Latest news with #Tenby
Condé Nast Traveler
6 hours ago
- Lifestyle
- Condé Nast Traveler
Uncovering the Rich Underwater Wildlife of Wales
It's just before sunrise, and the car is packed with thermoses of coffee, fleece-lined waterproof jackets, and underwater camera gear, as we drive toward the quaint Welsh seaside town of Tenby, Pembrokeshire. My close friend, wildlife photographer and documentarian Tatiana McCabe, has invited me to join her in snorkeling around Britain's first statutory Marine Nature Reserve, Lundy Island. Though I moved to London from Chicago over a decade ago, the Welsh coast is entirely new to me. But its rugged landscape, with cliffs that plunge into the sea and give way to hidden coves and wide bays, have inspired poets and painters for centuries. On arrival in Tenby, a timelessly alluring slice of British seaside, we're warmly greeted by Richard Rees, who moves with the ease of a surfer, having spent years paddling through all sorts of waters. Rees is an accomplished free-diver and marine conservationist; he's also the founder of Celtic Deep, a social enterprise run by ocean-lovers that offers in-water wildlife experiences off the coast of Pembrokeshire, the westernmost county in South Wales. Through day excursions, Celtic Deep wants travelers to experience the rich wilderness of Wales—and remind them that diverse underwater life can be found here in the UK, not just in tropical waters. By inviting water sports lovers into this vibrant and ever-changing world beneath the sea's surface, Rees seeks to build the kind of connection that drives real conservation by educating visitors about the importance of marine ecosystems, conducting research and hosting researchers, and assessing their own impact on the environment.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Tenby sailors compete at Coppet Week
Sailors from Tenby Sailing Club showed their skill in the face of challenging conditions at Saundersfoot's Coppet Week. A total of seven crews from Tenby participated. Among the 45 entrants were Dave Griffiths and Maurice Clarke, sailing in Osprey 1365, Carpé Diem, who started off strong by winning the first race. Advertisement However, their run was cut short after they damaged their mast in the second race, ending their participation for the week. Meanwhile, Dan Jackson and Matt Goldwait, competing in Osprey 1380, demonstrated their expertise, winning the series. Other Tenby boats also completing the four races included Steve and Jas Stubbs in RS400 1186, Steve Leach in RS600 874, and Ellie and Julian Cumpsty in R241. The Stubbs duo managed to secure 11th place overall. The second-place position was taken by Sam McKay and James Vyse from Chase SC in Kestrel 1628, while Oscar Chess and Paul Griffiths from Tata SC in Osprey 1348 came third. Advertisement Back home, Tenby Sailing Club is gearing up for a busy schedule. Races for all classes are set to continue on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The next class race for Redwings is on Thursday, June 12. The Redwing Inland National Championship 2025 will be hosted by Tenby Sailing Club at Llys Y Fran reservoir on June 21 and 22. The annual Tenby Regatta and Round Caldey race is scheduled for the weekend of July 12 and 13. The National Championships for GP 14s, Miracles, and Enterprise classes will take place at the beginning of August, followed by the National Redwing Championships later in the month. For cruiser racing, the next race is on Saturday, June 7 at 3.45pm. Junior training sessions continue every Wednesday evening, starting at 5.30pm.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Fights, flings and fabulous paintings: how sibling rivals Augustus and Gwen John tormented each other
When I began researching the lives of Gwen and Augustus John, the image I held in my mind was of the two of them, as very small siblings, sketching together on the coast around Tenby. For both to have escaped the narrowness of their modest provincial home, and established themselves at the heart of early 20th-century art, was a remarkable journey – and I was intrigued by what possible forces of temperament and upbringing might have driven them. It is hard to credit, now, the scale of Augustus's celebrity. His youthful drawings were compared to Raphael; he was briefly acclaimed as the leader of British post-impressionism, then celebrated as the pre-eminent portrait-painter of his age. And while recognition came slower to Gwen, the singularity of her vision, drawing on early expressionism and abstraction, as well as her own mystic embrace of Catholicism, earned her a significant place in the modernist canon. But if there are early clues to the Johns' success they aren't simple to find, because, apart from their mother's amateur talent for watercolours, they had no other role models. Their childhood, in fact, was unusually forlorn. When their mother died in 1884, Gwen was just eight, Augustus six and a half, and their father was so felled by anxiety and grief he had no idea how to comfort them. 