Latest news with #AledJones
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
MPs to quiz farming bodies on Brexit impact and trade deals
On Wednesday, June 5, the Welsh Affairs Committee will hold its first evidence session for the inquiry, "Farming in Wales in 2025: Challenges and Opportunities." The session will take place at 2.30pm in Committee Room 6 at the Palace of Westminster. The committee, chaired by Ruth Jones, MP for Newport West and Islwyn, will hear from three of Wales's largest farming representative bodies: National Farmers' Union Cymru, Farmers' Union of Wales, and Wales Young Farmers Clubs. According to the committee's agenda, the MPs will delve into the performance of the Welsh agricultural export market since the UK's departure from the EU. The recently announced UK-EU deal, including the veterinary agreement and its implications for Welsh farmers, will also be on the agenda. Further scrutiny will be given to the trade agreements the UK has inked with Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, to assess their effects on Welsh exporters. The committee may discuss with witnesses the potential impact of the UK Government's proposed inheritance tax reforms on the sector, and what measures should be implemented to protect the future of Welsh farmers. Other points of discussion are expected to include the "Barnettisation" of agricultural funding in the chancellor's autumn budget, as well as concerns about Welsh farmers' access to skilled and seasonal labour. The session will be available to watch live on starting at 2.30pm, with Aled Jones, Gareth Parry, and Dominic Hampson-Smith providing evidence.
Calgary Herald
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Changemaker Lydia Bedford, manager of Calgary Wild FC, eager to grow women's soccer
Article content Article content They might not know that I ran the London Marathon in 2017, and that's top of my mind because my sister ran it recently and ran it four minutes quicker than I did, and she's two years older than me. Article content So I think if I told my players that, they'd be quite surprised. Based on seeing me run around the pitch here, they might not presume that. Article content But I think the one that normally catches people off-guard is that I was in a choir in England for about nine months, and I performed with Aled Jones, who — if anyone knows — he's a famous Welsh singer and famous for The Snowman song/movie. I managed to perform on stage of him as like a backing singer. I mean … I don't think I'm that tuneful, but there was no auditions for the choir, so I just really enjoyed it. Article content And I think what I've learned as a manager is you have to have things that take your mind off what's happening with the football. And right now for me, that's getting on the bike and cycling for an hour and not being able to look at my phone. And back then, it was going to the choir and bringing the average age down by about 15-20 years and no one ever asking what I did for a job or what my style of football was or whatever. It was just go sing, enjoy it and go home. Article content Article content The footballer's journey is 15 years, if they're lucky, and I want the players to play brilliantly for us in their time here. Article content But a mark of the work that I do with them will be that, at some point, they could outgrow our program. You know … we've got some young players that are on the brink of senior international call-ups for their country, and that will be an unbelievable credit to what we do here — that they manage that moment whilst they're part of Calgary Wild. Article content But if you think about some of the youngsters that we've got in our squad, who are under the age of 22, for them, this is their first pro opportunity, and if they excel in this environment, whilst this league will develop and get better over time, there may come a point where for their journey to go where it needs to go, they have to outgrow our program. Article content And if that's the case, at that point, I'll be their biggest fan, and I'll help them to go where's required for them to be the best players they can be, because I want women's football to be the absolute best it can be across the world. And if our players are good enough to get picked up by the top clubs, then although we want them here, we're always going to be planning for that next step to make sure that they can go on and do what's right for them, as well. Article content Article content Article content I think just really proud, because I think role models are so important, and I still often refer to my PE teacher that only came into my secondary school after I'd been there for a couple of years and absolutely changed my whole experience of school sport. She's why I wanted to be a PE teacher. Article content So those tangible role models, those people see on the pitch, can completely change the destiny of where they go in the future. I hope that there's young girls in these stands that, in six years' time or 10 years' time, are knocking on our door and they're showing us pictures where they were cheering on our players and they've gone on to actually represent this club. Article content So I think it's about creating that opportunity for them to really follow their dreams. Article content Who's your team? Article content I think I'm an anomaly to football. I don't actually really support a team. I just love women's football. Article content But if I had to choose a men's team, it will now be Brentford, because I spent years there and I often check their results now. And I love Thomas Frank's work. I think he's one of the best managers that I've been a part of seeing what he does and that I would admire from like watching TV and how he is one of the most genuine people. So I do cheer on Brentford still. Article content
