Nice and treesy does it

Below is my “Big Day Out” column from the Saturday, December 17, 2011, Swansea edition of the South Wales Evening Post.

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Nice and treesy does it

A big day out!

RICHARD THOMAS heads to Gower Fresh Christmas Trees

in Swansea.

WHY? At Gower Fresh Christmas Trees at Three Crosses you can shop for the perfect fresh cut tree this Christmas while the children visit Santa at Winter Wonderland and see Wales’ largest reindeer herd as well as guinea pigs and other animals.
WHAT’S THE BUZZ? There are a huge selection of trees to choose from at Poundffald Farm this Christmas. This year is their biggest crop yet, including every type of tree from Norway Spruce to the Noble Fir. What really sets the farm apart from other Christmas tree retailers, though, is their outstanding Winter Wonderland exhibits where you can come and meet Santa and his friendly, mostly, reindeer as they prepare for Christmas this year.

LOOK OUT FOR? In Winter Wonderland their Arctic display includes penguins, polar bears and seals. There are also singing Santa's and you can even have your photo taken in Santa's sleigh or visit Father Christmas himself in his grotto. New this year is a life size 12 piece nativity display with baby Jesus, Mary, the three wise men, and shepherds. They also have a shop full of all types of Christmas items to purchase.
ANY HISTORY? Gower Fresh Christmas Trees was set up eight years ago by Poundffald Farm owner and fifth generation farmer Robert Morgan. What began as a concrete slab and a small number of Christmas trees soon became the largest grower in South Wales with over 250,000 trees for sale. Robert added the Christmas grotto five years ago to add some more Christmas cheer to the farm and to give children something to enjoy while adults are busy scouting for this year’s Christmas tree.
WHAT TO TAKE? Christmas trees cost between £4 and £6.50 for non drops and £2 and £4 for spruce. Trees that are eight foot plus are more expensive. Decorations, gifts and tree stands are all for sale in the Christmas Shop. To visit Winter Wonderland and see Santa in his grotto costs £5.50 per child but is just £2.50 each for adults.
WHEN TO GO? Gower Fresh Christmas Trees is open 9.30am to 7pm on weekdays and 9.30am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. Their Christmas attraction Winter Wonderland is open at the same times as the tree site. Children can visit Father Christmas in his grotto all day until 3pm on Christmas Eve.
TELL ME MORE: The tree site and Christmas grotto is located at Poundffald Farm in Three Crosses, Swansea, just five minutes from Junction 47. For sat nav users their postcode is SA4 3PB. Christmas trees can also be bought from their other retail sites at Penllergaer Woods Forestry Commission, Gnool Country Park in Neath and Afan Argoed Park in Port Talbot.
For more information go to www.gower-fresh-christmas-trees.com or phone 07811 949239.

Find the perfect gift

Below is my “Big Day Out” column from the Saturday, December 10, 2011, Swansea edition of the South Wales Evening Post.

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Find the perfect gift

A big day out!

RICHARD THOMAS heads to

the Christmas Market in Swansea.

