The campaign will run until the five pence minimum charge for a single-use carrier bag is introduced on Saturday 1st October 2011.

The money raised by the charge will not be going to the Government but will be passed on to good causes, particularly those benefiting the environment, by retailers.

As a result of the charge, the Government expects to see a 90 per cent reduction in the number of bags distributed in Wales, and for retailers to pass on up to £3 million to environmental and other projects.

Kate Carlyle from Newport won over the judges with her sea bream with chilli, garlic and tomato.

In the run-up to this weekend’s Cardiff Harbour Festival (August 27 – 29), the competition to find a prize catch fish dish was launched by Cardiff Harbour Authority in partnership with Jamie’s Italian in the city centre.

The restaurant was looking for dishes with an Italian flavour, in line with their existing menu, and with Jamie Oliver leading a crusade against the oceans’ endangered species they wanted recipes that do not involve Salmon, Prawns, Cod, Haddock and Tuna.

Kate’s winning recipe will now be included on the specials menu at Jamie’s Italian for a limited time and will also be demonstrated by fishmongers from the National Federation of Fishmongers at the Harbour Festival on Saturday, August 27 – Kate’s birthday – at 12.30pm.

Kate’s prize also includes dinner for two at Jamie’s Italian where she will be able to try out the chef’s take on her own recipe, and an overnight stay at Future Inns, Cardiff Bay.

The sea bream meal came up against strong competition from other shortlisted entries of linguini with yellow courgette and smoked mackerel by Leah Ashe and penne with ginger, crab and asparagus by Judy Alloway, before a panel of experts plumped for Kate’s dish. Judy’s meal was judged to be second and she will receive a gift voucher for Jamie’s Italian while Leah will receive a Jamie Oliver cook book.

Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nigel Howells, said: “Many congratulations to Kate. I’m sure she will feel extremely honoured to have her recipe grace the menu at Jamie’s Italian. This is been a really exciting competition of a very high standard that builds up nicely to the Cardiff Harbour Festival this weekend when thousands of people will be drawn to the waterfront for a Bank Holiday Weekend packed full of fun and family entertainment.

“Kate’s dish will be demonstrated at the festival on Saturday so this will be a great chance for other budding chefs to find out what gave her recipe all the right ingredients for success.

“This competition has been a great example of the Council working in partnership with private businesses and event organisers to add value to the city’s event programme. It is vital that we work with commercial partners to deliver first-class events in the city that are value for money.

“Offering a prize of this calibre enhances the reputation of the Cardiff Harbour Festival. I personally would like to thank Jamie’s Italian and The Federation of Fishmongers for supporting the inaugural ‘Find a Fish Dish’ competition.”

Mary Needham, General Manager of Jamie’s Italian Cardiff said:  “Jamie is trying to promote an awareness of “the fish we should be eating” and a more educated approach to how we think about fish. The idea is that by using a wider variety of fish, sea levels will remain balanced and we will not see a massive depletion of the most popular or well known fish, as we are seeing at the moment.”

Cardiff Harbour Festival will once again serve up its annual portion of Fish and Ships to amuse and entertain. Features to watch out for are the British Fish Craft Championships on Sunday as the country’s top fishmongers try to out-fillet each other, the Welsh National Oyster Opening Championships on Monday, Tall Ships, sea shanty singers, a continental market, fairground rides and music and much, much more.

Look out for the many talented walking entertainers as they roam the bay. Tall Ships, the Ruth and the Matthew will moor at the Inner Harbour. Hop aboard for £1 to see how we used to sail. Also Harbour Patrol vessels will be on site to explain how the Harbour Authority patrols the Bay, keeping our waters clean and safe 365 days a year.

The British Fish Craft Championship will also take place on Sunday August 28. Competitors will complete a series of tasks from filleting salmon to preparing seafood. There will also be a series of talks and demonstrations on Saturday and Monday on buying, preparing and cooking delicious fish dishes. The winner of the inaugural Harbour Festival and Jamie’s Italian ‘Find a Fish Dish’ competition will be showcased on Saturday in the Fish Tent, with the winning recipe available for visitors to take away and try out at home.

