Latest news with #YmaoHyd
Wales Online
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
Hundreds of Wales fans bring Brussels street to a standstill in stunning moment
Hundreds of Wales fans bring Brussels street to a standstill in stunning moment Footage captures fans gathered together belting out Dafydd Iwan's Yma o Hyd Wales fans bring Brussels street to standstill Hundreds of Wales fans have been captured gathered in Brussels city centre preparing for the nation's World Cup qualifier against Belgium in true patriotic fashion. A video clip shows supporters dressed in replica shirts and bucket hats, with some bare chested, gather together as Dafydd Iwan's Yma o Hyd plays in the background. Fans can also be seen at balcony level of a bar, O'Reillys, facing towards fellow supporters outside, all belting out words to the popular Welsh football anthem in unison. The footage, outside Brussels Stock Exchange, resembles something akin to a fan zone, as flags and beers are lifted aloft. Sign up to the Don't Take Me Home newsletter here . Spirits are high among members of the Red Wall, as they fully embrace the atmosphere of what, prior to the all important match itself, looks to be an epic away day for fans. Wales are currently top of group J in the group stage of the World Cup qualifiers, with seven points, after two wins and a draw from their first three fixtures. Article continues below On Friday, Wales beat Liechtenstein 3-0 at the Cardiff City Stadium thanks to a 39th minute opener from Joe Rodon, followed by goals from Harry Wilson in the 65th minute, and Kieffer Moore three minutes later. Belgium, meanwhile, slipped up away against North Macedonia, being held to a 1-1 draw. They are currently 4th in the group with just one point, but have played two games less than Wales. The game between Belgium and Wales kicks off at 7.45pm at the King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels. Article continues below The match is being shown live on BBC1 Wales, BBC Three, S4C, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.
North Wales Chronicle
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- North Wales Chronicle
Bird lands on Mike Peters's guitar during his funeral
The bird, identified as a Dipper - a short-tailed, stout bird, made its appearance when James Chippendale, co-founder of the Love Hope Strength Foundation, was paying tribute to his friend during the service at held on Thursday, May 29 at the Parish Church of St Bridget and St Cwyfan in Dyserth. Mike's wife Jules and Love Hope Strength both shared a reflective post on social media which said: "At Mike Peters' funeral James Chippendale, Mike and Jules' great friend and co-founder of the Love Hope Strength Foundation, spoke about the hope Mike gave people. Just at that point in the service a dipper bird flew into the church and perched on a guitar near James. That particular guitar was one of Mike's favourites. "It's been suggested that a bird flying into a church during a funeral service is 'a positive omen, a sign of the departed soul's journey to peace'. Rather wonderfully, some of those watching the bird suggested it seemed to be dancing when Dafydd Iwan sang 'Yma o Hyd'. "In addition, when Jules and family were at Mike's grave, a robin appeared. In Celtic Mythology, 'birds are considered intermediaries between the earthly and spiritual worlds. The robin, in particular, was believed to carry messages from deceased loved ones, bridging the gap between life and death'. "Whether you believe in the symbolism of birds at funerals or not, given Mike's love of nature and the outdoors this was a beautiful addition to a memorable day. "The day had been planned carefully, but this dipper bird has captivated the imaginations of many, showing that sometimes it's the things over which we have no control that have the power to make a moment in time feel even more special." Thousands turned out for The Alarm frontman's funeral on Thursday and more than 100,000 people have watched the celebration of Mike's life on YouTube. Many fans took to Facebook to share their thoughts on the bird, with many saying they hoped it had brought the family comfort. RELATED STORIES: One person said: "There was a big gasp in the crowd outside when the bird flew in and settled there - a wonderful moment." Another person wrote: "I totally believe in nature, especially birds, bridging the gap between loved ones. I hope it has bought comfort." David Weeks said: "The day before, a bunch of us did the waterfall hike and there was a dipper bird that just sat there while we were in the bridge. I was expecting it to fly away when we got closer but he didn't." Another said: "I noticed immediately while watching on YouTube - it was a sign, it had meaning, it had a purpose." The talented and beloved frontman of The Alarm died aged 66 from blood cancer on April 29. Mike, along with James, co-founded the Love Hope Strength Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for cancer centres around the world through music-related events and promotions and registers donors for the International Bone Marrow Registry. James said: "Mike didn't just sing strength, he built a movement around it. He instilled it in the boys, he lived it."
