In Ringland, Newport, the beacon was lit tonight at the aptly-named Queen Elizabeth II Playing Field, overlooking the Severn Estuary.

A fine evening played host to folk music, a brass band, a male voice choir and more – all greatly appreciated by the 200 or so residents who had turned out for the special occasion.

Opening the event, leader of Newport City Council Jane Mudd said: “Our beacon will be one of more than 1,500 all over the Commonwealth.

“It’s a truly international event.

“Tonight’s wonderful music is a testament to the talent of this community of which we can all be so proud.”

The beacon was lit at 9.45pm on the dot, to coincide with the international schedule.

The Lord Lieutenant of Gwent did the honours, to cheers from all in attendance.

Other beacons on the other side of the Severn could soon be seen springing up against the night sky.

The celebrations closed with renditions of first the British national anthem and then the Welsh anthem.

The study looked at average noise levels and noise fluctuation as well as outdoor average noise levels at the pupils’ homes, finding that high levels of noise pollution had an impact on pupils’ memory and attentiveness.

In tests every three months, the researchers concluded that exposure to road traffic noise at school – but not at home – was associated with slower development of working memory, complex working memory and attentiveness in the pupils.

The study found this could have an impact on children’s learning, and that environmental noise policies should be put in place to protect schools from the impact of noise pollution.

“Given the expected large number of children exposed to road traffic noise at schools, particularly in urban areas, the application of policies to reduce road traffic noise at schools (outside and inside classrooms) could substantially benefit cognitive development, at least working memory and attention, and future health,” the report says.

Professor Trevor Cox of the Science and Media Centre said: “Road traffic noise is a side effect of modern living.

“The fact it harms health and wellbeing is not talked about often enough. Arguably, the effect of noise on student learning in schools is the worst harm of environmental noise.

“This is because any lack of attainment is detrimental to health and wellbeing for the rest of the students’ lives. Addressing noise is particularly important for equality, because schools in disadvantaged areas are usually on noisier sites.”

Louis, dressed in his potentially vintage outfit, sat in between his older siblings Prince George and Prince Charlotte as they travelled to Horse Guards Parade for the first event of the four-day celebration.

Pictures of William wearing the same style of top show the young prince on the balcony of Buckingham Palace standing in front of his parents in 1985.

The Prince of Wales is holding a young Harry while Diana, Princess of Wales, is smiling.

William was almost three at the time.

On Thursday, four-year-old Louis joined his brother and sister in waving at the crowds from their carriage.

But Poland substitutes Jakub Kaminski and Karol Swiderski struck in the final 18 minutes to turn the game on its head and inflict a first defeat on Wales since their Euro 2020 loss to Denmark last summer.

Captain Gareth Bale was absent from Wales’ matchday squad after arriving from Real Madrid’s Champions League celebrations, with boss Robert Page shuffling his pack ahead of Sunday’s decider in Cardiff.

Bale had become the first British player to win the Champions League on five occasions when Real beat Liverpool on Saturday, and Page refused to risk his talismanic forward for the Nations League opener.

Aaron Ramsey, Ben Davies and Joe Allen were also rested as Ipswich wing-back Wes Burns won his first cap.

Burns was in Wales’ preliminary squad for Euro 2016 before missing out on the tournament in France.

This was Wales’ first fixture in the top tier of the Nations League following their promotion two years ago, but Page’s team selection was understandable given the magnitude of Sunday’s game.

Poland had secured their own World Cup qualification in March, and skipper Robert Lewandowski was the centre of attention following his promise to quit Bayern Munich this summer.

Jan Bednarek and Mateusz Klich were representing the Premier League, but Aston Villa defender Matty Cash missed out through injury.

Wales fielded an unfamiliar back-three of Chris Gunter, Chris Mepham and Rhys Norrington-Davies and they should have fallen behind in the first minute.

But the unmarked Piotr Zielinski sent his header wide of the near post and Mepham soon advanced quickly to block Lewandowski’s powerful shot.

Lewandowski had a clearer sight of goal after 21 minutes when two Wales defenders collided, but Danny Ward reacted well to push his effort around a post.

Dylan Levitt saw an early effort held at the second attempt by Kamil Grabara, and Wales carried a genuine counter-attacking threat through Daniel James and Kieffer Moore.

Their intelligent combination play stretched the Poland defence and Moore was off target following one incisive break.

James failed to take Wales’ best opening after being found superbly by Joe Morrell, the Leeds forward sliding his shot wide of Grabara’s near post.

Poland were also guilty of wastefulness in front of goal as Adam Buksa failed to turn in Tymoteusz Puchacz’s inviting cross.

Wales withdrew James and Moore at the interval with Mark Harris and Rabbi Matondo coming on and Wayne Hennessey replacing Ward.

The move paid off as Wales took a 52nd-minute lead when Williams picked up possession on the edge of the Poland area and arrowed a low shot past Grabara.

