The Archive › Summer 2012
Well Red: Blackwood
A summer issue that’s proud of the Valleys, with a walk around Blackwood’s high street and market, the Wales 100 of Welsh music and plenty of beach and festival fashion. We look at wedding venues at Alice Springs Golf Club and Llansantffraed Court, and catch the Olympic Torch Relay as it passed through Caerphilly.
On the cover
The red dress on our summer cover comes courtesy of Ted Baker, a good start to an issue that celebrates British design in the year of the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics. Inside, our Red, White & Blue pages gather more from British designers, and the fashion team rounds up the season’s best beachwear and festival looks.
Inside this issue
Features and people
* Blackwood: a return to the town’s high street, market and independent shops, including Lee Elliott’s Homestyle* The Wales 100: Francis Brown’s heavy hitters from the Welsh music scene* Home is Where the Heart is: Rebecca, 30, on being adopted, with Rhondda Cynon Taf’s fostering and adoption teams* Picture Perfect: wedding photographers Paul Cornish and Jac Williams* Life in HD: Andrew Hobby on the HD laser scanner at Davies and Jones, Treorchy* Across the Valleys: Ty Hafan’s Hounds for Pounds at Margam Park, summer at Cyfarthfa Castle and nominate your Valleys icon* Glass House: the Ashton family’s self-build home, glazed by Vellacine
Food and drink
* Six of the Best: the Chameleon Group’s venues, including The Potted Pig, The North Star and The Vulcan Lounge in Cardiff* Open House: Adam and Claire Pledger’s changes at Park House* V-Biz: Coffee Continental, Blackwood, and Gauci Candles’ new Valleys ranges
Fashion and beauty
* Red, White & Blue: British designers for the Jubilee and Olympic year* Best Beauty Buys: products for summer* Life’s a Beach: beachwear picks, with M.A.C senior artist Cher Webb’s beach products* Fashion Fest: festival wear for the summer
Days out and travel
* Alice Springs Golf Club, Usk Valley: wedding receptions for up to 300 guests* Llansantffraed Court: a hotel dating back to the twelfth century, in 20 acres of parkland* Take a Walk on the Wild Side: nature reserves and wild places in the Valleys* Pick Your Perfect Pitch: coastal camping on the Glamorgan Heritage Coast
Regulars
* Welcome from the editor* Competitions: dinner for two at The Meating Place; a night at Llansantffraed Court* Social Life: the Olympic Torch Relay in Caerphilly; weddings at Maes Manor, Blackwood* The Last Word: Martyn Sheppard of George Street Furnishers
Businesses featured in this issue
Llansantffraed Court, Alice Springs Golf Club, Davies and Jones Optometrists, Homestyle, Vellacine, Leekes, Park House, Coffee Continental, Gauci Candles, Cathays Dental Clinic, Spire Cardiff Hospital, The Potted Pig, Maes Manor Country Hotel and George Street Furnishers.
With thanks to all the independent businesses who supported this edition.