Rhyl Journal
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
Bird lands on Mike Peters's guitar during his funeral
The bird, identified as a Dipper - a short-tailed, stout bird, made its appearance when James Chippendale, co-founder of the Love Hope Strength Foundation, was paying tribute to his friend during the service at held on Thursday, May 29 at the Parish Church of St Bridget and St Cwyfan in Dyserth. Mike's wife Jules and Love Hope Strength both shared a reflective post on social media which said: "At Mike Peters' funeral James Chippendale, Mike and Jules' great friend and co-founder of the Love Hope Strength Foundation, spoke about the hope Mike gave people. Just at that point in the service a dipper bird flew into the church and perched on a guitar near James. That particular guitar was one of Mike's favourites. "It's been suggested that a bird flying into a church during a funeral service is 'a positive omen, a sign of the departed soul's journey to peace'. Rather wonderfully, some of those watching the bird suggested it seemed to be dancing when Dafydd Iwan sang 'Yma o Hyd'. "In addition, when Jules and family were at Mike's grave, a robin appeared. In Celtic Mythology, 'birds are considered intermediaries between the earthly and spiritual worlds. The robin, in particular, was believed to carry messages from deceased loved ones, bridging the gap between life and death'. "Whether you believe in the symbolism of birds at funerals or not, given Mike's love of nature and the outdoors this was a beautiful addition to a memorable day. "The day had been planned carefully, but this dipper bird has captivated the imaginations of many, showing that sometimes it's the things over which we have no control that have the power to make a moment in time feel even more special." Thousands turned out for The Alarm frontman's funeral on Thursday and more than 100,000 people have watched the celebration of Mike's life on YouTube. Many fans took to Facebook to share their thoughts on the bird, with many saying they hoped it had brought the family comfort. RELATED STORIES: One person said: "There was a big gasp in the crowd outside when the bird flew in and settled there - a wonderful moment." Another person wrote: "I totally believe in nature, especially birds, bridging the gap between loved ones. I hope it has bought comfort." David Weeks said: "The day before, a bunch of us did the waterfall hike and there was a dipper bird that just sat there while we were in the bridge. I was expecting it to fly away when we got closer but he didn't." Another said: "I noticed immediately while watching on YouTube - it was a sign, it had meaning, it had a purpose." The talented and beloved frontman of The Alarm died aged 66 from blood cancer on April 29. Mike, along with James, co-founded the Love Hope Strength Foundation, which raises funds and awareness for cancer centres around the world through music-related events and promotions and registers donors for the International Bone Marrow Registry. James said: "Mike didn't just sing strength, he built a movement around it. He instilled it in the boys, he lived it."
BBC News
10-04-2025
- BBC News
Bike bus in Cardiff creates safety in numbers on school run
Organised bike rides to school create safety in numbers and set pupils up for a successful school day, organisers Bus World, an American non-profit group which wants to get more children cycling to school, has seen organised rides grow across the world, including in volunteer as marshals and the ride has designated meeting points and times along the way to pick up children."It's a really fun and joyful way for children to get to school," Sam Balto, a PE teacher from Portland, Oregon, in the United States and co-founder of Bike Bus World said on a ride in Cardiff on Thursday. "A lot of people don't ride to school because they don't feel safe," Mr Balto adddd."Building physical activity into children's schedules is a wonderful way to set students up for a great school day."There's tons of research that shows that children do better academically when they're physically active before school." He said the organisation is seeing bike buses created in countries all over the world, with singer Justin Timberlake joining one of the group's rides the UK, there are currently about 20. Claire Archer Joy, one of the parents at Ysgol Gymraeg Pwll Coch in the Canton area of Cardiff, set up the school's bike bus almost a year wanted to create a safe environment for families to cycle to school together."We started with eight members of the team," she said."It's definitely taken time to grow but I think as people see it going past, they realise what a safe environment it is."Families make their own arrangements for returning home, but the celebratory environment at the start of the day - there is singing and music along the way - fosters a real sense of community for those taking part say. Marshals and a driver at the front and at the back make sure everyone is safe. The convoy operates like a bus, picking up children along the way, and motorists wait happily for the "bus" to go by, cyclists in nine, a pupil at Ysgol Gymraeg Pwll Coch, says the rides are "loads of fun" and feels safe with the marshals."I love hearing all my friends sing along to the Welsh tunes like Yma o Hyd," she said. Osian, 10, also enjoys the music. "You can have a chat along the way and have fun," he said.
