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

Pembrokeshire soprano to perform at International Eisteddfod

Published

2 days ago

June 22, 2026

Tom Sinclair

HAVERFORDWEST music teacher and soprano soloist Clare Harrison is set to perform at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen next month.

Clare will sing under the baton of Sir Karl Jenkins on Tuesday, July 7, as part of the World Choir, an auditioned international chorus of singers, for the long-awaited Welsh premiere of his work One World.

She will also perform in a new commission, Greeting the Dawn, by Sam Buttler, and in Peace Child with Wrexham-based chorus NEW Voices.

Clare combines a busy teaching schedule with regular solo performances across Wales and the borders.

Her next Pembrokeshire appearance will be as soloist with Tenby Male Choir at St Mary’s Church, Tenby, on Thursday, July 16.

Caption:

Clare Harrison: The Haverfordwest soprano will perform at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen.

Entertainment

Harbour Fest to bring music, food and maritime magic to Milford Waterfront

Published

3 days ago

June 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Free family festival will celebrate Milford Haven’s seafaring history and coastal community

MILFORD WATERFRONT will burst into life on Saturday, June 27, as the first Harbour Fest sails into town for a day of music, food, family fun and maritime celebration.

The free event will run from 10:00am to 6:00pm at Mackerel Quay and across the waterfront, bringing together local traders, live entertainment, coastal organisations and independent businesses for a packed day beside the water.

Organisers say the festival will celebrate everything that makes Milford Haven special, from its seafaring history and working harbour to its growing reputation as a destination for food, shopping, culture and family days out.

Visitors will be able to browse stalls from local makers and producers, enjoy street food and live performances, and explore a Marine Zone featuring organisations involved in sea safety, marine conservation and coastal life.

The Marine Zone will include Seagrass Network Cymru / Project Seagrass, Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, Dyfed-Powys Police, NCI Wooltack Point, Rudders Marine Training, RNLI Milford Haven and RNLI Angle Lifeboat.

RNLI Angle Lifeboat is expected to be based on the Mackerel Stage, while the Sea Cadets will be giving rope-tying displays at Milford Haven Museum, where craft activities will also be taking place.

Live entertainment will run throughout the day, with performances from Tom & Abz, Will Scott, Ryan Bristow, Milford Haven Town Band, Kyle Kirkhouse and ShantyJacs Sea Shanties.

Businesses across the waterfront are also joining in. All Pets Vet Care will hold a family-friendly open day with a bouncy castle, treasure hunts, quizzes, craft activities and behind-the-scenes tours. Aurora Artisan Crafts will host vocal performances, Biffy’s Bar & Restaurant will feature solo acoustic music from Laurence Lewis, and Martha’s Vineyard will offer seafood street food with live music from Ryan Bristow and Steve Bartram.

At Tŷ Milford Waterfront’s outdoor plaza there will be face painting, children’s activities, pop-up artists and an afternoon DJ set, while Phoenix Bowl and Pirate Pete’s Adventure Play will have inflatables and glitter tattoos outside.

The Waterfront Gallery will host introduction to felt-making workshops with textile artist Carole Fletcher, giving participants the chance to create a woollen felt flower pin brooch or phone/glasses case. The workshops start at 10:30am, 1:00pm and 3:30pm and cost £5 per person.

A wide range of traders will also be attending, including 5th Flock Spirits Co, Cinnamon Grove Distillery, Cwm Deri Wines & Liqueurs, Ferncraft, Get Loaded, J.J. Pottery, Major Nuts, Orange Garden Design, Pembrokeshire Chilli Farm, Pembrokeshire Gold, Pembrokeshire Lottery, Plumstone Welshcakes and SlateArtSJ.

With music drifting across the marina, food stalls lining the waterfront and lifeboats, sea safety teams and coastal groups adding a strong maritime flavour, Harbour Fest is expected to bring a lively summer atmosphere to one of Pembrokeshire’s best-known waterside destinations.

Organisers say the event is suitable for families, friends and visitors of all ages, with plenty to see and do throughout the day.

Photo caption: Harbour Fest will take place at Milford Waterfront on Saturday, June 27 (Pic: Milford Waterfront).

Entertainment

Filming begins on new Welsh BBC comedy starring Ruth Jones and Steve Speirs

Published

3 days ago

June 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A HEARTWARMING new Welsh BBC comedy co-written by Ruth Jones and Steve Speirs has started filming in South Wales.

Better Later, a six-part series for BBC iPlayer, BBC One and BBC One Wales, will explore the unexpected joys of an unlikely friendship.

The comedy stars Jones and Speirs as two people who meet at a knee trauma clinic. Retired teacher Clive, played by Speirs, is 60, widowed and facing a new chapter in life. Shelley Anne, played by Jones, is a 55-year-old environmental health officer going through a bitter divorce.

The series is being filmed in and around South Wales, including the Brecon Beacons, and is set in the fictional village of Brynfach.

Ruth Jones said: “In a funny way this show has been 35 years in the making, which is when I first met Steve. It’s not that we’re slow writers, it’s just that we’ve been up to other things. It’s fantastic to be back in front of the camera with him again.”

Steve Speirs said: “Our first time acting together for quite a long time. Ruth makes me laugh more than anyone and I’m a terrible giggler. This could be a long shoot.”

Better Later has been commissioned by BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Comedy and is being made by Tidy Productions in association with BBC Studios Comedy, with support from Creative Wales.

The series was commissioned by Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning at BBC Cymru Wales, and Jon Petrie, Director of Comedy at the BBC. The commissioning editors are Emma Lawson and Paul Forde.

Executive producers are Sarah Fraser for Tidy Productions and Josh Cole for BBC Studios Comedy. The producer is Owen Bell and the director is Simon Massey.

Transmission details will be announced in due course.