmas. Many will arrive bruised, battered and with nothing more than the clothes they are standing in. And that is not cool at all.

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Project Shoebox will collect together unwanted toiletries like shampoo, body lotion, toothpaste and brushes, put them all into shoeboxes, and make them into a gift to get these women started and remind them that people can and do care.

SO WHAT CAN YOU SEND?
Anything from your bathroom cabinet that’s unused or very nearly unused. Think basics like toothbrushes, shower gel, shampoo – but also anything nice like cosmetics or face cream is very welcome. If you’re unsure, ask yourself: would you feel comfy giving this to a friend? If not, recycle it. There’s a big list of ideas further down this post.

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR DONATIONS?
The Coal Exchange in Cardiff Bay have been kind enough to donate some disused office space for a donation station! When you have your shoebox goodies ready for collection, post a message to the Project Shoebox Facebook page and they will arrange a time for you to drop off. The organisers work full-time, so collection will mainly be in the evenings or weekends.

In case you don’t know where the Coal Exchange is, here’s the address:
Coal Exchange, Mount Stuart Square,
Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, CF10 5EB

UPDATE!!! THE LAST DAY FOR DONATIONS IS MONDAY 15 DECEMBER!!

IDEAS!
You can choose to donate individual items or make your very own shoebox gift. Feel free to get creative but here are some ideas:

    • New toothbrushes
    • Toothpaste
    • Shower Gel
    • Flannels/sponges
    • Facial wipes
    • Deodorants
    • Hairbrushes/combs/bobbles/clips & grips
    • Sanitary products (sealed)
    • Sample packets
    • Moisturisers
    • Perfumes
    • Body Creams/Face creams
    • Body scrub
    • Make up/ Make up bags
    • Nail polishes / Nail polish remover/ Files & Clippers
    • Cotton wool
    • Hairspray

The women’s shelters have also said they are desperate for colouring books and pencils, so feel free to add in any of these sorts of things for the children.

You can also choose to make, or donate things for, a baby box with things such as nappies, baby wipes, cotton buds, baby wash, small soft toys, etc.

THIS IS THE PROJECT SHOEBOX FACEBOOK PAGE. IT IS A REALLY REALLY WORTHWHILE CAUSE SO PLEASE DONATE WHATEVER YOU CAN.

Still need persuading? Look at this cute picture of a puffin for a while. It might help.

Puffin - Fratercula Arctica

Also, if the whole consumerist binge of Christmas is making you feel a bit queasy, hold tight! We’ve got a couple more posts over the next two weeks telling you how you can help some local Good Causes.

Sincerely,

The We Are Cardiff Christmas Monkeys

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The City

Cardiff Indoor Flea Market

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One of the best off-the-beaten-tracks spots for vintage lovers in the city has got to be the Cardiff Flea Market. Hidden away in an industrial estate just off Newport Road, you’ve got to know where you’re going … but it’s definitely worth it when you get there!

I sent photographer Ben Kirtley along to take some snaps, and reader Alan Storey was good enough to get in touch with some info about the place.

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Cardiff Indoor Flea Market is located at Unit 2, Clydesmuir Industrial Estate in Tremorfa, Cardiff.

It was the brainchild of David Raine, a South African now living in Chepstow. He inherited a huge building which had not been occupied for eight years and the work he and his partners have done on restoring the massively leaking roof and preparing the whole building for occupation is nothing short of astonishing.

The market opened on Saturday, 19 July and combines antiques/retro, crafts (known as Which Kraft) and general purpose stalls.

 

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There approximately 60 permanent pitches at the market with new sellers arriving all the time. There is also space for one-off car boot trading and plans to expand to an adjacent building on the estate, which will cater for car boot sales and live auctions.

Already, the market has created a unique, friendly atmosphere which is sadly lacking at many similar markets. There is a café area providing hot and cold drinks, bacon sandwiches, toasties and stunning home made cakes.

 

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The market is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 5pm with plans to increase the number of opening days in the near future.

Like all new establishments of this nature, it is still very much a “best kept secret” but it won’t be for much longer. Say you visited it before it went mainstream!

Cardiff Indoor Flea Market – Facebook Page

 

Photographs by Benjamin Kirtley

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The City, Whats on

Cathays Cemetery Military Insignia Walk – Jodie Ashdown

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Writer Jodie Ashdown headed off for a Cathays Cemetery Military Insignia Walk on 26 October, 2014. Here, she spills all about the experience.

