Global search begins for new international singing star

* Baritone Emyr Lloyd Jones is presented with his prize for winning the Pendine International Voice of the Future competition by Mario Kreft MBE, proprietor of Pendine Park.

A global search has been launched to find a new international singing star.

The prestigious Pendine International Voice of the Future competition will be one of the main highlights of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod which gets underway on Tuesday, July 4.

It will be the first full length festival since the pandemic struck, with international competitors once again returning to the picturesque town in the Dee Valley where Wales meets the world.

The aim of the Pendine International Voice of the Future competition which started in 2013 is to advance the careers of the world’s most gifted young singers.

Applications to take part are now being accepted with a £3,000 cash prize for the winner as well as exciting career development opportunities, while the runner up will receive a cheque for £1,000.

Last year's winner, baritone Emyr Lloyd Jones from Bontnewydd near Caernarfon, Gwynedd put in a stirring performance to take the title and was dubbed the new Bryn Terfel.

He was presented with the Pendine Trophy – a solid silver salver - and the £3,000 prize by Mario Kreft MBE, proprietor of the arts-loving care organisation, Pendine Park, who sponsor the competition.

Once again the prize this year will come from the Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT) which supports cultural and community initiatives across Wales.

The festival’s executive producer, Camilla King, was excited by the changes being introduced to the competition for 2023. 

She said: "Last year, we celebrated our 75^th anniversary, and for the first time staged the final of the Pendine International Voice of the Future on our closing Saturday night, alongside the prestigious Choir of the World competition, broadcast live on S4C, and it proved to be a roof-raising climax to the Eisteddfod.

“Twenty competitors made it through to the live competition, with six in the semi-finals and two artists competing for the winner’s title. This year, we’ve added a third spot to the final stage.

“We’re also introducing an International Accompanists prize, in recognition of outstanding achievement by a young pianist. So many of our talented young singers form a creative partnership with their accompanists who are of a similar age and we wish to recognise their ability.”

She added aspiring young singers should be aged between 20 and 32 on July 5, 2023 and prepare a contrasting programme of music from oratorio, opera, lieder or song.

The International Accompanist competition carries a prize of £1,000 and eligible accompanists will be aged 28 or under on July 5, 2023.

The competition winners also enjoy the opportunity to perform at future Eisteddfod concerts and with other Welsh arts organisations, and will receive a working session with one of the UK’s leading opera companies.

Pendine Park proprietor Mario Kreft MBE said: "My wife, Gill, and I are delighted to be sponsoring the Pendine International Voice of the Future competition once again via PACT.

“The Pendine Trophy, which is solid Edwardian silver bearing a Chester hallmark, was kindly donated by the late Tony Kaye of Kaye’s Jewellers. It’s a stunning and beautiful trophy.

“Our aim in supporting the competition is to provide a springboard for brilliant young singers from around the world to achieve their dreams of establishing a career on the global stage.

“The competition chimes perfectly with our ethos at Pendine Park because the arts in general and music in particular provide the golden thread running through everything we do to enrich the lives of our residents and staff alike.

“Last year a star was born when we were enthralled by the emerging talent of Emyr Lloyd Jones whose bravura performance was rightly likened to that of a young Bryn Terfel.

“I am sure that this year’s competition will also be a memorable musical treat.”

Looking forward to this year's Eisteddfod, which runs until July 9, Camilla King said: "Audiences can expect six days of entertainment, with a new improved Eisteddfod Maes, the annual Parade back, bigger and better than ever, and some exciting changes for the closing Sunday, in the form of new competitions.

“Music, dance, culture, has the power to help us understand the world around us, and to lift our spirits, bringing people together in the joy of performance. This is what Llangollen was founded for, and what we strive to continue to do, 76 years later.”

* Applications for the International Voice of the Year competition closes on March 24.  Further details online at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

Local health board put into special measures

 

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Health Minister Eluned Morgan has announced that Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board will be put into special measures because of serious concerns about performance, leadership and culture.

