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Festival emotions run high as Sir Tom Jones returns from health scare

Festival emotions run high as Sir Tom Jones returns from health scare

Sir Tom Jones has delivered another masterclass performance. The legendary 85-year-old vocalist left festival-goers reaching for their hankies whilst belting out his catalogue of beloved classics.
Punters at the Camp Bestival event in Dorset hailed the Welsh headliner's vocals as "phenomenal" and "incredible" as he brought the curtain down on the festival's Sunday evening finale. The triumphant showing came just a few weeks after Sir Tom fell ill and was forced to pull out of a concert in Germany.
The Welsh singer took to social media on July 22 to reveal he couldn't take to the stage in Bremen due to ill-health. However, he bounced back magnificently during an appearance at the Discovery Festival in Dundee, and Cardiff Castle is now awaiting his return to Wales later this month, reports Wales Online.
Camp Bestival's organisers revealed "there wasn't a dry eye in the house" during Sir Tom's closing night spectacle. They commented: "The incredible @realsirtomjones closed the Castle Stage last night, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. What a legend. Thank you Sir Tom for a very memorable end to the weekend."
Sir Tom is scheduled to perform at Cardiff Castle on August 20 and 21 - the only ones in Wales this year. Tickets are still available on Ticketmaster for the latter date. For example, "3 Event Pass" tickets are priced at £135.20 each.
These upcoming Cardiff Castle performances follow just two years after Tom's trio of shows at the same location. During his visit, he addressed the audience saying: "I would like to say it feels great to be home. Oh yes!".
He then delighted fans with songs from his 2021 album 'Surrounded By Time' as well as timeless hits like 'It's Not Unusual' and 'What's New Pussycat?'
Capping off Cardiff's summer music festivities will be the renowned Hollywood actor and rapper Will Smith, who brings his "Based on a True Story" tour to Cardiff Castle on Monday, August 25.
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National Eisteddfod 2025: Wrexham event 'boosted Welsh language and local economy'
National Eisteddfod 2025: Wrexham event 'boosted Welsh language and local economy'

North Wales Live

time2 hours ago

  • North Wales Live

National Eisteddfod 2025: Wrexham event 'boosted Welsh language and local economy'

