What a bright spark

Below is my “Big Day Out” column from the Saturday, October 29, 2011, Swansea edition of the South Wales Evening Post.

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What a bright spark

A big day out!

RICHARD THOMAS heads to the Sparks In The Dark fireworks display in Swansea.

WHY? Sparks In The Dark is Swansea's largest fireworks display. Thousands of people turn up to enjoy the annual fireworks extravaganza at St Helen's Rugby Ground in Swansea every year. The event also includes a large circus skills workshop, where peope have the opportunity to have a go at juggling, stilt-walking and unicycling.

WHAT’S THE BUZZ? Historically November 5 is associated with fireworks and the famous Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament on that day in 1605. But this year Swansea Council is throwing tradition on the bonfire by holding its annual Sparks in the Dark fireworks display at St Helen’s Rugby and Cricket Ground on Friday November 4 instead. The decision to bring the fireworks display forward by 24 hours was made in order to avoid any conflict with the Ospreys versus Scarlets rugby match taking place at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday November 5.
ANY HISTORY? On November 5, 1605, Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was caught guarding explosives placed beneath the House of Lords and arrested. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London, and months later the introduction of the Observance of 5th November Act enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot's failure.
WHAT TO TAKE? Advanced tickets are priced at £15 for families (2 adults and up to 3 children), £4.50 standard, £3.50 concessions and £3 Passport to Leisure. Tickets purchased on the night are £20 for families (2 adults and up to 3 children), £5.50 standard, £4.50 concessions and £3.50 Passport to Leisure. Accompanied Under 3s go free. Candy floss, hotdogs, burgers as well as glow sticks and other glow in the dark toys will all be available to buy on the night.
LOOK OUT FOR? The show will see Swansea Bay light up with a spectacular fireworks display and The Wave and Swansea Sound will be on stage with live music, special guests and entertainment throughout the night. Fire jugglers and children's entertainers will also be at St Helen's to provide pre-fireworks fun on the night.
WHEN TO GO? Gates for fireworks extravaganza open on Friday November 4 at 5.30pm with entertainment starting at 6pm. The evening will finish with a spectacular fireworks display choreographed to music at 7.30pm.
TELL ME MORE: The fireworks display will be held at St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. For sat nav users the address and postcode is: 1 Bryn Road, Brynmill, Swansea, SA2 0AR. Tickets can be purchased online at www.swansea.gov.uk/fireworks or by calling Swansea Tourist Information Centre on 01792 468321. Alternatively, tickets can be purchased in person from a number of venues including Swansea Tourist Information Centre, Mumbles Tourist Information Centre, Swansea Civic Centre and any Active Swansea Leisure Centre. Tickets can also be purchased in person on the night on the gates at St Helen's Ground.

Centre offers so much

Below is my “Big Day Out” column from the Saturday, October 22, 2011, Swansea edition of the South Wales Evening Post.

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Centre offers so much
A big day out!
RICHARD THOMAS heads to ...
The Taliesin Arts Centre in Swansea.

WHY?
The Taliesin Arts Centre is a very popular venue presenting a wide variety of performances and exhibitions. Open throughout the year the centre host a broad programme of events including cinema screenings and a wide variety of live performances. With a programme ranging from children's events to opera, there's something to suit all tastes.

WHAT’S THE BUZZ?
The Taliesin hold over 50 live performances per year. With Halloween just around the corner, on October 20 and 22 the Volcano Theatre Company will be performing a production of Anthony Burgess' dystopian novel made infamous by Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film adaptation, A Clockwork Orange. Then on November 4, six piece ensemble HarmonieBand perform Paul Robinson’s new score for Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror durring a screening of F. W. Murnau's classic vampire film. The 1922 German Expressionist horror film starring Max Schreck, whose surname appropriately translates to terror, was the first film version of Dracula.

ANY HISTORY?
The Taliesin first opened in 1984 and is named after the 6th century Celtic bard or poet of the same name. According to legend Taliesin sung at the court of King Arthur and other British kings.

WHAT TO TAKE?
Tickets for A Clockwork Orange cost £18 for adults and £10 for under 18s, full time students and senior citizens. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror tickets cost £8 full price and only £6 for under 18s and other concessions. More information about ticket prices can be found on the Taliesin website.

LOOK OUT FOR?
The Ceri Richards Gallery inside the Taliesin hosts regular touring exhibitions and stocks an excellent range of greetings cards as well as jewellery, ceramics and other craft items.

The Taliesin also houses the Egypt Centre, a museum of Egyptian antiquities. There are over 4500 items in the collection. Egypt Centre staff have published over 100 online pages concerning individual items, which you can find on the Egypt Centre website at ww.swan.ac.uk/egypt.The funerary items on display in the House of Death are one highlight. These include amulets, shrouds, statues, coffins and fragments of coffins, and even canopic jars, which were used by the Ancient Egyptians to store and preserve the internal organs of the deceased for their journey through the afterlife.

WHEN TO GO?
The Taliesin is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. On Saturdays the centre is open 10am to 1pm and 1.30pm to 4pm. The box office remains open until 8pm on performance evenings. Unless otherwise stated screenings begin at 7.30pm. More information about event times and dates can be found on theirthe Taliesin website. Just go to www.taliesinartscentre.co.uk and click "diary".

TELL ME MORE
The Taliesin Arts Centre can be found on the campus of Swansea University at Singleton Park. For sat nav users their address and postcode is: Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PZ. For more information and to book tickets call 01792 602060.

A grand place to visit

Below is my “Big Day Out” column from the Saturday, October 15, 2011, Swansea edition of the South Wales Evening Post.

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A grand place to visit
A big day out!

RICHARD THOMAS heads to …

The Grand Theatre in Swansea.

