Archive

  • Victory a timely boost for the Dragons

    JUST like it is foolish to read too much into last week’s 40-3 drubbing by Biarritz, it would be daft to crack open the bubbly after Newport Gwent Dragons’ win against London Irish. But the region can at least head into the start of the RaboDirect

  • Armed police involved in Newport house search

    THREE people were arrested following the search of a Newport house involving armed police officers this evening. A 40-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. A 40-year-old woman and a 16-year-old girl were

  • Celebrations as Griffithstown hall revamp begins

    PARISHIONERS in Pontypool are celebrating as work begins on a £600,000 project on their church hall. Members of St Hilda’s Church Hall committee watched as the first of the works to the hall began on August 9, when the keys were officially handed

  • Beaming out greetings to world from Newport lighthouse

     NEWPORT Amateur Radio Society will be taking part in a worldwide event this weekend, when they man the East Usk Lighthouse. The society will be taking part in the annual International Lighthouse and Lightship weekend, which will see more

  • Monmouthshire restaurants among Wales' best

    TWO Monmouthshire restaurants are among more than 80 in Wales to be included in the Good Food Guide 2013. It includes reviews of the very best dining establishments in the UK, from great value pubs to fine dining. Restaurant 1861, near Abergavenny

  • Cwmbran man jailed for ‘willful’ breaches of order

    A CWMBRAN man has been sent to jail for 12 weeks after he failed to notify the probation service that he had moved house. Appearing before Caerphilly Magistrates Court, 27- year-old Mark O’Dwyer, of Maindee Wood, Pontnewydd, admitted that by failing

  • Toll workers call off work to rule

    SEVERN BRIDGE TOLL workers have called off their work to rule and had overtime reinstated after what they have described  as "positive" talks with Severn River Crossings. Workers with the Unite union had planned the work to rule action for

  • WORK EXPERIENCE: Broom’s much easier than a styling brush

    THEY are the keeper of women’s secrets and the people who make them feel glamorous, so we sent HAYLEY MILLS to try her hand as an apprentice hairdresser. THE thought of my impending work experience at Salon 68 in Pontypool filled me with dread.

  • Newport's Olympic hero, Fred Evans on Rotary club duty

     NEWPORT’s Olympic boxing silver medallist Fred Evans will receive a hero’s welcome when he visits a city Rotary Club. Fred, 21, who trains at St Joseph’s Boxing Club became Wales’ first boxer Olympic silver medallist at the 2012 London Games

  • Gwent police pair get ready for Cwmcarn run

    TWO Gwent police officers are among the first to sign up for this year’s Great Gwent Poppy Run. Police Sergeant Angela Jones, of Bettws Police Station and Ceri Crewe, who is an intelligence development officer in Pontypool, have teamed up to train

  • Devauden teen wins place to perform in Swan Lake

    A TEENAGE dancer from Devauden saw off stiff competition to secure her place on stage for one of the world’s most famous classical ballet. Alys Davies was selected from more than 300 hopefuls to perform Swan Lake with the English Youth Ballet.

  • FIVE MINUTES WITH: Hannah Berney, Chepstow star of The Voice

    If you had to be stuck in a lift with someone, who would it be and why? Alain Rolland, to ask him “Why?”. Crying into my Welsh shirt in a pub is not a happy memory for me. What is your biggest fear? Vampires. Do you have any superstitions

  • Risca man in court for harassing old couple

    A RISCA window cleaner who went to an elderly couple’s home with a rottweiler asking for money has been fined £250. Darren Evans, 25, of Holly Road, admitted harassment and failure to surrender to custody, when he appeared before Caerphilly magistrates

  • Newbridge Memo hits topping out milestone

    THE first major milestone of the multi-million pound restoration of the Newbridge Memo and Institute takes place on August 29, with a special topping out ceremony. It will see a 10 feet high ventilation shaft placed on top of the Memo, which will

