Nature meets legend in Dory Gallery's stunning new exhibition

Dory Gallery in Llangollen has opened an enchanting new exhibition for the summer entitled Between Moss and Myth.

Its aim is to blur the line between the ancient Welsh landscape and folklore by presenting various interpretations of local myths and legends and of the Dee Valley landscape and how they connect to each other. 

And to achieve this it features eight local artists who capture the quiet magic of forgotten forests, mist-shrouded hills and the stories woven into the earth.

Gallery owner Suzanne Mathieson said: "Because of what is going on in the world at the moment we have deliberately chosen myths that are not about war and fighting and concentrate on the more gentle ones.

"We have clay and illustration, photography and weaving, collage and textiles, wood carving and more.

"We also have poetry and story-telling, a harpist and music and a fascinating talk on the medicinal properties of moss from Zoe, the owner of the new Medicine Garden Shop in Bridge Street.

"All in all it's a cultural and historical experience for our community, with a lot of people giving their time, money and effort to show off our town and heritage. 

"We are coordinating with Llangollen Museum to make sure we are factual and we have retired film production members helping us dress the whole gallery.

"Even though this will be a more condensed version of the exhibition than we had planned I can promise the love and enthusiasm of all involved will shine through and it will be an interesting informative exhibition that will keep our legends alive."

Featured artists are Helen Rossetti, Gill Britten, Jane Evans, John Peacock, Charlie Hathaway, Jan Wallis, Rowynn Ellis and Simon O'Rourke.

* The exhibition at the Dory Gallery in Regent Street is open at weekends throughout July and August and admission to it is free.

* The Mayor of Llangollen, Cllr Damon Richards-Gwilliam, cuts the tape to open the exhibition watched by gallery owner Suzanne Mathieson.

* Above and below: some of the fantastic exhibits on show.

* Opening day guests look around the exhibition.

* A demonstration of traditional spinning.

Pavilion rocks with Bowling for Soup plus Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls

* Bowling for Soup headlined the night. ALL PICTURES CUFFE & TAYLOR

Llangollen was rocking last night as Texan pop-punk legends Bowling For Soup joined forces with folk-punk favourite Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls for a huge co-headline show, bringing their Bowl My Bones Tour to TK Maxx presents Live at Llangollen Pavilion. 

Thousands of fans filled the iconic venue for an evening packed with pop-punk, folk and alternative rock, complete with massive singalongs, plenty of laughs and a setlist full of crowd favourites.

 

American Hi-Fi got the night underway, warming up the crowd with an energetic opening set before handing over to Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls. 

Making his first appearance in Llangollen, Turner had the audience singing along from the outset with favourites including I Still Believe, Photosynthesis, 1933, Recovery and a rousing finale of Four Simple Words.

 

Taking a moment to soak it all in, Turner told the crowd: “This is my first show in Llangollen. That means I’ve played 3,162 warm-up shows just for this gig. You guys rule!”

 

Bowling For Soup closed out the night with a hit-filled set, opening with Almost before tearing through fan favourites High School Never Ends, Ohio (Come Back to Texas) and Today Is Gonna Be A Great Day — also known as the theme song to Disney's Phineas and Ferb.

 

Speaking backstage ahead of the show, frontman Jaret Reddick said: “It’s so great to be here in Llangollen, and my goodness, what an amazing venue, what an amazing crowd and what an amazing night. We’re really glad to be here.”

 

One of the standout moments of the night came during a venue-wide singalong to Stacy's Mom, with American Hi-Fi frontman Stacy Jones joining Bowling For Soup on drums. The band rounded off the night with Girl All The Bad Guys Want and 1985.

 

TK Maxx presents Live at Llangollen Pavilion 2026 continues tonight with a headline show from Deacon Blue, with support from Lightning Seeds.

* Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls take the stage.  

* American Hi-Fi in action.

* Above and below: Fans have fun on the big night.

Local inspector's assurance about policing this busy weekend

* The picture with Inspector Dunn's Friday evening Facebook post.

The police boss in charge of Llangollen has pledged that on this busy weekend he and his officers will be "keeping people safe and ready to respond if you need us".

The promise from Inspector Joseph Dunn, whose patch is Conwy and Denbighshire, comes a couple of weeks after he attended a top-level meeting at which councillors and officials from Llangollen and Llantysilio voiced their discontent with the way North Wales Police were handling anti-social behaviour in their areas.

At the meeting Ins Dunn assured senior officers were keen to work with partners to improve the way Llangollen is policed. 

This evening (Friday) he took to social media to give further assurances that "plenty of us" would out on the streets on the lookout for potential trouble.

And accompanying his post is a picture of an police officer on patrol near Llangollen bridge.