WHY?
The Grand Theatre in Swansea has a 1,000-seat auditorium and hosts a wide variety of shows and exhibitions for everyone to enjoy.
WHAT’S THE BUZZ?
There’s lots to look forward to at The Grand this Autumn. From October 20 to 22 the Multi award winning Sell a Door Theatre Company celebrate the centenary of author William Golding with a 2011 revival of his classic tale of morality vs. immorality, the Lord of the Flies. And on October 25 you can enjoy an evening with the UK’s most famous TV Spirit Medium Derek Acorah.
ANY HISTORY?
Since 1897, Swansea's Grand Theatre has been providing the public with a broad range of cultural, artistic and general entertainment events. The Grand Theatre was designed by the architect William Hope of Newcastle in 1897. It was built by D. Jenkins and was opened by Madam Adelina Patti - an Opera Diva of her day - under the original proprietors Morell and Mouillot.
The Swansea Corporation leased the building in May 1969 and bought it outright in 1979. The Theatre was then refurbished and updated during the period 1983 - 1987 at a cost of £6.5 million. A further £1 million was spent for the Arts Wing to open its doors for the first time in 1999.
Over the last twenty years, the fabric of "The Grand" has been improved and enhanced considerably, thanks to the support of the former Swansea Corporation, Swansea City Council and more recently the City and County of Swansea. However, none of the theatre's unique identity has suffered as a result of this improvement and today's Grand is as full of charm and atmosphere as was the case when the theatre first opened its doors all those years ago.
WHAT TO TAKE?
Morning tea and coffee, lunchtime specials and pre-show dinners are available in the theatre’s Footlights Café Bar. Located in the theatre’s delightful garden area it's the perfect setting to meet with friends for a drink or a light meal. The menu includes fresh Italian coffees, a variety of teas, sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, pasties, cold drinks and fresh pastries.
Information about ticket prices can be found in the Autumn Brochure, which can be downloaded at www.swanseagrand.co.uk.
LOOK OUT FOR?
The Arts Wing is the most recent development at The Grand and adds almost 2000 square metres of extra space to the theatre. The contemporary space holds exhibitions, conferences and smaller-scale music and drama performances including lunchtime theatre on the last Saturday of each month and a regular comedy club featuring acts on the comedy circuit. On the top floor there is also the Rooftop Café, Restaurant and Bar with it's own terrace, affording unique views of Swansea.
WHEN TO GO?
The Grand is open Monday to Saturday between 9.30am to 8pm, on non performance days they close at 6pm. On Sundays the theatre is open for one hour before performances.
TELL ME MORE
The Grand is situated in the heart of Swansea’s city centre on Singleton Street. For sat nav users their postcode is SA1 3QJ. To book your tickets call the Box Office on 01792 475715.

Make a splash at LC

Below is my “Big Day Out” column from the Saturday, October 8, 2011, Swansea edition of the South Wales Evening Post.
 

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Make a splash at LC

A big day out!
RICHARD THOMAS heads to ... LC in Swansea.

 
WHY? Located on the main Oystermouth Road adjacent to the National Waterfront Museum, the LC is Swansea’s premiere leisure complex offering entertainment
and adventure for the whole family.
WHAT’S THE BUZZ? The LC is the most visited paid attraction in the whole of Wales and with so many different activities to choose from it’s easy to see why. You can make waves in their fantastic family-orientated waterpark that features an exciting network of pools, rides and slides, including the much loved wave pool! Or, if you prefer to stay dry, you can put your nerve to the test on the 30 foot climbing wall, the perfect place to experience the excitement and challenges of rock climbing! There’s also a sports hall where you can play games and a state-of-the-art fitness centre, as well as a luxurious spa to relax in, and even an interactive play area for the kids.
ANY HISTORY? Opened by the Queen during her silver jubilee celebrations in 1977, the original Swansea Leisure Centre featured modern and groundbreaking facilities, such as the first wave machine to be installed in a leisure centre in Wales. It became one of Wales' top leisure facilities and a substantial tourist attraction. At its peak it attracted more than 800,000 visitors annually. The Swansea Leisure Centre was closed, however, in 2003, which resulted in the loss of a major wet weather visitor attraction and a major facility in which families and people of all ages could enjoy a range of recreational activities. Following a review of the options available to them, Swansea Council decided that the refurbishment of the Leisure Centre was the most effective option and work soon progressed in developing the site into a 21st century leisure complex. Rebranded the LC, the refurbished facility was officially reopened by the Queen in 2008.
LOOK OUT FOR? The LC’s Indoor Surf Experience, offering all the fun and excitement of catching a wave, in a safe and controlled environment, has to be highlight. As is the waterpark’s very own white knuckle roller-coaster style ride the Master Blaster!
WHAT TO TAKE? If you want to visit the waterpark tickets cost £7 per adult but children (under 3-years old) can swim for free, and if you prebook on the LC website or by telephoning (See TELL ME MORE) you can jump the queues! You’ll need to bring a towel and swimming trunks/bather with you. And children who are not confident swimmers yet should wear arm bands. But if you do forget to bring these with you, or are missing something, don’t worry because goggles, swim wear, towels, arm bands and other pool accessories can all be bought from the LC Shop based in the main reception area. Food is available to buy in the LC Coffee Shop.
WHEN TO GO? The LC is open 6.30am to 10pm Monday to Friday. The waterpark opening times are 4pm to 9pm during Term Time and 9am to 8pm on Weekends and during School and Bank Holidays.
TELL ME MORE More information about ticket prices and opening times, etc. can all be found on the LC website at www.thelcswansea.co.uk.
You can contact the LC at the following address: LC, Oystermouth Road, Swansea SA1 3ST. You can also telephone on 01792 484672 or Email at enquires@the-lc.co.uk.