The rhythm of the game was interrupted by a raft of substitutions and Poland struggled to respond to falling behind.

But Kaminski was afforded time and space in the Wales penalty area to beat Hennessey from 12 yards.

It got better for Poland five minutes from time after some pinball in the Wales box.

Lewandowski’s shot was diverted into the path of Swiderski, and the substitute bundled the ball home from close range.

Poland: Grabara; Bereszynski, Glik (Zurkowski 60), Bednarek, Puchacz (Zalewski 73); Klich, Krychowiak (Grosicki 81), Goralski (Kaminski 60); Zielinski; Lewandowski, Buksa (Swiderski 73). Subs: Skorupski, Dragowski, Wieteska, Kedziora, Grosicki, Pestka, Szymanski, Piatek.

Wales: Ward (Hennessey 45); Gunter, Mepham, Norrington-Davies; Burns (N. Williams 63), Levitt, Smith, Morell, J.Williams (Thomas 77); Moore (Harris 45), James (Matondo 45). Subs: A. Davies, Denham, Rodon, Wilson, C. Roberts, Ampadu.

Motorway queues stretch for miles

The M4 motorway saw congestion backing up over the Prince of Wales Bridge.

It was also gridlock on many of the roads through Newport as motorists looked for alternative routes.

Traffic was so bad that one commenter suggested a special ‘Ed Sheeran lane’ on the M4 as a solution.

Maybe Cardiff should have an Ed Sheeran lane on the M4 instead of a bus lane…

— John Williams (@TruckerSion) May 29, 2022

Railway issues

The problems weren’t just on the roads. There were also reports of a lack of trains – some of which were subsequently cancelled.

A Transport for Wales spokesperson said: “Tens of thousands of passengers travelled on our services for the Ed Sheeran concerts, as well as other major events taking place on the network this weekend, with no major incidents or safety events reported.

“We would like to thank our passengers for cooperating well with our queuing system and with our teams who managed to keep passengers moving as quickly and as safely through the station as possible.

“We are facing some capacity constraints currently and some of our trains remain out of use due to an incident at Craven Arms at the start of last week.

“We advise customers check before they travel and use our Capacity Checker – an online tool that allows customers to see which trains are likely to have the most space available.”

Some people were left with no alternative than to leave early or face being stranded in Cardiff as trains were cancelled.

Hi I’m in Cardiff for the Ed Sheeran concert – last 2 trains back to Gloucester have been cancelled. Advised by your staff to catch the 9:15 train & there is no alternative. Concert doesn’t finish until 10:30. You have known about this concert since last year. How do I get home?

— Ms Jodie Mc Esq 😷💙 (@glawster_gal) May 28, 2022

Parking problems

The problems didn’t end with getting to the city.

Parking is often difficult for big events and getting out of the car parks presents its own challenges.

Some people were stuck inside the St Davids Shopping Centre car park for hours having not even attended the concert.

As the Principality Stadium does not have its own dedicated car park, parking at shopping centres and similar locations across the city was at a premium – leading to long queues to exit.

This is crazy! Nearly an hour waiting to get out this car park I didn’t even watch #edsheeran #Cardiff pic.twitter.com/Kn2mkIz2Bo

— Scott McGlynn (@ScottyMcGlynn) May 26, 2022

What could be done differently in future?

The problems during the Ed Sheeran gigs were compounded by other events going on and the start of the half term holiday – with many families heading down the M4 on holiday on Friday and Saturday.

However, there are concerns the scenes could be repeated.

Wales’ men’s football team are due to play either Scotland or Ukraine in their World Cup play-off match this weekend (Sunday, June 5), with a game against the former sure to draw fans of both nations to the city in their thousands.

The Stereophonics are also playing the Principality of June 17 and 18.

There is also a WWE event at the stadium on September 3 – the first event of its kind in the UK for 30 years, which is likely to draw crowds from across the country.

The wrestling event has also secured funding from the Welsh government to be staged in the capital.

Cardiff Council acknowledged that the recent concerts had created problems on the transport network in the region.

However, it said the issue of mass events leading to transport issues can be experienced “in any city”.

It noted that other events of a similar scale had not presented anything like the same issues.

Cardiff cabinet member for transport and strategic planning, Cllr Dan De’Ath, said: “The concerts, combined with half-term, clearly created problems on the regional network, plus issues on the rail network meant that replacement coaches had to be used on some services.

“We will continue to work with Welsh Government and UK Government, so that we see increased and better transport links for the region, including rail and Metro.

“Having said that, we mustn’t forget that Cardiff regularly plays host to countless events, without issue.

“When major events take place in any city, journey times will inevitably be longer because of the large number of people travelling, so the advice is always to allow much more time than normal, and to regularly check the travel advice being given.”

Leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies said the issues showed that major infrastructure spending was needed in South Wales.

He Tweeted:

Serious questions must be asked about how three big gigs in Cardiff have ground South Wales to a halt.

This simply isn’t good enough.

We need modern transport infrastructure in Wales.

— Andrew RT Davies (@AndrewRTDavies) May 28, 2022

Looking ahead to future events, the best bet for potential Wales fans or those with Stereophonics tickets is probably to ensure you get the Cardiff with plenty of time to spare.

The M4 motorway past Newport to Cardiff is difficult to negotiate heading west on a normal weekday, so alternatives – if possible – might be a better option.

Although pricier, staying in the city overnight saves having to contend with the exiting crowds.

Jason Howells, prosecuting, told Newport Crown Court that the defendant’s home on the city’s Corporation Road was raided by the police last October.

They found more than 100 child abuse films and pictures on an iPhone and Apple laptop with Rahman telling them he was “addicted to pornography”.

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Detectives later found that the defendant had shared child abuse images using Facebook.

Abdul-Majid Rahman was first elected to Newport city council in May 2012 before he resigned after his arrest in October 2021

He had falsely claimed in online chats with other paedophiles he had been sexually abused as a boy and that he had sexually assaulted a child.

When he was interviewed by the police Rahman had denied he had any sexual interest in children.

READ MORE: Drug dealer caught with £19k in his bedroom jailed

Rahman, 34, now of Marine Terrace, Porthcawl, admitted distributing 12 category A and one category B indecent images of children.

He also pleaded guilty to possession of 30 category A, five category B and 67 category C indecent images of children.

There were images of both boys and girls.

Mr Howells said the defendant was a man of previous good character with no convictions recorded against him.

It’s clear you have a sexual interest in children

Anu Mohindru QC, representing Rahman, asked the court to give his client full credit for his early guilty pleas.

He added how the defendant had “fully cooperated with the police”.

The court was told Rahman said he had “struggled with his sexuality”.

Mr Mohindru said the defendant told him: “This has now ruined my life, my career is finished and so likely is my marriage.

“I was providing for my family and now I have nothing.

“I do not know what I will do for a job, my options will be very restricted by virtue of the sex offender notification requirements.

“I cannot explain what has happened and why I did it.

“I accept the consequences are entirely my own fault.”

The Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told Rahman: “There was discernible pain and distress suffered by some of the children depicted.

“You had an active involvement in a network or process that facilitated or commissioned the creation or sharing of indecent images of children and there a large number of different victims.

“It is clear you have a sexual interest in children.”

He was jailed for three years and eight months and told he would have to register as a sex offender for life.

When Rahman, who represented the Victoria ward for Labour, stepped down as a Newport city councillor last October he said he’d resigned “due to personal circumstances”.

It hopes to inform decisions about early years and childcare services, exploring how both the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis has impacted the children, the study’s researchers say.

The research, which is the first birth cohort study to be launched since the millennium, will be conducted in partnership with Ipsos, the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and Birkbeck, University of London.

Research director Professor Pasco Fearon said he was “extremely excited” to start meeting families and their children, who are currently nine months’ old.

“More than 75 years ago, the first British birth cohort study, which is housed at UCL, was launched to track the lives of babies born just after the war.

“And now, Children Of The 2020s will provide vital evidence about the early years as families navigate their way out of the Covid-19 pandemic and through the cost-of-living crisis.”

Parents will be asked about their child’s development, their neighbourhood, their family, their mental health and the home learning environment.

They will also be asked about childcare arrangements for their children and preschool education.

Between the surveys, they will be invited to use a smartphone app to log their baby’s language and development, as well as receiving news and tips from the team of experts.

Prof Fearon added: “Our first five years are a crucial developmental period in our lives, every new experience can play a pivotal role in how we fare later on.

“This new study will investigate how children develop and the circumstances and early years services that can make a difference.

“By understanding how these factors impact their development, we can learn how to support them, so they are able to make the best start at school and flourish as they are growing up.”

Children and Families Minister, Will Quince, said: “This is an important study that will provide an insight into the crucial early years of a child’s life and a wealth of evidence about their development and educational outcomes.

“We know the pandemic has created unique challenges for families and I’d like to thank the thousands who will be participating in this study over the next five years.

“We are committed to supporting families, including through a multi-million-pound package to transform services, which will create family hubs in half of all local authorities and provide important advice to parents and carers through the Start-for-Life offer.”

Speaking ahead of a visit to UCL last year focusing on the study, the Duchess of Cambridge said: “Our early childhoods shape our adult lives and knowing more about what impacts this critical time is fundamental to understanding what we as a society can do to improve our future health and happiness.

“The landmark Children Of The 2020s study will illustrate the importance of the first five years and provide insights into the most critical aspects of early childhood, as well as the factors which support or hinder positive lifelong outcomes.”