Entertainment

UK’s first Wellness Festival designed for queer, questioning and curious women

Published

4 years ago

March 8, 2022

THIS June sees the launch of Out & Wild, the UK’s first Wellness Festival designed for queer, questioning and curious women and those who are non-binary. This new and innovative event, celebrating an often-under-represented part of the LGBTQIA community, is being launched to mark the 50th year of Pride.

Out & Wild has been designed to be an inclusive, safe and supportive space to explore new activities and experiences and embrace nature. While the primary focus is on queer, questioning and curious women, the event actively welcomes supportive allies.

Out & Wild features a range of wellness and experience -themed activities including:

● Entertainment, food and drink (music, comedy, DJs, food, bars and stalls)

● Wellness and workouts (including yoga, tai chi, pilates, dance, breath-work, ice baths, massages, meditation and mindfulness)

● Sport (including 5 aside football, guided hikes and runs)

● Out in the water (including wild swimming, paddle boarding)

● Spoken Word and Interactive workshops (including book readings, poetry, foraging, outdoor pursuits, nature, sustainability, crafts)

Polly Shute, co-founder of Out and About LGBTQ, who will be hosting the festival explained: “We are delighted to host the first ever Out & Wild Festival in a stunning location in Wales overlooking the River Cleddau. Our three-day event is packed with experiences, and has been designed specifically to facilitate shared connections, something which our community is crying out for in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

“The response we have had to date has been incredible! From the quality of the sponsors and partners coming on board to the range of experiences taking place, and the talent that will be performing – not to mention the support we have had from the Welsh Government, which has awarded us a three-year grant as part of its commitment to being the most LGBTQ friendly nation in Europe. We are also proud to have Pink News Group on board as our media partner, the world’s most read and watched LGBTQ publication.

“We are excited to be able to offer three days packed with amazing experiences, all designed by and for queer, questioning and curious women and those that are non-binary.”

The event will be taking place across the three days and nights in Lawrenny, Pembrokeshire, from 10-13th June 2022. First release of early bird tickets have sold out. Second release of early bird tickets are now available to purchase from £120 (excluding booking fee), for three nights from the Out and Wild website.

Key acts and experiences

Wellness and Workouts

Out & Wild is delighted to welcome Luisa Bradshaw White, ex Bad Girls, Holby City, This Life and EastEnders actress who runs LuluOm. Luisa, who trained as a Breathworker in 2002 who will be delivering sessions focused around Soul Breathing.

She explained: “Since my early 20’s I have been on a path of self-discovery taking me all over the world. Breathing at festivals alongside hundreds of other heart-led people in Australia, in waterfalls in Bali and ice baths in the UK!

“I have studied with pioneers of Breathwork including Christabel Zamor, Sondra Ray, Foster Perry and Diana Roberts. As well as leading Breathwork retreats and workshops in the UK and Morocco and working with private clients. I am so excited to be sharing Soul breathing with you. It is hugely transformational, and the breath is powerful medicine”

Music and Comedy

Out & Wild are committed to supporting new and existing female and non-binary talent and are delighted to be partnering with The F-List Directory of UK Female+ Musicians.

We are also keen to promote Welsh talent. We will be announcing acts in the next few weeks.

Vick Bain, Founder of the F List explained: “We are super excited to be working with Polly and the team at Out and Wild, which is a festival set up with exactly the same values we hold; equality, inclusion, respect, and fun! With most festival stages women are in the extreme minority, if present at all, Out and Wild is such a fantastic idea – women rocking on the stages and women rocking in the fields; brilliant!”

Every night DJs will lead silent sets so attendees can dance in the moonlight, overlooking the Cleddau River. Out & Wild is also collaborating with the legendary Club Kali and Mint Events.

Spoken word and Workshops

Zaina Arafat – Award winning LGBTQ Arab- American fiction and non-fiction writer. Author of novel, You Exist Too Much, which won a 2021 Lambda Literary Award.

Annie Garthwaite – Acclaimed historical writer, her book, Cecily, was lauded by Waterstones as best book of 2021.