A new highlight for this year is the Breitling Wing Walkers who will fly over Cardiff Bay on Sunday at 12pm and Monday at 4.30pm. Also new for this year is Team Osprey, who will showcase a fantastic aerial demonstration. For a great view, head to the water’s edge on Saturday at 3pm and Monday at 2.30pm.

Following its popularity in 2010, Last Resort returns offering alternative end of pier attractions and children’s entertainment including sand pits, beach huts, street entertainment, plus the Last Resort is the place for all wannabe pirates and sea creatures to take part in a special fancy dress competition on Monday at 3.30pm on the Bandstand.

Why not learn to sail? Come down to Cardiff Bay and learn a new activity this bank holiday! Everyone aged 8 and over can enjoy a sailing session with our fully qualified, trained instructors. Visit the Cardiff Harbour Authority registration tent between 11 – 5pm on Saturday, Sunday or Monday. No experience is necessary and the cost is £1 per person for 30 minutes on the water.

There will also be an International Market selling a large array of products from all over the world. Bigger and better than ever, everyone is invited to browse the market stalls, selling a vast range of tasty treats. Polish, German and Pimms Bars will be located next to the Bandstand for you to sit back and enjoy the summer sun, with live music playing  throughout the weekend.

Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Leisure, Cllr Nigel Howells, said: “It can be difficult to keep the whole family entertained over the bank holiday, but families need not worry, there is a whole host of entertainment and fun waiting for them at Cardiff Bay, and best of all entry is for free.

“The Harbour Festival is a firm family favourite in the city’s events calendar and this year we have introduced even more activities for the whole family to enjoy.”

Further details about the Harbour Festival can be found at www.cardiffharbour.com or www.cardiff-festival.com

The Big Gig competition gave local unsigned acts the once in a lifetime opportunity to perform at the Admiral Cardiff Big Weekend and play in front of thousands in the heart of the capital.

Singer songwriter FFred Jones from Newport was crowned the Big Gig Winner on Thursday, July 14 at The Globe music venue following a three day battle of the bands.

Ffred has already appeared on BBC Introducing and 6 Music. Using unusual instrumentation, his great voice and beautiful songs have a haunting quality reminiscent of a 21st Century Nick Drake. On his win last night, Ffred, said: “So stoked, it’s outrageous. I was so nervous before going on, and I’m never nervous. I didn’t think I had a chance, I mean to get through the first round was unreal, but to win? It’s mind blowing.”

The Admiral Cardiff Big Weekend takes place on the 5 to the 7 of August and features three nights of free live music. On Friday in conjunction with the SWN festival the cream of the Welsh crop will perform with Welsh rockers Funeral for a Friend taking to the stage as headliners.

Saturday’s festivities start with the annual Cardiff Mas Carnival and end with multi platinum selling Gabrielle singing new and classic hits.

On Sunday Ffred will kick-start the night and perform in front of thousands. Sunday’s headliners are The Feeling who will bring their feel good music to the Civic Centre.

Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Leisure, Cllr Nigel Howells, said: “Congratulations to Ffred  for winning the Big Gig, I am delighted the inaugural Big Gig competition has captured the attention of so many great new bands and their fans. I hope the performance at the Admiral Cardiff Big Weekend will help him onto the road to success and hopefully he will come back and perform as headliner for the Big Weekend.

“I am also pleased to see Funeral for a Friend and Gabrielle join the already impressive Admiral Cardiff Big Weekend line up. It’s fantastic to see home-grown talent and Brit award winners taking centre stage at one of Wales’ favourite free live music events.”

