Fire-ravaged Drill Hall sold at auction
VIDEO – Charity champions: Secret knitters reveal magic garden in aid of hospice
Secret knitters who really stitched up a South Wales community last Christmas when their winter woollens adorned village post boxes and bollards have struck again.
This time the phantom purlers have cast off their kaleidoscopic creations in a village memorial garden.
Knitters and crafters, of the Prosecco & Purls group, have been joined by more than 40 secret knitters and created a Magic Garden by yarn bombing the Roman town of Caerleon.
There are teddy bears enjoying a picnic, a fairy grotto, Bill and Ben the Flower Pot men, colourfully wrapped trees, intricate dream catchers and small surprises spying from various vantage points throughout the garden.
There’s a bollard encasing ice cream cone which looks good enough to eat, knitted railings and a wishing wall where children can pin their dreams.
Organised by Dame Rosemary Butler, Reverend Elaine Hills, Barbara Parsons and Christabel Dawson in association with Caerleon Festival, the aim is to raise money for Newport-based St David’s Hospice Care
Barbara Parsons said: “We hope to make people smile with our witty creations which, after all, is what everyone needs right now.
“We are doing this to help support St David’s Hospice Care and the wonderful work that they do in and for our community. We’re sure people will give particularly generously after visiting our Magic Garden.”
The Yarn Bombing crafters include secret knitters aged from 14 to 90, who are based mostly in Caerleon. Prosecco & Purls brightened up the town and made the national news with their jolly, knitted Christmas post-box toppers and bollard covers last year.
Now if you go down to the Caerleon Memorial Garden on any day during the next two weeks you can enjoy another big surprise.
Kris Broome, of St David’s Hospice Care, said: “The Magic Garden is a wonderful and uplifting way for these fantastically talented people to show their support for the hospice at the time of our greatest ever need.”
To find out more about the group head to their Facebook page at @proseccopurls and to donate go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/prosecco-and-purls.
Virtually no looking back as Paul Fosh Auctions knocks down a record number of online sales
Leading Wales property auctioneer Paul Fosh recorded his biggest sales figures in more than ten years at the latest online auction sale.
Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions sold property to the total value of £5.8m+ from a catalogue listing some 91 properties in a sale which was held totally online.
The property business, a regular prior to lockdown on BBC’s Homes Under the Hammer, says business continues to boom in a virtual sales world after being completely online since March.
Paul Fosh said: “The September auction was a really great sale. The interest and resulting sales was quite astonishing. It really was fantastic. We had tremendous results for our vendors and buyers.
Forced into going online due to the pandemic but more than happy to now be virtual, Paul said: “It was simply the best auction for us in more than 10 years. The way forward for Paul Fosh Auctions now is undoubtedly online as the results just speak for themselves. I just can’t see us going back to ballroom sales for the foreseeable future.
“The total value of sales at over £5.8m is the biggest in terms of money for us in more than ten years. Vendors and buyers have adapted so well to online sales, its brilliant for everyone involved.
“The September sale was the largest for us in terms of bidders. We had 1,163 people registered with 574 of those being actual bidders.
“These figures are a clear sign that our buyers are invested in our online auctions. This is underlined by the enormous amounts of bids that are actually placed. The lots offered received a total of 2,620 bids online throughout the time the auction was running which equates to an average per lot of some 37 bids. These are fabulous stats.
“Over the 48-hour period of bidding our website received more than 115,000 hits from 62 different countries. This is a 27% increase on what was already a record notched up in July.
“I’m buzzing, and the entire Paul Fosh Auctions team are just so pleased we were able to produce such a fantastic result for our vendors. It’s working out really well and we just can’t wait for the next auction.”
Among the highlights of the September sale was a Georgian town house in the heart of a Monmouthshire town on the site of an hotel where Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson stayed in 1802 listed with a guide price of £160,000.
The lot attracted a phenomenal 184 individual bids before eventually selling for £285,250.
