Entertainment

Visit Wales launch new girl-gang breaks to celebrate St Non’s Day

Published

11 months ago

February 28, 2025

The Traitors star Elen Wyn invites faux Welsh Charlotte on a tailored tour to come and feel the hwyl in Wales

WITH ‘girl gang’ breaks on the rise, Visit Wales has launched four new female-focussed itineraries with a focus on wellbeing, adventure and meaningful multi-generational get-togethers to mark St Non’s Day for the first time.

Non, the mother of Wales’ patron Saint David, is honoured on March 2nd, a day after Wales’ national day, St David’s Day, which is dedicated to her son.

Female group travel has become a key travel trend for 2025. Visit Wales data shows the hashtag #GirlTrip has been viewed more than 7m times on TikTok in the last 120 days. On Pinterest, “Girls Trip” has seen a 20% year on year increase and 38% increase in mentions across social platforms – as well as spawning millions of the ‘when the girls trip leaves the group chat’ memes.

The four new itineraries can be explored on Visit Wales’ website and feature a host of activities from jumping in seaweed baths and steaming beachfront barrel saunas in the stunning coastal landscapes of north Wales, to sampling freshly foraged seafood in Pembrokeshire restaurants, dancing in a silent disco at the national museum in the Welsh capital or indulging in a book club break in Hay on Wye. The itineraries are part of Visit Wales’ wider campaign inviting people to ‘feel the hwyl’- a deep state of joy that comes from being totally immersed in the moment.

Star of BBC smash hit TV series The Traitors, 24-year-old Elen Wyn, a translator and opera singer from north Wales, says Wales is the perfect place for a girls trip and she would be delighted to host Traitors villain Charlotte, who adopted a Welsh accent throughout the series to soften her ruthless tactics.

Elen said: “Charlotte told me she’s more familiar with south than north Wales, so I would want to take her up there, to Llanddwyn Beach, which is beautiful and Mynydd Parys is strange but unique. I think Charlotte could do with chilling out a bit, so we would head to the beach and mountains.

“I’m in touch with Livi, Minah and Leanne and I’d love them to see the real Wales too. I would take them all to Barry Island – there were lots of Gavin and Stacey fans in the castle, so they would enjoy that.

“Charlotte tried to avoid me in the castle, because she was worried I would spot her accent and become suspicious, so I think we’ve got lots of catching up to do to get to know each other properly.”

Since moving to Cardiff to study three years ago, Elen’s ‘genod,’ or girls, in north Wales make much more effort to come together for a catch up.

“I’m definitely the organiser!” says Elen. “Wales is perfect for a girls’ trip because there are so many places to relax like going for a walk round Roath Park Lake while Cardiff’s St Mary Street is great for partying. My younger sister Beca and I love trying one of the many, many great restaurants here. I love the balance between being mindful and doing something totally exhilarating like swimming in the sea at Church Bay in Cemlyn or climbing Pen y Fan.

“I take mindfulness very seriously – for the mind, mental health and for the body. It makes you feel so good. I love chilling on the balcony after a day in the spa at Voco St David’s – the views over Cardiff Bay are something else. Beca and I are booked into the spa at Dylan Coastal Resort next month and I can’t wait for the trip to Laugharne, after a friend recommended we try it.

“I have lots of groups of female friends who enjoy different types of breaks and being the middle of three sisters, we love getting away together or going for a hike in the gorgeous north Wales mountains or along the coast and beaches.

“I’m familiar with most parts of Wales, because of my competing in Eisteddfods since I was little. From caravanning with the family at Eisteddfodau to winning for my solo last year, I have so many Eisteddfod highlights.”

While St David’s Day is full of ‘hwyl’ in Wales, fewer people may have heard of the significance of the day afterwards; St Non’s Day.

St Non’s ruined medieval chapel lies on a spectacular and remote part of the Wales Coast Path in North Pembrokeshire, where she is said to have given birth to St David. Labour pains caused her to grip a stone so hard that her fingerprints were left on it, splitting it in two.

Sian Kilcoyne, co-author of best-selling book Welsh Women on This Day said: “While the story of St Non is that of a nun living in the 5^th Century, the issues surrounding her are still highly pertinent to women and girls in 2025.

“A visit or retreat to St Non’s chapel and well in Pembrokeshire has long been seen as an opportunity for healing, self-reflection, wellness and connection with nature. Opening that idea out to new audiences of women around the world and to more locations across Wales is a wonderful opportunity to continue to reclaim and celebrate Non’s story on this day, centuries later.”

One uniquely Welsh venue embodying the modern-day trend for women travelling in groups and looking for modern day wellness and connection is The Dreaming, a wellbeing retreat nestled in the heart of the Elan Valley in Wales, brought to life by Welsh singer-songwriter, Charlotte Church.

Starting life as a 15^th-Century monastery, and later owned by another iconic Welsh woman, Laura Ashley, who ran her global interior design business from the house, The Dreaming site now offers day retreats that allow guests to slow down and reconnect with the nature of the area, which includes waterfalls, ancient forests and an international Dark Sky reserve for stargazing: to overnight stays providing longer opportunities for guests to heal and reconnect with themselves in the bohemian-luxury surroundings of the estate.

Specific packages on offer at The Dreaming include a Mother Daughter Retreat; a Queer Retreat and a Muslim Women Retreat.

Female focussed group events in Wales are also building in popularity, with the world’s largest female-only ultra-marathon, She Ultra, set to take place in the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales in April and attracting a record 1,800 entrants from around the world.

Organiser Huw Williams said many women would be travelling with groups of friends to attend and see the event, which raises money for women’s cancer charities, as more than a just a race.

He said: “The majority of the women are walkers and hikers and then you’ve got about 20 per cent who are runners. Women are coming from all over the UK, Italy, Portugal, Poland, France, Greece and America. It is going to be such a great weekend for the women and the local community.”

