Railway children relive history by travelling into Eisteddfod by train

* There was a party atmosphere on the railway platform as the children arrived.

* All smiles and waves as the Ysgol Corwen and Ysgol Carrog kids pull into the station. 

 

Over 50 children from two Dee Valley community schools relived a local tradition when they arrived by train for a sunny day out at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod. 

Youngsters from the Corwen and Carrog areas traditionally came by train from their local stations to the Eisteddfod’s children’ day each year but Dr Beeching ended the fun when he axed the Ruabon  to Barmouth line in the early 1960s. 

 

But thanks to the route’s revival as a thriving heritage line the Eisteddfod was able to team up with Llangollen & Corwen Railway to bring the annual outing back to life in 2019. 

This year’s band of happy railway children, who travelled aboard a vintage diesel train, came from Ysgol Corwen and Ysgol Carrog. 

 

After boarding at Corwen Station they lapped up every mile of the trip to Llangollen where they arrived just after 9am, waving at the windows of the carriages. 

 

On the platform they were officially greeted by people from the Eisteddfod and the railway and there was time for pictures – and even a couple of songs from the children – before they were shepherded from the station to the Eisteddfod field for an action-packed day. 

 

The Eisteddfod’s Ian Lebbon, who organises these sentimental journeys, said: “We see them as extremely important to the people in the communities at the other end of the heritage line, where the railway is part of their everyday lives. 

 

“The railway, of course, is one of the three great highways of the valley, along with the River Dee and the A5 road. Many of these children will never have travelled by train before, especially one as magnificent as the heritage one they came on today. 

 

“It’s also good for them to be able to see and enjoy the Eisteddfod. Many of them will be coming to the festival for the first time and we hope they will become regular visitors.” 

Becky Mollison-white, assistant headteacher at Ysgol Carrog, said: “It was an amazing experience for the children from the two schools and they were all very excited about it. 

 

“Corwen and Carrog both have stations on the heritage line and the children were very happy about getting the opportunity to travel on it.” 

 

Helping to guide the children to the field was a group of young people from Ysgol Dinas Bran in Llangollen and Ysgol Morgan Llwyd in Wrexham who work at the Eisteddfod each year as Welcome Hosts, which Ian Lebbon says he sees as a wonderful opportunity to boost their future career prospects.  

 

Sir Terry Waite presented with top Wales Care Award

* The Wales Care Award is presented to Sir Terry Waite by Mario Kreft MBE and Sir Karl Jenkins, president of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.  

Peace campaigner Sir Terry Waites was hailed as an “international treasure” after the former hostage received a lifetime achievement award in North Wales.

Sir Terry was presented with the special Wales Care Award during the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod where he was much-loved president for 15 years.

Appropriately, the Welsh slate plaque was jointly presented by Sir Karl Jenkins, who succeeded Sir Terry as Eisteddfod president, and Mario Kreft MBE, the chair and founder of the Wales Care Awards.

Mr Kreft praised Sir Terry’s lifelong dedication to supporting vulnerable people, describing him as a passionate advocate for social care as well as a humanitarian whose work has inspired communities in Wales and beyond.

Sir Terry travelled to Lebanon in 1987 to negotiate the release of hostages as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s special envoy but was himself kidnapped and held captive for nearly five years before being freed in 1991.

He is vocal campaigner for international peace and human rights around the world, and has played a role in the release of hostages in countries including Iran and Libya.

Sir Karl Jenkins said: "It was a real privilege to present this award to Sir Terry, whose compassion, courage and commitment to helping others have inspired people around the world for decades.

“He has given so much through his work for peace, human rights and social care, and this honour is a fitting recognition of an extraordinary lifetime of service."

Mr Kreft, who also the chair of social care champions Care Forum Wales who organise the Wales Care Awards, said: “Quite simply, Sir Terry is an international treasure.

“We all know that he is a great humanitarian who has done so much for those in captivity but I have also known him as the president of the International Eisteddfod.

“He is also deeply passionate about social care and it is this commitment which we are recognising with this award.

“Sir Terry is someone who believes profoundly in social care as being at the heart of the community whether its care within the family or for those who can’t be supported by the family or who don’t have a family to care for them.

