100 days in Cardiff – Radio Cardiff – my second home

May 10, 2014 admin 1 Comment

We Are Cardiff contributor Jeremy Rees is recording his days in and around Cardiff with 100 photographs of local points of interest. We’ll be publishing some of them here on We Are Cardiff – and make sure you tune in to Jeremy as he presents the Saturday Soulful Breakfast on Radio Cardiff!

Radio Cardiff – my second home

“This is the view from behind the desk in Studio 1 at Radio Cardiff. It’s a view I’m very familiar with having been sat behind it on a regular basis since 2007, though to be honest there are still many buttons and switches there I’ve not got a clue about. It’s from here that I get to share my passion for soul and blues music every Saturday morning and Wednesday night. Radio Cardiff is a remarkable place. Completely run by volunteers (over 100 I think) it brings together people of all ages who give of their time to provide the city with not only a very distinctive blend of music, but local information, news & features. Radio gets under the skin of some people, and I am one. We are very lucky to have such an open and receptive form of community radio in Cardiff, and it’s something I try not to take for granted. So ‘Big Up’ to all who make it so, and especially to handful of people who started it the first place and who have given so much of their time and energy over the years to keep in going in good times and bad.”

Thanks Jeremy! And make sure you all tune into Radio Cardiff, online or 98.7FM. Catch you next time…

The Arts, The People

Cardiff: our personal geography – by Cavalry

May 7, 2014 admin 3 Comments

This week in our personal geographies, we’re squeezing in an entire band! Meet Cardiff band Cavalry…

(C A V A L R Y from left to right: Joni Buckland, Richie Lovett, Dan Briggs, Gareth Hallybone)

Introduce us to the band

Hi all! We are Cavalry and we consist of Richie Lovett (vocals) Dan Briggs (guitar) Gareth Hallybone (bass) and Joni Buckland (drums).

How did you all meet, and how long have you been playing together for?

We all met at a house party that Richie threw (from what we can remember). They were legendary parties and somehow we ended up playing a New Year’s Eve show in his basement at one of the parties shortly after. We’ve been playing together for two years now, mainly rehearsing and refining our set in MusicBox Studios. We’re currently readying ourselves for a huge summer which will see the release of our debut single ‘Mexico’, our first music video to date, the launch of our new website www.wearecavalry.com and new Cavalry merchandise.

Explain your sound to us

Heavy nice, nice heavy?… When we write, we like to mix clean verse sounds with fuzzy choruses. Rich has a talent for signing soft, tuneful verses and then belting out huge anthemic choruses so it works well. Basically, we want our songs to stick in your head so you wake up the next morning and take a peak at our website or log on to Spotify to have a second listen…

What’s your favourite Cardiff venue?

It has to be the Globe on Albany Road. The sound is incredible, it gets hot and sweaty, you meet really cool people and there is a really intimate vibe at the shows.

How did you all end up in Cardiff?

We were all drawn to the bright lights of Cardiff from Newport and Maesteg. For us, it was a sort of natural progression to a bigger city and a lot of our friends did the same thing. Three of us (Rich, Dan and Jon) actually lived in the same house for a year which was great. There’s no better test of a band’s patience than being stuck in a house living together.

What parts of Cardiff have you lived in so far?

The 4 of us combined have lived in Roath, Cathays, Grangetown, Canton and Cardiff Bay. Rich definitely takes the award for living in the best rented accommodation in Cardiff. He lived in a four story mansion and had a gold fireplace in his bedroom. Beat that.

What was the last gig you went to?

We all went to see Royal Blood in the Globe two months ago and it was by far one of the best shows we have seen in a very long time. We caught them just before they really took off and it was amazing to see them in such an intimate venue. We will be definitely watching them at Glasto this year!

What was the last book you read?

(Dan) I last read Dial ‘M’ for Merthyr by Rachel Trezise. It’s an amazing account of being on tour with a Welsh band called Midasuno in 2005. It’s a real warts ‘n’ all account of life on the road which every touring musician can relate to. I would definitely recommend giving it a read!

