Entertainment
Who will be crowned Pembrokeshire’s Best Dinner Lady?
Torch Theatre launches county-wide competition to celebrate school canteen heroes
THE TORCH THEATRE’S Youth Theatre is calling on schools across Pembrokeshire to help crown the county’s best dinner lady—or lunchtime supervisor—in a fun and heartwarming competition launched ahead of their summer production, The Bangers and Chips Explosion.
Based on the children’s book by Brough Girling, the show tells the story of a dinner lady so horrid she refuses to serve chips at St Gertrude’s Primary School—sparking a student strike with chaotic and comical consequences.
But unlike the character in the play, the Torch Youth Theatre knows most dinner ladies are cherished, not dreaded. So, they’re asking pupils and staff across Pembrokeshire to nominate their own beloved dinner lady or dinner man—those unsung lunchtime legends who brighten up school days with kind smiles and hearty meals.
How to nominate
To nominate someone for the title of Best Dinner Lady in Pembrokeshire, simply take a photo of them in action and write three reasons why you think they deserve the crown. Then email your nomination to: [email protected] with the subject line “The Best Dinner Lady Competition” by Monday 7 July. Be sure to include your contact details, the nominee’s name, and their contact information.
A panel from the Torch Theatre will judge all entries and the winner will receive a mouth-watering sausage hamper from Gate 2 Plate in Freystrop, plus two free tickets to see The Bangers and Chips Explosion.
Honouring lunchtime heroes
“This is a fun and light-hearted way to celebrate the wonderful people who keep school lunchtimes running smoothly,” said Tim Howe, Senior Manager for Youth and Community at the Torch Theatre. “We all remember the dinner ladies who looked after us—whether it was a second helping of jam roly-poly or a warm smile on a rainy day. Now’s the time to show them some love!”
Even Café Torch’s own Lisa posed for a snap in the spirit of the contest. “She’s our favourite—but who’s yours?” added Tim.
See the show
The Bangers and Chips Explosion will be performed by the Torch Youth Theatre from Monday 21 July to Wednesday 23 July at 6:30pm. Tickets are £10 for adults and £8 for concessions, available from torchtheatre.co.uk or by calling the Box Office on 01646 695267.
Visitors can also enjoy a pre-show bite at Café Torch, offering a rotating menu of delicious meals before evening shows and matinees. One thing’s for sure—there’s no chip shortage at the Torch Theatre!
Entertainment
One Night in Dublin returns to the Torch with a brand-new show
ONE NIGHT IN DUBLIN is heading back to the stage at the Torch Theatre with a lively new production fronted by renowned Irish singer Danny Muldoon.
Tickets are already selling fast for the feel-good celebration of Irish music, which promises two hours of songs, stories and plenty of craic.
Backed by an award-winning five-piece band, Muldoon leads audiences through a packed set of sing-along favourites including Galway Girl, Tell Me Ma, The Irish Rover, Dirty Old Town, Whiskey in the Jar, The Wild Rover and The Galway Shawl, along with many more well-loved classics.
The show recreates the atmosphere of a bustling Dublin pub, complete with fiddle, whistle, guitars, banjo, bodhrán, accordion and driving drums, transporting the audience straight into “Murphy’s Tavern” for an unforgettable night of live entertainment.
Fans can also expect hits from Irish legends including The Pogues, The Saw Doctors, The Dubliners, The Fureys, Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys.
One Night in Dublin comes to the Torch Theatre on Thursday, March 26 at 7:30pm.
Tickets cost £26.50. Visit the theatre website or call the Box Office on (01646) 695267 to book.

Entertainment
New appeal in search for missing Manic Street Preachers musician
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.

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
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.
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