“This award recognises his lifetime interest in the care sector and it is very fitting that it is being presented by Sir Karl as it emphasises the bond that exists between social care and music and the arts and Sir Terry and Sir Karl are exemplars of that.

“Sir Terry is someone who understands community and values the contribution to it by the arts and social care.

"The Craig Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award is one of the highest honours we can give. It reflects the enormous respect and admiration we have for Sir Terry and his lifetime of service to others."

According to Sir Terry,  he was very privileged to be honoured by the Wales Care Awards and added: “It’s also a privilege to be back in Llangollen at the International Eisteddfod with Mario and Karl, both old friends.

“I have also been privileged to receive an honorary doctorate from Bangor University and the reason that the International Eisteddfod and Bangor University mean so much to me is that after 15 years here in Llangollen as president of the Eisteddfod I have come to regard myself as an honorary Welshman.

“This award confirms that status is a little bit more than honorary.

“Just before arriving here I was on the phone to a man held in detention in Iraq for five years and I had the good news that his ordeal is coming to an end.

“We have over 100 such cases at the moment and the world is a sad place but we should never forget that a kindly act can make a difference and that is something we as individuals can do.

“The Llangollen Eisteddfod has made a difference in bringing people together from all over the world and making us a community of care and compassion and music and that’s something that Sir Karl embodies.”

John Gambles, the chair of Llangollen Eisteddfod,  said: "Sir Terry's compassion, humility and lifelong commitment to helping others make him a truly deserving recipient of this award.

“His work has touched countless lives and continues to remind us of the values at the heart of social care – kindness, dignity and community."

Llangollen FC awarded £2,160 by National Lottery

 

One World brings a message of hope to Llangollen

* Sir Karl Jenkins One World was the perfect way to start the Llangollen International Eisteddfod 2026. 

There are concerts that entertain, there are concerts that inspire, and then there are concerts that become moments in history. 

Sir Karl Jenkins' long-awaited Uniting Nations: One World opening concert at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod was undoubtedly the latter.

 

Following the heartbreaking postponement of last year's performance, there was an unmistakable sense of anticipation inside a busy Pavilion as audiences finally witnessed the concert they had waited more than a year to experience. 

Thanks to the generous support of Arts Council of Wales and the James Pantyfedwen Foundation, that wait proved more than worthwhile.

 

The evening began with the world premiere of Greeting the Dawn, a newly-commissioned bilingual work by emerging Welsh composer Sam Buttler. 

Warmly received by the audience, the stirring new composition earned Sam rapturous applause and marked a fitting opening to another Eisteddfod celebrating new musical talent.

 

Following the premiere, Artistic Director Dave Danford formally declared the 2026 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod open, welcoming audiences from near and far to a festival built on music, peace and international friendship.

 

The opening half also featured a moving performance of Peace Child: The Musical, conducted by Anthony Gabriele. Placing young people at the heart of a story about peace, understanding and hope, the production was brought vividly to life by an outstanding cast, including Shea Ferron, a member of Johns' Boys, a long-standing Eisteddfod volunteer and one of the festival's own - whose performance was warmly received by the audience.

 

Following the interval, Sir Karl Jenkins, this year's President of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod, stepped onto the podium to conduct One World. 

Greeted with warm and heartfelt applause, he led an international massed chorus comprising WorldChoir and NEW Voices, accompanied by the Llangollen International Orchestra, in a performance that was both musically thrilling and deeply moving.

 

At its heart, One World explores conflict, climate change, political division, truth, human rights and ultimately hope, taking the audience on a remarkable emotional journey from darkness to light.

 

The outstanding soloists brought Jenkins' powerful score vividly to life. Soprano Shimona Rose and mezzo-soprano Eirlys Myfanwy Davies delivered performances of exceptional beauty and sensitivity, while baritone Njabulo Madlala sang with warmth, authority and conviction.

Celebrated session player and multi-instrumentalist Zands Duggan, who frequently performs and records alongside Sir Karl Jenkins, was outstanding on percussion, providing colour, drama and energy throughout the performance.

 

From the dramatic opening depiction of creation in In the Beginning to the rhythmic drive of Let's Go! the multilingual optimism of Unus Mundus, the haunting beauty of Ad Pacem and the deeply reflective Tikkun Olam, Sir Karl's music demonstrated why he remains one of the world's most celebrated living composers.

