The up and coming Luna Theatre company presents Earthquakes in London by Mike Bartlett at Swansea Grand Theatre’s Arts Wing from Thursday 20th to Saturday 22nd April in at 7.45pm. Earthquakes in London is an account of life, love and profound unease in the present day. It will take you on a colourful exhilarating ride through a familiar yet uneasy landscape.
Mike Bartlett’s play tells the story of three sisters and their misanthropic father, in search of purpose and meaning in a climate they feel out of touch with and are overwhelmed by a sense of pending apocalypse.
Despite the dark undertones of the play it ruptures with joy and exuberance.
It is a marathon run like a sprint, with music,
dance and animation. Earthquakes in London is Luna Theatre’s second full length production after their successful debut, Female Transport, in 2016. Tickets for this thought- provoking piece of theatre are available from the Box Offi ce on 01792 475715 or can be purchased online at
www.swanseagrand.co.uk and are £10.50*
* All tickets include a 50p Restoration Fund contribution. Online booking fee applies.
ONE IN FIVE RETIRING THIS YEAR COULD BE AT RISK OF INCURRING UNNECESSARY TAX BILLS
Nearly one in fi ve people (19%) planning to retire this year with pensions could be risking unexpected tax bills, by withdrawing more than the tax-free lump sum that savers can take from their pensions at retirement, according to new research1 from Prudential. Under the pension freedoms reforms, most pension savers over the age of 55 are entitled to take some or all of their pension savings in the form of a cash lump sum, with the fi rst 25 per cent being tax-free2. However, in its Class of 2017 study, Prudential found that 19 per cent of those retiring this year with pensions are planning to withdraw more than the 25 per cent tax-free limit from their pension. This could leave them with a one-off tax bill or having to pay tax at a higher rate than they normally do. Prudential’s unique research into the fi nancial plans and aspirations of people planning to retire in the year ahead – now in its tenth year – found that more than two in every fi ve people planning to retire in 2017 (44 per cent) are planning to withdraw some cash from their pension savings. A quarter of retirees will stay within the 25 per cent tax-free lump sum limit.
The research shows that the most popular use of the cash is holidays, with one in three (34 per cent) of those taking cash from their pension fund planning to
Three projects across ITV Wales have each won up to £50,000 of National Lottery funding to support their local communities. Elderfi t, Leonard Cheshire Disability and Western Beacons Mountain Search and Rescue Team won the most public votes in The People’s Projects, which saw 95 projects across the UK compete for grants to develop their work further. The People’s Projects is a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund, ITV
and The
National Lottery which gives the public the chance to decide how £3 million of National Lottery funding could make a difference in their local area. The three projects that received the most public votes in ITV Wales are: Bringing Back Balance by Elderfi t in Cardiff, which received £47,480 to expand its work supporting older people to stay fi t and healthy by producing an easy-to- follow exercise DVD, focusing on increasing their confi dence, strength and balance to reduce their
spend it on trips away, while 24 per cent will use at least part of the money to pay for home improvements and decoration and 13 per cent will buy a new car. However, new retirees are not only planning to spend the money on themselves – their families will also benefi t, with nearly one in fi ve (18 per cent) saying they’ll gift cash to their children and grandchildren. Many are also planning to pay-off debts, with 18 per cent using some or all of the cash to pay off mortgages while 14 per cent will use it to clear credit card debts or loans. Financial Conduct Authority data3 shows that fewer than half (47 per cent) of those who withdrew all the money from their pension savings between July and September 2016 sought professional fi nancial advice before doing so. However, the proportion seeking advice had increased from just 29 per cent at the start of 2016. Meanwhile, Treasury data4 released as part of the Spring Budget shows that the amount of cash being taken from pension funds is higher than expected when the freedoms were fi rst announced. It was initially estimated that the changes would mean a total of £900 million of extra tax being paid in the tax years 2015-16 and 2016-17. In fact, a total of £2.6 billion in extra tax is now expected to be paid in the two years to 6 April 2017.
