The Cardiff Podcast

This podcast is a treat for all Great British Bake Off fans as Newport’s Jon Jenkins joins me to reflect on his time in the famous tent last year.

In a series full of characters, Jon with his trademark Hawaiian shirts, certainly stood out as one of the most memorable contestants as proved by the Hawaiian shirt tribute the week after he was knocked out.

So we get a great insight into just what’s it like to be on the show and indeed how to get on it in the first place.

Jon is great company, so grab yourself a Chelsea bun and enjoy.

Joining me on Episode 19 is Gemma Price, a woman who truly hit rock bottom when she was trapped in a toxic and abusive relationship. Gemma used a chance encounter with a punch bag as the inspiration to fight back in epic style to set up the Boxing Pretty club that empowers, builds confidence and supports women and girls.

We explore what boxing did for her mental health and the amazing response from women across Cardiff as she set the club up.

It’s so much more than a boxing club, it’s a safe space in the community and has now been recognised by Cardiff Council and Welsh Government who have funded a complete renovation with their Llanrumney base fast becoming a modern training centre for aspiring boxers, both male and female.

She is also working on a host of projects there that we will return to in the future for sure.

Gemma’s story is harrowing but ultimately inspirational and a great example of how you can bounce back from the worst life can throw at you.

Joining me on Episode 18 is David Clubb, a renewable energy champion who is coming to the end of a 7 year spell with Renewable UK Cymru.

David is a passionate and well-travelled man who has lived and worked in such places as Denmark and Spain, fully assimilating and taking on board many schemes and approaches to renewable energy that inform his thinking today.

We met on an alarmingly warm and sunny February day in the beer garden of the excellent Cricketers pub in Cardiff to talk all things environment and sustainability.

We explore his exciting new venture and the many frustrations and triumphs over the last 20 years and how each and every one of us can play our part in tackling the ongoing climate emergency.

Joining me on Episode 17 is Ian Thomas, chief executive of Trivallis housing association.

Ian is a passionate advocate for social housing and the wider regenerative projects Trivallis and other organisations do in valleys communities. 

We talk about the key role housing associations play at a time when there is major pressure on the very basic requirement of finding somewhere decent to live.

We also explore Ian’s long and varied career path as well what a fifteen year old valleys boys got up to in Cardiff in the 70s.

For episode 16, I’m delighted to say I’m joined by Louis Heaps, bassist from Cardiff band and very much emerging act the Himalayas who’ve enjoyed a fantastic coupla years and are really getting noticed across the UK and beyond.

If that wasn’t enough, Louis also now owns Deli Rouge in Roath, one of my very favourite coffee havens in Cardiff.

I joined Louis in the café and we explored extensively his experience in the band and the contrast with owning a Cardiff café as well as how he ended up in Cardiff in the first place.

You lucky listeners can even suggest a new name for the café as Louis talks about his plans for the place.

This week’s guest is TV presenter Rhydian Bowen Phillips though presenter doesn’t really do the man justice at all.

Rhydian does the stadium announcing for the Wales football team, writes and presents for Cardiff City and has even played a bad boy on legendary Welsh soap, Pobol y Cwm not to mention being a member Welsh boy band, Mega.

We reflect on all this plus reminisce on Wales in the Euros, assess Cardiff City’s chances of staying up and explore all manner of topics in the 40 minutes we had together including his passion for the Welsh language.

He’s also recently tied the knot too but let’s hear it all from the man himself as we catch up in the brilliant society standard on Whitchurch Road.

For episode 14, our guest is former politician and tireless equality campaigner, Siobhan Corria.

Siobhan was a Cardiff Council cabinet member who had a very public falling out with the Labour Party and now works as head of inclusion for Action for Children. She also campaigns for Sepsis awareness with her partner and past podcast guest, Terrence Canning and sits on the board as an executive director for the Welsh Amateur Boxing Association.

This woman has energy to burn and we cover a lot of ground in our forty minutes or so at her home in Llandaff North.  Sit back and enjoy...

This week's guest is Jeff Collins, a familiar face to many after a long and distinguished career in news and sports broadcasting in Wales and across the UK.

Jeff is a huge music fan and has written books on Stuart Cable and the famous Rockfield Studios where he got to rub shoulders with many luminaries from Rock's hall of fame.

He's also a roving reporter on Soccer Saturday as well as a DJ on Hard Rock Hell Radio so we had a lot of ground to cover and cover it we did.

Jeff reflected on Cardiff and Swansea City's fortunes, the changing face of news, working with Stuart Cable and interviewing many of rock's superstars among many other topics so sit back and enjoy the soothing tones of Jeff Collins.

Thanks to Jez Rhys for providing the music.