A night watching Bois y Bryn, Cwmbran’s sea shanty band, and comedian Paul Carpenter, perform in the Cwrt Henllys recently reminded me what I love about a roomful of people.
In these pics you can people smiling, singing, laughing, clapping and having a good time- it was a fab few hours of free entertainment. I also see people with stories to tell and it’s true, everyone’s got a story.
I went out for a social night with a mate and ended up coming back with several stories. No spoilers, well just one and I’ll share that at the end.
Here are some of the tips I picked up from chatting to people in that lovely room in the pub; a local choir is singing in Gwent Square on St David’s Day, a woman told about a free arts and crafts club she holds every week that attracts 40 people, a teenage girl with Crohn’s disease girl is raising money for the charity by making wristbands, I was invited to see a choir rehearse in Cwmbran for people with or who’ve been affected by cancer, and a woman wanted help to speak to Owen Filer due to link with one of her relatives who’s in his 90s.
And the spoiler- Bois y Bryn is organising a sea shanty festival in various venues in Newport City Centre on Friday 31 May and Saturday 1 June. Bands from across the country will travel to the city and perform gigs on the hour in different spots. Pop the dates in your calendar and look out for more information over the coming months on Cwmbran Life.
⏰ Three hours at one event and five stories to follow up.