Mrs SVJ

Phew, panic over as Cadstock finally confirms its much-waited return to Victoria Park this Summer.

Well, well, another day, another row with our valiant Vale Council as they once again make plans to slash one of our vital amenities - the Colcot Sports Centre.

So, our Barry Bonfire event looks likely to be canned from our ever-emptying community calendar as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite.

Well, that bolt from the blue £20M boost to ‘level up’ Barry has got to the most mind-blowing boost we’ve had for a long while.

So Ty Hafan have hit back against the crazy closeness of their site to the proposed Danter Dream Camp. Holiday Lets next to their Hospice are not the neighbours they want to see at the Sully site.

In the Barry community spirit of solidarity, see some of the campaigns, causes, petitions, protests, surveys, samples and family fundraisers here.

After a dazzling debut event, are we seeing Barry Pride slip into that disappointing disconnect between what our queer community and what others think they want?

Well, we did it then - Cadstock 2023 came back with a booming Barry bang to rock the Victoria Park rafters. Thank You!

Cadstock, our free, fully-inclusive family Festival has announced the lush line-up for the new date weekender.

Well, after all the drama of the Cadstock weather chaos, I’m turning my thoughts to toilets - especially the ones blocked at Barry Island.

We are now pleased to confirm that our free, for all, family-friendly, fully-inclusive Music Festival is on SATURDAY 19TH AND SUNDAY 20TH AUGUST 2023.

Sweet to see a lovely little Open Day at Barry War Museum last weekend as our hidden gem of history welcomed the locals from Barry and beyond through their doors.

We want to say a mega massive thank you to all our sponsors and supporters who have dug so deep to keep our Cadstock Alive!

Whoosh - did you hear that? It’s the sound of some of our sour-faced Barry souls sucking the joy out of anything and everything.

Catch yourself a cracking brand new design, limited run, Cadstock Bucket Hat priced at just £8.

Awwww, who doesn’t love to see our town’s people packing out the beautiful Barrybados on sunny Sunday afternoon as two top events pulled our keen crowds in.

Catch yourself a cracking brand new design, limited run, Cadstock T-Shirt to wear at our super saved (by the bell - and Barry Town Council) free Music Festival this Summer.

Well, what a heart-breaking Bank Holiday break end as Barry mourns the loss of local Scooter scene, and RNLI, man Richie Tutton.

Cadstock, our free, fully-inclusive, family-friendly music festival, has announced the line up of brilliant bands to rock us through the wild and wonderful weekender.

Crikey, just when you thought all hope was lost, our cool Cadstock rises like Lazaraus from the dead – and is back on for one of the biggest weekends of the Barry calendar.

I’m absolutely gutted that this year’s Cadstock is cancelled due to the catastrophic cash cuts to the Vale Glamorgan Council community events budget.

Well, fancy the Far Right thinking they can just saunter into our Vale to cause chaos amongst one of our most cohesive communities.

So, what did we all think when the Council Tax Bill dropped dismally on the mat then – money well-spent or a right old Rates rip off?

Well, my faith in the Vale Council has been slightly restored with the narrow defeat against the Model Farm Application last week – credit to those who voted against.

So, are we soon to see a return to the glory days of the happy Barry holiday camp then as our Pleasure Park owner Henry Danter reveals plans to put in places to stay at last.

Well, just when you thought it was safe to swing your black bin bags with swagger every fortnight, the Vale Council may move to three-weekly collections.

So, it looks like all the ambitious aspiration, talking up of our town, and the crossing of everything, multiple times, didn’t make a blind bit of difference to Barry’s much-hyped Marina Dream.

Awwww, Barry’s bright New Year just wasn’t the same for me without the official swim seeing in 2023 with a splash.

Well, that was a year that much of us want to forget wasn’t it? Hot on the heels of monotonous twelve months riding on the Coronacoaster, 2022 failed to live up to its post Covid promise.

I’m feeling the festive spirit this week as I dust down my racy red Barrybados jumper all ready for the start of the yuletide social scene.

At last, after over six decades of pain, Wales took the beautiful game to the global stage as they finally returned to the World Cup.

My much-read website, MRS SVJ - The Voice of Our Community, is now fully available on the National Library of Wales Archive.

Absolutely devastated to hear of the sudden and shock passing of one Barry’s most beautiful girls - inside and out.

There’s a devastating, dark black cloud hanging over our town as we say a much too soon goodbye to two of Barry’s best loved characters.

So how was it for you? Did you dress up in your Rainbow finery, march boldly as a banner waver, or just pop along once to see Barry Pride bring our town’s top community on a sunshiney Saturday.

Cadstock, Barry’s only free, for all, family-friendly, Festival needs your votes to boost the coffers.

So our bold and brilliant Barry Pride is back with a Rainbow bang to enable people to connect with their community and have a fab time as well.

Well, I’m no mad monarchist but, for me, Queen Elizabeth II’s death felt like such a momentous day in history.

Absolutely delighted this week so see that precise plans are finally underway to get the long-neglected Richard Taylor Memorial Skate Park back to its former glory.

Let’s go the beach each, in the famous words of Nicki Minaj, and blimey, didn’t us Barrians take her up on the offer this year.

LGBTQYMRU is to move away from a quarterly, online magazine to a regular, weekly publishing platform that will focus and draw attention to individual stories.

So our bold and brilliant Barry Pride could be back on the Rainbow cards according to the little bird who tweeted in my ear earlier this week.

Well, I’ve just about recovered from a wild weekend baking at a packed and perfect Cadstock with the Barry Massive, and quite a few fans from Wales and wider. Picture Credit: Martin Gibson

Well, what do you reckon to all this fancy talk of us having our very own little Marina then - how posh is that!

So, it looks like all the ambitious aspiration, talking up of our town, and the crossing of everything, multiple times, didn’t make a blind bit of difference to Barry’s much-hyped Marina Dream.