Two of Wales’ leading instrumentalists launch new musical career with award-winning band ‘Dewin’

Published

9 months ago

March 5, 2025

How often are children told that learning an instrument is something that will give them untold pleasure for the rest of their lives? Loads.

But how many children actually believe this?

Two local musicians who have spent their childhood years studying, performing and excelling at their musical platforms are now gaining recognition in the cut-throat world of pop.

Jencyn Corp and Lefi Dafydd both accomplished their grade 8s at very young ages and have both performed on the classical stage winning awards and gaining recognition as two of Wales’ most outstanding young performers.

But earlier this year their band, ‘Dewin’ (Wizard), scooped the best band award in Gwyl Fel ‘na Mai’s prestigious ‘Gwobr Goffa Richard a Wyn’. The award is in memory of iconic Welsh musicians Richard and Wyn Jones who formed the influential band ‘ Ail Symudiad’ before launching the Fflach recording studios which are based in Cardigan. As a result of the award, ‘Dewin’ is now proving a firm choice at some of this year’s main Welsh music festivals including the two-day Tafwyl festival in Bute Park, Cardiff, (June 14), and Gwyl Fel na Mai which takes place in Crymych on May 3.

“Having the chance to play at events such as these as well as having the opportunity to start experimenting with a totally different way of performing to what I’ve been used to is a real gift,” said Lefi during a break from his studies as a first year student at Cambridge University, where he’s studying Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic .

“I started playing the piano when I was around six, and then began learning the clarinet shortly afterwards, but I always played in a very correct and classical way.

“Obviously since moving to Cambridge, it’s been difficult for me to continue playing, so having the opportunity to perform with ‘Dewin’ is fantastic. In many ways, ‘Dewin’ has taken over how I’m now performing as a musician.”

Similarly, Jencyn began learning piano at the tender age of six. His love of music as a child led to him subsequently learning the flute, harp, piano accordion and, more recently, the pipe organ.

“My mother always used to play me baby Mozart CDs when I was a child, so maybe this was why I was so keen to learn an instrument,” he laughs in that charismatic Corp way.

“I joined the junior conservatoire when I was a bit older and this was when I started finding out about jazz and learning how to be a bit more adventurous with improvisation. So I suppose this was where the idea of being in a band came from, where I could create my own sounds and write my own material.”

But then A levels took over (both are former pupils of Ysgol y Preseli) followed by the interview and audition processes to continue their studies at university. Jencyn is currently taking a gap year after being accepted to read Music at Southampton University in September 2025.

Jencyn and Lefi had been performing together for several years with their slightly unconventional repertoire of traditional Welsh folk tunes, Jencyn on piano accordion and Lefi on clarinet. And it was during a recent performance at a children’s twmpath (folk dance), that the duo were heard by Fflach Cymunedol’s Nico Dafydd. As a result, the pair were invited into the studio to talk about ways in which their highly original style could be developed.

“And this was how ‘Dewin’ started,” continues Jencyn.

“Even though Lefi is an incredibly good pianist with his highly technical classical repertoire, and even though I’m pretty good at performing jazz, when you put the two of us together we’re actually more similar than you’d think. Lefi has a very creative brain and I’m always working on song ideas and the way in which different instruments, possibly instruments that you wouldn’t normally associate with a pop band, might work together.”

Last May, long before Dewin saw the light of day, Jencyn sat down one afternoon with his phone to do a spot of composition.

“This was very typical of me at the time,” he laughs. “But I started working harder with this one particular song. And when I played the idea to Nico Dafydd, this was the song that Fflach decided to release as our single.”

The song, entitled ‘Syched Cas’ (Nasty Thirst) is being released under the Fflach Cymunedol label this Friday, March 7.

“It’s definitely more interesting than your conventional pop song, and this is probably the result of Jencyn’s considerable understanding of jazz,” continues Lefi. “It’s got all these fantastic harmonies and chords with their ninths and sevenths, but it’s also got this incredibly catchy chorus.”

The opportunity to work and record with the Fflach team has helped Corp and Dafydd gain an invaluable insight into how recording engineers transform a musical idea into an intricately layered finished piece.

“It’s wonderful that we have a community studio such as Fflach on our doorstep, with the aim of nurturing Welsh talent and giving people an opportunity to use the studio and its recording facilities,” continued Jencyn. “It’s certainly given us the technical advantage of being able to use things like cubase and logic pro, and it’s really opened doors for us.

“In a studio you can sit down and listen and keep adding and adding. And we’ve set quite a high standard for ourselves. But we’ve also got to perform our songs to the public, and try to set the same standards that we did in the recording studio, and this can be quite difficult to achieve on stage.

“But music has always meant so very much to both me and Lefi, so being able to continue our journey, albeit it in a different direction, is fantastic. In many ways, this is why the name ‘Dewin’, or wizard, is so apt. It has that slightly nostalgic sense of playful magic that we had as children. And once again we’re now having the magic of music to explore and perform to a wider audience.

“But whatever lies ahead, Lewi and I are determined to give ‘Dewin’ absolutely everything we’ve got.”

Given the musical talents that both men have consistently displayed since their primary school days, Welsh music lovers have got an awful lot to look forward to, whenever ‘Dewin’ take to the stage.

Crime

Prosecution delivers powerful closing speech in Christopher Phillips trial

Published

2 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Jury expected to retire shortly in Swansea Crown Court baby abuse case

THE TRIAL of Christopher Phillips, accused of inflicting catastrophic injuries on a 10-week-old baby in Haverfordwest, moved into its final stages today (Dec 5) as the last evidence was heard and the prosecution delivered a forceful closing speech at Swansea Crown Court.

