News
AJT Rugby Team in Middlesex 7s
14TH AUGUST 2010
A Wales Sevens development side played at the Middlesex Sevens in aid of Amser Justin Time, the Welsh pancreatic cancer charity and the chosen charity of Colin Hillman's family, the former Wales Sevens coach who sadly died of the disease two years ago.
NFU Mutual Golf Day a great success
14TH MAY 2010
NFU Mutual Golf Day on May 14th - was a great success in The Grove, Porthcawl. 150 players turned up. About £ 5,000 raised for AJT
Machynlleth Tabernacl Arts Centre concert raised £ 2,550
8TH MAY 2010
Machynlleth Tabernacl arts centre concert raised £2,550 for AJT !!
WRU Bucket Collection raises over £ 6,000
20TH MARCH 2010
Amser Justin Time was the official charity selected by the WRU for the Wales v Italy game on 20th March 2010
Amser Justin Time i gasglu cyn gem yr Eidal!
PANCREATIC CANCER AWARENESS WEEK
16TH NOVEMBER 2009
Please help us CHANGE THE NUMBERS for pancreatic cancer!
WELSH SINGER LEADS 'BLESSING OF THE HORSE' CEREMONY
15TH SEPTEMBER 2009
Opera singer and actress Shân Cothi led nearly 60 horse riders on a 12 mile trek after a unique ‘Blessing of the Horse' ceremony held in Brecon Beacons National Park on Sunday.
HORSE RIDE CHALLENGE DAILY BLOG
26TH AUGUST 2008
View the highly entertaining daily diary and photos from the Amser Justin Time horse ride challenge in 2008.
'I BELIEVE' VIDEO SHOOT 20/07/08
20TH AUGUST 2008
The video shoot for the forthcoming single release 'I Believe' was a roaring success!
The song, a Tigertailz classic, has been re-recorded in support of Amser Justin Time by Bryn, Shân, Serendipity and the band themselves. The recording also features Justin 'Pepsi Tate' Smith's original bass playing.
Bryn, Shân and Tigertailz strutted their stuff impressively. Bryn even showed the glam-rockers how it's done, swinging a mic stand around his head. Serndipity then turned up to restore some decorum to proceedings, whilst scores of loving couples turned up to smooch for the cameras and appear in this amazing video!
The fact that a crew of over 30 respected proffessionals gave freely of their time contributed to an amazing atmosphere of positivity and common purpose, and a rockin' good time was had by all.
Release details for the single have yet to be finalised, but initial responses to the rough mixes have included 'Huge!', 'Epic!', and 'Justin would have laughed his head off!'.
Watch this space...
More images from the shoot can be viewed here
DAILY POST 11/08/08
11TH AUGUST 2008
Opera star Shan Cothi's equine trek in husband's memory
Aug 11 2008 by Carl Butler, Daily Post
OPERA singer and actress Shân Cothi is to take part in a marathon 300-mile horse ride to raise awareness of the cancer which killed her husband.
Despite a brave fight Justin Smith, a TV editor and bassist with Welsh glam metal band Tigertailz, passed away last September just weeks after marrying Shân at his bedside.
Now Shân has founded a charity in her husband's name in a bid to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer - diagnosis is difficult and only 5% of sufferers survive five years.
She also hopes the charity - Amser Justin Time - will provide support to patients and their families.
Shan will officially launch the charity on August 25, Bank Holiday Monday, a day after her performance at Bryn Terfel's Faenol Festival, when she and friends will set off on a charity horse ride from Talacre beach, near Prestatyn to South Wales.
She said: "Justin would think I was absolutely mad, but he would be very moved. He was a very emotional, sensitive guy. He would say, ‘Anything that makes you happy Shân'.
"I want to raise lots of money for research but that is secondary to raising awareness of the disease which is very difficult to spot. Some well-known people have contracted the disease, Pavarotti and Patrick Swayze only recently," she said.
A website has been set up and Shân has recorded a single, I Believe, with her close friend Bryn Terfel - which they hope to sing at the Faenol.
It will be available for download from the charity's website, was written by Justin and recorded by Tigertailz. Justin, who was known as Pepsi Tate in the band, plays bass guitar on the track.
Shân, who plays the leading role in S4C's Con Passionate, met Justin 10 years ago in the offices of TV production company Avanti when she was recording the Shân Cothi Show for S4C and he was editing.
They soon became a couple and settled down together in Cardiff.