'I used to cry all the time,' Gwen wrote, while Augustus would recall that, along with their two other siblings, they became a farouche little tribe, retreating behind a wall 'of invincible shyness'. Yet it was misery that bred in the Johns a rebellious longing for escape – and, for Gwen and Augustus, their first and best escape was in art. They drew from the moment they were able to hold pencils, sketching portraits of the world around them. While they had only the vaguest idea of where their sketching might lead, when a teacher suggested that Augustus might do well at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, Gwen insisted that she must go there too. The Slade felt like a miracle. The Johns were learning their craft, but they were also experimenting with love, with ideas, with the rackety fun of London. They were also as close as a brother and sister could be, understanding each other as no one else could, equally hungry for lives that would fill the void of their motherless upbringing. Yet beneath the intimacy there was also, always, an itch of sibling antagonism. At its roots lay Augustus's childish, bullying resentment at being the younger of the two, and Gwen's furious attempts to fight back. When their lives began to diverge, as Augustus and his work began to achieve a precocious fame, that itch could flare up again. Part of the issue was the flamboyantly bohemian image Augustus had constructed around himself, to counteract the 'invincible' John shyness. Beautiful and wild, he grew his hair long and wore hooped golden earrings. He lived in a menage a trois and had numerous affairs. When he travelled around England in a horse-drawn caravan, he had several run-ins with the police. And while the gossip columnists and most of the art critics adored him, the clamour of his success was difficult for Gwen. Even though she never doubted the value of her own work, and even though her life was no less unconventional – she went to Paris, she fell in love with both women and men, including the sculptor Auguste Rodin – she was increasingly impelled to distance herself from her brother. Augustus was hurt by that. He was also frustrated by Gwen's growing inclination to keep her art to herself. Her pictures were like children to her, and while she needed praise as much as any artist, she often found it hard to send her work out into the world. She knew how much better she painted without the pressure of exhibitions and sales – and, while she could be very grateful to Augustus when he tried to promote her career, her instinct was often to reject what she regarded as his despotic interference. There was another set of reasons for this disparity in their fame. These lay, more starkly, in the fact that Augustus, as a man, had always enjoyed more opportunities than Gwen. The art world at the time was overwhelmingly male: almost all of the galleries and schools were run by men; and even at the Slade, which was unusually progressive in admitting students of both sexes, the teaching staff as well as the artists who dominated the curriculum were male. When one of Gwen's fellow students, Edna Waugh, was told she might become 'a second Burne-Jones', she was spirited enough to reply: 'I would rather be known as the first Edna Waugh.' Yet it was already clear to the women at the Slade that, once they graduated, the odds were stacked against them making professional names for themselves. While Augustus was rapidly taken up by a network of sympathetic (male) artists and buyers, and was able to survive on commissions and sales, Gwen had to support herself as an artists' model. The fees she earned were 'ruinous' but, even at the risk of poverty, she swore never to sacrifice her independence for the security of marriage. 'I think if we are to make beautiful pictures, we ought to be free of family conventions and ties,' she wrote, and she only had to look at the fates of Waugh and Ida Nettleship (Augustus's wife) to see that most of her married friends ended up with little or no time for their art. There were so many factors – cultural, financial and personal – that shaped the trajectories by which Augustus and his art became so famous, while Gwen remained known to a small circle of connoisseurs. But the trajectories didn't end there because, after their deaths, the reputations of the two Johns underwent a radical volte-face. There is no question that the quality of Augustus's work declined during the second half of his career. Drink, combined with an incurable restlessness, corroded his talent, and so did the pressures of providing for family (he fathered at least 13 children and was, ironically, more compromised by 'conventions and ties' than Gwen). After his death in 1961, his standing was further damaged by the volume of late, mediocre works coming on to the market, and by the inevitable fading of the legend that had once given such thrilling glamour (and marketability) to his name. In fact, the behaviour that had once fed that legend, the promiscuity and the wildness, was now more likely to be disparaged than cheered. This change in the political culture was one reason why Gwen's own stock began to rise. Her relative obscurity had continued until 