I was ten getting on for eleven in 1968 and the big event for me in May of that year was Cardiff City playing SV Hamburg in the European Cup-Winners Cup semi-final. So it's good to read some sober and honest analysis of that year from Fred Halliday rather than the over-rated nostalgia on offer from many of the superannuated ultras.
Black Watch is tremendous. You can see it tonight or tomorrow night in Ebbw Vale.
EBBW VALE: Leisure Centre (01874 611 622), National Theatre Of Scotland’s Black Watch. 1pm, 7.30pm. Tickets £18/£15.
I am looking forward to seeing the National Theatre of Scotland's performance of Black Watch tonight in Ebbw Vale.
As I have said before, we are funding the National Theatre of Scotland's Welsh debut from the Heads of the Valleys programme as part of our campaign to change perceptions of the Heads of the Valleys. I believe tonight's performance is close to a sell-out, but there are tickets for tomorrow and Saturday.
The play is being performed at the Ebbw Vale Leisure Centre. Tickets via Theatr Brycheiniog.
Maybe some of the messages we have been giving the BBC hierarchy about the UK network's
failure to get to grips with Britain post-devolution have hit home.
Today on Breakfast News they had Colette Hume from Cardiff explaining the Wales and England teachers' strike, and on two occasions Bill Turnbull was heard to talk about elections for all the Welsh and some of the English councils. In that order. Then they had a report on the Northern Irish economy with Declan.
Of course, it could just be a flash in the pan: sustaining it will be the test.
Good to see the Treorchy Male Choir blog up and running. Not only is the choir a major cultural force in its own right, its support for developing musical talent is the Rhondda is growing year on year.
Yesterday evening I joined comedian Stan Stennett and Rhondda playwright Frank Vickery at Porth County Community School to launch the latest Heritage Lottery funded cultural project which the school has been running.
The 'SELAW' Project - 'A Reflection of Wales' - was developed over 3 terms of 'E3' sculpture workshops at the school. The students involved designed and made all elements of this stunning kinetic, revolving 'Giant Jellyfish', constructed out of aluminium, acrylic, plastic, steel and mixed media, working with the artist Cindy Ward of 'Motor Mango'.
Cindy explains that 'SELAW' is a light box sculpture, constructed in mirror stainless steel, pepousse copper letters, with wire, clear-film illustrations of Welsh nature, found in, or around water. Flowing through the 'SELAW' light boxes, is a 20 metre mirror-mosaic pathway, that winds half way around the hall, and links up with the ceramic mosaic, (designed by Mobile Arts) that describes each end of the Welsh coastline. This circles the rest of the hall. Above are placed painted murals, illustrating the heroes of Wales (designed by Pippins who have worked with Porth County and other Rhondda schools before).
Previous artistic activities by the school supported by HLF have won prizes.
Congratulations to the Cory Band on their latest award which follows their victory in the British Open last month.
The Band has also collaborated with Welsh Conductor Karl Jenkins on a new recording, which you can sample below.