The Chair, Vice Chair and independent members of the Board have agreed they will step aside.  New independent members will be appointed to the Board to lead the organisation as it continues to rebuild its services following the pandemic. Health and Social Services Minister Eluned Morgan said: “I have serious concerns around the performance of the health board and I have not seen the improvement in services I expect for the people of north Wales.  I have therefore decided to take action to rectify this.   “I have informed the Board that I am putting the organisation back into Special Measures with immediate effect. This significant decision is made in line with the escalation framework. It reflects serious concerns about the performance of the organisation, about its governance, and issues with leadership and culture that are holding back progress. “I recognise that the health board has had significant challenges for a number of years and has worked hard to overcome these challenges. But now is the time for new leadership to deliver the improvements that are needed.” A number of direct appointments to the Board have been made by the Minister to ensure stability. The non-executive team will be led by Dyfed Edwards as the new Chair of the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board, a former leader of Gwynedd Council and the deputy chair of the Welsh Revenue Authority. The new Chair will focus on renewing the leadership and culture of  the Health Board which will support its workforce to provide safe and effective services for the people of north Wales. Dyfed will be supported by Gareth Williams, Karen Balmer and Rhian Watcyn Jones as interim independent members of the Board. Further direct appointments will follow in the next few weeks. A campaign to recruit new independent members to the Board who will take the organisation forward beyond this initial period of stabilisation will commence later this year.    Key to developing and building a sustainable organisation will be the appointment of the substantive chief executive. The recruitment process for this post is about to start. The health board will also be supported by an intervention and support team. Eluned Morgan added: “Every day thousands of people are receiving good care from the NHS in north Wales but there is a large degree of inconsistency in safety, performance and quality across the region, addressing this inconsistency will be the focus of the new board. Whilst special measures will apply to the organisation, I wish to reassure both patients and communities served by the Health Board, as well as the staff working for it, that day to day services and activities will continue, with an increased focus on quality and safety.” * Gill Harris, Interim Chief Executive of Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board, sent out this message to patents this afternoon: "Following the publication of the Audit Wales report on Board effectiveness last week and in light of the significant challenges we continue to face, the Health Minister has today announced that the Health Board will be escalated into Special Measures. "While this is extremely disappointing, I acknowledge that more needs to be done at a greater pace to regain the confidence of our staff and our communities.  "The increased level of intervention and support that special measures provides will involve working more closely with Welsh Government and the development of an improvement plan with key milestones. "The arrangements will also involve the creation of a Health Board turnaround team during the coming weeks. Alongside this, our Chair Mark Polin, Vice Chair Lucy Reid and independent Board members have stepped down. The Health Minister will now appoint a new Chair and a number of new independent members to work alongside our Executive Team."

Call goes out for help with running Christmas Festival

* John Palmer and Austin Cheminais of the Christmas Festival team hand over a £1,000 cheque to the ladies of Llangollen Food Share.

The team which organises Llangollen's annual Christmas Festival would like to hear from anyone interested in helping out with this year's event.

According to their chair, Austin 'Chem' Cheminais, the 2022 festival was the best yet, thanks to the support they had from the community and generous donations from anonymous donors.

He said: "The hardworking team who put the event together have already had their first meeting of the year to start planning this year’s festival, which will take place on Saturday November 25.

"We hope to make it even bigger this year. 

"If you would like to get involved in helping to organise the event or are able to support us financially please contact me by emailing chemshouts@gmail.com."

Representatives of the festival Group recently shared the proceeds of the Christmas Raffle that runs alongside the festival, which sold 3,000 tickets last year.

This enabled them to donate £1,000 to Wales Air Ambulance and £1,000 to Llangollen Food Share. The remaining £1,000 will help fund this year’s festival.

