Latest news with #MarkLewis
Wales Online
2 days ago
- Wales Online
Major emergency services response as cordon in place and person rushed to hospital
Major emergency services response as cordon in place and person rushed to hospital Ambulance staff delivered 'critical care support' before transferring the patient to hospital Crime scene investigators spent the rest of the day collecting evidence from inside the property (Image: Mark Lewis ) Emergency services rushed to a property in a Welsh city and delivered "critical care support" to a patient inside. Police and ambulance attended the scene of a medical emergency at an address in Lliswerry Road in Newport shortly before 7am. on Saturday, June 7 Experienced medical staff and a Cymru High Acuity Response Unit treated one person at the scene before transferring them to hospital for further treatment. A cordon was in place at the property (Image: Mark Lewis ) After the patient had been transferred to hospital Gwent Police officers put a cordon around the property as crime scene investigators worked inside. This cordon remains in place. Those living in neighbouring properties said from 10am their doors were knocked by police who were asking for doorbell camera footage. Police have yet to provide a statement on the incident (Image: Mark Lewis ) Article continues below A spokesman for the Welsh Ambulance Service said: "We were called on Saturday at approximately 6.58am to reports of a medical emergency on Lliswerry Road, Newport. "We sent one emergency ambulance, two operations managers, and one Cymru High Acuity Response Unit to the scene. "Advanced critical care support was delivered by the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service in a Wales Air Ambulance charity car. Article continues below "One patient was conveyed to hospital for further treatment." Gwent Police has not responded to repeated requests for comment. Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice.
Wales Online
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Everything you need to know about Barry Pride 2025
Everything you need to know about Barry Pride 2025 The Barry Pride is back next weekend with performances from some of Wales' best drag acts The celebration takes place on Saturday, June 14 (Image: Mark Lewis ) Barry Pride is back and better than ever bringing LGBTQ celebrations to the seaside town for a fifth year. You can expect to see a sea of fabulousness with a parade and live performances from some of Wales' most famous drag performers. Set for Saturday, June 14, the festivities will take place at the same location as last year, King's Square and Central Park with hundreds expected to attend the free event. The colourful parade will trail through the town's streets leading back to an array of performances from RuPaul's Drag Race UK stars, Victoria Scone and Marmalade as well as outstanding tribute acts of everyone's favourite pop acts. Welsh rugby legend, Nigel Owens has even shared his support for Barry Pride sharing a message on Instagram. He said: "I just want to wish you all the very best for Barry Pride coming up on the 14th of June in Central Park, just a few days before my birthday actually - I won't say how old I am. "Well done all of you that have organised it, it is hugely important that we have events like this. Not just to celebrate who we are and a day of enjoyment but also an important message. As well that there has been a lot of great progress over the last decades in equality, diversity and inclusion and the LGBTQ+ community are a part of that but also to highlight that there are still some stigma issues out there that we need people to be educated on and to overcome." Content cannot be displayed without consent Whilst fun, joy and celebration is welcomed to the Barry Pride next weekend, they have made the decision that political parties will not invited to this year's event due to "the lack of support" from the major political parties, including those in government in Westminster, Cardiff Bay and locally. Article continues below Barry Pride released a statement in May saying: "At Barry Pride, we believe in the power of unity, solidarity, and the importance of true representation – from the most visible to the most marginalised. "In the light of the challenges faced by sections of the community and the lack of support from the major political parties, including those in government in Westminster, Cardiff Bay and locally, Barry Pride has made the decision that political parties will not be invited to participate in our 2025 parade. "This will remain the case until political parties can demonstrate an unwavering commitment to supporting our community and this means every member of our community. Please note that this is not a blanket ban on members of political organisations, however, political paraphernalia will not be welcomed. Individual members may attend the parade, either with other organisations or as members of the general public. "We will, however, welcome the opportunity to engage in constructive conversations and would be happy to arrange individual meetings to platform discussion and encourage our community to engage with political parties in constructive ways." Here is all the