Get in touch ...

Know of something happening in
Llangollen?
Tweet
us on
@llanblogger

E-mail your contributions to: llanblogger@gmail.com

We are on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/llanbloggercouk/139122552895186



Saturday, February 15, 2025

Call goes out to Llangollen Round volunteers


                    * Entrants on a previous Llangollen Round Challenge.

Organisers have sent out a message to volunteer helpers about the 5th Llangollen Round Challenge which is scheduled for the weekend of May 31/June 1 this year.  

They say: "We're afraid we don't have the contact details for everyone who helped with the last event, but if that was you, and you are interested in helping again this time, please get in touch with Judy on 07905 330788 or email smithdinbren@gmail.com .

"Entries are going well.  We've stretched a point with those, but even with that stretch we are more than 3/4 full already. So, if you've still to get your entry in, don't hang about too long.  And we look forward to seeing you."


Friday, February 14, 2025

Three good causes benefit from Christmas Festival proceeds


* Christmas Festival secretary John Palmer hands over the £500 cheque to Silver Band conductor Mia Thomas watched by fellow committee members Angela Williams (left) and Jane Williams during band practice night.




* John Palmer, Angela Williams and Jane Williams present the cheque for £1,500 to Wales Air Ambulance regional fundraising manager Debra Sima (centre).

Members of the committee which runs the annual Llangollen Christmas Fair have been out and about distributing the proceeds from last year's highly successful event.

Main recipient was Wales Air Ambulance for which the festival has been raising funds for many years.

Their share of the 2024 proceeds was £1,500 which was handed to their regional fundraiser Debra Sima at their Welsh pool Airport base.

Another good cause to benefit was Llangollen Food Share whose manager Stephanie Mitchell accepted a giant cheque for £1,000 at its base near the Market Street car park.

Another £500 has gone to Llangollen Silver Band whose conductor Mia Thomas received a cheque for £500 during the senior band's practice night in their Parade Street headquarters.

Festival committee chairman Austin "Chem" Cheminais said: "It was an absolute pleasure to be able to support these three local causes which each do so much in their own special ways to benefit the Llangollen community."      


* Food Share manager Stephanie Mitchell receives the £1,000 cheque from John Palmer.

Thursday, February 13, 2025

Three science labs updated at Ysgol Dinas Bran


* One of the facelifted labs at Ysgol Dinas Bran.

Three science laboratories at Ysgol Dinas Brân in Llangollen have been updated as part of a half million pound investment in two Denbighshire schools.

Welsh Government grant funding has been used to fully refurbish the the labs in Llangollen and another two at Denbigh High School.

The projects included a full strip-out of the existing facilities, followed by the installation of new heating, electrical and gas services, together with new ventilation and the installation of new energy efficient lighting and redecoration throughout.

 

Also included was the installation of purpose made specialist laboratory furniture, along with new fume cupboards.

 

Councillor Diane King, Lead Member for Education, Children and Families said: “It is wonderful to see this funding being used to improve the facilities in our schools.

 

"These new facilities will help students learn more efficiently, with newer, more modern equipment at their disposal.

 

"We are committed to providing learning environments in which all of our students have the ability to realise their full potential.”

 

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Tidy Town Team help bring museum's collection back home

 

* The Tidy Town Team  help carry the museum's collection back out of temporary storage.

Members of Llangollen Tidy Town Team were out in force the other day to do some of the heavy lifting when the town's museum moved its collection back into the building following its recent roof replacement.

Just as they did in January 2023 before the work began and they helped temporarily move the entire stock just across the road to the old courthouse, they were back again last Friday to lend a big helping hand in bringing it all back again.

In a Facebook post, the museum said: "We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Llangollen Tidy Town Team for all of their help last Friday.

"Not only did they help us move all of our collection back into the museum, from temporary storage across the road, but also helped to move and reassemble cabinets and other items within the museum.

"Many thanks Tidy Town Team - we honestly could not have done it all without you!"


* llanblogger's picture of the team moving the museum contents into storage across the road in January 2023.

Llangollen people encouraged to join 'Fix It Feb' campaign

 

* A volunteer repairer at work in the Llangollen Repair Cafe.

Llangollen Repair Cafe is inviting local people to take part in  Fix It Feb, a Repair Café Wales campaign encouraging people to repair rather than replace their faulty items.

They are being asked to pledge to fix at least one broken item - saving money, reducing waste, and supporting sustainability locally. 

Pledges could include sewing on a button, patching clothes, or restoring a beloved item. 


 

If you don’t feel like your repair skills are up to it, not to worry. Go along to Llangollen repair café this Saturday February 15 at St Collen's Community Hall, between 11am and 2pm, and the friendly volunteers there will either show you how to fix your item, or repair it for you. 

 

The repairs completed at Llangollen repair café will contribute to Repair Cafe Wales’ aim to fix 1,000 items across the county in February, which they say is a carbon reduction saving equivalent to driving a car over 360,000 miles. 

