Brecon Beacons Shopping Highlight: The Venison Centre

Beacons Farm Shop @ the Welsh Venison Centre

What: The Welsh Venison Centre  
Passionate about Produce and People.

A local Family run Farm Shop, supplies of home reared meat from beef, lamb, pork and venison. We also supply a wide range of local produce such as pies, cheese, chutneys and preserves. If that isn’t enough, come and see all the fantastic gifts, ranging from our own deer skins rugs to Welsh Slate and local welsh wine, beers and Ciders.

All you need in a one stop destination store, for all of your summer fun BBQ to home family roast and entertaining friends.

Who:

Situated in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park, we are a family run farm shop, established in 1985, supplying local Welsh produce both locally and nationwide.

Where:

Visits the Farm Shop from Monday – Saturday 8.30am – 5pm. Open bank holidays. View the wonderful surroundings and watch the deer graze in the field beside the shop.

Visit our website or follow us on Facebook and twitter. Find us at a number of big events throughout the summer, such as Hay Festival, Royal Welsh Show and the Green man festival.

Information:

When you visit the Farm Shop, we are now serving tea, coffee and cakes and if you are lucky enough to enjoy nice weather, you can sit outside an enjoy an ice-cream or cider. We have a whole range of local produce which you can hand select for a picnic basket to enjoy on a day or to take home.

We now have range of lovely ‘Welsh Slate’ which make a perfect gift. We are supplying the delicious Talgarth Mill bread every Friday and Alex Gooch handmade bread on Saturdays.

Elaine Morgan from the Welsh Venison Centre presented the Queen with a ‘Taste of Powys’ Hamper at the ‘Diamonds in Park’ party at Glanusk Estate to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee.

The hamper consisted of scrumptious goodies including Venison Steaks, Black Mountain Smokery Salmon, Pure Welsh Honey, Welsh Apple Juice, Black Mountain Gold Chocolate, Radnor Preserves Chutney, Cowboy Pickles, Alex Gooch’s handmade bread, Caerphilly & Leek Cradoc’s biscuits, an Audrey Gwillym Cake all to be washed down with Nights Beacon beer from Breconshire Brewery.

Hampers for any occasion, Birthday, Christmas can be supplied as gifts via Beacons Farm Shop in Bwlch, please telephone to prior to visiting if  you would like a specially selected hamper.

Ride the flattest cycle route in the Brecon Beacons for the Brecon Mountain Rescue Team

Over the next week, we are on a mission to get as many people as possible cycling on the Brecon and Monmouth Canal for the Canal 200 Cycle Ride.  It is for an amazing cause that is important for all of us who use the Brecon Beacons National Park.  Over the next week we will be compiling an album of participants so we can cheer everyone on.  Send in your name and a photo to breconnews@gmail.com and we can promote you and your sponsorship bid!  Please help us by sharing this weblink with your friends, posting on Facebook and Twitter and help us spread the word and make this a really successful event. More information below…

Thank you!

Keep fit and raise money for the Brecon Mountain Rescue Service fund with a scenic cycle ride from the Welsh coast to the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

One of Wales’ top family-friendly cycle paths, which stretches all the way from the Brecon Beacons National Park to the coast, and offers up some of the country’s top scenery, is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year! To celebrate, cyclists are being invited to enter the Canal 200 Charity Cycle Ride on Saturday 19th May.

Starting in the City of Newport, the trail is around 42 miles in length and follows the scenic Monmouth and Brecon Canal to Brecon’s Canal Basin. Organisers Green Dragon Events are requesting sponsorship to enter, with all money raised going to the Brecon Mountain Rescue Service fund. The trail is suitable for all members of the family, with shorter routes from the popular stopping points of Gilwern and Talybont-on-Usk.

Serious cyclists can pedal the whole 42 miles from Newport, or 18 miles from Gilwern (both £25 sponsorship per person), or join the shorter 7-mile family ride from Talybont-on-Usk (£10 sponsorship per person). There will be plenty to do and see along the way, with a pit-stop for a ‘bun, beer and banana’ at The Coach & Horses in Llangynidr, as well as a BBQ at Brecon Canal Basin when the ride is over. There will also be some quality surprise spot prizes for cyclists donated by Cycle-Tec.

For further details and sponsor forms visit www.greendragonactivities.co.uk or call 01591 610508.

Sponsor information
The Brecon Mountain Rescue Team’s annual running costs of more than £30,000 are funded entirely through donations. Last year the team received 99 call outs and have already had 20 this year. Call outs range from rescuing lost walkers to working with the RAF to winch severely injured explorers to hospital. Their website makes an entertaining read with details of all call outs over the last four years. www.breconmrt.co.uk

Bike Hire
If you need to rent a bike the following companies are offering discounts, but advance booking is essential:

Bikes and Hikes are offering 10% discount.