information you need to know about Barry Pride: Who is performing? Victoria Scone performed at The Welsh Variety Extravaganza (Image: John Myers ) There are plenty of acts performing throughout the day and evening at Barry Pride on Saturday, June 14. The big name acts include RuPaul's Drag Race UK stars, Victoria Scone and Cardiff drag queen Marmalade. Local drag acts will also be performing including Venus Flytrap, Chae With a C, House of Deviant, and Justin Drag. X Factor and The Voice contestant, Amrich Channa will also be singing at the event with music by DJ Kel. When is the parade? The parade takes place at King Square in the town centre of Barry, commencing at 12pm on Saturday, June 14. The glitter filled parade will head back around to Central Square where the fun filled day will continue. What else is happening? You won't complain about being bored when you visit Barry Pride as there are plenty of things to keep you entertained. Article continues below Along with live performances from a great line-up of acts, there will also be stalls, food and drink and an outstanding sense of community at the event on Saturday.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Weymouth crocs sand artist 'wants to put joy into the world'
A man who creates intricate sand sculptures on beaches has said he does it to "put a little bit of joy into the world".Mark Lewis' latest creation was a giant pair of crocs that he made on Weymouth Beach whilst on holiday in part-time church minister, who lives in York, was invited to sculpt something at SandWorld Weymouth after images of the shoes circulated on social media."There's all sorts of horrible things happening in the world so if I can put a little bit of joy into the world or put a smile on somebody's face, then it feels like a good thing to do," he said. Mr Lewis said his passion for sand art grew out of building sandcastles on the beach when his sons were little."Probably around 2010, we just started getting a bit more ambitions with what we wanted to do," he said."It just sort of grew and grew, and turned into quite a major hobby and side hustle."Since then, the 57-year-old has created countless sand sculptures, including dragons, mermaid tails, Spongebob Squarepants and a giant ice cream said he practised in a sandpit in his garden, or on the beach in Scarborough. 'Super focussed' He begins the process by stacking up the sand, enclosed in a ring of plastic sheeting, and then pouring seawater on top and packs it then begins carving, using a range of DIY equipment including palette knives and homemade tools, with the entire process taking about seven said he enjoyed the physical exercise it brought as well as the headspace the carving put him in."You get into this flow where you're super focussed on what you're doing and I just find that headspace very relaxing," he said."I'm away from everything else that I've got to worry about in my life." He said part of the reason he created the crocs was because he wanted to make something members of the public could interact with."I think that's the reason they did so well," he the same reason, he created a mermaid tail at SandWorld said as long as he took photos of what he had created, he did not mind what happened to his sculptures after he leaving a beach."You're creating ephemeral art - it's a temporary medium," he said."You really can't be bothered about what's going to happen to it afterwards." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Wales Online
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Wales Online
Protesters take to the streets of Swansea and Cardiff
Protesters take to the streets of Swansea and Cardiff Large groups demonstrated their anger at Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer Campaigners gather to demand the Labour government scrap plans for cuts to disability benefits (Image: Mark Lewis ) Protesters took to the streets of Cardiff and Swansea to express their anger at cuts to benefits. The campaigners say changes to the Personal Independence Payment system and the health part of Univeral Credit will leave them unable to work and closer to poverty. The campaigners, who say the Labour government in Westminster isn't listening, wore Rachel Reeves masks, carried placards and flags and spoke to the assembled groups. Their slogans included 'Welfare not Warfare', 'Stop Disability Benefit Cuts' and 'Pip Cuts Kill'. Phil Coleman, 58, from Pontardawe, had a successful career as a maintenance technician at the National Waterfront Museum, in Swansea. However, now he suffers from long-Covid and cannot work. He now depends on benefits and his savings as his only source of income. Never miss a Swansea story by signing up to our newsletter here Phil said: 'I've got long Covid, and I got long Covid three years ago. Before that, I was a very fit, healthy person, and I've paid tax and national insurance for 40 years. 