BBC News
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Coventry concert celebrates man's 50 years of composing music
A concert will celebrate a Coventry music teacher's 50 years of composing in the Ramskill from Finham has arranged and composed music for Songs of Praise, Aled Jones, and Russell Watson, as well as lots of local music includes approximately 200-300 arrangements for Songs of Praise."The great thing about writing for Songs of Praise you always know professional instrumentalists are going to play the parts you've written, and will play them perfectly, so the satisfaction in that is great," Mr Ramskill said. Mr Ramskill moved to Coventry from Leeds in 1975, when he got a job at the Coventry School of Music, which eventually became a centre for performing arts before joining Coventry composer built up his body of work through his teaching."Part of it is because I had to write music for the students sometimes," he told BBC CWR."You have a group of instruments, well there's no music actually been written for that particular group so you set about writing or arranging something."In Coventry in the 70s and 80s and early 90s there were lots of youth orchestras and bands and choirs and they were always looking for new music, so I was always happy to supply and develop my style based on that."He joked: "I must apologise to my wife and family for spending so long in the study composing." 'It was a big deal' It was a surprising turn of events that led to him composing for Songs of Ramskill had been asked to write an arrangement of The Teddy Bear's Picnic for the Coventry Youth Orchestra in 1989, by conductor Brian Chappell."He said I want you to go to town and make it a big deal," Mr Ramskill said."It was an elaborate arrangement with references to all kinds of different music. Wham got in there somehow. So it was a big deal."Songs of Praise conductor Paul Leddington Wright was in the audience at one of the performances, as his two daughters played in the orchestra, and asked Mr Ramskill if he wanted to compose for the on why Songs of Praise kept asking him to compose more arrangements, Mr Ramskill said: "Because I didn't have a church background I think they liked that I had a slightly novel approach to arranging hymns."The concert will take place at Drapers' Hall on 23 March at 14:00 GMT. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
18-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Inheritance tax: Welsh farming unions disappointed by talks
Welsh farming unions say they are "very disappointed", following a meeting in which they say the UK government showed "no movement" on planned changes to inheritance tax rules for National Farmers' Union (NFU) Cymru and the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) met Treasury minister James Murray in Whitehall on October, the UK government announced it would charge a 20% inheritance tax on agricultural assets worth more than £1m for the first time, although the threshold for some farmers to pay would be £ UK government previously said it was a "fair and balanced" approach that would help to fix public services and only effect the "wealthiest of farmers". NFU Cymru President Aled Jones told BBC Wales he was "very disappointed" with the outcome of the meeting."We went in with an expectation of being able to offer and seek a solution to this issue that we are facing, the huge crisis that the industry is facing. "We had a costed solution, an alternative which would have offered Treasury an alternative way without devastating the impact on family farms across the country.""They were not happy or even prepared even to open and consider alternatives."Mr Jones said his union would "persevere" on the issue."We have our members across the country, we have all the family farms who are waiting upon us to drive for a better solution to this issue, and we will continue whatever we do." 'War on countryside' FUW President Ian Rickman said: "We put all those arguments about the stress and strain this is putting on farmers... this is putting on Welsh farmers.""But there was no sign of any movement, and no willingness to carry on a dialogue going forward, and perhaps find a way out of this".Welsh Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick accused Labour of waging an "ideological war on the countryside".The Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe MP added: "Their family farm tax could be the final nail in the coffin for many communities struggling to cope. "It will worsen rural depopulation and damage the Welsh language, in addition to the serious impact on the UK government has been asked to respond.