Workshops will be focused around the core festival areas and also include sessions on sexual health and sexual empowerment.

Sport

Our sport area will be curated by the Director of Pride Sports, Lou Englefield and will include a 5 aside football pitch and tasters of different sports for attendees to sample. There will also be guided walks, runs and hikes.

Lou Englefield explained: “I’m delighted to be an Ambassador for the Out & Wild Festival. During my time as Chair of Pride Cymru one of our pillars of ambition was to showcase Wales to the world. Promoting our creative talents and highlighting our amazing Welsh products, whilst supporting local businesses and the economy to thrive. I am thrilled to see Polly and her team adopt the same ethos and enthusiasm for Wales and join us all in our ambition to make Wales the safest and most inclusive country in Europe for our Queer communities.”

Out in the Water

Laura Owen Sanderson is a cold water swimmer and the founder and director of WE SWIM WILD who, with the support of a grant from HydroFlask’s Park for All Campaign, will be delivering water safety sessions, wild swims, candle lit starry night swims and environmental talks at Out & Wild. Laura is a firm believer in using adventure activism to highlight issues in the environment.

This year Laura is swimming just under 1000km back to back across all of the U.K National Parks to test for micro plastic pollution. Laura recently won Wales Business Woman of the year for her work at We Swim Wild.

Bars and Foods

Out & Wild will be working with local drinks and food brands to make sure festival goers experience a real taste of Wales. We will have a full bar and pop-up food stalls.

Out & Wild are also delighted to be supported by Club Soda, who will be manning an alcohol-free bar and delivering mindful drinking sessions – to ensure we cater to all tastes.

The venue

Out & Wild will be hosted at Lawrenny in Pembrokeshire, situated at the edge of Pembrokeshire National Park on the site of a former Guardian newspaper’s top 5 Adventure and Wellbeing Festival, The Big Retreat. The main site, which once featured a 19th century castle, overlooks the River Cleddau and was the birthplace of the ‘National Parks’ concept.

Our ethos

Out & Wild has been designed for queer, questioning and curious women and those who are non-binary. It is a festival of experiences, with dozens of activities taking place across the three days and nights covering music, comedy, wellness, sport, wild swimming, spoken word, poetry, and interactive workshops.

Out & Wild is proud to support both existing and new female and non-binary artists and acts from across the UK who are often under-represented at festivals. We are working with The F-List Directory of UK Female+ Musicians to ensure we secure only the very best talent.

Key messages

● Out & Wild is the UK’s first Wellness Festival designed by and for queer, questioning and curious women and those who are non-binary.

● While the primary focus is on queer, questioning and curious women, we actively welcome supportive allies.

● Out & Wild is a festival of experiences designed to facilitate the creation of meaningful connections among an often-under-represented part of the LGBTQIA community.

● Out & Wild is proud to be able to provide a platform to queer female and non-binary talent – as well as welcoming local Welsh performers.

● Out & Wild is proud to have been awarded a three-year grant by the Welsh Government as part of its commitment to being the most LGBTQ friendly nation in Europe.

Spokespeople

Co-Founder – Polly Shute

Polly has spent the last 10 years working on LGBTQI events, including being on the Board of Pride in London up until 2018. A former Marketing and Fundraising Director, working within the commercial and not for profit sector, Polly is a Partnership and Inclusion Consultant and has worked with clients such as The Royal Society of Medicine, Women in Sport, Brentford FC and is part of the EW Group – Full-Service Diversity and Inclusion Consultancy (theewgroup.com).

Polly is a Chartered Institute of Fundraising award winner and was recognised as a leader in Profit for Purpose at the 2019 UK Sponsorship Awards. As part of her D&I focus, Polly was recognised in top 20 LGBT+ leaders list by Outstanding and The FT in 2018 and was on the Pride Power List in association with the Guardian in 2019 and 2020. Polly sits on a number of inclusion committees and is a Director of Trans in the City.