 

The final movements offered a powerful sense of optimism. Sakura - Spring Has Come symbolised renewal before The Golden Age Begins Anew brought the work to a triumphant conclusion, leaving audiences with an enduring message that peace, equality and hope remain ideals worth striving for.

 

However, one of the evening's most unforgettable moments came at the close of the concert.

 

Following an extended standing ovation, the audience was treated to a moving encore of Benedictus, the hauntingly beautiful penultimate movement from Sir Karl Jenkins' much-loved anti-war masterpiece, The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace. 

Its soaring opening melody filled the Pavilion, played by the outstanding Cellist Beatrice Newman, and the audience responded with prolonged, rapturous applause, bringing an emotional and fitting conclusion to an unforgettable opening night.

 

For many in the audience, the evening was about much more than music. It was a celebration of resilience following last year's postponement, a tribute to everyone who worked tirelessly to bring the concert back, and a reminder of the founding ideals of the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod - that music has the power to unite people across cultures, nations and generations. 

The festival also expressed its sincere gratitude to Arts Council of Wales and the James Pantyfedwen Foundation, whose generous support made the return of this landmark concert possible.

 

As Sir Karl Jenkins begins his year as President of the Eisteddfod, Uniting Nations: One World will surely be remembered as one of the defining opening concerts in the festival's history. 

In a world too often divided, Llangollen once again demonstrated that music remains one of humanity's most powerful languages of peace, hope and international friendship.

 

The Eisteddfod continues throughout the week with a packed programme of competitions, concerts and cultural celebrations.

Highlights include Global Rhythms: Made in Wales, the Orchestral Qawwali Project, Emeli Sandé with the Absolute Orchestra, An Evening with Michael Ball, the colourful Parade of Nations, and the prestigious Choir of the World competition, alongside hundreds of performances from visiting groups representing countries from across the globe.

 

* For the full programme, latest results and tickets, visit llangollen.net.

* Anthony Gabriele, known as The Maestro, conducted the first half of the concert including the world premiere of Greeting the Dawn.

* The audience at the Eisteddfod were in raptures on its opening night.

Well-known local figures speak for and against new National Park to BBC

* Town crier Chem is interviewed by the BBC on the station in April.

Three well-known Llangollen figures have had their say about plans for the proposed new Glyndwr National Park which would include this area.

Back in April David Hennigan, trust manager of Llangollen & Corwen Railway and also a director of the Eisteddfod, Austin 'Chem' Cheminais, the town crier, and Phil Robinson, who runs llanblogger, were all interviewed about the controversial proposal in a special BBC Wales programme aired yesterday (Monday).

In it former BBC Radio Wales Country Focus presenter Mel Doel OBE delved deeper into the communities who may find themselves near or inside the planned fourth Welsh National Park, gathering voices that reveal both affection for the landscape and unease about what designation might bring.

In Llangollen she spoke first to David Hennigan during another busy day on the railway.

He said he was for the new park on the basis that it would attract new opportunities and tourists, adding that the railway was ready to embrace these opportunities.

"It would bring the infrastructure together and we are thoroughly for it," he stressed.

* Producer Mel Dole speaks to Phil Robinson on the station platform.

Taking the opposing view was Phil Robinson who said that most of the local authorities within the area of the park had already rejected the proposal, including Llangollen Town Council, of which he is a member and where had spoken against when it came up for discussion.

On a sunny day when the town was packed with visitors, he said: "On a day like today the traffic system is overwhelmed as are the public toilets. We can't cope already.

"There are advantages in terms of preserving and enhancing the environment and the landscape but these are greatly outweighed by the disadvantages of so many more tourists coming to a town which is already thronging."

* David Henningan welcomes the BBC crew to Llangollen.

Town crier Chem admitted he had mixed feelings about the plan, explaining: "I understand the arguments against it because on a day like today there is a continuous line of traffic looking for parking.

"But on balance I am in favour  in terms of the resources it might bring to help us manage. I think if money comes with the National Park it must stay in Llangollen and the surrounding area.

"We are already in a Site of Scientific Interest, we have a World Heritage site and we are also an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, so it would help us manage all these things."

The producer later boarded a train from Llangollen bound for Corwen where she spoke to more people both for and against the park.

* To listen to the programme, go to: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002yhqt