Entertainment

Phi Polychroma – An art exhibition by Owen Hart

Published

1 year ago

February 2, 2025

THE PHI POLYCHROMA ART EXHIBITION is the culmination of eight years of painting by Pembrokeshire-based artist Owen Hart. Wilfully ambiguous, his paintings take on lives of their own, the myriad forms and earthly colours of greens, oranges, blues, yellows and evoking themes of nature, geometry and dreaming, all come together to create wonderful pieces of art.

Employing a full chromatic spectrum, Owen’s paintings seek harmony in contrast and balance between opposites whether between complimentary colours, curves and straight lines or light and dark tones, with the earthly colours stemming from the natural beauty and environment of the county.

“I’ve been building towards this exhibition for many years, maintaining a painting practice alongside full-time teaching. This will be my first time exhibiting my work at the Torch and having eight years’ worth of paintings in one room will be a real treat. This will be my first solo show in Pembrokeshire so I’m excited to be exhibiting my work at Torch,” said teacher and father of two, Owen from Haverfordwest.

In his working life, Owen is a big fan of community engagement and promotes the importance of CARE – Community, Arts, Research and Education. In 2018 Owen cofounded community pop-up initiative, Fair Play Board Game Cafe, where people are encouraged to take part in wholesome screen-free playtime.

Owen has a passion for self-discovery through creativity and exploring new ways of teaching and learning in the 21st century. He’s an advocate for prioritising each individual’s innate gifts, helping them to find their strengths and a sense of purpose and meaning, moving away from the emphasis on standardisation, especially in the education sector.

“People ought to pursue their passions for wellbeing and fulfilment in life. I am endlessly fascinated by the world of ideas and our growing understanding of the mysterious and complex languages and patterns found in nature. I hope to inspire curiosity in others with a mix of forms, colours and concepts in my paintings.” said Owen, who since moving to Pembrokeshire, has seen his love for painting reignited, exploring colour and abstraction.

Driven by enthusiasm to reach out to children of all ages, he has a passion for cross-curricular learning and playfully exploring ideas through the process of art making, enabling high quality educational experiences for young people and fostering a greater sense of self-esteem, imaginative vision and creative well-being.

In his paintings, Owen often uses grids, geometry and numbers in structuring a creative playground, breaking down the process into manageable steps; the joy of mixing and applying vibrant colours, square by square, along spiral pathways made with the Fibonacci sequence.

Owen describes this magical series as: “A remarkable sequence of numbers made simply by recursively adding each term to the previous term to generate the next term. When expanded out dimensionally, this sequence of numbers gives rise to infinitely nested squares and rectangles locked in a ‘golden’ ratio known as phi, an irrational number that emerges out of the Fibonacci sequence in the spiral paths that can be seen throughout nature, in the growth patterns of sunflowers, pinecones and shells to name a few examples.”

The Phi Polychroma Art Exhibition by Owen Hart opens at the Joanna Field Gallery at the Torch Theatre on Wednesday 5 February until Friday 28 February. The exhibition can be viewed during Box Office opening hours.

For further information visit www.owenhart.co.uk / www.torchtheatre.co.uk or phone the Box Office on 01646 695267 and the friendly staff will be happy to help.

Entertainment

Llys-y-frân Lake to launch Wales’s largest inflatable aqua park

Published

3 days ago

May 7, 2026

Tom Sinclair

NEW ATTRACTION WILL OPEN AT WEEKENDS BEFORE THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS

LLYS-Y-FRÂN Lake is set to make a splash this summer with the launch of what is being billed as Wales’s largest inflatable aqua park.

The new attraction, at the popular reservoir and visitor destination near Clarbeston Road, will feature a floating obstacle course with slides, launch towers, blast bags and other inflatable challenges.

Visitors will be able to enjoy one-hour sessions on the water, with safety equipment included in the £25 ticket price.

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, which runs Llys-y-frân Lake, completed the acquisition of the aqua park from Aqua Parks Group in March. Work is now under way to inflate and anchor the multi-component course in the lake ahead of its opening.

The aqua park will open at weekends before the start of the six-week school holiday period. It will then operate daily during the school holidays, with the season expected to finish in early September.

James Thompson, Head of Visitor Attractions at Dŵr Cymru, said: “We are thrilled to announce the launch of an Aqua Park at Llys-y-frân Lake.

“We look forward to welcoming both holidaymakers and local residents from across West Wales and beyond to experience the Aqua Park.

“This new addition enables visitors to enjoy the water in a safe, fully lifeguarded environment.”