40 years after her death, in 1939, when her estate was taken over by the gallerist Anthony d'Offay. While the exhibitions and sales D'Offay masterminded were crucial to the explosion of interest in Gwen, so too was the campaign among late 20th-century scholars to restore female artists to their proper place in history. Gwen, according to Augustus's granddaughter Rebecca John, had always been regarded as a 'family secret', yet from the mid-1980s onwards, she became the subject of numerous articles, biographies and even novels. Now, to a degree that would have flabbergasted most of her contemporaries, Gwen is the more famous John. The one person who wouldn't have been surprised, however, was Augustus. Always the harshest critic of his own work, and the most loyal supporter of his sister's, he once prophesied that in 50 years, he would be known 'as the brother of Gwen John'. It was a prophesy uttered in a moment of gloom, but it spoke volumes about his relationship with his sister. The two of them, as siblings, might have become separated by time, circumstance and mutual exasperation, yet the bond between them was one that Augustus, in particular, was unable to break. Artists, Siblings, Visionaries: The Lives and Loves of Gwen and Augustus John, by Judith Mackrell, is published by Picador on 19 June
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tributes as much-loved Pembrokeshire event announcer dies suddenly
One of the Ironman Wales commentary team, who encouraged thousands of athletes over the finishing line in Tenby in recent years, has sadly died. Tributes are being paid to Australian Jay Luke, who was a much-loved commentator on the iconic event, alongside Paul Kaye and Joanne Murphy. 'Jay was the life and soul of the red carpet and finish line and made race day very special for so many,' said one athlete, following the sad news shared by Ironman UK. In an emotional Facebook post, the organisation said: "It breaks our hearts to share the devastating news that a dear member of our IRONMAN UK family has passed away. "The life and soul of the red carpet": Jay Luke (Image: Huw Fairclough) "Jay Luke, who has called thousands of athletes across the line during their IRONMAN journey over the past nine years, was part of the fabric of our team. His presence, humour, and unwavering support were felt by everyone lucky enough to know him. "From the jokes, laughs, coffee missions and unmatched travelling cap collection to his infectious energy on the finish line, his absence leaves a huge hole in our hearts. We will carry his spirit in all we do. "We are heartbroken, and our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his wife, family, friends, and all who loved him. "Rest in peace, Jay — it won't be the same without you." Jay Kent helped make the Ironman race day special for thousands of athletes. (Image: Huw Fairclough) Added one tribute: 'Jay was amazing, truly a one-of-a-kind person, events won't be the same without him." Another said: "The red carpet will never be the same again," while there was also praise for Jay as 'one clever and agile commentator'. Meanwhile, an Ironman competitor recalled: "A true part of the epic Ironman experience and him calling me through the finish line is a memory I cherish dearly." Fellow announcer Paul Kaye described Jay's death as 'tragic, devastating news'. He commented: "Victory Alley won't quite be the same again. "Triathlon is a niche sport, and within that niche is a small family of announcers and DJs. "This family lost one of its own."
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Fresh crisis for Wynne Evans amid ongoing Strictly probe as star asks for ‘positive thoughts'
WYNNE Evans is facing a fresh crisis amid his ongoing Strictly probe. The opera singer asked for "positive thoughts" as he revealed yet another personal challenge. 4 4 Wynne, 53, has told fans his dog Ginny is on oxygen at the vets after "struggling to breathe". Sharing pics of his beloved pup, Wynne said: "This one is very poorly in hospital. Positive thoughts please." He added today: "Ginny still at the veterinary hospital having trouble breathing. "She's putting up a fight. "Will update soon." Wynne then shared another snap of Ginny from the vets. "Here's my poorly girl in hospital having oxygen," he said. This week Wynne returned to the public stage — despite a BBC investigation into his alleged sexual slur continuing. The former Strictly contestant was axed from the dance show's tour over an alleged sexual slur to professional dancer Janette Manrara. Wynne - who has stepped away from his BBC Radio Wales job - was cheered by guests as he spoke at a dinner to mark 59 years of Tenby Male Choir in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. Fresh twist in Strictly row as furious Wynne Evans sues producers after he broke foot & was told to keeping dancing GoCompare ad star Wynne hailed the 'wonderful' evening, during which he was elected their honorary president. The Welshman has always insisted he has done nothing wrong and said: 'It's been a manipulation and totally changing the narrative of private conversations.' 4 4