I had no idea that Cardiff Council held free walks, until my mother stumbled across it whilst looking for walks in Cardiff. We have a weird fascination with graveyards in my family, so this particular walk seemed like the perfect introduction to these free tours.

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Run by Cardiff Council Bereavement Services and Friends of Cathays Cemetery, this walk in the cemetery was focused around Military Insignia and Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstones. They also run lectures in Cardiff University as well as other, more general tours of the graveyard, but this had a specific leaning towards those that gave their lives during the World Wars – very apt for this time of year.

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We were led around the site by Phil Amphlett from Bereavement Services who pointed out and explained many of the fascinating and often tragic stories which are to be discovered in third largest municipal cemetery in the UK.

cathays walk jodie

We learnt about the various insignias, the religious and personal inscriptions on the headstones, and also about how the Commonwealth War Grave Commission regularly replaces headstones of the young men and women who gave their lives during WWI and WWII. Stories included the raid on Zeebrugge (for which one man postponed his wedding and unfortunately didn’t return) and a member of Churchill’s Secret Army (the Baker Street Irregulars). We also heard about the bomb which landed on the cemetery, blowing gravestones high into the air, and about a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force who died in a factory bomb blast. It was an incredibly moving and educational tour and was completely free.

You can find out more about walks run by Cardiff Council here: Guided walks (PDF)

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Thanks Jodie! Catch you soon…

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The Arts, The City

A-Z of Cardiff: M is for the Millennium Stadium…

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Katie Hamer continues her alphabetical adventure through the landmarks of Cardiff! Today she’s reached M … and heading to the Millennium Stadium…

 

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The Millennium Stadium has to be the most iconic landmark in Cardiff. Its eye-catching structure is one of the first things visitors encounter after leaving the Central Station. The city centre positioning is exactly the reason why it’s so special as it places it within the beating heart of the city. It lends to it a vibrancy and liveliness that is harder to create in a stadium on the outskirts of a town or city.

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It’s strange to think that I’ve passed this Stadium nearly every time I visit Cardiff on the train and yet I’d never been inside it. Clearly, this didn’t put me in the best position to talk about the Stadium experience, did it? And I wondered what I could do about that. By searching the web I soon realised that I could sign up for a guided tour of the Stadium and buy tickets online, so that’s exactly what I did. This is what I discovered from my visit:

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First, I’ll give you a few facts about how the Stadium came to be built. The Millennium Stadium, home of the Wales National Rugby Union team, was built in order to showcase the best that Wales could offer in the run-up to the country hosting the 1999 Rugby World Cup. When it opened its gates to the public for the first time in June of the same year it could boast a full capacity crowd of 74,500 which makes it the third largest Six Nations Championship Stadium to this day. It also stands out for its amazing fully retractable roof, as there is only one larger stadium in the world to have this feature.

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All in all, the Stadium has to be one of the best features in Cardiff for getting a photographer’s ‘trigger finger’ fidgety. It’s photogenic from so many different angles. I felt wowed by the potential of visiting such an eye-catching landmark, so unsurprisingly the first question I asked upon joining my tour group was, “Can I take photos?” To my great relief, Pete the tour guide informed me that absolutely, I could take photos and there were no restrictions on what I took. Phew! That was good to hear!

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Pete guided my group of intrepid explorers on a tour of the whole building, taking in the press conference suite, the changing rooms for both the home and away teams, the prestigious boxes and of course the Stadium itself. Along the way we were allowed to take our time to relish the memorabilia that they keep in glass display cabinets and which also decorate the walls.

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At one point, when we were about to go through double doors which are the player’s entrance onto the pitch, Pete told us all of an experience he’d recently had, and of which he was most proud. He’d told us that he’d met many famous people while working at the Stadium, but the guest he met on Saturday surpassed them all.

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While the crowds within the Stadium were waiting in anticipation to see the home team play New Zealand’s All Blacks, he got a chance to speak with a world-famous celebrity, the ‘Hoff, no less. From what I recall, he told me he got a genuinely warm response along the lines of “Hey Buddy”. Oh, to be a fly on the wall on that occasion.

