I must declare an interest.  Will Young is not just my ‘pop idol’, but is my idol in so many other respects.  His openness about his battles with PTSD and depression and his candid views on LGBT issues have been very helpful to many.  I think Will is close to being a national institution now, and if you haven’t heard his podcasts with Chris Sweeney, ‘Homosapiens,’ you should head over to his website, willyoung.co.uk.  It is no exaggeration to say…

Image Credit: BAFTA/Rex Shutterstock   13 October 2019: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in Wales, BAFTA Cymru, has announced the winners of the 2019 British Academy Cymru Awards. The awards honour excellence in broadcasting and production within film, games and television in Wales and inspire the next generation of creative talent. The ceremony was hosted once again by BBC Radio 1 presenter, Huw Stephens, at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, where presenters included Ruth Jones (Gavin and Stacey,…

Cai Morgan – Various You are nominated for ‘Various’, so does that mean you are a ‘Jack of all trades’ then Cai? [Laughs] Maybe yeah but with the job that I do, I produce a lot of content online. I don’t produce TV programmes or films that go out in cinemas, and my audience is on the internet. That could be a 15 minute film about Ketnipz (A teenage cartoonist who takes Instagram by storm) for S4C, or a short film about…

How impressive is the list of nominee’s for this year’s BAFTA Cymru? We are pleased because we have had the highest number of entries to date, so it means that it’s not all about BAFTA Cymru, it’s about the people that we celebrate and it shows that the industry seems to be in a really good place. We also worked out that there are (more than) 60 productions that have been recognised, yet last year there were only 40 something….

Today is World Mental Health Day, and mental health is a big topic in today’s uncertain and divisive times. Recently there have been many articles about the benefits of mindfulness and of spending time in nature for positive mental health and there is an increasing recognition of an odd sounding practice called ‘Forest Bathing’. Forest Bathing has its roots in something called Shinrin-yoku and was developed in Japan in the 1980s to deal with the chronic stress and illness in…

Following years of drug taking, drinking and living on the streets, this World Homeless Day, Andy, 42, is taking the opportunity to reflect on the support Emmaus South Wales has given him, empowering him to turn his life around.  “[I] started drinking socially around the age of 16. By the time I was 20, I’d moved on to drugs. You name it, I tried it, but really it was because it was what we all did – I just followed…

The stunning Macbeth opened in Cardiff this evening, delighting the audience with breath-taking acting, played out on a cleverly designed set with eyecatching lighting and perfectly timed sound effects. The stage set of a castle was incredibly detailed with forest panels to both sides of the stage; the use of music was intriguing as a concept and in practice, was the perfect companion to the dialogue enhancing the performance. All the cast members gave outstanding and mesmerising performances, as the…

Leading charities the Trussell Trust and FareShare are appealing to people in Cardiff to volunteer to help in the UK’s biggest food collection for people in need. From Thursday, November 21 until Saturday, November 23 the two charities will be collecting food in Tesco stores across the UK and Northern Ireland during the annual Tesco Food Collection. They are looking for local volunteers to encourage shoppers to donate, so that as much food as possible can be collected. During the…

  Are you a budding musical theatre performer aged 6 to 21? Do you dream of performing in London on a West End stage? The talent competition, West End Calling is coming to Cardiff on Sunday 20th October at Chapter Arts Centre, and they want to see YOU! Now in its 5th year, West End Calling is a national singing competition for young people offering contestants the unique opportunity to audition in front of a panel of West End stars,…

Graham Clifford was last Monday presented with The Fostering Network in Wales’ inaugural President’s Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to foster care. Graham, along with his partner Rose, have been foster carers with Bridgend Council for over two decades, during which time they have cared for eleven children and young people of all ages, from a variety of backgrounds and with a range of needs. They are currently looking after two siblings who have lived with them since…