The four new itineraries can be explored on the Visit Wales website Girls’ weekend getaway in Wales | Visit Wales

Entertainment

New appeal in search for missing Manic Street Preachers musician

Published

2 days ago

January 31, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Family and charity issue fresh appeal for information about guitarist 31 years on

THIRTY-ONE years after the disappearance of Richey Edwards, a new public appeal has been issued urging anyone with information to come forward.

Edwards, guitarist and lyricist with Manic Street Preachers, vanished on January 31, 1995, in a case that has become one of the most enduring mysteries in British music history.

***Missing for over 30 years: Richey Edwards***

The then 27-year-old was last seen at the Embassy Hotel Bayswater in west London, where he had been staying ahead of a promotional trip to the United States. He checked out of room 561 but never reached his destination.

Despite numerous reported sightings over the years, none have ever been confirmed. Edwards was officially declared presumed dead in 2008, though his family continue to mark the anniversary of his disappearance and keep hope alive that answers may still emerge.

Anniversary appeal

The charity Missing People has released a statement in collaboration with Edwards’ sister Rachel, asking the public to remember the case.

In a social media post, the organisation said: “It is 31 years since Richard went missing, please keep his family in your thoughts.”

They also repeated key identifying details from the time he vanished. Edwards was described as white, around 5ft 7in tall, slim, with brown eyes and a shaved head. He had several distinctive tattoos, including a rose with the words ‘Useless Generation’, the phrase ‘I’ll surf this beach’, and a scar on his lower left arm where he had scratched the words ‘4 REAL’.

Unanswered questions

His car was later found near the Severn Bridge services, close to the Welsh border, prompting widespread searches but yielding no firm clues about what happened next.

At the time of his disappearance, the band were on the brink of international success. Edwards’ intense, literate songwriting and striking image had already made him a defining figure in Welsh rock music. More than three decades later, fans still hold vigils, create murals and share tributes across Wales and beyond.

Police say the case remains open.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Metropolitan Police Service on 101 or use their online reporting service, quoting reference CONNECT REF 01/764429/24. Missing People also operates a free, confidential helpline on 116 000.

Entertainment

Turner and Constable brought to life on the big screen at the Torch Theatre

Published

3 days ago

January 30, 2026

Tom Sinclair

ART lovers in Pembrokeshire will have the chance to experience the lives and rivalries of two of Britain’s greatest painters when a new documentary, EOS: Turner & Constable, arrives at the Torch Theatre this March.

Celebrating the 250th anniversary of their births, the film explores the intertwined stories and enduring legacies of J.M.W. Turner and John Constable alongside Tate Britain’s major new exhibition. Exhibition on Screen has been granted exclusive behind-the-scenes access, bringing their extraordinary art and personal histories vividly to the cinema screen.

Born just a year apart, Turner and Constable helped redefine landscape painting in Britain – and were fierce competitors. Both captured a nation in transition, yet their styles could not have been more different. Turner’s dramatic skies, blazing sunsets and atmospheric scenes from his travels contrasted sharply with Constable’s gentle, nostalgic portrayals of the English countryside and familiar rural life.

Their opposing visions divided critics and audiences alike, famously described at the time as a clash of “fire and water”.

The documentary offers rare, intimate access to sketchbooks, letters and personal artefacts, alongside insights from leading curators and art historians. It also ties in with Tate Britain’s landmark exhibition, running in London from November 2025 to April 2026, which reunites the two masters’ works side-by-side.

This cinematic event gives audiences the chance to see their masterpieces in stunning detail and discover unexpected sides to two artists whose rivalry shaped British art history.

Turner and Constable will be screened at the Torch Theatre on Sunday, March 15 at 4:30pm.

Tickets are £13. For bookings, visit www.torchtheatre.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01646 695267.

Entertainment

Companies awarded funding as part of Made in Wales: Factual Entertainment project

Published

5 days ago

January 29, 2026

Tom Sinclair

BBC Cymru Wales, BBC Network and Creative Wales have awarded four Wales-based production companies funding to develop ideas for a new Factual Entertainment series

BBC CYMRU WALES, BBC Network, and Creative Wales announced the launch of a new development fund for a Factual Entertainment series at the Wales Media Summit last year.

Production companies with a substantive base in Wales were invited to pitch bold, original ideas that celebrate Welsh creativity while delivering unforgettable entertainment to audiences across the UK.

Boom, Curve Media, South Shore and Tŷ’r Ddraig have successfully been awarded funding to further develop their ideas for a new Factual Entertainment series. Each company will receive £10,000 of funding, with development starting in the coming weeks.

Nick Andrews, Head of Commissioning BBC Cymru Wales, said: “We were really impressed by the variety and volume of the submissions we received – companies really responded to our call for ideas for an ambitious, returnable format, that surprises, unites, and captivates. We’re so excited to be working with the four successful companies, and we’re looking forward to seeing how their ideas develop further.”

Catherine Catton, Head of Commissioning, Factual Entertainment and Events, said: “Made in Wales is a collaboration to find a major new factual entertainment series that will harness the best of Welsh creativity and resonate across the UK. We are really looking forward to working with brilliant Welsh talent to come up with the next big thing.”

Joedi Langley, Interim Head of Creative Wales, said: “This announcement follows a recently published and updated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Creative Wales and BBC, a commitment between the two organisations to work together to support the vibrant, diverse, world-class screen industries in Wales.

“This new development funding will do just that – create new opportunities for Welsh based production companies to develop exciting, original ideas for factual content. Congratulations to the indies, we look forward to seeing what comes next!”

The total funding of £40,000 has been provided by BBC Cymru Wales, BBC Network and the Welsh Government via Creative Wales.