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Working Women’s Network follow in Jacquie’s footsteps
The Caerphilly Working Women’s network met earlier this month and were somewhat blessed with the weather for an evening of walking, talking and networking in the shadow of Britain’s second largest castle and in the footsteps of one of Wales most inspiring women. The ladies from local businesses large and small met outside Caerphilly Castle to hear about the myths and legends surrounding the historic castle in Caerphilly. Our Trusty guide Kevin Eadon-Davies, from Cwm a Mynydd Rural Development Programme who support the Working Women Network through the Welsh Governments Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, regaled the story of the famous Green lady who is said to roam the ramparts of the castle. Onto the Tyfu Café based in Caerphilly our hosts for the evening where we heard from Jacquie Williams whose treks have spanned the word, from Kilimanjaro to the Sahara Desert. Jacquie is the MD of SCS Aftercare Smoke Vent Maintenance & President of the Welsh Women Walking Group. Jacquie was an inspiring speaker and told her remarkable story of her business and personal achievements including tekking the Sahara Desert with Julien Macdonald whilst raising money for Cancer Research Wales. Denise Lovering Chair of Caerphilly Business Forum said: It was great to hear from such an inspiring speaker and we are looking forward to our new calendar of events. The Women’s Networking events are open to both employer and employee, our events give you the opportunity to meet and work with like-minded women in an informal and fun setting. There is no charge for membership. The next event…
Ocean Colour Scene light up Caerphilly Castle with sell out gig
It’s late afternoon and the dull, grey clouds that have occupied the sky throughout the morning are reluctantly pushed aside by the ever persistent rays of the warm mid-September Sunshine. Seductively, creeping up behind the 13th century walls of the second biggest castle in Europe, the sun warmly welcomes the crowds to the historic town of Caerphilly. A wide variety of fans, both old and new have travelled from near and far; all intent on reminiscing the soundtrack that filled the care-free days of the glorious 1990’s. Tonight they are privileged to be enjoying the live music of Brit pop legends, “Ocean Colour Scene” as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of their most successful album, “Mosley Shoals”. Released in 1996, the name of the album is a fond dedication to the band’s original hometown of Mosley in Birmingham. Although the album didn’t quite make #1 in the charts, it has proved itself to be one of the most well-loved albums of that era; encapsulating the raw excitement and magic of the original Brit pop movement that took place over two decades ago. The suspense builds heavily throughout the castle courtyard as the lights dim down and the crowd cheer as they welcome Ocean Colour Scene to the stage. The band open with an impressive cover of the Beatles classic, “Day Tripper”; a track which was originally recorded as a live B-side to “The Circle”. The famous opening rifts send the crowd into a frenzy and it’s not long before everyone is singing along. The song is perhaps a fond reminiscent of the times the band performed on stage with the Gallagher brothers during the peak of their success in 1994. After listening to the band’s demo, Noel Gallagher proceeded to invite Ocean Colour Scene to join Oasis as their opening act at…
New Welsh Language Book Shop Opens
A new book shop in Caerphilly town centre is helping young people discover the joy of reading books, particularly those written in the Welsh language. Llyfrau’r Enfys which translated means ‘Rainbow Books’ is located in Caerphilly Indoor Market, Pentrebane Street. The book shop is run by Vikki Alexander who having previously worked in event promotion has turned her love of the Welsh Language and books into a new business venture. The shop stocks a range of titles in both Welsh and English as well as some bilingual books. The books and other learning resources cater for all ages, with the large majority aimed at children. Each week Vikki has a story corner where she reads to children from her favourite book. In the future it’s hoped that the shop will begin to run homework clubs, mums clubs and Welsh language learners groups. Vikki said: As someone who has learned Welsh I am keen to share my love of the language with others. We have 11 Welsh Primary schools in the locality and I hope that the books and resource’s we have at Llyfrau’r Enfys will support children in their education and also help parents who want to learn the Welsh language
Goggle Box Stars Visit Bargoed
Stars of the hit TV show Gogglebox have opened a new hair and beauty salon in Bargoed town centre. Shirley and Dave who appear on the Channel 4 reality show and are also long standing customers, opened the new salon which has relocated to Hanbury Road from Gilfach Street. Powercut Hair Designers is run by sisters Teresa Mcloughlin and Sharon Carney who first opened a business in Bargoed in 1988. The new salon covers all aspects of ladies hair design including: cutting, colouring and perming as well as offering a gents barbers Carney & Co on the first floor. Sharon said: We would like to thank the businesses in Bargoed who have helped us move and wished us well. Bargoed is a community where all the shops support each other, which makes it a fantastic place to run a business. Teresa said: At Powercuts Hair Designers our customers are really important to us and as a family business we appreciate their loyalty and work hard to offer them great service.
