On Sunday, August 28, Black Mountain Jazz welcomes one of London’s top vintage jazz bands to Abergavenny’s Melville Theatre-The Shirt Tail Stompers.

Truly appreciating the art of swing and knowing it’s place in history, they are heavily influenced by Fats Waller, Fletcher Henderson, Wingy Manone and many other greats from the swing and trad jazz era of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.

The Shirt Tail Stompers also play a mean blues show, influenced by the likes of the early Duke Ellington, Sidney Bechet and the old musicical roots of New Orleans.

They have made a name for themselves at home and internationally-last year alone saw them playing festivals and shows in Thailand, Denmark, South Korea, Germany, Poland, Greece, Hungary, The Netherlands, France, Norway, Italy, Czech Republic and all across the UK.

Doors (and the bar) open at 7.30pm and the music starts at 8pm.

Tickets are available online at www.blackmountainjazz.co.uk-any left will be available on the door.

This will be an exciting show-expect nothing less than a great evening of entertainment.

Abergavenny Scouts to join 45,000 others from across the globe for international scouting celebration

Scouts from across Wales are busy preparing for the trip of a lifetime to the 24th World Scout Jamboree in West Virginia.

Joining 45,000 Scouts from nearly every country across the world, the Abergavenny contingent have spent nearly two years planning, training and fundraising £3,500 to take part in one of the most international events on the planet.

With just a few weeks to go, the Welsh Scouts will join 5000 others from across the rest of the UK to fly to their first destination, New York. They will spend 24 hours in the big apple seeing the sights, learning to navigate and getting to know each other before they travel to their main destination, the Jamboree site in West Virginia.

The two-week long skills exchange will begin with a spectacular opening ceremony which will be headlined by Chief Scout, Bear Grylls. The Scouts will then embark on their adventure, taking part in hundreds of activities that place focus on discovering new cultures, the environment, skill development and global development issues.

The event involves almost as many young people as the Olympic Games and is set to be an unforgettable experience of international celebration with the 45,000 Scouts living and working collaboratively for three weeks.

Rhian Moore, Chief Commissioner for Wales, said: "The dedication of our Scouts and Leaders in preparation for the World Scout Jamboree has been simply awe-inspiring. There has been a lot of time spent supporting our Scouts to develop the skills needed for this life changing event.

"We’ve placed a huge focus on team building exercises where the Scouts have had to work together and socialise with others from all over the country. Already they’ve made new friends and developed new skills!

"The anticipation is growing amongst our ScoutsCymru attendees who can’t wait to get on the plane. This really is the opportunity of a lifetime for them!"

Alex Betts, aged 17, from Abergavenny, said: "I want to meet up with Scouts from across America, and do all the climbing activities. In fact, I have managed to pack my climbing shoes. I want to try out all the different foods from across the world".