The Great Cardiff Clothes Swap

Is your wardrobe bulging with clothes you’re bored of? Has your partner been assigned one meagre space for his belongings while you occupy the rest of the drawers? Can you never seem to find anything you want to wear? Then the Great Cardiff Clothes Swap may solve your problems (and save your relationship).

On Sunday 20 September, the Millennium Centre will host the city’s first ever Great Cardiff Clothes Swap event. The event is organised by Blind Lemon, in conjunction with Tenovus, Wales’s leading cancer charity.

Organiser Edwin Dyson says, “With factors like the credit crunch, recycling and the British hoarding nature, we’ve created a swapping event for the good folk of Cardiff. £5 gets you entry into the event, raising money for local charities and enabling you to get rid of the unworn and unloved clothing lurking at the back of your wardrobe.”

The clothes swapping phenomenon originated in America, but it’s taking the UK by storm at the moment as recessionistas look for alternative ways to get their fashion fix. Even the publishing houses are getting in on the act; Look magazine held its first clothes swap event in January. Cardiff’s not new to the scene; clothes swapping nights have been held at the Comfortably Numb Cafe and Bar, Soda Bar, and KoKo Gorillaz in the past. 

But the latest edition to the ’swishing’ scene (as it’s known in America) is also the biggest. At the Great Cardiff Clothes Swap more than 500 shoppers can swap ’til they drop – the only conditions are that you must bring at least three unwanted items from your wardrobe to exchange for tokens. Men are welcome too, giving you the perfect opportunity to clear out his side of the wardrobe…after all, it’s taking up valuable space.

The Great Cardiff Clothes Swap, Sunday 20 September 2009, Wales Millenium Centre, tickets £5, 10am-12pm exchange clothes for tokens, 1pm-4pm swap tokens for clothes

To find out more, go to the website

Have you been to a clothes swapping event? What did you think? Let me know whether I should try one out….

Got beef?

Find out how our taste for beef may be leading to the destruction of the Amazon

Why is beef in demand?

Many of us enjoy a succulent sirloin steak or a comforting bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. But so, it seems, does the rest of the world. Emerging economies such as China and Russia are particularly fuelling the demand for beef, which is at an all time high. The global cattle population is around 1.5 billion and each cow requires around four hectares to graze which leads to deforestation to provide room.

Where does the Amazon come into this?

More than half of the Amazon (60 per cent) is found in Brazil. Brazil is by far the world’s biggest exporter of beef: in 2008 it was estimated to be worth $6.9 billion to the economy. The South American country is home to 200 million cattle which occupy the country’s agricultural land. The issue is that much of this land was formerly forest, cleared to make way for the cattle.

Greenpeace estimates that the cattle industry in the Brazilian Amazon is responsible for 14 per cent of the world’s annual deforestation – more than any other country. What’s more, demand is growing. The Brazilian government predicts that by 2018, Brazil will supply almost two out of every three tonnes of beef traded internationally, which requires a 93 per cent increase in exports.  The concern is whether this rise is sustainable or not.

Cattle ranching is responsible for most of the deforestation

How is the demand for beef affecting the Amazon and the environment?

According to the Brazilian government, cattle are responsible for about 80 per cent of all deforestation in the Amazon. Over 70 million hectares of the Brazilian Amazon had been destroyed by 2008 – nearly 20 per cent of its original size. The demand for Brazilian beef is so high that an estimated one hectare of the Amazon is being cut down every 18 seconds to provide land for grazing cattle.

Pat Venditti of Greenpeace International says, “Forests help protect us from climate change by storing huge quantities of carbon. The Amazon alone stores so much carbon that if it were destroyed it would release about fifty times more CO2 in one go than the US does every year. We cannot tackle climate change unless we stop deforestation.”

How is the UK involved in this?

David Ismail, author of Beef, Brazil, WTO and the Future of Scotch Beef says that there are two types of beef products that enter the UK from Brazil: chilled steak cuts and pre-cooked beef products.  Now that imports of Brazilian steak cuts have been restricted by EU controls, the focus is on the pre-cooked beef products, like your average ready meal.

Christopher Thomas-Everard, Chairman of the National Beef Association believes, the amount of beef coming into Britain from Brazil is minimal. “Imports of Brazilian beef were actually banned by European vets in January 2008, who found that there was no traceability in where cattle came from. They are now gradually increasing the number of farms that are licensed, but it’s still only around 300, compare to around 12,000 previously.”

However it appears that traceability is still an issue, as Greenpeace claims unscrupulous suppliers are selling meat from the Amazon to British companies including Tesco, Asda and Marks and Spencer, where it forms up to 40% of meat used in ready meals. All three deny this with Marks and Spencer saying, “We do not accept and have never used any beef from the Amazon region. We have been working with our Brazilian beef supplier for over 20 years and through the traceability measures we have in place we can ensure that all the product supplied to us by them is from the exact location we specify.”

