Accommodation for the Brecon Jazz Festival
The 25th Anniversary of the Brecon Intrernational Jazz Festival – this was our jazz baptism, having been born and bred in Breconshire but have never really dipped my toe into the wonderful world of jazz, there was no escape this time and thank the Lord! The Festival Organisers decided to put together a very special band to celebrate their 25th Anniversary and asked us to provide the board and lodging – Joe Temperley and his lovely wife Laurie, Scott Hamilton, John Pearce, Dave Green, Steve Brown, Martin Taylor, John Bunch, James Taylor and their highly organized organizer Brian Peerless. It was an absolute pleasure looking after them all and hope that we may do so again in the future.
Accommodation for the Royal Welsh Show
This has to be seen to fully appreciate the extraordinary atmosphere at the stockman’s show as it is often known as opposed to The Royal Show being the Showman’s show. Four days of all aspects of rural and agricultural life attended by 100s of 1000s of adults and children from all over the world – yet again set against the most incredible back drop of the Wye Valley in the heart of some of Wales’ most beautiful countryside - and only 25 minutes from Felin Newydd!
National Garden Society Garden Open Day
The first time the Felin Newydd Gardens have been open for at least 35 years!
We were ready! Garden, house, dogs, horses, mother etc. Lawns all striped, borders weeded and full of blooms, broken glass removed from the greenhouses, broken stones replaced in the walled garden(I wish!) Tea and delicious cakes by the local ladies in aid of Llandefalle Village Hall poured out of the conservatory, pimms poured out of Elizabeth’s jugs and rain poured out of the sky – but not too much of the latter happily. Lots of people arrived and showed polite enthusiasm for our on going work on the Felin Newydd Gardens. We were very pleased to be able to send off a fat check to the NGS who support the following Charities: Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, National Trust Gardening Careership Scheme, The Queen’s Nursing Institute, Crossroads, Help the Hospices, Perennial (The Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Society) and The Royal Fund for Gardener’s Children.
The Guardian Hay Festival
This is just an amazing event set in green fields on the outskirts of Hay-on-Wye the most beautiful border town between England & Wales. This Year’s line up included: Alan Bennett, John Irving and former US President Jimmy Carter, Cherie Booth, the wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, Jamie Oliver, M&S boss Stuart Rose and former head of the Army General Sir Mike Jackson, petrol head Jeremy Clarkson, Jools Holland and his orchestra, Alex Valentine,
The festival has grown in size and stature since an invitation was extended to “a few like-minded friends” to gather for a weekend of literary relaxation in 1988.
Since then it has attracted some of the world’s leading writers, politicians and musicians. In 2001, ex-US President Bill Clinton famously called it “the Woodstock of the mind”.
The full line-up for this year’s event included a range of musical events and a film festival.
As well as ex-President Carter’s talk, other politicians including a trio from the Labour Party - former deputy PM John Prescott, Lord Hattersley and Lord Levy.
John Irving, author of The World According to Garp, The Cider House Rules and Setting Free. Ffion Hague, wife of Conservative Party shadow foreign secretary William Hague, discussed ex-Liberal Prime Minister David Lloyd George and the women in his life.
Others in this year’s programme included author Will Self, playwright, director and scriptwriter Stephen Poliakoff, Salman Rushdie and author and broadcaster Melvyn Bragg.
US author and journalist Carl Bernstein, who along with Bob Woodward helped break the Watergate scandal story and ended the Nixon US administration in 1974 also featured.
From the world of comedy, Jimmy Carr, Marcus Brigstock, Omid Djalili and Rory McGrath.
Other famous faces included Charlie Higson and chess champion Garry Kasparov.
The Welsh festival now has satellite events in Segovia in Spain and Cartagena in Colombia.
Hay Festival
Duke of Edinburgh Charity Event at Felin Newydd House
Our first Charity evening raising a considerable sum for the D of E in Wales without evening noticing! This was a wonderful evening and a credit to the young ladies and gentlemen from the Neath Unit who volunteered to be waiters and waitresses. Not one of them had previous silver service experience and not one of them made a mistake – it was a complete pleasure to give them their 15 minute lesson and watch them rise to the occasion. They were truly the most polite and helpful gang of youngsters. The dinner was a 4 course black tie evening for 50 guests, members of a local dining club. The guests were aware of the involved charity but were unaware that their waiters were actually all Gold Award Winners from The Neath & Port Talbot Branch of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme in Wales until we revealed all towards the end of the dinner. 2 of the team then gave a short resume of their experiences and Ian Gwilym Operations Manager for Wales Concluded the presentation. Elizabeth and I were amazed and the team’s behaviour, attitude, guitar playing and singing skills not to mention the fact that they were giving up a post Six Nations Rugby Saturday evening!