Chem added: "Our thanks go to all the local businesses in and around Llangollen who donated prizes for the raffle, which included a light aircraft flight from the Air Ambulance base at Welshpool Airport.

"Thanks also go the businesses and shops around Llangollen, the groups and individuals who joined the parade, our local schools, the groups that performed for us on the day and to Sunbelt Rentals who provided the traffic management without charge."

St David's Day to be celebrated with town hall market

 

On Saturday March 4 the Inner Wheel Club of Llangollen in collaboration with Tenovus and the Town Hall are holding a fair to celebrate St David's Day. 

Running from 10.30am until 2pm and with free admission, it features a range of stalls selling everything from prints and cards to cakes.

There will also be face painting, a raffle and tombola plus music.

All proceeds will go to charity.    

Local roadworks updates

Latest local roadworks updates from one.network are:

Greenfield, Llangollen, Denbighshire 27 February - 27 February   Delays likely - Diversion route   Name: Diversion 1   Location: Greenfield   Description: Streetworks / License - Streetworks   Responsibility for event: Denbighshire County Council   Current status: Planned       Greenfield, Llangollen, Denbighshire 27 February - 27 February   Delays likely - Diversion route   Name: Diversion   Location: Market Street   Description: Streetworks / License - Streetworks   Responsibility for event: Denbighshire County Council   Current status: Planned       Greenfield, Llangollen, Denbighshire 27 February - 27 February   Delays likely - Road closure   Name: Greenfield, Llangollen   Location: Greenfield   Description: Streetworks / License - Streetworks   Responsibility for event: Denbighshire County Council   Current status: Planned

Bridge Street, Denbighshire 27 February - 28 February   Roadworks, Delays likely   Traffic management: Road closure   Description: Laying duct across FW and CW...   Works location: 2 CHAPEL STREET LLANGOLLEN LL20 8NW...   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Openreach.   Responsibility for works: Openreach   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: BC005OP1W00000WD9WLL5HRC       Bridge Street, Denbighshire 27 February - 28 February   Roadworks, Delays likely   Traffic management: Road closure   Description: Laying duct across FW and CW...   Works location: 2 CHAPEL STREET LLANGOLLEN LL20 8NW...   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Openreach.   Responsibility for works: Openreach   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: BC005OP1W00000WD9WLL5HRC       Bridge Street, Denbighshire 27 February - 28 February   Roadworks, Delays likely   Traffic management: Road closure   Description: Laying duct across FW and CW...   Works location: 2 CHAPEL STREET LLANGOLLEN LL20 8NW...   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Openreach.   Responsibility for works: Openreach   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: BC005OP1W00000WD9WLL5HRC       Greenfield, Denbighshire 27 February - 27 February   Roadworks, Delays likely   Traffic management: Road closure   Description: WORKS TO RECTIFY DEFECTIVE REINSTATEMENT IN THE CARRIAGEWAY...   Works location: OUTSIDE 6   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Scottish Power Renewable Energy.   Responsibility for works: Scottish Power Renewable Energy   Current status: Planned work about to start   Works reference: GY004461824R       Greenfield, Denbighshire 27 February - 27 February   Roadworks, Delays likely   Traffic management: Road closure   Description: WORKS TO RECTIFY DEFECTIVE REINSTATEMENT IN THE CARRIAGEWAY...   Works location: OUTSIDE 6   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Scottish Power Renewable Energy.   Responsibility for works: Scottish Power Renewable Energy   Current status: Planned work about to start   Works reference: GY004461824R       Greenfield, Denbighshire 27 February - 27 February   Roadworks, Delays likely   Traffic management: Road closure   Description: WORKS TO RECTIFY DEFECTIVE REINSTATEMENT IN THE CARRIAGEWAY...   Works location: OUTSIDE 6   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by Scottish Power Renewable Energy.   Responsibility for works: Scottish Power Renewable Energy   Current status: Planned work about to start   Works reference: GY004461824R