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Businesses from across south east Wales came together at the first Newport Coffee Festival as baristas made their flat whites, lattes and cappuccinos using milk from Monmouthshire.

The coffee festival was held at Newport Indoor Market and was organised by the city’s Horton’s Coffee House.

Rogue Fox, another coffee house in the city centre, was there to show off its coffee and roasters including Clifton Coffee, Welsh Coffee, Manumit and Uncommon Ground were also at the event.

Food producers from across the region also had stalls at the festival, which attracted hundreds of people to the gallery space at the market. They included Abergavenny’s Angel Bakery, Newport’s Carrot Top bakery and Ebbw Vale’s Clams Handmade Cakes.

Privately-owned Mead Farm Foods, which has its dairy at Redwick, near Magor, provided all the milk for the festival free of charge.

The dairy is run by husband and wife dairy farmers Lawrence and Izabela Hembrow. It provided some 600 litres of fresh milk straight from the 190-acre farm.

Izabela said: “The festival was great fun and useful for Mead Farm Foods as an independent business to get to know cafe owners, coffee roasters and baristas and customers.

“It was very well attended throughout the day. It’s certainly something we’ll be looking to build on going forward.”

Izabela said Mead Farm Foods provided the equivalent of 20 cows worth of free milk to the festival for baristas to use as they please during the day.

“Milk is one of three main ingredients in white coffees apart from water and good coffee beans but it’s forgotten sometimes. The ‘fair trade coffee beans’ term is used a lot as a marketing point in coffee industry but not necessarily ‘fair trade milk’.

Festival organiser Gavin Horton, owner of Horton’s Coffee House, at Millennium Walk, Newport, compered the event and was in charge for the fiercely contested flat white time challenge.

Gavin said: “Newport has become a hub for independent coffee shop with each one offering something different, from specialty coffee to home roasted beans in store.”

The festival sponsors included: Mead Farm Foods, Global Brands, Project Waterfall, Experience Bar, Hortons Coffee House, Clifton Coffee, Newport Now and Best Water Technology.

All proceeds from the festival will be going to Project Waterfall which supplies clean water to coffee growing communities.

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Mamhilad Park Estate in Pontypool threw open its gates to host its first charity classic car show.

Motor car mad Charlotte Gould manned the gates and welcomed almost 200 classic cars and hundreds of ‘petrol heads’ to the first Motors @Mamhilad event.

Charlotte, aged 11, officially opened the car show and family fun day on Saturday, which was being held in aid of Nevill Hall Children’s Centre Umbrella Appeal Charity.

Charlotte, from Pontypool, who has attended the centre in Abergavenny since she was a baby, said: “Seeing all these fantastic cars has been brilliant. There are so many it’s difficult to choose my favourite.”

James Crawford, chief executive of Johnsey Estates, which owns and runs Mamhilad Park Estate, said: “We have acres of parkland and car parking here which we were delighted to offer for use by the Umbrella Appeal Charity to use for their car show. I’d like to congratulate the organisers on their success, which is a testament to all their hard work. We hope that this will be the first of many such events in the future.”

Dad Matt, chairman of the Umbrella Appeal and who gathered fellow ‘petrol heads’ together to organise the event, said: “There was a fabulous mix of cars of all makes and genres. Car people are really special people and they have done us really proud by coming out and supporting this event.

“We can’t thank Johnsey Estates enough for allowing us to use Mamhilad Park Estate to stage this event. They have been fantastic especially as we had to re arrange the original event due to the bad weather.”

The Nevill Hall Children’s Centre Umbrella Appeal raises funds to provide enhanced services for the families and children who use the centre. Workshops, children’s parties and warm water swimming sessions are but a few of the activities provided to enable children with additional needs to enjoy the same activities as their peers.

In addition to the selection of cars, including Aston Martins, TVRs, a Honda NSX, Rolls Royce, E-Type Jaguars and 50s favourite the Austin A30, on show there were bouncy castles, face painting and games for the family to enjoy.

Alzheimer’s Society has opened its new regional headquarters at Mamhilad Park Estate, near Pontypool.

The open-plan offices, totalling 3,400 sq ft, were officially opened by Lynne Neagle AM, the Welsh Assembly member for Torfaen.

This is the latest letting at the business park, which has seen employment numbers grow to more than 1,600 jobs across the estate in the last three years.

Kerry Phelps, Alzheimer’s Society’s operations manager for Gwent, said: “This new, central facility is ideal for us as it offers scope for expansion, particularly in relation to the implementation and development of Alzheimer’s Society’s 2017-22 strategy, The New Deal on Dementia.