Co-Founder – Becky French

Becky is a veteran of the Royal Air Force, serving abroad on numerous occasions. Upon leaving the service she transitioned into the private security sector where she specialised in operational and event security. Becky’s work involved planning the security architecture for teams in international high-risk countries as well as planning the security for internationally recognised sporting events. Becky is a keen sports woman, having played golf for both the Royal Air Force and Combined Services teams. She also played a lot of squash and rugby during her time in the RAF.

Wellness Curators – Rachael Capper and Isabella Beni

Wellbeing gurus Rach and Issy are behind LGBT FIT, a judgement-free, safe space where people can log on, work out and be part of a like-minded community. Both have been on their own separate journeys of self-acceptance, self-discovery and healing. Together, they have over 16 years’ experience in helping people with all thing’s fitness, nutrition and mindset.

Music and Comedy Curator – Sarah Maslen

Sarah lives on the beach in Llanelli, Southwest Wales. She is part of the Senior Leadership Team of YMCA Swansea and the Deputy CEO of LGBT+ Cymru Helpline. She is a solo Mum to three young children, and they spend as much of their time outside – and wild – as possible, with their ponies exploring and having adventures. She is also a director of Trans in the City. Sarah is passionate about inclusion and empowering others.

Taster of Sport Curator – Lou Englefield

Lou is a founding Director of Pride Sports, a UK LGBTIQ+ sports development and inclusion organisation. Lou has been a leading voice on LGBTIQ+ inclusion in sport & physical activity for more than 10 years. She has directed the international Football v Homophobia campaign since 2012, is Vice Chair of the FARE Network and is Co-Chair of Pride House International. Lou presents and speaks on issues of LGBTIQ+ inclusion in sport and physical activity globally and has ensured that Pride Sports has become a leading authority in the field, at the forefront of insight, policy, and practice.

Spoken Word Curators – Zoë Berryman and Nicola Cottington

Zoë is passionate about all things literary. She works for a charity providing supported learning and activities for vulnerable adults with learning disabilities and mental health issues, something she is very passionate about. She is also the co-chair of the DIVA Book Club together with Nicola Cottington. Nicola is a Chief Operating Officer at an NHS Trust in the East of England.

She also runs the Cancer Survivors Book Club.

Ambassadors

● Bobbi Pickard – CEO of Trans in the City

● Lu Thomas – Ex Chair of Pride Cymru

● Rachel Ashe – Founder Mental Health Swims

Entertainment

Freyja’s ‘Aquantis’ named winner of Torch Theatre’s festive design competition

Published

5 days ago

December 9, 2025

Tom Sinclair

TEN-YEAR-OLD Freyja from St Francis RC School has been crowned the winner of the Torch Theatre’s Design an Evil Sea Creature competition – beating more than 300 imaginative entries that ranged from cyclops creations to fanged dolphins and double-headed stingrays.

Her design, Aquantis, caught the eye of the judges and will now be brought to life on stage in this year’s Christmas pantomime, Rapunzel, at the Torch Theatre.

Freyja said she was “ecstatic” to hear the news.
“It was really good news to have. Drawing and creative writing is something that I enjoy and have a passion for, so to be given this opportunity and to win was incredible. I’d like to say well done to everyone else who entered – it was a fun competition to be part of.”

A sea monster with a story

So what exactly is the Aquantis?

“She was once a tiny kraken with a big heart,” Freyja explained. “She has special powers and shoots slime balls that can paralyse her victims – and during the paralysis phase they are completely under Aquantis’ control. She swims joyfully through the enchanting depths of the sea with a love of exploring every corner of the ocean.”

Freyja said her imagination and a recent snorkelling trip inspired the creature.
“My idea for the Aquantis came through my imagination, after deciding what backstory I wanted to create for her. I can’t say I’ve seen any sea monsters up close, but I’ve recently been snorkelling in the Red Sea so that helped give the Aquantis an edge. I’m really honoured to have been chosen and can’t wait to see it all come together on stage.”

