South Wales Evening Post - Friday, January 13, 2012

Teen wows judges with vocal talent

CLASE classical singer Ashley Williams is hoping for a crooning career after hitting the high notes in a local competition. The Bishop Vaughan School pupil is now 14 and won the Welsh Factor singing competition at Croeserw.

The youngster won £500 in the competition and has also auditioned for the next series of television talent show Britain's Got Talent. Ashley has been taking singing lessons for the last year with tutor Sian Pearce. His mother Julie, said: "I don't know where he gets his confidence from. He has been doing competitions now for two years."

Ashley came fifth in the Llantrisant Welsh Factor competition. The youngster has also qualified for the semi-final of the High Tide singing contest in Porthcawl, which is due to be held next month.

Walesonline - Rhymney Valley News - by Ian Caleb - Jan 5 2012

Dancelicious have got the Welsh Factor  

A RHYMNEY Valley dance group has proven they have the X Factor as they get set for this month’s showcase competition. In November, we told you how Dancelicious, a community dance group made of members from Gelligaer, Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed, Cefn Hengoed and Blackwood, will compete in the  final of showdance competition That’s Showbiz in January. But to keep themselves in practice, they spent all of December battling through the various rounds of the Welsh Factor to win the Best Dance Act prize.

The founder and manager of the Welsh Factor, Gareth Thomas, said in an e-mail to the group after the awards: “Dancelicious have been a breath of fresh air of talent, bringing a vibrant visual brand of entertainment to the Welsh Factor competition.

“The routines choreographed by Sam have demonstrated what the live entertainment scene is missing. This tight knit unit will enhance any production and they should be in demand now for professional engagements throughout Wales and the rest of the UK.”

Sam Morley, teacher and choreographer for Dancelicious, said: “The feeling was incredible. My dancers work so hard and deserve every credit. “They dance beautifully, are very determined and above all they grace themselves with pure decorum at all times. I am very proud of them all.”

South Wales Evening Post - Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Talent goes on show  

THE final of talent competition the Welsh Factor will be held on Monday.

It will take place in Croeserw Workingmen's Club at 8pm.

Organiser Anna Marie Thomas said: "There will be 25 acts and they will be of all ages.

"We have singers and dancers, so it will be a full variety show with lots of entertainment."  

South Wales Evening Post - Thursday, October 27, 2011

Talented acts up for final  

TALENTED acts will be facing the music at the final of Welsh Factor tonight.

The show will take place at JK's in Briton Ferry. Organiser Anna Marie Thomas said: "There are 30 acts including a 10-piece band.

"There are all ages and a full variety of acts. "It's going to be a great night with a lot of entertainment in store for the audience."

Walesonline - Merthyr Express - July 21 2011

Welsh Factor’s Kelsey, 16, is a real rising star  

SINGING sensation Kelsey Noonan scooped first prize in the Welsh Factor talent show.

Sixteen-year-old Kelsey, who attends Cyfartha High School, made it through several heats and impressed 16 judges in order to grab the top spot and win the cash prize.

Her unique performances of Adele’s Someone Like You and the classic Over the Rainbow secured her a place in the final where she sang a beautiful version of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.

The competition, which saw hundreds of people compete, is held a few times a year at different locations across South Wales, from Mountain Ash to Port Talbot.

Organised by Gareth Thomas and Anna Marie Thomas, who was recently awarded Business Person of the Year by Bay Radio, the competition has gone from strength-to-strength with hopes of branching out to other areas in 2012.

As well as singing for charity, young Kelsey has also already recorded a song and won the 14 to 16-year-old category in Merthyr’s Got Talent in 2010, proving she has what it takes to make it big.

Over the summer she plans to continue recording with local musicians to get her voice heard. The determined artists hopes that one day she is able to make a career out of her talent because she simply loves performing.

Kelsey’s mother Michelle Noonan said: “I think most people who listen to her sing appreciate the unique tone that her voice has. “We are all so proud of her.”

The youngster, who is currently awaiting her GCSE results, even came face to face with Simon Cowell’s body guard, Tony Adkins, who came all the way from Halifax to see the talented singers.

Kelsey said: “I had such fantastic support and it was an amazing experience. “Thanks to everyone who cheered me on. “I’m so proud that I ended up on top!”

With so much success coming from the competition, Anna Marie decided to create a Welsh Factor Academy to celebrate and train talent in the area.

South Wales Argus - 11th January 2011

Abersychan teen scoops Wales talent prize  

A TORFAEN teenager who dreams of being a professional singer came out top in a talent show to find the best Wales has to offer. Classically-trained Louise Hall, 15, scooped a £1,000 prize and a contract worth £10,000 after winning Welsh Factor. The St Albans RC High School pupil, who lives in North Road, Abersychan, found out about the competition, run by the Welsh Factor Academy, after scanning the internet for contests to enter.

After filling in a form, she got three rounds of singing live in front of a panel of judges before conquering 25 acts in the final to take top spot. Miss Hall, who has two brothers, Grant, 20, and Rhys, 13, and sang her first solo aged two in Snatchwood Road Methodist Church, said she was "shocked" when judges read out her name after she performed Whitney Houston's “I Will Always Love You” in the final.