Tell us a secret

Dan played session guitar for Tina Barett from S Club 7. Shortly after playing, Dan and Rich ended up drinking £1000 worth of Champagne with her and her boyfriend! Good times.

What’s your favourite place for breakfast in Cardiff?

The Deck in Cardiff Bay is the place to go. One word. Bacon.

What’s your local pub?

Our local is Dempseys on Castle Street. Even if we start off there and move on, we always end up back there at the end of the night! The bar staff are great, the Guiness is great and the atmosphere is great. God bless the Irish.

Tell us a hidden part of Cardiff that you love

There is a lighthouse on an island in the middle of Roath Lake. It’s a great little landmark but we found out the other day, it’s actually a four bedroom, rentable property?! It’s safe to say we were blown away when we find that out. We are hoping it will become Cavalry HQ in the not too distant future!

If you had some friends coming to visit for the weekend, where would you take them?

We would wake up in the morning, take them to the Deck for a ‘Hog and Hen’ roll (seriously you need to try one) and then go for walk around the bay. We ‘d pop in to Techniquest, pretend to be Brian Cox and then nip over to the Waterguard pub as we’d have definitely worked up a thirst by then. Next stop, the Mochyn Du to sample their selection of real ales and then trek across town to Milgi’s on City Road to chill out in their yurt and have a cocktail. Lunch would be an epic burger in the Grazing Shed in town and then on to Clwb Ifor Bach to catch a gig in the night. That actually sounds like a great plan. We might do that this weekend…

If people want to see you live, when’s their next opportunity?

We are playing Undertone this Friday 9 May! It will be our first Cardiff show so it promises to be quite an event and our good friends Ghosts as Alibis and Calling Apollo are on the bill with us. If you want any more information please visit the facebook event page on this link: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/1413579325565844/

Thanks Cavalry! More Cardiff personal geographies real soon …

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The City

100 days in Cardiff – Tiger Bay Couple

May 7, 2014 admin 1 Comment

Tiger Bay Couple

“An early meeting in the Bay this morning took me past this wonderfully evocative and much photographed statue which I take to be a reminder of when Cardiff Bay was ‘Tiger Bay’ the thriving multicultural community that grew up around the coal exporting docks. I find the stories of those days fascinating – the history of the area is something that should not be forgotten, thankfully there are a growing number of people who feel the same way and are finding new ways of interpreting it through the arts. This statue is a fine example of that.”

Thanks Jeremy! Catch you next time…

The Arts, The City

100 days in Cardiff – Cardiff indoor market

May 3, 2014 admin 2 Comments

Cardiff Indoor Market

“Taken from the first floor balcony of the 108 year old indoor market which sells lots of things you can’t easily find anywhere else anymore – like Carbolic soap, aniseed balls and thimbles. It’s served the people of Cardiff since Queen Victoria was on the throne, but now – surrounded by pedestrianised streets and with the gleaming new St David’s Shopping Centre on its doorstep, its future looks uncertain. The Council are currently ‘consulting’ on it so time will tell….”

Thanks Jeremy! Catch you next time…

The Arts

Local Boy – exploring Roald Dahl’s links to Cardiff, by Katie Hamer

May 3, 2014 admin 4 Comments

Did you know Roald Dahl was a local? There’s plenty of parts of the city named after him or that make reference to him. So we sent writer Katie Hamer out in search of Roald Dahl’s links to Cardiff.

To reiterate the words of Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz”, ‘there’s no place like [Cardiff]’. Well, not quite what she said, but if I were to click my shoes together in Oz, and return to anywhere, it would be this lively city. I’ve lived in many places, including Swansea, Milton Keynes, and central London, but never anywhere as friendly as here. With very little effort, you can strike up a conversation with almost anyone.