In it he says: "It’s set to be one of the busiest weekends of the summer across Conwy and Denbighshire.

"With Deacon Blue taking to the stage in Llangollen, the Top of Town Festival in Ruthin and the UEFA Under-19 Championship quarter-final between Spain and Germany in Denbigh, thousands of people will be out and about enjoying everything our area has to offer ...

"Before the weekend gets underway, here's a snapshot of what June looked like for your local policing teams.

"80 arrests. 53 offenders charged, cautioned or dealt with through diversion, with more investigations ongoing.

"Those outcomes relate to offences including burglary, theft, vehicle theft, drug possession and supply, sexual offences, public disorder, arson and criminal damage.

"But those numbers only tell part of the story.

"Every day and night our officers are also supporting victims, finding missing people, safeguarding vulnerable people and helping those in crisis—work that rarely makes the headlines, but is every bit as important.

"This weekend you'll see plenty of us out on foot, on bikes and in patrol cars, supporting these fantastic events, keeping people safe and ready to respond if you need us.

"If you see one of the team, please come and say hello. We always value hearing what's important to you, and those conversations help shape how we police our communities.

"Whether you're heading to one of the events or simply making the most of the sunshine closer to home, I hope you have a fantastic weekend."

Vintage Dakota flypast organised for Eisteddfod's last day

 

* The Dakota flypast will pass over the front of the Pavilion on Sunday July 12.

Llangollen-based RAF Padre Rebekah Cannon (RAF) has organised a flypast by a vintage Dakota aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight for the Eisteddfod next week.

She has also asked for organisers to plot a course over the RAFA Club bowling green on route.

The flypast is confirmed for 12:50 on Sunday July 12.

The aircraft will do three passes - fly overhead, do a clockwise circuit and pass back over twice.

Padre Cannon said: "The pilot will fly directly over the RAFA club bowling green and then the large grass area in front of the Pavilion. 

"It’s weather and serviceability dependent."

Dinas Bran pupils look behind the scenes at County Hall

Pupils from Ysgol Dinas Bran in Llangollen had the chance to visit County Hall in Ruthin during a recent secondary school council forum.

Along with young people from other schools across Denbighshire, they had the chance to have a look around the council chamber and put questions to Councillor Bobby Feeley, County Council Chair, Councillor Diane King, Lead Member for Children, Communities and Families, and also Rocio Cifuentes, Children’s Commissioner for Wales, who was there on a visit.

The pupils also shared the important work they have been doing over the year.

* The secondary school council forum.

Councillor Diane King, Lead Member for Education, Children and Families said: “It is vitally important that young people engage with and understand local democracy and how it functions.

"I’d like to thank all of the pupils who attended and helped make this event successful once again this year.”

Rocio Cifuentes, Children’s Commissioner for Wales said: “It’s been great to see pupils from so many schools come together to share the work they’ve been doing and learn more about how decisions are made locally.

"Opportunities like this help connect what happens in schools with the wider community, and give young people the confidence to speak up and take part.

"These forums show just how important it is to create space for young people to be listened to and taken seriously.”

Healing Prayer drop-in at Penllyn Chapel tomorrow

 

Ground-breaking Pavilion show from Super Furry Animals

* Super Furry Animals headlining at the Pavilion. ALL PICTURES CUFFE & TAYLOR.

Welsh music legends Super Furry Animals made history at TK Maxx presents Live At Llangollen Pavilion last night (Thursday) by performing their ground-breaking Welsh-language album Mwng in full for the very first time. 

The iconic band captivated thousands of fans with a unique and unforgettable show. 

The first half saw the stage transformed into a striking black-and-white world as Super Furry Animals performed the acclaimed album from start to finish, including fan favourites Ymaelodi Â'r Ymylon, Y Teimlad, Sarn Halen and Gwreiddiau Dwfn / Mawrth Oer Ar Y Blaned Neifion.

 

After the landmark performance the stage burst into colour as the band launched into a celebratory set spanning their remarkable career. 

Fans were treated to classics including Hello Sunshine, Northern Lites, Demons, God! Show Me Magic and Mountain People. 

The evening culminated with the return of the band's iconic yeti costumes during a triumphant rendition of The Man Don't Give A F***, as thousands of fans sang along, a fitting finale for a historic night.

 

Joining Super Furry Animals on the night were fellow Welsh favourites Panic Shack and Melin Melyn, completing a celebration of Welsh music at one of the country's most distinctive and historic live music venues.

 

* TK Maxx presents Live at Llangollen Pavilion 2026 continues tonight (Friday) with a headline show from Bowling For Soup and Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls.

* Supporting band Melin Melyn.

* Panic Shack on stage.

* Above and below: fans loving last night's concert.