Keep factory open, pleads Tom Jones - Jan 21 2007
Singer Sir Tom Jones has became the latest big name to endorse a campaign to save a factory from closure in his native south Wales.

Clothing company Burberry plans to close its Treorchy plant, just a few miles from where Sir Tom grew up in Pontypridd, with the loss of 300 jobs.

The company, which reported a significant increase in sales earlier this month, plans to move production to China at the end of March.

But the 66-year-old singer said: "As a local boy I know how important this factory has been to the community in the Rhondda. I therefore urge the Burberry management to withdraw their plans to close their Treorchy factory."

Sir Tom joins an ever growing list of celebrity supporters of the campaign, including Hollywood stars Ioan Gruffudd, Emma Thompson and Rhys Ifans.

The intervention by Gruffudd, who grew up in nearby Aberdare, is all the more embarrassing for the company as he and actress Rachel Weisz were recruited as the brand’s global faces in 2005.

Opera singer Bryn Terfel, entertainer Max Boyce and the Prince of Wales have also given their backing to the campaign.

As well as calling for the factory to remain open, campaigners want to see Burberry lose its two Royal warrants from the Queen and the Prince of Wales.

In the House of Commons on Tuesday, Rhondda MP Chris Bryant will call for new procedures to govern the award of the coveted warrants.

Mr Bryant said: "A Royal Warrant is our national seal of approval and it should only go to great British companies that stand by traditional British values. Any company that cannot say how much the workers making its goods overseas are paid - or cannot guarantee that children will not be used in their factories - should lose that seal of approval."

Battle of the crooners - June 04
Englebert Humperdinck has lashed out at fellow showman Tom Jones.

The pair have been rivals for many years and Hump seems unable to resist a dig at Jones the Voice, this time at the expense of his manhood. The crinkly crooner stuffed a handkerchief down his trousers at a recent show saying "just keeping up with the Joneses!" The Jones camp have not bothered to hit back at Humperdinck, however fans are apparently furious.


Biography

Thomas Jones Woodward was born on 7th June 1940 in Treforest, just outside Cardiff. He sang regularly at family gatherings and in a school choir, although legend has it he was told off for drowning out the rest of the singers in assembly.

In his teens Tom became a rebel, listening to new rock n roll music on his radio and missing school in order to drink and chase girls. He was married at 16, after leaving school and a baby was born just one month after the ceremony. His first encounter with the professional world was as a jack-of-all-trades, but in 1963 he began singing with his band Tommy Scott and the Senators.