Another thing I love about Cardiff is that it is full of surprises. Indeed, I learn something new every day. Just last week I discovered that the late great Roald Dahl had links here. I learned that he had been born in Llandaff, and spent his earliest, most formative years in the city. This was a complete surprise to me.

Along with many children, I found a love for reading through devouring Roald Dahl’s “James and the Giant Peach”, “The Twits”, “The B.F.G.”, and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, to name but a few. His imagination, sense of fun and adventure knew no bounds. He lived in the capital for the first eight years of his life, perhaps the most important childhood years. As the famous Jesuit saying goes: “Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man.”

On making my discovery, I decided to visit places Roald Dahl would have known, starting off with the Norwegian Church, where he was christened in 1916. Dahl’s parents were Norwegian, and worshipped there in their native tongue. Drawn to Cardiff by the shipping trade, exchanging logs from Scandinavia for coal from the Welsh Valleys, his parents became part of a vibrant Norwegian community.

The Norwegian Church, now an Arts Centre and ‘Norsk’ Coffee shop, still celebrates its links with Dahl. They celebrate Roald Dahl Day on 13 – 14 September, to coincide with the author’s birthday. This year marks 98 years since his birth, so not far off the centenary. Most importantly, Roald Dahl was one of the early patrons of the Norwegian Church’s Preservation Fund, saving the building from disrepair. More information: www.norwegianchurchcardiff.com

I was very fortunate to have met Roald Dahl, when he attended my school speech day in 1989. I remember him sitting on the corner of a desk on stage, saying that our teachers were hoping he’d give us all a history lesson, and he wasn’t going to disappoint: he was to give us a history lesson on chocolate.

He had many curious insights into the subject, including how ‘Maltesers’ were originally called ‘energy balls’ and were targeted at dieting women. Not only did he have an incredible sense of humour but he was also good natured and approachable. I couldn’t say for sure if living in Cardiff made him into this kind of person but, looking around me, I can see these qualities in abundance.

What is clear though, is that Roald Dahl’s lifelong love of confectionary began during his early childhood, a love that inspired one of his most influential stories. Interestingly, it’s 50 years this month, since the publication of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”.

On visiting Llandaff, I located the sweet shop that Roald Dahl found so irresistible as a young child. These days, it’s a Chinese takeaway called “The Great Wall”. However, a blue plaque, revealed by his widow, Felicity Dahl, in 2009 confirms this to be the former site of ‘The Cabin’ as mentioned in “Boy”. To commemorate my discovery, I’d hoped to take a selfie by the plaque, but it was too high up the wall. Instead, I took a selfie in the alleyway to the side of the shop. In the photo, I’m holding up the 50th anniversary kindle edition of “Charlie”. Now it’s time to celebrate the anniversary by breaking open a chocolate bar, hoping I’ll discover a golden ticket!

Kate Hamer is a writer inspired by nature, music, culture and Celtic mythology, who reads avidly. She started reading from a young age, quickly discovering the magic of storytelling. She writes short stories and poems, and is writing her first novel. Find her at her blog katiehamer.com (Born Again Writer) or on Twitter @katiehamer1.

The City

100 days in Cardiff – St John’s Church

May 1, 2014 admin Leave a comment

St John’s Church

“Today’s picture is of a detail from the arched entrance to the 12th Century St Johns Church in Cardiff. I love this building and as I walk past it most days I imagine this won’t be the last you’ll see of it if you are following these random posts. There is something about this particular carving that makes it so real sometimes I think it’s about to speak…”

Thanks Jeremy! Catch you next time…

The Arts, The City

100 days in Cardiff – The hidden chapel of menswear

April 30, 2014 admin 2 Comments

The hidden chapel of menswear

“I give you the curiosity of the Chapel in the middle of the House of Fraser (ex Howells) department store. Evidently when the shop wanted to expand sometime after the war, it simply built around the structure standing next to it – which happened to be the Bethany Chapel. There it remains – and if you stand in the shirts section and look up you can clearly see the whole front facade, still intact.”

