Wales’ biggest selling newspaper, the South Wales Evening Post, carried a story on Dave after he was the winning bidder in an auction for a signed Swansea City shirt. Read their story here – http://bit.ly/yl7blh

The sale helped the Swansea Business Club auction raise £3,000 for two of the city’s charitable causes.

The sale, at a business club lunch featuring a talk by Swans boss Brendan Rodgers, saw Treat Trust Wales and the Alzheimer’s Society Swansea benefit. It featured a number of lots donated by individuals and organisations.

The final sum, including £1,500 match-funded by Barclays, will be split between the two causes.

Swansea Business Club president Kath Whitrow said: “Business club members and guests were thrilled to raise such a substantial sum for these excellent causes.”

Treat Trust Wales and the Alzheimer’s Society Swansea are the business club’s nominated charities for 2011-12.

Treat Trust Wales aims to build a state-of-the-art rehabilitation centre next to Morriston Hospital, Swansea. The Alzheimer’s Society works to improve the quality of life of people affected by dementia.

Swansea Business Club was founded 63 years ago and is to be a driving force for the city’s enterprise community.

More details: www.swanseabusinessclub.com, www.treattrust.org.uk/, www.alzheimers.org.uk

Ahead of the start of the 6 Nations tournament, Peter’s asked fans to vote for their tastiest player.

There was plenty of choice for fans in the current crop of Welsh rugby stars – scrum half Mike Phillips came second, followed by Wales’ youngest player, George North. 

But it was Wales centre Jamie who topped the survey – polling nearly a third of the votes – and in his honour, Peter’s have commissioned a unique mosaic portrait of the rugby star, made entirely of food.

Created by full time ‘food artist’, Prudence Staite, the incredible pastry tribute is more than 1.2 metres high and 1.2 metres wide, and uses a variety of Peter’s savoury treats as well as peppercorns for Jamie’s famous designer stubble, and red chilli flakes and peppers for his Wales jersey. The mosaic weighs almost 35kg and took a team of five 50 hours to make from start to finish.

It was presented to WRU Group Sponsorship manager Simon Rowe at the Millennium Stadium by Peter’s Marketing Controller Clare Morgan and Prudence, who carefully brought the mosaic all the way from Gloucester.

Rugby fans looking for a bite of the action will be able to see the extraordinary mosaic themselves, as it will be displayed alongside the Peter’s Pie Mobile at the Wales V Scotland game on February 12th.

Peter’s Marketing Controller Clare Morgan said: “It’s that time of year again when Wales goes rugby mad, and we thought it would be fun to find the country’s tastiest player. The likeness of the mosaic is truly astounding, and we are delighted that fans will be able to see it for themselves at the Wales V Scotland game. We hope it will herald the start of a tasty tournament for Jamie and the rest of the Wales team.”

Speaking from the Wales training camp about the honour of winning the ‘tastiest player’ accolade, Jamie Roberts said:

‘I’m flattered, I’ve never had a portrait  of me made out of food before; this is certainly a first. When I showed it to some of the other Welsh players it brought a few smiles and, as you can imagine, a few jokes that’s for sure.  This was a really cool idea and it looks like a lot of time and effort went into making it – and I must admit, it looks just like me!”

• You can see the making of the tastiest player food mosaic here: www.youtube.com/petersfoods.

PETER’S FAST FACTS SIDE PANEL

• In 2011 Peters sold 3,120,893 Premier Pasties. If you stacked them up, they’ would reach 259 miles high. That’s the equivalent of 1,300 Eiffel Towers on top of one another

• So far Peter’s have sold 228 tonnes of Peters Premier Steak & Kidney Pie. That’s the equivalent of 10 double decker buses, a blue whale and three elephants.

• Last year Peter’s sold £2.5m worth of Premier Slices. That’s equivalent to five Aston Martin DB9s, a flight to outer space on Virgin Galactic, and a luxury villa with yacht in the Bahamas.

