Archive

  • Historic town lets its hair down

    MONMOUTH FESTIVAL July 30 - August 7 Nine days of free musical concerts, street entertainment and community arts workshops begin today courtesy of the Monmouth Festival. Agincourt Square will be the main venue for the festivities with live music every

  • Lying PC kicked out of force

    A DISGRACED police constable was sacked from the Gwent force after lying to a court, we can reveal. Christopher Watkins, 41, of Dingle Road, Abergavenny, admitted his guilt before a police disciplinary panel last month - a year after being given a suspended

  • Man in city river rescue drama

    FIREFIGHTERS carried out a dramatic rescue in Newport last night after a man was spotted in the River Usk. Crews from Malpas, Maindee and Duffryn, with a boat from Maindee and a police helicopter, went to the scene near the new Riverfront Arts Centre

  • Detective praises witnesses

    AN Abergavenny detective praised the bravery of witnesses whose evidence led to the conviction of five people for violence condemned by a judge as being part of the "cult of yobbish behaviour." A gang of three people were locked up for a total of five

  • Inn crowd have got it right

    The Sloop Inn Llandogo. MY wife has an uncanny knack of selecting the best meal on any menu and, as we settled into the bar, she homed in on the homemade fishcakes. As usual I spent an age over the menu, finally opting for the free-range chicken. Having

  • Sally Burton says festival honours star

    A TRIBUTE to the Welsh actor Richard Burton spilled over into glowing praise for Newport from Burton's widow, Sally, who was with him up until his death 20 years ago. Officially opening an exhibition of photographs of her late husband at the St David's

  • Jousting and jollities

    IF you want to experience a day of sieges, jousting and medieval history then a visit to Berkeley Castle this weekend is the ideal day out. On Saturday and Sunday from 10am until 6pm in the setting of the 850-year-old Berkeley Castle there will be medieval

  • King of beers gives Jeep royal approval

    JEEP has received a royal seal of approval from the King of Beers after supplying a fleet of head-turning new Cherokees. Weybridge Automobiles in Cobham, Surrey, together with the Chrysler Group, has provided seven vehicles for Budweiser Europe's promotions

  • Faye's Steps to success

    ONE-PERSON shows are hard. Musicals are even harder. So whatever you might think of Faye Tozer's former career as a member of Steps, her courage in taking on Andrew Lloyd-Webber's Tell Me On a Sunday is to be respected. The show follows an English girl

  • Gwent welcomes biggest festival in the land

    TODAY Gwent welcomes Europe's largest cultural festival - an event which is expected to attract more than 150,000 visitors and bring a £7 million boost to the local economy. Tonight sees the opening ceremony of the Newport and District National Eisteddfod

  • How history is restored

    A PIECE of history from Newbridge's Memo is back home - after being missing for more than 30 years. A Bakelite clock dating from the 1930s was recently handed back to the Newbridge Memorial Hall where it once hung on the wall until its closure in the

  • Eisteddfod party takes off

    A PARTY that's been years in the making comes to Newport with a bang tonight. The Eisteddfod, which every year alternates between North and South Wales, last came to Newport in 1988. This summer's festival is again at Tredegar House, but the event itself

  • Still going 30 years on

    IT'S 30 years since Patti Smith's first single but the woman still ain't beat. This year she's back again with Trampin' and plays the Coal Exchange on Tuesday, July 26. Her debut, Hey Joe, is widely regarded as the first punk single. It impressed Welshman

  • Wichita's finest

    THE evergreen Wichita's finest electronic acts - Cardiff's Bravecaptain, Her Space Holiday and Weevil - take to the road next week on the Music Machines Tour 2004. Other than a city in Kansas, USA, Wichita is a record label that specialises in left-field

  • Dell rocks for ten hours

    ROCK in the Dell is on this Sunday in Chepstow Castle with another long bill of the best local bands. The Usual Suspects, My Ugly Friend, Anthill Mob, Estevez, Bitchpups, (pictured) A Few Good Men, Classic Rock UK, Pasttime, Straw Dogs, and Souled As

  • Good food and dramatic views

    THE Old Ferry Inn, Beachley. The Old Ferry Inn sits on the edge of the River Severn in Beachley near Chepstow with the first Severn Bridge crossing right above visitors as they arrive. Should anyone stroll to the edge of the car park to take in the view

  • Compass points to a thinking sport

    THINK of orienteering and it usually creates an image of young, fit, people sprinting around wooded hills holding a map and compass. But John Mills, club captain of the South Wales Orienteering Club, stressed this is not always the case. He said: "There

  • A long night in white beckons

    "SUPERHORNY" David Wrench is Wales biggest sex symbol after Tom Jones. He's nearly seven foot tall, albino and wears a perfect white suit. His music is a kind of mad- style, very clever pop music which has gripped the nation. He sounds like a pale-faced

  • Thirty years of paddling

    A GWENT canoeing club is celebrating more than 30 successful years - and it wants you to join in the fun, too. The club started when a gang of Cwmbran youngsters enjoyed their canoeing lessons at school so much that they kept the group on after they left

  • Young musicians urged to enter contest

    TALENTED young musicians are being urged to enter a competition which will give them the chance to perform with the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra. The closing date for the Texaco Young Musician of Wales 2005 competition is tomorrow. Young musicians will

  • I'd rather watch Laila than Tyson

    EVERYONE'S talking about tonight's heavyweight clash between Mike Tyson and Britain's Danny Williams in America, but I won't even be tuning in on Sky Sports pay per view to watch the show. And if I were to tune in I'd be more interested in watching Muhammad

