HOSPITAL staff in Gwent have turned to an alcohol-based gel to help combat the spread of infection on wards - and visitors are also being encouraged to use it. The gel kills germs when rubbed into the hands and then evaporates. Dispensers will be installed
THE new-look Stonehouse pub got off to a bit of a shaky start with our meal - but made up for it later. Quality furnishings and a large car park make the Lighthouse Road venue in Duffryn ideal for a 'pub grub' feast. For starters, my dining partner was
A FUN-packed day for all the family is promised at the Usk Show this weekend. Up to 18,000 visitors are expected to attend the one-day agricultural show which is being held at Gwernesney this year and is billed as an ideal day out for all the family.
As her 30s roll by West Country lass Polly Jean Harvey plays another tour of the UK this month. The pepper pot-sized spokeswoman for a jilted generation is in the Bristol Academy on Sunday, September 12. Her band PJ Harvey are 13 years into a successful
THERE were no tiaras for the Gwent girls at Miss Wales 2004 last night - but there were no tears either. None of the six Gwent lovelies taking part in this year's beauty pageant were placed in the top three. But the girls didn't seem to mind not winning
NEWPORT County manager Peter Nicholas is banking on his side finding some consistency as they prepare for tomorrow's trip to high-flying Basingstoke Town (kick-off 3pm). The County faithful have so far enjoyed and endured matches in a stuttering start
NEWPORT Gwent Dragons captain Jason Forster goes head to head tomorrow with the player generally regarded as Wales' number one openside flanker. The clash between Forster and Martyn Williams is just one of the personal duels which will highlight the Celtic
Like a bunch of prissy models, McFly's favourite topic of conversation is each other. Tom Fletcher (guitar/vocals) talks about Dougie Poynter (bass, vocals), Danny Jones (guitar/vocals) talks about Harry Judd (drums) and they all talk about Danny. For
IN 1983 a team of crack draw enthusiasts created a masterplan for a way of living so revolutionary that its very concept was a threat to the fabric of society - GLC, The Manifesto. One of those architects was Maggot, a curious scam-loving man from the
TO the folksy strains of Sweet Georgia Brown and Rockytop Tennessee, a Newport-based charity for the homeless launched into its coming-of-age party yesterday. "After 21 years as Newport Action for the Single Homeless we feel there is plenty to celebrate
THE pressure is on Newport Gwent Dragons to deliver - starting with tomorrow night's Celtic League derby opener against Cardiff Blues at the Arms Park. The Dragons surprised everyone, maybe even themselves, last season with the way they rose from the
If dance music is dead, someone forgot to tell Fatboy Slim and the million or more people who have been to his gigs in the past two years. Two summers ago 250,000 people flocked to Brighton for his second Big Beach Boutique and in March this year in Rio
A FAVOURITE pastime of the Welsh expatriate is to point out exactly how many of Britain's luminaries are, unbeknownst to most, actually Welsh. They include Motorhead's Lemmy, John Cale of the Velvet Underground - and the late, great Tommy Cooper. The
Newport Wasps, devoid of a point on their Premier League travels this season, are running out of time to put the record straight. Wasps make the short trip to Somerset Rebels tonight and travel to Stoke tomorrow evening (both meetings start 7.30pm). They
ANOTHER piece of Newport's industrial history ended yesterday when blast furnace number three at Llanwern steelworks was demolished. It marked the end of an era at the site when the third phase of demolition at the massive plant saw a controlled explosion
IS your name Fairfax, like the fiery 'Black Tom', Oliver Cromwell's right-hand general and besieger of Raglan Castle? If it is, or if there are Fairfaxes in your family tree, then the geneological society that traces the origins and migration of the ancient
A TORFAEN teacher went back to school to teach 21st century children the lessons he learnt in the 1960s. Maurice Pirotte, deputy head of Llantarnam school in Cwmbran, features in the Channel 4 reality television show That'll Teach 'Em Too. In the series
Review: Open Water (15) FOR £70,000 you could struggle to buy a small flat in Newport. Or you could bankroll a unique nerve-racker about a shark-pecked couple that has swept up global audiences. Strange what money can buy. Open Water faces the primal
NEWPORT Playgoers open their season at the city's Dolman Theatre with the delightful Ayckbourn comedy Relatively Speaking - and for director Gwyneth Moulden Nicholas the play has a certain familiarity. Gwyneth took part in NPS's first production of the
Catherine Merriman's book about women's real-life sexual experiences has scooped one of the prizes in the 2004 Erotic Awards. As we reported last month, Laughing, Not Laughing, which was edited by the 55-year-old, was shortlisted for the awards which
Hellboy (12A) The latest comic hero to get the bat, cat, super, spider man/woman makeover, Hellboy should have been called Tandoorithing. His brooding scorched red face glows angrily against the rest of the set. His devil tail and oversized stone hand
The Roman Lodge, Caerleon. THE Roman Lodge on Ponthir Road out of Caerleon, consists of a hotel, bar and restaurant offering a choice of Mediterranean-influenced food as well as traditional British fare. Starters range from soup to escargots and grilled
BOY racers who bring terror to the streets have been hit by fines totalling £3,000 of fines in the last four months, figures showed today. They were hit with more than 100 fixed penalty notices under Operation Elite in Abergavenny. But police, who have
THOSE two old Joe Calzaghe dodgers will be back in action in the next couple of weeks - and there may be an outside chance of me fighting one of them, though after all this time I think it's unlikely. I'm referring to undisputed world middleweight champion
A YEAR after Abergavenny singer-songwriter Matthew Jay fell to his death from a seven-storey building, his parents are still trying to discover what exactly happened. The 24-year-old, who toured with top bands including the Stereophonics and Starsailor
NEWPORT'S top police officer is back out on the beat for the first time in 20 years, in a bid get in touch with the issues that affect people's lives. In recent months, Chief Superintendent Kevin Price has been taking time out each week to patrol the