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We then entered the Stadium through that most lauded entrance. As I did so, I could imagine the sense of anticipation that the players must feel, the sense that anything is possible, that victory could be within their grasp. I imagined the roar of the crowds on all four sides of the Stadium as the teams finally made it on to the pitch.

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During the tour, we visited the Stadium at various different levels, drinking in the atmosphere each time. Pete the tour guide was very congenial and made every effort to make the tour memorable by offering to take photos for us. I’m very pleased with the photos that he took for me from one of the seating areas high up from the pitch. He’s clearly had a lot of practice.

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We finished up the tour gazing at a Rugby cup, which was perched on a stand near the top of the Stadium, which was emblazoned with ribbons, but sadly was not a Six Nations Cup. The whole tour party sat in seats over-looking the cup and out towards the pitch, admiring the way it is carefully preserved with sprinkler systems and sun lamps between matches, especially in the winter when there’s not much chance for natural daylight to filter into the grounds.

Looking out at the Stadium I got a real sense of how great the atmosphere would be when there’s an important match, or when the place is full of music fans dancing along to one of their favourite bands. I could imagine how the crowd would react to seeing headliner acts such as Madonna, Take That and Bruce Springsteen performing here. I read somewhere that the Manic Street Preachers were the first band to play at the Stadium, on New Year’s Eve 1999. Now, that’s one concert I wish I could have been at. Perhaps I should see if Doctor Who’s time machine in Cardiff Bay could take me back there!

You can find out more information about Millennium Stadium tours and events here:

www.millenniumstadium.com

Once again, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy spending a few minutes looking through my photo gallery.

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Thanks Katie! More Cardiff A-Z very soon…

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Whats on

Get your folk on for future generations!

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Folk for future generationsA group of musicians will be holding a gig on Friday 5 December at Koko Gorillaz in Cathays asking for a strong sustainable development law for Wales in the shape of the Well-Being of Future Generations Bill.

Folk for Future Generations will feature a number of local folk acts and is being held to support the Sustainable Development Alliance’s campaign for a stronger bill. The Alliance is a group of nearly 30 Welsh charities and NGOs.

The night will be a call to action by concerned members of the public who want to tell the Welsh Government that they want Wales to be a truly sustainable nation and want a law that addresses issues such as international impacts, living within environmental limits, and setting legally binding carbon reduction targets.

Event organiser, Gareth Sims, said:

“It will be a great night with some very talented musicians playing. We would like to invite as many people as possible to attend and be a part of the campaign to make Wales a truly sustainable nation that prioritises the well-being of people, communities and the environment. 

The people of Wales are becoming increasingly concerned about these issues and want the Government to take urgent and robust action.”

The musicians playing are Harri Davies and band, Aled Rheon, Kirk Morgan and the Dock Town Pearls, and Art Bandini.  Local artists and photographers will also be displaying environmentally themed pieces of work.  The night will start at 7pm at Koko Gorillaz, Miskin Street, Cathays. Tickets are £4 in advance. 

For more information contact Gareth Sims on garethcsims@foe.co.uk

Whats on

What’s on in Cardiff this weekend: 28/29/30 November 2014

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If you’re looking for a wide variety of things to do this weekend, look no further than the borders of yon fair Cardiff. We’ve got Christmas markets! We’ve got techno! We’ve got plays! We’ve got literary events! We’ve got a Christmas cabaret! We’ve got grime!

So, that’s basically saying there’s a lot on this weekend. Have a great one, wherever you end up!

FRIDAY 28 NOVEMBER

28/11 – THE BOILER HOUSE OFFICIAL LAUNCH PARTY (The Boiler House, Papermill Road) 5pm

Get over to the Boiler House for the long awaited re-launch of the new The Boiler House Graffiti Project space! The crew have been toiling away for months preparing the space, and this event is a chance to come and see the freshest event space in Cardiff, enjoy some good beers, listen to good music and hang out with great people.

The Grand Opening features a sensory overload of an exhibition by the UK and NYC based Graffiti crew ILC. Featuring Dash, Shady, Crase, Nawt, Voms, Daps, Dak, and Best.  MUSIC / DJs: Rich Roast (Born to Rock / Peaceful Progress); Dan Jose (Unity crew – London); Alex Kidd (We Run Tings)

The Boiler House is a not-for-profit community interest project. They host pop-up events and graffiti workshops for all ages.

