News

As part of National Volunteer Week, Span Arts would like to say a huge THANK YOU to our amazing volunteers, many of whom have been isolating alone for the last 10 weeks. Whilst on lockdown our volunteers have enjoyed getting together weekly for a new online Volunteer Skill Share programme. They have been sharing an incredibly array of skills from gardening to poetry, mindfulness to Welsh. What a talented bunch you are! SPAN Volunteer Nicola told us “Getting together digitally has been such a boost to my wellbeing and really made the shutdown more bearable. Being engaged with others sharing skills in an online environment was a 1st for me and helped me feel connected to others and less isolated and worried.” If you are feeling lonely, bored or frustrated or just want to be part of something friendly and creative then why don’t you try one of our Skill Shares. Simply email Siobhan@span-arts-dev.co.uk to find out more. Create and Connect Film As part of National Volunteer’s Week, we would like to highlight our amazing volunteers and their contribution to Pembrokeshire’s communities. This film captures just a few of the many Span volunteers as they talk about why they volunteer and what they hope […]

This May, to coincide with International Dylan Thomas Day, Span Arts Pembrokeshire’s much loved community arts organisation is embarking on an exciting new digital venture.  Calling on the many talents of their volunteers and the wider community we are working towards an online performance of Under Milk Wood through online video conferencing with the ambition to live stream to YouTube for digital theatre-goers to enjoy. The venture has come about through Span’s Digidol project which has been piloting ways in which digital technology can be used creatively to help with issues such as social well being and rural isolation.  The project could not be more timely given the continuing restrictions on our daily lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic as we continue to be advised to #StayAtHome. Whilst we may not be able to visit our favourite seaside places or go about our normal daily business we can still dream.  The play idea was born when the span team held their first video conference team meeting having closed their offices at in Narberth to continue working from home.  How would it be to perform a play in these conditions?  Under Milk Wood seemed the ideal choice to try it out. 

We may be self isolating but Span’s volunteers remain a vital and active part of the team at Span Arts.   With regular on line volunteer meetings, we are organising volunteer led events that we hope to roll out to audiences soon via Span’s You Tube channel. Span volunteers have also put together a Skill Share programme to ensure we all remain connected, engaged and busy! Span’s work to connect rural communities through art and wellbeing has never been more important as so many of us are alone in our homes. If you would like to join the Span volunteering team – now is a great time.  For more information on being  a Span volunteer, email Siobhan@span-arts-dev.co.uk Stay well and stay in touch!

We are working hard behind the scenes to develop a diverse and uplifting programme of online events and activities in celebration of our Span Digidol/Digital project. But whilst we are at it, we thought you might like to see some other interesting creative things to do online so we have started a blog. Keep visiting as we will keep adding to it Google Arts & Culture: Featuring content from over 2000 leading museums and archives – a feast for the eyes!   National Theatre: Live streaming every Thursday evening   Open Culture: Download free colouring books from 113 Museums   SkillShare: Learn a variety of skills including photography, illustration, animation, writing and more!   Time: 10 Virtual Book Clubs and how to create your own   The Royal Opera House   Drawn Together UK – An online community drawing project. Why not take part and add to the map of the UK with a drawing from your window? All you have to do is draw your picture in pen or pencil and use the hashtag #DrawnTogetherUK   United We Stream – Fancy yourself a kitchen disco? Here you can live stream DJ’s and gigs.     MoMA – Artist Louise Lawler has made 12