  • COMMENT: Well done to all Gwent students

    CONGRATULATIONS to every Gwent teenager who achieved the A-level grades they wanted yesterday. We have no doubt there will be a few sore heads this morning after celebrations last night. As usual, local schools have recorded some fantastic

  • Bettws youth centre, too costly to fix, will be demolished

    A YOUTH centre in a Gwent estate shut last year has been declared surplus to requirements because it is too expensive to repair it. Monnow Youth Centre in Bettws, Newport, has been shut since October 2011 because of problems with its roof and walls

  • Police appeal over missing Abertridwr man

    POLICE are appealing for help in finding a missing 77-year-old Abertridwr man. Trevor has been missing for over four months now - he was reported missing on Saturday April 7th Officers are appealing for two women seen on CCTV to come forward as

  • Hamster bite one of 999 calls

     INAPPROPRIATE 999 calls, including two men calling because they were hung over and a woman who was bitten on the finger by a hamster, are putting emergency services under increasing pressure, Wales’ chief medical officer warned. Dr Chris

  • Police investigation after Tredegar teenager death

    A POLICE investigation is under way into the force’s contact with a teenage boy from Tredegar who died in hospital after being found unconscious on Wednesday afternoon, officers said yesterday. A spokeswoman said: “Police were called to a location

  • Speed trauma is still an issue, admits Coleman

    Chris Coleman is making no excuses for Wales’ poor performance against Bosnia-Herzegovina, but believes a sense of perspective is needed given the trauma the squad so recently experienced. The 2-0 defeat at Parc-y-Scarlets in Llanelli was far from

  • Final journey for Newport Transporter Bridge man

    A MAN who dedicated his life to the Newport Transporter Bridge and climbed it every day for many years made his final journey over the iconic structure yesterday. John ‘Sean’ McDermott was the bridge’s superintendent for 30 years and for many people

  • O'Connor: Front trio will frighten defences

    AARON O’Connor believes familiarity will breed contempt for rival Blue Square Bet Conference defences. The former Luton and Mansfield man has already banged in three goals in two games for the Exiles and has looked a menace in tandem with Jefferson

  • South Wales woman arrested in Moors Murderer letter probe

    Police investigating a letter from Moors Murderer Ian Brady alleged to contain the location of one of his victims' bodies arrested a South Wales woman. Jackie Powell, 49, who was appointed Brady's mental health advocate in 1999, was detained on

  • Fun for all at Monmouth Music Festival

    MONMOUTH’S free nine day music festival starts today and continues until Saturday, August 25. The festival is in its 30th year, and music fans can look forward to a packed programme of genres in the next nine days. These including rock, pop and

  • A weekend of Roman activity in Caerleon

    EXCITING Roman re-enactments awaits visitors to Caerleon this weekend when Empire: A Roman Spectacular takes places in Caerleon Amphitheatre and the National Roman Legion Museum between 11am and 5pm on tomorrow and Sunday. Caerleon’s Amphitheatre

  • Enjoy a great day out at Bedwellty show

    BEDWELLTY Show takes place tomorrow at the show field, Cefn Forest, Blackwood, from 9am until 5pm. This year, there will be a variety of main ring attractions to provide lots of interaction and entertainment, among them Bob Hogg and his sheepdog

  • Pooling talents for Newport Aquatic Festival

    THE ANNUAL Newport Community Aquatic Festival event will be held on Friday August 31, from 9.45am to 3pm, at the Newport International Sports Village and will be the culmination of the Free Swim activities that have taken place in pools in council-run

  • Evans keeping his feet firmly on the ground

    NEWPORT County AFC teenage sensation Lee Evans is refusing to get carried away with the Exiles’ superb start to the season. Free-scoring County are top of the embryonic Blue Square Bet Premier table after thrilling victories over Mansfield Town

  • Newport knife terror robber faces jail

     A KNIFEMAN who committed a terrifying robbery in Newport was warned by a judge yesterday he faces jail. Benjamin Sicolo, 22, of no fixed abode, admitted robbing a shopkeeper and his colleague of cash and cigarettes, and possession of a knife