The castellated remains of a former drill hall in Newport destroyed in a fire sold for £199,500 after being listed with a guide price of £160,000. While two apartments and a town house in St Mary Street, in the centre of Monmouth, attracted 30 bids before selling for £394,000
The next Paul Fosh Auctions online sale opens for bidding on Tuesday, October 20 at 12 noon.
ONLINE AUCTIONS HAILED AFTER SALES MILESTONE
Newport-based property auctioneer Paul Fosh has recorded his biggest sales figures in more than ten years at its latest online auction sale. Among the highlights was the sale of a Monmouthshire property on the site of a hotel where Admiral Nelson stayed.
Property to the total value of more than £5.8m was sold from a catalogue listing 91 properties in a sale which was held totally online.
The property business, which pre-lockdown featured regularly on BBC’s Homes Under the Hammer, said business continues to boom in a virtual sales world after being completely online since March.
Paul Fosh said: “The September auction was a really great sale. The interest and resulting sales was quite astonishing. It really was fantastic. We had tremendous results for our vendors and buyers.”
He added: “It was simply the best auction for us in more than ten years. The way forward for Paul Fosh Auctions now is undoubtedly online as the results just speak for themselves. I just can’t see us going back to ballroom sales for the foreseeable future.”
A Georgian town house in a Monmouthshire town on the site of a hotel where Nelson stayed in 1802 listed with a guide price of £160,000. The lot attracted 184 individual bids before eventually selling for £285,250.
Secret knitters create a magic garden
Historic Monmouthshire Property Set for Auction
A Georgian town house in the heart of a Monmouthshire town on the site of an hotel where Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson stayed in 1802 has been put up for sale.
The towering four storey property, which dominates Chepstow’s historic Beaufort Square, was most recently used as a branch of NatWest.
The Grade II listed property also previously the Chepstow Bank and for a time a private home is on the site of the stables of the former Three Cranes Inn where the hero of Trafalgar stayed while on a tour of the area inspecting oaks for the British fleet.
The property, which is now being sold by Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions, has a guide price of £160,000.
Admiral Nelson stayed at the Three Cranes Inn while inspecting oak trees being grown in the nearby Forest of Dean before returning south to prepare to defeat the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar
In a hard hitting report at the time, the British naval hero who died on board HMS Victory at the battle of Trafalgar, expressed concern about the supply of timber in the Forest of Dean in 1802, while on his visit to Wales.
Lord Nelson visited Wales and the Forest of Dean in August 1802 while on a pleasure trip with Sir William Hamilton and his wife Emma, Nelson’s mistress.
On their way home they stayed overnight at Chepstow’s long gone Three Cranes Inn, at the top of Hocker Hill Street..
It was while visiting the Forest of Dean, which borders Monmouthshire, that Admiral Nelson called for thousands of acorns to be planted over fears of a shortage of durable wood to build ships for the Royal Navy. The timber was all being used to make charcoal to fire the industrial revolution.
Horatio Nelson’s scathing, 11-page, handwritten report about the timber situation in the forest is held at the Nelson Museum in Monmouth.
The imposing property now for sale, 1 Beaufort Square, is bordered on one side by a medieval cobbled trader’s alley, Hocker Hill Street, and on the other by Middle Street, which both lead down to the River Wye and a bridge across into England.
Debra Bisley, who is handling the sale for Paul Fosh Auctions, said: “It’s a truly marvellous building which is bursting with history and right in the middle of gorgeous Chepstow.
“The historic property would make a fantastic town house, maybe brilliant apartments or wonderful offices, subject to planning.
“We’ve had loads of interest in this unique lot with prospective buyers really intrigues by its history and links to Admiral Nelson. They’re really fired up with what they might do to improve and enhance this extraordinary property.”
The substantial, four storey building with stucco rendered walls under a parapet roof has a forecourt and banking hall on the ground floor with further rooms, offices and stores over the four floors.