 

Repair café events take place in villages, towns and cities across Wales every month. Experienced fixing volunteers, equipped with tools and skills, repair items including small household electricals, clothing/textiles, mobile phones and laptops, bicycles (some dates) and small items of furniture.

 

Everyone is welcome to bring their item along to Llangollen repair café on this Saturday, with no need to book. 

 

Since Repair Cafe Wales launched, the initiative has helped local communities save an impressive £1 million and has fixed over 21,000 items. 

 

The Fix it Feb campaign aims to further that impact by empowering even more people to fix items, reducing the need for new goods, helping to conserve resources, reducing the carbon footprints and saving local people money.

 

"Repairing things can be simple, accessible, and rewarding," says Phoebe, Director of Repair Cafe Wales.


"Not only does it save money and reduce waste, but it’s a great way for the local community to get together to share skills and ideas. With Fix It Feb we're showing Wales how small actions can make a big difference for the environment and our communities."

 

* You can pledge your support for Fix It Feb by visiting Repair Cafe Wales' website at https://repaircafewales.org/. Whether it's repairing a household appliance, mending a cherished sweater, or restoring a favourite toy, every repair effort contributes to a greener future.  

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Age Cymru's winter newsletter is out now

Age Cymru has published the 2024/25 Winter edition of its bi-lingual quarterly newsletter Age Matters.

The edition looks at how you can protect yourself from winter viruses by using some simple measures and an update is provided on the charity's campaign on the changes to the winter fuel payment system.

There’s a feature on Age Cymru's online photography collection portraying realistic images of older people that has received more than a million views, and the edition has a report on the launch of its groundbreaking toolkit for care home residents.



New Mazda SUV is big bold and beautiful



Mazda CX-80 launch drive by Steve Rogers

Big, bold and beautiful sums up Mazda’s newest member of its SUV family.

Yes, it looks like a stretched CX-60, which it is sort of, but there is a lot more to it than just a longer wheelbase. Take a gander at the rear doors and you should spot the difference - they are enormous, and for good reason because the reason for the extra length is to fit in a couple of extra seats.

This is the seven seat CX-80, or six if you prefer, but I will get to that later. Mazda has thought this through and come up with a cunning plan. Getting to the third row, and getting out for that matter, is often a case of contorting legs and arms and that is where the extra wide doors make things that bit easier, along with a button that slides the middle row seat forward creating a big enough gap to get to the back seat.

Will it take a six footer? Yes, although not as easy as someone my height, 5ft 8in and a smidge. I had no trouble and could happily sit in the back row for a longish journey although realistically the third row is better suited for toddlers and teens.

Which brings us onto the six seat option. This is a nice set up with four ‘captain’s’ chairs so you can walk through the middle to get to the back seats. Possibly a bit extravagant but a good option to have although the seven seat configuration is going to be the main seller.

Much of what you see inside CX-80 is a mirror image of CX-60 which is no bad thing because it is sensibly laid out and wrapped in high quality materials supporting Mazda’s claim to be worthy members of the premium club.

There is no shortage of tech with a touchscreen that is controlled on the move by a rotary knob positioned between the front seats. I have always favoured this method where menus are easily selected, in fact this setup should be the template for the industry, it is that simple to use. Heating controls are neatly set out with clearly marked buttons.

There are five trim levels with a starting price of £49,670 for the petrol Exclusive, the diesel carries a £2,535 premium and will not make much sense for the fleet buyer because its higher emissions push up the tax bill by quite a way compared to the petrol. The level of equipment is excellent even for the Exclusive that also gets almost all the extensive list of safety features.

Engine mix is aka CX-60 with a petrol 2.5 litre plug-in hybrid and 3.3 litre diesel hybrid. Most will opt for the petrol with its 38 miles of electric driving, but my preference is the diesel even though it is a second behind the petrol in a sprint to sixty.

The handling is good for such a big SUV, it is 25cm longer than CX-60, especially behind the wheel of the diesel which does not have to carry the extra weight of the batteries and is pretty good fun on twisting roads with a good mix of comfort and tautness which has always been the Mazda way,

The suspension has been retuned to compensate for the extra length and the rear anti roll bar removed to improve cornering stability which is a new one on me.

All models are four wheel drive with the option to switch from normal to sport, off road, or towing modes. Both petrol and diesel have a terrific 2500kg towing capacity and a trailer hitch view camera, a first for a Mazda SUV.

The new model is not going to be a big seller and there is no pressing need to upgrade from CX-60 unless you need seven seats, although some people might like the enormous boot with all the back seats folded; you could easily sleep in this space. But for a big family the Mazda needs to be on a very short shortlist.

Fast facts

CX-80 Homura Plus PHEV

£55,470

2,5 litre petrol; 321bhp

8-speed auto

0-62mph 6.8secs; 121mph

176.6mpg

EV range 38 miles

36g/km. 1st VED £10

Boot: 1971/687/258 litres

Insurance group 39