An award-winning retail manager is masterminding the expansion of a chain of hospice shops.

Phyllis Jones, 60, Retail Manager for St Asaph based St Kentigern Hospice, was last year named as the Help the Hospices Hospice Retail Staff Member of the Year.

The mother of two and grandmother of grandmother of three has increased the number of hospice shops from eight to 12 while the turnover has increased by 300 per cent.

She’s now overseeing the opening of two new shops – one in Colwyn Bay and the other in Holywell – which are expanding by moving to bigger and better premises.

The eight-bed in patient hospice in St Asaph has day care facilities and provides unparalleled care for those with life-threatening and terminal illness, but has to rely on 80 per cent of its income from the generous donations of the public.

Phyllis started working for St Kentigern eight years ago after being Acting Deputy Manager at Morrison’s in Rhyl.

She now heads a 260-strong army of volunteers and a small team of paid staff.

All of the shops are run without store managers, and instead rely on the commitment  of its volunteers.

Upon arriving at St Kentigern Phyllis set out to make a difference.

She said: “We identified that we needed a central distribution centre so we could save the clothes between the seasons, and supply the shops from the depot. Now we can target various shops in different areas to suit their community. After we brought that system in it made a huge difference in sales.

“I think they were looking for somebody who had made a difference, come up with new ideas, and we’re always looking for new ideas. You can’t stand still. You’ve got to evolve all of the time.

“I think because I didn’t have the managers I stood out, because we’re succeeding, we’re trading up year on year without managers so it’s getting people to work for you.

“We have a wonderful eBay site. It is very interesting. It is run completely by a team of volunteers and it is doing very well.”

Phyllis paid tribute to the community for supporting the hospice.

She said: “We rely on donated goods. We buy very little. We buy Christmas cards, the odd pen, but that’s about it.

“Most of what we sell has been donated, and donated by people who obviously care very deeply about the hospice because the goods we’re given is of such good quality.

“It’s a reflection on the community. It’s marvellous because we’re not a wealthy area, and to think we get things like beautiful three piece suites in and we get brand new gifts.

“They do a fantastic job at supporting people at St Kentigern. It’s a very special place.

“I think because the care is so wonderful, it’s like a big wheel. The care is good so people then want to give something back.

“Sometimes they give in goods, and we turn it into money, which pays for the care, and it’s a big virtuous circle. It keeps on going.

“When I first came here I thought it would be a sad place, but quite the contrary. It’s a very happy upbeat place and I feel very honoured to be part of the team.

“It’s very much a team effort. There is a big team of people out there supporting Phyllis Jones.

“I got the award but believe me, it’s a team award. It’s for everybody because when you’re running the amount of shops that we’re running and a big depot, one person can’t do it.

“It was an absolute shock to be nominated never mind to win. I didn’t even know that I’d been nominated so it really was a shock.

“I’m a people person. I do my best, and I think what you need to do in any job is to make a difference.”

For more information about the hospice and how to make a donation go to www.stkentigernhospice.org.uk or ring 01745 585221.

An internationally renowned violinist will be performing a series of world premieres at a top music festival in Gwynedd.

Madeleine Mitchell will be one of the star attractions at the Bangor New Music Festival that opens on Wednesday, March 12.

She will be taking centre stage at two major concerts and as this year’s artiste in residence will also conduct a master class with students.

The critically acclaimed virtuoso, who has wowed audiences in 40 different countries, said: “I’m so looking forward to the festival and I’m absolutely delighted to be in residence. I enjoy master classes and look forward to meeting and working with students.”

The festival, now in its 14th year, runs over four days and  has established itself as one of the most exciting events on the UK’s classical music calendar.

Organisers say the line-up this year is one of the best ever and it also promises to be a memorable occasion for PhD music student Mared Emlyn, 25, whose own composition will be one of the pieces premiered.

Among the highlights will be a jazz workshop conducted by Israeli- born drummer, Asaf Sirkis, followed by a late evening concert of his jazz quartet at Greeks Taverna in Upper Bangor.