Should I stop buying beef?

Ismail advises us instead to question the argument that free trade is always good, “Free trade helps the world economy turn, but in the context of a product like beef, the cheapest method of producing beef is to take over a zone of the Amazon rainforest,” he says. “Quite simply the future of the beef industry in Europe has become directly linked with the future of the Amazon rainforest, so ensuring that we buy European beef is integral in minimising the financial incentive to deforest the Amazon.”

There’s no need for you to forgo your favourite dishes though, it’s more important that you check the provenance of the beef that you do buy. By avoiding ready meals and sourcing British beef you’ll be supporting the economy and British farmers as well as cutting down on your food miles and, importantly, avoiding beef that may be linked to the deforestation of the Amazon.

The plight of Cambodian cyclo drivers

After travelling in Cambodia a few years ago, I was fascinated to learn more about the lives of the cyclo drivers who line the street corners.

Researched, written and designed by Eva Caiden.

Photo credits: Eva Caiden, jennikokodesu, MC MasterChef, Mimi_K, vithaya_lao, Andrew Pope and www.cyclo.org.uk.

Cheese rolling in the Shire

Extreme sports aren’t just for the Kiwis.  Here in Gloucestershire we’ve got our very own activity for the adrenaline junkies among us. Cheese rolling. Yes, you read correctly, the good folk of Gloucester like nothing more than chasing an 8lb Double Gloucester down a hill. And it’s not a sport for the faint hearted…

The setting for this strangest of sports is Cooper’s Hill, Gloucester. The course itself is only around 200 yards long, but this belies its steepness. Peering over the top of the hill you can view the finish line. But you can’t see the bit inbetween because the descent is so steep, it’s actually concave. Injuries are common – the highest number ever was 33 in 1997  – and entry is at your own risk.

So why do it? Will, 27, from London took part as part of his friend’s stag do. “It’s a bit different”, he says, “and we thought it’d be a great laugh”. The stag didn’t look so sure and turned away when I asked if his wife-to-be knew that he might soon be permanently disabled.

It’s not just the cheese rollers who are making the effort; spectators have little chance of remaining sedentary either. There’s a heart warming walk from the car park (read field) to the track. Then you can choose between heading for the bottom of the hill (nice gentle walk) or the middle or top of the hill. To get to the top or middle you head up a tougher track for around 20 minutes. Decent footwear is essential. A number of girls in flimsy flipflops were having difficulties and a smaller number of brave souls were battling with pushchairs too.

Once at the top, to be honest, you can’t see a lot. But the atmosphere at the start line is electric and watching people psyching themselves up before going over the top is good fun. The spectator area gets quite crowded, and the ground is just as slippy and uneven – lots of people fall over while trying to get a good spot.

However the event is a great day out and it’s refreshing to find something this popular as yet unexploited for commercial means: entry is free, and the lack of health and safety rules and regulations give us all a break from the overprotective world we live in.

Cheesy facts

• Between 1941 and 1954 due to food rationing the cheese was actually made out of wood, with a sliver of cheese placed in it
• Since 1988 the cheese provided has been handmade by local Diana Smart, the only person in Gloucestershire making Double Gloucester by hand to traditional methods
• The cheese is estimated to reach speeds of 70mph
• Records show the race has been going for at least 200 years, and it may be much older than this

Fancy a go? The next race is May 31 2010. Head to the website for more information.

Daddy cool

Want to make this jellybeantastic photoframe? Read how to here.

Our jellybeantastic photoframe is perfect for Father's Day

Lion’s Leigh Halfpenny talks drinking games and WAGs

This time last year Leigh Halfpenny, 20, had just claimed his place in the Cardiff Blues academy and had yet to make his international debut. Fast-forward a year and he has a well-deserved place in the Wales rugby team,  six caps under his belt and has just been named in the Lion’s squad. I talked to him earlier this year about drinking games, WAGs and his rugby dream team.

Leigh Halfpenny at Cardiff's Winter Wonderland earlier this year

If you’re not playing in a match, where are we most likely to find you? (Didn’t realise how stalkerish this question sounded until now)

I’ll probably be down my local rugby club with the friends I’ve grown up with. I won’t be drinking alcohol – I don’t really drink. I’ll be having a blackcurrant.

Tell us a rugby drinking game

Have you heard of Buzz? You count 1-2-3, and on multiples of three you have to say buzz or drink.

What do you think of the new rules in rugby?

It’s made the game quicker. We’ve got much quicker line outs and there’s a lot more rugby being played and less ball off the pitch.