£150,000 of National Lottery Funding has been won across ITV Wales
likelihood of falling. They will also train more people in strength and balance qualifi cations to expand their area of working and increase the number of people being supported.
The Leonard Cheshire Centenary Garden Project by Leonard Cheshire Disability in Cardiff, Llangollen, and Newport, which was awarded £50,000
to create
new and enhanced opportunities for people with disabilities to enjoy gardening and cooking, alongside establishing a wildlife watch network and strengthening their care home network. Activities will look to reduce social isolation and give people better opportunities to learn more about their local environment. Western Beacons Mountain Search and Rescue Water Safety project by Western Beacons Mountain Search and
Rescue Team in Bridgend,
which got a grant of £44,100 to purchase new equipment and train new and existing members so they can provide greater, and more
34 - Friday 14th April 2017 – Cardiff & South Wales Advertiser
responsive, aid in fl ood rescue emergencies in South and West Wales. This will include a rescue raft, personal protection equipment and a dedicated vehicle to respond to call outs involving fl ooding and searches near water, both locally and nationally. Dawn Austwick, Big Lottery Fund Chief Executive, said: “We are proud to be supporting this year’s winners in The People’s Projects. They are using National Lottery funding to bring people together and give them the opportunity to build their skills, make new friends and learn from one another. We want to congratulate these great projects and look forward to seeing the positive difference they make to local communities.”
Films and more information on each of the projects are available at
www.thepeoplesprojects.org.uk. Since 2005, around £39 million has been awarded through the Big Lottery Fund, The National Lottery and ITV partnership to 865 Good Causes across the UK.
GET TO DRIPS WITH GROWING YOUR OWN
April is a busy month for gardeners – there’s sowing and planting to be done – and it’s time to turn your attention to long lost friends such as your vegetable patch
It’s a key month for planting vegetables and fruit in the garden, and from now on until late autumn you will be sowing, planting and harvesting. Finish off sowing seeds for early lettuces, summer carrots, dwarf peas, summer spinach and broad beans and start sowing beetroots, brassicas (broccoli, caulifl ower, sprouts and cabbage), peas, turnips and swede. You can also plant the fi rst early potatoes, weather dependent. For beginners, some of the easiest fruits to grow are berries. Strawberries and blueberries love containers or open ground and both will crop heavily once established. A simple garden solution for April is to create your very own veg patch. Mark out the area well, prepare the soil, dig in compost and then sow a variety of seeds that will provide you with veg all year round. It’s a common misconception that you need a lot of space to be able to grow vegetables. You can still achieve real success with container grown plants. Tomatoes will thrive in pots and grow bags and can also be grown in the ground.
Another plant that loves container life (and being in borders as well) is Lavender - a favourite with gardeners not just for its beautiful form and fragrance but also because it attracts essential pollinators such as bees and butterfl ies. It’s considered a romantic fl ower that most gardeners get the urge to plant in their garden sooner or later and can add real value with its scent and shades of blue fl owers and silver leaf backdrop. To successfully grow lavender, it needs to be planted in a warm, well drained soil with full sun and can also do well in a container. It is often planted as an edging plant with roses or grown as an informal hedge. However, lavender does not like ‘wet feet’ as it promotes root rot and ‘dampness’ is often the reason that it doesn’t perform well. It’s a tough plant though and once established only requires regular pruning after fl owering in the Autumn. April really kick starts the gardening season. Here are some jobs you should be thinking about this month … • Keep an eye out for pests – snails and slugs love new foliage as do aphids
• Start feeding plants in the garden from now to the end of the summer
• Sow seeds directly into the soil so they can fl ower in the summer • Plant summer fl owering bulbs • Prune shrubs and trees • Apply mulch or manure to fl ower beds and pots • Feed and care for the lawn
National Garden Gift Vouchers can be bought and redeemed at over 2,000 outlets in the UK, with more than 90,000 garden plants and products on offer. Visit
www.thevouchergarden.co.uk to view details of all the outlets that sell and accept them or call 0870 2408237 for more information. You can also buy them online.
www.cardiffandsouthwalesadvertiser.com
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