Workshops inspire young artists

This year’s project was delivered in partnership with the Arts Society West Wales, whose representatives joined Torch Theatre professionals for day-long creative workshops in three Milford Haven primary schools. The aim was to help pupils imagine, design and model their own scary sea monsters.

The children’s enthusiasm and creativity were clear throughout the sessions, with dozens of colourful, sci-fi-inspired designs produced. All entries are now on display in the Torch Theatre Gallery.

Torch Theatre’s Artistic Director, Chelsey Gillard, said she was so impressed by the range of ideas that several of the friendlier creatures will also feature in Rapunzel, voiced by members of the Torch Youth Theatre.

Rapunzel this Christmas

Rapunzel runs at the Torch Theatre from Saturday 6 December to Sunday 28 December.
Tickets: £24.50 | £20.00 concessions | £78.00 family.
Relaxed Environment Performance: Saturday 13 December at 2:00pm.
BSL Interpreted Performance (Liz May): Tuesday 16 December, 6:00pm.

Entertainment

Artistic licence brings comedy classic noises off to the Torch Theatre

Published

6 days ago

December 8, 2025

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE theatre company Artistic Licence is preparing to bring the much-loved farce Noises Off to the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven from Thursday 5 to Saturday 7 February.

It is 25 years since the National Theatre’s ground-breaking production of Michael Frayn’s comedy first wowed audiences. Now Artistic Licence is presenting its own take on what critics have long hailed as “the greatest farce ever written”.

Packed with slamming doors, flying sardines and backstage mayhem, Noises Off follows a theatre company whose production is falling apart both on stage and behind the scenes. The result is a chaotic tribute to live theatre – and the perfect night out for anyone who has ever been on stage, or simply sat in the audience.

Local cast takes centre stage

The entire cast is drawn from Pembrokeshire performers. Artistic Licence, which champions local talent, has assembled a strong ensemble for the show.

The company includes Kerry Steed as Dotty/Mrs Clackett, Marcus Lewis as Lloyd, Alex Jukes as Garry/Roger, Laura Barrett as Brooke/Vicki, Will Oliver as Frederick/Phillip/Sheikh, Janine Lewis as Belinda/Flavia, Frank Tobin as Selsdon/Burglar, Hun Benbow as Tim/Stage Manager, and Chloe Wheeler as Poppy/ASM.

Artistic Licence was founded by Carol Mackintosh, Trisha Biffen and Marcus Lewis to bring classic plays and quality comedy to local audiences, while giving Pembrokeshire actors the opportunity to perform at the county’s only professional producing theatre.

“We’re so excited to be bringing Noises Off to the Torch,” said Carol, Tricia and Marcus. “It’s one of the funniest plays ever written, and it’s a real treat to work with such a talented group of local performers. Artistic Licence is all about celebrating great writing and giving Pembrokeshire talent a chance to shine – and Noises Off is the perfect show for that.”

How to book

Performances take place in the Torch Theatre’s Main House from 5–7 February 2026. Tickets are available now from the Box Office on 01646 695267 or online at torchtheatre.co.uk.

For anyone who loves theatre, laughter and a generous dose of organised chaos, this is one not to miss.

Entertainment

Will new broadband work bring faster internet to rural Wales by early 2026?

Published

6 days ago

December 8, 2025

Staff Writer

Wales is moving forward with plans that bring real internet coverage to areas where speeds fall short. The project now launched is built on data, fieldwork, returned funding and a clear digital objective. The timing and the scope are fixed, the tools are known, and the outcome is firm. Rural parts of Wales can expect change early in 2026.

A plan built for areas still waiting

The Welsh Government set aside £70 million to bring high-speed broadband to premises where 30Mbps is still out of reach. These areas sit outside all commercial and public rollout activity confirmed for the next three years.

The new effort uses returned funds from BT’s Superfast Cymru phase. Take-up levels went up, the clawback clause activated, and now the amount is being put back into the ground.

There are two LOTS in the framework. LOT 1 carries £60 million and targets clusters with 1,000 or more premises. LOT 2 carries £10 million and goes to smaller sites with fewer than 1,000.