“We had five offices – one in each local authority area (Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Torfaen and Newport) This is a consolidation of all five, bringing the whole team together from across the locality.

“We have 55 workers based at the new site in total although many are out working in the community so there are 40 desks available to use.

“A central base will encourage more collaborative working, unifying the whole locality team across a number of services.

“We will be in a much better position to develop opportunities for and enable improved cross directorate partnerships. This will help to raise our profile and connect with other partners, internally and externally.”

The new office space was refurbished by Johnsey Estates, which owns Mamhilad Park Estate, on budget and on time.

Kerry said: “Johnsey Estates and its Mamhilad Park Estate team have been fantastic. They have been so accommodating, accessible and reactive to all requests and queries.

“The service has been faultless and everyone has been so supportive and approachable which has been invaluable when coordinating such a large scale move.

“I really can’t thank the whole team enough for everything they have done to enable this move to happen, on budget and on time!”

James Crawford, CEO of Johnsey Estates, said: “I am very pleased with the way that this refurbishment has gone, this is our best one yet.

“The in-house Mamhilad Park Estate team did a marvellous job in creating the new space and managed to deliver it on time and to specification by working as an efficient team during unsocial hours to reduce the impact of the work on existing occupiers in the building.

“I am also glad that the Alzheimer’s Society are so thrilled with their new office space and all the facilities included within it and the rest of the Estate.”

A FUNDRAISING event in aid of three cancer and hospice charities attracted more than 320 supporters, raising more than £20,000.

Organised by three Gwent cancer patient friends from Pontymister, the24 mile bike ride set off from St David’s Hospice Care, Malpas today.

A two-and-a-half mile walk saw some 170 people cover the distance from University Hospital to Velindre.

Gary Bosher, 63, John Vowles, 74 and Jason Bennett, 47, organised the event in aid St David’s Hospice Care, Velindre Hospital and Bloodwise.

The trio smashed their £8,000 target with the total now standing at more than £20,000.

Mr Bosher was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic and abdominal cancer a couple of months ago and is currently undergoing chemotherapy at Velindre Cancer Hospital, Cardiff.

Mr Bennett was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia last year and is recovering from a recent bone marrow transplant undertaken at The University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.

Mr Vowles has undergone chemotherapy at Velindre Cancer Hospital to treat his pancreatic and liver cancer.

Gareth Bosher, son of co-organiser Gary, said: “The trio’s families say the three have been inspirational during treatment and with the arranging of this event.

“Gary, John and Jason’s families have been incredibly supportive of these men during some very challenging times and are so proud of their fight against cancer.”

Emma Saysell, chief executive of St David’s Hospice Care said: “ Gary, Jason and John have shown guts and determination to arrange this event which has been so marvellously supported by everyone on the day and though their wonderful donations.”

Western Power Distribution has become the latest business to show its support for a Newport-based charity by signing as the newest sponsor of the Portstock 2018 music festival.

The first Portstock, a ‘family friendly’ festival, will be held in Tredegar Park on Saturday, August 18. It will raise funds for Newport-based St David’s Hospice Care.

The festival will feature a number of acts including Blackwood headliners Into the Ark (runners-up in ITV’s ‘The Voice UK’), Big Mac’s Wholly Soul Band, The Ed Sheeran Encounter, Barracwda, The Apple Tree Theory, The Sisterhood, Russell Jones Jnr and The Dhol Foundation.

WPD’s Karen Welch said: “We are a strong supporter of St David’s Hospice Care and the wonderful work it does in the community. Newport is a city with a strong musical history, so it’s very fitting the city will have its own music festival, we are delighted to lend our support to Portstock and wish it every success.

“The announced acts are all great and the event also takes advantage of Newport’s wonderful Tredegar Park. It has the makings of a good day and we are excited to be involved.”

Gemma Sandhu, of St David’s Hospice Care, said: “We were delighted to hear that WPD had signed as one of the main sponsors of Portstock 2018. Their support will help to make this event a real success.”

For further information about the festival and to purchase tickets, search ‘Portstock’ on Facebook or ‘Portstock Festival’ on Twitter or visit www.portstock.co.uk

Enter the code SCHOOLSOUT20 at the checkout to get a 20 per cent discount off all ticket types.

Alternatively call St David’s Hospice care on 01633 851051 or visit stdavidshospicecare.org. If you are interested in sponsoring the event, please get in touch.

A PREMIER League referee is leading a 1,700-mile bike ride from the UK the World Cup finals in Russia to raise money for a Newport-based charity.

St David’s Hospice Care was one of four charities chosen by Martin Atkinson having praised the quality of the Malpas hospice during a recent visit.