  • Tough time ahead

    EXPECT Newport Gwent Dragons to be much tougher this season, warns Leigh Jones who returns to the top level as Dragons forwards coach. He already praises new coach Chris Anderson for the organisation he has brought in, though he urges fans to give him

  • Making music at summer school

    WHETHER your thing is guitars, keys, decks, drums or vocals, there's a place for you at St David's Hall's summer music school next week. Run in collaboration with educating charity Community Music Wales, MusicMix is a four-day workshop for talented young

  • Avoiding the traffic chaos

    GWENT Police are urging visitors to the National Eisteddfod to use public transport ahead of tonight's opening ceremony as up to 150,000 people descend on Tredegar House for the week-long festival. And they are warning motorists to expect some traffic

  • Now Sir Tasker leaves

    Sir Tasker Watkins has stepped down as president of the Welsh Rugby Union. It was rumoured for some time he was finishing and he confirmed this at last night's WRU board meeting. He will officially bring down the curtain on his reign as the head of the

  • Anniversary agony for Louise's family

    THREE years ago today, Philip Kerton was looking forward to seeing his daughter Louise again. Louise, who was 24 years old, had been to stay with her fianc Peter Simon in Germany for a few weeks and was due to return to Britain. But she never arrived

  • "i.d. programme"- is this the meaning of Va Va Voom?

    THE phenomenal success of high performance Clios made by Renaultsport is often attributed to a combination of driver entertainment, performance and style. Well now Renault has upped the ante even more with the launch of Renault i.d. a new programme for

  • Old stories had their magic

    THERE were children's books before the repetitive adventures of Harry Potter, and a new show coming to Cardiff this week dramatises one of the best. Tom's Midnight Garden, originally written by Philippa Pearce and adapted by David Wood, is the story of

  • 'The diagnosis that changed my life'

    FOR more than a decade, Ceri Dyas tried not to let her 'asthma' rule her life. The former Lliswerry Comprehensive School pupil used to travel the country taking part in disco dancing competitions and was a typically active teenager. But after falling

  • He's the wizard of Oz

    THE chairman of the Welsh Rugby Union has backed the appointment of an Australian without any experience in the game to coach Newport Gwent Dragons. David Pickering calls the choice of Aussie World Cup winning coach Chris Anderson 'courageous' and 'a

  • Treat for fans of Irish folk music

    FANS of Irish folk music are in for a treat tonight when Celtic fiddlers Danu visit Abergavenny's Borough Theatre. The band, who are based in the city of Waterford, recently scooped the Best Group prize at this year's BBC Folk Awards, repeating their

  • Free baggage handling

    FOR a limited period only, anyone wishing to purchase the Kawasaki ZZR1200 (C1H model) will get more than they bargained for this summer - extra litres. No, it's not in engine capacity, as the power and torque supplied by the awesome Kawasaki sports tourer

  • Help me fulfil our dream

    NEWPORT County chairman Chris Blight has called on supporters to back his dream- to get Newport County back into the Football League. Blight, who took over the reins at Spytty Park in the close season, said: "I have the enthusiasm and drive to get Newport

  • 'Eighty buses a day shatter my peace'

    IT'S TYPICAL - you wait ages for a bus and then 80 a day turn up. Residents in a quiet Cwmbran street used to have ten regular bus services a day. One bus every hour to the town centre was ideal for a quick trip to the shops. Then earlier this month bus

  • The coolest van on the streets

    JAPANESE compact vehicle specialist Daihatsu is offering its new Extol microvan with f-f-free air-conditioning, worth £795, throughout the summer. The Extol, which is available for just £6,995 (excluding VAT) is the only model in the microvan sector to

  • Driver in assault protest is guilty

    A MAN who had accused a Gwent police officer of assaulting him after a query over an expired tax disc was yesterday convicted by magistrates of four charges. Robert Clive Whatley, 64, of Four Ash Street, Usk, was found guilty of using a motor vehicle

  • Three new models from Harley-Davidson

    HARLEY-DAVIDSON introduces three new models for 2005. Eleven new colour options and improved headlight technology are among significant product enhancements offered for the Motor Company's 2005 model year. "This is an exciting model year," said Patrice

  • Not all jazz at Brecon

    DESPITE outrage from local residents and jazz lovers alike it still looks like Super Furry Animals will be opening this year's Brecon Jazz festival. They play on Thursday, August 12 in a marquee, entry to which costs an extra £15. And they're not the

  • Kidnapper of deaf boy gets three years

    A KIDNAPPER who lured a deaf teenage boy to his Newport flat, while still on licence for attacking two women on a mountainside in Trevethin, was jailed for three years yesterday. The detective who led the investigation today branded Richard Bool a "dangerous

  • Breakfast with Honda

    THAT'S right, on Saturday, July 31, many of Honda's dealerships will be hosting morning events to entertain customers. We can't guarantee bacon and eggs but we can assure customers a warm and friendly reception with plenty to see and do. This is the first

  • Support grows for car use of bus lanes

    PLANS for a radical re-think of Newport's controversial bus lanes have received widespread support from both the authorities and motorists. As revealed in yesterday's Argus the new council roads boss, Councillor Ron Jones, has recommended motorists be

  • Trial trio shine

    CWMCARN Paragons' Darren Carpenter, Gareth Pugh and Ian Lewis continue to produce excellent results as the Welsh 2004 time trial and road season enters its final two months. In the Bynea Ten, Carpenter maintained his highly consistent form by finishing

  • Guitar man at the Bay

    ONE of the USA's top guitarists shows there really is no limit to talent in The Point, Cardiff Bay tonight. Carl Verheyen, who has been the guitarist for Supertramp for 17 years, is a veteran of the stage the world over. He is joined by the equally talented