Boiler House launch Facebook event page

28/11 – CARDIFF POETRY EXPERIMENT (Butetown History and Arts Centre), 7pm

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Join Cardiff-based writers and artists on Nov. 28 at 7 pm at the Butetown History and Arts Centre for an evening of experimental poetry with readings from Wanda O’Connor and Andrew Duncan plus a performance of an avant-garde piece from composer-theorist-writer John Cage.

BHAC Facebook page

28/11 – MARY BIJOU’S NUT CRACKING CHRISTMAS CABARET (NoFit State, Four Elms Road)

See our post about this event from earlier this week for more info 🙂

Tickets £10.50 adv, for more see Mary Bijou Facebook event page

28/11 – PYRAMID SCHEME II (Printhaus Workshops, Canton) 7pm

Did you miss the massive literary / arts / music-fest that was PYRAMID SCHEME 1? Well, lucky for you, they’re doing another one!

PYRAMID SCHEME II – IT’S BACK // AND THIS TIME IT’S INDIFFERENT. NEW VENUE // SAME CHILL VIBE.

LITERARY  LINE UP:

  • RICHARD OWAIN ROBERTS // All The Places We Lived (Parthian, 2015)
  • DAN TYTE // Half Plus Seven (Parthian, 2014) http://dantyte.com/
  • HOLLY MüLLER // A novel, Krampus, coming soon. http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/holly-muller/
  • JOAO MORAIS // Winner of the 2013 Terry Hetherington Award for Young Writers.
  • ADAM CHRISTOPHER //
  • MARC THOMAS //
  • ZELL DELLO IOIO
  • AND LIVE FROM MANCHESTER // CHRIS KILLEN //The Bird Room (Canongate, 2009) and In Real Life (2015) http://www.iamhavinganicetime.com/

LIVE MUSIC BY //

28/11 – PLASTICIAN (Boulevard presents; Buffalo) 10pm

Oh my days. This is one for the raving crew! If you’re after a night of sick grime’n’bass, get to Buffalo late Friday night.

More info including links to Plastician’s Rinse FM show on the Boulevard presents Plastician Facebook event page

28/11 – SURGEON (Holodeck; Clwb Ifor Bach) 10pm

If you prefer your beats to be 4/4 in nature and hard enough to drill through concrete, head to Clwb Ifor Bach for some pounding techno courtesy of long-standing Cardiff techno night, Holodeck. Okay, they may have had a bit of a hiatus, but they’re back, baby!

Holodeck present Surgeon Facebook event page

SATURDAY 29 NOVEMBER

29/11 – The Cardiff Christmas Bazaar (The Abacus) 11am – 6pm

On Saturday November 29th, in conjuction with Somewhereto_, ProMoCymru, and The Modern Alchemists, ON iiiT brings you The Cardiff Christmas Bazaar! A broad mix of Christmas market stalls full or art, crafts, gifts, cards, face painting, creative workshops and performances, this festival in a day is the ideal way to spend a Saturday, whether it’s for Christmas shopping or just a fun day out.

The Abacus, a fantastic space situated in the heart of Cardiff, less than 5 minutes from central station. This not-for-profit fundraising market is raising money for Y Care International ICS, giving young people skills, hands on experience and the opportunity to progress in life. Expect an array of arts, crafts, delights, gifts, workshops and performances. The perfect place to get presents and inspiration.

The Cardiff Christmas Bazaar
Saturday 29th November 11-6pm
The Abacus, Wood Street, CF10 1ER

Christmas Bazaar Facebook event page
 29/11 – Jailhouse Pressure – The Prisoner Within (Butetown History and Arts Centre) 7.30pm

Bringing together members of the general public and people who have mental health problems with the aim of producing art exploring creative avenues.

More info including how to reserve seats at The Prisoner Within Facebook event page

29/11 – MARY BIJOU’S NUT CRACKING CHRISTMAS CABARET (NoFit State, Four Elms Road)

Tickets £10.50 adv, for more see Mary Bijou Facebook event page

SUNDAY 30 NOVEMBER

30/11 – Mind Christmas Crafternoon (The Four Bars at Dempseys) 1pm – 4pm

An afternoon of Christmas crafting to raise money for Mind. Come along and get creative and eat cake. £3 entry for crafters, £1 entry for non-crafters (those just coming for the cake!)