WIN tickets to see Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet @ Caerphilly Castle
Win! 2 tickets to see Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet by entering our Prize Draw! Tony Hadley (plus special guests) will be appearing at Caerphilly Castle on Sunday 18th September 2016. More event details here. All you need to do is: Comment & like this Facebook Post Win! 2 tickets to see Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet! (plus special guests) will be appearing at Caerphilly Castle on… Posted by GO2 MyTown on Friday, 9 September 2016 Verify your entry here: http://zosoci.al/6550/tony-hadley/ Although not compulsory, liking the Go2MyTown.com Facebook page will ensure you don’t miss any future promotions – and we would love it if you shared the prize draw with your friends! Terms & Conditions for 2 tickets to see Tony Hadley Sunday 18th September 2016 Prize Draw There is 1 prize of 2 tickets to see Tony Hadley Sunday 18th September 2016 at Caerphilly Castle. Open to UK residents aged 16 and over, excluding Go2MyTown.com team members. Closing date for entries is 11.59pm GMT on 14th September 2016. Only one entry per person. Entrants must “like” & leave a comment on the Facebook promotional post – one comment per person. The winner will be chosen at random. The winner will be informed by a Facebook message plus and/or email within 1 day of the closing date and will need to respond within 1 day or a new winner will be chosen. The winner’s name will be available on request and published on social media accounts. The promoter is Go2MyTown.com. By participating in this prize draw, entrants confirm they have read, understood…
Annual Brian Mayo Golf Day in aid of Meningitis Now – 2016
Every year Bryn Meadows Golf, Hotel & Spa hold a golfing tournament with the aim of raising funds for national charity Meningitis Now, with this year’s taking place on Thursday 8th September. The Brian Mayo Golf Day is held annually at Bryn Meadows Golf Hotel & Spa. The event was first hosted in 1989 when the original proprietor of the resort, Mr Brian Mayo lost both of his legs from contracting Meningitis. It was an unusual ritual that led to Mr Mayo contracting Meningitis and it is believed that he contracted the virus after licking a golf ball contaminated by weed killer. He was back on the golf course six weeks after leaving hospital, using his Mercedes as a golf cart. This year’s event is a full house, with all holes on the golf course covered and local companies donating gifts and auction items for those taking part. The teams will arrive for breakfast rolls on Thursday 8th September, ready to start at 11am with a shotgun start. Afterwards there is a BBQ in Winners Bar, followed by the auction, prize giving and entertainment. Mr Mayo died in 1999, but his family the owners of Bryn Meadows, still carry on the tournament in his memory. His wife Mrs Fay Mayo said: He was in a coma for 11 days and then woke up. The only thing they could attribute it to was the weedkiller on the greens. Current owner of the resort Mr Gary Mayo, said his father was inspired to pick up his golf clubs again after reading a…
Smart People Use Smart Money Cymru
You could be forgiven for thinking that Smart Money Cymru in Caerphilly town centre is a high street bank, but actually it’s a credit union with over 4,500 members who have junior, adult and corporate accounts. A Credit Union differs from a bank in that it is a financial cooperative, which means that it is owned and run by its members. Smart Money Cymru began life in 1989 as Penyrheol, Trecenydd and Energlyn Credit Union then changed to Caerphilly and District Credit Union in 2000, before adopting the Smart Money Cymru brand in 2010. The General Manager is Andrina Davies who originally started working for the credit union as a volunteer before successfully securing a job. Andrina was promoted to the role of General Manager in 2011. Andrina said: As a credit union Smart Money Cymru is open to anyone regardless of their status. The great thing about us is that as a financial cooperative we offer people a safe, secure and ethical way to save or borrow. The Smart Money Cyrmu interactive web site provides information on how to join and more details of how Smart Money Cymru works: www.smartmoneycymru.co.uk
Get Digital On Fridays!
Need help using a computer – look no further Get Caerphilly Online Project aims to help people who have either never used a computer before or who need help to take their first steps online. Matthew Bevan Community Regeneration Co-ordinator from Caerphilly CBC explained: We run basic “First Click” courses across the borough and also on occasions run more advanced Agored Level 2 accredited courses in Internet & Email, Word & Excel. As part of the project we also run a drop in sessions every Friday, Digital Fridays, at 7 libraries across the borough. This is for any help with computers, laptops, smartphones and tablets. We have staff or volunteers at each venue to help people and you can be sure of a warm welcome. FREE drop in session every Friday! 10am until 1pm in: Bargoed Library Blackwood Library Newbridge Library Rhymney Library Risca Library Caerphilly Library New Tredegar Library Basic computer use, searching the internet and emails
Big Cheese Festival Caerphilly 2016 Review
Last weekend, the Go 2 My Town team were lucky enough to count themselves amongst the 80,000 visitors attending the Big Cheese festival in the heart of Caerphilly. The charming collection of food stalls, re-enactments, entertainers and fairground rides, magically complimented the historic gardens of the second largest castle in Great Britain. Accompanied by the warm and brilliant sunshine, the castle walls; deeply enriched with historic tales, effortlessly enticed thousands to one of the most beautiful buildings of the 13th century in the heart of South Wales. What historian Allen Brown could only describe as “the most elaborate water defences in all of Britain”, the magnificent surroundings proved to be the perfect setting to present the unique heritage and culture of Caerphilly. An exciting combination of artists, musicians, traders, and animal handlers beautifully decorate the castle grounds. The historic costumes and smell of the traditional medieval cooking enlightens your senses as you are transformed to the ancient 13th century. Historic re-enactment demonstrations entertain the crowd whilst the art of ancient candle and coin makers proves to be a popular choice with visitors. One of the highlights of the weekend was the impressive Falconry show. A magnificent collection of birds including Vultures, Eagles and the adorable European Eagle, “Popeye” who dared to fly so close over the brave volunteers lying on the ground; they could almost feel the feathers gracefully sweeping across their astonished faces. The birds weren’t the only animals to greet the guests over the weekend. An exotic animal tent accommodated a variety of different snakes, insects and spiders all just as eager…