• Last year the firm sold 2,288,627 Premier Sausage Rolls, which is the equivalent in length of a return journey from Cardiff to London.

Harry’s Fund was set up over the Christmas and New Year period by Canine Partners puppy parents and partnerships  in aid of Harry, a canine partner that became very ill and had undergo two major life saving operations.  The cost of the surgery was £11,000, of which £7,000 was covered by his insurance, and the remaining £4,000 was paid for by Canine Partners.

Puppy parent Michelle Edwards said: “Supporters of the charity know how much these dogs mean to their disabled owners as they change their lives by giving them more independence and support in their day to day lives.  The possibility of losing one of these dogs is something that has touched many people, so Harry’s Fund was started to show how much they all cared and wanted to support these partnerships. We’re aiming to raise £4,000.”

Puppy parents from Somerset, Southampton and Gloucester attended the event along with their puppies. 

Michelle continued: “The coffee morning has helped us reach £1,127, so we still have a way to go.  Fortunately Harry is now on the mend and will soon be providing his partner Sarah with his full support, giving her confidence and independence.”

If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.justgiving.com and enter Harry’s Fund.

She knew she had won the top prize almost immediately, when she scratched the card outside the shop.

Danielle Salway

Speaking about the moment she realised she was £100,000 richer, Danielle said: “I couldn’t believe my eyes. I rang my mum there and then – we were both so excited. It’s taken a while for it to sink in.”

“I used to buy Scratchcards quite regularly, but I hadn’t bought one for ages. I bought one on Wednesday because it caught my eye and it was only £1.”

Danielle, who lives with her grandmother, Jan, has been looking for a new job since the pub she worked in closed down six months ago. She said: “It is very hard looking for work at the moment, there aren’t many jobs around.

“This money has come at just the right time for me. I plan to put the majority of the money towards buying a flat of my own, but I would also like to spend some on having some driving lessons and buying a car, which will help me when applying for jobs.”

“I haven’t even thought about what sort of car or flat I might want as I didn’t ever think something like this would happen. I think I will probably stay in Yeovil, near to my family. The money has given me freedom, I couldn’t be happier.”

Danielle’s winning Scratchcard was bought at WH Smith on Middle Street in Yeovil.

This Wednesday’s (1 February) Lotto jackpot is an estimated £2.2million.

The Club’s existing lenders which include Allied Irish Bank, Cardiff Council and Mr Paul Russell have agreed to restructure their loans, which includes extending the repayment terms. In addition the Club has raised £1.3 million from a group of private investors who are committed to the long term success of Glamorgan Cricket.

Commenting on the restructuring, the Club’s Chairman Barry O’Brien, said:

“We are delighted to be able to make today’s landmark announcement which secures our future and demonstrates the confidence our investors have in the Club’s business and prospects, following our success in securing 17 days of international cricket over the next 5 years including the 2015 Ashes. We can now look forward to the 2012 season in a positive manner which will also see the Club stage an England v South Africa One-Day International and the Friends Life t20 Finals Day in August”

Club Treasurer, Hamish Buckland added:

“We are very grateful to our bankers AIB, to Cardiff Council and, as ever, the Club’s former chairman, Paul Russell for their continuing support as well as those friends of the Club who have provided the additional investment.”

Chief Executive, Alan Hamer said:

“As with many other counties Glamorgan Cricket has faced financial challenges for a number of years so today’s news is particularly welcome.  On behalf of the Club I would pay particular tribute to Barry and Hamish for their great skill and tireless efforts over the past six months – a great deal of hard work has taken place behind the scenes and their highly skilled contributions have been vital in helping the Club reach a successful outcome.”

Additionally, the Club’s committee is delighted to announce that Mr David Morgan has agreed to accept its nomination as President elect.  Subject to the approval of members at this year’s Annual General Meeting, David has agreed to serve a four year term which will see him presiding over the Ashes Test match in 2015.