The Guardian
10-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Wales is the land of song. Now it's being silenced by cuts that threaten our culture
What is a nation? There are several, varying definitions, but ultimately it comes down to the same answer: a large group of people bound together through shared culture, history and language. For us in Cymru, the idea of a Welsh nation is something about which we are pretty sensitive and protective. Our most provocative historian, Gwyn Alf Williams, said that Wales has 'from birth … lived with the threat of extinction' and that the survival of Welsh nationhood is 'one of the minor miracles of history'. To those of you who mainly know Wales through the occasional holiday, the Six Nations and Gareth Bale, this might sound an odd thing to say. After all, whenever you see Wales or Welsh people represented anywhere they are loudly and unequivocally, well, Welsh. But this is not merely an expression of pride; it is a necessity. Wales is a nation of just over 3 million people bordering a country of 57 million, so there is an ever present risk that we could be swallowed up and amalgamated. Our nation didn't even have a capital city until Cardiff was named in 1955. This insecurity about our own existence is summed up in the chorus of the song Yma o Hyd, which is sung before Welsh international football matches: 'Ry'n ni yma o hyd / Er gwaetha pawb a phopeth.' This translates as: 'We are still here, in spite of everyone and everything.' Back in 1997, Wales voted for devolution, and the Welsh assembly was created in 1999. This officially became the Welsh parliament (Senedd Cymru) in 2020. One of the overriding motivations for devolution was that it would protect Wales and Welsh nationhood. It came with the promise that the future development of our nation would be in our hands and safeguarded. However, the emptiness of this promise has been laid bare by a system that is in many ways the worst of both worlds. Wales is left with a UK government that feels it can wash its hands of responsibility for us, while successive Welsh governments have seemingly lacked the talent, drive or fiscal levers to make Wales better. If you want an example of this, look no further than the truly awful position of culture within Wales. The numbers are stark. A recent Senedd committee report found that Wales ranks second from bottom, among selected European countries, in terms of cultural services spending for each person. Only Greece was lower. Even from the miserly wider UK perspective, Wales's cultural spend is pitiful. Cymru spends £69.68 a person for cultural services, compared with the UK's £91.12. For context, Spain spends about £113, Ireland £149, Belgium £209 and France £237. Iceland tops the table at £691.60. In sport, it is just as bad: Wales spends £5 to £6 a head; by contrast, Ireland spends £27.50. It wasn't always this way. Welsh cultural budgets have been slashed over the last decade. Between 2014/15 and 2024/25, funding for the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales has declined by 34% in real terms. Sport Wales has seen a 9% fall, the Books Council of Wales's total income has reduced by 20% and revenue funding for the Arts Council of Wales reduced in real terms by 29%. It is heartbreaking to see how these cuts manifest themselves day to day across Cymru. Just last weekend, the National Museum Cardiff announced it was temporarily closing its doors because of the building's deteriorating condition. It has since reopened, but still, events tell a story. Only nine months before, the Welsh culture secretary gave assurances the building would remain open. National Youth Arts Wales, which is an umbrella organisation for the likes of the National Youth Choir and National Youth Theatre (and where Michael Sheen, Matthew Rhys, Ruth Jones and Rakie Ayola started their journeys) has railed against the 'shameful' state of youth arts funding in Wales. The situation has become such that Sheen last month funded the launch of the Welsh National Theatre after the National Theatre Wales 'ceased to exist' following £1.6m in cuts to its core funding from Arts Council of Wales. There is a wider issue here for Wales because the arts is also a vital way in which the Welsh language is promoted. Going back to that definition of what it is to be a 'nation', a key part of it is shared culture and language. These cuts are not merely tragic because they rob individuals of all the benefits that come with the arts; they are also robbing Wales of a major part of what makes it a nation. That the National Museum Cardiff building was closed because of its dilapidated state encapsulates this very issue. Its construction in 1912 began as part of a huge nation-building programme within Wales. It was about making Wales distinct. At the time, legislation covering England and Wales didn't say 'England and Wales' as it does now; it simply read 'England' (this didn't change till the 1950s). To be a nation and not merely an appendage of England, it was felt you needed a museum. Now, 25 years into devolution, it is crumbling due to lack of funds. The blame for this sorry state of affairs lies in several places. Since the onset of Tory austerity in 2010, successive Welsh Labour governments have had to reallocate money into a struggling health service, which has to contend with a population that is older, sicker and more spread out than in England. But the Welsh Labour government must not be given a pass on this. If they were acting in the theatre, their performance as the stewards of Wales's culture would have been lampooned and derided for totally lacking in believability. While they have been dealt a tough hand financially, there are failings that they must own. Last weekend I published the contents of a leaked internal report from within the 'cultural division' inside the Welsh government, which surveyed the views of staff. This included condemnation of the alleged lack of 'real performance management taking place' within the government, meaning that 'managers who may not wish to have difficult conversations can avoid them and therefore staff who are not performing 'get away' with it'. It also found that staff felt 'there was no sense of strategic long term planning' and there was 'a widely held view that ministers' expectations are not being managed'. It is woeful that this is the department charged with overseeing culture in Wales. When you erode Welsh culture you erode Wales. The arts are not a 'nice to have'; they are vital. Urgent change is needed or else the land of song risks being finally silenced. Will Hayward is a Guardian columnist