***Christopher Phillips: Told the court earlier this week that he was “proud” of his appearance.***

Phillips, 34, of Kiln Park in Burton, is charged with causing serious physical and sexual harm to Baby C in January 2021. The infant was taken by ambulance to Glangwili Hospital in the early hours of January 24 after suffering life-threatening internal injuries.

The baby’s mother faces separate charges of allowing serious physical harm and child cruelty for allegedly failing to protect her child.

Final evidence presented

The court resumed at 11:09am, when the prosecution submitted its final exhibit: a detailed timeline reconstructed from Phillips’ mobile phone data, charting his visits to the mother’s flat in Haverfordwest.

Prosecutor Caroline Rees KC highlighted the distances between Phillips’ home, the mother’s address and Glangwili Hospital, telling the jury that the timings were central to understanding the sequence of events that night.

This concluded the evidential phase of the trial.

Judge issues legal directions

Late this morning (Friday, Dec 5) Judge Paul Thomas KC delivered his directions to the jury, outlining the legal tests required for convictions against both Phillips and the child’s mother. He reminded jurors to consider each charge separately and to apply the law only to the evidence they had heard.

Prosecution closing speech

In her closing address at early this afternoon, Rees KC told the jury that 10-week-old Baby C had been a “happy little baby” who showed “no signs of distress” in a video recorded by his father on January 23, 2021.

She said that within hours, by the early morning of January 24, the infant was in hospital with what she described as a “gaping tear in his anus”.

Rees KC argued that the evidence of who caused the injuries “points in one way – towards Christopher Phillips”.

Turning to the baby’s mother, she said the prosecution’s case was that she was “not without blame”, telling the jury that the mother had “failed in her duty to keep her baby safe”.

“She at the very least ought to have realised that her baby was at serious risk from the man she brought into her home,” Rees KC said. “She didn’t take any steps to keep that baby safe. She prioritised Christopher Phillips over her own child.”

Jury expected to retire

No defence closing speech was delivered today, that will be on Monday.

No further evidence is scheduled.

The jury is expected to retire early next week to begin its deliberations.

The case continues at Swansea Crown Court.

Farming

FUW urges government action as plunging dairy prices threaten family farms

Published

2 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE FARMER’s UNION OF WALES has sounded the alarm over a sharp and sustained collapse in dairy prices, warning that the situation is placing intolerable pressure on family farms already grappling with regulatory change, rising costs and wider economic uncertainty.

The Union convened an emergency meeting of its Animal Health and Dairy Committee last week to assess the scale of the crisis. Representatives from across Wales reported widespread anxiety, with many members seeing milk prices fall dramatically through the autumn. Processors are now signalling further cuts in early 2026, while commodity markets offer little sign of stability heading into spring.

Farmers, fearful of jeopardising commercial relationships, have approached the FUW confidentially to express grave concern about projected milk payments for the coming months. Many say the offers being made will fall far below the cost of production.

Average milk prices are forecast at just 30–35 pence per litre, against estimated production costs of 39–44 pence per litre (Kite Consulting). On current trajectories, the FUW warns a typical Welsh dairy farm could lose thousands of pounds per month for as long as the downturn persists.

Following its committee meeting, the Union raised the matter directly with Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies MS during talks in Cardiff on Wednesday, December 3. Officials stressed the immediate threat facing family-run dairy farms and called for urgent consideration of government support to prevent long-term damage to the sector.

Gerwyn Williams, Chair of the FUW Animal Health and Dairy Committee, said the pace of the price crash was “unprecedented”.

“Farmers are facing an impossible situation where input costs remain high while the value of their product plummets. The viability of many family farms is now at serious risk. We need immediate assurances that this crisis is being treated with the urgency it deserves.

“Some can weather a short storm, but rumours that this could continue into summer 2026 will see businesses shut. These modest family farms have already invested heavily to meet regulatory requirements. Cuts on this scale will severely impact their ability to service repayments.”

FUW Deputy President Dai Miles warned that the consequences extend far beyond farm gates.

“Dairy farming underpins thousands of jobs in Wales and is central to the economic, social and environmental fabric of rural communities. When prices fall this sharply, it isn’t just farmers who suffer — local businesses, services and entire communities feel the impact.

“We have made it clear to the Deputy First Minister that government must work with the industry to provide immediate stability and a long-term resilience plan.”

The FUW says it will continue to work with the Welsh Government, processors and supply-chain partners to seek solutions and secure fair, sustainable prices for producers.

Community

Haverfordwest’s first memory tree brings community together this Christmas

Published

2 hours ago

December 5, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Spud Box is delighted to launch a brand-new festive initiative for the people of Pembrokeshire – Haverfordwest’s first Memory Tree, now open to the public at our premises.

The idea, inspired by Drew from The Big Pembs Panto, invites members of the community to write and hang personal messages on the tree. These can be tributes to loved ones, cherished memories, or simple Christmas wishes.

The project has been created to give people a meaningful way to connect during the festive season. All materials – including paper, plastic pockets and ribbon – are provided free of charge. Visitors are also welcome to enjoy complimentary hot drinks, kindly supplied by Connect: Pembrokeshire, along with mince pies donated by Brakes.

Anyone who prefers to create their message at home can bring it in, and the team will be happy to help attach it to the tree.

Donations are being encouraged in support of Sandy Bear Children’s Bereavement Charity, making the Memory Tree both a reflective and charitable community event.

The tree itself looks spectacular thanks to Sion from DSR Batteries, who supplied the lighting. The project has also received generous support from Marty at Sandy Bear Children’s Bereavement Charity and Pure West Radio. Spud Box welcomes other community groups or organisations who wish to get involved.