Celtic Musician Chris Conway
also plays on The Mabinogion Production.

Hailing from Michigan USA, multi-instrumental wizard Chris Conway has built his career in the UK, becoming one of the most fascinating musicians on the scene.

Singer-songwriter/roots music
His style is unique, blending a US West Coast sound with Celtic roots with hints of world music and jazz -  His songs are like films, with a magical quality, each song drawing the listener into its spell. He's played with the cream of the UK folk and folk/rock scene and his also part of Vikki Clayton's band,   Chris has also played with ex Monkee Peter Tork, members of Jethro Tull and Fairport Convention, as well as Sally Barker, Pete Morton, Roger Wilson, Cathy Lesurf and Jo Freya. and has supported Bob Geldof, Roy Wood, Frances Black, and Arthur Brown amongst others at packed houses.  Chris has made a great reputation for himself in the world music scene.
Much more on Chris' s music www.chrisconway.org

New World Music - New Age Artists  - Llewellyn & Juliana meet "The Mabinogion"

January 2003 ValleyStream and global "New World Music Ltd" based in Sussex, negotiated a special arrangement working through one of their best selling artists, Llewellyn and his production company Llewellyn Film Productions, whereby both companies now have access to each others large and growing audio and visual libraries for use worldwide in future media productions. VStream video footage was used on video walls at Llewellyn's concert and also features in several of New World Music/Llewellyn DVD Productions.

Their music can also be savoured in a blend of dramatic soundtracks faithfully rendered on ValleyStream's production "The Mabinogion"(released Nov 2004).  Their soundtracks are available on CD from New World Music or Llewellyn & Juliana's website below, plus stacks more fabulous Celtic moods - their colourful music will instantly warm up your cockles and relax any busy mind on windy Welsh evenings by your LPG log fire!
Who Llewellyn? www.moonlore.co.uk
Who NewWorld Music? www.newworldmusic.co.uk

Alexander Archive documentaries featured on the BBC and Channel 4

The Alexanders, one of ValleyStream's rare historical film archives, featured on C4's Richard and Judy Chat show on Wednesday 13th March 2002 with an interview with Gemmell Alexander, sole surviver of the 42-year 16mm film archive, discussing some of its historical background.  ValleyStream then co-produced a 3-part mini series with BBC North entitled the "Alexander Archive", BBC "Inside Out" series, which was screened Monday 23rd September 2002, with a landmark screening BBC1in June 2003 and BBC 2 in July.
See the Alexander Archive for an historical glimpse into the Archive.

Romani Cymru - Romany Wales Project
Visit Wales Interactive Research & Archival Project
on Welsh Gypsies

Our latest project for Welsh culture is an archival and interactive research and awareness initiative about the historic Romani tribes of Wales, including a program of acquiring and electronically recording fresh data.  It also aims to bring a greater awareness to the general public of the existence of the Romani tribes of Wales, to enlighten them of their rich history, and to dispel any negative myths surrounding their culture.

Valleystream owners are proud of their strong romani roots and connections and the RC project team, which includes Romani researchers from within the Roberts, Wood and Lovell tribes, are actively undertaking the lengthy process of gathering and compiling fresh material from a fragmented Welsh Romani community.  The findings should be in the long term of national and historical importance.

The mystical background of the Welsh Gypsies and their richly beautiful culture has often been hidden, unrecognised or plainly ignored even up to recent times. Centuries of persecution through ignorance and prejudice, together with a harsh existence in the Welsh valleys, has alienated many of the Gypsy folk, resulting in the image of these nomadic people being completely misunderstood. Yet nearly all our lives have been enchanted by their language or rich culture in some shape or form.

Click the link to visit the Romani Cymru Project  -   http://www.valleystream.co.uk/romhome.htm

NEW PROJECT -
Fast Becomes World's No1 GypsyWaggons Website
Features in The Times Magazine and Sunday Telegraph (spring 07)

September 2006 saw ValleyStream launch the UK's first collective picture library and internet publishing website dedicated to Romani vardos-Gypsy waggons from around the United Kingdom - fast reaching enthusiasts across the globe and becoming an instant success, making it the world's top vardo website.  Gypsywaggons co.uk has gained excellent recognition and appraisal by top vardo experts and enthusiasts alike, and it's a credit to Conwys Welsh based team and everybody involved.

Reading, Burton, Watt, Orton Spooner, Howcroft, Wright, Rudderham, Ledge, Showman, Bowtop, Kite Waggon, Openlot, Squarebow and many more.

The Library now has over 250 vardos (Gypsy Caravans) online and rapidly growing by the month, including some famous and historic wagons such as Roald Dahl’s, Romany’s, Roger Daltrey's, Ronnie Wood's , Jim Berry’s, with several private collections as well as vardos from museums such as Reading, etc.

Additional features are being added to the pages every month, including articles / tips pages and fresh vardos of all types, plus links of associated interest.