  • In The Spotlight: Centre Stage Cymru

    NOT for the first time this month I went to visit a young musical theatre group in rehearsal. It would seem that such groups, particularly of the musical type, are a growth area. Gwent seems to have a particular profusion of talent with groups

  • Murder Mystery at Caerphilly Castle

    LOCALS and visitors to Caerphilly are invited to take part in Cadw’s spooky medieval midsummer murder mystery evening at Caerphilly Castle next Thursday, August 23, between 7pm-9.30pm. Guests will be joining Home Office pathologist and medieval

  • WAWWA summer concert will help Sam

    THE WAWWA summer concert will be taking place on Friday, August 31, at 7.30pm, in Llanyravon Social Centre. This concert is to raise funds for one of its members, Samantha Jones, who has obtained a place at the prestigious East 15 Acting School

  • Review: Legally Blonde - The Musical, Wales Millennium Centre

    OMIGOD you guys! It can be difficult to get excited about going out on a week night when you’re tired after a long day at work/looking after the kids/*fill with your own hard day! But from the moment I walked into the Wales Millennium Centre and

  • Albarn's African Express heads for Cardiff

    SOME of the biggest names in African music will join Blur front man and multi-dimensional artist Damon Albarn on stage at Solus, Cardiff University, on September 6, as part of the joyful Africa Express artistic journey around the UK. Africa Express

  • Welsh producer targets homegrown success

    WELSH record producer Nick Brine has relocated his media company to South Wales and plans to help and encourage local musicians to get a step up in the music business. Nick who is from Monmouth, started his career at the world famous Rockfield

  • Manhattan Coast live dates and new EP

    MANHATTAN Coast follow up their May release Never Tell Me The Odds with their first EP next month. The South Wales alternative rockband have gained a huge following over the last few years and have been inflenced by bands such as Deaf Havana. Lead

  • More live gigs from the South Wales Music Collective

    FOLLOWING the astounding success of the Rock Olympics in Newport last month, the South Wales music Collective now has its sights firmly set on the South Wales valleys. Beginning at the Penllwyn Manor, Blackwood this Saturday, August 18, some of

  • Out For Tomorrow's Bristol date

    FIVE-piece rock band Out For Tomorrow will release their new single Young and Foolish on September 10. The band, who hail from the South West of England, will also be playing several dates across the United Kingdom, including Bristol next month.

  • Meet The Band: Rise in our Time

    Who are you and where do you originate from? We are Rise In Our Time, made up of five musicians – Sean O’Brien (singer), Danny Wall (drummer), Shaun Wade (guitarist), Riccardo Floris (guitarist) and Joe Bryant (bassist). We all originate from

  • Pontypool event for Welsh Women's Aid

    PONTYPOOL’S Hog and Hosper will be hosting a music event on August 26 for Welsh Women’s Aid. The event will feature a vast array of local bands, including Millennium,Two Marks andA Frank, The Shrieking Violets, Insuna, Dirty Bob and Trackstar.

  • Cwmbran pub holds charity weekend in woman’s memory

    A CWMBRAN pub has organised a weekend of events for charity in memory of a popular 20-year-old woman. The Blinkin' Owl in Coed Eva will host four days of activities over the bank holiday weekend to remember Kirsty Allen and to raise money for the

  • Dragons aim to get tough

    DRAGONS V LONDON IRISH (Tonight, KO 7.30) NEWPORT Gwent Dragons head coach Darren Edwards has demanded that his charges toughen up in their final warm-up for the RaboDirect Pro12 season. The Dragons aim to avoid a third pre-season defeat on

  • I won silver medal with broken hands, reveals Fred Evans

    FRED Evans today reveals his amazing Olympic secret – he won a silver medal despite his hands being so badly damaged doctors warned him not to fight. The 21-year-old became the most successful Welsh boxer in Olympic history by winning four bouts