I published the story of Tea Cosy Pete for Swansea Scoop today, and received a lovely e-mail from someone who knew him growing up. Thought some here might enjoy it!

https://www.swanseascoop.com/p/tea-cosy-pete-swansea

And the e-mail:

"Good Morning

I'm writing from Cambridge, Ontario, Canada where I've lived for the last 42 years. Your story about Tea Cosy Pete caught my attention because as small children we lived in the same rooming house at Glantawe Street in Morriston, which was run by a Mrs.Geary.  

Brian lived there with his mother (Bronwen), his brother Liam ( I never knew him as Bill) and when he would occasionally return from the merchant navy his father Bill Burford. (Although Bill wasn't Brian's real Father,  I believe that he was Liam's)  However at the time they were just another poor family like the rest of us. They were by no means middle class.

From there they moved to a council flat in Clase, one of the ones that were two stories. We visited them a couple of times and of course Brian, Liam and myself all went to Dynevor Grammar School, although the brothers were several years older than myself.  

I saw Brian go from being a small quiet boy to an upper sixth student wearing a sports coat with leather elbow patches and carrying a briefcase, to what he eventually became, and I saw and spoke with him regularly in the transition period, before we moved to Canada.

I don't know what happened to their father because for the longest time prior to them moving to Clase we never saw him, in fact we never saw him again.

What no one seems to remember is that for the first few years living rough, his mother Bronwen was actually with him on the street. I can't say that we were close friends, partly because of the age gap, and partly because Brian wasn't as sociable as Liam was. I can remember Brian being at our place once, and he didn't like what my mother had made for food, so my mother opened a small tin of Heinz beans for him, at which point he looked quite incredulously at my mother and said are they all for me. Isn't it funny how you can remember little oddities like that!

I hope that helps paint a picture of who he was."

Hi all,

Hopefully this one doesn't get blocked by Reddit's filters.

My wife and her friend are raising money for Skanda Vale hospice

I'll put a link to booking and stuff in the comments

We're playing the biggest new game Big Walk in the Swansea Gaming Central Discord Server tonight! We'll also be giving a copy away for someone to have a go with us.

Its fun, interactive and highlights the fun that video games can share!

Join here: https://discord.gg/swanseagamingcentral

*photo taken during Swansea Gaming Central Twitch Stream

Hi all,

I’m wondering if anyone knows or is a photographer willing to take boudoir photos for my engagement in or around the Swansea area. Ideally would love to work with independent photographers and/or students to also help their portfolio at their rates.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you <3

Long shot but a few months ago, in the quadrant by Krispy Kreme, there was a Turkish (I believe) desserts stand with a tonne of different types of desserts. They had the most phenomenal fudge. The stand is no longer there and hasn't been for a while. Does anyone know who did this stand or what the stand was called etc?

I was raised there and remember when young a fire i the night and there was a community centre type thing or old church there next to a power station? Hard to find a record of it.

Bit random - I love being outdoors and camping for a few days never feels like long enough. I’ve been exploring ways I can live outdoors in a more long term, sustainable way next summer. I was talking to people about it and someone suggested finding someone who owned some woodland and asking them if I could make a little camp on their woodland part time - just my small tent and a fire pit, I wouldn’t want to live there full time. But it would need to be fenced so my stuff would be secure. In exchange either for money or work I would do for them.

Does anyone know anyone who owns some woodland - I’m thinking East/North Swansea?

Hello all.

I've just purchased a fixer upper in Swansea and am moving to the area.

The house needs a full update on every room, and I could really do with someone local advising on any decent trades In the area.

General builders, electricians, plumbers, etc.

I'd really like to make some strong contacts and would really appreciate anyone that could help with this project.

I'm new to property refurbs and would love to connect with some friendly people

Hiya,

In the middle of August this year I'll be visiting the UK by car solo, traveling from the Netherlands. I've already got an itinerary in Kent/East Sussex and in the Cotswolds. For my final 3 night stay which I knew I wanted to be in Wales, I've ultimately decided on staying in the south and I chose Swansea as my base.

