Tennis fever hits the Hayes

Posted by Now Cardiff on Jul 5, 2011

Last weekend marked the end of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships and with the final tournaments played over Saturday and Sunday (2 July and 3 July) it was set to be an action packed finale for tennis fans.

Novak Djokovic celebrated his first Wimbledon title after beating Rafael Nadal in an exciting centre court clash and in the women’s final Petra Kvitova kept her cool to beat Maria Sharapova.

As the world’s greatest tennis players compete in London, live coverage was aired on the BBC big screen situated in the Hayes.

The screen is positioned next to St David’s Hall, so shoppers and sports enthusiasts didn’t have to miss a minute of the action.

The event was supported by Sport.Cardiff and in addition to the live coverage there were free activities on offer throughout the day.

A local tennis professional was on hand to give top tips and skills to members of the public and visitors to the event were able to take to the court and challenge a John McEnroe impersonator.

The celebrations took place on two astro turf pitches equipped with umpire, and tiered seating was erected so that visitors could imagine they were watching the action from centre court.

Before the live finals commenced footage from some of the greatest finals of the past were screened, including highlights from the 2008 Nadal v Federer match, Virginia Wade and Bettie Stove in 1977, and the thrilling Men’s Final played on People’s Monday in 2001 by Ivanesevic and Rafter.

Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nigel Howells said: “To have live coverage of Wimbledon aired on the BBC big screen means that people of all ages can enjoy first class tennis competition.

“Sport.Cardiff’s support of the event furthered the atmosphere in the city centre and gave people the opportunity to try out tennis for themselves.”

Community Fun Day planned for Gabalfa and Mynachdy

Posted by Now Cardiff on Jul 5, 2011

A free community fun day is planned for this Saturday (July 9) at Lydstep Park between 11am and 3pm.

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.”

Cardiff International Food & Drink Festival

Posted by Now Cardiff on Jun 30, 2011

Olive oil fresh from rural Italy; produce from twin city Stuttgart; award-winning cured and smoked charcuterie delicacies from rural Monmouthshire*; cockles, mussels and laver bread from the Gower; gourmet exotic pies from the legendary Pieminister; and award-winning homemade chocolate brownies are just some of the delights across the weekend of July 8-10 with the return of the ever-popular Cardiff International Food & Drink Festival to the capital’s scenic waterfront.

Over 100 food producers from Wales, England, Scotland, France, Germany, Spain and Italy will fill Roald Dahl Plass and around the waterfront for the many thousands of visiting foodies. There will be new features such as the food demonstrations from some of the leading culinary lights in Cardiff in the John Lewis Food Theatre.

Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr. Nigel Howells said: “The Cardiff International Food and Drink Festival is one of the most popular attractions in our summer-long Cardiff Festival, creating a fantastic atmosphere in a tented village that entices food lovers from the city and much further afield to this ideal setting overlooking the waters of Cardiff Bay.”

The John Lewis food Theatre features hands-on workshops, including those aimed at young culinary talent, and live food demonstrations from TV chef Angela Gray and some of Cardiff’s leading chefs who regularly spoil us at restaurants such as the new Crown Social in the Parc Thistle, the Park Plaza, and Jamie’s Italian.

Cardiff Bay offers the best locations to relax and enjoy the show. There’s the Food Piazza on the terrace in front of the WMC, a popular Champagne Bar right down on the water’s edge, and the Pimm’s Bar on the terrace of the newly refurbished Norwegian Church Arts Centre where you can watch the sun go down There are also wine tasting seminars going on here throughout Saturday and Sunday.

There is also a Craft Fayre and Farmer’s Market with a wide selection of Welsh and international goodies to chose from so you can even assemble your own picnic, accompanied by the views over the water.

The atmosphere is enhanced by a weekend-long programme of live music on the bandstand, and a variety of entertaining and interactive street theatre.

The Cardiff International Food & Drink Festival is mainly funded by the Welsh Government and represents a collaboration between Cardiff Council and Cardiff Harbour Authority, and a variety of local businesses.

The festival endorses Cardiff’s culinary credentials, with the Cardiff Harbour Festival including the British Fish Craft Championships to look forward to over August Bank Holiday, and the Great British Cheese Festival returning to Cardiff Festival over September 24-25.

The event is a staple of the summer’s Cardiff Festival, now in its 26th year and reflecting a broad and diverse range of colourful entertainment, largely free to enter and stretching over the summer holidays.

Cardiff Central Libary does a rumba

Posted by Now Cardiff on Jun 21, 2011

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.”

Millennium Stadium gets dirty for Speedway Grand Prix final

Posted by Now Cardiff on Jun 20, 2011

Up to 150 trucks piled high with shale have started to arrive at the Millennium Stadium in preparation for the 11^thconsecutive FIM Doodson British Speedway Grand Prix at Cardiff’s multi-event venue on Saturday, 25 June.

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.