'So I feel I've already paid into the system. So I think it's absolutely atrocious now that the benefits of some of the most vulnerable people in society are being cut.' Article continues below Phil Coleman used to have a successful career as a maintainance technician (Image: Shaurya Shaurya ) He added that any reduction in the benefits he is receiving would mean poverty for him. Phil explained: 'I'm on a benefit, I'm on employment support allowance, which is not a lot of money. It's great and I'm lucky that I've got savings because I've worked for 40 years and I am actually using my savings because the benefit is not enough to live on. It's as simple as that. It [reduction in benefits] will plunge me into poverty, basically.' The protest in Cardiff (Image: Mark Lewis ) He said: 'I'm 10 years off retiring. I've been denied early retirement on grounds of ill health because at the moment I've been told, 'Well, you've got long Covid, you could get better.' "I also have a heart problem that was caused by long Covid. So I can't retire early. If likely I lose my benefit… that's my only income at the moment.' (Image: Mark Lewis ) Ben Golightly, 34 suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and currently receives PIP for his condition. However, he is worried he might not be able to keep up his 'independence and dignity', if these payments are taken away from him under the proposed changes. He said: 'It makes a huge difference. Without it, I'd be unable to keep the house in shape because I wouldn't have any help. Most days I don't have the energy to cook so it's just bread and butter, but I get like, a delivery of food once a week. 'If I need to go somewhere, if I can't manage the walk to the bus stop that day, I take a taxi. Just all those things that make it more expensive to be an ill or disabled person. PIP goes some way towards making sure I've got that independence and dignity basically.' Ben Golighty, feels the government has not thought of people like him while coming up with the cuts (Image: Shaurya Shaurya ) Ben added that his PIP benefits allow him to keep on top of the work his condition prevents him from doing. He said: 'I have an illness called ME or CFS and that limits my energy, it fluctuates, but most days I'm just sitting down. So I have a lot of difficulty with energy, with concentrating, things like keeping the house tidy, going shopping, cooking food, they're all things that I struggle to do. 'One thing I use PIP for is just to get my kitchen and bathroom clean, I pay someone to come in and do that weekly because that's just something I can't keep on top of due to my condition.' A protester in Cardiff (Image: Mark Lewis ) Ben feels that the Labour UK government has 'absolutely ignored' its disabled subjects. He said: 'I think it's scandalous,a so-called Labour party doing this and they're saying they're consulting with disabled people, they're not, they've absolutely ignored us. 'There's one consultation for the whole of Wales with limited tickets and disabled people are asking where it is, so we can plan our journeys and where we're staying. We're not going to know until the day before. Half the questions on the consultation, they're not even up for discussion, like the most important half, so they've made their minds up about it, they're not listening to disabled people.' Olivia Golightly, who cares for her partner who is disabled (Image: Shaurya Shaurya ) Olivia Golightly, whose partner is disabled, says the PIP benefit money goes a long way in helping her partner get through the month. She said: 'She needs a lot of help with different things. She has a job, she works but getting a bit of benefits helps paying for numerous trips to hospitals, doctor appointments, additional things that she needs. 'I have to drive her to work. I'm lucky enough to have a flexible job, so it's quite easy for me to take time out. If she has a medical emergency, I can just go to her office and help deal with it. Obviously, if we were in that situation again, I'd have to take time off or unpaid time off to be able to support her.' Treasury Minister Darren Jones came under fire for drawing up an analogy between the disability benefits and pocket money, for which he had later apologised. Olivia said: 'It's not pocket money. So it goes on things like parking, you do not get free parking in Wales, even with a blue badge. We have to drive, I mean if I come to town on my own I cycle and just park my bike anyway I can't do that with her, we can't take the bus. 'It goes obviously on petrol, many trips to the hospital, doctors, she had to buy her own wheelchair, we paid £10,000 for a private surgery because she was not going to get on NHS and she was gonna die. So lots of things like that, just additional things that she needs to support her health.' The removal of PIP would make it harder for herself and her partner, according to Olivia. She said: 'I think it's just going to make things harder, like I said, using our own money for things like petrol costs and so on, but it's lots of little things that go into it, things that I do that she can't do, things that people don't think about or notice. 