Barry O’Brien welcomed this nomination as follows:

“As the previous Chairman of Glamorgan, David is acknowledged worldwide as one of cricket’s great administrators and his welcome return to Glamorgan will be of enormous value to the Club.”

Tony Clare, site services engineer at the South Wales base of specialist pharmaceutical company Norgine, gave Ultra.air top marks for elements of a recent visit there.

On a service satisfaction report, he said the booking process, service engineer and after-service consultation had been excellent. Punctuality and housekeeping was rated as good.

Ultra.air supply process filtration products manufactured by Ultrafilter GmbH to Norgine to ensure air quality. Also supplied is a condition monitoring service, checking the on-site air quality in line with ISO 8573.1.

Norgine’s technology development centre in Hengoed, near Caerphilly, was officially opened in 2010 by Welsh Office Minister Wayne David. He said it would become a centre of “real R&D excellence.”

Founded in 1906, Dutch-based Norgine seek to develop and market high quality, innovative products for the benefit of patients and physicians.

Still privately owned, they are committed to developing products to treat life-threatening conditions and to improve the quality of life for patients with a variety of acute and chronic illnesses.

They have a strong portfolio of internal and external development projects, principally in the areas of gastroenterology and supportive care. Norgine has subsidiaries across Europe and companies in Australia, the Middle East and Africa.

Norgine employs more than 1,200, had a 2010 total product sales of €258m and sells products in 53 countries.

The director of the Cardiff School of Management’s Creative Leadership and Enterprise Centre will talk at the city’s Park Plaza Hotel on Wednesday, February 1.

His subject will be Leaders – Born or Made? The recent Wales Leadership Survey, from Cardiff Met and the Leading Wales Awards, saw 55% of those questioned say that leaders were born not made.  

Professor Brian Morgan

Prof Morgan said: “Some research in this area suggests that effective leaders have certain genes in common – up to 40 per cent in fact – but this would suggest that at least 60 per cent of leadership skills need to be nurtured and developed.

“It’s a question I’ll address when speaking to the IoD Wales First Wednesday Club.”

IoD Wales director Robert Lloyd Griffiths said: “We need great leaders from business and politics to excel at difficult economic times such as these so this talk will be timely and topical.

“We look forward to hearing Prof Morgan’s expert take on the subject.”

IoD Wales with Prof Brian Morgan February 1, 5.30-7.15pm, Park Plaza Hotel, Cardiff, details – iod.wales@iod.com, 02920 389990.

Glamorgan Cricket reported this week that more than half the tickets they have to sell for the August showdown have been snapped up.

The club is urging Welsh fans to book quickly to witness a potentially enthralling encounter which could pit the likes of Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad against AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith.

There’s also the tantalising possibility of former Glamorgan skipper Alviro Petersen starring for the three-time World Cup semi-finalists.

Adult prices for the 50-over game start at £40, juniors go for £10. Those who buy tickets can claim 10% off tickets for the following day’s 2012 Friends Life t20 Finals Day for what promises to be a bumper bank holiday of cricket in August at the SWALEC Stadium

The Riverside Strand and Really Welsh Stands are already sold out for the Proteas’ visit as are all 23 hospitality boxes which seat 12-24 supporters. Some lounge hospitality is still available.

Glamorgan sales director Pete Grzonka said: “To have sold so many tickets with six months still to go is a great achievement and reaffirms the SWALEC Stadium as a highly attractive international venue.

“A combination of accessibility, location, superb facilities, a genuinely warm Welsh welcome and an intimate feel make for a wonderful supporter experience.

“We can also factor in that England v South Africa is one of world cricket’s most anticipated clashes. All of England’s previous Cardiff ODI’s have sold-out and it’s clear that we have a similar demand this time.”

England v South Africa 2012 Natwest Series One Day International, SWALEC Stadium, Cardiff,  August 24, 10.15am.

Friends Life t20 Finals Day 2012 SWALEC Stadium, August 25, 11am.

