#swanseavalley — Public Fediverse posts
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YSTALYFERA: Voice heard in 150 million homes worldwide — Swansea Valley actor wins Best Male Performance at major UK voice acting awards
A voice actor from Ystalyfera has beaten off competition from across the UK to win one of the voice acting industry’s top honours — picking up Best Male Performance in Audio Drama at the One Voice Awards.
Phil Rowe’s win is particularly notable because the award-winning performance came from a production he wrote and produced entirely himself — reflecting years of work expanding his skills beyond performance into writing, directing, sound design and audio engineering.
It is the latest chapter in a remarkable run for the Swansea Valley performer. Last year’s One Voice Awards saw Rowe pick up three nominations in a single ceremony — for Best Male Performance in Animation, Best Male Performance in TV/Web Commercials and Male Voiceover Artist of the Year — following his win for Best Male Performance in TV/Web Commercials at the 2024 ceremony.
This year’s win in audio drama marks a new direction for Rowe, who has increasingly focused on cinematic audio storytelling alongside his commercial and gaming work. His voice has been heard in over 150 million homes worldwide across commercials, games and narration — but it is the audio drama medium that has captured his creative imagination in recent years.
“Audio drama is such a fascinating medium because everything rests on atmosphere, performance and sound,” said Rowe. “Without visuals, every detail matters. A pause, distant rain, the tone of a room, the pacing of a scene. You are building the entire world through sound and performance alone.”
One of his productions, YstalyFEAR, draws direct inspiration from his home village in the Swansea Valley — part of a wider interest in creating original Welsh-rooted audio storytelling. It is one of a growing number of original dramatic productions Rowe has developed alongside his commercial work.
The win at the One Voice Awards was not the only recognition for his work at this year’s ceremony. Fellow cast members Vicki-Jo Eva and Ben Wake also received nominations for their performances in another of his upcoming productions.
Rowe operates from a custom-built studio in Ystalyfera, which has become the base for both his performance work and his growing output as a writer, director and sound designer. He also produces cinematic gaming reels for other voice actors.
His career has not been without obstacles. Rowe battles pulmonary sarcoidosis — a condition that caused difficulties with breath control earlier in his career. Through dedicated training with voice coach Nicola Redman, he developed techniques to manage the condition, allowing his work to flourish across an ever-wider range of projects.
Previous credits include lending his voice to the Welsh-language video game Tales from the Mabinogion, which attracted attention from the BBC for its cultural significance.
Rowe said the recognition at this year’s ceremony meant a great deal after the considerable effort that goes into each production behind the scenes.
“It genuinely means a great deal to have the work recognised,” he said. “A huge amount of time goes into these productions behind the scenes, and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has collaborated on them and supported the work.”
The One Voice Awards is one of the UK voice acting industry’s major annual events, celebrating performance across commercials, animation, audiobooks, gaming and audio drama.
More of Phil Rowe’s work can be found at philrowevoices.com.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
Swansea Valley voice actor receives triple nomination at national awards
#AudioDrama #OneVoiceAwards #storytelling #SwanseaValley #voiceActing #voiceActor #YstalyFEAR #Ystalyfera
Phil Rowe’s three nominations at last year’s One Voice Awards — and how he got there. -
Former council HGV driver used chapel opposite his home as cocaine pick-up point — jailed for three and a half years
A former council lorry driver has been jailed for three and a half years after running a cocaine dealing operation from his home in the Swansea Valley — using the chapel opposite his flat as a pick-up point for customers.
Sheridan Geen, 53, now of Howell Road, Neath, was convicted at trial of being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to supply, and possession of criminal property. He also admitted possession of morphine at Swansea Crown Court on April 21.
Dyfed-Powys Police executed a search warrant at Geen’s former home on Heol Twrch in Lower Cwmtwrch, near Ystradgynlais, on October 27, 2022. Officers found £1,560 in cash, weighing scales, a quantity of empty grip-seal bags inside a Gillette toiletries bag, and a small amount of morphine. Geen was also found attempting to conceal more than 40 wraps of cocaine — totalling 27.5 grams — on the bathroom window ledge.
An examination of Geen’s mobile phone revealed messages relating to the supply of cocaine. Prosecutor Regan Walters told the court that the chapel opposite his home had been used as a regular meeting point where customers would come to collect their orders.
Recorder Jonathan Rees KC said it was clear from the phone evidence that Geen had been running a commercial drug dealing business, using the chapel as a convenient location to meet customers.
During his police interview, Geen answered “no comment” to most questions. He denied any involvement in drug supply, claimed he had never heard of class A drugs, and said the cash found at his address had been given to him by his father, who had inherited it. When challenged about messages on his phone containing the words “bash” and “pure” — both well-known slang terms for cocaine — he insisted he had no idea what they referred to.
His barrister Christopher Evans told the court that Geen had worked as an HGV driver for his local council for 30 years before losing his job in 2020, following the breakdown of a relationship in 2017. “Things started to spiral out of control,” Mr Evans said, adding that Geen’s mental health had declined as a result.
The court heard Geen had turned to cocaine to self-medicate — claiming the stimulant paradoxically helped him sleep — and that a gambling problem had compounded his financial difficulties, pushing him deeper into debt and eventually into dealing to fund his habit. “He was dealing primarily to fund his own drug use rather than for profit,” his barrister said.
Mr Evans told the court that Geen had lost contact with his son during this period but had since reconnected with him, describing the relationship as a key motivating factor in his recovery. He said his client had now been drug-free for three years.
Although Geen denied dealing throughout his trial, his barrister said he now accepts full responsibility for his actions. Being arrested had served as a “wake-up call,” the court heard.
Geen has eight previous convictions for nine offences dating back to 1990, including drug possession, but none for dealing.
He was sentenced to three years and six months in prison and ordered to pay a £228 surcharge. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence. A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing into his finances has been scheduled for July 28.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
Ammanford pair used ‘Chinese’ as codeword for cocaine orders — jailed after being caught waiting for a delivery in Swansea
Another recent cocaine supply sentence from Swansea Crown Court.Drug gang busted: Swansea man jailed as cocaine network smashed in multi-area operation
#cocaine #drugDealer #DrugDealing #DyfedPowysPolice #LowerCwmtwrch #proceedsOfCrime #SwanseaCrownCourt #SwanseaValley
More cocaine supply sentencing from Swansea Crown Court.