In 2006, Justin began experiencing abdominal pains and later began losing weight but it took months of tests before a diagnosis was made. "The doctor said, ‘I have got something really serious to tell you' and our hearts just stopped," says Shân.
Although he was very weak, in July 2007 the couple travelled to New York in a last-ditch attempt to find alternative treatment. Justin proposed to Shân during their trip.
Not long after, Justin was admitted to a Penarth hospice where the pair were married in front of close family and friends.
"Justin was very ill that day but he got better for a few days afterwards. He was very proud, telling everyone he had made an honest woman of me," she said.
Following Justin's death, aged 42, Shân, a blacksmith's daughter, immersed herself in horse-riding and bought a horse, Caio, who is kept in stables in Ogmore near Bridgened.
"He has been a godsend really, it's very therapeutic to go riding," she said.
Shân and Caio, and a number of other riders, will make the trek. There will be fundraising concerts en route, including one at Tregaron on September 5,
Any riders keen to join them for a day are welcome to do so, Shân said. She also appealed to readers who have detailed knowledge of sections of the route to get in touch.
"Its an ambitious schedule and the last thing we want to do is go down a bridleway and find a locked gate," she said.
Shân will take part in the Faenol Festival for the second time but she says since losing Justin, performing is no longer so important to her.
"I miss him like crazy.‘'
SOUTH WALES ECHO 21/07/08
21ST JULY 2008
Singing for Justin
Jul 21 2008 by Karen Price, South Wales Echo
Singer Shan Cothi is launching a charity in memory of her husband Justin Smith, the bassist in Cardiff band Tigertailz, who died of pancreatic cancer. She tells KAREN PRICE about how she plans to raise money for it
ON the sideboard in Shan Cothi's dining room is a beautiful black and white photograph of her and her husband Justin Smith smiling broadly for the cameras.
But their smiles hid the devastating fact that after months of tests, Justin had just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Despite a brave fight, the programme editor and bassist with Welsh glam metal band Tigertailz passed away in September 2007, just months after the photograph was taken and just weeks after marrying his long-term partner Shan at his hospital bedside.
Now Shan, an opera singer and actress, has founded a charity in her husband's name in a bid to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer - diagnosis is difficult and only 5% of sufferers survive five years.
She also hopes the charity - Amser Justin Time - will provide support to patients and their families.
Shan will officially launch the charity on August Bank Holiday Monday, a day after her performance at Bryn Terfel's Faenol Festival, when she and a small group of friends will set off on a charity horse ride from North to South Wales.
"Justin would think I was absolutely mad," smiles Shan, when I meet her at her home in Pontcanna, Cardiff.
"But he would be very moved. He was a very emotional, sensitive guy. He would say, ‘Anything that makes you happy Shan'."
A website has been set up by the charity and Shan has recorded a single, I Believe, with her close friend, international bass baritone Terfel - which they hope to sing at the Faenol Festival.
I Believe, which will be available for download from the charity's website, was written by Justin and recorded by Tigertailz. Justin plays bass guitar on the track.
Shan, who plays the leading role in S4C's Con Passionate, met Justin 10 years ago in the offices of TV production company Avanti when she was recording the Shan Cothi Show for S4C and he was editing.
They soon became a couple and settled down to life together in Cardiff.
In 2006, Justin began experiencing abdominal pains and later began losing weight but it took months of tests before a diagnosis was made.
"The doctor said, ‘I have got something really serious to tell you' and our hearts just stopped," says Shan.
Although he was very weak, in July 2007 the couple travelled to New York in a last ditch attempt to find alternative treatment. Justin proposed to Shan during their trip.
Not long after they returned to Wales, Justin was admitted to Holme Tower hospice in Penarth, where the pair were married in front of close family and friends.
"Justin was very ill that day but he got better for a few days afterwards. He was very proud, telling everyone he had made an honest woman of me," she smiles.
Following Justin's death at the age of 42, Shan, a blacksmith's daughter, immersed herself in horse-riding and bought a horse, Caio, who is kept in stables in Ogmore.
"He has been a godsend really," she says of the horse. "It's very therapeutic to go riding."
Now Shan and Caio, and a number of other riders, will make the trek of almost 300 miles from North to South Wales.
There will be fundraising concerts en-route, including one at The Point in Cardiff on September 18, but Shan says that since losing Justin, performing is no longer so important to her.
"I miss him like crazy. When something like this happens it changes your perspective on things," she says.
"But Justin would hate it if I didn't sing any more."
For more details on the charity, visit the website