Chepstow town house on site of Lord Nelson visit to be auctioned
A GEORGIAN town house in the heart of Chepstow, on the site of a hotel where Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson stayed in 1802, has been put up for sale.
The towering four-storey property, which dominates Chepstow’s historic Beaufort Square, was most recently used as a branch of NatWest.
The Grade II listed property, also for a time a private home, is on the site of the stables of the former Three Cranes Inn where the hero of Trafalgar stayed while on a tour of the area inspecting oaks for the British fleet.
The property, which is now being sold by Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions, has a guide price of £160,000.
Admiral Nelson stayed at the Three Cranes Inn while inspecting oak trees being grown in the nearby Forest of Dean before returning south to prepare to defeat the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar
In a hard-hitting report at the time, the British naval hero who died on board HMS Victory at the battle of Trafalgar, expressed concern about the supply of timber in the Forest of Dean in 1802, while on his visit to Wales.
Lord Nelson visited Wales and the Forest of Dean in August 1802 while on a pleasure trip with Sir William Hamilton and his wife Emma, Nelson’s mistress.
On their way home they stayed overnight at Chepstow’s long gone Three Cranes Inn, at the top of Hocker Hill Street.
It was while visiting the Forest of Dean that Admiral Nelson called for thousands of acorns to be planted over fears of a shortage of durable wood to build ships for the Royal Navy. The timber was all being used to make charcoal to fire the industrial revolution.
Horatio Nelson’s scathing, 11-page, handwritten report about the timber situation in the forest is held at the Nelson Museum in Monmouth.
The imposing property now for sale, 1 Beaufort Square, is bordered on one side by a medieval cobbled trader’s alley, Hocker Hill Street, and on the other by Middle Street, which both lead down to the River Wye and a bridge across into England.
Debra Bisley, who is handling the sale for Paul Fosh Auctions, said: “The historic property would make a fantastic town house, maybe brilliant apartments or wonderful offices, subject to planning.”
The substantial, four storey building with stucco rendered walls under a parapet roof has a forecourt and banking hall on the ground floor with further rooms, offices and stores over the four floors.
The online sale is on Thursday, September 10, starting at 5pm. Bidding opens two days before. For more details, visit paulfoshauctions.com
Blackwood PE teacher’s challenge for St David’s Hospice
A PE TEACHER is relaxing after completing a mammoth challenge – and has thanked the community for getting behind him.
Phil Villa, who teaches PE at Blackwood Comprehensive School, has spent the past five days walking 100 miles in 100 hours in aid of St David’s Hospice Care in memory of his wife Jane, who died of stomach cancer in April, after a two-year battle.
He set a target of raising £1,000 for the hospice, where his wife was cared for during her illness, but smashed this target and has so far reached more than £5,000.
“The St David’s nurses are incredible,” said Mr Villa.
On his 100-mile journey, Mr Villa was joined by several people in the community – which he said helped to keep him motivated.
“Of the whole challenge, I only did four walks on my own, the rest I had people walking with me,” he said. “This helped to keep me going and I cannot thank everyone enough.”
Mr Villa set off on his challenge at midday on Thursday, August 20, and finished at 4pm on Monday, August 24.
“The last 15-20 miles was the toughest part as I could feel the pain in my toes, but it felt like I was on autopilot knowing I was near the end,” he said. “Throughout the walk, I was in a good space mentally, and I feel that part of that was due to the support I had.”
The idea came about while Mrs Villa was still alive and she encouraged her husband to do some fundraising. He was inspired by retired jockey Richard Dunwoody, who did a challenge of 1,000 miles in 1,000 hours, but this wasn’t viable for Mr Villa as he would have needed around six weeks and a team of people to make sure that it was done safely, so he thought to knock a zero off and do 100 miles in 100 hours.
He made sure to do some training beforehand, accumulating around 120 hours of walking his dog and timed walks and also inspired others to get involved in their own way.