Drover Holidays are offering 25% discount on bike hire and a drop-off service for bookings made at least three-days in advance.

Accommodation

Brecon Beacons Holiday Cottages are donating 10% of all bookings from cyclist guests quoting ‘Canal 200′ to this very important cause. The company offers over 300 holidays throughout the National Park, many of which are either on or very close to the canal. Call 01874 676446 or visit www.breconcottages.com for more information.

The Angel Hotel, an historic coaching inn in the centre of Abergavenny (five minutes from the train station and 15 minutes from the canal by bike), is offering cyclists a complimentary full breakfast and room upgrade (subject to availability). £111 per room per night. Applicable for Friday 18 or Saturday 19 May. Reservations must be made by calling 01873 857121 and quoting ’Canal 200 Cycle Ride’. www.angelabergavenny.com

Penydre Farm Cottages have a special price of £200.00 (saving £50) for participating cyclists and their families for a three-day break. www.penydre.co.uk

Ty Croeso Hotel, right on the canal near Crickhowell, are providing a complimentary bottle of wine or cava to all cyclists staying with them who finish the ride. www.ty-croeso.co.uk

The event is being organized by Green Dragon Events and funded by Brecon Beacons National Park Authority’s Collobor8 programme, the BBQ provided by Cammarch Valley Butchers.

Brecon and Monmouthshire Canal is celebrating it’s 200th anniversary this year

Brecon Beacons Shopping highlight: The Sugar Loaf Soap Company

The Sugar Loaf Soap Company

The Sugar Loaf Soap Company

The Sugar Loaf Soap Company Accessories

What:  A fledgling business making traditional soap, bath salts and lip balms using ethically sourced, 100% natural raw materials.  With twin emphasis on luxury and local resources, The Sugar Loaf Soap Company also offers a range of accessories made by craftspeople from the Brecon Beacons and everything is beautifully presented in bio-degradable packaging.  The brand has recently caught the attention of BBC’s Countryfile and Sugar Loaf products will appear in their VIP goody-bags at this year’s Gardener’s World Live exhibition.

Who: After a 10 year stint in sales and marketing for the car company BMW, Sam Jones followed her ancestral roots home to Wales.  After struggling to find good quality Welsh-made soap for her family’s holiday cottage, she attended courses, carried out research and began experimenting with natural bath products.  The Sugar Loaf Soap Company was born as a result of her passion in September 2010.

Where: You can order gifts for others and treats for yourself 24 hours a day via www.sugarloafsoaps.co.uk or find a selection of Sugar Loaf products across gift shops, spas and restaurants within the Brecon Beacons and stretching into Monmouthshire.  Sam can also been found at local farmer’s markets, so why not pop over for a chat and learn why handmade soap blows it’s commercially-manufactured counterparts out of the water!

The Sugar Loaf Soap Company

Brecon Beacons National Park Dark Skies Campaign

We have been absolutely blown away by this stunning video that Michael Sinclair has put together for the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority to promote dark skies.  Please share with your friends and support the campaign.  The video also features the spectacular Crofftau Cottage.

Let us know what you think in the comment section below.

My Brecon Beacons: A Local Entrepreneur’s View….

Personal View from a Brecon Beacons entrepreneur…

Dimyan Books is an online bookseller whose business philosophy is based on the simple premise of “providing excellent customer service for everyone”. Stock includes a range of books covering a variety of subjects (fiction, non-fiction, academic, children’s, and reference).  Books range from as new condition to books of a more antiquarian flavour. Provide bibliographic/book-search service which can track down those elusive titles or books you would like to acquire but don’t have the time to search for.

More about Alexis Dimyan:

“The incomparable beauty of Brecon Beacons flows through his veins. Studied at Manchester and Sheffield Universities, lived and worked in Poland, Japan and New Zealand. Travelled around the Antipodes, Europe, South-East Asia, and Eastern Europe. Interests are many, including the written word, having published a book of poems. Looking to put together a collection of haiku, catching those thoughts that are so often evanescent. Find out more by visiting his twitter page @alexisdimyan or check out his blog.

Ask local to choose ten of the questions below and supply photos (if possible) and a short bio of themselves.

1.    Where I live could be described in one word as: “Majestic”

View East from Pen-y-Fan By Alexis Dimyan ©

2.    I would take a first-timer to the Brecon Beacons to “Pen-y-fan and Llanthony Priory and Waterfall Country”

3.    My favourite event in the Brecon Beacons is “Hay Festival  because it lives up to its uplifting tagline that ”ideas may blossom“

4.    My favourite pub is “The White Swan, Llanfrynach because it serves exquisite food and makes for an excellent watering hole if on a walk from Brecon.”

