Author: Nicola Hoban

Ed Sheeran first burst onto the UK music scene in 2011 with his album ‘+’, pronounced Plus, which became a hit with songs like ‘The A Team’, ‘Lego House’, ‘Drunk’, and ‘Give Me Love’. His fan base grew rapidly and, by collaborating with artists like Taylor Swift and writing songs for the UK band One Direction, he was soon well-known in the States too. It wasn’t until two years later though that we heard anything new from Ed, when ‘The Hobbit’ director Peter Jackson asked him if he would write and perform a song for the film. ‘I See Fire’…

A fire has started in the woods on Bangor Mountain. The fire, which can clearly be seen from Bangor High Street and the residences surrounding the area, has quickly spread to other parts of woodland, al though eyewitnesses report it hasn’t been burning for long. The emergency services have been contacted by several members of the public, and  the fire service has been seen heading up to the area to deal with the fire, as well as a helicopter seen flying overhead. There are no indications as to what started the fire at this point. Update 1: Eyewitnesses report…

Bangor in action in their 4-2 victory over York for the BUCS Northern Conference Cup Photo Credit: Bangor University FC Four Bangor University footballers will be representing Welsh Universities in the University ‘Home Nations’ Tournament. Chris Davies, Josh Stadnicki, Jamie Steel and Tom Wood, who are all students from the School of Sport, Health and Exercise Science, have been selected to be a part of the 23-man Welsh squad. They were chosen for the Welsh Universities Men’s football team after two days’ worth of trials were held at the University of South Wales, and are expected to compete in the…

BBC’s Sherlock fans waited somewhat patiently for two years to find out how Sherlock Holmes survived his fall in the season two finale, and when The Empty Hearse aired on New Year’s Day they were not entirely disappointed. For they were not given one explanation of how our hero survived his fall, but several – ranging from Sherlock bungee-jumping off of the roof, smashing through a window and kissing Molly Harper in a move that left several with weak knees, to Moriarty and Sherlock giggling and conspiring together to trick John Watson and then leaning in for another…

Award-winning novelist Joanna Trollope has created a storm in the literary world by stating that children are getting little moral guidance from fantasy novels and should instead read only classic novels. Trollope stated in The Sunday Times that she wanted to see nineteenth century authors like Jane Austen and George Eliot being taught in the classroom; that we should get books that would give children a stronger sense of guidance back on bestseller lists. Reading Science Fiction and Fantasy novels like The Hunger Games and Twilight means that children are “missing out on an enormous amount,” according to Trollope. “Although…

A pensioner that died last June might have been saved if his smoke alarm had been linked to a central operator. Alfred Hodges, a 97-year old man from Llarwst, died earlier this year from carbon monoxide poisoning, following a fire started by a toaster. The fire, which started in Mr Hodges’ bungalow at Llys y Bioden, happened early on 26 June. An inquest held in Llandudno, which recorded a verdict of accidental death, heard that some councils linked to a Telecare system, but that Conwy council did not. North Wales deputy coroner Nicola Jones heard that Conwy Council are unique…

Photo by Lawson Official, Facebook Dates: 28th September/16th October Locations: Rhyl Pavilion Theatre/O2 Apollo, Manchester I am one of those annoying people that flicks through channels until finding something I like to watch on TV, particularly music channels. I’ll watch a music video that I like and when it’s finished I’ll channel flick until I find another song. It was purely by chance that I discovered Lawson’s song ‘Brokenhearted’, featuring B.o.B.. Liking what I heard I ended up channel surfing so I could watch it again. I spent hours watching their music videos on YouTube. This is what happens when…

WILL WE BE BEWITCHED, BODY AND SOUL? by Nicola Hoban Book lovers around the world are preparing themselves as a much-loved classical series is being taken and transformed from its nineteenth century form into the prose of the twenty-first century. The Austen Project set out to pair six contemporary authors with the six Jane Austen novels: Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Persuasion and Mansfield Park. The aim of each novelist is to take their assigned tale and, following the basis of the plot, put a new spin on it and make it unique in a modern…