What’s your take on WAGs – why aren’t there any in rugby?

I don’t know too much about them. Football WAGs have got a bad reputation and I think it’s good we don’t have them.

Who’s on your rugby dream team?

Jonny Wilkinson definitely and also Gareth Edwards (former Welsh scrum half).  He was a fantastic player – you only have to look at his famous Barbarians try to see that. I’d have to have Phil Bennett too, another player who set up a Barbarians try.

Making Twitter work for you

You’ve seen it on the news,  read about it in the paper, hell even your favourite magazine is accepting ‘tweets’ from readers instead of the normal email. But having taken the plunge and registered an account,  you’re just not getting it.

You’re not alone. The profile of Twitter has risen immeasurably in the last six months. Think of the Mumbai bombings, the New York plane crash, or the ongoing debacle over which celebrity twitter accounts are genuine. But what started out as a tool to help people network, has slowly morphed into something that enables you to cyberstalk people you’ll probably never meet. And they certainly aren’t proving useful to you – so what’s the point?

Find out how to use Twitter to your advantage by following these tips (oh, and ditch the celebs – just think of the poor PA tweeting on their behalf):

1. Find your community

Jack Schofield, computer editor at the Guardian, says, “Twitter has millions of users – far too many to handle – but most of us are in groups of a couple of dozen people with common interests, which makes it possible to have rational conversations. The trick is to find the sort of group you want to belong to, follow all the people in the conversation, then make contributions that add value. If you are cheerful, intelligent and helpful, you’ll be accepted; if you behave like an idiot, you’ll be unfollowed or blocked.”

2. Karmic tweets

Schofield advocates a ‘gift economy’, recommending that, “Only by putting out good stuff will you get good stuff back.” This is also something that Jon Yang, author of The Rough Guide to Blogging, encourages, “When interacting with people you don’t know, it’s a great idea to think about what you can offer them or what might interest them. Continually agreeing with their comments or chirping “Great idea!” won’t win you their attention.”

Put out crap and you may just get it back...

3. Network

If you’re looking for work, Schofield recommends  searching Twitter for people you respect in your field. When you meet new contacts, check if they have Twitter account – many people have usernames that make them impossible to find unless they’ve told you.

Yang emphasises the importance of introducing yourself to stand out from the crowd, “Take the time out to study twitterers you’ll be following. If you feel like it, even send over an introductory tweet. You’ll be surprised at how accessible people can be, even if they are already very popular or influential. Keep it short and focused though.”

How to ice a cupcake

Learn from the expert: Tanya Higson from Cardiff’s very own cupcake emporium, The Cupcake Girl, shows you how to ice a cupcake.

After my previous post about cupcakes, I had a few messages asking me about the best way to ice them for the perfect American-style swirl. In search of that holy grail of toppings, I went along to film Tanya at her coffeehouse, in Cardiff Bay, which is also where she runs The Cupcake Girl.

Tanya says the perfect icing needs to be at room temperature and recommends you take icing out of the fridge around ten minutes before use to ensure the best consistency. Follow her instructions and ice your way to cupcake heaven.

more about “How to ice a cupcake – WalesOnline“, posted with vodpod

Charity shop challenge

Ditch the high street for your new best friend: the charity shop. Easy on your wallet and with the added bonus of knowing you’re helping others, you can indulge without the guilt in your local charity shop.

Amy browses the rails at Save the Children

Charity shops, love them or hate them, have acquired a certain je nais sais quoi of late. Once the preserve of grannies and do gooders, recently they’ve risen through the style stakes. Flicking through the pages of style magazines, you’re increasingly likely to spot people on the street who are happy to admit that their skirt/top/jacket is from a charity shop.

If we believe what we read, the charity shops of London are lined with gold. Or at the very least with Chanel, Jimmy Choo and Marc Jacobs. But outside the capital, is it worth having a rummage? A pair of Jimmy Choos for sale in Oxfam, Cardiff actually made the news last December which did little to encourage me.  So the challenge was this: take two girls, give them each £20, and one hour in a charity shop to put together an outfit to make any fashionista drool. The two girls who accepted were Emily Knightley, 24, an office worker from Cardiff Bay, and Amy Lewis, 22, a student from Bridgend.

Walking through the doors of Save the Children in Albany Road, Cardiff, it was hard not to feel a sense of impending doom. There was just so much stuff. Everywhere. Ruffles, lycra, neon, a veritable treasure trove of all things bad taste.

Amy and Emily seemed to share my mood.  Both girls are new to charity shops, prefering to spend their cash on the high street, at stores like Topshop, New Look and Miss Selfridge, with a monthly budget of between £50-£100.  Emily says, “I’m a bit of a grab and go girl. I can’t normally be bothered to sift through rails of clothes to find something I like.”