The confirmed acts for this year’s Admiral Cardiff Big Weekend are:
Friday August 5
Death Before Sunrise
OK
Attack Attack!
Funeral For a Friend

Saturday August 6

Zong Zing
Dom Duff
Jazz Jamaica with Special Guest Myrna Hague
Hayley Scarlett
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Vintage Trouble
Gabrielle

Sunday 7th August
Ffred Jones
Edei
King Charles
Friends Electric
Dodgy
Nerina Pallot
The Feeling

Officers from the Neighbourhood Learning team will be joining shoppers on Queen Street on Saturday, July 16 to promote the new prospectus that is packed full of courses for adults covering computer training, languages, arts and crafts and much, much more, suitable for all ages and abilities at a variety of centres throughout the city.

There’s also the chance for visitors to Central Market and Central Library (9.30am to 3.30pm) to find out what’s on offer, speak to the team about the learning opportunities and pick up a free copy of the guide.

The Council has a range of courses available for people who are completely new to learning and want to broaden their horizons or for learners who want to build on skills or continue with hobbies they have pursued before.

Enrolment for courses, which start in September, opens on Monday, July 18 so there’s never been a better time to find a course that will inspire you to learn.

For those not out and about in the city centre on Saturday, On Course can be downloaded by visiting www.cardiff.gov.uk/learn  or from their nearest Neighbourhood Learning Centre. Alternatively, email adultlearningquery@cardiff.gov.uk

Executive Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Freda Salway, said: “There’s something to suit all ages and abilities in this year’s On Course guide. Saturday will be an opportunity for visitors to the city centre to get some advice on courses they are considering and whet their appetites for something new.”

The event marks the end of the first annual Gabalfa and Mynachdy festival, a series of fun and informative events which are taking place throughout the week (Monday 4 July to Friday 8 July) to showcase the facilities, services and talents that exist in the local area.

The 23 different activities include Pedal Picnic, which encourages family members to pack a picnic and get on their bikes for a group bike ride, The “Gabalfa’s Got Talent” community talent show and a special library event for the under fives with songs, stories and a special appearance by the Bookstart Bear.

There are family arts and crafts sessions, allotment tours, a sports day and a local history event for people to enjoy.

All the events are open to the public and everyone is welcome to come along and attend.

The jam packed week of exciting events will culminate on Saturday with the Fun Day which will boast a range of activities including a bouncy castle, stalls and face painting.

Executive Member for Communities, Housing and Social Justice, Cllr Judith Woodman said: “It is fantastic that local people living in Gabalfa and Mynachdy can come together and enjoy what their community has to offer.

“The schedule of events that have been planned for the week enable people of all ages to engage in different activities and meet other local people whilst promoting their neighbourhood and the groups and facilities available.”

Visitors to Central Library next weekend can swap their books for a spot of ballroom dancing at a free dance festival featuring performances from around the world.

The Community Languages department of the library will be transformed into a dancer’s paradise on Saturday, June 25 (12- 5pm) with demonstrations of a wide range of dances from street to ballroom, Flamenco to Bollywood, Latin American to African dance and much more.

Visitors to the library will be able to see the performances and also try out some of the various dances themselves with a little help from the performers who represent a variety of dance schools and community groups. The Community Languages department of Central Library contains books in 14 different community languages so it really is the perfect place to stage this diverse event.

The free event is the latest initiative at Central Library which is much more than a place to borrow books. Regular events are held throughout the year including, most recently, a comedy night, battle of the bands and fashion show.

Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nigel Howells, said: “The dance festival is a wonderful opportunity for visitors to Central Library to get a taster of many different types of dance, watching the performers go through their routines and having the chance to try out their own moves.

“As many different dances from around the world as possible have been included in the event so there’s plenty on offer for everyone. My advice is to grab your dancing shoes and head down to Central Library for a great afternoon’s entertainment.”

The iconic arena, which just last week played host to two spectacular sell-out Take That concerts in front of 129,000 fans, will be transformed into a world class racing track in five days as the countdown begins for the Speedway world championships.