Thanks Jeremy! Catch you next time…

The People

Cardiff’s volunteering dogs – meet Bob

April 28, 2014 wearecardiffguest Leave a comment

Back in April 2012, we posted this great story from David Wills about volunteering for Civil Aid Voluntary Rescue Association (CAVRA) with his dog, Bob. We never posted all the photos from the photoshoot though … and there are some sweet ones. Check out Bob in his goggles, above!

“CAVRA was founded in 1998 at a time when flooding was overwhelming the emergency services in Cardiff and the Vale,” says Dave. “It is an entirely voluntary search and rescue organisation, and a registered charity. Our purpose is to provide back-up personnel and frontline assistance to the Emergency Services (Police, HM Coastguard etc) in a range of situations, including searches for missing persons, during times of adverse weather conditions, natural disaster or civil emergency. We are a lowland search and rescue unit specialising in flood and swift water rescue as well as recovery. At present CAVRA has around 30 volunteers. We are highly trained in First Aid and some of us have specialist skills in land search, All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) rescue, dog handling and water rescue. We also have a Rescue Boat on permanent standby in Cardiff Bay.”

About Bob – the rescue dog: “Bobby is my latest dog and the only dog I have trained in Search and Rescue. I rescued him myself from Croft Kennels in Bridgend. I was looking for a medium sized dog that I could train up as a Cadaver Dog. I ended up with a large boxer-cross who has an uncanny knack for finding the living! Boxers are not normally good search dogs but Bob is crossed with something (we don’t know what!), giving him some invaluable traits. Normally Search dogs are air sniffing tracker dogs trained to national standards.”

Civil Aid Voluntary Rescue Association (CAVRA) are always looking for volunteers. No experience necessary. You provide the time – they provide the training. http://www.cavra.org

David and Bob were photographed on the Cardiff Bay Barrage by Doug Nicholls.

The City

100 days in Cardiff – Butetown streets

April 26, 2014 admin 2 Comments

My Butetown street

“I’ve always had an interest in the history of where I’ve lived and I much prefer living in places that have a sense of connection with the past than a new development. The street I now live in was built as homes for seafarers and people who worked in the Docks, my house dates from 1896 and has survived two World Wars and the rampaging bulldozers of Cardiff Corporation in the 60s. But things are fast changing, a chapel dating from 1902 was demolished just a few months ago to make room for new flats at one end, and this week planning permission was granted for yet another one at the other end at the former seaman’s hospital. I know things do have to change, the population is fast growing and people need places to live, but I can’t help thinking we are losing more than just the buildings when the wrecking balls move in, we risk losing part of our identity too.”

Thanks Jeremy! Catch you next time…

The City

100 days in Cardiff – the multi-cultural buildings of Wood Street

April 24, 2014 admin 1 Comment

The multi-cultural buildings of Wood Street

“If you look closely you can see that these buildings in Wood Street Cardiff are unusual in that the stones used in their construction are a mix of various colours & textures. There are several examples of this in the city, but these are probably the most obvious, I love the story as to why this is. In the heyday of the coal industry millions of tons of the stuff was exported from Cardiff Docks to places all over the world. The ships that carried it needed to be weighed down to make the journey back, and so the same tonnage of stones from the country receiving the coal was dispatched back to the docks – where local builders could buy it very cheaply – hence so many of the old buildings in the City are constructed from a mix of stones from the four corners of the world.”

Thanks Jeremy! Catch you next time…

The Arts, The City

100 days in Cardiff – The Stone Fox

April 22, 2014 admin 1 Comment

The Stone Fox

“The Stone Fox of Bute Park. At the heart of Cardiff is the castle – part medieval, part Gothic Victorian kitch. The park that surrounds it is beautiful, and peering over its wall is a wonderful collection of stone animals. This is my favourite – the crafty fox…”

Thanks Jeremy! Catch you next time…

The People

Reflections on Rhiwbina – Brian

April 21, 2014 wearecardiffguest 1 Comment

Set below a picturesque back drop of the rolling hills of the Wenallt, with its patchwork of fields and woods, lies this pretty yet busy northern suburb of Cardiff. It still retains much of its original charm and the unspoilt nature of a bygone era. Furthermore, it’s my home, albeit my adopted home!