The National Eisteddfod in Wrexham gave the Welsh language a massive platform in the area and a significant boost to the local economy, it's been claimed. The event, at Is-y-Coed on the eastern outskirts of Wrexham, came to an end on Saturday evening after a busy week of competition in the Pavilion and countless concerts and talks on the Eisteddfod Maes. Llinos Roberts, chairman of the local executive committee, said thousands of people flocked to the Maes throughout the week. Many of them were visiting the Eisteddfod for the first time and some returned for further visits. 'That is such a positive helping to hopefully reach the Welsh Government's target of one million Welsh speakers by 2050,' she said. Officials said the dry weather this past week had helped attract the large crowds. 'Of course, many say it wouldn't be an Eisteddfod without rain,' said Betsan Moses, National Eisteddfod chief executive. 'We had some during the week but the Maes drains very quickly and it was not a factor.' She added the 2025 Eisteddfod had been very successful with all major prizes awarded. 'The Chairing ceremony was very emotional given Tudur Hallam's illness but everyone was pleased at the high standard of entries across all competitions and that is very pleasing,' she said. 'The programme at Ty Gwerin, Encore and Y Babell Len was excellent and Eisteddfodwyr obviously agreed because there were large queues to get in on many occasions. This gave people an opportunity to meet others who were interested in the same group, play or subject,' she said. Although the Maes was located a few miles outside the city centre, local businesses say they enjoyed a dividend. According to one business owner, the impact was so positive that they are keen to see the Eisteddfod return as soon as possible. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now Next year the National Eisteddfod will be held at Llantood, a village between Cardigan and Newport in Pembrokeshire. Congratulating the Wrexham Eisteddfod crew for a 'great week', John Davies, chairman of the National Eisteddfod 2026 executive committee, said the city would 'be a hard act to follow'. He added next year's National Eisteddfod will be called Eisteddfod y Garreg Las (Bluestone Eisteddfod) and will be 'unique'. 'Led by Pembrokeshire Council, the Eisteddfod 'patch' encompases part of Carmarthenshire and a small part of Ceredigion,' said Mr Davies. 'Staging the Eisteddfod in this year commemorates the fact it was 850 years ago in 1176 that the Lord Rhys staged the very first Eisteddfod. 'We have quite a bit of work to do to maintain the artistic, cultural, and social success similar to Wrexham. Mr Davies also suggested there is a need to 'look differently at how funding is created and harvested' in the areas that host the festival. 'In a climate where money is hard to come by for every family, we must be careful and prudent,' he added. Nansi's double success A young woman achieved an extraordinary feat at the Eisteddfod by winning two of the main prizes on Saturday afternoon. Nansi Rhys Adams from Cardiff won both the Richard Burton Award and the Musical Theatre Solo for those over 19 years old. The Richard Burton Award was established in 1990 in memory of the man from Pontrhydyfen who starred on stage and screen and is recognised as a strong influence on a significant group of Welsh actors. This year is a notable one as it marks the centenary of his birth. It is a competition for individuals aged between 16 and under 25, and applicants are required to give a short dramatic presentation on a set theme along with a self-chosen piece. Nansi was thrilled with the results, especially winning the Burton Award after reaching the final three in the same competition in Pontypridd last year. She has professional experience in acting, singing, and dancing both in theatre and for television. Most recently, she played one of the main roles, Eli, in the youth TV series Itopia, which was broadcast on S4C last December. At the National Eisteddfod in 2023, she played the lead role of Nel in the family stage show Na, Nel!, which was performed in the main pavilion to a packed audience. At the Urdd National Eisteddfod in 2023, she won the Musical Theatre Solo competition and, as a result, was invited to sing solos and perform at the Welsh Festival of North America in Nebraska. Nansi is currently in her second year studying BA Acting at Mountview Academy, London. Before that, she spent a year on the Musical Theatre Foundation course at Mountview. 'There's one year left of the course, and after that I'd like to go on to perform professionally,' she said. The judges for the Richard Burton Award were Ffion Dafis and Mark Lewis Jones. The latter described the standard of the competition as 'superb'. Ifan Coyle, also from Cardiff, came second in the Burton competition and received the Wilbert Lloyd Roberts Scholarship. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Composer's Medal Winning the Composer's Medal at the 2025 National Eisteddfod was Sarah Lianne Lewis. She received her award and a £750 cash prize during a special ceremony at the Eisteddfod Pavilion on Saturday evening. The Composer's Medal is awarded to the most promising composer for a chamber ensemble composition, using imagery from Rhondda Cynon Taf as inspiration. To mark the centenary of the birth of Islwyn Ffowc Elis, one of Wrexham's most prominent sons, this year's theme for was Cymru Fydd ('The Wales to Come'). Eisteddfod organisers invited composers to present ideas on how they could respond musically to his epic science fiction novel Wythnos yng Nghymru Fydd ('A Week in the Wales to Come'). The judges were Richard Baker, Lleuwen Steffan, and Graeme Park. Mr Baker said the decision was not easy and that all three composers had produced exceptional work. He said: 'It was very difficult to reach a decision. To be honest, we didn't entirely agree. In the end, it came down to personal taste. But we have a winner. Complex ideas require top-tier technical resources to realise, and the winning piece meets the competition's requirements perfectly.' Speaking about the winning piece, Mr Baker said: 'Cysgodion Bywiog ('Vivid Shadows') by Sarah Lianne Lewis focuses on the most famous scene in Elis's novel, when the main character meets the Old Woman of Bala, the last speaker of the Welsh language. 'The piece is highly theatrical with a strong narrative, and the dialogue is very clear between the material representing grief and the material representing hope.' Sarah Lianne Lewis was one of three composers who worked with professional musicians for the premiere of her winning piece. The other two were Jonathan Guy and Owain Gruffydd Roberts. She studied at Cardiff University, earning a BA (Hons) in Music and History and an MA in Composition. Since then, her music has been performed in Europe, Canada, and Australia, broadcast on several radio stations in the UK and Europe, and featured in numerous international festivals. As a composer and soloist, she also runs workshops in schools, focusing on nurturing creativity and composition in the classroom, as well as leading vocal masterclasses for amateur musicians. The Cymru Fydd Composer's Medal project offers a paid opportunity for three music creators to compose for a Sinfonia Cymru chamber ensemble. Over recent months, the three selected composers worked with three versatile string players – Simmy Singh (violin), David Shaw (violin/viola) and Garwyn Linnell (cello) – leading up to a live performance of their works on the Eisteddfod's final day. The project was a partnership between the Eisteddfod, Tŷ Cerdd, Sinfonia Cymru, and the Welsh Music Society, with this year's mentor-composer being Prof Pwyll ap Siôn.