5.    My favourite view of the Brecon Beacons is: “From the top of Pen-y-fan, looking east to the magnificent Black Mountains, looking North to the splendour of the Cambrian mountains, looking west to the mystical Carmathen Fans and looking south to the tantalising ribbon of silver that is the Bristol Channel. Choose a bright, crystalline day though.”

6.    You can buy great gifts at “The Hours Cafe and Bookshop, Brecon”

7. I would describe the people of the Brecon Beacons as “friendly”

8. If you have half a day out, I would suggest you visit the: “National Showcaves Centre, nr Craig-y-Nos and prepare to be enchanted.”

9. To escape, I go to “Sgwd Einion Gam nr Pontneddfechan (Fall of the Crooked Anvil), steeped in legend and myth, off the beaten track, perfect location for a wild swim.”

10. The best season to travel to the Brecon Beacons is: “All through the year because although the moods and the colours change, the beckoning beauty of the Brecon Beacons is ever-present.”

Do you agree with what Alexis has to say? If not what would you recommend? Please comment below. 

Summer to Shine in Brecon Beacons with New Brecon Jazz Announced….

Here’s some breaking news: The greatest jazz festival in the UK is back on! We’ve got the latest news on the new promotors chosen to manage the festival.

Orchard to run Brecon Jazz

Arts Council of Wales and Powys County Council have today announced that Orchard has been successful in staking its claim to be the preferred operator for Brecon Jazz.

A rigorous search process was set up to identify a promoter with the artistic and business credentials and the entrepreneurial flair to deliver a successful Brecon Jazz festival. Orchard has won through and are now set to take up the reins of Brecon Jazz.

The festival is an important cultural event both for Brecon and for Wales as a whole. As a major arts event it has proved to be an important asset in the local economy. People come from all over the world to experience the special atmosphere of the jazz festival.

Arts Council of Wales, working in partnership with Powys County Council and the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, led the search for a new operator.  All felt that Orchard put forward an exciting and compelling programme with distinctive ideas for the future. Orchard will receive a commitment for funding this year’s festival and will submit further plans for 2013 in Autumn this year.

©

Pablo Janczur, Orchard Director, said: ”Brecon Jazz is a heritage brand with a worldwide reputation. We are fans as well as music promoters and event managers, and so this a real thrill to have the opportunity to be part of what we see as an exciting future for one of Wales’ premier events. We’re looking forward to sharing our ideas with the people of Brecon and the jazz world in the near future.”

We are thrilled to be able to take this on and look forward to celebrating the extraordinary wealth of local and international jazz in Wales.”Their programme will involve the following:
high calibre artists and creative individuals who appeal to a broad audience.  A programme that builds on the strong heritage of Brecon Jazz both in Wales and across the world. The opportunity to re-energise and re-connect the Jazz Festival from this point forward – not only with the people of Brecon and Wales, but also with jazz and arts organisations, and the educational scene.

David Alston, Arts Director, Arts Council of Wales commented: “Orchard is a Wales based event company who conveyed to us both their capacity and enthusiasm to run the event. We were impressed by the dynamism of their ideas, their headline ambitions and their respect for the Brecon’s longstanding reputation.”

Paul Griffiths, Powys County Council’s Strategic Director – Communities, Skills &

Learning concluded:  ”We are acutely aware of the distinctive contribution made by Brecon Jazz to cultural life in Powys over many years. We want to try and ensure that this continues. Brecon Jazz is not just an important event for Powys, it’s important for Wales too. We’re delighted to be working in partnership with the Arts Council of Wales to ensure summer 2012 sees a new chapter in Brecon’s history.”

Orchard will be hosting a local launch of their plans, in Brecon in the coming weeks.  For more information on Orchard click here.

6th May, 2012: Climb Brecon Cathedral Tower and more

View from the Cathedral Tower

Annual Patronal Festival and Open Day – Sunday 6^th May 2012

News just in from the Dean at Brecon Cathedral

Brecon Cathedral will be hosting the above event starting with a Festival Eucharist at 11am at which the preacher will be Revd Gerwyn Capon, Chaplain to the Archbishop of Wales. The Service will be followed by a bring-and-share lunch before an afternoon of fun on the Deanery lawn.

Get ready to bounce on the bouncy castle and climb the Tower, with tours heading to the top at 1.30, 2.30 and 4.30pm. There will also be a plant stall where it will be possible to purchase a range of plants including tomatoes; and if you are hungry after all that fun you will be able to buy a homemade cake for tea from our cake stall.

We will also be joined by two Cathedral Welcomers the Revd Richard Kirlew and his wife Liz as they complete a 9-day tractor tour of the 6 Welsh Cathedrals raising money for farming charities. So come and spend an afternoon in the Cathedral Close where a warm welcome awaits you!

All Welcome

Further details from the Dean, Geoffrey Marshall on 01874 623857 (office)