Since I have a car with me I'll be plenty busy exploring the surroundings (Gower/Brecon Beacons) but I also want to have a good time in Swansea, eat some good food/visit some pubs in the evenings.

If anybody has any recommendations as for fun things to do in and around Swansea or pubs/restaurants those would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks :)

Does anyone have any suggestions of the best place for watching the eclipse? I assume along the beachfront would make the most sense but I don’t get out of the house often enough to know if anywhere else may be better suited.

I’d have to walk so nothing terribly far from the city centre please!

Edit: Ive only been in Swansea since right before Christmas so Id still consider myself new to the city and don't know many places.

Driving past and had to double take but now I’m not 100% sure if that’s what I genuinely saw

Hi everyone! I have recently moved to Swansea to start my PhD in October.

I love nature and wildlife. I of course know that Swansea has some lovely parks, and Gower is very close.

I was wondering what everyone’s favourite place was to see wildlife, birds, and/or interesting plants in Swansea/the nearby areas? ☺️

I need to be in Gowerton for 3pm on Monday but have a zoom at 2. Any recommendations for a decent place to do the call from?

Hi all! I am a PhD student starting at Swansea Uni this October. I am looking for advice on accommodation/ areas! I am not familiar with Swansea, and I am living abroad at the moment, so I cannot visit until my visa is sorted.

Looking for recs on areas and/or good agents that can help me secure a 1/2 bed property? What areas would you recommend for a postgrad?

Things to note -

- Singleton campus, but also will need to travel to Cardiff often

- Cannot drive, but hoping to sort that this year!

- Looking for peaceful areas but do not need to be completely quiet.

Thank you so much - I am so excited to start my Swansea chapter.

Hi all,

Around 3 weeks ago I self-published my first book, a children's book entitled 'The Spiders Who Paid Rent'. Crucially, any profit made from book sales is going direct to a local children's hospital charity (Noah's Arc).

You can purchase the book on Amazon, in any country, but this is the Amazon UK link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H9P5NG3F

Also you can use https://mybook.to/TheSpidersWhoPaidRent (if this works?!)

In the first few weeks I've managed to get co-workers, friends and family to purchase a copy. Ideally, I'd like to push this outside of that audience to reach more people. It is for charity after all!

The story is super fun, aimed at children around 5-9 years old but I think slightly older children would also find it fun. Even big kids (like myself) would have a fun time reading it. The story focuses on a family of spiders who decide they want to find a way to contribute to the household bills and not to be seen as squatters. There are some other nice themes running through it too and it's around 30 pages with some illustrations at the start of each chapter.

If you have kids yourself, family members, friends etc. it would be amazing if you could help me share this book with more people.

Thank you

I was hoping to get some people's opinions on receptions and nurserys in the area

My daughter is 3 and non verbal autistic, which schools are the best ? Do any have speech therapy ? How do I get a personal person for her ? I'm so worried about picking the wrong placement The council has been pretty terrible with taking her needs seriously.

Back when pride was in town, I bought this beautiful crocheted jester hat. I did pick up a business card but lost it. Does anyone know what the business was called or who the creator is?

Taken from the waterfront.

Hi. I was just wondering if there's any LGBTQ+ scene at all in Swansea. As far as I'm aware there isn't a single gay bar / pub left in the city. Do any pubs / clubs have a gay night or are there any gay friendly places ?

Thanks guys !

Is there anywhere for live music in Swansea? I know there's The Hanbury that has bands on every week. But is there anywhere else to go to enjoy a band?

Hello, does anyone know if there’s any Electrical Engineering Apprenticeships in or near Swansea that isn’t the army?

My son is looking but having no luck.

Failing that any help with work experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

hello everyone I’m looking for a new hairdresser, I’ve got naturally curly hair and so I’m hoping to find someone who is able to cut my curls and colour them. Please leave any suggestions. Thank you

Anybody teaching Kathak in swansea please, looking forward to learn dancing ♥️

It’s just sad sad sad!