A Bangor University graduate has set off on a 3-year journey around the world for charity by bicycle. Mark Phillips, 22, who has just graduated from Bangor with a Masters degree in Chemistry, started to plan the mammoth trip two years ago with fellow cyclists and friends Russell Selby, 22, and Jacob Mellor, 22. While the trip wasn’t originally set out as a three year journey, the three lads are happy with the extension. Russell said of the lengthy trip: “If we’re going to do such a long journey, why not keep going? This way we’ll see the change in…

The Cuckoo’s Calling, the first book in JK Rowling’s new detective series, was itself the centre of a mystery. Released to positive reviews under the pen-name of Robert Galbraith, the book’s real author was revealed by a Twitter user who then deleted their account. A forensic linguist analysed the text to prove the claim. The tweeter, later revealed to be a friend of Rowling’s solicitor, created hype that caused sales of the book to soar by over 500,000%. Bookstores unprepared to deal with demand were left without stock for days. The book became a number one best seller immediately. But…

Bangor’s first time in the semis since 1999 Students from Bangor University have managed to secure a place in the semi-final round of University Challenge. After beating their rivals, Cambridge King’s College, by 195 points to 70 on April 8th, this makes it the first time since 1999 that Bangor team have advanced to the semi finals. The show, which is currently on its 50th series, has seen Bangor University beat the University of St Andrews 125-105, the University of Durham 175-165, lose against University College London 190-125, and win against Imperial College London 210-120. The team was created last…

After a four day siege by militants of the BP gas plant in Algeria, two local men have returned to the UK after surviving the ordeal. Huw Edwards, a manager for fuel giant BP, has spoken of his experiences after being caught in the midst of the conflict between militant and armed forces in Algeria. Edwards, who is originally from Llandudno and still has family ties there, survived the 45-minute attack on the In Amenas gas depot on 17 January 2013. He was the plant’s technical manager and was on a bus journey to a nearby police station to carry…

An honorary Alumni of Bangor University has been knighted for his service to cycling. Sir David Brailsford, 48, was knighted in the New Year’s Honours along with Olympic medallist Bradley Wiggins, Ben Ainslie and other Olympic heroes. The British Cycling performance director is known for masterminding Wiggin’s Tour de France success as well as Team Great Britain’s victories in the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, where they achieved a massive haul of 8 medals in each event. The 48 year-old, from Caernarfon, also received coach of the year for 2012, after Team GB enjoyed ongoing successes under Brailsford’s leadership, and Britain…

Craig Williams, 40, has been jailed for 22 months by Caernarfon Crown Court after driving a 4×4 up Snowdon twice. Williams, from Cheltenham, was found guilty of two charges of dangerous driving. His Vauxhall Frontera was discovered twice at the summit in September 2011. He told the jury that it was not that difficult or dangerous, saying: “There wasn’t a soul on the landscape in the hours of darkness. There were 50 to 60 mph gale force winds, the rain was hard.” The first time, his car was discovered 200m from the summit cafe. However, he claimed that someone else…

A staff member at Bangor University has recently sailed the Atlantic Ocean in a bid to raise money for the Beaumaris National Lifeboat Institution. Stevie Scanlan, Marketing Manager at Bangor University’s college of Physical and Applied Sciences, said of the journey, which started from the Canaries for Antigua in November: “The whole experience was amazing. It was much more of a mental challenge than a physical one, the hardest thing was getting your head around the fact that you can’t get off the boat, but now that I’ve done it I feel like I can do anything.” She continued, “I…

The Lord Lieutenant of Gwynedd last week presented local volunteer group Student Volunteering Bangor (SVB) with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2012 at Bangor University. The distinguishedl ceremony, hosted by His Honour Huw Morgan Daniel, saw the Bangor University’s Students’ Union group bestowed with an exclusive commemorative crystal alongside a certificate signed by Her Majesty, in recognition of their outstanding contribution. Helen Munro, Student Volunteering Bangor University’s SVB said: “The volunteers are incredibly proud to have received this accolade which endorses the time they give and the sacrifices they sometimes make in order to enrich the lives of other,…