“The PE department have been very supportive”, he said. “My family live near Kidderminster and my dad and sister surprised me by coming down and joining the walk. Other members of my family across the UK have also done a few miles and sent me the videos.”
Anyone wishing to donate can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/philip-villa?fbclid=IwAR0icDB7zesx_jlmFxeOYg2i0H0kLqrXIjbG1JDI48qillSieah_-MkuKG8
Adventurous accountant Gareth takes on latest challenge
Experienced South Wales accountant Gareth Pinder aims to put his spirit of adventure and professional expertise to best use as manager of a newly created practice.
Gareth, aged 36, has taken up the reins at Parker Griffiths office after the Cwmbran business Griffiths was acquired by Newport accountant Parker & Co.
The ACCA qualified father of two takes up the role after gaining experience mainly in audit with KPMG and Baldwins.
Gareth will be working alongside founder David Griffiths for at least a year at the practice before the long serving accountant’s retirement. Gareth says he is looking forward to dealing personally with clients in his new role.
Gareth, married to Eversheds, Cardiff employment solicitor Jennifer, said: “Working at larger accountancy practices in the past means that you can become just a number. There is very little working with clients other than to gather information.
“In this new role I will be able to get to know the clients and their businesses intimately in order to ensure that they grow and succeed. In the current climate I feel that businesses are really coming to rely on the advice and assistance of the accounting profession. I am looking forward to playing my part in assisting these companies, whether start-up or long established.
“The new larger Parker & Griffiths office will allow the team to draw on a wider range of experiences and skills. This will provide clients with more than just accounting services as it will add real value to their business through industry and business focus rather than a generic approach.
When not working Gareth can just as easily be found up one of the UK’s tallest mountains on a basketball pitch or a squash court
“I really enjoy playing basketball and squash and used to compete in triathlons, something I am hoping to start again after a pause due to having two children, Scarlett, aged five and Elodie, one.
“I have a real love of music and DJ’d in a number of South Wales clubs in my younger days.”
“I believe it’s important to stay active for the obvious health benefits due to the sedentary nature of accounting but for myself it’s essential for a healthy mind and I really enjoy the social aspect. The role of an accountant can sometimes be long hours, exercise is the best way to de-stress and forget about the day as I am usually concentrating on being able to breathe.”
Gary Parker, head of the new combined practice who completed the gruelling Three Peaks of the UK challenge, scaling Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Sca Fell Pike, with Gareth, said: “Gareth embodies all that we’re about at Parker & Griffiths. Our motto is Adventure in Business and there’s few more adventurous than Gareth.”
Parker & Co now has two offices, one in Pontnewydd, Cwmbran and the other at Summit House, Waterside Court, Newport.
Newport Lower Dock Street military drill hall up for auction
A GRADE-II listed former drill hall in the centre of Newport which was badly damaged in fire two years ago has been put up for sale.
Dating from 1901, the Lower Dock Street hall was initially the headquarters of the third Monmouthshire Rifle Volunteer Corps. It was also used as a church and for community groups.
The impressive castellated building, reduced to a shell when engulfed in flames in March 2018 during renovation, is being sold by Newport-based Paul Fosh Auctions – it has a guide price at auction of £160,000.
Debra Bisley, who is selling the property, said: “It’s a wonderful, eye-catching building which is ripe for development.
“The current owners have drawn up a scheme which has had pre-planning approval from Newport City Council and Cadw, the Welsh historic monuments organisation.
“This scheme allows for the main drill hall to be retained while the front, three storey part of the property would incorporate eight self-contained apartments.
“Should buyers not wish to retain the drill hall, there may be potential to create further residential dwellings – subject to any necessary planning and listed building consents”.
The next online Paul Fosh Auctions is on Thursday, September 10 starting at 5pm. Bidding opens two days before at 12pm on Tuesday, September 8.