The FIFA-listed official, along with four of his friends, is journeying to watch England play Belgium in their group stage tie in Kaliningrad on Thursday.

The Whistle Stop Tour group is expected to arrive at their destination on Wednesday having already raised more than £53,000 of their £60,000 target.

Event organiser Chris Sanders said: “My mother-in-law, June Santini, who lived in Newport, passed away in the hospice seven years ago.

“I decided I wanted to do something to raise money for them to repay the care and kindness she received.

“When Martin mentioned this challenge, I arranged for him to visit the hospice and he was hooked.”

All donations will be split between the charities, which include the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation, the Jane Tomlinson Appeal and the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire Charity.

Mr Sanders has taken on his own fundraising challenge in aid of St David’s Hospice Care, raising £4,000 after walking coast to coast in England with his dog Kai.

 

“Everyone within the group has a story related to one of the charities. Hence the agreement to split the money four ways,” he added.

“It’s a huge commitment and the guys doing the riding needed to be able to support their own charity.

“The locals have been fantastic, everyone has been interested in our story and we have had several cash donations ranging from five euros to 100 euros.”

Gavin Stewart, of St David’s Hospice Care, said: “It was an honour to meet Martin Atkinson in person and we are thrilled that the Whistle Stop Tour group have decided to donate to St David’s Hospice Care as one of the four charities.”

If you would like to donate, visit the group’s fundraising page or text WHISTLE5 to 70500 to donate £5.

MEAD Farm Foods has demonstrated its support for independent coffee businesses by agreeing to provide all the milk for the first Newport Coffee Festival in August.

The Monmouthshire dairy, run by husband and wife dairy farmers Lawrence and Izabela Hembrow, is standing by to provide the festival with some 600 litres of fresh milk straight from their 190-acre farm at Redwick, near Magor.

Izabela said: “I wanted to get involved with the Newport Coffee Festival as soon as I saw it mentioned on social media by organisers Horton’s Coffee House. It’s a perfect fit for Mead Farm Foods and a great opportunity for us to get our home-grown products out to a wider market.

“We expect to have to provide 600 litres for the day which equates to about 20 cows worth of milk.

“We’re pleased to be supporters as both us and the coffee businesses taking part offer sustainable products and to talk about our ‘fair trade’ milk.”

Izabela said: “From my point of view, I see this event as a great opportunity to promote our milk to the audience of speciality coffee makers.

“Milk is one of three main ingredients in white coffees but it’s forgotten sometimes. The ‘fair trade coffee beans’ term is used a lot as a marketing point in coffee industry but not necessarily ‘fair trade milk’.

“I’m personally a big fan of coffee and when purchasing a flat white I can’t resist to ask about it. I heard long stories about the coffee beans and the fact that people harvesting them are paid fair rates. But when it comes to milk, sometimes person behind the counter doesn’t know much about where it comes from and if it’s from sustainable dairy farm.

“Milk should be treated better than it is now, shouldn’t be cheaper than water and the end customer should remember that good quality milk is produced by well looked after animals which drink a lot of water to produce milk.

“There is a lot of ‘cheap’ milk on the market which is not easy to trace and is ‘cheap’ for the reason. Our milk is a free range milk, fair trade and it comes from the Mead Farm where is produced, harvested and bottled.”

Newport Coffee Festival is being held on Saturday, August 11, at Newport Indoor Market. Tickets, which went on sale this week, are £4. Proceeds from ticket sales go to Project Waterfall.

Festival organiser Gavin Horton, owner of Horton’s Coffee House, Newport, said Mead Farm Foods will be providing milk to the coffee roasters and coffee shops taking part on the day.

Gavin said: “We’re delighted to have secured sponsorship in kind from Mead Farm Foods. The milk the farm provides, which we already use in our coffee house, is better for ‘stretching’ and ‘texturing’, these are parts of the heating process that give the milk its micro bubbles and silky feel when drinking a coffee or hot chocolate. Basically semi-skimmed milk from Mead Farm acts like full fat milk from a supermarket.”

This three-bedroom house in Port Talbot is going to auction with a guide price of absolutely nothing.

Yes, that’s right, this property is priceless. Could it really be yours for less than a pint of milk?

Listed as a semi-detached house, although it is unclear where the actual neighbouring house has gone, the home has been subjected to fire damage and will require extensive refurbishment.

Lanleigh Payne, residential property specialist at Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions who are handling the sale, says: “The property has a nil reserve so, depending on the interest at the auction, this house could potentially see a bidder get it for just a few pounds.”

The property company describes the house as located on the corner of the street, and comprising of a sitting room, kitchen, dining room and rear lounge. There are three bedrooms upstairs.

