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Miss Divine UK Finals!
Miss Divine UK would have struggled to find a more beautiful setting to celebrate the final night of their beauty pageant competition. The New House Country Hotel stands proudly overlooking the dynamic city of Cardiff. The original period features are only enhanced by the gentle candle light as they welcome guests to the majestic 19th Century manor house. A charming marquee sits in the hotel garden and it’s immediately evident why so many couples choose this venue as the perfect setting for their wedding ceremony. Tonight however, the hotel is hosting an entirely different celebration and we are overwhelmed by the number of guests who have turned up to see the next Miss Divine UK receive their crowns. Stalls selling make up, hair and beauty products decorate the beautiful marquee and friendly traders are more than happy to share beauty tips and advice as the customers sample their exclusive products. Having never attended a beauty pageant before, we weren’t really sure what to expect, but the organisers welcomed us with open arms and the evening’s entertainment did not fail to impress. This included a very talented dance show from Rhians Dancer‘s and a very powerful enjoyable performance from Yasmine. The girls are all here for different reasons, but it is clear that this opportunity gives girls the chance to shine and increase their confidence. Maegan Beaton chose to brave the stage to help her overcome her own challenges: I never thought I’d ever be on stage again.. for many reasons, but mainly due to struggling constantly with my mental…
Miss Divine UK a pageant unlike any other
Miss Divine UK is an organisation with aims to support and empower females from all over the United Kingdom to achieve their individual success. The organisation works with women and young girls from a variety of different backgrounds and offers them a platform to develop important life skills, make new friends and gain incredible opportunities. It is extremely important to them to provide a positive, happy and fun place for young girls to grow and express themselves while learning valuable skills. The females that are involved in the organisation are all truly inspirational and powerful in their own right, and Miss Divine UK encourage them to recognise their strengths and how they can use them to make a difference in the world. Miss Divine UK have an outstanding range of females from all walks of life that want to use their personal experiences to inspire others to follow their dreams. Some of their girls are; cancer survivors, burns victims, mental health sufferers, rape/sexual assault victims, victims of bullying etc. The main thing that they all have in common is that the trauma they have suffered has given them a purpose, which is to empower other women and raise awareness for these issues so that other sufferers are not alone. It is all about making a positive impact on your community and society as a whole. The phenomenal stories that we hear from girls as young as six that are a part of Miss Divine UK leave us speechless, these females are true inspirations. Of course, there is still a huge stigma…
Change of Career Brings Success
Six years ago lifelong teachers Keith and June Anthony decided to take early retirement from teaching to open the Kip McGrath Education Centre in Caerphilly Town Centre. The centre is located in Castle Street and currently has 100 pupils aged between 5 and 18. The centre offers tuition in English and Maths. Keith was previously a Head of Year at Cardinal Newman Secondary School in Pontypridd, and June was a primary school teacher at Nant y Parc School in Senghenydd, so between them they have a wealth of teaching and academic experience. The decision to leave teaching and run the Kip McGrath Education Centres as a franchise was driven by a desire to spend more time actually teaching. Keith said: At Kip McGrath we aim to build a long-term relationship with our clients, which allows us to make a real difference to their academic performance. Whether someone is with us a few years or just a few months our real joy is what we call the ‘light bulb moment’, when a piece of work just ‘clicks’, which – for any good teacher – makes it all worth while. June said: We operate on first name terms at the centre which helps us create a relaxed learning environment, we emphasise that this isn’t school! We enjoy focusing on purely teaching with no distractions.
Caerphilly Town Centre Gazette – February 2017
Latest news for Caerphilly Town Centre, local community and Council offices.