Some comments of interest :-

Dear Stef - Firstly, congratulations for such a wonderful web site. It is very informative, well put together and just a delight to visit. The gallery is excellent and no where else have I seen so many vardos in one collection. .......... Robert Longstaff - Pennsylvania USA

Hi Gypsywaggons - Have just spent the last hour and a half lost in wonder on your websites and had to email to say how impressed I am particularly with the information on vardos ........Scorchie - Llanberis Wales

Dear ValleyStream - I love your web site, and I love gypsy caravans, I would love to have one in our home in Western Australia ....... Maureen Smith - Byford - Austraila

Hello - Angi - one of my potential customers told me about your site.  I found it to be very interesting and full of contacts and information ..................... Kayo Frazer - Wildhorsebooks Montana USA

Hi Gypsywaggons - I think your website's fantastic ............. Chris Wright - Derbyshire

Click the link to see the UK Vardo Picture Library   -  http://www.gypsywaggons.co.uk

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 New CD Release
Talking the Songs - Rokkraben o Gillia

Bob Lovell - Romani singer songwriter - sings both traditional Romani songs learnt from his Dadus and original ones he and his Romani prals have written.

Influenced by his Gypsy past and by the likes of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, in the 1980s he began writing songs and playing the guitar. After some years playing folkmusic clubs, in 1992 the hard work finally paid off, and Bob won the prestigious singer/songwriter's award at New Zealand's biggest folkmusic festival in Auckland

The textures of Bob's songs are both raw and stopping place-flavoured, enriched with tonal essences of earthy mesmerising melodies like you'd hear by the camp fire in the "golden days of the vardo" - so dare you venture out on a cold moonlit night with friends, not to poach but armed with disc player, a couple of rabbits, plus red wine - light a woodfire, and savour Bob Lovell's and the kalo chiricklo's Romani music in to the night.

Excellent Romani CD, worth every Bob!---------------------------More details and to order a copy

      DVD Release

Scribed over 1000 Years ago
Now for the first time available visually on DVD

ValleyStream first worked on tales from the Mabinogion visually in 1995. The Mabinogion is the most famous collection of Welsh tales, dating back to the dawn of the Celtic world. For hundreds of years bards told these stories to spell-bound listeners at the courts of the Welsh princes.

They kept alive the history of their tribes, celebrating heroes such as the Emperor of Rome who married a Celtic princess and the earliest known King Arthur. It wasn't until the 10th century that the tales were written down – and now ValleyStream has produced them on DVD.

Recently, the Mabinogion has inspired the work of many authors and poets, such as JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.

Six stories are beautifully narrated here by Cybi the Monk, found sleeping with his apple in the heather-clad mountains of Wales. Original colour illustrations melt into stunning motion footage of dreamy wildlife and sleepy Welsh landscapes.                                                                                                             Circa - 60 minutes  ......  Buy the DVD Now!

What's "The Mabinogion"?

What have you been missing! ... before The Lord of the Rings there was THE MABINOGION. Widely recognized as the finest arc of Celtic mythology, the eleven stories were preserved in two Welsh collections, The White Book of Rhydderch (c.1300-1325) and The Red Book of Hergest (1375-1425), though the stories themselves hail from an oral tradition dating back to the tenth century. At its core are tales of heroes and men, birth and death, gods and beasts, penance and vindication, kinship and kingship, battles and quests. THE MABINOGION embraces much of ancient and early British culture, combining the numinous world of Celtic mythology, Arthurian legend and feudal Europe’s Age of Chivalry. Indeed, scholars have identified that it was out of THE MABINOGION that the Arthurian legends were born.
Do a search on the net for The Mabinogion and you'll see how well known it really is!           

                

ValleyStream's Gwilym Davies Aerial Photo Library - a stunning archive of 32,000 aerial photographs of North Wales on medium format. Taken over 25 years by Gwilym, flying out from Mona Airfield with ex-fighter pilot Arfon Evans. A photographic/text database has now been compiled for a quick search, and the Photo Library is now available under licence for commercial and private use. So if you require or would like an aerial photograph of your area, for whatever purpose, get in touch!
Wide range of sizes and prices, prints from negatives or image-ready Jpegs for publication, etc.
Click here for further details.

New DVD Release November 07
A True Story of Famous Welsh Gypsies

S4C's BAFTA Cymru Award-Winning  Drama
Ffilm a Enillodd Brif Wobr BAFTA Cymru

Now on DVD for the first time by ValleyStream:  the award-winning Gypsy drama based on the childhood of Eldra Roberts, a descendant of the famous
Abram Wood/Roberts Welsh Gypsy tribe.

Winner of:
* 5 BAFTAs Cymru 2001:  Best Drama, Best Photography, Best Design, Best Music, and Best Costume
* International Film Festival of Wales:  Film Four Audience Award 2001
* Spirit of Moondance:  Best Feature Film 2003
* 24th Celtic Film & Television Festival - Jury Award.

Enillodd y ddrama hon sawl gwobr ag mae wedi ei seilio ar blentyndod Eldra Roberts - oedd yn hanu o dylwyth y Sipsiwn enwog Abram Wood/Roberts.                                                    

Meet the Real Eldra Now ................!                                                                                 More about the DVD