There will also be open air lunchtime concert performed by Bangor New Music Ensemble at the Deiniol Shopping Centre.

The festival opens with a concert on the theme of Night and Day in which Madeleine Mitchell will perform an imaginative programme of new and previously recorded pieces of music.

Speaking from her London home, Madeleine, who says she is proud of her Welsh roots said: “I’m delighted to be returning to Bangor to perform at the New Music Festival. It will be my first appearance at the festival although I have played at Bangor University in the past.

“The opening concert, Night and Day, will be a concert I have put together for violin and piano and I will be performing the world première of a new piece of music composed by young Welsh composer, Mared Emlyn, which I’m particularly looking forward to.”

Artistic Director Guto Pryderi Puw is considered to be one of Wales’s finest composers and is also a lecturer at Bangor University.

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Guto said: “I’m really excited about the sheer volume of new and previously unheard work that will be performed during this year’s festival.

“We are trying to promote new music to a wider audience and the idea is very much about exposing people to music that they may not normally listen to.

“We aim to increase the festival’s outreach activities, with one concert, a tribute to Shakespeare, taking place at the Deiniol Shopping Centre in Bangor on the Friday afternoon.

"The idea is to engage with the shoppers and passers-by and hopefully to increase the interest in other events during the festival.

“Madeleine Mitchell is a renowned violinist and central to the Night and Day concert is a selection of short contrasting pieces of music, which will awaken the senses and lead the listener on a journey from darkness to light.

“These short pieces are supported by recent works by leading British composers in addition to a new work that has been commissioned by Tŷ Cerdd by the promising young composer, Mared Emlyn.”

To bring the festival’s Friday Shakespeare’s Day to a close a special concert will take place in Bangor University’s Pritchard-Jones Hall as a tribute to the poet and playwright in his 450^th anniversary year.

Guto said: “The Orchestra of the Swan, conducted by David Curtis, will perform alongside featured soloists, Madeleine Mitchell and trumpeter, Simon Desbruslais.

“The concert will feature two pieces of music commissioned for the occasion that includes Antic Rounds, a new work by the winner of the 2013 William Mathias Composition Prize, Tom Coult, in addition to my own violin concerto composed specifically for Madeleine, entitled Soft Stillness and commissioned by Tŷ Cerdd.

“Antic Rounds is inspired by a quotation from Macbeth’s witches scene, while each movement of my violin concerto is a direct response to lines from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.

“Robert Saxon’s Shakespeare Scenes is a series of five musical interpretations from various plays and other pieces in the programme draw upon the orchestra’s strong commitment of commissioning new works with recent pieces by Tansy Davies and Huw Watkins.”

He added: “The final day of the festival promises to be particularly exciting as we will have a performance of the rarely performed Karlheinz Stockhausen masterpiece, Mantra, an exciting work for two pianos and electronics that calls for some unconventional piano playing. The celebrated piano duo Xenia Pestova and Pascal Meyer will perform the piece in conjunction with the INTER/actions Conference on the Saturday."

Among those who can't wait for the festival is Mared Emlyn, from Llangernyw, near Abergele, who has just completed her PhD in harp performance and composition at Bangor University.

She was commissioned to write a piece of music that will be performed for the first time as part of Madeleine Mitchell’s Night and Day concert.

Mared said: “It’s wonderful, although I admit I’m a bit nervous. The festival is a fantastic event but I never thought I’d get the chance to listen to established musicians, such as Madeleine Mitchell, interpret my music.

“My piece, Towards the North, follows the same theme of night and day and examines how light brings colour and meaning into the world. It will certainly be a proud day for me having my parents in the audience.

Mared added: “The Bangor New Music Festival is a great opportunity for young composers to showcase their work. And the programme is very varied with everything from classical to jazz and electronically produced new music.”

For more information and tickets for Bangor New Music Festival 2014 visit www.bnmf.co.uk