Three thousand tons of shale is required to build the 278metre track which will withstand speeds of over 70mph from 15 of the world’s best riders and the preparations are already underway for a feast of motor sport action.

The biggest event on the Speedway calendar was first held at the multi-event arena in front of over 30,000 fans in June 2001 and has grown year on year with over 40,000 fans expected to race through the gates on the weekend.

The stadium, which is wholly owned and operated by the Welsh Rugby Union, is renowned for attracting some of the biggest and best events to Cardiff thanks to its city-centre location, fully retractable roof and removable pitch.

Millennium Stadium General Manager Gerry Toms said: “The Speedway Grand Prix is a fantastic occasion and I’m thrilled to welcome the organisers back to Cardiff for the 11^thconsecutive world championship.

“While the Millennium Stadium boasts a fantastic reputation as a multi-event venue, it never fails to impress me how efficiently we can transform the stadium ‘bowl’ in conjunction with the biggest and best event organisers from all over the world.

“In just three weeks of this month, the stadium will have played host to some of the best rugby action, live music and motor sports in the world. And of course, with the Wales’ summer internationals games against England and Argentina in August, we will be bringing our pitch back to the home of Welsh sport next week.”

Paul Bellamy, Managing Director of event promoters BSI Speedway commented: “It’s a great achievement by Ole Olsen and his team that we are able to build temporary tracks in stadiums throughout Europe that are not used to running speedway on a regular basis.

“These tracks are now widely recognised by the riders as being some of the best tracks they perform on and I am looking forward to another bumper crowd on Saturday watching a true World Championship motorsport event.

“The city will certainly know speedway has arrived on Saturday afternoon, with the Fanzone in St Mary’s Street as well as performances throughout the afternoon from the ‘Globe of Death’ motorcycle stunt team outside Gate 3 at the Millennium Stadium.  Stacey Solomon then kicks-off the in-stadium entertainment around 16:20 and, with the event starting at 17:00, it is an action packed afternoon and great entertainment for the whole family.”

Tickets are still available from £29 for adults and £18 for children under 16 via the ticket hotline 0844 277 7888 and at the Millennium Stadium website: www.millenniumstadium.com A family pass (2 adults and 2 children) can be purchased for £90.

All ticket collections will be from the Millennium Stadium’s Cardiff Arms Cafe Bar at 8 Westgate Street, where fans can also enjoy the new Speedway Menu, from 10am until 5pm on Friday and Saturday.

With only weeks to go until Take That tour together as a five-piece for the first time since 1995, the band announced that the successful pop duo will be their very special guests for the spectacular live shows that celebrate their biggest hits from the last two decades.

Robbie commented: “I’m a huge Pet Shop Boys fan so for me it will be an absolute joy to be able to watch them every night.”

Jason added, “I’m flattered and very happy they’ve agreed to do it. They’re so talented; I thought they’d be above it and us.”

“Pet Shop Boys was the first CD I ever bought” said Gary. “I’ve followed their whole career and always loved their unique approach to records and live performance. That combined with two lovely people means we’re in for a great tour.”

Pet Shop Boys are the most successful duo in UK music history, having sold 50 million records. With classic hits such as ‘West End girls’, ‘It’s a sin’, “Go West” and, more recently, ‘Love etc.’, they have crafted a unique and hugely influential sound which has seen them achieve seven platinum, two gold and four silver albums in the UK alone. In 2009 they won the “Outstanding Contribution To Music” award at the Brit Awards. Their ballet, The Most Incredible Thing, recently completed a sold-out, two-week season at Sadler’s Wells in London.

Pet Shop Boys said: “We are delighted to accept Take That’s invitation to be part of their Progress show and tour which is undoubtedly going to be one of the most exciting events of 2011. We look forward to every night being a huge celebration of pop music.”

The Millennium Stadium scooped a double date with Take That following exceptional demand for tickets and record hospitality sales at the iconic venue.

