Latest news with #RuthJones
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Shropshire festival celebrates the world of van life culture
Fans of camper vans, caravans and "van life culture" in general have gathered to celebrate this weekend in tents to motor homes and trucks to caravans, 5,000 people are attending the Vanlife Festival at the West Mid Showground in is the third time the festival has been held in the town to bring together everyone who loves the outdoors and Ruth Jones said people from all walks of life visited the festival and shared stories about their travels around the world. "Some people have travelled all around Australia and others have lived in their vans for more than 30 years," she said. A range of performances are featured at the festival including acts like Metz Jnr, Frankie Roe and The is also a large display of more than 100 classic camper vans and caravans beginning from the 1960s in the festival's Field of Inspiring Dreams."You can see what set-up people have and have a cup of tea with the owners, some even have parrots and cats," Ruth Jones added that the displays brought some people to tears as the caravans reminded them of childhood camping with their families. Damo Jones and Terry Smith founded the festival after meeting at camper van shows and wanted to create an inclusive event where every make and model of vehicle was Mr Jones and his wife Ruth started travelling with a tent at the age of 18, they would look "in envy" at people with camper vans."We would meet friends by inviting people around the campfire and we wanted people to feel involved from all walks of life," Ms Jones couple later managed to save up and purchase a van of their own and have been camper van owners for the past 20 years. They have brought the campfire vibes to the festival by introducing faux campfires that everyone can sit around to share stories and get to know one another. Campervan and caravan lovers can explore the festival and be inspired by others until the event finishes on Sunday. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
University of Warwick appeals for theatre graduates to join reunion
A university is asking for theatre and performance studies graduates to get in touch to help celebrate the department's 50th birthday. Gavin and Stacey writer and star Ruth Jones is among those to have studied at the University of Warwick since its opening in is asking for former students to take part in a reunion event on 28 June in order to reconnect and share their stories. "Our alumni are an essential part of our story as well as our best advocates and inspiration for future generations of students," said Assistant Professor David Coates, who is organising the event. As part of the anniversary, the department is also working to expand the university archive."Our theatre studies archive is currently too formal, and we would like more colour and character," added Professor Coates. "We're appealing for photos, programmes, module notes, flyers and any other memorabilia material that can help capture the spirit of student life in the department over our five decades," he added. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
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.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Hay-on-Wye festival Gavin & Stacey postbox topper vandalised
A Gavin & Stacey themed postbox topper, which appeared in Hay-on-Wye to mark an appearance by the stars of the show, has been vandalised twice in a week, its creator has said. Last week, the postbox - painted gold in honour of Paralympics discus champion Josie Pearson - was decorated with two crocheted figures of the main characters from the hit TV Corden and Ruth Jones, who wrote and starred in the show as Nessa and Smithy, were at the Hay Festival talking about their new was concern when the postbox topper disappeared this week, but its creator Reet Prendergast said it was being repaired after being damaged for a second time on Wednesday. Passers-by spotted the woolly figures of Smithy and Nessa had vanished, leaving just the two posts where they once stood and Nessa's catchphrase, "oh, what's occurring", embroidered below. Hay-on-Wye, which sits on the Powys-Herefordshire border, has become synonymous with books and its literary festival has been running since and Corden's book When Gavin met Stacey and Everything in Between: A Story of Love and Friendship, is due out in first series of Gavin & Stacey aired in 2007, but the series officially ended with a grand finale Christmas Day episode last year and became one of the most watched scripted TV shows of the century. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Gavin & Stacey's Ruth Jones gets award at Hay Festival
Actress and writer Ruth Jones has been awarded this year's Hay Festival medal for drama. The Gavin and Stacey co-creator was honoured in Hay-on-Wye, Powys, where she was speaking about her new novel. War Horse author Michael Morpurgo won the fiction medal, while British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak won the medal for prose. "We are honoured to celebrate three exceptional storytellers," said Hay Festival chief executive Julie Finch, who said the three winners had "each done much to push the boundaries of contemporary writing and spread the joy of stories here and around the world". Jones, from Bridgend, writes about finding joy in unlikely connections in her new book, By Your Side. Morpurgo is one of UK's best-known children's authors, writing more than150 books and serving as Children's Laureate. Shafak's most recent novel, There Are Rivers in the Sky, is the story of three lives – in Victorian London, 2014 Turkey and 2018 London – connected by a single drop of water. Postbox topper marks Gavin & Stacey festival talk Why Ruth Jones accepted Nessa's Bafta in bare feet Ruth Jones hints at new project with James Corden