Approached from the south, the main road arches over the brow of the hill , underneath which passes the single line railway track that connects directly to the city centre. On first seeing the village ahead you might wonder where on earth you’d arrived. The ‘Gateway to India’ no less, stands invitingly on the first corner, the name of the oriental takeaway. Further along and opposite is the celebrated Juboraj restaurant with its varied and sumptuous curries all authentically and carefully prepared.

The ‘green house’, or more strictly the green-roofed bungalow, stands on the same site as the once well-loved and oft frequented newspaper and sweet shop, which also had a green painted roof. It was a favourite destination for school kids on the way home and wanting a cheap fix of confectionery. Its replacement is a chiropractice, and next to that an aromatherapy clinic for ‘treats’ of a different sort but very much in keeping with our modern holistic lifestyle.

At the crossroads with Pen-y-Dre you are greeted by the rather incongruous looking life-sized figures of Laurel and Hardy with animal models close by. You would be forgiven for thinking that they were advertising some sort of waxworks or museum. In fact, they stand outside the Virtual Service Centre for cars. Does that mean there really isn’t a garage there? Well yes and no! There is no garage on the premises. If your car needs servicing or repair it is collected, taken away, fixed and duly returned afterwards. How civilised!

On the corner of the increasingly busy junction with Beulah Road, stands Beulah United Reform Church dating back to 1890 and opposite that Beulah Assembly Rooms a popular venue for clubs, meetings and concerts. It would be easy to hasten past and hardly notice the secret garden to the rear, a quiet place to just sit and think or simply contemplate, just yards from the general buzz of village life.

There are plenty of places to browse, including trendy craft shops such as Cwtsh Bach with its handmade Bespoke curiosities, Cariad with all things Welsh and the Victoria Fearn Gallery with its array of interesting objects such fun pencils with character tops, pottery, artwork and wooden instruments. If you have a sweet tooth and keen eye you’ll soon come across the aptly named Sugar Mouse, with a selection of sweets and chocolates that have names more familiar to children of yesteryear but still able to entice children and their all too gullible and more than willing parents.

As we know shopping can be thirsty, tiring work so where better to stop for coffee or light lunch than the Olive Branch, the church run cafe with its recent makeover and where there’s always a welcome, and a chance to buy books, cards and gifts. There are other places to eat and buy refreshments such as the Whittaker Lounge or on Beualah Road, Snails Delicatessan serving soups, coffees, cakes and ice creams. At the far end of the village is the one charity shop, Tenovus, though at first glance you might think it a niche high class clothing shop which befits its surroundings.

Take a small detour from the main street through a narrow side lane and you are suddenly transported to the original early 20th century Garden Village with its quaint array of white-bricked semis arranged as a square around a spacious lawned centrepiece. Built in the 1920s, as a more pleasant and healthy residence for the working class it retains the timeless quality, if not its purpose, that its founding fathers intended all those years ago.

Wander around, stroll along the Welsh named streets , walk by the gentle stream that meanders through or relax in the green open spaces and soon you will discover many more fascinating facts, facets and delightful nooks that attracts one to this enchanting, inspiring part of a beautiful city.

Brian Dodd is a retired primary school teacher having taught in Cardiff for almost 40 years. He moved from Bristol to Cardiff in 1973 and loves the city. He has lived in Rhiwbina with his wife and family for 17 years. His favourite spots in the village are the old buildings, the stream and the parks away from the main streets. He says the village from the railway bridge with the Wenallt backdrop is lovely anytime of the year, but more so in the spring …

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A blog about Cardiff, its people, and the alternative arts and cultural scene!