Sirhowy Valley Honey Bee Company Creates a buzz
Social Enterprise Sirhowy Valley Honey Bee Company (SVHC) scooped the Pride in Your Place overall award. SVHC were recognised for their success in the innovative and ground breaking project bringing the importance of bees into the local schools. Honeybees are in crisis worldwide said SVHC founder, experienced beekeeper Lorne East Disease and climate change are decimating the numbers and impacting on the health of bee colonies. The knock-on effect of this decline is that our plants – most especially food crops – are not being pollinated as well as we might like them to be, and there is a real threat to our capacity to produce food. Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Pride in Your Place award ceremony was recently held at Blackwood Miners’ Institute to celebrate the environmental work undertaken by groups, schools and individual volunteers. The Sirhowy Valley Honey Bee Company clinched the overall award for their efforts in helping to stimulate local bee populations, as well as developing a honey education centre in Ynysddu. The education centre helps to teach groups of all ages can learn about the importance of pollinators in supporting a healthy food chain. Tyn-Y-Wern Primary with their award Other winners during the awards ceremony included: Environmental Champion – Mrs Daryl Resting for her work on litter clearance and bird box installations in and around the Caerphilly Basin Tyn Y Wern Primary – improving the local community with clean ups, planting and creating habitats for hedgehogs Fochriw Primary – salmon hatchery project Pengam Primary – making their school a more attractive place to learn and visit Cllr…
Caerphilly Searches for the next Great Artist
Y Galeri, Caerphilly town centre’s art gallery, is staging an Open Art Exhibition between 7th January – 11th February. The open competition is sponsored by Caerphilly Town Council and is an annual event for amateur and professional artists alike. The artworks are selected from open submissions and form an eclectic mix of 115 wall hung and freestanding artworks. All work is for sale and artworks can be reserved with a deposit. A panel of judges will select the exhibitions winner and runner up and the winners will be revealed at the end of January. Visitors to the gallery during January are welcome to participate in the selection process by voting for the ‘Visitors Choice’ award. Gallery owner Jan Pennell said: We would like to thank the Town Council for their support. The Open Art event enhances the town’s artistic reputation and provides a platform to showcase the diverse wealth of Welsh talent. Each year we spot several emerging artists to whom we offer exhibition space & advice which helps them develop their career within the arts. Each year as the event grows it draws more visitors to Caerphilly. Y Galeri is situated in the heart of Caerphilly town centre on the ground floor of the Visitor Centre, opposite Caerphilly Castle.
New Shop Captures Niche Market
A new shop in Caerphilly town centre is catering for an increasing number of customers who are looking for clothing which allows them to express their individualism. Mojo King (Caerphilly) is situated in Clive Street, which is located at the top of Cardiff Road. The independent clothing retailer is run by James Parker and stocks a range of men’s apparel as well as shoes and accessories which are inspired by the 1960’s. James had previously worked at Mojo King in Wellfield Road Cardiff and had known the owner Paul Reeves for many years. Paul felt the time was right to expand the business and offered James the opportunity to start the Caerphilly business as a franchise. The shops design and merchandising are inspired and influenced 1960’s, even down to the Motown music playing in the background. James said: At Mojo King we aim to provide our customers with a truly distinctive shopping experience. Since we opened we have had lots of customers come in including young people who love the ethos of the 1960’s and are looking for a different way to dress which lets them stand out in the crowd. James continued: Although you don’t have to be a total lover of the 60s to appreciate the style and brands on offer, the appeal of a unique, smart jumper, shirt, pair of trousers or a coat is across all ages and generations.
Caerphilly businesses help shape the future of the Valleys
Key business leaders from across the Caerphilly County Borough gathered at Tredomen Business Centre in Ystrad Mynach today to help the Welsh Government shape a new vision for the South Wales Valleys. The meeting was organised by the ‘Valleys Taskforce’, a newly-established group dedicated to developing and delivering a fresh approach to real change across the region. The Welsh Government has set up the group to focus on investment and jobs over the next five years. Over 50 people attended the event, hosted by Alun Davies AM, Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language. We had a great discussion with business leaders and other Taskforce members on opportunities for growth in the future. I’d like to thank all those who came along and I really enjoyed listening to businesses in Caerphilly shape the thinking of the Valleys Taskforce. said Alun Davies. Also in attendance was Cllr Ken James, Caerphilly Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration: We very much welcomed the opportunity to host the Minister and the Taskforce, as Caerphilly is a key strategic region located in the heart of the South Wales Valleys. It was encouraging to see so many business representatives in attendance and I’m sure the issues discussed at the event will provide the Taskforce with useful feedback and suggestions going forward. The Valleys Taskforce will build upon work previously undertaken in a more coordinated and targeted way which will meet the needs of the South Wales Valleys communities. It will learn from previous regeneration programmes in Wales, and further afield, to develop a fresh approach which matches…
Working Women get Top Branding Advice
The CBF Working Women group met for the first event of 2017 in the Tourist Information Centre in Caerphilly Town centre, Caerphilly Castle illuminated in the background provided a dramatic backdrop to the event. Michelle Rose-Innes from Rose-Innes Designs provided the ladies with food for thought – Michelle’s party story is that she designed the restaurant chain ‘Frankie and Benny’s’ brand back in 1997 (Yes, that is her handwriting!) The ladies learnt about the importance of “the brand” and branding and left armed with a toolkit of how to develop their brand. The Working Women Events are designed to be fun and informative and a great opportunity to network. Open to all both employees and employers look out for our next event in February. Cwm a Mynydd Rural Development Programme support the Working Women Network through the Welsh Governments Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. If you are interested in joining the Women’s Networking Events please contact Sharon Peters on 01443 866397 or peters@caerphilly.gov.uk.