Llys-y-frân Lake, situated north of Haverfordwest in the foothills of the Preseli Mountains, has become one of West Wales’s best-known outdoor attractions.

The site, which includes 350 acres of woodland, grassland and open water, benefited from major investment in 2021 with the opening of a new visitor centre and activity centre. A four-star campsite was added in 2023.

Dŵr Cymru said environmental surveys had been carried out and indicated that the aqua park was unlikely to have a negative impact on local wildlife. The company said measures were being put in place to protect the lake’s habitats and species.

Recent inland bathing water assessments have also confirmed that Llys-y-frân Lake has excellent water quality. Welsh Water said monitoring would continue throughout the summer bathing season.

A community open day will be held at Llys-y-frân Visitor Centre on Sunday, May 17, from 11:00am to 3:00pm, where plans for the aqua park will be on display and staff will be available to answer questions.

The new attraction will add to the existing activities at Llys-y-frân, which include bike hire, walking and cycling trails, mountain bike routes, a pump track, lakeside café and gift shop.

Further updates on opening dates and the full summer timetable will be published on the Llys-y-frân Lake Facebook and Instagram pages.

Charity

Milford Haven Beer Fest set for Bank Holiday return

Published

4 days ago

May 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Festival promises live music, Welsh ales and community spirit at the waterfront

MILFORD HAVEN Beer Fest is set to return later this month, with organisers promising another packed day of live music, craft drinks and festival atmosphere.

The popular annual event will take place at Milford Waterfront on Saturday, May 23, inside the Ascona Group Marquee, with doors opening at 12:00pm.

Organisers say no advance tickets will be available, with entry operating on a first come, first served basis. Another sell-out is expected and early arrival is strongly advised.

A wide range of Welsh breweries and drinks producers will be represented, including Tenby Harbwr Brewery, Bluestone Brewing Company, Gethin’s Cider, Mantle Brewery, Gower Brewery and Core of the Poodle.

Tiny Rebel Brewery will also be serving lagers, IPAs and its new stout, Coal Drop, while Barti Rum will showcase its latest canned drinks. Prosecco and Pimm’s will also be available.

Entertainment throughout the day will be hosted by Pure West Radio, with headliners 4th Street returning to the waterfront.

The line-up also includes a DJ set from former Welsh rugby international and British and Irish Lion Josh Navidi, alongside performances from Steve Bartram, Big Chicken, Jake Taylor, Function 22 and Natalie O’Brien.

Festivalgoers will also be able to enjoy a street food zone featuring Grub Tacos, Junkyard Dogs and Reeves BBQ.

Community support

Nathan Rees, chairman of Milford Haven Round Table said: “The Beer Festival is a huge highlight for us – not just for the atmosphere, but for the impact it has.

“Every penny raised goes back into the community, funding events like our Carnival and Fireworks and supporting local causes.

“We’re also incredibly grateful to The Ascona Group for their continued sponsorship and to the Port of Milford Haven for their ongoing support as our Major Events Partner, as well as all the Beer Festival sponsors for 2026.”

Ticket information

Entry costs £25 and includes four drink tokens, a festival cup and live entertainment throughout the day.

Additional drink tokens will cost £2.50 each, with cash and card accepted.

The event is strictly over-18s only.

Organisers say there will be a 100 per cent bag search policy, with visitors strongly advised not to bring bags. Free water will be available, and dogs will not be allowed.

Entertainment

Dinosaurs set to take over Milford Waterfront

Published

5 days ago

May 5, 2026

Tom Sinclair

PREHISTORIC FUN COMES TO MILFORD HAVEN

DINOSAURS will be roaming Milford Waterfront later this month as Dinomania brings a day of prehistoric entertainment to the town.

The popular dinosaur attraction will take over the waterfront on Wednesday, May 27, with three interactive shows taking place throughout the afternoon.

Each show will last around 50 minutes and promises plenty of audience participation, prehistoric facts, and family-friendly fun.

Before the ticketed shows begin, visitors are being encouraged to keep an eye out around Milford Waterfront, where Dinomania’s dinosaurs will be out and about during a free walkabout performance between 10:30am and 11:30am.

The walkabout will give families the chance to see the dinosaurs up close and enjoy some entertainment around the waterfront before the main shows get underway.

Milford Waterfront said: “Dinomania will be taking over Milford Waterfront on Wednesday, May 27, with three exciting shows taking place throughout the afternoon.

“Each show lasts approximately 50 minutes and is packed with interactive moments and prehistoric fun.”

Tickets can be booked through the Milford Waterfront website.