WHY? At the Swansea Christmas Market you’ll find all the ingredients for a perfect Christmas this year, including food, spirits, cheeses and handmade gifts available from Welsh and continental traders.
WHAT’S THE BUZZ? The familiar green wooden chalets have returned again to Oxford Street in Swansea, transforming the city centre into a Christmas Market for the festive season.
With 39 stalls selling everything from glassware and jewellery to perfumes and luxury chocolates, you’ll have no problem finding the perfect Christmas gifts for friends and family. And to keep you entertained while you shop, everyday between 12pm and 2pm school choirs and street dance groups will be performing at the market.
ANY HISTORY? The Christmas Market has been a feature of Oxford Street in the build-up to Christmas for several years now, but there is a much longer history of markets in the city centre.
Swansea Market was re-sited from Castle Square to Oxford Street in 1830, but this market proved too small for the ever expanding Swansea town and plans were made to improve the market. A new purpose built market was opened in 1897 on Oxford Street and for the first time the market was completely enclosed. The new market building’s roof was the largest structure of glass and wrought iron works in the UK at that time.
The current Swansea Market building was opened in 1961 after the original building was devastated by the German Luftwaffe in the Second World War.
WHAT TO TAKE? It is an outside street market with no cover, so bring a rain coat or umbrella with you encase it starts to rain. There are food stalls selling everything from delicious hotdogs to Indian cuisine. Parking is available in the High Street car park for up to four hours anytime after 10am for just £1.
LOOK OUT FOR? Don’t forget to call into Swansea Market. Inside the steel and glass building you will find over a hundred stalls offering a huge selection of traditional Welsh cuisine, as well as cards, flowers, clothes, sweets and other gifts.
Waterfront Wonderland is also nearby where you can enjoy ice skating on the main Admiral Rink and child friendly Rocky's Rink, visit Father Christmas in his Grotto, as well as enjoy the funfair rides like the Miles Hire Giant Wheel.
WHEN TO GO? The Swansea Christmas Market will be doing business until 18 December. Their opening hours are 10am to 6pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sunday. On Wednesday 14 December the market will be open late until 8pm.
TELL ME MORE: The Swansea Christmas Market is located on Oxford Street and Princess Way in the city centre, just outside Swansea Market and Quadrant Shopping Centre. For more information go to www.swanseachristmas.com.

Discover hidden gems

Below is my “Big Day Out” column from the Saturday, December 3, 2011, Swansea edition of the South Wales Evening Post.

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Discover hidden gems

RICHARD THOMAS heads to ….

Swansea Museum’s Collections Centre at Landore.

WHY? Swansea Museum operates over four locations. The Collections Centre is a fascinating place to visit because it houses the museum's reserve collection which include some extraordinary exhibits from Swansea’s industrial and maritime past.
QUIRKY HISTORY? The Collections Centre is housed in an historically important building on the former Hafod/Morfa Copper Works site in Landore, parts of which date back to 1830. In the mid-nineteenth century the Hafod/Morfa copper-smelting complex was the centre of world copper smelting activity. Little evidence remains of this industrial past, however, save for the buildings on this site. Considering the age of the building and the range of the artefacts stored within it, paranormal enthusiasts won’t be surprised to learn that the Collections Centre is alleged to be haunted. One member of staff even told me that while he was working in the storage area he heard “loud whistling” in his hear one night, when no one was around him.
WHAT TO TAKE? Admission is free but don’t forget to bring a camera with you.
LOOK OUT FOR? The former copper rolling shed and warehouse building has been transformed into a public-access store and collections centre. Some of the side rooms now have environmentally controlled storage for sensitive collections, as the building houses the reserve collections of both Swansea Museum and the Maritime and Industrial Museum.
Some of the most popular items in the collection at Landore are the old vehicles like a traveller's van, lorries, a fire engine and also boats. There are even two lifeboats; the Naomi Beatty and the William Gammon.
The William Gammon was gifted to the museum in 1992. She was named in memory of the coxswain of the Mumbles lifeboat, who lost his life along with the other seven crew members on April 23rd, 1947 whilst attempting to rescue the crew of the Samtampa.
The collection from the former Maritime & Industrial Museum in Swansea is also at the Landore site.

WHEN TO GO? Swansea Museum Collections Centre opens to visitors every Wednesday, 10am to 4pm, providing more opportunities to see the reserve and maritime & industrial collections.

TELL ME MORE: The Collections Centre can be found next to the Park and Ride car park, opposite the Liberty Stadium, on the Cross Valley Link Road, Landore, Swansea, SA1 2JT. For more information about exhibitions and events at Swansea Museum you can visit their website at www.swansea.gov.uk/swanseamuseum. You can also phone on 01792 653763.

Winterland full of fun

Below is my “Big Day Out” column from the Saturday, November 26, 2011, Swansea edition of the South Wales Evening Post.

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Winterland full of fun
A big day out!
RICHARD THOMAS heads to …
Waterfront Winterland in Swansea.

