Another car sent to Ukraine with love from Llangollen

* Driver Kyle, left, hands over the vehicle to Ukrainian volunteer Maxim whose face is obscured for security reasons.

Money raised at charity evening in support of Ukraine early last month has paid for another vehicle to be sent to the the battle front out there.

On February 6 Anna’s Bakery hosted the special event at St Collen's Community Hall. 

And, thanks to the generosity of everyone who went along, members of Penllyn Chapel were able to purchase another car to help the Ukrainian cause. 

Fundraising by the church has already helped send a number of off-road vehicles to the country.

The latest car, with driver Kyle at the wheel along with Danny Fairbourne of the Ukraine Mission, set out across Europe on March 5 and arrived safely in the Ukraine five days later, where it was handed over to volunteer Maxim.

Anna, of Anna's Bakery, said: "This wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing support and generosity of everyone who attended. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you."

#CharityForUkraine #AnnaBakery 

New rail and walking tour to showcase Corwen history

* Louise Scotcher will leading walks up Pen Y Pigyn to get the best views of Corwen.

A new visitor experience combining a scenic heritage railway journey with a guided town walk is set to launch in the Dee Valley this spring, as Llangollen and Corwen Railway partners with Dee Valley Tours to introduce “Tren a Thref: The Corwen Heritage Adventure.”

 

The new experience will allow visitors to travel by heritage train from Llangollen to Corwen before joining a guided walking tour exploring the rich history, landscapes, and legends of one of North Wales’ most historic market towns.

 

The first tours will take place at the start of the Easter Holidays on Wednesday April 1 and Wednesday April 8.

 

Passengers will depart Llangollen Railway Station at 10am, enjoying a scenic journey through the Dee Valley before arriving in Corwen at 10.41am. After time to explore the town and join the guided experience, the return train departs Corwen at 1.45pm, arriving back in Llangollen at 2.20pm.

* Louise briefing one of her tour groups.

 

The guided tour will be led by Louise Scotcher from Dee Valley Tours, taking visitors on a journey through Corwen’s fascinating past. The tour explores everything from the Iron Age hill fort at Caer Drewyn and Roman influences on the medieval church, the rise of Owain Glyndŵr, and Corwen’s role as an important coaching town in later centuries.

 

Visitors will also have the option of joining a short walk up to Pen y Pigyn, a stunning viewpoint overlooking Corwen, the Dee Valley and the Clwydian Range. The walk offers dramatic scenery and local legends, including stories of the giant Drewyn and tales associated with Owain Glyndŵr himself.

 

For those who prefer a more relaxed pace, there will also be time to explore Corwen’s cafés, and local shops before returning to the station for the heritage train journey back to Llangollen.

 

Louise Scotcher from Dee Valley Tours said: “This tour is a wonderful way to bring Corwen’s history to life. The town has such a rich and fascinating story, from ancient hill forts and medieval legends to its role in Welsh history. Combining a heritage railway journey with a guided town walk allows visitors to experience the Dee Valley in a completely different way.”

 

The railway says the partnership highlights its growing role in promoting the wider heritage and tourism offer of the Dee Valley including the magic of Corwen.

 

Wayne Ronneback, Station Master at Corwen Railway Station, said: “We are really pleased to be working with Louise and Dee Valley Tours to promote and celebrate just some of the brilliant things about Corwen. The railway has brought trains back to the town, and this tour allows visitors to step off the train and immediately discover the rich history and stories that make Corwen such a special place.

 

“This really is a walking tour with a difference. Visitors will travel through the Dee Valley by heritage train, explore the town with a knowledgeable local guide and even have the option to climb to one of the best viewpoints in the area. It’s a fantastic way to experience the town, the landscape and the history all in one trip.”

 

Tickets for the new experience are £30 per person, with children’s tickets available for £6. The price includes a day rover ticket on Vintage Rail Car and the walking tour.

 

* Further details and booking information are available via the railway’s website at https://llan.hops.org.uk/tickets/special-events-in-2026/tren-a-thref

Eddie plans 200-mile canal hike in memory of his late wife Sarah

                              

* Sarah Bather: everyone felt better for spending time with her, says her husband. 

* Eddie and his late wife Sarah.

A man whose wife died from cancer at the age of just 46 is planning to walk over 200 miles from his Leeds to his Llangollen hometown along the canal network in her memory.

Eddie Bather also aims also set himself a target of raising £10,000 for Nightingale House Hospice which offered to provide her with care in her final days.

Eddie said: "My wife Sarah was a wonderful wife and a fantastic mother to our four children. She always had a smile on her face and everyone felt better for spending time with her. 

"She had a love for life that was unparalleled and was always planning or doing something, from her love of afternoon tea, theatre, holidays and jigsaws. A lot of people in the area will remember her as she worked at Llangollen doctors."

* The 203-mile canal route to be walked by Eddie, his brother Mike and Sarah's sisters Becky and Beth. 

He added: "Sarah died aged 46 on May 1 last year and the walk that myself, my brother Mike and Sarah's sisters Becky and Beth are undertaking is 203 miles along the canal footpath from Leeds to Llangollen. 

"We choose this route as Sarah was born in Leeds and passed away in Llangollen. The walk will take nine days and we will be walking nearly a marathon each day. It will take place between April 25 and May 3.

"The idea behind this was that when Sarah was ill she used to say getting up and down the stairs was like running a marathon!