Outside, the property has a driveway and front and rear gardens but, at the moment, no neighbours.

Lanleigh says: “Despite all the recent fire damage and internal dilapidation of this semi-detached house, it is situated in the very popular area of Sandfields in the town and once it has been renovated could make a very desirable three-bedroom home.”

But if you are expecting to purchase a house for the same price as a Latte, you might well be disappointed.

Lanleigh adds: “We have already registered a lot of hits on our website and calls to the office about this property so, despite its sorry state currently, we are expecting keen interest from potential buyers at the auction.”

The priceless property goes under the hammer with Paul Fosh on Thursday, June 14 starting at 5pm at The Park Inn Hotel, Llanedyrn, Cardiff

If you long to relive your special day, then the Wedding Dress Charity Ball is the perfect excuse to dig out the big white dress and the sparkling tiara.

Brides are invited to the ball to have fun and raise money for an important cause at the same time.

The ball, which is being held at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport in September, has been organised by Katharine Skellon in memory of her mother Krystyna.

Katharine and her husband Lyndon came up with the idea for the ball after several guests at their own wedding, and at her sister’s wedding, said they would love to re-live their special day and wear their wedding dresses just one more time.

Katharine, 41, from Abergavenny, had been planning the event with her mother Krystyna before her death in January at the age of 67.

Katharine said her mum was her “best friend” and that they were “inseparable”.

She said: “Mum was supported by St David’s Hospice Care from her diagnosis to her final days. The hospice at home service made it possible for my mum to be at home and that is my main inspiration for fundraising. They provided care, kindness and compassion to my mum and our family that I will never forget.”

Katharine said: “My mum made her own wedding dress in 1971 and we felt that a charity night giving brides the chance to unpack their dresses would be a good way to raise funds for a cause close to our hearts.

“We will always be grateful to the hospice at home nurses who spent five nights at our home with us caring for her. This vital service for patients with life-limiting illnesses enabled her to leave hospital and spend her last days at home, as was her wish. To us, they are angels and there is no doubt that we would not have coped without them.”

On the night, there will be a red carpet, drink on arrival, a three-course dinner, live auction and raffle, a live band and a DJ.

The theme for the event is a big wedding celebration party

But it’s not just an event for brides. Grooms, bridesmaids, mothers of the bride or groom, ushers, best men and wedding guests are all invited too.

Katharine said: “We hope to see brides who would love to wear their dress again and bring their families and friends from their big day.

“There has been a real wedding buzz this year, especially with the Royal Wedding. It would be lovely if the ball falls on the anniversary of a couple and make the night an extra special celebration.”

Skye Lewis, from St David’s Hospice Care, said: “This is a wonderful new idea for an event and it will give people a great opportunity to wear their treasured wedding outfits once again.”

The Wedding Dress Charity Ball will take place on Saturday, September 22 at the Celtic Manor Resort.

Tickets cost £50 per person. For more information, visit www.wdball.com

To help with auction items, raffle prizes or sponsorship, email info@wdball.com

A FORMER community learning centre in Newport could be transformed into an apartment building under plans submitted to the local authority.

The Victorian red-brick building in Charles Street was built around 1900 and first used as a school of art. It was also granted Grade II listed status by Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service.

But the historic building could be converted for residential use to form 19 one and two-bed apartments across the building’s three floors and rear annexe.

“The only viable long-term use for the building was considered to be conversion to self-contained residential accommodation,” it says.

“The proposed scheme will take maximum advantage of the site’s position within this established mixed commercial and residential area to create an attractive and high quality sustainable development within the confines of the existing listed building.

“The proposal is considered to both conserve and enhance the site, ensuring the future of this Grade II listed building.”

The report adds that the use of a brownfield site would “alleviate the current pressure place on greenfield sites”.

The scheme aims to retain the character and appearance of the building, including its main hall and lecture hall, with the only external alterations being the fitting of rooflights.

Refurbishments include the removal of the modern stairlift and spiral staircase, while renovating the main hall to its “original form and appearance”.

Each of the planned apartments would have an open-plan kitchen, living and dining room, one or two bedrooms and a bathroom.

In total, four studio apartments have been proposed along with 11 one-bed and four two-bed apartments.

Due to the existing staircase leading to the top floor, two of the three one-bed flats could have split-level accommodation with mezzanine floors.

On-site parking will not be provided due to “the absence of any direct vehicular access” onto Charles Street.

In 1990, the then-Newport Borough Council approved the building of an annexe to the rear of the building to be used as an adult training centre.

Found in the Stow Hill area of the city, the building was sold for £250,000 by Paul Fosh Auctions in February last year.