 
WHY? There’s lots to look forward to at Waterfront Winterland this Christmas. Swansea’s premier winter attraction features two fantastic ice-skating rinks, as well as a family funfair, Santa’s Grotto, and stalls selling delicious hot food and drinks.
WHAT’S THE BUZZ? For the sixth year running Museum Park in Swansea has been transformed into a Christmas playground and ice-skating park. There are two excellent ice rinks at Waterfront Winterland, the main Admiral Rink and the children friendly Rocky’s Rink, where little ones can get used to ice skating and gain in confidence before moving to the big rink.
For non-skaters there’s lots more to see at the park, including their fantastic family funfair with rides like the Mad Mouse, Snow Storm ride and the nostalgic carousel to enjoy. It is the attraction’s gigantic Ferris wheel that steals the show, however. Standing at 44m, the Miles Hire Giant Wheel is largest touring attraction of its kind in the UK and offers spectacular views of the Swansea Bay area. There are also lots of festive treats, hot chocolate and lots more to warm you up during your visit, which you can enjoy in the undercover spectator area.
ANY HISTORY? The annual festive attraction first opened in 2006 and since then an impressive 536,000 people have visited the park.
WHAT TO TAKE? If you have young children that haven’t been on the ice before then you will need to book tickets for them to use the children’s Rocky's Rink. There is a charge to use both the children’s rink and main ice-skating rink. Monday to Friday until 23 December sessions starting before 5pm only cost £5.50 for all categories. From 24 December, every weekend and all sessions from 5pm their prices are: £7.50 for adults (16 and over), £6.50 for OAPs and students, and £5.50 for children (15 and under) and skaters with a Swansea Passport to Leisure. There are also special promotions for lunchtime and evening skates, including money off a hot chocolate with every ticket purchased for skating sessions between 12pm and 2pm.
LOOK OUT FOR? Last Sunday Father Christmas himself arrived in Swansea to switch on the city’s Christmas lights. The jolly big man led a procession of magical floats, marching bands and festive street entertainers through the city. The annual Christmas Parade made its way from the Dylan Thomas Centre down the Kingsway with hundreds of excited youngsters cheering what they saw. At Waterfront Winterland Children who missed the fun can visit Father Christmas in his Grotto.
Housed in a welcoming wooden chalet, children are greeted by Santa Claus’ elves before meeting Santa and receiving a Christmas present. There is also the chance to have a photo taken with Santa. To see Father Christmas costs £4 per child, and with a photograph it costs £5.
WHEN TO GO? Waterfront Winterland will be open daily until 8 January 2012. Their opening hours are 12pm to 10pm on week days and 10am to 10pm on weekends. Santa’s Grotto is open until 23 December.
TELL ME MORE: Waterfront Winterland is located in Museum Park, Swansea, just outside the LC and the National Waterfront Museum. For more information go to http://www.swanseachristmas.com/ or call on 01792 637300.

Vue some blockbusters

Below is my “Big Day Out” column from the Saturday, November 12, 2011, Swansea edition of the South Wales Evening Post.

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Vue some blockbusters

A big day out!

RICHARD THOMAS heads to ...

the Vue Cinema in Swansea.