More details www.glamorgancricket.com

Britain’s top women basketball teams compete for the Sportscover Women’s National Cup – and the university’s Archers squad are gearing up for this season’s showpiece.

It takes place on Sunday, January 29, at Ponds Forge, Sheffield, when their opponents will be the City of Sheffield Hatters. On the same bill is the men’s national final – BA London Leopards v Bristol Academy Flyers.

Archers coach Damian Jennings said: “If you want to win silverware you have to be in finals so we’re very excited about the opportunity this weekend.

“The players have worked extremely hard and, although we may be carrying a few injuries to key personnel, I have no doubt we’ll leave nothing on the court come the final whistle; we’ll give ourselves the best chance of achieving something very special.”

The Archers compete in the EBL Division One and play home games at Cardiff Met’s 350-seat Archers Arena. They top the 2011-12 EBL Division One, having won their opening 10 games, the latest coming on Sunday, January 22, away at Sevenoaks Suns.

Their next home game is in Cardiff against Durham Wildcats in the Cardiff Met Sports Hall on Saturday, February 11.Tip-off 6pm.

In this season’s cup run they have beaten the Worcester Wolves and Sevenoaks away plus the Manchester Mystics and Wellingborough Phoenix in South Wales.  

Lucy Power, Director of Cardiff Met Academy of Basketball, said: “The Academy is committed to the development of basketball at all levels, from grass roots projects right through to international players.

“We all wish the Archers the very best for the national final.”

The scheme, dubbed Only Kids Aloud, was established by Only Men Aloud in October 2011 and sees members of the hit classical choir take its unique workshops to schools across Wales to boost children’s concentration and energy levels.

The scheme has proved a massive success in South Wales and thanks to Principality’s funding schools in the North will now be able to experience the life skills seminars.

Beginning this week (23 January), the workshops will be held at Theatr Stiwt. Nearly 400 teachers and pupils will visit the Theatr from Wrexham schools including Ysgol Clywedog, Ysgol Y Grango, Ysgol Morgan Lwyd and Johnstown Juniors, to take part in a half day workshop. The coaches for the sessions will be Only Men Aloud members Niall Allen, Paul Rothwell and Wyn Davies.

Principality Building Society already has a three year deal in place with 200 strong choir Only Boys Aloud which forms part of its company’s focus on promoting community life across Wales. The partnership has seen the creation of the Principality Only Boys Aloud Academi which helps to nurture stand-out young Welsh singing talent.
 
Only Kids Aloud is the brainchild of OMA Music Director Tim Rhys-Evans, who said: “With an exciting repertoire, energetic delivery and a huge sense of fun, our mission is to get kids between the ages of 4 and 13 in Wrexham singing loud and proud and Principality’s support has enabled us to do this. We believe that when children learn to love singing, it impacts on every facet of their life…concentration, confidence, aspiration, self-worth, happiness and energy levels can all be improved. The workshops will give children a taste of the enjoyment that can be had from singing and will also help to empower teachers with the necessary skills to use singing in the classroom.”

Principality’s Wrexham Branch Manager, Andrew Chadwick, said: “The Only Kids Aloud initiative embodies so many of the positive values of Principality Building Society.

 “We have supported Only Boys Aloud since the beginning and they have gone on to see huge success even starring in their own BBC Wales TV show. It was a natural progression for us to support the initiative even further, enabling even more young people to benefit from the life skills that this type of initiative can instil.  We are very much looking forward to seeing the results of the Only Kids Aloud scheme in North Wales.”

Rebecca Griffiths, Theatr Stiwt Manager, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for pupils in Wrexham to engage with a positive project. We are very grateful for sponsorship support from Principality and funding from the Arts Council of Wales, which has enabled Theatr Stiwt and the Wrexham Youth Music Festival to put this project in place. We are hoping that it could be an annual event to ensure that all Schools in Wrexham get the chance to take part.”