The Span Arts building will be temporarily closed from Tuesday 17th March until further notice due to the Government’s announcement of emergency measures being put in place on Tuesday night.    Span Arts has had to take the difficult decision to cancel or postpone our forthcoming programme of events and also cancel all community activities held in the building to protect our audience, volunteers and staff.  The Span Arts team however, are keen to tell us that although they have had to shut their doors, they will remain active on projects and online.    “Our team is working hard setting up office at home and coming up with a range of creative new ways to keep people from being isolated at home.  It has rarely felt as important as it does now to combat isolation and loneliness and help people feel better, happy and connected in Pembrokeshire” says Kathryn Lambert, Director of Span Arts.   The new measures will devastate an already fragile sector that works hard to ensure our communities can enjoy live music and theatre and the positive impact of the arts on our health and wellbeing.    The Arts Council of Wales have told Span Arts that in these difficult and unprecedented times they recognise and empathise with the serious personal and professional impacts for artists, practitioners and organisations arising from Covid-19. “We stand firmly with the artists and arts organisations of Wales and our priority is to find practical ways of supporting

Saturday 2nd  May sees the return of Narberth’s The BIG Plant Sale, one of the most important dates on Pembrokeshire’s gardening calendar. The Plant Sale hosts a huge range of stalls with an impressive range of flowers, herbs and vegetable plants, as well as specialist stock including bamboos, pond plants, succulents and cacti. Along with everything a gardener dreams of, there will also be a live music stage, food stalls and a raffle. The Plant Sale has grown bigger and bigger every year, now in its 26th year, and has been described as “the start of the summer social season”. It’s a diverse and fun-packed day not only for the green fingers amongst us, but whole community. Not only is it an important date in the gardening calendar, it is also hugely important for Span Arts as it helps raises funds for the Narberth-based charity committed to providing performances and arts experiences for people from all over Pembrokeshire. Last year, over 1,300 visitors attended the event over the course of the day, and we hope to attract even more this year! If you would like a stall to sell your own products, then you are in luck! Pitches are still

Georgia Ruth and Bardd, Newport Memorial Hall, 20 March Span Arts are absolutely delighted to be hosting the Launch of Welsh Music Prize winner Georgia Ruth’s new album Mai, and the global fusion trio Bardd whose members include Young People’s Laureate Wales’s Poet Martin Laws and legendary Emcee, Beatbox and Welsh/International Live Looper champion, Mr Phormula. As a true bilingual event, with songs sung in both Welsh and English this will weave together different instruments, different languages, different musical styles into one beautiful groove. This will be a fantastic event not to be missed! Georgia Ruth is a Welsh singer-songwriter, harpist and one of Wales’ most compelling voices – “dazzling… rich with sweet pain and joy” (The Independent); “one of the British folk discoveries of the year” (The Guardian). MOJO describe the album as “atmospheric spirituality …. natural world imagery, poetic lyrics and subtle soundscapes … with wafts of strings, guitars, drums, sax and violin Watch Georgia’s new single here: Bardd’s music journeys between bardic roots of Wales and freedom funk disco, underpinned by a love of dope beats, supreme lyricism and great music from all genres. Expect Beatbox, innovative Live Looping, Electric Kalimba, Folk Violin, Jazz Organ, Blues Guitar

Span Arts teams up again with Theatr Gwaun and comic Clare Ferguson-Walker for a second Laughing Dragon Cabaret at 8pm on Friday 27 March. Fishguard’s Theatr Gwaun hosts this tremendous comedy triple-bill – triple the fun, triple the giggle, triple the belly laugh ache! Olaf Falafel is the Winner of Edinburgh Fringe Festival’s Funniest Joke Award – he’ll laugh you into Spring with his pun and absurdity filled humour. Female musical comic Sooz Kempner with her “quirky style and knock-out voice” (Chortle) who will have you laughing like a drain. And Ignacio Lopez’s “charismatic … waspish charm” (Chortle) will spin you around with his infamous high gag-rate. Local comic talent, MC Clare Ferguson Walker will weave the whole evening together and also host a funny raffle at the event. Buy your tickets now for this rib-shaker – a most brilliant way to shake out the winter and call in the new energy of Spring. Tickets are now available from Theatr Gwaun theatrgwwun.com 01348 873421 Ticket prices Advance  £12/£10/£10 (Full, Friend of Span, Concession) Door  £14/£12/£12