The tender was open until November 26th, 2025. Contracts are expected to be handed out on 20 January 2026. Once awarded, the build can begin. The first results are expected soon.

Coverage gaps are actively targeted

As of mid-2025, around 97.6 percent of premises across Wales reach 30Mbps or more. Roughly 87.8 percent of those can access gigabit speeds. However, smaller areas still remain with lower coverage. These are the homes, farms, outbuildings, and business spots now included in the new plan.

The open market review defines the list. It checks all current commercial and government plans and picks only those premises outside them. That keeps the focus on gaps. It also stops money from going to areas already covered.

Installation cost per premise stands around £2,400. That is slightly higher than figures under Project Gigabit, which usually run under £2,000. Reaching these remote spots takes more work, more equipment, and more time. FTTP is the main option here, as fibre to the Premises means fast, direct access right at the socket.

Where the difference will be felt

This rollout reaches people and places with low speeds, weak lines and poor access to online services. The reach includes people working from rural homes, small business owners, live streamers, and residents who rely on online platforms for everyday tasks.

New coverage will also change how users access data-heavy services like online gaming, app-based tools, and systems that demand instant response and secure payments.

Faster internet helps with media, support platforms, and site features that rely on strong upload and download signals. Those who play online casino games on established gaming platforms will notice smoother delivery.

This type of gaming in the UK has grown steadily in recent years. It is driven by the ease of access from home and the steady shift toward digital formats. With stronger networks, features like live tables, high‑speed slots, and timed promotions can perform more reliably.

With the broadband upgrade, performance will be more consistent, and the interface will become more responsive, especially where visuals or payouts are involved.

Research that helped target the project

The Welsh Government commissioned Cwmpas to gather feedback from those living and working in the most affected areas. This research reached across all parts of Wales and focused on rural users. Respondents included students, self-employed workers, remote professionals, and community leaders.

The biggest age group was 54 to 63, which made up 31.4 percent of replies. The group with the lowest reply rate was 16 to 25, at just 1.45 percent.

Many users saw FTTP as the best solution. They wanted something that worked now, but they were ready to accept bridging options until the final system could be built. Every user surveyed asked for fast and reliable service. No one wanted to wait another three years.

UK Government feedback from similar research confirmed the trend. Those living in areas with limited coverage said they wanted better access for basic online actions, work‑from‑home tasks, and information services. Businesses said they needed faster lines for productivity, better access to cloud tools, and system stability for customer contact.

Support, structure and who builds it

The Welsh Government worked alongside Building Digital UK and local councils to avoid overlap and make sure that funding reached places without confirmed service. City and growth deals across Wales also had input. Coordination across all levels was a key part of planning.

The grant process will include requirements for environmental awareness. Past broadband builds asked providers to show how they would manage biodiversity, and this project will carry the same. Civil works for fibre take weeks, so early notice and open communication help ease disruption in each area.

While this is an infrastructure project, some users face extra difficulty once it goes live. Low income and low digital confidence can slow take-up. This was flagged in early assessments. Providers may offer setup guidance and local signposting to make sure coverage turns into real access.

The build also gives support to third sector groups. These groups use online tools to manage funding, communicate with teams and run outreach. Reliable broadband makes this simpler. The same applies to people using online learning, public service portals or tools with streaming content. It keeps users in touch with what matters.

Fixed timetable, clear impact

The contracts close in late 2025, and awards follow in January 2026. The first build phase starts just after that. Over time, the network will stretch into farms, valleys, border towns, hill properties, and distant coast spots. Each home and business added gets stable signal and a future‑proof line.

The aim is always steady access. Rural areas take longer to build into, but the model here has been tested and planned with care. Providers like Openreach, Ogi, Netomnia and Virgin Media all match the project size. Some need more backing than others, and some may only go after one LOT.

Service helps people stay productive. It lets platforms run with fewer errors. It removes the weak points in a stream or feed. Once the new lines go live, the full package of modern tools and services can follow. Wales stays online without lag, skips the drop, and cuts out the wait.