Crafternoon event page

30/11 – Kula Christmas (Temple of Peace) 9.30am

If you’re after a day of spiritual wellness, get to the Temple of Peace on Sunday for an inspiring day of yoga, raising the vibration for peace on our beautiful planet. The day will consist of the following sessions: a balancing combination of yin and yang yoga, meditation and a blissful sound bath.

Sounds good right? More info at the Kula event page

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Well, that’s about it. Apart from…

AND DON’T FORGET: STREET FEAST CARDIFF IS ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS AT THE DEPOT: the cheeky buggers at the Depot have started charging on the door, so get in before 7.30pm and save yourselves £2 entry. More information at the Street Feast Cardiff Facebook page

Also, if you’re looking for something to do on Monday night, may we recommend the following…

1/12 – Chapter Moviemaker (Chapter Arts Centre) 6pm

Chapter MovieMaker is a monthly event where we screen and chat about short films with the people who made them. Admission is free, but tickets still need to be collected from the box office at Chapter, and it’s often best to reserve/collect them early (Cinema 2 only has 57 seats).

More information at the Chapter Moviemaker December event page

That’s all for this week. Have a grand weekend all!

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Whats on

Celebrate the festive season with Mary Bijou’s Nut Cracking Christmas!

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Our friends over at Mary Bijou are putting on a Christmas Cabaret this weekend, to get you in the festive mood! Presenting, the Mary Bijou Nut Cracking Christmas Cabaret!

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Mary Bijou Cabaret & Social Club presents Mary Bijou’s Nut Cracking Christmas!

Mary Bijou Cabaret & Social Club are bringing their unique style to Four Elms with a Christmas Cabaret on the 28th and 29th November 2014.

Mary Bijou brings together top circus and cabaret performers to bring you an intimate, immersive, circus cabaret show, where the audience are encouraged to dress up and become part of the cabaret family for the evening.

We will have food to purchase, a bar and mulled wine.

So start your Christmas party season off piste and in style with a night of wintery cabaret and dodgy Santa comedy with their newest show, Mary Bijou’s Nut Cracking Christmas. Come in your finest Christmas clobber or the best Nut Cracker camp and join Mary Bijou for a night to remember.

Date: Friday 28th & Saturday 29th November
Doors: 7:30pm
Show: 8:00pm
Duration: approximately 2 hours including interval

Location: NoFit State, Four Elms Road, Cardiff CF24 1LE

Tickets: £10.50 in advanced, £12 on the door available here: tickets from NoFit State Circus
Age: appropriate for 16+


Food menu: We have the menu! Get your chops round this:

Seasonal mezze platter £8 including:
Beetroot hummus, winter veg pakora, faux gras (vegan pate), roast cauliflower/hazelnut salad, courgette/chilli/lemon salad, locally baked bread and some delicious sweet treats!

My mouth is watering! Take a look at some of their daring performers…

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Still need convincing? Check out their cabaret from last year…

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MARY BIJOU CABARET on their Facebook event page

 

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Whats on

Happy in my skin!

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I was going to title this post ‘Happy in my skin – calendars of beautiful naked women make a great Christmas gift’ but I thought that might sound like the site had been hacked, so I just went with Happy in my skin instead.

What am I on about? Good question.

A couple of months ago, I received an email from a friend asking if I fancied going skinny dipping somewhere off the coast near Cardiff, as part of an art project. I’m a big fan of being naked in the sea, but I was busy that weekend. I joined the Facebook group anyway – a group called Happy in my Skin, which set out to do the following things. Here’s some info about them, the event they held, and where you can buy the calendar with the gorgeous photos that were taken of the day!

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Happy in my skin is an all-female skinny dip raises awareness around body image and confidence.

Two Welsh (Cardiff)-based artists are out to change how women perceive their bodies – by featuring a mass skinny-dip on a calendar

They say they want women to answer the question: Am I happy in my skin?

And if the answer is “No”, they want to know why not, and what can be done to change that.

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Hazel Anderson and Leah Crossly invited women to an all-female skinny dip – and now are creating a calendar using images from the event. They say that Happy In My Skin is a creative investigation in to what it takes to be happy in the body that women have. Over one weekend they invited women to take part in an all female skinny dip, one in Brighton and one in South Wales. 60 women took on the challenge.

