* At Drosi Bikes CIC (from left) Julie Masters Clwydian Range Tourism Group (CRTG), Beth and Robin Drosi Bikes, Carol Smith CRTG, Mark Isherwood MS.
Politicians have been visiting local attractions as part of Wales Tourism Week.
Mark Isherwood, Welsh Conservative Senedd Member for North Wales, visited Beth Ward and Robin Hughes and Drosi Bikes CIC in Parade Street, Llangollen, explaining how a love of cycling coupled with a concern for the environment was the driving force behind the company, which since May 2021 has been on a mission to encourage accessible cycling and reduce carbon footprints.
As well as hiring bikes for the day or half day, the team at Drosi Bikes take in repairs, restore donated bikes for sale, and offer e-bike conversions.
As a community interest company, the team supports a number of programmes to upskill and educate volunteers of all abilities.
Mr Isherwood commended the company on the valuable service that it provides to the local community, which he said goes hand in hand with its sustainable approach to tourism and its contribution to the visitor economy.
Mr Isherwood also visited The Dory Gallery in Regent Street, Llangollen, where the owner Suzanne Matheison explained how the gallery, opened in June 2021, had come about.
An independent art gallery located in the former National School for the Poor, The Dory specialises in contemporary and abstract art, particularly the work of the late abstract artist Dory after whom the gallery is named, in an informal setting.
Individual local artists and art groups are also championed, with regular displays of their work in various media being staged in a series of bright exhibition spaces.
Mr Isherwood said he was pleased to hear that the gallery is popular with visitors to Llangollen as well as local residents, and said that the wide range of visitor experiences available in the town, of which The Dory Gallery is one, provides growing support for the local economy.
He added: “It was a delight to visit these excellent tourism businesses which are a real asset to North Wales. I thank them, and the members of the Clwydian Range Tourism Group, for welcoming me and wish them continued success with their ventures.”
* Tourism can continue to drive the local economy in a corner of north-east Wales which has ‘so much to offer’, says Clwyd South Labour Senedd Member Ken Skates.
Mr Skates, a former Welsh Government tourism minister, said his constituency is ‘brimming with potential’, and believes it will continue to keep local employment figures above the UK average.
“Tourism is – and always will be – a key sector for Clwyd South and it’s a crucial driver of the local and regional economy,” said Mr Skates. “Our area has so much to offer and it’s a constituency I’m hugely proud to represent.
“We have two beautiful valleys, the Dee and Ceiriog. The latter was where the Battle of Crogen took place in 1165, which saw King Henry II’s army forced to retreat by brave Welsh soldiers. And we have the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Horseshoe Pass.
“Then there’s the 200-year-old Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the first transnational UNESCO World Heritage Site, which stretches for 11 miles through some of the most important industrial heritage anywhere in the world.Llangollen is home to the world famous International Musical Eisteddfod and the recently-restored railway line to Corwen, and Rhosllanerchrugog is home to the iconic Stiwt theatre which remains a prominent venue for Welsh language arts.”
The famous Llangollen-Corwen line has been gradually restored in recent years, with support from the Welsh Government, and volunteers will officially reopen Corwen Station next month.
“The team has done an incredible job, and it’s taken years of blood, sweat and tears from the volunteers,” said Mr Skates. “It’s been a real labour of love, and it’s amazing to see this jewel in the Dee Valley’s crown brought back to its former glory.”
Mr Skates visited several other businesses and attractions to mark Wales Tourism Week (May 15-21), including Chirk Castle – one of the two National Trust sites in his constituency – and the nearby Lady Margaret's Park Club Campsite. During First Minister’s Questions, the Clwyd South MS also highlighted the importance of the tourism industry to the region.
He said: “The constituency is also home to Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse, which I visited ahead of the family race day on Saturday (May 20) and is a major local attraction. It was an excellent opportunity to meet the new general manager Paddy Chesters and chief executive Louise Stewart and hear about their plans to further improve the racecourse’s offering.”
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