"We are aiming to raise £10,000 for Nightingale house hospice. Although Sarah died at home, the hospice were on standby just in case we needed them and the work they carry out is vital for this community."

* To help Eddie reach his fundraising target, go to: Eddie Bather is fundraising for Nightingale House Hospice

MP calls for more help for people facing soaring heating oil prices

Clwyd East MP Becky Gittins (pictured) has written to Chancellor Rachel Reed asking if people using oil to heat their homes as prices rises due to the war in the Middle East can be given more support.

In a social media post on Friday the Labour member says: "Earlier this week I shared concerns about the sharp rise in heating oil prices and the impact this is having on many households across our rural communities.

"Since then, I have written to the Chancellor to see what further support can be given for people who rely on heating oil. The Government is also engaging with the energy industry and has asked the Competition and Markets Authority to urgently look at market practices and pricing in the sector.

"I know how worrying this situation is, particularly as many off-grid homes rely on heating oil to heat both their homes and their water.

"If you are struggling with energy costs, support may be available through schemes such as the Warm Homes Discount or the Welsh Government’s Nest Energy Advice service.

"If you would like to discuss this further or need help accessing support, please get in touch with my office at becky.gittins.mp@parliament.uk

Breaking: Horseshoe Pass closed by road traffic collision

Update on North Wales Live just before 3pm ...

The A542 Horseshoe Pass has been closed in both directions after a crash.

Police said the incident was on the pass near Llangollen.

They asked drivers to "avoid the area".

They later added that the crash involved a single vehicle that had hit a house. The Wales Air Ambulance has attended.

And from Leader Live this afternoon....

North Wales Police spokesperson said: "We were called at 10.50 today (Friday) to reports of a single vehicle road traffic collision on the Horseshoe Pass, near Llangollen.

"A car has left the road and struck a residential property."

North Wales Police posted on its Facebook page just before 11.45am today (Friday) that the A542 Horseshoe Pass in Llangollen is currently closed due to an RTC.

Police says: "Please avoid the area and consider alternative routes."

Special storybook celebrates work to help rare bird

* The official launch of the book at Ysgol Gymraeg Y Gwernant.

A special book which is helping preserve a tale of important farming support for an under-threat bird has had its official launch in Llangollen.

For the past two years, the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape has been part of “Curlew Connections Wales,” a Curlew Recovery Wales partnership project working alongside Bannau Brycheiniog and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT).

The initiative formed part of the wider Gylfinir Cymru programme, an all-Wales partnership dedicated to supporting breeding Curlew populations across the country, including in Denbighshire.

Funding from the Welsh Government through the Heritage Lottery Fund is coming to a close for the project but the National Landscapes team will carry on working to protect the rare bird in their area.

Since running the programme has helped strengthen conditions needed for curlew recovery by improving habitat management, enhancing monitoring and data collection, increasing local capacity for ecological action and building strong, trust-based relationships with farmers.

To mark the huge community support given to the project, project staff worked with author Peter Evans to provide a timeless capture of the work and dedication seen to give hope to the curlew.

A book called Sali and the Call of the Curlew has been published which charts the seasonal journey of the curlew on farmland from the perspective of a little girl called Sali and her farmer Taid. Sali follows Pegi the curlew, who returns each Spring to the farm and both their journeys to the next breeding season.

* Author Peter Evans reads from the book at the launch.

Local Curlew and People Officer Sam Kenyon created the background to the story from her experiences and author and volunteer to the project Peter Evans brought her thoughts to life with help from pupils at Ysgol Caer Drewyn,Ysgol y Waun and Ysgol Bro Dyfrdwy, alongside Llangollen storyteller Fiona Collins.

The book shows the plight of the curlew but with her Taid’s help, Sali finds out how small changes can make a big difference, and the pair set out to try to make sure more chicks survive the breeding season on the farm.

Primary school children from Ysgol Bro Elwern and Ysgol Betws Gwerful Goch also helped bring the storybook to life by colouring the illustrations created from collaged paper by talented Community Engagement Officer Jillian Howe.

The book is also designed to be accessible for those with Dyslexia thanks to the font used to tell the tale.

Receiving an official launch at Llangollen primary school Ysgol Gymraeg Y Gwernant with the support of Denbighshire County Council Chairman Cllr Arwel Roberts, English and Welsh copies will be made available to Denbighshire libraries and schools that have helped support the project over the last two years.

Local Curlew and People Officer Sam Kenyon, who has led the project for the past two seasons, explained the book is a celebration of the hard work from everyone who gave a supporting hand to helping the curlews and engaged with the wider programme over the two years.

“We wanted to do something special to celebrate the end of the project, especially following the amazing support we have had from the farmers, volunteers, schoolchildren and others who have played their part to give this bird a chance in our area. I’m so proud of the support that the farming community gave to our work, and I hope this tale highlights the commitment many can and do give to help the curlew.

“For 2025, thanks to everyone’s combined efforts six chicks made it to fledging which was a boost to the local curlew population. It’s fitting we can celebrate the efforts by all the communities involved by leaving this book for the younger community members to read and learn how they and our rural communities can make a difference for the curlew.

“It’s humbling how everyone has come together to help the project, and I want to thank Peter and the school pupils for marking what a real positive journey this has been. But rest assured, the National Landscape won’t stop in the efforts needed to look after this amazing, rare bird and work will carry on as we move into the future to provide help to the iconic curlew.”