Leah, a visual artist and photographer, says: “We want to show women of all shapes and sizes, fully expressed and celebrating being in their body. We imagined it was possible that if we got enough women together and we all stripped naked, both physically and metaphorically we might change something in the way that woman perceived herself.”

Hazel said: “Women aged from 18 to 69 stripped off and ran in to the sea. It was a beautiful sight. We didn’t really imagine what a transformative experience it would be for some people who took part.”

Hazel’s Mum Jean took part, after surviving breast cancer and getting the all clear earlier this year. She was doing it to support her daughter and was surprised at how much fun she actually had. Afterwards she said, “It was exhilarating and liberating to be so free!’

Ellen Groves took part and said: “As I walked down to the beach my legs were like jelly, I felt as though I was walking towards an actual nightmare. When I was safe under the cover of the waves, I turned to look at the women wading in behind me. It was the most beautiful and inspiring thing I have ever seen. Every inch of every body was beautiful. I had to accept that I was not the exception, that we were all beautiful. I have never felt as free as I did marching back out of that sea.

And Suzi Dorey added: “After the first bit of sheer terror, dropping the towel and heading into the water, something clicked in my mind. It felt exciting and exhilarating. I was charting new territory, and I felt the power of the group of amazing supportive ladies and I felt POWERFUL. Not vulnerable at all.”

The organisers say: “We can make a difference. We can change how we relate to our bodies and be a part in changing how someone else relates to theirs.

“There are unrealistic, unattainable ideals of female beauty in the media every day. Where are the healthy, fit, curvy, dimpled, wobbly pictures of normal, happy women? Why is that such a terrible thing to aspire to? We are alive and that is beautiful. Let’s start celebrating that.”

There’s a lovely video about Happy in my Skin on the Kickstarter page – where you can order yourself a lovely calendar! The photos are absolutely magical. Get a move on though – not many hours left on the Kickstarter! Happy in my Skin Kickstarter

Hazel And Leah are planning a UK tour of all the images from the day. They will be doing the event again next year, so if you feel brave enough, join the Happy in my Skin Facebook group, where the discussion is carrying on!

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Whats on

FREE EVENT: Meera Vijayann, The Pierhead Thurs 20 November 2014

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Meera Vijayann began using digital media to tackle sexual violence in the aftermath of a tragic Delhi rape-and-murder case. In 2013, she won the CNN IBN Citizen Journalist Award for her reporting in the aftermath of the Delhi rape case. Her articles and blogs have appeared in the Guardian, CNN, Forbes, Open Democracy, IBN LIVE, The New Indian Express and other major media outlets.

She’s COMING TO CARDIFF to speak at the Pierhead in Cardiff Bay as part of the National Assembly’s Women in Public Life initiative at 6pm on Thursday 20 November 2014. AND IT’S FREE!

If you need convincing to go along to this, watch her TED talk

Vijayann spoke as part of the TEDxChange session at TEDxHousesofParliament, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She is a Change Manager at Ashoka India, and as an elected member of the inaugural class of +SocialGood connectors, she facilitates dialogue between entrepreneurs, innovators and institutions to tackle global issues around gender rights and sexual violence.

A Woman’s Voice in the Digital Age: Meera Vijayann Facebook event
To book your place at the talk, RSVP: Assembly.bookings@wales.gov.uk / 0845 010 5500 / 01492 523 200
meera_viyanann
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The City, Whats on

Celebrating Diwali at the Wales Millennium Centre

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Happy Diwali! (for last week). We sent photographer Lili Piggott along to the Millennium Centre to join in their celebrations.

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Meaning ‘series of lights’, Diwali (Deepavali in Tamil) signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair. The festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five day period with the main festival night of Diwali coinciding with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu Lunisolar month karthigai. The Centre’s celebrations took place on the 23 October, the main festival night.

 

 

 

 

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The evening included Tamil music and dance, the ancient and modern stories of Diwali with storyteller and performer Dr. Chamundeeswari Kuppuswamy and Wales Tamil Sangam’s young singers and poets.

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There was also  a fire display outside the building with a short fireworks finale.

