WELSH singer Duffy is set to make her live UK comeback with a secret London show, more than 15 years after her last concert appearance in Britain.

The Grammy-winning artist, whose real name is Aimee Anne Duffy, revealed the news to fans in an Instagram story, confirming that the intimate performance will take place on July 5.

Duffy wrote: “I’m doing a secret intimate gig in London on the 5th July, next month, and I would love nothing more than for some of you to attend.

“It’s only small capacity so we can only select a few, but really looking forward to it, I will sing some new songs.

“All my love, Duffy x.”

The performance will include new material and marks her first UK live show since December 2010, when she appeared at Capital FM’s Jingle Bell Ball at the O2 Arena in London.

Duffy became one of Wales’ biggest music stars following the release of her debut album Rockferry, which was powered by the hit single Mercy. The song topped the UK charts for five weeks and helped establish her internationally.

Her second album, Endlessly, followed in 2010, but she later withdrew from public life.

Years later, Duffy revealed that she had been drugged, raped and held captive, explaining her long absence from the music industry.

Her return to the stage comes shortly after confirmation that she will feature in a new Disney+ documentary, which will explore her rise to fame, her life in Wales, her career, and the traumatic events that led to her stepping away from the spotlight.

Duffy also has strong links to Pembrokeshire. After her parents divorced, she moved with her mother and two sisters to Letterston, near Fishguard.

She later attended Sir Thomas Picton School in Haverfordwest, where she completed her GCSEs before returning to North Wales to live with her father.

A BBC WALES investigation has uncovered an unregulated online market where women desperate to become parents are being harassed for sex and offered cheap, illegal sperm samples through social media.

Swipe Right for Sperm, a new BBC Cymru Wales programme, has found that people unable to access fertility treatment are turning to online groups, informal donor websites and so-called “Tinder for sperm” platforms.

The investigation found some men advertising sperm donations online and charging for samples outside licensed fertility clinics.

In one case, the programme team paid £100 for a next-day delivery sample from a man advertising his “baby batter” online. The sample was posted chilled beside a frozen carton of tomato passata.

The advert told women they could “rely” on a man calling himself Joe Donor, who claims to have fathered 180 children around the world through both sex and artificial insemination.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority said unregulated donation, outside an HFEA-licensed clinic, can be a criminal offence in the UK.

Joe Donor disputed the authority’s position and said he understood private donation, including charging for it, to be legal.

Tianna and her wife Nikki, from south Wales, told the programme they turned to unregulated donation after finding they were not eligible for NHS funding and could not afford private fertility treatment.

Tianna said: “I always knew I wanted to be a mum. We knew that there was something missing from our family.”

She said women using such websites were often placed in a vulnerable position.

She added: “You do get weirdos who are in it for the complete wrong reasons. There’s a website, it’s kind of like a mixture between a catalogue and Tinder. You can filter eye colour, hair colour, so you can look for exactly what it is you’re looking for.”

The couple wanted artificial insemination, but said some men repeatedly pushed sex as the best option.

Tianna said: “I think it was really helpful that me and my wife had each other, so there was no way that anyone could really pressure us into doing something we didn’t want to do.

“When all you want to have is a baby, you’re in a really vulnerable position.”

Tianna and Nikki eventually found a donor they felt safe with through a co-parenting website. They drew up an agreement setting out plans for contact and parental rights, but such arrangements are not legally binding.

Tianna said: “There is still a chance that in the future, he could come and try and start claiming parental rights and take us through a court case.”

Clare Ettinghausen, from the HFEA, said: “Some of these donors are advertising as natural insemination only, which is essentially in some cases coercing women to have sex when they possibly wouldn’t want to.”

Presented by Gemma Dunstan, BBC Wales Investigates: Swipe Right for Sperm airs tonight, Monday (June 8), at 8:30pm on BBC One Wales, and on Thursday, June 18, at 10:00pm on BBC Two.

The programme is also available on BBC iPlayer.

SPAN Arts is calling for more young people and families to join its volunteer team as demand grows for its events programme at a time when volunteer numbers are low.

The Narberth-based community arts charity has brought people together through creativity for more than 30 years, using the arts to spark ideas, build connections and inspire positive change across Pembrokeshire.

Like many community organisations, SPAN Arts relies heavily on volunteers, and that support is now more important than ever.

A CALL FOR SUPPORT

The SPAN Arts team said: “Volunteers are the backbone of our organisation, and at the moment we’re low on numbers.

“With more events coming up, we really need more people to step in, especially young people and families.”

The charity says there are opportunities for people who can spare a small amount of time, as well as those looking for a longer-term role.

WHY VOLUNTEER?

Volunteering with SPAN Arts offers the chance to become part of a welcoming creative community while gaining useful experience.

Volunteers can meet new people, build confidence, develop new skills, gain hands-on experience for their CV, and see behind the scenes of the creative industries.

Roles may include supporting live events, working alongside professional artists, and learning about areas such as marketing, lighting, sound and production.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

For young people, volunteering can provide an introduction to the arts and events sector.

SPAN Arts says it offers the chance to join a friendly team, learn practical skills outside the classroom, gain experience in live events, and build confidence through new challenges.

FAMILY VOLUNTEERING

Families are also being encouraged to take part.

With workshops and performances designed for young audiences, SPAN Arts says volunteering can be an enjoyable way for families to spend time together, support children in building confidence and teamwork skills, share new experiences with the local community, and do something meaningful together.

GET INVOLVED

Anyone interested in volunteering is invited to contact SPAN Arts’ Volunteer Coordinator, Belinda, for an informal chat.

She can be contacted on 01834 869323 or by emailing [email protected].

SPAN Arts is a community arts charity based in Narberth, with a 30-year history of contributing to the arts in Pembrokeshire.

The charity delivers music, theatre, comedy and spoken-word events, alongside arts and wellbeing projects in areas where people may otherwise have limited access to the arts.

SPAN Arts says it is driven by the belief that the arts can improve quality of life, health and wellbeing, while helping to reduce social exclusion and rural isolation through community-based participation.