She added: "It's my dream to become a singer and when I won it felt really good, I was so excited but didn't really know what to do with myself." As part of her winning contract, she will now perform in shows at pubs and clubs across South Wales.

South Wales Evening Post - Wednesday, December 22, 2010

On song to show talent

WHAT a night! Rising stars have hit the stage in Briton Ferry to show that they have got the X factor. Held by The Welsh Factor Academy, the Welsh Factor talent show grand final delivered top class entertainment for audiences at JK's club in Neath Road.

Twenty-five acts took part, with first prize going to Louise Hall, aged 15, from Pontypool.

Second prize went to Jessica McNeil, aged 12, from Neath, and third went to John Adams, aged 23, from Cardiff. Organiser Gareth Thomas said "It was absolutely fantastic. "Everyone enjoyed themselves."

South Wales Evening Post - Saturday, May 22, 2010

Show's success factored in

SWANSEA has got talent! And there was plenty of it on display at a variety show held in the city this week. The Welsh Factor, held at Cwmfelin Social Club in Cwmbwrla, featured performances from singers, dancers and gymnasts.

Around 400 people packed out the venue to watch the 21 semi-finalists take the stage. Winner Sophie Hansen scooped the top prize, winning over the judges with her solo.

The event was organised by Gareth Jones and his daughter Anna Thomas, of the GTMP entertainment group. "We tried to put together a competition that would match anything you'd see on TV, and I think we succeeded," said Gareth. "There have been so many good performers, the audiences have enjoyed fabulous shows week after week.

"I hope we have encouraged the new performers to consider taking their talent further.

"We'd like to thank everybody involved. Let's hope that the Welsh Factor will be back next year — bigger and better."

South Wales Evening Post - Friday, May 21, 2010

Factor win for Sophie  

THE one with the Welsh Factor has just been found in South Wales. Sophie Hansen was that one when she triumphed in the final of the Welsh Factor talent competition.

Cwmfelin Social Club hosted the sell-out show, with 21 competing for the top prize in front of 400 people. Dancers included Delusion, Dancecraft and Requiem. Marielle Resall sang in previous rounds, in addition to her acrobatics.

And other singers ranged from young Nataya Bree Carol and a slightly older Nicki Price.

Western Telegraph - Wednesday 12th May 2010

Pembroke Dock's Daniel Rolls through to semi finals of The Welsh Factor  

Dancer Daniel Rolls is strutting his stuff in the semi-finals of the largest talent competition in south Wales today (Wednesday). Fourteen-year-old Pembroke School pupil Daniel, of Pembroke Dock, has won through the first round and quarter finals of The Welsh Factor.

Today he will take to the stage at the Cwmfelin Social Club in Swansea in the hope of reaching the final and dancing away with the first prize of £1,000 and the offer of a £10,000 contract with a leading South Wales entertainment agency.

He wowed the judges in the contest's first round with his Revolution dance - a mixture of freestyle and street dance - and despite not having a second act prepared, went on to perform two minutes of improvised hip-hop to Michael Jackson's Jam.

In the quarter finals, he was challenged by tough opposition from an award-winning street dance team and numerous talented singers, but won through with his Star Wars dance, followed by a street routine to Rock This Party, with the judges commenting on his exceptional timing and high level of fitness.

Daniel is a member of the West Wales Academy of Dance, the Seren School of Irish Dancing and the Alice Russell School of Dance.

Country Times News Paper - 8 April 2010

Victoria has the Welsh Factor

TREWERN singing sensation Victoria Lilly Jenkins has made it through to the quarter finals of Welsh Factor. The 29-year-old star, who works at the Spar in Welshpool, is trying to rebuild her name in the industry having quit her job as an entertainer when she was younger to get married and have children.

But with her two kids slowly growing up, Lilly, as she is known on stage, grabbed the chance to jump back into the musical deep end by entering Welsh Factor - the largest talent competition in South Wales.

“I used to sing on the holiday circuit and places like that but when I got married and had children I gave it all up,” explained Lilly, a solo vocal entertainer who covers hits from the 50s through to modern day classics. “I never really thought about getting back into the industry until I took it upon myself one day to sing at our staff Christmas party.

“It was just a bit of casual singing in front of my work mates but I really enjoyed it and decided to try and get my career going again now that my children are getting a bit older.

“I went down to Swansea to compete in Welsh Factor, but never thought anything would come of it - at first I just did it for a bit of a laugh more than anything else. “I sang two songs - ‘Summer of 69’ and ‘Black Velvet’ - and the judges obviously really enjoyed it and now I will compete in the quarter finals on April 21.”

Lilly will also be singing live at a fundraising event at Coppice Farm, Pool Quay, on June 5, which aims to raise vital funds for Welshpool Emergency Services and Welshpool Maternity Unit. The charity barbecue starts at 4pm and tickets cost £6 per person (under 18s free).

The Welsh Factor competition is run in Venues throughout South Wales. The winner of the competition will receive £1,000 and a contract with a leading South Wales Entertainment Agency. The purpose of running the Welsh Factor competition is to encourage people with talent.