A MAGICAL glow-in-the-dark puppet show featuring colourful characters, music and family-friendly humour is returning to the Torch Theatre this August.

The Puppet Spectacular Glow Show is a captivating one-hour UV performance designed to entertain audiences of all ages.

Combining puppetry, comedy, music and striking black-light visuals, the interactive show encourages children and adults to sing, clap and cheer along with the characters.

Magic Light Productions has been creating professional puppets for its own productions and for companies around the world since 2006.

The company specialises in UV black art, with its puppets having appeared in numerous variety shows across the UK, including 12 theatre tours with the BBC’s Chuckle Brothers.

Drawing from an extensive collection of puppets, the production promises an immersive sensory experience for the whole family.

Last year’s Puppet Spectacular Glow Show sold out at the Torch Theatre, with audience members praising the inclusive and interactive nature of the performance. Visitors were also given the opportunity to meet some of the characters after the show.

The Puppet Spectacular Glow Show will take place on the Torch Theatre stage on Saturday, August 8, at 2pm.

Tickets cost £14 for adults and £12.50 for under-16s, with a family ticket available for £48.

Tickets can be booked at torchtheatre.co.uk or by calling the box office on 01646 695267.

RSPB CYMRU has purchased a 96-hectare upland site in Carmarthenshire, describing it as a vital step towards reconnecting one of Wales’ most important wildlife landscapes.

The newly acquired area, known as Gallt-y-bere, lies alongside the River Tywi and sits between two previously separated sections of the charity’s Gwenffrwd-Dinas nature reserve in the Elenydd uplands.

Conservationists say the purchase will reconnect fragmented habitats for the first time in around 60 years, creating a continuous landscape that will allow wildlife to move more freely and strengthen biodiversity across the reserve.

The site contains a rich mix of internationally important habitats, including rare Atlantic oak woodland – often referred to as Celtic rainforest – as well as ancient woodland, peat bogs and ffridd, the transitional habitat found between lowland farmland and open upland areas.

RSPB Cymru believes linking these habitats together will benefit a wide range of species, including pied flycatchers, hen harriers, cuckoos, wood warblers, pine martens and whinchats.

The purchase was made possible through a philanthropic loan and support from thousands of donors who contributed to the charity’s fundraising appeal.

Jonathan Cryer, site manager at RSPB Gwenffrwd-Dinas, described Gallt-y-bere as a “truly magical place”.

He said: “I’m thrilled that we’re in a position to expand and improve its rare habitats and wildlife.

“Securing this site is a brilliant opportunity for us to strengthen ancient woodland, restore upland habitats and create the conditions needed for rare wildlife to flourish in the future.”

RSPB Cymru says the enlarged reserve is now big enough to support breeding hen harriers. Although the red-listed birds are occasionally seen in the area, they have not attempted to breed there in recent years.

The organisation has been involved in conservation work at Gwenffrwd-Dinas for more than a century, initially supporting efforts to protect red kites before acquiring land to safeguard vulnerable habitats and species.

Surveys funded by Natural Resources Wales will be carried out over the summer to identify the full range of habitats and wildlife present on the newly protected land. The findings will help shape future conservation work.

Plans include expanding and enhancing wildlife-rich grasslands that support rare plants such as whorled caraway and wood bitter-vetch, while also working with local farming tenants to demonstrate how nature recovery and sustainable agriculture can coexist.

RSPB Cymru said the acquisition marks another important step towards building a more resilient future for wildlife in Wales, with long-term plans to work alongside local communities and partners to restore and protect the newly connected landscape for generations to come.

County ranks third in UK study thanks to low light pollution, dark-sky campsites and coastal landscapes

PEMBROKESHIRE has been named the third-best county in the UK for a summer stargazing and camping trip.

The county achieved an overall score of 8.1 out of 10 in research examining light pollution, summer weather, campsite availability and access to nearby walking routes.

Only Devon and Dorset ranked higher.

Pembrokeshire recorded a Bortle scale score of 3.91, indicating relatively low levels of light pollution and favourable conditions for seeing stars and, on clear nights, the Milky Way.

A lower Bortle score represents darker skies, with ratings of around 4.5 or below generally considered suitable for good stargazing.

The research found that Pembrokeshire has around 120 campsites, including seven identified as particularly suitable for observing the night sky.

The county also recorded an average summer temperature of 17.1°C, with clear or partly clear skies expected on around 52.8% of days during July and August.

Its average chance of precipitation during the same period was calculated at 28.4%.

The study highlighted the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park as one of the county’s strongest attractions for stargazers, with Bortle scale readings in some areas falling as low as 3.5.

The combination of remote coastal locations, limited artificial lighting and a wide choice of campsites was said to make Pembrokeshire one of the UK’s best destinations for spending a night under the stars.

Devon topped the rankings with a score of 8.5, followed closely by Dorset on 8.4.

Carmarthenshire was placed joint sixth with a score of 7.8, while Ceredigion ranked joint eighth on 7.7.

The research was commissioned by Admiral Casino and analysed 35 UK counties.

Researchers compared light pollution levels, summer temperatures, rainfall probabilities, cloud cover, the number of dark-sky campsites, nearby hiking trails and overall campsite availability.

Data was collected in June 2026.