To ask whether you are aware of the NATO summit taking place in Wales in September?

[emsiewill]

If you live in South Wales you are probably aware that 82 of the world's leaders, including Obama will be at the NATO summit taking place at the Celtic Manor in Newport on 4 - 5 September.

If you aren't local, you probably aren't aware that this is the largest security operation ever undertaken in the UK. That steel fences have been erected around the Celtic Manor and all around Cardiff, already causing traffic chaos.

And that this is taking place a mile from my house, I am on the route of one of the "peaceful" protests, and, with the current conflicts taking place in Gaza, Iraq and Syria, I am shit scared that the summit will be targeted by militants of one persuasion or another, and I and my family and neighbours will be directly in the firing line.

So, if you are not local to me, have you heard about this summit?

Yes, it's been on the National News: BBC.
It was the same when they came to Weston Park.

Woooooh hang on, i just spotted your name emsiewill!! Is your dp an artist?

Beyond ha ha! No, he's certainly not an artist. He's a cinema manager...and on that topic Sexton , as far as we have been told, the cinema at Spytty is staying put.

I read on a news article that the gates at the end of Bute park are to be shut but I don't know when sorry , maybe try getting hold of the council ?
There are alternative routes but many roads are affected by diverted traffic .

m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-28992110

Cardiff was fine this morning - I didn't venture anywhere near the castle though

These been a high police presence since late afternoon in our area ( quite close to town centre) 2 army helicopters flew over our house not long ago .
I hadn't been worried at all but now starting to feel a bit uneasy about it !

Well I went to Cwmbran instead of Spytty retail park shopping this morning. Does that count?? ??

Ooh the fly by will be good! We saw the Red Arrows this afternoon - our ds's loved it!

I went to Cardiff and back no problems

Seven helicopters flew over my house about 4pm - I thought the SAS must be up to something, then remembered the summit. Was there a demo in Newport this afternoon?

Yes, a protest march.

There was a march in Newport this afternoon, between about 1 & 4. I've read reports that there were either 400 people, 600 people or 1,000 people. I was away for the afternoon & anyway am rubbish at estimating numbers of people so wouldn't have been able to work out how many there were even if I'd seen them.

No trouble reported though, which is good. Not sure whether there will be more people by next Thursday's march...

Went through the Coldra 3 times today & there are LOADS of police there & down Chepstow Rd- all in pairs, all looking bored. Also drove back into Newport from the Newbridge on Usk down very rural roads (albeit fairly close to Celtic Manor land) & we saw 6 police cars - all dog handlers. Looked like they were checking barns & outbuildings. Bet that's more police round there than over the whole of the last 10 years...

The flypast on Friday will be going directly over my house & that should be quite exciting.

We're on the east side of Cardiff. Our area has been swarming with police for the past few days, the police helicopter has been doing loops non stop during the week, and today we were out at St. Athan, and the Vale Council were busy litterpicking all the roads round the airport. I have never seen so many Council workmen cleaning in all my life. Dread to think what the overtime budget must be.

I live and work in Newport, so know about the summit. I don't feel worried really. I'm more worried about the snobbery on this thread. Newport has suffered from a dying town centre like many other similar sized towns across the country. The people, however, are kind and welcoming, and that's what matters.

My money is on mount pleasant being the school obama visits. For a start, theyre one of the few who are still in on thursday, and apparently its been hinted to the parents to make sure uniforms are perfect etc... (This was before it was in the news that he was visiting a school)

They've even got armed police on McArthur Glen in Bridgend this week too!
I heard yesterday that Air Force One is landing in St Athan.

I dont even know if my DC are in school.

I think I saw Mount Pleasant mentioned somewhere else as well - probably on the Argus website. I really hope he does go to a Newport school, and not one in Cardiff.

Did you know the police have special "souvenir" baseball caps for the summit - Dd works in the McDonalds at the Coldra & there were loads of them in there over the weekend. One of her colleagues was trying to persuade a policeman to swap his cap for a McDonalds one, but he wasn't having any of it apparently.

I had a big black helicopter fly above my head as I was walking to my car near the Heath today. Thought it was the emergency hospital helicopter but it wasn't. Looked like something from a movie.

I'm still hoping to fly from Cardiff airport on Thursday afternoon. Have now taken Thursday afternoon off to set off extra early.

I live in Cardiff near the city centre and right in the Bay. It's a nightmare in some ways. Businesses in town that aren't even in the "ring of steel", DH's included, have decided they're closing Thursday and Friday and employees who don't have remote access to work from home are expected to just take annual leave.

Looking

You must quite close to me!

Don't plan to do an awful lot on Thursday or Friday, seems easier to stay home.

Amazing photos of what's been landing slap bang in the middle of Cardiff today in this article

All NATO related police seem to have pale blue baseball caps with POLICE HEDDLU embroidered in yellow on the front. They look very cheap and out of place!

There was one war ship in Cardiff Bay today - possibly a French one.

I've been told by a policeman friend that Airforce One is too big and heavy to land at St Athan so who knows where that'll be landing tomorrow.

That's what flew over me this afternoon

This is the best that I have been able to find about the agenda!