I was honoured to be asked to narrate this episode of Panorama.

Here is a short synopsis of the programme and also the link to view.

‘In 1982 Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, and from Britain a task force of over 100 vessels and 26,000 men and women sailed 8000 miles to defend the islands. In a short but brutal war lasting 3 weeks, hundreds died on both sides, culminating 35 years ago this month with the Argentinians defeated, and the islands reclaimed.

But what happened after the parades were finished and the flags were put away?

In this moving film Panorama uses animation drawn by a Falklands war veteran to explore how the trauma of fighting a war can continue to affect soldiers even decades later. The film follows a group of Welsh Guards, whose lives were shaped by their Falklands experience, as they return for the first time to the islands to confront their demons.’

To watch on iPlayer click here

There is also an article on the BBC website here

Some of the songs from the albums TIR and Hullabaloo are to be featured in the second series of Y Goeden Faled (the Ballad Tree), stories behind iconic welsh songs, to be aired on S4C towards the end of the year.

I will post more details as they come in !

Conde Nast included the Good Life Experience as one of the world’s best small festivals last year and they’ve asked me to write an ‘in a nutshell’ description of the event for them ..here’s a sneak preview, just in case I can entice you to join us this year:

The GOOD LIFE EXPERIENCE, North Wales, Sept 15th 16th 17th

A weekend where you can get off the hamster wheel, fill your brains with inspiring ideas and try your hand at new skills to boot.

From axe throwing to coracle racing, pit cooking to Bulgarian harmony singing, there’s a seemingly endless array of offerings to dip in and out of at will. We invite you to become part of the story, whatever your age. It all happens at harvest time, mid September, when apples, pears and pumpkins fill the fields of former Prime Minister Gladstone’ estate, some 8 mins from Chester, where the festival unfolds. It’s also great value, most all of these activities are free with the entry ticket, but it’s all hand curated with quality in mind. Our points of interest include the GREAT OUTDOORS, (with activities like tree climbing ,bushcraft, rope making, wild swimming and abseiling), FOOD: (includes foraging trips, fermenting, beer and cider making lessons, campfire cooking with Thomasina Miers and Tom Herbert..) MUSIC, (all hand picked by me, this year we have Norman Jay MBE, Amber Arcades, Ezza, Pictish trail and an authentic Wild West hoe down Friday and TONS more..). LITERATURE and DISCUSSIONS: (Michael Rosen is one of our literary guests and we have experts giving talks all over the weekend from fixing Stradivari violins, Allen Ginsberg’s travels to star gazing and all in between…)
Bring your entire family, including the dog, (there’s a dog show, judged by India Knight this year)and you choose how and where you stay: ready erected bell tents in the shadow of 2 castles or in your own camper van or tent, and there’s always the the option of booking into local guest houses and hotels, including the nearby Gladstone Library .
As it’s a small festival (4/5000 people) with a great big heart, festival first timers are made to feel totally welcome.

All you need to bring is your curiosity.

If you fancy coming here’s the link for tickets : Good Life Experience Tickets

….but move fast if you want a bargain, there are only a handful of early bird priced tickets still available.
Much love as always,

Cerys xx

OUR FRIDAY NIGHT AUTHENTIC WILD WEST HOEDOWN!

The anarchic hillbilly barn dancing band Cut a Shine will team up with Stompin Dave and his Blue Grass Band to host a rip-roaring, thigh-slapping, pavement-stomping, exhilarating, heart thumping, blood pumping Friday night hoedown to get The Good Life Experience started. These bands are the real deal, they’ve spent years touring with American Blue Grass ensembles learning proper fiddle and banjo tunes and dances. So bring your cowboy hat and boots and get ready to dance.

XA MILNE AUTHOR OF THE SEAWEED COOKBOOK

Xa Milne is Co-Founder of Mara Seaweed and author of The Seaweed Cookbook. While investigating wild edibles for a newspaper column and co-authoring the book Seaweed and Eat It back in 2008 her passion for seaweed was ignited and is still going strong. Xa’s seaweed odyssey has taken her from the beach to the kitchen where she lays out ordinary every day ingredients which can be easily combined with seaweed, either fresh or dried to enhance our health and enjoyment of life. She’s going to tell us all about it in her talk at The Good Life Experience.

GIRL RAY NAMED THE GUARDIAN NEW BAND OF THE WEEK

Hot young North London Band Girl Ray will play the Caught by the River stage in September and we cannot wait. This week they released their new video Stupid Things, and at the beginning of the month they were named The Guardian’s New Band of the Week, when their music was described as lo-fi pop of teen romance with nods to 70s balladry.

LOSE THE PHONE + TAKE UP A HOBBY

Stylist’s article this week on escaping your phone in your precious downtime really resonated with us. It talks about finding a ‘flow’ state – the level achieved when we’re so absorbed in an activity that we lose all self-consciousness and time seems to fly by. It provides a great list of potential new hobbies, from trampolining to walking book clubs. Oh and they had us anyway with their excellent selection of badges.

ALEX POLE FIRES UP THE FORGE

Good Life Experience blacksmith Alex Pole will be back this year and this time he’s bringing The Forge. This is will be a much bigger operation and four festival goers at a time will have the chance to take part in his hour long workshops making campfire tools and equipment, and many more can see his spectacular demos throughout the day and evenings. There will be a shop selling products with a connection to The Forge, and there will also be The Forum, an open space with other workshops and speakers and discussions. We’re really excited that EJ of Hatchet + Bear -our very first craftsperson at The Good Life Experience in year one- will run spoon carving workshops in the forum teaching ten people at a time to carve their own spoons. There will be a charge for these workshops to cover material costs, and you will be able to sign up for a space when you get to the festival.

Festival tickets are selling fast so make sure you get yours here

See you there !