General Manager Gerry Toms commented: “There is already a huge buzz around the Take That concerts in Cardiff and I’m sure all pop music fans with tickets to the shows will be thrilled that Pet Shop Boys have been added to the bill.”

“This promises to be a spectacular show, Take That and Robbie Williams have each raised the roof at the Millennium Stadium in the past but this show sees them return for the biggest ever reunion tour charting two decades of pop.

“The demand for tickets has been awesome and we’re all looking forward to the two hugely-anticipated dates in June.”  

Pet Shop Boys 40-minute set will include highlights of their recent Pandemonium tour which was designed by Es Devlin who is part of the creative team working on the Progress Live 2011 tour.

Progress Live 2011 presented by Samsung kicks off at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on May 27th, then heads to The City of Manchester Stadium, Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, Dublin Croke Park, Glasgow Hampden Park, Birmingham Villa Park and finishes in the UK with a record breaking eight shows at London’s Wembley Stadium. Pet Shop Boys will also join Take That for the subsequent European leg of the tour.

Take That’s Progress Live 2011 tour became the biggest tour in UK and Irish history when a record breaking 1.34 million tickets were snapped up in less than 24 hours of going on sale.  The band smashed their previous box office record set in 2008 with The Circus Live Tour more than doubling their own record for sales in a single day.  850,000 tickets went on sale at 9am on October 29, 2010 and throughout the day the band added a further 11 dates to the tour to cope with demand.

Between them, Take That and Robbie Williams have sold over 80 million albums, had 14 number one albums, 18 number one singles, played to over 14.5 million people live, won 20 BRIT Awards, eight MTV awards and five Ivor Novello awards; and the list goes on.

Progress Live 2011 Presented by Samsung full Tour Dates
Friday 27 May 2011                Sunderland Stadium of Light               SOLD OUT
Saturday 28 May 2011            Sunderland Stadium of Light               SOLD OUT
Monday 30 May 2011             Sunderland Stadium of Light               SOLD OUT
Tuesday 31 May 2011 Sunderland Stadium of Light                           SOLD OUT
Friday 3 June 2011                  City of Manchester Stadium                SOLD OUT
Saturday 4 June 2011              City of Manchester Stadium                SOLD OUT
Sunday 5 June 2011                City of Manchester Stadium                SOLD OUT
Tuesday 7 June 2011               City of Manchester Stadium                SOLD OUT
Wednesday 8 June 2011          City of Manchester Stadium                SOLD OUT
Friday 10 June 2011                City of Manchester Stadium                SOLD OUT
Saturday 11 June 2011            City of Manchester Stadium                SOLD OUT
Sunday 12 June 2011              City of Manchester Stadium                SOLD OUT
Tuesday 14 June 2011             Cardiff Millennium Stadium                SOLD OUT
Wednesday 15 June                 Cardiff Millennium Stadium                SOLD OUT
Wednesday 22 June 2011        Glasgow Hampden Park                      SOLD OUT
Thursday 23 June 2011           Glasgow Hampden Park                      SOLD OUT
Friday 24 June                         Glasgow Hampden Park                      SOLD OUT
Monday 27 June 2011 Birmingham Villa Park                                    SOLD OUT
Tuesday 28 June                      Birmingham Villa Park                        SOLD OUT
Thursday 30 June 2011           Wembley Stadium                               SOLD OUT
Friday 1 July 2011                   Wembley Stadium                               SOLD OUT
Saturday 2 July 2011               Wembley Stadium                               SOLD OUT
Monday 4 July 2011                Wembley Stadium                               SOLD OUT
Tuesday 5 July 2011               Wembley Stadium                               SOLD OUT
Wednesday 6 July 2011          Wembley Stadium                               SOLD OUT
Friday 8 July 2011                   Wembley Stadium                               SOLD OUT
Saturday 9 July 2011               Wembley Stadium                               SOLD OUT