More info on the event: http://www.wmc.org.uk/TakePart/diwali/

Lili Piggott is a second year Photojournalism student at the University of South Wales.
More work can be found at @LiliRose_PJ or contact by email at L.P_Photography@yahoo.com

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Whats on

The Urbanistas launch in Cardiff! Meet-up #1 TONIGHT Weds 12 November 2014

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A pretty exciting event is taking place in Cardiff tomorrow night – the launch of the Cardiff chapter of the Urbanistas, a women-led network empowering collaborative people to act and do “urban” in more social ways. Read on for info of their first Cardiff meeting, this Wednesday evening…

urbanistas

EVENTBRITE MEETING INFORMATION: URBANISTAS CARDIFF MEET UP 12 NOVEMBER 2014

Who are the Urbanistas?

We are a fast-growing network of disruptive and collaborative women across the UK and Australia, who all share a passion for cities and believe in making everyday life in them better for everyone.

Now we are in Cardiff!

We launched at the end of September and will be having our first Expo Meet at 5.30pm on Wednesday 12 November in the gorgeous surroundings of Gallery Ten (big thanks to Cat Gardiner).

If you want to find out more about Urbanistas, check this out.

If you are interested in meeting like-minded women, sharing and hearing about ideas that help make cities thrive, want help with a project or idea, or are simply curious – please come along to our very first Urbanistas Cardiff meet up!

So how does it work….? 

You bring or “exhibit” your idea/project and invite participation from your fellow Urbanistas. What we need to know is what you are looking for to take things forward. It is important that you have an “ask”.

If an Urbanista can and wants to help, she will offer you her help and it’s up to you to take her up on that offer to collaborate/co-create the outcomes.

You then go and “think” and “do” together to get the project or idea off the ground outside the meet. What we’d like is for you to update us at the next Urbanistas meet to see how it’s going and what needs to happen next.

Mechanics…….

  • Light-bulb moment about an idea or project
  • Tell us you are bringing it to the next meet
  • 5-10mins to talk us through what it is, why you want to do it, what you need
  • You ask for help, support and/or collaboration
  • Urbanistas ask questions and pledge help – only pledge if you are willing and able to give it
  • Help can be anything from a contact, idea, resource, something to read or watch, time etc.,.
  • You go and do your thing together
  • Next meet you bring an update and say what needs to happen next and if you need more help
  • Tell us what we can do to promote and communicate about it

We have had three exciting projects submitted – one is a web app to promote tourism in Wales; one is an idea for a non-profit literary press similar to the New York-based Tiny Hardcore Press and one is to use crowd funding to install a blue plaque to commemorate Lady Rhondda, who was an equality activist in her day. 

Urbanistas Expo Meets tend to follow this format but it is very open and flexible to your needs:

1. Welcome & Introductions

2. News and Update from Basecamp

3. Feedback from Ideas and Projects

4. Expo

If you can’t come but would like to be kept informed of the next event, please sign up to the mailing list. If you have any other contacts in your network who you think this would appeal to, please forward the details.

For more information on Urbanistas please follow us on twitter @UrbanistasCDF and @UrbanistasUK and visit our website http://urbanistasuk.wordpress.com/

The Urbanistas event is organised in Cardiff by the Satori Lab: they help government and third sector organisations give a better deal to the citizen by helping them with a shift in culture from traditional and hierarchical to adopting radical new models for service design, culture change, and public sector innovation. https://www.facebook.com/TheSatoriLab

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Whats on

Empty Walls Festival 2014 – an update

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Photographer David Allen heads back out onto the streets of Cardiff to get the latest murals and other art attacks that have hit our city in the Empty Walls Festival 2014.

Read his first post about the festival here: Empty Walls Festival 2014 the murals so far

DALE GRIMSHAW

dale grimshaw 1 dale grimshaw2 dale grimshaw 3 dale grimshaw 4

 

 

DAVID DE LA MANO

David de la Mano 1 David de la Mano 2 david de la mano 3 David de la mano 4 david de la mano 5

 

 

EKSTRATERNEK

Ekstraternek 1 Ekstraternek 2 Ekstraternek 5 Ekstraternek 4 Ekstraternek 3

 

HYURO

Hyuro 1 hyuro 4 Hyuro 3 Hyuro 2

 

 

RUN

Run 1 run 2 run 4 run 3 run 5

 

 

HELEN SMITH

Helen smith 1 helen smith 4 helen smith 3 helen smith 2

 

 

Looking good, Empty Walls!

Visit David Allen’s blog or catch him on Twitter @Dai_PhotoJ_USW
Empty Walls Project website

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