Amy's outfit uses ontrend animal print. Outfit: Leopard print top £5, Black skinny jeans £5, Gold round toe shoes £3.50, Black chunky beads £1.50, Total = £15

Despite this the girls set about their challenge with lots of enthusiasm. After only five minutes Emily strikes gold with a nautical inspired navy blue cardy (£3). She matches it with a Pucci-esque scarf (a bargain at only £1.50) and some high waisted jeans (£5.50) for a sailor chic vibe. Amy finds a floor length floral dress (£3) which she decides she will buy and cut in half, to make an above-the-knee shift dress. Just seconds later she spies an animal print top (£5) similar to one she likes in Topshop. “The Topshop version was £35, but this one is just a fiver,” she says excitedly. One hour later, both girls have picked out their outfits, and Emily is also clutching a poloroid camera she has wanted for ages.

Emily channels a nautical theme. Outfit: Navy blue nautical cardigan £3, Pucci inspired scarf £1.50, Navy blue canvas wedges £3, Braces £1.50, High waister jeans £5.50, Total = £14.50

Meanwhile I have bought two books, a tutu (for my two-year-old niece, just £2) and am eyeing up Emily’s cardy with not a small amount of jealousy.

So will they be back? Emily nods emphatically, “The choice here was good. I found a great outfit, and it was really fashionable. I’d never have bought the braces if I’d had to pay Topshop prices – but £1.50 is a bargain. I can’t believe how little my outfit cost!” Amy says, “I was really surprised. I had good fun and I didn’t think I’d find anything as nice as what I bought. I thought it was going to be a bit rough around the edges. But I’ll definitely be back. It’s easier than normal shopping: there’s no crowds and the customer service is excellent. And I got some real bargains!”

Save the Children’s fashion show will be held at Koko Gorillaz, Cathays, Cardiff on April 30 from 7pm. Tickets £5.

How to track down just about anyone – a guide for journalists

As a journalist, your job is to find specific people and make them talk. Not unlike the CIA, but without the torture bit. There are three main categories of people you’re going to have to find:

1. Celebs: people who are in the public eye, from A-Z list.

2. Case studies: people who fit into a specific story. So for an article on mistresses, you might want to speak to a mistress, a wife who knew about her husband’s mistress, and a husband who has a mistress.

3. Specific non-celebs: the guy who egged John Prescott, the guy who completed a pub crawl along the Northern Line, the woman who gave birth to conjoined twins.

how to nail your target (metaphorically speaking, of course)

My experiences

I’m always trying to set up interviews. I’ve tracked down people from all walks of life: ex-Gladiators Wolf, Jet, Hunter and Shadow, Screech from Saved by the Bell, John Smeaton – the baggage handler famed for tackling the Glasgow Airport bombers and Maradona’s agent. I’ve set up interviews with Cambodian cyclo drivers and tv chefs, football refs who’ve been attacked with nun chuks and rugby stars. The information below helps me, and if you filter it by the type of person you have to find (using the categories above) it will help you too.

Use the steps below to get you started:

1. Sit down and brainstorm

It’s easy to skip this stage, but you need a logical plan of action to start off with or you’ll lose momentum. Think about possible links to your target: colleagues, geographical areas, hobbies, recent press coverage. Write down who you’re going to contact along with numbers.

2. Think about what you’re going to say to people

Most people don’t trust journalists. A recent MORI poll found that just 19% of Joe Public trust us. You need to sound plausible and friendly. Explain what it’s for and why they should get involved – sell it to them. And most of all note this: a bit of confidence goes a long way. If you sound shaky, they’ll spot you a mile off and think there’s a reason why you’re nervous. Schmooze PRs and other gatekeepers – they’re holding the power, not you. At the same time, don’t be a walkover.

3. Pick the appropriate contact methods

Get on the phone and make an initial contact, build up a relationship by using the steps above. They’ll most likely want you to follow it up with an email too. Always go for phone over email if you can – it’s quicker and you can keep people talking for longer.

4. Make the most of web 2.0

No longer must you rely solely on the local reporter as the town loudmouth. Web 2.0 means you can often go straight to the horse’s mouth. Search Facebook, Bebo, Myspace, Google, Twitter.  Get in related chatrooms. 192.com can also be a great tool if you have a name and a location.

5. Keep it up

Don’t lose momentum.You’re going to have to chase. You’re going to have to ring long lists of people – one of whom will always be dead. Just do it.

6. Keep your promises and your contacts

Don’t tell massive whoppers. People find out and won’t help you again. If you’re going to pay someone a finder’s fee then pay it. Make sure you keep a record of their name and contact for the next time.