'It could just be a little housework, but it's a lot of different things. And again people don't realise that. You don't know what it's like to be disabled or to have a partner who is disabled, how much worry, anxiety and stress goes into it.' Felicity Mcgeown depends on her PIP money to be able to work (Image: Shaurya Shaurya ) Felicity Mcgeown, 33, who has mobility and health issues faces a similar problem with her PIP payment. She currently receives the personal and mobility element of PIP but is unsure if she would qualify under the proposed changes. She said: 'I don't know… in a couple of areas I score like two and three, you need four. I do score four, but a lot of it depends on who your assessor is on the day. So you might score certain points one time that you have an assessment, and the next time you might score something differently, and it literally does depend on who's doing it because it's a bit of a tick box exercise. 'Your health conditions may not have changed. They may not even have improved, they might have worsened and you'll still score less sometimes depending on who's doing the assessment. So it is very variable.' Felicity too, says she would not be able to work without receiving her PIP payments. She said: 'My payment helps cover things like the cost of my car to get to my medical appointments and to be able to get out on time. Public transport has been cut in a lot of areas, it's very difficult. 'It also allows me to be able to get out and to work. People think PIP is an out of work benefit,it isn't. Lots of people who are on PIP are in work. My PIP allows me to have equipment and resources available to allow me to be able to work, without my PIP I wouldn't be able to work... That would be pushing you onto a different benefit.' She believes that these cuts have been brought in because the government thinks disabled people are an 'easy target'. Felicity said: 'I think they think maybe we're an easy target, and that they can get away with it basically. But we're not going to let them get away of it, we're going to hold them to account on this. 'It's short-sighted because at the core anybody can become disabled, that's the key thing, anyone can become disabled at any point in their life. The people making these decisions may not think it impacts them now but it could.' She adds the being disabled can cost up to £1000 additionally each month — costs that PIP helps mitigate. People were visibly angry at their local MPs in Swansea (Image: Shaurya Shaurya ) Felicity said: 'PIP isn't a work benefit. PIP is there to help cover the additional cost of being disabled. I don't know if you've tried to buy disability equipment, the price is shocking. 'Once you say it's for a disabled person, the price goes up. Sometimes you can get the VAT off with a doctor's letter, but the additional costs per month are absolutely shocking. That is why Scope found that it is on average over £1,000 extra per month.' She added: 'PIP allows me to basically live. To not necessarily need to be in the hospital and to also work. So without that, I don't know what the future would bring.' Rosanna Haigh, who is a disabled designer in Cardiff said: 'Rachel Reeves claims people use PIP 'improperly', yet there is no evidence for this. 'The government says cuts will 'incentivise' disabled people into work — but we don't lack motivation. We lack the privilege of good health, proper medical care, and equal access.' Article continues below The 28-year-old said: 'PIP is awarded after rigorous assessment. No 'incentive' can override the reality of severe illness or impairment .Cutting this support will worsen poverty, deteriorate health, and make sustainable employment even less possible. 'I have qualifications, a strong work ethic, and I miss working. But pushing myself before I was ready nearly killed me. PIP gave me space to heal. If the goal were truly to support us into work, programmes like Access to Work would be expanded, not slashed.'
Wales Online
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
In It Together Festival 2025 line up, how to get there and banned items
In It Together Festival 2025 line up, how to get there and banned items In It Together festival is back for it's third year in Margam, and here is everything you need to know to prepare for the weekend. In It Together welcomes festivalgoers of all ages (Image: Mark Lewis ) This bank holiday weekend will see In It Together popping back up in Margam, Port Talbot. Just off junction 38 of the M4 we'll see big acts from the world of music grace the stage of the third year of the local festival. Headlining the weekend will be the Kaiser Chiefs, Becky Hill and former Boyzone member Ronan Keating. The weekend will run from Thursday, May 22 (for campers) and finish on Sunday, May 25, before the Eisteddfod yr Urdd starts in Margam Park the following week. So, what can you expect from the festival? Here's everything you need to know. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here When is it on? The festival will take place on Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th May 2025, with exclusive campers party on Thursday 22nd May which will be headlined by Boys and Girls singer Pixie Lott. The campsites will be open for arrivals from 9am-7pm from Thursday (with an early access ticket), and 9am – 7pm on Friday and Saturday. The festival site will be open from 2pm on Thursday and close at 11pm. It will open at 10am on Friday and Saturday and close by 2am. Sunday will also open at 10am, but will be closing early at midnight. Article continues below Last entry to the festival arena will strictly be 7pm, and they recommend you arrive early to avoid the queues and guarantee entry. How to get there? In It Together festival takes place at Old Park Farm, Water Street, Margam, Port Talbot SA13 2TG. It is easily located by car and bus. The nearest train station is Port Talbot Parkway, which has a bus station directly outside. Content cannot be displayed without consent Parking If you plan on driving to the festival, there will be parking available. The car park will be open from 9am until 7pm on each day and passes are available at a cost of £29 per vehicle. Spaces will be allocated on a first come first served basis, so the organisers recommend booking in advance. There will also, be two car parks, one for weekend camping and one for day visitors. Camping The campsite will be open from 9am to 7pm on Friday 23rd May and Saturday 24th May. However, if you added early access to your ticket you can enter the campsite from 9am on Thursday, May 22 which also allows access to the exclusive campers party. The event have said that if you paid for camping tickets in full at time of purchase before 01/01/2025, you will receive Early Access and Thursday Campers Party for free. Although, if you purchased your tickets using a payment plan, you will have to purchase the add on separately unless you booked on November 6, which was a promotional day run by the festival. There will be camping convenience stores available, as well as a selection of breakfast food traders. You will be able to also have access to showers, toilets and a dedicated BBQ area. They also offer Boutique Camping upgrades. You can also upgrade your camping experience by booking one of our Boutique Camping packages. They have said that all campers but have vacated the festival grounds by 12pm at the latest on Monday, May 26. What can I bring? Upon entry, everyone will be searched and management reserve the right to confiscate prohibited items so here is what you can and cannot bring with you to In It Together 2025. Those who are camping on the site and wish to bring stoves can only bring purpose-built gas stoves with small gas bottles (2.2kg), and you will not be able to bring spare gas bottles. These stoves can only be used for cooking in a designated area of the Campsite, and should not be used inside individual tents. Gazebos are not permitted as they have limited camping spaces available on the site. The following list are prohibited items from In It Together: Glass items Candles Gas canisters Flares, knives Illegal substances Drugs 'Legal highs' Laser equipment/pens Megaphones Nitrous oxide Animals (Guide and assistance dogs are, of course, welcome) Fireworks Smoke canisters Poles Drones Any items which in the absolute discretion of the Promoter are considered to be a risk to the safety of the audience and/or affect the enjoyment of the audience and/or the running of the Festival are prohibited. So, if you are camping you can bring your own food and alcohol (within moderation) to the campsite. They have said that "w hen unloading your camping equipment from your car, you are only permitted to bring alcohol in on the FIRST trip, all other attempts to bring in alcohol will not be allowed." They have said that you can bring one combination of the following into the campsite PER PERSON: 10 x cans of beer or lager or cider OR 10 premixed spirit cans (max 250ml) OR 1 bottle of wine decanted into a plastic bottle. They have noted that: Strictly no spirits or hard liquor are permitted No glass is permitted on site Searches will be undertaken upon entry to ensure this is complied with Any alcohol above this allocation will be confiscated This alcohol may only be consumed within the campsite Sealed bottles of water and soft drinks are allowed, but will be checked on entry to the campsite. There will be no limit on soft drinks In It Together only allows you to go back to your car between 9am-11am. In the main area, you are not permitted to bring your own food or alcohol with you, they will make an exception of baby food for the littlest ones. However, there will also be concessions serving coffee and breakfasts each morning and throughout the day, and a wide selection of food and drink vendors in the Main Arena. Any alcohol you bring, you can only consume it within the campsite and they will provide bins the gates to dispose of any items before entering the main arena. You will be able to purchase a wide variety of alcohol within the venue itself from the vendors available. Unfortunately, they have not yet released a list of which vendors will be available on site during the weekend. Who is performing? Friday- Main Stage Kaiser Chiefs The Pigeon Detectives Vengaboys Amy Winehouse Band Calum Bowie House & Garage Orchestra Special Guest TBC following Myles Smith having to drop out of the line up, due to conflicting schedules. Saturday- Main Stage Becky Hill Bru-C Peter Doherty Sugarhill Gang & Furious 5 Chesney Hawkes Grace Gachot Himalayas Shola Ama Sunday- Main Stage Ronan Keating James Morrison Daniel Bedingfield Jason Donovan Feet So Solid Crew The Hoosiers A mystery special guest You can find the line up for the other stages below. Article continues below Content cannot be displayed without consent