WHY? The Vue is a new state-of-the-art cinema in the centre of Swansea. With an impressive 12 screens, the cinema can seat up to 1,762 people and is equipped with all the latest facilities for 21st century filmgoers. These include wall-to-wall screens and digital projectors, enabling film fans to experience all the latest blockbusters in ground breaking 3D animation!
WHAT’S THE BUZZ? Paranormal Activity 3 is now showing at the cinema. The supernatural thriller about a paranormal presence haunting an American family is the third film in the popular horror franchise, but is set 18 years prior to the events of the first two instalments. So you don’t need to have seen the first two films to follow the events of this film. For readers who might have been disappointed by the lack of much actual “paranormal activity” in the previous two films, however, there is a lot more action in this film to make audiences leap out of their seats.
For younger viewers the The Adventures of Tintin, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Doctor Who writer Steven Moffat, has just been released. The film sees the popular Belgian reporter and his friend Captain Haddock set off on a treasure hunt for a sunken ship commanded by Haddock's ancestor. But someone else is in search of the ship.
ANY HISTORY? The Vue only opened in 2006 but there is a long history of film going in Swansea. In 1914 Wales' first purpose built cinema, the Carlton Cinema de Luxe, opened in the city.
Situated on Swansea’s Oxford Street, the Carlton was closed by the Rank Organisation in 1977, and is now home to a Waterstones bookshop.
WHAT TO TAKE? During the weekend tickets cost £7.15 for adults (19 and over) and £5.30 for children (2-12) and £5.65 for teenagers (13-18). Tickets for students with a valid photo ID only cost £6.05. More information about ticket prices and discounts can all be found on the Vue Cinema website.
Completing your cinema experience a wide variety of snacks including popcorn, hot dogs, nachos, sweets and soft drinks are all available at the cinema’s snacks counter. Combos are available to save a little money. The Vue also benefits from a speed bar where you can kick back with a beer before your film starts.
LOOK OUT FOR? 3D versions of both Paranormal Activity 3 and The Adventures of Tintin are available to see at the Vue.
WHEN TO GO? The Vue is open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm. On Sundays the cinema is open from 10am to 4pm.
TELL ME MORE: For sat nav users their address and postcode is: Vue Cinema Swansea, York Street, Swansea, SA1 3LZ. For film start times and to book tickets you can phone on 08712 240 240 or visit the Vue Cinema website at http://www.myvue.com/.

Unearth hidden gems

Below is my “Big Day Out” column from the Saturday, November 5, 2011, Swansea edition of the South Wales Evening Post.

 

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Unearth hidden gems

RICHARD THOMAS heads to ….

Swansea Museum’s Collections Centre at Landore.

WHY? Swansea Museum operates over four locations. The Collections Centre is a fascinating place to visit because it houses the museum's reserve collection which include some extraordinary exhibits from Swansea’s industrial and maritime past.
QUIRKY HISTORY? The Collections Centre is housed in an historically important building on the former Hafod/Morfa Copper Works site in Landore, parts of which date back to 1830. In the mid-nineteenth century the Hafod/Morfa copper-smelting complex was the centre of world copper smelting activity. Little evidence remains of this industrial past, however, save for the buildings on this site. Considering the age of the building and the range of the artefacts stored within it, paranormal enthusiasts won’t be surprised to learn that the Collections Centre is alleged to be haunted. One member of staff even told me that while he was working in the storage area he heard “loud whistling” in his hear one night, when no one was around him.
WHAT TO TAKE? Admission is free but don’t forget to bring a camera with you.
LOOK OUT FOR? The former copper rolling shed and warehouse building has been transformed into a public-access store and collections centre. Some of the side rooms now have environmentally controlled storage for sensitive collections, as the building houses the reserve collections of both Swansea Museum and the Maritime and Industrial Museum.
Some of the most popular items in the collection at Landore are the old vehicles like a traveller's van, lorries, a fire engine and also boats. There are even two lifeboats; the Naomi Beatty and the William Gammon.
The William Gammon was gifted to the museum in 1992. She was named in memory of the coxswain of the Mumbles lifeboat, who lost his life along with the other seven crew members on April 23rd, 1947 whilst attempting to rescue the crew of the Samtampa.
The collection from the former Maritime & Industrial Museum in Swansea is also at the Landore site.

WHEN TO GO? Swansea Museum Collections Centre opens to visitors every Wednesday, 10am to 4pm, providing more opportunities to see the reserve and maritime & industrial collections.

TELL ME MORE: The Collections Centre can be found next to the Park and Ride car park, opposite the Liberty Stadium, on the Cross Valley Link Road, Landore, Swansea, SA1 2JT. For more information about exhibitions and events at Swansea Museum you can visit their website at www.swansea.gov.uk/swanseamuseum. You can also phone on 01792 653763.