The best pictures from the National Eisteddfod 2025 in Wrexham
The best pictures from the National Eisteddfod 2025 in Wrexham

Wales Online

time3 hours ago

  • Wales Online

The best pictures from the National Eisteddfod 2025 in Wrexham

This year it was Wrexham's turn to shine and host the National Eisteddfod, and what a show it put on. The event, which ran from Saturday, August 2, to Saturday, August 9 saw huge gigs, performances, and plenty of fun had. Performances took place across the week from Welsh language artists and dancers from across the country. The annual event was in Pontypridd last year and will move to Pembrokeshire in 2026. Highlights of the week were passionate speeches by actor Mark Lewis Jones, who was the president. Wrexham Football Club's co-owner Rob McElhenney even showed off his Welsh language skills by singing Yma o Hyd. Fans gathered to watch Wrexham's match of the new season and their Championship campaign, on the Maes, and were treated to an extra-special commentary with the English language track turned down and substituted by Nic Parry and former Wales international striker Malcolm Allen. Dafydd Iwan performed at the Eisteddfod for the last time this year, ending a run of performances at every one since 1965 and father-of-three Tudur Hallam was awarded the Chair for his emotional poems about his cancer diagnosis last year. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here The Eisteddfod finished on Saturday night, with a stage performance that included an epic battle between male voice choirs and a spectacular performance by disabled acrobats, and Dafydd Iwan was coaxed onto the stage to join a final (final) rendition of Yma O Hyd. Here are the best pictures from the National Eisteddfod 2025:

Utterly heartbreaking story behind National Eisteddfod winner that everyone wishes was different
Utterly heartbreaking story behind National Eisteddfod winner that everyone wishes was different

Wales Online

time5 hours ago

  • Wales Online

Utterly heartbreaking story behind National Eisteddfod winner that everyone wishes was different

Utterly heartbreaking story behind National Eisteddfod winner that everyone wishes was different But when Tudur Hallam did, he produced something award winning Tudur Hallam receives the Chair at the National Eisteddfod in Wrexham for his poem talking about his own cancer diagnosis (Image: Aled Llywelyn) When Tudur Hallam was told, in August last year, that he had cancer, he found himself unable to write in Welsh. The poet, who has previously won one of the highest honours in Welsh language writing, said his mental block lasted months. ‌ Yet, on Friday, he stood in a pavilion in Wrexham packed full of people, who had all risen to their feet, after he was honoured with the Eisteddfod chair for a second time, because of a piece of work he penned. He admitted he had felt conflicted whether to even enter the work because the content - about his diagnosis - was so emotional. ‌ As he received the honour at the Wrexham Eisteddfod, his brother, Gwion Hallam, also addressed the crowd with a heartfelt poem. ‌ Tudur, a married dad-of-three said: "I believe writing can be a great help to people, and personally I wanted to write immediately after the diagnosis, but I couldn't. "I think I was in a state of shock, and then in January, after receiving bad news that the treatment meant to buy me time hadn't worked, suddenly the words started to flow from me. "Now I'm glad I've created something positive out of a very difficult situation," he said. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . ‌ He previously received the honour at the Blaenau Gwent and Valleys National Eisteddfod in 2010. After the ceremony in Wrexham, he said: "It was a very emotional occasion, especially when the audience stood for the second time. But after greeting my family, I relaxed a little and enjoyed the ceremony. The Eisteddfod and the Gorsedd did everything they could to make things easier,' he said. The audience in the Pavilion heard that 15 poets competed this year – the highest number since 1989 and they had to write an awdl (a long poem) or a collection of poems in full cynghanedd using more than one traditional metre on the theme of "dinas" (city". ‌ "I feel happy, proud that I competed because I wasn't sure whether I should submit the awdl or not. I've been quite conflicted about it because the content of the awdl is so emotional, but today feels like a celebration," he said. 'Winning the chair or the crown is an achievement, and hearing that it was a strong competition makes me feel incredibly lucky to have won, to be honest,' he said. He decided to compete for the Eisteddfod chair and said that the support of his family and doctors enabled him to do so. ‌ The poet explained that he is a coach for a girls' football team in Carmarthenshire, and their aim is to win every match – especially against teams from the cities – so it was natural for him to begin his poem with the team. His work was praised by the judges as being "raw" (Image: Aled Llywelyn) In the poem, the team beats a team from Cardiff in the final of a cup competition, but then, the narrative switches to Glangwili Hospital, where the coach receives a diagnosis of bone cancer and metastatic cancer in the liver. ‌ In his adjucation, Peredur Lynch said: " He sang a song from the deepest depths of his being, composing an awdl he never wished to write.' Fellow judge Menna Elfyn said it was "unlike any other awdl or poem I've seen win the Chair or the Crown at the National Eisteddfod". She said he wrote about his condition in a "raw" way "without a trace of self-pity". Llyr Gwyn Lewis added: "'In truth, I would much rather Y Gylfinir had never had to write this awdl at all. He sang a song no one would ever wish to sing—but having sung it, he did so with clarity, memorability, and emotional power, drawing on all his gifts as a poet". Article continues below Tudur, from Foelgastell in Carmarthenshire, is an emeritus professor at Swansea University, where he taught and researched in the field of Welsh.

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